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Sunday, October 31, 2004

Home Schoolers and Halloween

Dear Friends of Vision Forum,

It is so important to enjoy the good medicine of laughter. Sometimes this means having a good hearty laugh at ourselves. With this in mind, we will be offering our friends a cartoon a week beginning in about a month from now.

Blessings, Doug

Saturday, October 30, 2004

A Special Note to Our Pennsylvania Friends about The Most Important State Race

Abortion is a word that must never be sanitized. Nor may we ever forget what it describes. Abortion is the murder of a baby. It involves burning the baby alive, sucking out its brains, cutting it up in pieces or using a vacuum cleaner to dismember it. There is no anesthetic when the baby is murdered. Partial birth abortion involves delivering a mature, completely viable baby, and while the baby is being delivered, cutting open its head and removing the brain. I challenge anyone to submit a more cruel, torturous or wicked form of murder than abortion.

Republicans have different views on abortion. But there is one Republican leader whose views are unequivocal and uncompromising. He comprehensively supports the “right” of women and their doctors to murder babies. Over the years his record has been praised by Planned Parenthood (whom he supports) for his unflinching record as a United States Senator in the subsidization, defense and promotion of abortion on demand. His name is Arlen Specter.

An argument can be made that there is no Republican Senator with more blood on his hands for promoting the murder of babies than Senator Arlen Specter. The Senator even supports partial birth abortion.

I believe that the race for Senate in Pennsylvania between Jim Clymer, (Constitution); Joe Hoeffel, (Democrat), and Arlen Specter, (Republican), is the most important state-wide race in America. Here is why:

If Specter is elected he will serve as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee which oversees appointments to the federal courts and Supreme Court. The power of the Chairman to control the outcome of judicial nominees is vast.

A Specter victory likely means that the appointment of all constitutionally committed, truly pro-life judges to the Supreme Court (and possibly federal courts) will never make it out of committee. In the past, Specter has made his opposition to such judges very clear, but now he will have more power than any man in the Senate to force his pro-abortion agenda of death on the American people.

Let me put this clearly: A Republican Senatorial victory in Pennsylvania could signal the single greatest blow in recent history to the pro-life movement’s efforts to affect our judiciary. If you care about unborn babies and our court system you must oppose the Republican candidate for Senate.

Unfortunately, pro-abortion Arlen Specter has received enormous help from the Executive Office. During the Republican primary race against pro-life candidate Toumi, Specter received the unqualified support and endorsement of President George Bush. On Thursday of this week, President Bush sent out the following letter:

October 28, 2004

Dear Friend,

I write today to ask for your support on Election Day, and for you to join me in supporting Senator Arlen Specter.

Arlen is my friend, and a firm ally when it matters most. He is an independent voice for Pennsylvania, and was instrumental in helping me achieve three of my most important initiatives, on education, health care and job creation.

Arlen is also a valued advisor on national security issues. Unlike my opponent, Arlen understands that the war on terror is not a nuisance, but the most important task we face as a nation.

The former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Arlen wrote the law requiring the death penalty for terrorists who murder Americans in this country or overseas, and co-wrote the Homeland Security Act. When I think about the challenges ahead, and the battles we must fight to ensure a safer future for our families, I want Arlen Specter by my side.

Please make sure you and your neighbors vote on Tuesday, and join me in supporting Arlen Specter. Thank you.

Sincerely,

George W. Bush

P.S. Arlen Specter is the right man for the United States Senate. I can count on Arlen — that’s important. I think he has earned another term as your United States Senator

The fact is that the pro-life community was hurt when the President promised the American people that he would never have a pro-life litmus test for judges. He hurt the pro-life community even further by supporting (even over a far better Republican primary candidate) a radical pro-abortionist who, if elected, would oversee the judicial nomination process.

But the bottom line is this: A Republican Senatorial victory in Pennsylvania in 2004 is an unqualified blow to the defense of the lives of little babies. A vote for Specter is a vote to wipe out hopes for the pro-life cause on the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is a vote for a man who sanctions the vivisection of children.

Both Democratic John Kerry and Republican George Bush are supporting pro-abortionists for Senate in Pennsylvania. But you don’t have to. Nor should Christians hold their nose and vote pragmatically for the lesser of two evils by supporting the far less dangerous pro-abortion Democratic candidate.

Pennsylvania Christians may vote for a man who is a sound defender of the constitution, a devout believer, and an uncompromising advocate for the unborn. His name is Jim Clymer.

Don’t let Republican Senator Arlen Specter further destroy our Supreme Court. Learn about Jim and his campaign which appears to be gathering support in the double digits and will make a difference on November 2. Visit his website at: http://www.jimclymer.com/

Friday, October 29, 2004

Images from Faith and Freedom Tour: America's First House of Worship

Though she has been destroyed, burnt, and rebuilt nearly a half a dozen times since 1607, the Jamestown Church is enormously significant for the following three reasons: (1) She sits on or right next to the spot where the first Christian church building was established for what would become the American people. It is where Englishmen first worshipped and gave thanks to God.; (2) This building was the site of the first experiment in distinctively representative government for the English people. It was a precursor to the American experiment with a free Republic; (3) On this site the Christian common law was introduced and established as the rule of law under God.

Stay tuned as Vision Forum announces in 2005 our plans for a historic event in association with America's first Quatracentennial Celebration in 2007.

Do Muslims and Christians Go To Heaven?

Dear Friends,

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the light, no man comes to the Father, but through the Son." Throughout history believers have died for the proposition that there is but one way to Heaven, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus also tells us to remember to pray for those who are in authority over us. As you read this brief extract, please remember to pray for our President?

GOOD MORNING AMERICA
New York, New York
October 26, 2004
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS

CG: Do we all worship the same God, Christian and Muslim?

GWB: I think we do.

CG: Do Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind?

GWB: Yes, they do. We have different routes of getting there...

Images from Faith and Freedom Tour: St. John's Church

Another highlight of the 2004 Vision Forum Faith and Freedom Tour was our visit to St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, where Patrick Henry ("the trumpet of the Revolution") delivered his famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech. St. John's had recently suffered great damage to the exterior wall of the property due to heavy flooding, but, thankfully, the church building itself was not damaged.



We watched a simply phenomenal reenactment of the famous proceedings before the Virginia House of Burgesses, complete with Henry's speech. Sitting in the same pew spots, physically next to the delegates as they once again debated independence, was an unforgettable experience. After the 45 minute presentation we met with the interpreters. Here Joshua Phillips dialogues with Colonel George Washington.



Justice Phillips with Patrick Henry.

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Take the Test: Biblical Ethics and Incrementalism

You live in the land of Baal. It is election week. You have been asked to select from a list of two candidates. The first candidate makes the following promise:

“Ladies and Gentlemen of Baal, our nation is plagued with two problems. The first is that we are suffering from gross overpopulation. Second, the gods of pluralistic relevance are angry with us. The only answer to our problems is to take our children and pass them through the fires which will have the beneficial net affect of addressing both crises. If elected I will require that four out of five children eighteen and under be consumed in the fire.”

The second candidate rises to the platform:

“Dear friends, I recognize the problem with overpopulation, and my record demonstrates that I have deep concerns for the gods of pluralistic relevance. However, unlike my opponent, I support the right to life of all children eleven years of age and over. If elected President of Baal, I promise that only four out of five of the children ten years of age or under will actually be sent through the fire and burned alive.”

You are perplexed. What should you do? The statisticians tell you that the radical liberal administration of Candidate A will result in the execution of more than one million children. On the other hand, if the more conservative Candidate B is elected President of Baal, not more than 250,000 children (and those only infants to ten years old) will be burnt to a crisp.

Complicating matters further is the fact you have ten children, ages one to eighteen. You realize that under either administration some of your children are going to be fried alive, but candidate B does not appear nearly as evil as candidate A. After all, Candidate A’s administration will cause the death of four times as many children as Candidate B? That’s a huge difference. Your friends remind you that you need to take what victories you can get in a pluralistic society and work for incremental change. Clearly, only burning 250,000 little boys and girls alive is better than one million of them. “Hey, at least it is an incremental step in the right direction,” they argue.

And what if a vote for Candidate B would mean that only your six month old baby Susie, your three year old son Johnny, your five year old Joshua, and your nine year old Ann would be torturously murdered in the ovens, while the rest of your children would happily enjoy the full protections of free society. Isn’t it better to vote for the man who will only kill some of your children, as opposed to the man who will kill most of them?

The pollsters tell you that the election will be very close, that every vote counts. There are no other ballot access qualified candidates, not even third party candidates, for you to consider.

What should you do? For whom should you vote? Should you vote? Either way, what does your vote, or non-vote, mean in the eyes of God?

In 1996 I asked this question to a well known Christian talk show host on a recorded national radio show. His answer surprised me and sparked a tremendous debate.

Now is your opportunity to respond. How would you vote? Why? Send your answer to Bob@visionforum.com. I will share my own perspective on this question on Monday’s blog. (By the way, to be crystal clear, the above example is definitely not meant to be a comparison of President Bush and Senator John Kerry, Michael Peroutka, Ralph Nader or any specific candidates or elections — it is a principled evaluation of an individual’s theory of voting ethics.)

Judicial Nominees Factor Into Election

The first question that voters must ask is this: Does my candidate meet the biblical and constitutional qualifications for holding the executive office. If the answer is no, then do not pass go, do not collect $200, you are not at liberty to vote for him. See our article on biblical qualifications for civil magistrates. Christians should not seek to vote for perfect candidates, only the best biblically and constitutionally qualified candidate available. Once your candidate has passed the first threshold (biblical and Constitutional qualifications), you may next evaluate host of factors which are informative and helpful, but not deal-breakers in and of themselves. Given the centrality of issues like homosexuality, abortion, and the public acknowledgements of the God of our charter to the role of a civil magistrate in 2005, it is crucial to evaluate a candidates stated position, as well as their proven track record. Also of special importance is the question of judicial appointments. I think you will find my fathers analysis of these issues most helpful. Click here to read more, as well as an opposing views posted by Patrick Buchanon.

Lofton and Gentry

If you enjoyed yesterday's debate between Ken Gentry and Bill Einwechter, make sure to carefully read John Lofton's response at:

http://www.visionforumministries.org/sections/hotcon/ht/ballotbox/votingethics/

Blogs

Finally, it is truly encouraging to see the desire of home educators to speak to issues of politics and culture. Pieter Friedrich follows in the footsteps of his blogging parents with this website dedicated to biblical politics, while Amber Moeller offers this website as a blast of encouragement for young ladies.

