Renewal
The Ten Biggest Lies Propagated by our Government
I’m in Washington. D.C. this week for the National Day of Prayer and other meetings. My accommodations are directly across the street from the Supreme Court where arguments were made last week regarding the marriage debate that could have monumental ramifications in the future.
When I walk by the offices of the justices this week, and also the Capitol Building (now shrouded in scaffolding for repairs), I will pray for our leaders that “God’s truth is marching on” in this crucial American city.
Because the opposite is also a reality: We live in a time period of the proliferation of lies–major and open deception–that is affecting the lives of not only 320 million US citizens, but also billions of people around the world.
In this article I’d like to explore the ten biggest lies being propagated by our government.
It is convenient in our modern, increasingly secular world to say that all people lie. You and I lie, all politicians lie, so why should we even talk about the subject? This type of moral equivalence not only stops the conversation about lying, but it also gives the false impression that all people lie equally and that every lie is the same.
That is not true.
It’s a lie.
First, it should be mentioned that of the three worldviews now competing for supremacy around the globe–biblical faith, secularism, and Islam–only one is committed to factual integrity at all times: biblical faith. The other two brazenly believe that the end justifies the means and that lying is okay as long as the cause advances.
Thus we have Hitler, Stalin, Mao etc. as the most well-known secular political liars of the past century, and a whole rash of ayatollahs, including the current Supreme Leader of Iran, who rarely speak the truth. They believe in power–and anything that gets them there including telling falsehoods.
The biblical worldview is different. Lying makes the list of basic sins in the Ten Commandments (Commandment Nine), and is mentioned twice in the list of six things that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). The New Testament is replete with references of the need to speak the truth, walk in the light, and live with integrity.
Jesus himself said that he was the “truth” (John 14:6). He expects his followers to follow his example.This means that, in general, followers are Jesus are more honest than secularists and Muslims. Why? Their faith is the only one that calls them to tell the truth in all circumstances.
It’s also true that professing Christians sometimes fail. But when they do, they go against the Scriptures–they are not following their faith. Their failure requires repentance and change.
But when Muslims or progressives tells a lie to advance their cause, it’s in accord with their worldview. Lying is a means to a greater end. They do not need to repent. Their followers don’t care.
This practical qualification about lying–that Muslims and secularists are not bound by their religions as Christians are–should help you understand why some politicians lie more than others.
For example, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are examples:
- The former Senate Majority leader, joked the other day about lying on the Senate floor about Mitt Romney’s taxes so that he would lose the 2012 election.
- Ms. Pelosi told us we needed to pass Obamacare to find out what was in it (how’s that for transparency in government?).
- “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” Need I say more.
- Hillary Clinton erased 30,000 e-mails. Ditto.
All four of these politicians are committed to secular values. That means playing loose with the truth. If you want to read a good article on the non-moral equivalence of all politicians being liars, try David Limbaugh’s “All Politicians Don’t Lie Equally and Lying Does Matter.”
It’s important to vote for leaders who practice their faith in God.
Now on to the lies that we currently find in government. I should note that these lies didn’t necessarily originate with politicians, but they came up through our culture and institutions (such as higher education) and are being aided by a complicit (and very anti-faith) mainstream media.
These lies are not in any particular order except for the first two. Lie One has had the most devastating consequences in our nation, and Lie Two could do the same in the next generation
Lie One – Abortion
You will never hear a more stupid or evil statement by a politician than “I am pro-choice.” What choice are they talking about? It’s the choice to murder an innocent unborn baby simply because the mother doesn’t want it. Abortion is built on a hideous self-indulgent lie that has led to the death of over 58 million Americans. This is a genocide, an atrocity, all based on a lie.
Here’s the simple truth: Life begins at conception. Babies are babies–either in or out of the womb.
Lie Two – Same Sex Marriage
This lie could be foisted upon the nation soon by five Supreme Court justices. For five millenia human beings have understood the basic truth of human marriage between a man and a woman. Nothing else is marriage. Only men and women can “join together.” The plumbing only works that way. Any other arrangement is a colossal lie and unbelievable stupidity.
Here’s the truth of history: Marriage is God-created (Genesis 2:24)–a man and woman joining together for love, procreation and the nurture and care of children.
Lie Three – Deficit Spending
In the past two generations, the American government and people have spent themselves into a debt hell-hole. Our careless spending has destroyed many families and could soon ruin a once frugal and prudent country. Think about it: 18 trillion dollars in public debt. Ten trillion in private debt. And 128 trillion in unfunded liabilities(Social Security, Medicare and Obamacare).
