THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
Last fall, the state of California enacted Assembly Bill 775. The law, which went into effect on January 1 of this year, requires pregnancy centers in the state to have written statements posted in all clinics making clients aware of the state’s abortion programs. In response to this pro-abortion law, three faith-based pregnancy centers filed a lawsuit against the state on Thursday.
Under the law, health clinics that provide pregnancy-related services must inform their patients about California’s public programs that offer family planning options, including abortion.
The law compels all pregnancy clinics to make the following statement visible to their clients:
California has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services (including all FDA-approved methods of contraception), prenatal care, and abortion for eligible women.
LifeNews adds that the law states that the notice must be in 22-point font, distributed to patients in no less than 14-point font, or distributed digitally “at the time of check-in or arrival.”
In addition to the pre-written statement, centers are required to provide the phone number to social services where callers are provided with additional information about abortion programs.
Furthermore, pro-life centers that fail to provide the abortion information the first time will be subjected to fines of $500, and $1,000 per incident thereafter, notes World Net Daily.
But three pro-life pregnancy centers have filed suit against what they are calling an unconstitutional law that violates their First Amendment rights by compelling speech with which they disagree. The plaintiffs in the case are Mountain Right to Life, Inc. (dba Pregnancy & Family Resource Center), Birth Choice of the Desert, and His Nesting Place, represented by the Liberty Counsel.
The lawsuit contends that the law violates the plaintiffs’ constitutional guarantees of free speech and free exercise of religion “by requiring Plaintiffs to post government-dictated messages which are antithetical to their beliefs and which they do not wish to communicate.”
The complaint adds that AB 775 is “unconstitutional on its face and as applied.”
It reads,
An actual controversy exists between the parties involving substantial constitutional issues, in that Plaintiffs assert that the challenged statute violates the Free Speech and Free Exercise of 8 Religion rights of Plaintiffs guaranteed under the First and Fourteenth 9 Amendments to the United States Constitution and by Article I, §§2(a), 4 of the 10 California Constitution, while Defendants assert the Act comports with the United 11 States and California constitutions.
The legislation states that “the purpose of this act is to ensure that California residents make their personal reproductive health care decisions knowing their rights and the health care services available to them." But despite the rhetoric, Liberty Counsel Chairman Mat Staver contends the law is simply about control and empowering the state:
This is reminiscent of the government-mandated messages in George Orwell’s 1984. AB 775 mandates that these faith-based, crisis pregnancy centers utter a state-drafted, pro-abortion message or be fined up to $1,000 each time they fail to comply.
What we are seeing is the evolution of political correctness. While the PC movement used social consequences to restrict speech, now the secular, progressive California legislature is using the law and fines to mandate speech. This is not only anti-American, it should be terrifying to every freedom-loving American. The right to speak and the right to refrain from speaking are both protected by the First Amendment.
This is not the first challenge to California’s controversial law.
When AB 775 was passed last October, two faith-based pregnancy centers — Care Net Pregnancy Center and A Woman’s Friend Pregnancy Center — sought injunctive relief that would have excused them from having to provide their clients information about abortion.
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative nonprofit that filed the suit on the centers' behalf, declared,
Forcing a religious pro-life charity to proclaim a pro-abortion declaration is on its face an egregious violation of both the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment to the Constitution. We will not rest until this government mandate is completely halted.
And though the judge seemed to agree with their constitutional arguments, injunctive relief was not granted.
U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller, who presided over the case, admitted that if the court denied the plaintiffs the injunctive relief, they were "likely to suffer irreparable injuries with respect to their constitutional rights and incur civil penalties," but the burden to prove that the "injunction is in the public interest" was on them, and they failed to present sufficient evidence of that.
Judge Mueller ruled that the public’s interest was to ensure that women in California were made aware of all their reproductive healthcare options.
“California has a special interest in protecting and regulating trades that closely concern public health,” she wrote. “Though the public interest favors upholding the First Amendment, the public interest also favors ensuring California women are fully informed as to their reproductive health care options.”
Mueller acknowledged that the law’s required notice is compelled speech, but defended it as speech that “provides truthful, non-misleading information to the clinics’ clients during their appointments” and “does not otherwise restrict speech,” noting that the clinics opposed to the law may continue to criticize it during appointments with the clients and may still advocate their own religious beliefs.
But that is not enough. Constitutional lawyer Herbert Titus of William J. Olson, P.C. told World News Daily that the First Amendment protects citizens from being “forced to carry someone else’s message.”
Still, Titus states that he is not surprised by California’s efforts to suppress its citizens’ constitutional rights.