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

The Great Debate Over Voting Ethics

Please join Vision Forum Ministries today for a friendly debate on the issue of biblical voting ethics. Because a vote is an ethical act for which the individual will be held to account before his Lord, it is our goal to help our readers to develop a distinctively biblical worldview from which they can take "every [vote] captive" to the obedience of Christ.

Today's debate is sparked by our good friend Dr. Ken Gentry who makes the case for a pragmatic and incrementalist approach to voting ethics. Dr. Gentry who worked for nearly two years for Michael Peroutka (who now stands as the Constitution Party's candidiate for president) in the establishment of a Christian college, makes the case for George Bush and against third party candidiates for President. William Einwechter strongly disagrees. He offers his own scriptural insights and responds directly to Ken's paper. Other authors chime in with their thoughts and sentiments. Enjoy.

Third Party 2004?
By Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D.
Even excellent third party candidates for President must not be supported because they have zero chance of success and promote the appearance of backwater Christianity, among other reasons.


Third Party 2004?: A Response
By William Einwechter
The Bible alone, not the speculations, fears and rationalisms of man, must drive our voting ethics. By setting aside a biblical (meaning a presupositional and theonomic) approach to voting ethics, Ken Gentry has unintentionally reached conclusions inconsistent with a biblical worldview.

A Canterbury Tale

I received this note from New Zealand film producer Geoff Botkin (one of the judges for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.)

Doug, you gotta hear this.

It was a warm spring morning on the verdant Canterbury Plains of New Zealand. Friesian cattle herds were grazing in the sunshine as I chatted to a Dairy farm worker. He was showing me his new PDA. Even records audio notes to myself, he said, calling-up a file.

Hey, thats an American voice, I observed. Then I recognized the voice of a good friend.

Yup, the farmer explained. I was listening to a tape in my truck, and had to pull over and grab this story. Held the PDA up to the speaker.

The story had really moved the man. It was Doug Phillips reading about the great missionary John G. Paton and his farewell to is father. Now the story was on his PDA where he could pull it up, which he apparently did often, letting it echo across the Canterbury plains.

So, on the far side of the world, your work is bearing fruit. "The lips of the righteous feed many." Proverbs 10.21.

God bless you and your good staff, Doug. Youre having an impact. GB

Honoring Elders: Mr. Otto Scott

I am very thankful to work with a very special team of highly committed men, all of whom take seriously the principle of honor. Recently a delegation of young men from Vision Forum journeyed to the Old Dominion to spend their vacation days honoring one of the great Christian historians of our generation, Mr. Otto Scott. Now in his mid eighties, Mr. Scott has written several key books on the history of Christianity and Western civilization. Under the leadership of Vision Forum friend Matt Chancey, these men flew Mr. Scott to Virginia for the simple purpose of spending a few days with a great man, and the privilege of asking him questions about life and the history of the 20th century.



On one day, they traveled together to Lexington and visited the grave of Stonewall Jackson. This picture was taken at the moment that Mr. Scott commented: "A handsome edifice---It marks the end of southern civilization."



Consider this: These fellas could have spent their vacation lounging around, but they determined to honor an elder man in the Lord and to draw from his wisdom.

That is the stuff of leadership! I predict "it will be well" with them all.

2004 Faith and Freedom Tour

The first command with promise in the entire Bible promises that "it will be well" for those who honor their fathers and mothers. I believe Americans would be well served to consider the implications of this principle on a national level. Psalm 78 reminds us that the most blessed nation in the world suffered because the fathers of one generation failed to remind the children of the next of the great deeds of God in their nation's history. The failure of the fathers to teach providential history to their sons and daughters resulted in social collapse, military defeat, and hopelessness. Why? The children lacked context.

I am truly grateful for the blessing of God on this nation. How good the Lord Jehovah Jireh has been to us. He has providentially poured out blessings unprecedented in the history of the West. He has given us a rich, glorious and blessed heritage rooted in the faithfulness of a great cloud of witnesses who walked before us. Their testimony, and the work of God in their lives, gives context to the mission and message of this present generation.

With this in mind, Vision Forum recently enjoyed our seventh annual Faith and Freedom Tour. For the Phillips family this trip was a highlight of our year. Bless the name of Christ! Over the next few days, I will be posting pictures and a few comments from the trip beginning with those below:



One of the oft overlooked heroes of this great nation is John Smith. What a man! But for him, Jamestown would have self-destructed. He single-handedly kept the men focused, organized and inspired during some very dark hours. His life was simply epic. As a boy he lived in the woods, as a teenager he had already killed a number of Turks in battle and rescued a castle, and by the time he was twenty-eight and heading for Virginia, he had a remarkable reputation as a hero and adventurer across Europe. His motto, represented above on the statue, means "to conquer is to live."



Vision Forum historian Bill Potter shares insights on the current battle over historical interpretation of the Jamestown Colony.



Here I give a message on the life of John Smith, including his illustrious conquests against Islam.



This is one of my favorite historical markers at any site in the United States. Located on the site of the Jamestown church, which introduced protestant Christianity to North America, it proclaims that Jamestown gave to our nation the Christian common law. This common law is derived from taking the eternal truths of biblical law and applying them to changing cultures. It is the opposite of the evolving philosophy of law, because the common law affirms that law is transcendent.



One of the highlights of the trip was watching the older girls take initiative to come along side, befriend, and even teach the younger girls. Here Kelly Brown helps out Liberty Phillips.



Molly Valenti takes time for a photo with Faith Phillips. They are sitting inside a tent in which a new Jamestown archeological excavation is underway.



Providence Phillips enjoys his first (ex-utero) Faith and Freedom Tour.



Lourdes Torres (one of the dearest friends of the Phillips family) and Samuel Turley (Henty aficionado par excellence) visit inside of the rebuilt Jamestown Church where the first representative assembly in America took place, and where orthodox Christian worship was first instituted in North America, paving the path for what would become a distinctively Christian nation.



This tree was planted two weeks after my birth on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the Magna Charta, the great document of legal freedom which affirmed the fact that the king is under God's law, that the law is no respecter of persons, and secured the God-given legal rights of Christian Englishmen.



Jubilee takes notes on the grass of Jamestown as Bill Potter lectures.



The liberals and revisionists who tend to manage the great historical landmarks to our liberty simply despise public markers like this one mounted on the wall of the first Jamestown church building. They want you to believe the myth that Christianity is oppressive, and all savages lived an idyllic life of nobility before the invasion of European Christians. In contrast, this marker (placed three quarters of a century ago) praises the religious conversion of a Virginia Indian, who rejected the savage and occult tradition of his people, converted to Christianity and saved the lives of many women and children from being brutally murdered by his own tribe.



Miss Samantha Clark and Miss Megan Valenti listen to a message on the influence of Christianity on the Jamestown settlement.



One of the great blessings of this trip was the tremendous diligence of the young men and women to take notes and drink deeply from the messages and locations.



Pocahontas was the first known Christian convert, and the subject of the first recorded Christian baptism in North America.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Today's New York Times Headline: "Bush Says His Party Is Wrong to Oppose Gay Civil Unions"

Today's New York Times features an article by Elisabeth Bumiller headlined: Bush Says His Party Is Wrong to Oppose Gay Civil Unions. the article includes the following comments:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 - President Bush said in an interview this past weekend that he disagreed with the Republican Party platform opposing civil unions of same-sex couples and that the matter should be left up to the states.

Mr. Bush has previously said that states should be permitted to allow same-sex unions, even though White House officials have said he would not have endorsed such unions as governor of Texas. But Mr. Bush has never before made a point of so publicly disagreeing with his party's official position on the issue.

In an interview on Sunday with Charles Gibson, an anchor of "Good Morning America" on ABC, Mr. Bush said, "I don't think we should deny people rights to a civil union, a legal arrangement, if that's what a state chooses to do so." ABC, which broadcast part of the interview on Monday, is to broadcast the part about civil unions on Tuesday.

According to an ABC transcript, Mr. Gibson then noted to Mr. Bush that the Republican Party platform opposed civil unions.

"Well, I don't," Mr. Bush replied.

He added: "I view the definition of marriage different from legal arrangements that enable people to have rights. And I strongly believe that marriage ought to be defined as between a union between a man and a woman. Now, having said that, states ought to be able to have the right to pass laws that enable people to be able to have rights like others."

Mr. Gibson then asked, "So the Republican platform on that point, as far as you're concerned, is wrong?"

"Right," Mr. Bush replied.

Mr. Bush announced in February that he supported an amendment to the Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage, and said at the time that the union of a man and a woman was "the most fundamental institution of civilization." He acted under enormous pressure from his conservative supporters, who had lobbied the White House to have the president speak out in an election year on a matter of vital importance to them.

But Mr. Bush also said at the time that states should be permitted to have same-sex civil unions if they chose.

Mr. Bush has sought to walk a careful line between pleasing conservatives who oppose same-sex marriage and not alienating more moderate voters who might see bigotry in his views. Mr. Bush's support for civil unions and his opposition to his party on the issue is in part an effort to reach out to swing voters, whom he needs to win on Nov. 2.

Executive Branch Considers Lifting Ban on Women in Combat

The distinctions between combat and non-combat assignments for women have become increasingly silly and irrelevant in light of the present realities of the Iraq war. The girls sent by President Bush to Iraq are in harms way, and the high number of them in a "non-combat" role who have been shot or blown to pieces and sent home in body bags testifies to this reality.

The AP reports states: "The Washington Times reports that the Bush Administration is now meeting with Army personnel to consider lifting a ban on women in combat. The AP reports: "The US Army is negotiating with the Pentagon's civilian leaders a plan to eliminate a women-in-combat ban so it can place mixed-sex support companies within war fighting units, starting with a division going to Iraq in January, says The Washington Times. Citing unnamed defense department sources, the newspaper said Army blueprints for a lighter force of 10 active divisions included plans for postings of mixed-sex units. A spokesman said the Army is now in discussions with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's staff to see whether the 10-year-old ban in this one area should be lifted, The Times said."

While this potential policy change is essentially the codification of practices that are already happening in Iraq, a formal policy directive to place women in combat is, nonetheless, the next wrongheaded step toward boiling the proverbial frog in the pot.

