<font size="4"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Concerned Christians, especially those with reading comprehension ability above the fourth grade:</span><br><br>Below are reprints of two recent opinion columns from newspapers.
<br><br>The first column is one pressing upon you the views of the local Christ Church, pretenders to being a Scottish village kirk. It is written by Ed Iverson, Librarian at the the Christ Church reproduction mill, New Saint Andrews (another phony reference) and also the Church's press representative who has be given rein to present the church's views bi-weekly at the
<span style="font-style: italic;">Daily News</span>.<br><br>The second column is from a much more humble writer, Oliver "Buzz" Thomas. This article appeared yesterday (Monday, September 18, 2006) in <span style="font-style: italic;">
USAToday</span>.<br><br>Here are some questions a thoughtful Christian might want to answer while reading these articles.<br><br><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><font style="font-weight: bold;" size="6">I</font>n light of the words of Christ found in the four Holy Gospels, who is the real Christian and who is the counterfeit?
</span><br style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><br style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><font size="6"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Y</span></font>ou are gambling on whose views to follow to earn eternal salvation. Whose views do you think are most likely to lead you there? Whose views are most likely to lead you to eternal damnation?
</span><br><br>If you are unable to answer these questions promptly and with assurance, perhaps for your own and your family's eternal grace you need to read carefully the four Holy Gospels by yourself without some self-important, self-loving, self-serving, rapacious pretender to the credentials of an ordained pastor telling what he devises them to mean for his own purposes. After you have read unguided the Holy Gospels in God's very straightforward words for yourself, the answers to the above questions will be crystal clear.
<br><br>You might also bear in mind God's stern admonition about following false prophets.<br><br>Latimer Tyndale</font><br><br>********************************************************************************************************
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HIS VIEW: It's folly to listen to pleas for Mideast cease-fire </span>
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By Ed Iverson </span><br>
<span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Daily News</span>, Saturday, August, 12th, 2006 - Page Updated at 12:00:00 AM </span>
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In the latest manifestation of the ancient rivalry between Jacob and
Esau the smart money is on Israel. This is my reading of the global
outpouring of sympathy and support for Hezbollah. Here is the truth:
there would be no outpouring of sympathy if the Israelis were getting
the stuffing beat out of them. There would be no anguished pleas for a
cease-fire coming out of the United Nations if Israel was taking a
beating. What we do have is Western Europe and the United Nations
issuing distressed demands to stop the violence. This is a good
indication that Hezbollah is getting spanked.
<p>
</p><p>Many observers of the conflict believe that Hezbollah is a cat's
paw for Iran. If that is true (and I have no reason to believe it is
not), Iran is playing an old game. Iran is probing for weakness while
maintaining deniability. Committed to the destruction of Israel, they
provoke a shooting war using Hezbollah as a proxy. They do this knowing
full well that when things begin to go badly, they can call on world
opinion to demand a cease-fire.
</p><p>
</p><p>The Washington Times and Fox News are now reporting Hezbollah
leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah is holed up in a bunker and cut off from
communication with others of his terrorist gang. Word is starting to
leak out the Lebanese people are beginning to see Hezbollah in a
negative light. Reuters was recently caught with its pants down,
doctoring images from the front in an effort to further the media
campaign against Israel. Add it all up and it should therefore come as
no surprise that calls for a cease-fire have intensified.
</p><p>
</p><p>Certainly, Israel should immediately agree to a cease-fire. That
would give Iran time to resupply its puppet, Hezbollah. The Sheik could
then come out of hiding and, reconnecting with his junkyard dogs, plan
the next cowardly raid on civilian populations. Hamas can begin to plan
a new round of attacks upon school buses and pizza joints. Perhaps most
importantly, those determined to see Israel "driven into the sea" will
have gained some valuable insight about Israel's resolve.
</p><p>
</p><p>The Oslo and the Camp David accords are but two instances in
which a brokered cease-fire soon deteriorated into renewed aggression.
A cease-fire is just the ticket for renewed conflict in the future. It
is an absolute guarantee that the struggle will go on. </p><p>
</p><p>Perhaps Israel should snap up the offer in an effort to ensure
job security for its armed forces? From everything I read in the
liberal press, the big fathead generals in the loathsome military are
forever looking for an opportunity to keep their men in fighting trim.
No self-respecting general wants his troops to get soft. Yes indeed,
Israel should accept a cease-fire with Hezbollah in anticipation of
renewed war in the not-too-distant future.
</p><p>
</p><p>Like, not. Until Leviathan is destroyed or utterly disarmed, it
is folly to listen to his plea for a cease-fire. There comes a point in
the fight when every bully-boy begins to whine about the unfairness of
it all. "Let me go, and I'll be nice," he whimpers. "I won't let you
go," says Saint George to the dragon, "I have heard your lies before."
"But this time it is different," says the dragon. "This time I will
behave. And you are hurting me ever-so-much. Let us call a truce and
I'll be nice." Right.
</p><p>
</p><p>Calls for cease-fire, appeals for a truce, and demands for
"neutrality" are effective weapons especially favored by thugs and
bullies and others that specialize in terror. They are hardly ever what
they seem. Frantic calls for a cease-fire are nearly always demands for
a "timeout" while those who are temporarily out of power reposition and
plan the next offensive.