“It’s fairly typical of California," he noted, "[which is] always on the cutting edge of making us more and more like a fascist country, in which the state determines what we can say and what we can’t say."
However, if past precedent is any indication, AB 775 may not withstand the opposition.
According to Life News, the law closely mirrors ones found in Austin, Texas; Baltimore and Montgomery Counties in Maryland; and New York City, all of which were thrown out after courts determined the government-mandated messages were unconstitutional.
The founder of a conservative political watchdog group is the first in the nation to file a lawsuit against the federal government over President Obama’s recent executive actions on gun control.
Claiming the president cannot redefine laws enacted by Congress, Judicial Watch founder Larry Klayman filed a lawsuit in federal district court on Monday naming Obama, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Director of the Department of Justice, Thomas E. Brandon, as defendants.
“The Defendants’ rewriting of laws burdening and abridging the fundamental rights of the Plaintiff and other US citizens under the Second Amendment by the President and his executive branch is unconstitutional,” the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida states.
“These actions are unconstitutional abuses of the President’s and executive branch’s role in our nation’s constitutional architecture and exceed the powers of the President as set forth in the U.S. Constitution.”
The complaint argues Obama’s executive actions attempt to redefine ATF enforcement activities and policies, including “who is a ‘dealer’ in firearms ‘engaged in the business of selling firearms,’” according to a press release regarding the lawsuit.
“The change of interpretation now sweeps up persons who do not seek to earn a livelihood or make a profit, who buy or sell as few as one or two guns a year,” the press release says. “Worse, the new rules are so vague and subjective that Klayman challenges them as ‘void for vagueness.’ Being treated as a dealer now creates the obligation to conduct background checks for those sales.”
The lawsuit is in response to the January 4 announcement from President Obama where he stated he would unilaterally implement further infringements on the Second Amendment.
Check out the rest of Larry Klayman’s complaint below:
LYNCHBURG, Va. —A reality star hipster “pastor” who is known for marrying Playboy cover model Kim Kardashian to blasphemous “I Am a God” rapper Kanye West, and for collaborating with West on the script for his “Yeezus” tour and other projects, was welcomed Wednesday by Liberty University, which heralds itself as being the world’s largest Christian university, to address students during convocation.
As previously reported, Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s reality show “Rich in Faith” began airing last month on the Oxygen channel and follows Wilkerson as he launches a new congregation called “Vous Church.”
“I come from a different perspective. I don’t think people are interested in a bunch of religion, like tell me what I can and can’t do,” Wilkerson says in the promotional video for the show. “But I think people are interested in having a relationship with a higher power.”
The preview shows Wilkerson getting a tattoo, lying on the beach with his bikini-clad wife, and telling his parents that he plans to hold his first service at a bar.
“In recent months, the themes of Wilkerson’s sermons have been based on songs from the Top 40: Drake’s ‘Worst Behavior,’ DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s club thumper ‘Turn Down for What,’ Beyoncé’s ‘Drunk in Love,'” the Miami New Times reports.
“His messages take surprising detours on their way to the gospel. He might roll out a story about pissing his pants as a kid, talk about marital sex, or even point out the church’s proximity to Miami’s strip joints,” it outlines.
Wilkerson, who previously led a 1,500-member young adult group called “The Rendezvous” at his father’s Trinity Church, was put into the spotlight in 2014 after he officiated the wedding of profanity-laden rapper Kanye West, known for songs such as “I Am a God,” “Drunk and Hot Girls,” “Hold My Liquor” and “Jesus Walks,” to Playboy cover model Kim Kardashian, the step-daughter of Bruce Jenner.
He had met the couple two years prior after they visited his father’s congregation.
“I just talked to Jesus/He said, ‘What up Yeezus?’/ I said, “[Expletive], I’m chilling/Trying to stack these millions,” West raps in his song “I Am a God.” “I know He the Most High/But I am a close high/… I am a god.”
“It began a relationship; we (Wilkerson and West) started emailing and calling each other. We collaborated on a few things: art, fashion, music, Jesus,” Wilkerson told People Magazine last year. “He invited me to write a few things for his tour, and I’ve been able to counsel him on a few things.”
Wilkerson is stated to have helped with the script for West’s “Yeezus” tour, where West brought a man dressed as Jesus on stage during a show in Seattle.
“White Jesus, is that you?” he asked on stage. “Oh [expletive]!”
West provided the artwork for Wilkerson’s new book “Sandcastle Kings,” which was released in November.
“Kanye is a really good friend,” Wilkerson told reporters. “We chat every week about different things … He’s an amazing artist and designer, and with my first book coming out, I thought it would be fun for him to design the cover.”