Who will join us in speaking out against this national sin of shame? What future do we bequeath to our sons and daughters when the men of today are too effeminate to recognize and speak out against the horror of girls being sent to die for men? Is there yet a witness of professing Christians in this nation who believe in the Christian principle memorialized in the maxim "women and children first"? Where are the pulpits denouncing the practice? Where are our spokesmen in Christian radio and print media who will come to the defense of future generations of daughters destined to be drafted and sent to their deaths as policemen for the world, because this generation of Christian was more concerned with partisan politics, than the crown rights of Jesus Christ?

In future years we must not fail to remember that it was 2003-2005 that the collective conscience of the Church in America was finally seared concerning the "abomination" of women soldiers being sent to die in combat. To read more about what the Bible says about women in combat, and why God calls it an "abomination," click here:

http://www.visionforumministries.org/sections/hotcon/ht/womeninmilitary/

Monday, October 25, 2004

Ten P’s in a Pod

Over the years, many readers have been attracted to the endearing stories of family life found in such classics as Kathryn Forbes’ Mamma’s Bank Account (also called I Remember Mamma), Clarence Day’s Life with Father, and the turn of the century classic by Frank Gilbreth, Cheaper by the Dozen. The beauty of Ten P’s in a Pod is that it combines the very best elements of family humor embodied in those classics with a distinctive and uncompromising Gospel message. As a publisher, I consider it the highest honor that the Lord and His servants, the Pent family, have allowed Vision Forum to bring to press what we believe will be a new classic for twenty-first century families. DWP





Imagine being a parent with a dream to live and serve the Lord as a unified family. Now, imagine that this dream includes placing eight children and your wife in a couple of four-door cars and embarking on a journey of home education, family discipleship, and gospel evangelism that will last more than one million miles. Imagine that, along the way, you collectively memorize the New Testament by heart, live by faith on pennies a day, battle truant officers, sing in hundreds of churches, and, in the process, share the kind of glorious experiences that knit the hearts of parents and children together for a lifetime.

This dream became a reality in the lives of a rare, visionary father named Arnold Pent II and his family of eight very musical children. Together with his wife Persis, Arnold cast a unique vision for discipleship and evangelism which resulted in the Pents earning the title of “the world’s most unusual family.”

Ten P’s in a Pod was compiled from the journals of Arnold Pent III, written when he was age seventeen to nineteen. Originally self-published in 1965, Ten P’s in a Pod became something of an underground classic as Christian readers across the nation began to share by word of mouth with their friends this absolutely unique and inspiring adventure of family vision and gospel evangelism. Though the book ends in the early 1960s, the story of the Pent family continues to the present day, as the children of Arnold Pent II, now grandparents in their own right, continue to build by God’s grace upon the remarkable heritage bequeathed to them by their father and mother, thus making the true legacy of Ten P’s in a Pod one of multi-generational faithfulness and honor.

Now, forty years after Ten P’s in a Pod was first released, Vision Forum is pleased to make this heartwarming, true-life story available to a new generation of families. May the life of the Arnold Pent family inspire moms and dads to dream great, multi-generational dreams for Jesus Christ. The following comments are from my wife’s foreword to the book:



Foreword to ‘Ten P’s in a Pod’ by Beall Phillips

Our family travels quite a bit. If not Doug and one of the children, then it is all ten of us, including the very fine young man who lives with us. When all ten of us travel together, we get into some hilarious and some harrowing situations. We’ve been gawked at, hooted at, pulled over, cheered on, clapped at, gaped at, and murmured about. We’ve been called a private school, a daycare, a circus, a zoo, and probably privately by some, a nuthouse.

We have the idiosyncrasies that go with a large and growing family: We march in a line, according to age, to keep order. We often wear matching clothes so no one gets lost, or, if someone does, they are easily identified and returned. We love to be together, work together, play together. We love to travel together, and all the stares make us smile inside and out, because we just love our big family.

So, when the children and I first read Ten P’s in a Pod, we laughed and snorted and sighed and cried. The Arnold Pent family is what our family would have looked like if we had lived in the ’40s and ’50s. The father knows exactly what he wants done and how. The mother’s goal is to make it happen and keep everybody happy in the process. The children, eager and youthful, are an integral part of the father’s vision and provide bucket-loads of humor. Together, they make up what has been called “The World’s Most Unusual Family.”

Before seatbelt laws and car seats, before the suburban fad and the rise of the fifteen-passenger van, the ten-person Pent family was driving an interesting collection of automobiles one million miles around and around and around the country, preaching about the saving love of Jesus and the importance of the Bible in daily life. Before my generation rediscovered that real butter is better than margarine, that whole grain breads are better than white fluff, and that exercise must be vigorous and constant, the Pent family knew and practiced all of this. Thirty years before the explosion of home schooling in the early ’80s, the Pents were home schooling their children because, “I just don’t think it’s right to let an atheist or non-believer have our children the best part of every day teaching them many things that we will have to turn right around and tell them are not true.”

Ten P’s in a Pod was first published two years before I was born. Most of the Pent children were adults before I could put a sentence together. But I relate to and understand their experiences and their story as if it were my own. This is a slice of life. This is the day-to-day in a not-so-average American Christian family. Everyone who reads this book will feel the same way and relate to one part or another. But reading Ten P’s in a Pod is not even like reading! It is really like having a conversation with the author, Arnold, third of the eight children, about his family, their life experiences as they traveled, and their passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is simple, it is profound, and it is a riot!

Beyond the humor and crazy scrapes that we all get ourselves into is the ultimately important message of the book: work together as a family and make the Word of God an integral part of your daily life. It sounds so simple, and yet, you will walk away from this story fundamentally inspired and motivated.

Click here to learn more about Ten P’s in a Pod.

Sunday, October 24, 2004

Update from Shelby Kennedy

Today the mail arrived at Vision Forum with $1600 in checks for Shelby Kennedy, the young lady who is in such desperate need of your prayers and support. Thank you to all of you generous brothers and sisters for your love to her. The checks will be forwarded this week to the Kennedys to cover the rapidly accumulating and uncovered medical expences. After reading this, make sure to read my October 16 blog again for information on supporting this dear girl. Below is a note we recently received from Shelby:

Today for the first time since I was diagnosed with cancer, I was able to go on a drive on the ranch by myself. I used to go watch the sunset or rise on an almost daily basis. It was my alone time with the Lord. I can't tell you how grateful I was for that time today!! It was so refreshing to be outside (not on my way to an appointment) and spending time with the Lord.

I spent my time seeking wisdom from the Lord about different decisions we are making, and searching my heart. I felt the Lord showed me that I needed to lay my health on the altar. I actually couldn't remember doing that before. He brought to mind the story of Abraham when he was offering Isaac on the mountain. So, I gave my health completely to Him. Going through this has shown me so clearly how my health is such a gift from the Lord. I can eat "the right way" to the best of my ability, and work-out an hour a day (which I did before all of this)... but ultimately it is a gift from God.

From the quick trip that my parents and I made to Houston, I now feel I have a good taste of what it's going to be like. I was very intimidated by everything. But now I feel refreshed. The Lord reminded me that He is walking through every step of this with me.

I can't express how encouraged I have been through all the e-mails that have come in. I always look forward to coming home and reading them on the couch. I wish I could respond to each one personally, maybe someday I can... but right now I am doing good to get one out.

I cried this afternoon as I looked over the hours and hours that are filled in with friends praying for me. I can't tell you how much that means to me. The boys hung a world map in the living room where I spend most of my time. I counted 18 countries that are tagged this mornning that are praying for me. I know that is what will get me through!

Thank you all for your love and support!!!!!!!! I feel as if I have an army of friends backing me as I go through this!In HIS grip, Shelby

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Breaking News: Semi-Finalists Announced for 2004 Christian Film Festival

Seven weeks ago I was calling out to the Lord for direction on the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

We knew when we launched this costly and massive project that we were taking a big risk. We knew their would be scoffers (and there have been), and we knew that there were many professing Christians still on the Hollywood dole who would be uncomfortable with our call to distinctively Christian culture. But we believed in the mission and put our reputation and our money on the line to pursue this very special dream.

But when September 1 had come and gone, and Vision Forum had received less than a half a dozen film applications, I began to wonder whether God would bless this vision. After all, you can not have a festival without film submissions.

I approached my staff and asked a very uncomfortable question. Did they believe we should extend the acceptance date to allow additional submissions? The unanimous response was a resounding “no.” To a man, this remarkable Vision Forum staff said that we should hold firm to our date and trust the Lord. We sink, or we swim, but we don’t change the rules just because things are looking down.

I like that. I believe in that.

Once again, we dedicated the festival to the Lord in prayer. We supplicated and fervently prayed for God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills to bless us from His abundance.

Days went by. Only a trickle of submissions came in.

Then, during the week of September 15 (our deadline for submissions) the mailman arrived at the door of Vision Forum with more than 120 original film submissions. In addition, the Lord sent us nearly $40,000 in sponsorships from different businesses who believe in and want to encourage independent Christian films.

We were simply astonished. God had answered our prayers — and in spades.

Frankly, the response was simply overwhelming. Professionals, amateurs, home educators, budding filmmakers, and children barely in their teens (many laboring for months to prepare films for the festival) had sought to take advantage of every possible day leading up to the deadline to perfect their entry.

The films ranged in quality from poor to simply fantastic, from dynamic and biblical, to theologically confused, from touching, to “less than touching.” On the whole, they were simply phenomenal, and demonstrated the tremendous potential of this up-and-coming generation of independent filmmakers.

Of note is the fact that about 75% of the producers who submitted films were present or past home schooled students, or the parents of home schoolers — thus demonstrating that the same maverick spirit which proved to the world that Christians don’t need to feed off the tough of government education, applies equally to America’s other religious establishment — Hollywood.

We received documentaries on the life of reformers like William Tyndale and Matthew Henry. We were inundated with significant narratives on subjects as diverse as the meaning of boyhood to a time travel adventure back to the Garden of Eden. We received creation films that examine worldviews, the Fall of man, and the rise of genetics. We received at least two Gospel-oriented Civil War epics complete with battle scenes, and a documentary about Jackson and Lee which may be the best ever produced. We even received a noteworthy, gripping original political film on the homosexual assault on the churches of San Francisco.

Some films dealt specifically with redemption in Christ, like Glimpse, the true story of a convict and drug abuser turned preacher. Others dared to confront the failure of modern bioethical conclusions by lighting a candle of hope, like Nellie-A Life Worth Living, a remarkable documentary with first rate production values about a Christian quadriplegic who serves Jesus Christ with vigor. (P.S. the title of this film is a direct refutation of Dr. Peter Singer’s thesis that children with physical disabilities which appear (in the eyes of modern bioethicists) to render a human being’s life less than desirable, should be killed early in their lives.)