A day of sober reckoning is coming if wise leaders don’t emerge and we, the people, don’t change our ways.
The plain truth: You can’t spend more than you take in. The borrower becomes the lender’s slave (Proverbs 22:7).
Lie Four – Islamic Jihad
The Islamic faith has always been violent. It grew through the centuries primarily through war and terrorism; Mohammed himself set the standard by killing thousands; The Koran contains over 100 war verses that justify Muslims killing other people simply for their refusal to convert.
We are fighting a global enemy who wants to establish a world-wide caliphate. Not all Muslims are violent, but the teachings of Islam condone terrorism and violence. So millions are–and believe they are right in doing so.
The sobering truth: Islam is a warring religion. We must defeat, not appease, Muslim terrorism.
Lie Five – The Unemployment Rate
Just one generation ago we were honest about unemployment statistics. When people lost a job and wanted to work, they were considered unemployed. But the recent recession was so severe, and the governmental policies to right it so wrong-headed, that our government no longer states the truth about jobs in America. They don’t count those who have given up looking.
Our government tells us this month that the national unemployment rate is 5.5%. That’s mis-leading.
Here’s the truth: The real unemployment rate in the USA is closer to 12%. Free people create jobs, not government spending.
Lie Six – Global Warming
Global warming, or climate change, is really a secular conspiracy to tax the Western world for income re-distribution purposes. power and control. It’s a scientific lie based on faulty temperature models, falsifying of data, and probably a desire to hasten a one world government under the banner of Saving the Planet.
The obvious truth: Temperatures have been steady, even cooling slightly, for seventeen years. There is no evidence that burning fossil fuels is impacting world temp and weather in any way.
Lie Seven – Gun Control
Every year progressives try to pass stringent gun control legislation saying that guns are the reason so many people are killed in our nation. They scream, “Guns are the problem! We need to make it harder for people to get guns! ” But consider this: the death capital of America right now is Chicago. And Chicago has some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation. So what’s the real agenda behind gun control?
I saw this truth on a bumper sticker thirty years ago in Oklahoma: When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. (Think about that.)
Lie Eight – Racism is Alive
We are constantly told that racism is still rampant in our nation–that race relations are getting worse. Agitators tell us that police officers target young blacks, that riots are taken place because of white suppression, and that no progress has been made in 150 years.
Nonsense. America is a changed nation racially. We voted twice for an African-American president. I don’t know one racist among my thousands of friends. There has been major transformation of race relations since the Civil War and Civil Rights Act of 1964.
This is the wonderful truth: America is essentially a color-blind nation. All lives matter.”
Lie Nine – The War on Women
Women have more rights, responsibilities, privileges, and access to services today than at any time in history. Period. This is a “Golden Age” of women’s rights in the Western World. Don’t believe the “War on Women” nonsense. Enjoy the blessings of your freedom and dignity.
The truth: The only war on women is in the Middle East and other Muslim countries. Let’s liberate them.
Lie Ten – Taxing the Rich will Elevate the Poor
We are so narcissistic and economically illiterate that we are starting to believe the lies of socialism and communism–that class warfare against the rich is the ticket to abundance. How’d that idea work in the Soviet Union? Cuba? Or North Korea? The 21st century Democratic Party is now a political version of Robin Hood who want take from the rich and give to the poor. There’s only one problem:
The truth is, as Margaret Thatcher once opined, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” We need liberty, not the tyranny of taxation.
I could have mentioned more, but I hope you get the point.
Seek the truth. Speak the truth. Live the truth.
And hold your government accountable for the lies that hurt us all.
Is God Using the Catholic Church to Awaken America?
One of the biggest stories in the U.S. this past week has been the uproar over the Obamacare provisions being handed down by the Department of Health and Human Services. The new mandates force religiously-affiliated organizations to dispense contraceptives against their consciences in violation of long-held religious freedom.
All week national Christian leaders decried the action. On Friday, radio commentator Sean Hannity held a “Crisis Forum” on the issue. The nation’s most watched cable network trumpeted the danger against religious liberty almost every hour. And yesterdy, I attended a private gathering of Washington State leaders to hear a major Republican presidential candidate speak to the issue.
Do you know what these national leaders, Sean Hannity, the cable news network and presidential candidate all have in common?
They are Catholics.
Is God using the Catholic Church to awaken America?
If He is, it would be quite ironic.