Pop star Justin Bieber also visited the congregation, and Wilkerson recently praised him in an interview with Cosmopolitan.
“I think he is doing great,” he said. “I just saw him three days ago in L.A. He’s doing awesome. We are proud of him.”
As previously reported, in an interview with Complex Magazine in October, Bieber spoke much about his views on Christianity, criticizing churches that warn about Hell and Christians who are “overly churchy.” He stated, however, the he personally desires to be more outspoken about the Christian faith and just wants to “live like Jesus.” Days after the interview was released, Bieber made headlines for smoking marijuana and drinking Hennessy on stage.
Schimmel
But some have expressed concern about Wilkerson, including Joe Schimmel, pastor of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley, California, and host of the documentary “They Sold Their Souls for Rock and Roll.”
“When Wilkerson’s church was new, one gimmick he employed was to offer to eat a live gold fish if 300 people attended. Some time later, he offered to be zapped with a stun gun when they hit 2,000 attendees,” he explained in a blog post last month.
While Wilkerson says that he believes in Hell and acknowledges that a person goes through a process of sanctification after coming to Christ, he says that specific sins are not discussed much from the pulpit.
“At our church, homosexuality is not a topic I like to chat about very much, but I don’t talk about a whole lot of issues,” Wilkerson told the Miami New Times last year. “I talk about what Jesus is for, not what he’s supposedly against.”
“I don’t know who’s going to Hell. I just know that followers of Jesus are going to Heaven—that’s what the Bible says,” he said. “My message isn’t ever who’s going where.”
“As a pastor, my heart breaks for those who are teaching such serious false doctrines and condoning the wickedness of the world system that so plagues the Church,” Schimmel said. “My heart breaks because I fear and tremble, knowing that the Scriptures declare that we will have a stricter judgment (James 3:1-2), give an account for souls (Hebrews 13:17), and that the blood of those who perish, will be on our heads if we fail to preach repentance and the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:21, 26-27).”
Wilkerson, whose father is the cousin of the late David Wilkerson, was scheduled to speak at Liberty University this morning during the mandatory convocation service. Liberty University’s motto is “Training Champions for Christ.”
“Those are just things that I think the world needed to know about Donald Trump because the Bible says that by your fruits you shall know them,” Falwell said. “He may not be a theological expert …, but when you look at the fruits of his life and all the people he’s provided jobs, I think that’s the true test of somebody’s Christianity not whether or not they use the right theological terms.”
Erwin McManus, an emergent leader with Mosaic Church in California, is scheduled to speak at the school on Feb. 3.
"My goal is to destroy Christianity as a world religion and be a re-catalyst for the movement of Jesus Christ," McManus, author of a new book called "The Barbarian Way," said in a telephone interview.
"Some people are upset with me because it sounds like I'm anti-Christian. I think they might be right." Erwin McManus
"It is evident from the contents of The Barbarian Way that McManus has a fascination for old Celtic lore. The ways of the Celts in battle, their commitment to cause and their loyalty to their king seem to be a recurring theme. From the beginning, this book emphasizes the "barbarian way" of doing things and walking through life, hence its name, and declares these ways superior by far to traditional Christianity....
"The bottom line is that Jesus Christ doesn't want barbarians. The barbarian heart is the one from which He has delivered us. That "primal," sensual, I've-got-to-be-me attitude that casts off restraint has no place in the Christian congregation. As romantic as that distant era of warfare and wild living might seem, we can't go back, and we don't really want to. There's nothing back there for us anymore. We need to be satisfied with Christ alone, as He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. That is enough, and more than we can possibly live out in this short earthly span. The true barbarian way—brutal, self-serving, violent—needs to remain in the deep past where it belongs, where my own Celtic forbears are buried with their swords and superstitions." —A review of The Barbarian Way By Kevin Reeves
In The Barbarian Way, McManus tells readers that the story of the Crusades "awakens within me a primal longing that I am convinced waits to be unleashed within everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ." But McManus has an unusual definition of "follower of Jesus Christ." He says:
"When asked if they [Barbarians] are Christians, their answer might surprisingly be no, they are passionate followers of Jesus Christ." This might sound OK on the surface, but it is part of the new missiology and the new evangelicalism that Rick Warren and others proclaim, "God doesn't care what religion you are, just add Jesus to what you already have." Thus you can be a Buddhist with Jesus, a Hindu with Jesus - that's OK. McManus clarifies this when he states: "The greatest enemy to the movement of Jesus Christ is Christianity." He elaborates more:
They [Barbarians - who he tries to convince readers they should be] see Christianity as a world religion, in many ways no different from any other religious system. Whether Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity, they're not about religion; they're about advancing the revolution Jesus started two thousand years ago (p.6).