We even received a series of simple introductory films from very young film makers, including a set of shorts from two North Carolina brothers (11 and 13, respectively) on the great revival during the civil war, and the influence of the clergy on the Revolutionary War.

Some of these films were sufficiently thought-provoking, mature and edgy (though very appropriate) that they will be screened as part of a special category called “Screwtape Theater” which will premiere during the evening at the SAICFF.

For example, Drifting asks the question: “Would you really die for Christ? Really?!” Washington’s Cross, is a complex Twilightzone-esque commentary on the intellectual insanity of anti-Christian postmodern thought. Choosing Life is a heart-wrenching drama about a girl’s decision not to kill her unborn baby. After Hours carefully, but with tremendous insight and precision, traces the nature of temptation in a co-ed office environment, shows the potential consequence of such on a family, and demonstrates a godly man’s ultimate response to temptation.

From these 120-130 film shorts we have selected about 40 semi-finalists. These films range from 5 to 55 minutes. From these forty semi-finalists our distinguished panel of judges will pick three to five finalists per category. From these finalists, one Jubilee Award will be presented per category (narrative, documentary, political, and creation). Finally, the “Best of Festival Award” will be selected and $10,000 will be presented to the winner.

Check Out Our Semi-Finalists
Our complete schedule, list of semi-finalists, director’s workshops, seminars, and special events is now live on the web at http://www.independentchristianfilms.com/. You can read plot summaries and get background information on the film and their producers.

If you have any intention of attending this groundbreaking film festival, may I suggest you sign up sooner rather than later. We are limited in terms of the number of people who can attend. Sign up online at: http://www.independentchristianfilms.com/.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

A Very Special Girl Who Needs Your Prayers

Dear Loved Ones in Christ,

Every community has its bright shining star---a special person who radiates joy and life and hope to everyone they meet. In our community that person is a twenty-two year old young lady named Shelby Kennedy. It was my pleasure to serve as one of her pastors for nearly five years before her family relocated membership in our sister church in Fredericksburg, Texas. I can report that I have rarely ever met a woman with as radiant a Christian testimony, who better honors her father and mother, or who better understands the meaning of Christian sacrifice. For most of her life Shelby has accompanied her father and mother to some of the roughest parts of Mexico, building homes for the indigent, helping local churches and teaching the Gospel to young girls, many of whom are already mothers in their early teens. Those who meet her never forget her.

Last week Shelby was diagnosed with a rare disease called leiomayosarcoma. She already has a tumor approaching the size of a volleyball. Through the tests so far it appears the sarcoma has spread to her right shoulder and a few other spots in her pelvic area. The sarcoma has already eaten away a good part of the bone in the pelvic area. Man's statistical analysis tell us that only small percentage of people in her condition survive. But we know that we serve the God who defies statistics, who controls life and who loves those who faithfully serve Him.

Shelby knows this too. At every step of the way Shelby has rejoiced in the Lord. While those who love her weep in her presence (including yours truly), Shelby spends her time comforting them with words of hope from Holy Scripture. She speaks with joy of the hundreds of emails she has received and kept for her scrapbook. She constantly praises God for His grace and mercy. The other day Shelby wrote to some of us:

I don't know how to explain the love I feel that has been showered on me constantly. I feel as if I am wrapped tightly in the Fathers loving, gentle arms, and He is carrying my weary body through this test in life.

Shelby is taking pain medication for the extreme pain, which means she is only able to be up and awake a few hours a day, but she spends all of that time rejoicing in Christ and feasting on His word. When she is awake she needs to use a wheel chair most of the time and has minimal energy, but what energy she has is focused on proclaiming Jesus Christ. Already her testimony of hope is sparking a spirit of revival in those around her as they see Gospel Christianity lived out in the midst of a fiery trial.

A few days ago Shelby (who has grown her hair long past her waist---as have each of her sisters) had a hair-cutting party (in anticipation of the chemo and radiation therapy she will be receiving) during which she cut her lovely hair to preserve it, perhaps for a wig. Her sisters joined her in an act of solidarity by cutting their longer-than waist length hair as well, which they had grown over a lifetime.

At this point every day counts. The need for medical intervention is significant, but there are delays with the hospitals that mean that Shelby has to wait longer than we would like for treatment. In addition, the Kennedy family lacks the resources to cover their medical expenses and needs help. This is where you come in to play.

Imagine for just one moment that you were a father who was watching your bright shining star suffer under the pains of a crippling and potentially fatal disease. It is difficult for many of us to think in these terms, but we must. Perhaps tomorrow it will be us. Certainly we would want the body of Christ to rally to our side and stand with us in our hour of need.

All of this to ask you to consider two things: First, would you commit as a family to praying for Shelby. Here in San Antonio, she is known by thousands and loved by all. In Mexico, she is known by thousands and loved by all. There are many praying for her, but we know how the Lord loves to hear the prayers if his saints. We are asking for you to help us ask our Heavenly Father for mercy.

Second, would you consider donating to help the medical expenses of this family. The expenses are very high and their inability to cover these expenses has been a great challenge. My local church, the Boerne Christian Assembly, has agreed to help the family by getting checks through to them. You can either write a check directly to Ken Kennedy, or to the Boerne Christian Assembly, and we will see that Shelby gets the help directly. Send the checks to Vision Forum and we will pass them on. Please write on the envelope "For Shelby Kennedy."

You can learn more about Shelby at http://www.carecalendar.org/prayer.php, or at http://www.onlyaservant.org/.

Thank you for considering our beloved Shelby through your prayers and giving.

Persevero,
Doug Phillips

Monday, October 18, 2004

Who Wears the Pants in the Navy

The United States Navy has modified its dress code.
To read about it go to:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041017/D85PG4KG0.html

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Miss Cheney and the Klan?

Heres a Question for You:

Imagine for just one second that Mary Cheney was not a lesbian political activist, but a lobbyist for the Ku Klux Klan. Now imagine that the Vice President brought up this fact at a press conference and announced that he believed in special rights for Klan members and that he was very proud of his Klan activist daughter. Now imagine that the Bush campaign hired Mary Cheney the Ku Klux Klan activist to stand beside her father the Vice President and represent the Bush Administration as a member of the re-election team.

Is there any sane American who believes that she, her father, or the President would be free from criticism for such?

So, why are so many partisan idolaters up in arms that the pro-homosexual rights Kerry Democrats would take political advantage of the moral hypocrisy of the pro-homosexual rights evangelical White House? Why are they not even remotely concerned that the President told the children of America that sodomites should be respected and protected by the laws. Why does no one care that the Vice President said that lesbians should be able to enter any relationship they choose?

Answer: They fear losing an election far more than they fear God.

Just one more thing: Imagine for just one second that the President of the United States repented for actually fostering and encouraging the desensitivisation of our culture to perversity and abomination. Imagine that he embraced his non-optional duty as a magistrate to enforce both the moral law of God and our national charter. Imagine if he used his office to set a moral and godly example to a nation at a time that the family is being redefined. What would happen?

First, he would receive the praise and respect of all true Christ-loving Christians. Second, he would receive the blessing of God personally. Third, America as a nation would be blessed.

Time to draw a line in the sand:
The Biblical Family---Now and Forever!

(Still confused?: Read my blog from October 15. P.S. The article was pulled for 24 hours because something had happened to it. Hacked? Not sure. It is back up.)

Saturday, October 16, 2004

A Line in the Sand

THE BIBLICAL FAMILY NOW AND FOREVER!

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. . . . He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies. . . . The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. (Psalm 112:1-2,7-8,10)

It was patterned before time began by an eternal Father who loved His eternal Son. It was birthed on the Sixth Day as the very pinnacle of Creation. It was chosen as the vehicle for globe-transforming dominion, covenant faithfulness, and the incarnation of the Savior of the world. It is modeled in the life of the Church through the spiritual brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers who are the very body of Christ. It is pictured and perfected in all of its beauty at the culmination of time through a divine wedding feast. In its purest expressions, it is a society of love declared in the last verses of the Old Testament to be inextricably linked to revival and national peace. From Genesis to Revelation, it is proven to be the flesh-and-blood organization through which men first learn love, law, and the meaning of life. It shapes the destiny of children, the character of leaders, and the future of civilizations. Its definition is immutable, transcendent, and non-negotiable.

It is the biblical family — now and forever!

Every generation has its defining challenge. Ours is the systematic annihilation of the biblical family. It is during this deceptively peaceful yet culture-transforming epoch of history that God has placed us. This is our watch.

We stand on the threshold of the single most destructive social event in the history of the West. Much has happened over the last two millennia, but it was not until our generation that women have been asked to strap on machine guns and die in combat, that parents en masse have rejected the fruit of the womb, that the majority of women have left the home as their primary mission field, and that the mass execution of the unborn has received legal sanction. And it was not until our watch, our moment in history, that men have sought to redefine marriage to include the most perverse of human behavior. All this on our watch! How will we respond?

Think back for just a moment to your own childhood. Think back to an America that was, an America already in the throes of radical changes, but an America in which the people of this land still retained a moral conscience. Can you remember the days when moral perversions were not mentioned in public (let alone glorified on national television)? Do you remember? I do.

And those memories are not so distant. You need only look into the eyes of those precious little ones given to you by God whose innocence and purity have been entrusted to you. I do this every day — with all seven of my children. It puts a fire in my belly. It daily reminds me that there is nothing I would not be prepared to do for my Lord, if only to preserve a future in which these little ones will not be offended. I am reminded that teaching my children the way of Christ “is not a vain thing; because it is [my] life” (Deut. 32:47) and that parents can state, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (III John 4).

In defense of the biblical family, we today join faithful Christians across this great land by choosing sides in a fight. Like William Barret Travis before the Alamo defenders at the defining moment in Texas history, our sword is drawn and we call upon parents, pastors, and leaders — civil and ecclesiastical — to choose sides in the defining issue of our generation and fight to the death.

Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD . . . and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. (Neh. 4:14)

We will never surrender. Nor will we lack the proper weapons of our warfare. The Lord has predetermined both the means and the ends of this battle. This is a battle to be fought in the homes of families, in the local churches, and in the very gates of the land; but it is a battle that is primarily fought in the hearts of men as Christians do what Christians are supposed to do best — make the life of Christ extremely attractive as we evidence the sweet aroma of Jesus by thinking, looking, and acting very different from the world.

