Today's Prophet

I have spent a lifetime wondering about prophets and prophecy. Everyone wants to know what is going to happen and we all search for answers. An online dictionary provides the following definition of the word prophet:

1. A person who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter through whom the will of a god is expressed.

2. A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.

3. A predictor; a soothsayer.

4. The chief spokesperson of a movement or cause.

The Jewish and Christian traditions specifically warn against soothsayers simply because they assume the role of God. Palm readers, horoscopes, Nostradamus, and Ouija boards are examples of how people are entertained and sometimes defrauded by such foolish conceits.

Muhammad and Brigham Young are two examples of spokespersons of a movement. Some of these end tragically like the Heaven's Gate and Jim Jones cults.

The Old Testament and the Hebrew Bible upon which it is based contain numerous writings by prophets. These prophets speak from divine inspiration to provide a message to God's people. In Christianity a prophet is one inspired by God through the Holy Spirit to deliver a message for a specific purpose. God's calling as a prophet is not considered to elevate an individual for their glory, but for the glory of God and to turn people to God. The apostle Paul often speaks of gifts from the Spirit to believers for the purpose of building up the universal church. Among these gifts is the gift of prophecy.

Jesus specifically warns against false prophets, so one asks; how can you identify a false prophet? Here are some reliable tests:

1. A true prophet will not contradict the nature of God. What is the nature of God? This is not an easy answer and requires a lifetime of prayerful study. You may start with 'God is love'.
2. A true prophet will not predict the end of the world on a date certain. Jesus said, "Only the Father knows". The Father has not even shared that information with the Son; therefore why would God reveal that date to some joker who just shows up out of the blue?  
3. A true prophet will provide hope for the future. Even the mournful prophet, Jeremiah, said; "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'Plans for a future and a hope.'"

Perhaps the most helpful insight on the role of prophecy and prophets was shared by our Executive Pastor. He explains that prophets have two roles: forth telling and fore telling. Forth telling as in "this is how it is and why the present situation is wrong". Fore telling as in "this is the inevitable result of our folly".

Whom would I nominate as a prophet? I can think of two prominent persons who seem gifted with a profound moral insight. Both are good communicators, however it is my belief that Glenn Beck has exceptional powers of expression.

His tag line is 'The Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment'. He is constantly calling us to a higher standard of morality. He rejects the current culture of corruption and continually reminds us that we are better people than those who represent us.

Mr. Beck reminds us of our forgotten heritage. It seems that political correctness has obliterated the fact that those who founded our nation on individual rights and liberties felt inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We and our children have only been shown their greed and venality. We have lost sight of their vision of personal liberty, personal responsibility, personal generosity, and personal accountability. We have been activated into communities, told that we are victims, taught to envy, and convinced that only the government can make us whole.

Mr. Beck asserts that only God can make us whole. Only God can save us from exploitation by our own government. We, individually and freely, have the answer; and we, acting on the principles of faith, hope, and charity are the answer.

Like all prophets, Mr. Beck is slandered and vilified by those who are profiting from the status quo. Those who criticize him the loudest are those who have the most to lose when we assert our inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When we put our confidence in the One who created the universe, we will take back the power Jesus gives us thereby eliminating the need for the ones who exploit us.

These critics will actually have to produce something of value. What a concept!

Time magazine has designated Glenn Beck as one of the World's 100 most Influential Persons in 2010.

Congratulations.

Our Worldview in 2009

There is a loud public debate going on over the role of government, the cost of government, and government involvement in our economy. We feel compelled to record our point of view in the hope that some may benefit.

Are we racist? Well, it depends upon how you define racist. Candidate Obama said, "People who don’t agree with my policies probably wouldn’t vote for me because of my race." Our definition of racist is "a person who believes that one person is superior or inferior based solely on their racial heritage."

We are not racist based upon our definition of racist. We find President Obama to be almost exactly antithetical to our values; therefore it is expected that the President would consider us to be racist.