While some may think McManus is talking about some kind of true revival, he's not, not a revival towards the Jesus of the Bible anyway. McManus' Jesus is all together different. And using the same lingo that most contemplatives use (and New Agers for that matter), he tells readers that they have been "recreated to live in a raw and primal spirituality" that listens "to the voice of the Spirit... Barbarians are not welcome among the civilized and are feared among the domesticated." The book reads more like a primer to prepare for an anarchist war than instruction and exhortation on how to live the Christian life according to the Bible. Read the rest of this report, click here.
Erwin McManus on Mysticism
For those who may wonder just what is at the basis of McManus' spirituality, this quote by the author says it all:
The Barbarian Way [his book] was, in some sense, trying to create a volatile fuel to get people to step out and act. It's pretty hard to get a whole group of people moving together as individuals who are stepping into a more mystical, faith-oriented, dynamic kind of experience with Christ. So, I think Barbarian Way was my attempt to say, "Look, underneath what looks like invention, innovation and creativity is really a core mysticism that hears from God, and what is fueling this is something really ancient. (emphasis added) Erwin McManus,Interview by Al Sergel with Erwin McManus, “Soul Cravings, Q&A (Relevant Magazine,http://www.relevantmagazine.com/godarticle.php?id=7241). [Relevant Magazine has removed this link-on file at LTRP]
One of the targets of my criticism in that post was Erwin Raphael McManus, self-styled “futurist, author, speaker, activist, filmmaker and innovator who specializes in the field of developing and unleashing personal and organizational creativity, uniqueness, innovation and diversity.” Some say he is a “pastor” (though he seems to eschew that title and most other ecclesiastical terms). He’s the lead speaker at Mosaic, “a Community of faith, love, and hope” in Pasadena.
It’s a Southern Baptist congregation, but you’d be hard-pressed to discover that fromthe church’s own publicity. I spent many hours a few years ago watching videos and listening to sound files of McManus’s teaching, and I have read two or three of his books, plus practically everything he has posted on line. I have never seen him explain, much less affirm, the gospel. (Online source)
In that 2008 post I said: “Clear gospel truth is almost impossible to find in the material he publishes and posts for public consumption. And in that regard, I don’t see a whole lot of difference between Erwin McManus and Joel Osteen. He’s Osteen with blue jeans and an occasional soul patch rather than a shiny suit and a perpetual grin.” (Online source)
You can read this insightful article by Phil Johnson in its entirety right here.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Myths Of The Mind Of McManus
He’s known for teaching foolish things like the following concerning Soul Cravings, one of his earlier books. You’ll understand the context of McManus’ mythology of “innovators and early adopters” when you realize the the below comes from an interview McManus gave to Matt Comer of Infuse Magazine, which tells us it’s where we can learn “everything spiritual and new age, yoga, meditation, holistic health, crystal healing, reiki and chakra, spiritual healing.”
What McManus will tell us is straight out of classic mystic myth of some supposed “spark of the divine” where God i.e. the universe is thought to already indwell all human beings:
Students And Pastors Hear Assertions From McManus Not Grounded In Scripture
Why this man is being used to train seminary students and pastors with this drivel is beyond me. People listen to their own soul because of sin; prior to regeneration we are all bent toward pleasing ourselves, these people “trying to bring meaning” to their lives need to hear the Gospel, not be pitched some new company McManus has started. And they sure don’t need to hear the lie that “there is greatness in everyone”; some of us are made to be regular folk, and our “greatness” is in surrendering our lives that Jesus may be glorified. Here’s what a real Biblical leader named John once said — “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
In order to understand Erwin McManus one must visit some of the many webpages associated with him and his MOSAIC church and ministry. What follows is a whirlwind tour of the various websites where one can learn more about this Southern Baptist pastor. He isn't just "doing church." This is a disturbing look into the new face of what used to be a fundamentalist denomination.
The new face of fundamentalism looks Jungian, mystical, futuristic and dominionist. Leaving behind the biblical doctrine of separation, it goes far beyond the neoevangelicals who merely accommodated themselves to the culture. This church of the future seeks to actually change the culture. But not by Scriptures. By metaphors, myths, images and activating the "divine potential of every human being." (See previous two posts.)
NOTE: Each of these webpages below is interlinked with other webpages, but one often cannot get to things directly and openly. Follow the links from one page to another to unravel this man's beliefs, activities, and associations. This is just a few highlights. To really grasp the implications of this, visit these pages and see the incredible graphic images, and follow the links yourself.