We win every time a father turns his heart to a son. We win every time our daughters reject feminism for femininity. We win every time children rise up and call their mothers blessed. We win every time a local church embraces a vision for family-integrated worship. We win every time a grandfather embraces his patriarchal vision to bless his grandchildren. We win every time a candidate for public office speaks truth regardless of the consequences. We win every time a Christian filmmaker prefers the path of Christ to the sanction of Hollywood. We win through obedience. We win through faithfulness. We win by leading our households in a multi-generational vision of victory.

Choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)

The products in the 2005 edition of the Vision Forum Family Catalog have been carefully selected to share our passion for the Christ-centered biblical family. Each reflects the commitment of others who have drawn a line in the sand and who will fight to the death in defense of Christ’s truth. Within its pages, you will learn about a Christ-centered film festival dedicated to defending the family, a conference for uniting church and family, and sound biblical and constitutional doctrines which reflect the very “[r]ighteousness [which] exalteth a nation” (Prov. 14:34). From R.C. Sproul, Jr.‘s bold work proclaiming the biblical necessity that parents serve as the primary teachers in the lives of their children (When You Rise Up, pg. 11), to Michael and Susan Bradrick’s challenging, but eminently practical video course on family unity (Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World, pg. 6), to Stacy McDonald’s winsome plea for virtuous maidenhood (Raising Maidens of Virtue, pg. 16), to Nancy Campbell’s defense of the biblical doctrine of children as a much desired blessing (Be Fruitful and Multiply, pg. 7), to our Beautiful Girlhood Collection that makes no apologies for extolling the virtues of femininity, or our All-American Boy’s Adventure Catalog that exhorts boys to defend women and children — every inch of this catalog has been prepared to help you draw your own line in the sand.

This is our watch. Let’s serve the Lord with such vigor that Christian children yet to be born will someday look back and say: this was our finest hour!

Victory or death! The biblical family — now and forever!

Friday, October 15, 2004

The President and Vice President's Public Defense of Homosexual Rights

SCHIEFFER: ..Both of you are opposed to gay marriage. But to understand how you have come to that conclusion, I want to ask you a more basic question. Do you believe homosexuality is a choice?

BUSH: You know, Bob, I don't know. I just don't know. I do know that we have a choice to make in America and that is to treat people with tolerance and respect and dignity. It's important that we do that. And I also know in a free society people, consenting adults, can live the way they want to live.

Across America this week the spin-doctors are spinning. The damage control experts are looking for some creative tactic to get Christians to stop thinking about the fact that their born-again Christian president told fifty million Americans, including untold millions of young people, that sodomy should be tolerated, that it is worthy of moral respect, and that homosexuals have every right to practice their perversion.

Yes, President George Bush endorsed and blessed the idea that "consenting adults [sodomites] can live the way they want to live." Though he professes to be a Bible believing Christian, the president told the American people that "I don't know. I just don't know" whether or not homosexuality is a choice.

Now it is not my purpose in this blog to tell you how to vote or to recommend a candidate. Not at issue is whether the president is a nice guy----he is a very pleasant and likeable man. Nor does it matter one lick just how liberal you believe John Kerry to be. The issue today is not John Kerry or even the presidential election. Such issues can be debated on another occasion.

My case is simple: First, on a defining question of this generation (the legalization and cultural acceptance of homosexuality) through his public statements, funding allocations, policy position on civil unions, executive appointments and much more, President George Bush arguably has the worst track record of any president in American history. For an interesting discussion on this point see both , http://daveblackonline.com/bush2.htm and http://www.daveblackonline.com/george_bush_on_sodomy.htm
Second, the biblical pattern is this: God destroys nations, not because they fail to define marriage, but because the civil magistrate tolerates and condones perversion, or refuses to enforce Gods law (which has been and remains our constitutional, common law tradition---notwithstanding the usurpatious and unconstitutional ruling in Lawrence v. Texas), thus allowing homosexuality to spread unchecked throughout the land. Sodom and Gomorah were not destroyed because they legalized gay marriage. They were destroyed because sodomy pervaded the land and was not punished. The magistrate did not enforce Gods law.

Third, of infinite more significance to the welfare of this nation than who is elected to President, or what amendments to the Constitution are ratified, is the question of the whether or not the elect of God will maintain a pure conscience before the Lord by honestly evaluating the behavior of professing Christian magistrates and holding them accountable to His objective standard. Because I believe that judgment begins in the House of God, it is my conviction that Christian magistrates and spin doctors who compromise on the fundamentals of Gods Word are more dangerous than pagans magistrates and spin doctors who compromise on the fundamentals of Gods Word.

Is the Lesbianism of the Vice Presidents Daughter an Issue?
Yes, for the following reasons. First, Vice President Cheneys daughter is not merely a practitioner of lesbianism, but a radical lesbian activist well-known throughout the country as a promoter of the worst form of anti-family politics. Second, the Vice presidents lesbian political activist daughter is a key player in the Cheney re-election team, following the Vice President everywhere he goes, and serving as an official representative of the re-election campaign staff.

Third, from a personal perspective the Vice President does not view his daughter as renegade, or in sin. He fully supports her perversion. This is not the case of a disappointed father grieving over rebellion with a child. In fact, Mr. Cheney has explicitly borrowed from his own experiences as the supportive father of a lesbian activist to communicate his public policy perspective.

Both in the 2000 Campaign and as recently as late August, Mr. Cheney made his daughters lesbianism an issue in the campaign. Marc Kaufman and Mike Allen of the Washington Post, reported on August 25, 2004:

"Vice President Dick Cheney spelled out Tuesday his differences with President Bush on the volatile issue of gay marriage, while for the first time discussing the sexual orientation of his gay daughter in a public setting. Asked his position on the subject at a town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa, Cheney replied:

"Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue that our family is very familiar with. ... With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be able to free -- ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to."

During the vice presidential debates, a grateful and nearly teary-eyed Cheney thanked Senator Edwards for his kind words of understanding about the Vice President's unqualified support for his daughter and her lesbian lifestyle. It was surely an all-time low in the history of American vice presidential debates. The comment came after a long dialogue in which Mr. Cheney was challenged for his formal use (during the 2000 campaign) of his own family experiences with a lesbian daughter to justify his liberal political perspective on homosexuality:

IFILL: The next question goes to you, Mr. Vice President. I want to read something you said four years ago at this very setting: "Freedom means freedom for everybody." You said it again recently when you were asked about legalizing same-sex unions. And you used your family's experience as a context for your remarks. Can you describe then your administration's support for a constitutional ban on same-sex unions?

CHENEY: Gwen, you're right, four years ago in this debate, the subject came up. And I said then and I believe today that freedom does mean freedom for everybody. People ought to be free to choose any arrangement they want. It's really no one else's business.

After telling the school children of America that sodomites should be free to do whatever they want, both the Vice President and Senator Edwards next offered the most remarkable political tap dance to prove that they support everything and nothing at the same time.

If the worse thing from this unhealthy arrangement (i.e. the Vice President of the United States with a lesbian political activist daughter) was that the White House had lost its credibility to speak out against perversion, we could sympathize with the challenges of a leader with a renegade child. That is certainly not the case here. No, the Vice President has used his relationship with his lesbian activist daughter as a pretext for advocating homosexual rights. (P.S. Will America now await the first lesbian wedding service of a Vice President's daughter attended and blessed by our born-again Christian executive branch?)

In their report "Mary Cheney Joins Homosexual Activist Group Organization Wants to Make Homosexuality Non-Issue in the GOP," Concerned Women for America explains that:

Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, has joined the board of a homosexual activist Republican group that seeks to make homosexuality a "non-issue" in the GOP and compares opposition to homosexuality to racism. Homosexual author and activist Andrew Sullivan reported April 23 that the Republican Unity Coalition (RUC) founder Charles Francis said Mary Cheneys "main focus will be to help the RUC reach out to gay and lesbian voters, as well as build bridges to all within the Republican Party. This summer, she will work with us to build the RUC membership network across the country. Mary's experience, both in her past work at Coors and with the Bush/Cheney campaign, provides the RUC with a whole new level of judgment and political savvy. We are so proud to have Mary Cheney stand with the RUC."

Conclusion

Mr. Cheney and his daughter together are using the executive branch to advance the cause of lesbian politics. But worse than their public advocacy of an immoral culture and legal system, is their role played by the President and Vice President as national leaders in the desensitization of the conscience of the American people to the sin and crime of homosexuality.

This problem is only compounded by the fact that this pro-homosexual rhetoric is advanced (in the name of Jesus) by our Christian executive team, and is left unquestioned and unchallenged by many of the same Christian who would be screaming bloody murder if these stunts were pulled by Democrats.

Simply put: The Bush/Cheney position is immoral. It is damaging families and children across America. The President's position on the highly questionable FMA does not even begin to make-up for his wrongful behavior using the executive office to advance homosexual rights. Finally, for Christians to turn a blind eye to such behavior, to pretend that it does not matter, or worse, in the name of partisan loyalty to cover such behavior, is inconsistent with the prophetic and biblical voice to which God has called us.

Incremental Cultural Assimilation vs. the Testimony of the Church

"Rome was continually transforming itself while remaining always divine Rome, ready also to absorb the Christians and use them, if they would be absorbed. But the orthodox Christians rejected all compromise. Their God, the ontological trinity, being sovereign, omnipotent, and transcendent, needed nothing to complete himself."

R.J. Rushdoony, The One and the Many page 140

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Vision Forum's China Policy

Did you know that America has more than a 100 billion dollar trade deficit with a nation which as a matter of official government policy persecutes Christians, and practices a barbaric one-child per family forced abortion policy? At Vision Forum we don't believe in subsidizing or helping national enemies, or those who persecute Christians as a matter of formal national policy. Consequently, Vision Forum seeks to provide you products that have not been manufactured under the anti-Christian, slave labor regime of Red China.

Koop Tells Court Juveniles Are not Morally Responsible

It has been difficult watching the downward spiral of the worldview of the once great Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. After the death of his mentor and friend Francis Schaefer, Koop embraced a philosophy of moral and political incrementalism. As Ronald Reagan's Surgeon General "of all the people" in a "pluralistic democracy," he publicly declined to apply his faith to his public office, or to use his position to honor the law of God. Incredibly, the man who had previously stood side by side with Schaeffer in opposing the cultural suicide created by moral perversion, actually earned favor with the homosexual community for his policies and statements on AIDs and condom distributions. At the time, these compromises struck a devastating blow to the Christian community.