The first three spiritual awakenings in America history were led by fervent Protestants whose Bible-based convictions called the nation to repentance, faith and active involvement in the moral issues of their day. During America’s first two hundred years, it was the Protestant side of the Church that promoted strong families, railed against the excesses of alcoholism, and led the charge against the evil of slavery.
There was a reason for this. At the time of the American Revolution, Catholics formed only 1.6% of the population of the thirteen colonies.
But by 1850, Catholics had become the country’s largest single denomination. Between 1860 and 1890, their population in the United States tripled through immigration. By the end of the decade it reached seven million. This influx would eventually bring increased scrutiny for the Catholic Church and a greater cultural presence which led to a growing fear of the Catholic “problem” among America’s Protestants.
In fact, it was quite common in the 18th and early 19th centuries for Catholics to be marginalized in American society as heretics, Papists, and condescendingly described as “anti-Christ.” Some anti-Catholic political movements like the Know Nothings, and organizations like the Orange Institution, American Protective Association, and the Ku Klux Klan, actively persecuted Catholic believers.
In fact, for most of the history of the United States, Catholics were victims of discrimination and persecution. It was not until the presidency of John F. Kennedy in 1960 that Catholics were broadly accepted in the US.
The Philadelphia Nativist Riot, Bloody Monday, the Orange Riots in New York City in 1871 and 1872, and The Ku Klux Klan-ridden South discriminated against Catholics (as they did the Jews and African Americans) for their Irish, Italian, Polish, German, or Spanish ethnicity. Many Protestants in the Midwest and the North labeled Catholics as “anti-American Papists,” “incapable of free thought without the approval of the Pope.”
During the Mexican-American War, Mexicans were portrayed as “backward” because of their “Papist superstition.” In reaction to this attitude, some hundred American Catholics, mostly recent Irish immigrants, fought on the Mexican side. However, the majority of Catholic soldiers (primarily the Irish), along with their chaplains like John McElroy (Jesuit), who later founded Boston College, proved loyal to the American cause.
In 1850, Franklin Pierce, the US Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, presented resolutions for the removal of restrictions on Catholics from holding office in that state, as well as the removal of property qualifications for voting. But these pro-Catholic measures were soundly defeated by the Protestant population.
If you were a Catholic back then, you couldn’t even run for office!
As the 19th century progressed, animosity between Protestants and Catholics began to cool off. Many Protestant Americans came to understand that, despite anti-Catholic rhetoric, Catholics were also people of faith and were on their side of the issues. Another reason was that many Irish-Catholic immigrants fought alongside their Protestant compatriots in the American Civil War.
In the 20th century, and culminating in JFK’s election, Catholic believers moved into the mainstream in American society.
Today, according to a new 2011 study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the US Catholic population is currently 77.7 million. The United States has the fourth largest Catholic population in the world, after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines. In fact, in 2011, there are more than four times as many Catholics as Southern Baptists and more than eight times as many as United Methodists.
I understand some of the past suspicion over the Catholic Church. Hundreds of years of European Church corruption and persecution had fueled a Post-Reformation hatred of the Holy See. The church’s focus on rituals, perceived idolatry of the Virgin Mary and other patron saints didn’t sit well with Protestants. In the 20th century, evangelicals insisted that followers of Christ needed to be born again and follow the teachings of the Bible–not a fallible Pope.
But today, the tables have turned. It’s the Protestants who are asleep and the Catholics that are living out their faith.
I noticed the change in the 1980s while living in Washington, D.C. After the infamous Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, my young family attended many of the large pro-life rallies that marched against abortion. I expected to find my fellow evangelicals leading the procession.
Didn’t happen. What we did find was a passionate and powerful Catholic Church that was leading the way. In the early days, the Protestants and evangelicals were AWOL. Today they are more involved, but the Catholic Church is still the champion against abortion in this nation.
And when the brouhaha broke out this week over the Obamacare mandates, it was the Catholic Church that rose to speak for religious liberty. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan said that he felt betrayed by President Obama and vowed that the Catholic Church would fight the new regulations even if they had to do it “in the streets.”
After President Obama blinked and modified (but didn’t really change) the rules, Archbishop Charles Chaput had even harsher words for the insurance-company-as-middleman approach. “Many Catholics are confused and angry. They should be… The HHS mandate, including its latest variant, is belligerent, unnecessary, and deeply offensive… We cannot afford to be fooled–yet again.”
Protestants and evangelicals are now joining the issue, but it is the Catholics who are really taking up the prophetic mantle. It’s as if the evangelical church–pre-occupied and neutralized by trying to be seeker-sensitive in the modern world–has abandoned its prophetic call and commitment to be salt and light in the culture.