Today's whirlwind tour of Erwin McManus reminds us of the game "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" We challenge the tourista to find anything more than a veiled or token reference to Jesus Christ or His Gospel of salvation in these webpages.
"Where In the World is Jesus Christ?"
To begin, look at www.alexmcmanus.org and notice the links, graphics and language. To understand Erwin McManus, one must follow the activities of his brother Alex McManus. The two men are inextricably linked in partnerships on many levels, and this will become evident in today's post. http://alexmcmanus.org/index.php/about-alex/
"Alex served on the Leadershp team of MOSAIC Los Angeles from 1998 through 2004. He was a key leader behind ORIGINS, the Mosaic Leadership Experience, and from 2002 through 2006 grew the conference from a small pilot event to an experience of International reknown and status. During this same time, Alex helped create the Mosaic Alliance and served as the Global Liason from 2002 through 2006. In October 2004, Alex launched the International Mentoring Network, a custom made mentoring process with dense relational components, to discover, develop and deploy leaders. "
International Mentoring Network http://internationalmentoringnetwork.com/about "Overview "The International Mentoring Network (IMN) is a custom-made mentoring process and peer network. The Mentoring Process is designed to both offer a full-bodied foretaste of mission and ministry in the 21st century and to create ongoing conversation and partnership in mission and ministry.
"In order to do this, The IMN expoits to full advantage both the cyber world and the sphere of concrete relationships. Through the creation of an online university, and online performance venue, a network of blogs and even a cyber-city, the IMN is on the forefront of innovation in the world of technology and mission. On the concrete side, the IMN currently operates out of two centers, Los Angeles and Orlando with plans to expand to Montreal, Seattle/Vancouver, the UK and Europe within the next two to three years. As an added value, the IMN has sponsored annual regional “Makers of Fire” events and is now preparing a new National Conference, HUMANA 2.0 –the fight for humanity begins here . The IMN FACULTY will offer, throughout the six-month process, a full array of ingredients necessary for *guiding people through life change *creating an apostolic ethos *creatively engaging people and culture"
New Conference in Orlando, Fl "ErwinMcManus (Mosaic), DavidArcos (Mosaic) will join me (AlexMcManus) and many others in Orlando, Florida this February for a new conference created by the International Mentoring Network. Check out the details for HUMANA 2.0 at http://fight4humanity.com. Register before November 15 and enjoy an early adapter discount."
http://www.fight4humanity.com/ "This February 7-8 in Orlando, Florida, the fight for humanity begins again. Join ErwinMcManus, DavidArcos, GerardoMarti, AlexMcManus and others for a convergence of missional leaders. Register before November 15 and save with an early adopter discount."
http://www.fight4humanity.com/invitation/ "Invitation "An invitation from Alex McManus… "For the last two years, the International Mentoring Network has worked intimately with ORIGINS, the Mosaic Leadership Experience. Mosaic is counted as one of the most unique communities of faith in the world and Origins is, in my opinion, the finest missional leadership development experience in the west. "This year the IMN is multiplying the learning and networking opportunities by also sponsoring HUMANA 2.0 in Orlando, Florida on February 7-8, 2007.
"If Origins is about all things Mosaic, HUMANA 2.0 is about all things future…as well as multiple models for mission. Our goal will be to provide future-oriented leaders a venue in which to examine diverse, 21st century applications and models of ministry and mission. As we consider Mosaic very much a part of that future, we wish to provide for you opportunities to discuss what it is that makes Mosaic tick. We will also seek to put on the table other emerging forms of mission and ministry: The simple or organic church, entrepreneurial kingdom enterprises, emerging churches, and the cutting edge, cyber-city called voxtropolis."
http://awakenhumanity.org/ethos "What is ETHOS NY 2006? "A leadership development experiment designed as an opportunity to dialogue with cultural shapers and innovators from Los Angeles, New York, and around the world on topics ranging from leadership, culture, creativity, innovation and the future of the Church.
“…it is more important to change what people care about than to change what they believe! You can believe without caring, but you can’t care without believing.” - Erwin Raphael McManus Taken from An Unstoppable Force
"ETHOS (n.) The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, and practices of a group or society.
"ETHOS is what happens when many individuals make autonomous choices that create a unified movement. ETHOS moves us when nothing else will and like nothing else will. ETHOS can be described as a tribal emotion. Like emotions fire us up, ETHOS is the tribal fire. ETHOS is the fuel of our caring and the fire of our passions. Join us in New York for this unique and transformational experience that will ignite and fuel your passion for the movement of Christ around the world!"
http://yelo.awakenhumanity.org/ "yelo is an Awaken event that focuses on unleashing your creativity, elevating your influence, challenging your character, and maximizing your leadership potential.