Today, Koop was quoted by the United States Supreme Court for yet another biblically indefensible statement. This time Koop exchanged biblical revelation for his own analysis with evolutionary psychological development theory in order to oppose capitol punishment for seventeen year olds and other minors who are convicted of first degree murder. Koop argues that they can not be held fully accountable for their murders because they are physiologically incapable of controlling their impulses. Specifically, Koop writes: "juveniles are underdeveloped and immature, particularly in the areas of the brain that dictate reason, impulse control and decision-making."

Dr. Joe Morecraft Takes A Stand

It is interesting to me to read how different preachers are approaching the 2004 presidential elections. I can honestly say that I have never seen more acrimony hurled at godly Christian men who believe in principled politics from others who profess Christ than in this election year. Today, however, I received this perspective from one of the Christian communities most esteemed theologians and historians, Dr. Joe Morecraft.

In 1986, I ran for the U.S. Congress in the old Seventh District of Georgia. One of the most conservative daily newspapers in the nation at that time, The Chattanooga Free Press, vigorously endorsed my candidacy. After I lost the election, I drove from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee to thank the aging editor. After expressing my gratitude to him for his papers endorsement, he said this to me: You are welcome, son. But, understand why I did it. I didnt endorse you because I thought you could win. I knew you could not win. I endorsed you because you were right. Ive never forgotten that through the years in supporting candidates for public office. I give political candidates my support, not because they are in a winnable position, nor because they look good on TV, nor because they are the lesser of the two evils, but because they base their political viewpoints upon the written Word of God and because their source of law, liberty and government is the God of Scripturebecause they are right!

When most Christians vote, they leave the Bible outside the voting booth, and think like pragmatists. Several of my friends are trying to justify voting for the candidate they think can win, although they confess they must gulp hard to do so. Their explanations show that they are voting out of fear rather than out of faith in spite of the teaching of the New Testament that we are to determine our viewpoint and course of action, not by what we see, but by what God has spoken in His Wordby faith not by sight.

The most important political question of the 20th and 21st centuries is: Who is the Source of law? The God of the Bible or man? I am for Michael Peroutka for U.S. President in 2004 because he knows the right answer to that question and is not afraid to say so.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Freddy the Pig, Great States, Loyal Dogs, and Other Miscellany

During the seventeenth century, Massachusetts was the vanguard of Christian orthodoxy. During the eighteenth century, Virginia was the centerpiece of the providential work of God in preparing liberty-loving leaders. During the nineteenth century, Texas was the gathering spot for the heartiest men on the planet.

God has blessed me with the privilege of living in all three of these states. I was born in Boston, but soon became a repatriated Virginian where I enjoyed the glories of the Old Dominion for more than a quarter of a century. Texas is now and will likely be my home for the rest of my life. It is a manly, large, rugged state with an uncommonly high population of sturdy Christian folk.

As a boy, however, I returned to the commonwealth of my birth to spend summers on Cape Cod in one of two quiet little homes by the water. The first home was in South Dennis and belonged to my father’s parents. It was just a cottage, but simply glorious. These were lazy, luxurious boyhood days filled with summer reading, sandy beaches, and periodic sunburns. My grandfather rose early and made me “everything but the kitchen sink” omelettes for breakfast. When Grandma (who we called “Gigi”) was not looking, he would regularly slip me a few dollars to buy candy at an old fashioned drug store. I would fish for flounder by day, and sleep on the porch at night.

The second Cape Cod home was on large lake. This summer home belonged to my mother’s parents. It was shared annually with my many cousins, aunts, and uncles. The lake home was a mysterious home. There were secret nooks and crannies to discover, and wild animals lurking in the forest behind. It set back on the hill next to a forest filled with the type of paths that always lead a boy to secret treasure. Old bottles, animal skeletons, and long abandoned forts from ancient civilizations (or at least the time of our grandparents’ childhood) were hidden deep in the woods. One day, when I was eight years old and exploring the forest, I stepped on a piece of glass which went right through my foot and landed me in the hospital. I have never been comfortable walking barefoot on anything but a beach since then.

Down the hill from the lake home we had a private beach with our own dock. We jumped off that dock ten thousand times over the course of a summer, and often rowed the little rowboat into the middle of the lake in search of fresh catfish.

I remember as if it were yesterday the afternoon when I took our little dingy far into the lake, far beyond sight of our beach. I was at that point when a boy decides that it is time to stop rowing and time to start napping, when I startled to the most unusual sight. There heading towards my vessel at what appeared to be full speed, was a very large beaver. On closer inspection, the beaver turned out to be my dog Rusty who had broken free of her dog chain and swam for thirty minutes half way across the lake in search of her master. Over the course of her fourteen year life, Rusty would prove her fidelity in a hundred ways, coming to my aid when challenged by neighborhood bullies, and once even taking a 22. bullet from one of them. But it was the day at the lake that taught me a perspective on loyalty and devotion unique to that special breed of animals which have rightly earned the moniker “man’s best friend.”

Over the years I have read many thousands of books, but I wonder if reading has ever been as sweet an experience as during those lazy summer afternoons. I remember with a twinge of sadness for the Cape Cod which once was and is no more, the old fashioned one-room library down the street from our South Dennis home. I still remember the smell of that building. (The smell of old hardbacks is one of the happiest odors on earth.)

Mom let me check out about three or four books a week. I devoured them with passion. One year, Mom introduced me to the Freddy the Pig series by Walter Brooks. That summer Freddy became my ever present companion. When I had exhausted the library of all her Freddy books, mom and I would search far and wide for copies of the missing volumes.

I thought of all these things this weekend, as my family and I gathered in our living room to sit at the feet of my mother who for four and a half hours uninterrupted read aloud for her grandchildren the entire volume of Freddy and the Football Game. My children laughed, cooed, giggled, and rejoiced. So did I.

Once again, I got to be a boy sitting beside the mother of my youth. My mother — the master connoisseur of childhood literature — who to this day continues to give each of us a love for reading happy books and for good old fashioned fun.

No, Freddy is not Augustine. He is not Bunyan. But he is a very interesting pig who was once part of my childhood, and is now a part of my children’s lives. For that, and for the blessing of having a mother with a multigenerational vision for the love of literature, I am thankful. I am content.

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Gospel War for Souls and Culture Brewing At Your Neighborhood Coffee Shop

I am writing this blog to you live from Starbucks (care of T-Mobile) where at this precise moment I am caught between a rock and a hard place.

The “rock” is sitting to my right — a young man faithfully studying the Acts of the Apostles in his Bible. The “hard place” is to my left — a professional ‘psychobabbleist’ who is (very loudly) leading a client to Hell by telling him that the answers to his problems in life is to “jettison his core belief system” so that he can finally relieve his conscience (which is just a “bubble machine” of chemical reactions), and free his body of the need to be addicted to drugs and booze, thus overcoming his addictive nature.

At this point I am on the verge of hurling myself in between the high priest of psychology and his head-shaking client. Perhaps a better plan would be to pray first and (very conspicuously) discuss the Scriptures with the rock to my right. Maybe I will do both.

Nehemiah As a Parable for Family Vision

This Sunday I preached on Nehemiah 1-6 as a parable for family vision. I believe this message will be a great encouragement to you. I specifically address the need for a unified family mission, the importance of not being sidetracked by cynics and scoffers, and how to anticipate key challenges to your family vision of victory. The outline for the message can be downloaded by clicking http://www.visionforumministries.org/sections/home/sermons/

To receive a copy of the message, send a donation of any amount this month to Vision Forum Ministries. You can do this on-line by clicking here http://www.visionforumministries.org/sections/support/default.asp

Presidential Interview

Make sure to read this helpful and revealing interview with the only 100% pro-life, home schooling candidate for President of the United States. http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/civil/2004-10-06_001.aspx

A New Vision for Virtuous Maidenhood

This blast of encouragement just in:

Dear Vision Forum:
I am a happy wife and mother of 4 young children, ages 1-6. I first discovered Vision Forum at the Christian Home Educators of Colorado conference in June. Many of the ideas you spoke about were new to me, specifically about virtuous girlhood. I felt that God was asking me to reconsider my "opinions" in this area. I now see that my views on such an important subject had been influenced by popular culture, even within the church. I felt that God was telling me He was waiting to bless my family if I would relinquish my ideas and allow Him to change my thinking. I bought all the Vision Forum CDs I could afford and took them home. My husband and I listened to them and felt like our eyes were opened for the first time about the role our 2 daughters would play in our family when they were older. We always planned for them to leave home to go to college, work, then marry and stay home with their children. We now believe that we can train them to be better godly wives and mothers by keeping them under our roof until they are given in marriage to a godly mate...Thank you for your vision. D. H., Colorado Springs

Eighty-Five-Year-Old Grandma Writes Vision Forum

Dear Vision Forum:

I am a grandmother of 85 and so greatly admire you for what you are doing. May I request to please be on your E mail newsletter mailing list. I have ordered quite a few of your wonderful books for my grandchildren. Please continue what you are doing. Thank you,

Grandma Ferne

Dear Grandma Ferne:

Thank you for being involved in the life of your grandchildren. Thank you for your kind words to us. Please permit me to send you a copy of our new CD on the role of grandparents in the life of the family and the local church as a small expression of my appreciation for your note.

Doug Phillips

Friday, October 08, 2004

National Home School Convention Casts Vision

HSLDA President J. Michael Smith, Doug and Jubilee Phillips,
HSLDA board member, Dick Honnaker

The 2004 Home School Legal Defense Association national conference in Spokane, Washington was a tour de force of renewed vision for the home school movement in America. Four themes stood out:

First, the home school movement will remain blessed only as long as she remains distinctively and comprehensively Christian. Because of their principled commitment to opening “the lost book of the law,” home educators have both been blessed and have been God’s vehicle for blessing the Church.

The Blessing on the Church: For nearly two decades, a quiet revival of family renewal has taken place in the American Church. Fathers have turned their hearts to their children. The biblical doctrine of honoring fathers and mothers, and the corollary principle of patriarchy and generational faithfulness, have been revived. Most recently, the efforts to unite the local church and family have resulted in a helpful reformation of body life. While all of these great works of reformation are still in progress, great strides have been made. The Lord has used and blessed the home school movement as the vehicle for this great work of God.