</p><p>
</p><p>Ed Iverson is the head librarian at New Saint Andrews College in
Moscow. He earned a master's of library science at the University of
Southern Mississippi and studied theology at Regent College in
Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1990, he ran for the Idaho Senate as a
Republican from Mullan. He lives with his wife at Viola. They have two
children and six grandchildren. </p></span>
</div><br><br>***********************************************************************************************************<br><h3>A Christian view of war</h3>
<h4>What would Jesus do in Iraq? He'd offer compassion, he'd feed the
hungry, he'd even pray for the enemies. What he'd really do is give
American Christians — Republicans and Democrats alike — something to
think about.</h4>
<p><strong>
By Oliver "Buzz" Thomas <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">USAToday, </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">09/18/07</span><br></strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Pray for our troops."</span> </p>
<p>Millions
of signs and bumper stickers carry the message, and part of me likes
it. But part of me keeps waiting for another bumper sticker — the one I
still haven't seen. Whether Jesus would drive an SUV, I'm still not
sure. Truth is he'd probably ride the bus. Or the subway. But if he had
money for a car and didn't give it all away to the hookers and the
homeless before he got to the used-car lot, I'm pretty sure that his
bumper sticker would say "pray for our enemies."</p>
<p><em>(Illustration by Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY)</em></p>
<div class="entry-more">
<p>Before
you write me off as a left-wing crackpot, consider what we know. During
his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said three things relevant to the
subject of war:</p>
<ul><li> Blessed are the peacemakers.</li><li> Turn the other cheek.</li><li> Pray for your enemies. </li></ul>
<p>Here's something else we know. Three-quarters of the U.S. population
consider themselves Christian. That translates into about 224 million
Americans. </p>
<p>So why are so few of us taking the teachings of Jesus seriously when
it comes to this latest war? Out here in the heartland, only a handful
of churches are even talking about it.</p><p><strong>Christian obligations</strong> </p><p>The
most plausible explanation is that we're scared. Some things, it seems,
may trump religion. Fear is one of them. If Christians are afraid (and
who could blame them after 9/11?), it's not surprising that they're
listening to other voices besides Jesus' when it comes to the war in
Iraq. So what should the three-fourths of Americans who identify
themselves as "Christian" make of the Iraq war? </p>
<p>We could spend a lot of time debating whether St. Augustine's "Just
War Theory" can be stretched to accommodate our invasion of Iraq, but
at this late date it really doesn't matter. We invaded. And, if the
Just War Theory means anything, it means that we shouldn't leave Iraq
in a bigger mess than we found it. Americans of faith, it would seem,
are obligated to do at least the following: </p>
<ul><li> Express concern for all suffering, including that
of our enemies. That means more than paying lip service. As James, the
brother of Jesus, said, it does not suffice to tell a hungry man "God
bless you!" or "We will pray for you!" We must address his hunger. The
same can be said for the additional food, health care, police and
countless other things the Iraqi people need. And, though an immediate
withdrawal would be precipitous, we must work diligently to respond to
the Iraqis' desire that our troops leave as quickly as possible. </li><li> Recommit ourselves to the fundamental principles of
justice and human rights that have been a hallmark of our faith, as
well as of our nation. That means no more secret prisons, no more
secret trials and no more torture. America cannot resort to the worst <a href="http://www.osa.ceu.hu/gulag/txt1.htm">practices of the Gulag</a>
(where citizens were declared "enemies of the state" and whisked away
to Siberian work camps without the benefit of a fair trial or the
assistance of counsel) and expect to be an accepted member of the world
community, much less a leader of it. </li><li> Repudiate the statements of any religious or
political leader who suggests that America has a special claim on God.
He may have a special claim on us, but we do not have a special claim
on him. Our beloved nation is a civil state, not a religious one. There
are no references to God in <a href="http://www.house.gov/house/Constitution/Constitution.html">our Constitution</a>.
The only reference to religion — other than in the First Amendment — is
found in Article VI, which proclaims that there will be no religious
test for public office in the USA. The Founding Fathers gave us a
secular state in which all religions are free to flourish or flounder
on their own initiative without interference by the government. Those
running around claiming we are <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040820-125028-3534r.htm">"in the army of God"</a>
or slapping up copies of the Ten Commandments on government buildings
threaten to turn us into the very sort of society we are fighting
against in this new war. </li><li> Force our elected officials to address the conditions
that have given rise to global terrorism in the first place. Terrorism
exists for a reason. One of those reasons is that our society has been
far too unconcerned about the plight of Muslim people around the world.
Why, for example, have we not instituted a mini-Marshall Plan for the
millions of Palestinians who have often gone without adequate land,
roads, hospitals and schools since the 1967 war with Israel? Corruption
among Palestinian leaders has squandered billions in the past, but <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2003-07-28-our-view_x.htm">responsible partners</a> on the ground can and must be found. Private foundations with a long history of engagement might be a good place to start.
</li></ul><p><strong>Tackling terrorism's roots</strong> </p><p>We
need not and should not repudiate our long-standing alliance with
Israel to accomplish this. It's simply that our religious traditions
teach us that to whom much is given, much is required. The irony, of
course, is that it's in our best interest to relieve Palestinian
suffering. True, some terrorist leaders come from affluent families and
cite Western worldliness and decadence as their motivation for jihad,
but the economic factor cannot be ignored. There is no better
recruiting ground for the troops of terror than the maddening monotony
and grinding poverty of a refugee camp. </p>
<p>In ancient times, particular gods were associated with particular
nations. "Tribal deities," we call them. Today we know better. God is
not the mascot of Republicans, Democrats or, for that matter,
Americans. God transcends all national and political affiliations. His
precinct is the universe. </p>
<p>America is in the deep woods. Never have we been less popular in the
eyes of the world. Never have we faced so unsettling an enemy. But
before we circle the wagons, Christians should get serious about
following the teachings of the one by whose name we are called. He
might just know the way out.</p>
<p><em>Oliver "Buzz" Thomas is a minister in Tennessee and author of an upcoming book, </em>10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Can't Because He Needs the Job). <br></p><p><br></p>
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