Steve Waldman, Evangelist

It's such a sublime difference, the idea that divine power works through each person among their neighbors instead of being invested in a government that speaks with authority. But it is interesting that that idea is less Christian than Protestant and, probably, there are similar schisms in other religions.

I suspect that in a Democracy, theocratic temptation is the product of laziness. It's a lot easier to vote and advocate rectitude or compassion than to practice either.

Our founders did not know about the rise of humanism and the perpetrators of this monstous indoctriantion agenda of godlessness. It is known as liberal or progressive ideology now. In schools, Christianity and belief in God is denounced by self-proclaimed "scholars" that have total control of young minds, and use that power to confuse and corrupt those minds. You now have an entire generation that will not question the tenured priests of our colleges and universities for fear of retribution. Seperation of Church and state, was never an idea of having the state sponsor an ungodly and atheistic indoctrination of life and lifestyle and having religions excluded by laws that have never existed. There is no marketplace of ideas in our school system, just a one-sided elitism of authoritarians that always seems to lead to perversion and hedonism. It seems that not only is Satan running scared to be challenged in academia, his legions must keep silent any dissent anywhere, and now its spreading into our workplaces, Churches, politics and homes.

During Jefferson's lifetime, roughly one-third of the population of the South (and a significant part of the North's population also) was held in chains, treated as subhuman and denied the most basic human rights. Then there is the matter of this country's indigenous population, whom Jefferson described as "savages whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions" (words which ironically described our own tactics better than theirs). If "Christianity is in retreat on every front" today, what could be said about the state of the Body of Christ in those times, when it countenanced (and took part in) such unspeakable evil?? How dispiriting it must have been to be a faithful Christian in those days!!

Of course, we know that in the end, Christianity was indispensible to the abolition of slavery in America. And today, we know as Christians that our faith holds the key to solving our modern problems. Because, at the end of the day, to be a Christian is to believe in God's transcendent power to make things right in the end. It won't happen on our timetable, or in the ways we might hope, but Almighty God will ensure that "the gates of hell will not prevail."

Peace.

Our founders did not know about the rise of humanism and the perpetrators of this monstrous indoctrination agenda of godlessness. It is known as liberal or progressive ideology now.

Wasn't the party line you took that humanism/Modernity/liberalism was just a contemporary recapitulation of paganism?

As for David's question, I like Robert M. Price's and Reinhold Niebuhr's answers that many people cling to their Bibles as desperately as they do precisely because they are full of doubts. I.e. every earnest route they could take out of their dilemma requires that they accept some truth(s) they find emotionally easier to deny.

Me too, but I'm taking it on retreat. With 40 high school girls! I need prayer just for the official taking away of the cell phones!!

"Wasn't the party line you took that humanism/Modernity/liberalism was just a contemporary recapitulation of paganism?"

Yes, 100%. No different in the behaviors and actions of "The Left" than that of Baal and Molech worshipers "back in the day." Recapitulate, a very appropriate word for what we are seeing in those that truly worship at the alter of baby human-sacrifice and sexual perversions. Same ol', same ol'. In fact, Barack's view of ridding the parent of their child for the good of the parent is strikingly eery to what pagans did. Obama's view is very much like Molech worship in his view of having a baby. The parents would benefit from its sacrifice. Study, it's actually urged that Christians do it.

Does Waldman consider Dr. Gregg Frazer's thesis that the primary founding framers were theistic rationalists? I agree with Frazer that his term better defines their beliefs than deism and correctly rejects the historical revisionism of the far right. While it's beginning to gain traction, it's a nice litmus test to understand how well versed current authors on this subject are on the best historical arguments we currently possess.

Chris Rodda's reader review in Amazon also points out that Waldman makes a fallacy of balance error by framing false claims by some secularists as if they are equal in volume to the incredible effort by most Christianist media players to revise our founding history. Does Rodda's argument ring true?

The reason I ask is that I've read a bunch of these types of books and have learned that one must be cautious in their selection criteria, there are so many inaccurately framed books out there regarding this topic. Everyone wants the framers on their side since making a current case for a policy position is easier to make if their positions are supportive of our founding ideals.