The Blessing on Home Educators: The dramatic increase in the number of home educators over the last decade (Dr. Brian Ray indicates that as many as one million individual families home school multiple children) does not appear to be abating. The growth of the home education movement is in the hands of the Lord, but reasonable projections based on available data indicate that the home education movement has at least another ten years of rapid growth as more and more parents not only seek to avoid the spiritual, moral, and practical evils of government school education, but desire a better path than that found in the age-segregated, peer-driven education models which often define private school education of every stripe.

In addition, the disproportionately high fertility rate of home educators, coupled with a philosophical and spiritual commitment of many to pass on the principles of multi-generational living to the their children, means that home educators are on the verge of an explosion of socio-political influence. Bottom line: We are out-populating our cultural opponents.

Let the critics complain about children as a curse. Let them extol the blessings of full bank accounts and empty wombs. As for the home school movement, we will trust God, have lots of babies, adopt lots of children, and build armies for Christ.

A New Wave of Home Educators: On the other hand, the tremendous popularity and growth of home education also means a huge influx of new home educators, not all of whom share the core values that birthed the movement. Not only is secular home education on the rise, but there are increasing numbers of Christians joining the home school movement who see home schooling as little more than a choice of curriculum for a mother to implement in her home. They lack the vision, often because it has never been shared with them. They lack an appreciation for the value of their home school freedoms, usually because they were not called upon to sacrifice greatly during the early years of the modern home school movement. And no one has taken the time to teach them how God, in His providence, blessed and preserved home education. It’s time for the movement to step up to the plate and win the hearts of these new families.

Jesus First: All of this to say — home education must be about Jesus. It must be about a biblical vision. It must be about Christ. If not, it is worthless. Home school leaders, now more than ever, must cast vision, present the big picture, and prevent their conferences from devolving into mere curriculum fairs.

Second, liberty must be pursued at all costs. This means that the break with government schools must be comprehensive. Vouchers and charter schools are anathema to freedom-loving families, not only because they further the unbiblical, unconstitutional, and extra-jurisdictional intrusion of the state into the sphere of education, but because they open the family to regulation and state control. The trend (often promoted by conservatives and Christians who have bought into the fallacious “faith-based initiatives model” of the current President) for states to gain access to home school families by extending benefits to them, could be the undoing of the entire movement. This has already happened in states like Alaska where a large percentage of home educators are on the the state dole. But the temptation for home educators to accept government money or benefits must be resisted. Esau was wrong to exchange his birthright for a mess of pottage, and home educators are foolish to exchange theirs for a laptop computer.

Third, home eduators must not be content to accept the peaceful status quo: Our mission must be total victory. We must not be content to live with benevolent slavery of statism (i.e., “reasonable” regulations). We must vigorously pursue total freedom. The state has no biblical or constitutional interest in the education of children. All laws regulating home education must be abandoned. In my view, even compulsory school attendance laws must be scrapped and education must be returned to the private sector where it belongs. (From a biblical perspective, it is jurisdictionally impermissible for either the state or the local church to run schools for children.) What a delight to talk to national home school leaders who not only believe this, but are actively (and with success) working within their respective states for total victory. Total victory also means that Christians must oppose President Bush’s intrusive, unbiblical, and unconstitutional “No Child Left Behind” policies, as well as all federal laws that promote the Big Mother and the nanny state.

Home educators must resist the unbiblical practice of infiltration and assimilation with pagan institutions, whether those institutions be the government schools or the Hollywood establishment. Not suprisingly, the philosophy of infiltrating systems which are root and branch corrupted by paganism is quite popular with those who earn their living off these systems. But you can test this theory by throwing a clean pig into a pool of mud. Does the mud get clean or the pig get dirty?

The implications of this principle include the fact that home educators should not be using government school athletic programs to meet their needs. We must build godly institutions God’s way. Over and over again home educators have proven they can do just this.

Fourth, we must not be afraid to break the unspoken truce over educational methodology. Our reasons for home educating are not preferential, but principled, being derived from God’s Word. Wrong educational methodology can lead a child to Hell (which is precisely what is happening as millions of students sit for 24,000 hours of their childhood in classrooms which were self-consciously built around the coed, age-segregated, peer-focused model of nineteenth century God-hating evolutionists, and drinking in the intellectual and spiritual idolatry foisted on them by the high priests of America’s only taxpayer-subsidized establishments of religion — the government schools).

This principle was masterfully articulated by Gregg Harris, a man whose influence on the home school movement has been extensive. During his memorable speech, Gregg argued that we must charitably and sincerely, but soundly, make the case for the superiority of distinctively biblical Christian home education. Failure to do so means that home educators will someday be picking up the broken pieces of a generation of children whose parents simply delegated away the duty to be the primary individuals to walk beside, disciple, and teach them the Law Word of God.

I believe that Gregg is spot on. And don’t kid yourself: Both government and Christian school advocates vigorously make the case for the superiority of their own systems and methods. They actively attempt to evangelize Christians into sending children to their institutions. And let them do so. Bring on the debate. It’s healthy. Methods are not neutral. Education is religion externalized. May God prosper all those who seek to make the Word of God the exclusive sourcebook both for the content and methodology for the training of their children.

Three Messages to Remember

In my view, the three most significant messages of the conference were delivered by Gregg Harris, Chris Klicka, and Mike Smith, each a giant of the modern home school movement.

Chris Klicka — whose courageous battle against multiple sclerosis has not slowed him down from preaching the Gospel, encouraging families, and standing for truth in states across the nation — provided a sobering but encouraging overview of home school freedoms in more than two dozen nations worldwide. It was thrilling to see that home schooling is now a global movement that is on the verge of exploding to new levels. Later, Chris and I reminisced about the old days when I was an attorney at HSLDA. I was able to share with him my observation that, through his dedication, commitment, and perseverance, the Lord has elevated Chris to the status of one of the most beloved and prayed-over men in the home school movement around the world.

In one of the finest messages to home educators I have heard in several years, Gregg Harris exhorted home school leaders to (1) avoid unholy alliances (with government schools); (2) avoid conflicts of interest which would cast doubts on our integrity or diminish our focus being on the purity of the Gospel message behind home education; and (3) break the unspoken truce over educational methodology (as discussed above).

Finally, HSLDA president J. Michael Smith delivered what I can only describe as a truly executive and inspirational closing message during which he urged state leaders across America to return to their roots as a movement by living, breathing, and rejoicing in the principles of liberty. It was a thrilling message delivered with power and humility. In my view, it was Mike Smith (an extremely capable communicator) at his very best.

Other Highlights


Jubilee and I enjoyed visiting with our many friends including the McDonald family of Home Schooling Today, whose new book, Raising Maidens of Virtue (as featured in the upcoming 2005 Vision Forum catalog) is sure to be a best-seller. Family patriarch James McDonald has just led the clan in publishing a beautiful and much needed magazine called Family Reformation which I recommend to all of my readers.



During some spare moments, Jubilee and I took about a half-dozen rides around the Spokane carousel.



The Vision Forum team (myself, Jubilee, Tim Horn, and Wesley Strackbein) enjoyed happy conversations with Kevin Swansen of CHEA; David and Valerie Monk of AFHE; Dr. Brian and Betsy Ray of NHERI; Douglas and Nada Rothgaber of CHAP; Alan Sears of the ADF; Dick and Dorothy Karmen of OCEAN; Gary and Denise Kanter of Consider Home Education; Daniel and June Mather of CHOH; Jeff and Anne Miller of HEAV; Joe and Saundra Adams of CHEK; Roy, Debra, and Angela Hanson of Family Protection Ministries; Susan Beatty of CHEA; Gregg and Sono Harris from Oregon; Hal and Melanie Young of NCHE; Philip and Evella Trout of CHEA; Eric Wallace of IUCH; Claiborne and Lana Thornton of THEA; Jim Werner of CCS; Ken and Mary Jo Patterson of GHEA; Hiro Inaba of CHEA of Japan; Jeff, Anne, and Ruth Miller of HEAV; Zan Tyler of SCAIHS; Kevin Lundberg of CHEC; Sandra Lovelace of Lifework Forum; Gavino and Ruth Perez of FEAST; Randy and Lorrie Flem of WATCH; Joyce Burgess of NBHERA; John and Wendy Tuma of MACHE; Pam Stauter of LEAH; Richard Guenther from SCHUZH of Germany; Rick Boyer of HEAV; Hal and Melanie Young of NCHE; Stephen and Cindy Byrkett from Indiana; and many other dear friends in state leadership across the nation. It was a special blessing to visit with old friends Chuck Hurst, Chris Klicka, Michael Smith, Dee Black, Suzanne Stephens, and Richard Honaker, all of HSLDA.

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

An Unashamed Woman of God Gives Thanks

One of the greatest honors God has given to the staff of the Vision Forum is the privilege of meeting some of the great men and women of our generation. It is wonderful to watch and dream and imagine what great things shall become of those young men and women who have chosen a narrow, but biblical path of service to the Lord. Yesterday I received a letter from one such young woman who for years we have observe demonstrate courage, creativity, energetic commitment and the many virtues of biblical womanhood---all while serving the Lord beside her father. Her passion for family, faith, freedom and fatherhood prompted her to serve her father by organizing and managing some of the most life-changing Vision Forum retreats. I read her letter to my staff, and want to share it with you. The typical cynical crowd who mocks mothers and women who embrace their Titus 2 mission will never understand a letter like the one below, but for you who have eyes to see and ears to hear, these words are sweeter than honey. (P.S. Today is my wife Beall's birthday. I am especially grateful for this writer's kind and altogether true words about my bride on this occasion.)

I would like to take a few minutes to express what your family and ministry have meant to my family and myself, and why we so enjoy working with Vision Forum to coordinate various events. So many people ask me why I, as a daughter, work with my family to coordinate the Alabama Father/Son Retreats. The following letter is my answer.

Many times over the last few years people have asked me what I am doing with my time. I am sure you are quite familiar with this whole scenario ? a happy 22-year-old daughter living at home, not going to college, not working outside the home ? becomes the center of speculation on what she is really accomplishing this way. In the kind, benevolent manner that comes over people when they are in this state of mind, out comes the loaded question - ?So, what are you doing these days?? which can be translated to say ?What can you possibly be doing that is worthwhile if you?re not doing a, b, and c?? To this, my reply has been, ?I?m staying at home, enjoying being my father?s daughter.? For some, this is a sufficient answer as they are now thoroughly bewildered and trying to figure out what could be my real meaning behind this simple reply. It does not seem to occur to most people that my real meaning is truly, ?I?m staying at home, enjoying being my father?s daughter.? Is the whole world really convinced that the only thing a content, stay-at-home daughter can do is twiddle her thumbs while wearing a foolish, dreamy, dazed smile on her face and a far-off look in her eyes, fantasizing about some day doing something worthwhile? Sadly enough, this is often the opinion of not only the general public, but the Christian, home-educating community as well.