"The yelo team experiences first hand the reward of living in a strength-based diverse community. Using the metaphor of a mosaic, we bring our unique and substantial pieces together for a common purpose: to unleash creativity and build community in your organization. Inspired by an ardent and sincere belief in what we offer, we are committed to serving you and your organization. "All of us have dreams hibernating inside of us, but we often find it difficult to make them come alive. The quest to live out our dreams begins by unleashing our creative spirit and coming face to face with the uniqueness of our potential. Along the way in life, we discover the importance of character in this journey and are confronted with the primal essence of who we are.
"yelo experiences are offered in Los Angeles three times a year and are open to anyone."
http://awakenhumanity.org/leadership/
"Awaken Leadership… What is ETHOS NY 2006?A leadership development experiment designed as an opportunity to dialogue with cultural shapers and innovators from Los Angeles, New York, and around the world on topics ranging from leadership, culture, creativity, innovation and the future of the Church. To learn more about ETHOS, go to our ETHOS page.
"yelo "Awakening the Human Spirit"We all have dreams, passions, and talents. But why do some of us realize our uniqueness and advance forward with maximum impact, while others watch timidly from a distance and wonder why their life isn’t going the direction they hoped it would? All of us have dreams hibernating inside of us, but we often find it difficult to make them come alive. The quest to live out your dreams begins by unleashing your creative spirit and coming face to face with the uniqueness of your potential as a human being. Along the way in life, we discover the importance of character in this journey and are confronted with the primal essence of who we are. (yelo) is an Awaken event that focuses on unleashing your creativity, elevating your influence, challenging your character, and maximizing your leadership potential. Awaken is an organization that can make these ideas a reality in your life.
"yelo is a mobile event, i.e., we bring yelo to your city, and your context."
http://erwinmcmanus.com/bio "Erwin is the catalyst behind Awaken, a collaboration of dreamers committed to creating environments that expand imagination and unleash creativity. Convinced that the world is changed by dreamers and visionaries, Awaken serves the purpose of history by maximizing the divine potential in every human being."
http://www.fight4humanity.com/speakers/ Speakers THE SEERS ERWINMCMANUS– author and lead pastor of MOSAIC Los Angeles GERARDOMARTI– author (A Mosaic of Believers) and professor of sociology DAVIDARCOS– writer and performing artist, director of the Urban Poets ALEXMCMANUS– founder of the International Mentoring Network & creator of VOXTROPOLIS.COM
http://www.fight4humanity.com/overview
http://www.fight4humanity.com/schedule GENERAL SESSIONS (subject to change) - The Mosaic Future - The PostHuman Future - The CyberFuture - An Organic Future
To be continued, Lord willing…
The Truth: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Colossians 2:8)
Congress may consider blocking the United States and Cuba from conducting joint security exercises until the Obama administration can prove the communist regime has dialed back its anti-American efforts, according to a letter sent to the Pentagon and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a leading critic of the administration’s detente with Cuba, petitioned Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Wednesday, demanding that he disinvite Cuba from the upcoming Caribbean Nations Security Conference, which will be held later this month in Jamaica. Cruz is concerned about recent reports that Cuba is in possession of a dummy American Hellfire missile.
The inclusion of Cuba in these sensitive discussions is “reckless” and any invitation should be rescinded “at the very least until the Hellfire is returned to the United States,” Cruz wrote in the letter.
In the months since the Obama administration renewed relations with Cuba and removed it from the official state sponsors of terror list, the Cuban regime has continued to harbor fugitives from the U.S., including one who was convicted in 1977 of murdering a New Jersey State Trooper.
Cruz maintains that it is not in the national security interests of U.S. to include Cuba in the high-level security talks, which were announced by the Pentagon earlier this month.
It seems “recklessly premature to participate in a joint security exercise with Cuba this month, especially as they seem likely to only use it as a platform from which to demand the return of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay,” Cruz wrote, referring to recent indications by Cuba that it will push the Obama administration to return the land currently being used to house terror suspects.
“I would like to know the rationale behind this decision, and I urge you to reconsider this invitation at the very least until the Hellfire is returned to the United States,” Cruz wrote.
The senator also disclosed current discussions in Congress aimed at barring the administration from conducting joint military exercises with Cuba.
“I also warn you of my intention to insert language into the FY 2017 National Defense Authorization Act prohibiting any future such joint exercises until Congress receives convincing assurances that the anti-American posture of the Castro regime has undergone a material change,” Cruz wrote.
Pentagon leaders disclosed this month that, for the first time, a delegation of Cuban officials would participate in the annual Caribbean security conference, which is run in part by U.S. Southern Command.