So the Catholics have arisen to awaken the nation and Church.
- The national leaders I mentioned at the beginning are primarily Catholics. Many read a letter in their parishes last week calling the people and nation to fight for freedom of conscience.
- Sean Hannity is a Catholic believer. He hosted a leader’s summit on prime-time television that was primarily manned by Catholic clergy.
- Fox News was founded by Roger Ailes, a Roman Catholic, and many of its commentators including Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Megan Kelly, are Catholics.
- And Rick Santorum is a rising Catholic Republican presidential contender.
C’mon my Protestant and Evangelical friends! The Catholic Church is putting us to shame while we twiddle our thumbs and tip toe around the great moral issues of our day.
Maybe Penny Young Vance is right: We’re all Catholics Now. Or maybe we better be.
Because God seems to be using the Catholic Church to awaken America.
What Tebowmania Tells Us About America
I loved Tim Tebow the first moment I saw him play football. His skills were enormous, his passion for life was contagious, and it was easy to see why Denver Bronco fans embraced him and gave birth to “Tebowmania.”
However, the most impressive thing about him, (there are many quarterbacks who are more skilled than Tim Tebow) was his bold faith in Jesus Christ.
That faith created Tebomania, “Tebowing,” (kneeling in prayer), and some of the biggest football ratings in the history of the NFL.
It also spawned utter hatred and contempt. Why?
I believe Tebomania tells us something about 21st century America…
First, for those of you who aren’t American football fans, let me tell you about Tim Tebow. He was born on August 14, 1987 in Makati City, The Philippines to Christian missionary parents. He was the youngest of five–his mother deciding against her doctor’s recommendation to have an abortion because of an infection that had put her in a coma.
His mother chose life.
At age five, Tim chose to invite Christ to be his Savior.
The family eventually moved to Jacksonville, Florida where the kids were home-schooled on a 44-acre farm. When local laws were changed to allow home schoolers to participate in sports, Tebow attached himself to Allen D. Nease High School. He led the Nease Panthers football team to the Class 4A State Championship in 2005.
As one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation, Tebow was recruited to Florida and led the Gators to two national championships in 2007 and 2009. At the end of the 2008 season, he won the prestigious Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in America.
And everywhere he played football, he shared his vibrant faith in Christ. On some game days, he even put a Bible message on the eye black grease on his cheeks that was used to prevent glare.
His favorite verse: John 3:16.
Even though Tim Tebow was an unorthodox college quarterback–more of a runner than a pure passer–his college career is considered one of the best of all time.
In 2010 Tebow was drafted by the Denver Broncos and sat on the bench during his first year in the pros. In 2011, the Broncos started 1-4 and traded their first string quarterback. At that time, Tim Tebow was the third string QB on a lousy team.
But he beat out the competition, and to the delight of the fans, became the Broncos starting quarterback for game six.
The rest, as they say, is history.
For the next eight games, Tim Tebow built a legend that became known as Tebomania. Though he was not a good NFL passer, and was built like a linebacker who masqueraded as a quarterback (6’3″ and 245 pounds), Tebow led the Broncos to seven amazing victories–usually in the last quarter or even seconds of each game.
The NFL had never seen a “comeback kid” like this one. The phenomenon became known as “Tebow Time.”
After the first come-from-behind victory, everyone said it was a fluke. Then the victories continued. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven!
Suddenly the lowly Broncos were leading their division, an entire nation was beginning to tune in to “Tebow Time,” and “Tebowing” was the talk of the nation.
Many liked his bold confession of faith. Others began to rail against it, saying that it had no place in sports. The unorthodox quarterback who loved Jesus had suddenly become the most admired athlete in the world.
Admired by many. Hated by others.
Then the Broncos lost three straight games. Was Tim Tebow’s lack of skill finally catching up with him? Many started to criticize the young quarterback for “wearing his faith on his sleeve” and not keeping the separation of “faith and game.” (Is that an offshoot of the separation of church and state?)
However, the Broncos backed into the playoffs and were set to tee it up with the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers. Though Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was noticably hobbled by an ankle injury and other Steelers were hurt, this match-up looked like David versus Goliath–with Goliath smacking down the Broncos as a human being would a pesky fly.
Then the unthinkable happened. In the 4th quarter, “Tebow Time” ramped up when the young “David” completed some long passes and brought the Broncos into a tie as regulation expired. The Broncos won the coin toss for the overtime session, and after receiving the kick-off, Tim Tebow walked onto the field with his slingshot and three rocks.
