Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Surrender At the Feet of Jesus
Oct 18th, 2012
CommentaryA.B. Simpson
Categories: Bible Salvation;Exhortation

"...All things are naked and opened unto the eyes Of him with whom we have to do." Hebrews 4:13

The literal translation of that phrase in Hebrews is, "all things are stripped and stunned." Such is the force of the Greek words. The figure is that of an athlete in the Coliseum who has fought his best in the arena, and has at length fallen at the feet of his adversary, disarmed and broken down in helplessness. There he lies, unable to strike a blow or lift his arm. He is stripped and stunned, disarmed and disabled, and there is nothing left for him but to lie at the feet of his adversary and appeal to him for mercy.

Now this is the position to which God wants to bring us, where we shall cease our struggles and our attempts at self-defense or self-improvement and throw ourselves helplessly upon the mercy of God. This is the sinner’s only hope, and when he thus lies at the feet of mercy, Jesus is ready to lift him up and give him that free salvation which is waiting for all.

Genderless Marriages and Genderless Bathrooms?
Oct 18th, 2012
Daily Newsbpnews.net
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

For many people, agreeing that marriage should be redefined is simply how they prove they are a good and decent person.

If, however, they allow themselves to consider the possibility (and reality) that there are people of good will on both sides of this debate, suddenly our public policy decisions can be guided by good, old-fashioned, critical thought.

In June, Green River Community College in Washington state celebrated "Gender Neutral Bathroom Week." At first blush, this might not seem to have much at all to do with same-sex marriage. But it does.

Here's the connection.

Those trying to redefine marriage take the position that there is no meaningful difference between a relationship involving two men or two women and a relationship with a man and a woman.

Therefore, they argue that there is no meaningful difference between men and women in relationships. The move toward genderless bathrooms also asserts that it is improper to assume that gender represents a real and fixed difference between people.

The state of Massachusetts was the first state to create so called same-sex marriage. They have since added "gender identity" to the list of protected classes under their hate crimes law which gives legal protection for men to enter the women's restroom. This represents a disturbing but consistent next step.

At the end of last year, a Macy's employee in San Antonio lost her job because she attempted to keep a man dressed as a woman out of a woman's dressing room.

Once we decide that gender is meaningless in one context, it raises some other questions as well.

Should we eliminate Title IX, which forbids gender discrimination and requires women have the same access to opportunities as men? It would seem a bit obsolete now that we have realized men and women are actually the same.

Should we eliminate boys and girls sports leagues lest we continue to reinforce the archaic notion of gender difference with our youths?

Should we eliminate Mother's Day and Father's Day in favor of a more inclusive "Parent's Day"?

Should women be included in a future military draft?

Should the women's studies programs at our universities be mothballed? How can women have unique issues if they are not different?

After all, separate is not equal.

This year the left has spent a lot of time complaining about a war on women. Also this year, four states will vote on the marriage issue.

It is ironic that they are concerned about a war on women in a year in which they will repeatedly argue that men and woman aren't meaningfully different, particularly when children are involved. Are we different or not?

Of course, political pressures sometimes persuade people to use contradictory logic. But for those of us free of such pressures, our ability to separate the forest from the trees and actually think about the long-term implications of our decisions is critical.

Otherwise, we may find ourselves in a world where both our marriages and our bathrooms are genderless.

Diplomats in Vienna: Iran Continues to Install Centrifuges in Fordo
Oct 18th, 2012
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Warning

One day after DEBKAfile, diplomats accredited to the Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna reported that Iran had continued installing centrifuges at the Fordo underground site. “We think that their pace has continued the same as it was, which was pretty rapid," they said. The work may be “near complete.”
Tuesday, Oct. 16, DEBKAfile revealed from its exclusive sources that Iran had installed two clusters of centrifuges, 174 in each, in Fordo’s Chamber B, thereby completing the shifting its most advanced centrifuges for uranium enrichment out of the way of a potential bombardment.

Ban Ki - Moon: Iranian Drone Was a “Reckless Provocation”
Oct 18th, 2012
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

The UN Secretary General warned that the Iranian drone launched into Israel by Hizballah earlier this month was a “reckless provocation” which could lead to a regional conflict. The warning was contained in a harsh report Thursday to the UN Security Council on the situation in Lebanon including sharp criticism of Hizballah.