“We’ve normalized now and, regardless of how we think of each other in terms of politics, we have very, very common challenges,” Gen. John Kelly, Southern Command’s leader, told the Associated Press.
Cuba continues to pose a danger to regional stability and has continued to illicitly move arms to nations like North Korea, according to Cruz.
“Regardless of the diplomatic détente offered to Cuba by the Obama administration, the regime of Raul and Fidel Castro has been for more than half a century the implacable enemy of the United States,” Cruz wrote.
“They have detained our citizens. They are still harboring fugitives … they have participated in violent, destabilizing activities through the region, notably in Colombia and Venezuela,” according to Cruz.
The lawmaker has requested that the Pentagon respond to his letter no later than Jan. 25.
A leading member of the congressional Israel caucus says the Obama administration is fueling hatred against the Jewish state following comments by a top U.S. diplomat accusing Israel of not upholding democratic rule of law, according to a letter sent Wednesday to the State Department and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.), co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, lashed out at the administration, chastising it for seeking to inflame a diplomatic fight with Israel as the Jewish state grapples with a new wave of Palestinian terror attacks that has killed and wounded many civilians.
Dan Shapiro, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, elicited a sharp rebuke from Israeli leaders Tuesday when he accused the Jewish state of failing to properly investigate crimes committed against Palestinians.
“Too many attacks on Palestinians lack a vigorous investigation or response by Israeli authorities, too much vigilantism goes unchecked, and at times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians,” Shapiro said, referring to this as “unacceptable.”
Shapiro’s comments came the same day that Dafna Meir, an Israeli mother of six who was stabbed to death last week in her home by a Palestinian terrorist, was buried.
Israeli leaders accused Shapiro of promulgating lies used by Israel’s critics to delegitimize the Jewish state.
Shapiro’s comments prompted Roskam to write Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday to demand that he distance the Obama administration from Shapiro’s remarks.
“Shapiro troublingly questions Israel’s ‘long-term intentions’ and openly cast doubt upon the seriousness of its desire to reach peace with the Palestinians,” Roskam wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Free Beacon. “These remarks do not reflect reality, yet they serve to empower those who wish to delegitimize and marginalize the Jewish state.”
“In fact,” Roskam added, “the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement consistently seizes on this exact type of rhetoric to advance its insidious campaign to destroy Israel.”
As Israeli security forces work to combat the continuing wave of Palestinian terrorism, Shapiro’s comment are likely to add fuel to the anti-Israel fire, Roskam said.
“Now, more than ever, the United States must unequivocally stand with Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East,” Roskam wrote. “Repeated public displays of disunity only serve to weaken our relationship, inhibit peace efforts, and incite further hatred. Ambassador Shapiro’s troubling remarks are counterproductive and wrong. I encourage you to reject these misguided comments and reaffirm out unbreakable support for Israel.”
Palestinian leaders, who have celebrated and encouraged the recent terror attacks, will likely seize upon Shapiro’s remarks.
“As Ambassador Shapiro was wrongly castigating Israel on the world stage, Palestinian leaders were unabashedly praising the Dafna’s killers and further inciting Palestinians to continue the ‘Intifada of Knives,’” he wrote. “Perpetuating falsities and placing undue and disproportionate blame on Israel for the stalled peace process is a harmful distraction from ongoing Palestinian terrorist attacks, which ultimately, make peace harder to achieve.”
“At their most basic level, the ambassadors’ comments are inaccurate,” Roskam said, referring to multiple efforts by Israel in the past decades to foster peace.
In 2005, for instance, Israel unilaterally dissented from the Gaza Strip, where the terror group Hamas quickly rose to power.
In 2008, then Prime Minster Ehud Olmert offered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a comprehensive peace plan that would have equally divided Jerusalem. Abbas, however, declined.
With Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders breathing down her neck, Democratic establishment candidate of choice Hillary Clinton is starting to “feel the Bern.” Optimistic Sanders supporters and some sympathetic pollsters are now pointing out that Sanders’ poll numbers vis-à-vis Clinton’s are much better than those of Candidate Obama’s at a comparable point in the 2008 campaign. By all accounts, Sanders is looking more and more like a legitimate contender, which brings up the question, articulated in the title of a recent Christian Science Monitorarticle: "Is America finally ready for socialism?"
As noted by article author Cathaleen Chen, a new poll “found that 43 percent of likely voters in the Feb. 1 Democratic Iowa caucuses would use the word ‘socialist’ to describe themselves.” Moreover, only 37 percent of those polled self-identified as “capitalist.”