Are we Republican? We resist all labels because they are so limiting. Labels usually polarize discussion and prevent the sharing of ideas. We embrace most of the values and ideas associated with conservatives and classical liberals. We are annoyed by persons who are politically liberal as commonly used and are truly frightened by the ideas of progressives. We have found the book, "Liberal Fascism" by Jonah Goldberg, to be a well-researched and annotated text on the evolution of the progressive movement in America. It has answered many questions that are unanswered in the common telling of history.

The only politician that we respect is the Honorable Ron Paul. We don’t always agree with him; but we admire his integrity. We believe the current occupant and his retinue are a bunch of weasels and unindicted felons. We have a similar view of most Congresspersons.


We believe intelligence is overrated. Woodrow Wilson is considered to be the most intelligent president we had. Woodrow Wilson embraced eugenics (the sterilization of ‘undesirables’) and created the War Production board (a cabal of government and industry). Robert McNamara is one of the whiz kids recruited by John Kennedy. His resume includes the Edsel, arguably the greatest failure in automotive history; the body count, a discredited metric invented to reassure the American people that the Vietnam War was being won; and as President of the World Bank financed such fine world leaders as Idi Amin, Muammar al-Gaddafi, and Robert Mugabe.


We believe that human nature has not changed in 6,000 years and the Holy Bible is useful to learn about the interplay among people in the last 3500 years.



We believe in a loving creator God whose nature is expressed in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We have no use for the conceit of "doing God’s work". We reject those who ask, "What would Jesus Do?" other than rhetorically. Specifically, we believe anyone who says "Jesus would be a Democrat/Republican/environmentalist" or "Jesus would favor healthcare reform, drive a Prius, want you to do what I say" is guilty of violating the third commandment. (Exodus 20:7)


We are living proof of the unlimited Grace of a loving God. We believe what is freely given should be freely shared. We have spent a lifetime trying to put that into practice and feel we are still imperfect at it.


We believe that social justice and fairness are indefinable and cannot be achieved by any institution; including but not limited to the United Nations, the United States government, the United Methodist Church or any other church. For those who don’t agree we recommend Job chapters 38 – 42.


Future posts will address our view on healthcare reform, fiscal responsibility, and other current events.

Government Prefers Their Control to Your Freedom

"Any government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you’ve got." – Barry Goldwater

"And they will." – Famous Ferris Corollary

These true statements are relevant in the current debate over healthcare. They also are germane to the current administration’s statist objectives for our society. It is essential that we, the people, look for guidance from history and answer the question: are we willing to exchange the freedom we take for granted for slavery?

Three and a half millennia ago, a young man named Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. The saga has been recorded in the Torah and the Holy Bible. You will find it in Genesis, chapters 37 – 50. The story has also been produced as musical theater by Andrew Lloyd Webber, starring Donnie Osmond, under the title ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’.
Ultimately, Joseph becomes the administrator of Pharaoh’s granaries. In Genesis 50:21 Joseph tells his brothers, "So then don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." WOW. Joseph, the representative of the government, has assured his extended family that the government will provide for them. And they lived happily ever after, right?

Turn the page.

Exodus 1:11. "So they (the government) put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Ramses as store cities for Pharaoh."

Our life experience has shown that nothing has changed in 3500 years. We, and thousands of other farmers, took out a long-term loan with the Farmer’s Home Administration of the Department of Agriculture in 1978. By 1984 the FmHA had taken our business, our home, our tools of production, our livelihood, our retirement plan, and they wanted an additional $120,000 plus interest at 9% compounded daily.

Our experience is not unique. The program was so thoroughly discredited that FmHA was eliminated and the program placed in the Farm Service Agency. A group of North Carolina farmers of African heritage brought a class action suit against the government for racial discrimination. Known as the Pigford Case, the government offered a settlement of relative pennies (http://tinyurl.com/cenyba).

And so it goes.

Do you really want to exchange your freedom for the downpayment on a new car or government authorized health care?

What evidence do you have that your experience will be different from Joseph’s? Or ours?