Goliath was ready. Time to quash this bug! But, on the first play from scrimmage, Tebow threw an eighty yard touchdown pass to Damaryius Thomas that won the game for Denver. The fans and nation went nuts!
Final score: David 29 – Goliath 23.
As usual, Tim Tebow knelt after the game, thanked God for his blessings, then did a victory lap around the stadium that was watched by the world.
The next week, 43% of Americans said they believed the Broncos had won because of God’s “favor” upon Tim Tebow. Not that God was interested in winning football games. Just that he seemed to honor someone who gave him the glory.
What was the evidence? Back to John 3:16. During the victory over the Steelers, the following 3:16 stats were compiled:
- Tebow had passed the ball for 316 yards–a career high.
- That translated into an NFL record of 31.6 yards per catch.
- And Tebomania was so great in the Bronco-Steeler game attracted 31.6% of the evening television audience.
I don’t know if God was involved in the 3:16 stuff, but it’s interesting. There are some things in life that you just can’t explain.
The following week more people tuned into the Denver Bronco–New England Patriot divisional game that any other divisional match-up in history. There was no final miracle. A clearly superior Patriot team thoroughly beat the Broncos 45-10. Tim Tebow’s dream season was over.
It was a season that many of us will not soon forget.
Yet, we must pause and wonder why Tebomania was viewed by some people as negative. Wasn’t it a good thing to have a young quarterback talk about his faith in God and not his latest sexual exploit with a supermodel? Wasn’t Tim Tebow a good role model of hard work, passion, character, and all the qualities that every parent wants to see in their child?
Tim Tebow–the most admired athlete in the world–had even confessed he was a virgin–that he would save his sexual life for marriage. How refreshing is this!–that a world-renown athlete would forsake the pleasures of the day for the enduring institution of a godly and faithful marriage?
Yet some put him down–told him to keep his “faith” out of the public square.
Why would anyone say that in 2012?
Because we are fighting a worldview battle in this nation. Forty years ago we were a different nation. I remember. I was an athlete four decades ago.
I was never a great one like Tim Tebow–just an above-average basketball player with some smarts and commitment. During my season year in high school we went 20-3, won fourteen straight games, and won South Kitsap’s first league championship in twenty years.
Before every game, even though many of our players were not Christians, our coach led us in prayer in the locker room. We didn’t pray to win. We prayed for no one to get hurt, for strength, for good sportsmanship, and to be good examples.
I’m sure “Tebowing” prays the same way. We also used to believe “it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.”
In 1970 I played on a national team that took the good character and sportmanship to an even higher level. We prayed before the game, we prayed during the game, and when an opposing player got knocked down or hurt, we even picked them back up and said “God bless you!”
That summer our Young Life basketball team went 29-1.
In the 1970s nobody criticized prayer, faith, and good character in sports. Our culture was still a Christian based culture that believed that faith in God and the fruits of faith were good things–in church, in society, and even on the playing field.
But things changed a couple decades later. In 1991 I was asked by South Kitsap High School to do a benefit basketball game to raise money for the sports program. Our old championship team would play some all stars that included NBA legend Bobby Jones. I said I would do it under one condition. After the game was over and we raised the money for the school, I wanted Bobby to speak to the crowd about faith in Christ.
Initially the school said no. Things had changed in twenty years. Faith and prayer were being removed from the public square. I stood my ground: No faith message at the end–no game.
The school blinked–we filled the gymnasium to capacity, raised a lot of money, and Bobby Jones talked about Jesus to the people gathered. I was grateful–but very aware that faith in God was no longer viewed as a positive virtue.
Now fast forward another twenty years. This season, Tim Tebow stepped onto a national stage and shared his faith in Christ. He prayed openly. In 1971 no one would have said a word. In 1991, maybe a few would have complained.
However, in 2011, Tebow’s faith was openly ridiculed. He was told by some to keep his beliefs out of the public square–really, that some would rather have him be a party-boy fornicator who took drugs and lived a depraved life rather than talk to us about prayer, faith, Jesus or God.
What Tebowmania tells us is that there is now a portion of America that hates God, laughs at faith and wants us to keep our mouths shut.
Let’s not oblige them. The Bible says, “Whatever you do…do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). That’s what Tim Tebow is doing in the arena of sports. You do can do the same.
America needs a revival of faith. Let’s love people enough to keep Tebowing–for the glory of God.