Nor is this sort of thinking confined to comparatively liberal, Democratic Iowa. A national Gallup poll last June found that 47 percent of all voters surveyed nationwide would vote for a socialist, with the number rising to 59 percent among registered Democrats. A New York Times poll taken last fall found that 56 percent of Democrats were comfortable with socialism as a governing philosophy, while only 29 percent were not.
These are astonishing numbers. We are only a generation removed from an era when a presidential candidate such as George Bush in 1988 could effectively deep-six the campaign of his Democratic rival, Michael Dukakis, merely by labeling him a “liberal” and getting it to stick. Thanks in no small measure to the charisma of Bernie Sanders, socialism is becoming hip (occupying rhetorical territory once claimed by “progressivism” and “liberalism”), to the point where America faces the very real prospect of electing a professed socialist as president later this year.
There are some obvious contributing factors driving America’s new love affair with socialism. One is the fact that our old socialist nemeses, the Soviet Union and Red China, along with their satellite states, have undergone dramatic sociopolitical changes, allowing “democratic socialists” such as Bernie Sanders to portray Stalinism, Maoism, and other brands of Marxist totalitarianism as aberrations, instances of a benign philosophy taken to irrational, fanatical extremes. Instead Scandinavia — not the former Soviet Union — with its high standard of living, benevolent safety nets, and cheerful, well-to-do citizenries, is the real face of socialism, as Sanders never tires of telling his young, idealistic fan base.
Another factor in socialism’s current popularity is the ongoing economic crisis which — like the Great Depression 80 years ago — has provided cover for the enemies of freedom and laissez-faire capitalism to blame them, instead of an excess of Big Government, for the crisis. To the majority of Americans who have little idea how the Fed and fractional reserve banking work, or the extent to which government controls throttle free enterprise and distort pricing, the Great Recession was yet another example of the excesses of the free market wreaking havoc — excesses that supposedly needed to be brought to heel by more layers of regulatory oversight.
In many respects, the Great Recession and its aftermath — which we are still experiencing — were foreshadowed by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then as now, many Americans’ faith in freedom was severely shaken, allowing the unscrupulous FDR to foist the New Deal, with all of its new and unconstitutional regulations, on an impoverished, desperate, unresisting electorate. It was the FDR era that brought about many of the first examples of Big Government control — federal gun laws, federal regulation of banks and financial markets, fiat money, Big Government make-work programs, Social Security, and federal welfare — that remain features of the American Nanny State to this day. It was the New Deal era, in fact, when America really began her long flirtation with socialism — flirtation that is now turning into a full-blown romance.
Sanders is right when he insists that the New Deal (as well as other Big Government schemes, such as Johnson’s Great Society, that have built upon it) is in fact socialism. He is also partly correct in pointing out that FDR’s famous “four freedoms” — freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear — meet with socialism’s stamp of approval. While the first two originated long before socialist theory, and were heartily approved of by the Founders, the latter two are purely socialist innovations. It is, after all, impossible to guarantee freedom from want and freedom from fear without compelling others to provide those goods. “Freedom from want” and “freedom from fear” are thus no different from other faux freedoms and rights promised by socialists, such as the “right” to medical care and employment.
The dreary truth is that America has been a partly socialist country since the early 20th century, even though the likes of FDR (and most Democratic politicians since) have been loath to call socialism by its real name. Not only that, socialism is no longer the guiding philosophy of “liberal Democrats” only; nearly all modern Republican politicians openly promote programs and institutions, such as Social Security, Medicare, and the Federal Reserve system, that are socialist. Only a very few Republicans in Washington have the courage to oppose socialism on principle, while all Democrats, whether “moderate” or “radical,” are died-in-the-wool socialists by conviction.
The difference between Hillary Clinton and her rival from the Green Mountain State is one of style alone; in substance both are hard-core socialists. Among the Republicans vying for the chance to oppose them in the general election, only a couple are not at least milquetoast socialists, with the majority (including all the GOP establishment preferences, such as Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, as well as The Donald himself) unapologetically socialist in supporting the likes of the Fed, corporate welfare, and cherished “entitlement” programs that Americans allegedly cannot live without.
Thus the Sanders campaign is not so much about whether America is ready for socialism. It is about whether Americans are ready to be honest enough with themselves to call it by its real name — and perhaps, after generations of flirtation and romance with the arch foe of freedom — to finally call off the engagement.
"It is evident from the contents of The Barbarian Way that McManus has a fascination for old Celtic lore. The ways of the Celts in battle, their commitment to cause and their loyalty to their king seem to be a recurring theme. From the beginning, this book emphasizes the "barbarian way" of doing things and walking through life, hence its name, and declares these ways superior by far to traditional Christianity....