Then there are the bold few who probe a little deeper - ?So, what exactly do you mean by that?? My reply is generally a list of the goals that my father has currently challenged me to meet. During the planning of the March 2004 Father/Son Retreat, this was one of the items on the list. Among my friends, eyebrows went up over mischievously twinkling eyes as they jokingly prodded, ?OH, I see. So how old are these sons?? Of course, they were teasing, but that made me think, ?How can I express my excitement about seeing over 200 fathers and sons come together for a weekend of manly bonding and inspiration to greatness??

God has given my father a vision for multi-generational faithfulness which he has shared with all of us, his family. It is through the excellent Biblical teaching of many wise and godly men that he has been able to continually develop this vision, along with practical methods for putting this vision into practice. As a woman and daughter under my father?s authority, it is my joy and duty to serve and support him in whatever mission God gives him. Although it would not be appropriate for me as a young woman to instruct men, I am perfectly able to work under and alongside my father in bringing men together with other men, such as yourself and Mr. Scott Brown, whom God has powerfully equipped to share this vision. Our hope in doing this is that many fathers will catch this vision and then pass it on to their sons. We see the men of the Church as being the ones who will take dominion for Christ. My father has taught us that this is the hope for the future of families, churches and our nation. Yes, we may not see the fulfillment of our dreams in our generation, but if the fathers catch the vision and instill it into their sons, it will then be passed down, gaining momentum with each generation.

The best word picture I can think of is a relay race involving the passing of a baton. The man at the starting point, the father, carries the baton as far as he is able. Then, when he can go no farther, he hands the baton off to his son who, with fresh energy, carries it as far as he is able. This continues, generation after generation. The father can only go so far, but in handing off the responsibility and vision to his son, he is affirming his son in his role as the new baton-carrier for the family. The son does not start from the beginning where his father started, but takes the baton even closer to the goal toward which his father was running. This is what thrills my soul - seeing the ?Ahah!? on the faces of the fathers and sons gathered for a Father/Son Retreat. I have had the privilege of working with my family to bring these fathers and sons together so they may catch this vision for godly manhood from men who are impassioned about it. As a woman, my role is to cheer on and support the men God has put into my life as they run their daily dash towards the finish line. Working within my family as we coordinate the Father/Son Retreats is one way of fulfilling my role as my father?s daughter.

Our family has received a vision for this kind of womanhood and daughterhood in part from Vision Forum and the message that you and your family live out. ?What?s a Girl to Do?? is a talk that greatly influenced my thinking on the role of a daughter in my family and Christian community. Thank you so much for not only telling daughters that this way of life is normal, but that it is richly blessed as well! I sincerely hope more daughters will come to experience the joy of simply living to please their fathers and striving to be the most powerful assets their families have.

Beall, you have been an especially eloquent example to my sisters and me of the impact a contented, well-equipped woman of God can have when she is delighted to fulfill her role as an actively supportive wife and involved, exuberant mother. Today we see you as a happy wife and mother, but we know that your attitude and training did not simply come upon you the day of your marriage as a gift bestowed by good fairies. Your life today is inspiration to my sisters and me to daily strive to be submissive, conformable, and pliable in the hands of the father God has blessed us with. If what we see in you, your marriage and the marriages of other dynamic couples such as our dear friends Matt and Jennie Chancey [of Ladies Against Feminism] is a picture of what a Christian marriage should be - a picture of Christ and His bride - then Hallelujah! I cannot wait to experience this myself! In the mean time, my desire is to throw all of my energies into being the best daughter I can be to my father. I truly believe God is using my relationship with my father to train me to be a devoted wife and mother someday.

Please, please continue to preach the message that girls can, and indeed should, be actively and joyfully living a life of fulfillment under their father?s roof! There is indeed, contrary to popular opinion, a blessed life of joy and fulfillment in the home before marriage. This is a much-needed message of encouragement to many weary daughters who are wandering aimlessly in search of direction. Thank you so much for the impact you have had in my life and the life of my family. May God richly bless you, your charming wife and family, and all of those at Vision Forum who labor with you as you instill in the lives of Christians the world over a vision for who they are and can be in Christ.

Gratefully yours, Melissa Keen,
Devoted daughter and secretary to Tom Keen J

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Multi-Generational Henty

Samuel Turley and Joshua Phillips love G.A.Henty. They are often sighted with a Henty in the hands, and both boys have individually read about 25 volumes. Less than a year ago I gave my son Joshua the mission to read as many as he wanted and discovered that he was reading about two a week. Our dinner conversations have become very lively with Joshua recounting the Henty of the day/week. If you have an interesting story about Henty and your children send it to me. I may post it. Here is a nice note that came in today:

Thank you so much for doing this. My husband discovered G. A. Henty books when our children were young, and he read them to our son each night before bedtime. I hope many of those on your mailing list will respond to this offer. Oh, yes--our son read them to his sons, and one of those sons has another son who will hear them, also. God bless Vision Forum! Sincerely, J.A.

This is a good week to build your library as Vision Forum is offering our sets (for as long as we have them in stock or by the end of this week---whichever comes first) for more than 50% off.

Click here to view the Henty Library

Monday, October 04, 2004

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal by Moore

We love you Chief Justice Moore and are praying for you. Your cause is our cause.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. Oct. 4, 2004 Statement by former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S. Moore regarding U.S. Supreme Court Certiorari Denial:

I am disappointed but not surprised that this liberal Supreme Court which opens every session with God save the United States and this Honorable Court, would now simply ignore the fact that the Chief Justice of a state was removed from office because he acknowledged who God is. Obviously, when they open their courts this way the majority of the court doesnt really mean it.

In 1961, the Supreme Court allowed a Maryland notary public to deny a belief in God contrary to the Maryland Constitution saying it was an unconstitutional religious test. Today, the Court allowed the highest judicial officer of a state to be subjected to a religious test. This decision points out the hypocrisy of this court and the need for the Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 to allow state and federal officials to acknowledge God. If we continue on this course we will continue to suffer a loss of national morality.

I have no regrets. God is sovereign and shall remain so despite what the Supreme Court and federal district courts of this land say. I have kept my oath and my promise to the people of the state of Alabama. Ive obeyed the rule of law by not following the unlawful dictates of man.

The battle to uphold the Constitution is not over and I will continue to fight to preserve our inalienable right to acknowledge the sovereignty of God.

Saturday, October 02, 2004

The Father Son Retreat at the Brown Family Farm

Dear Friends of Vision Forum,

If you are a father who desires a close relationship with your son, and a meaningful multi-generational vision, may I recommend that you consider attending the Father and Son Retreat sponsored by Scott Brown (who you may know as the Director of the National Center for Family Integrated Churches). This is sure to prove to be a phenomenally uplifting and fun time.

Blessings,
Doug Phillips

In Wake Forest North Carolina
October 8-10



A Father Son Retreat

Come and meet with other fathers and sons in a wonderful “Ponderosa” like outdoor setting with fishing lakes, canoeing, pasture land and hiking areas. We will spend the weekend helping fathers and sons understand the details of the powerful partnership that God has intended.



The Food will be personally cooked and served by the Brown Family, Dearest Friends and Church Family...

You will hear talks under the tent on topics like, Fathers and Sons and the Meaning of History, Courageous Fathers and Sons, Fathers and Sons Walking Together, Fathers Leading the Family to a Godward Life, Fathers and Sons Working Together, Growing to know and love your father, Fathers Securing Honor and Obedience in Sons, Recovering Male Leadership in the Home, Fathers Who Fill Their Homes With Hope.



There will be fishing, Canoe Races, Tug O War and lots of Fun on Saturday Afternoon. Now this is a camping retreat so come ready for manliness...

For more information and registration, go to the Trinity Baptist Church website. Or, you can call the registrar, Blair Brown at 919-556-0508 or email at missblairbrown@aol.com

Why a Conference Like This?

This conference is founded upon the principle that fathers and Sons can have a relationship made in heaven. Imagine a Son who delights to do the will of His Father and a Father who looks with pleasure upon His beloved Son and revels in enjoyment as He works alongside Him.

See How it is Possible

This weekend we will show you how this is possible. On the Brown Family Farm, you will enter into the world of fathers and sons bonding together for their lifetime of service for the glory of God.

Foundational to our approach is that a father needs to bring his son into a wholesome world and engage him in spiritual training. For our purposes, a father should enter into a boys world... the world of camping, canoeing, tug-o- war, fishing... the great outdoors!

The retreat is being held in a wonderful “Ponderosa” like outdoor setting with lakes, canoeing, pasture land and hiking areas. We will skin a deer, fish, gather around a campfire and look heavenward to the stars to drink in the majesty of God.

First Rate Theological Training

Fathers and Sons also need to experience top notch theological training - TOGETHER. When you blend the outdoor element with excellent theological training and you have a perfect balance for the nurture of fathers and sons. The retreat will be content rich in the sense that you will receive a significant scriptural deposit in the area of Biblical manhood.

We will carefully and lavishly explain the flagship passages of scripture for fathers and sons. We will also be tracing, from Genesis to Revelation, God’s plan for fathers and sons. When you leave this retreat, you will have in your possession, an arsenal of Scriptural weaponry for your success as father and son. There will be no kiddie sermons.

We will present Christ is our perfect example of son ship, and God, the Father as the perfect example of fatherhood. This is why I would label this as a God focused conference.

The Relationships of Fathers and Sons are Massively Important

It is interesting that the Bible opens with the Father and the Son working together in creation. From Genesis chapter one to the end of the Old Testament, you see that the covenant is passed from father to son from generation to generation. The Old Testament ends with a prophesy of fathers turning their hearts toward their children and the children turning their hearts toward their fathers. Conclusion: The father son relationship is central to the God’s kingdom.

Who can measure the importance of fathers and sons turning toward one another? Here is one way: when a son rejects the teaching of his father, he plunges himself into many miseries for many years to come. (Ephesians 6:1-4) But if he honors and obeys his father, it will go well with him and he will enjoy long life.

A High Stakes Relationship

The stakes are high for sons who turn away from their fathers. The Bible makes it clear that they will never fully recover from the effects of their youthful disobedience. Think of the long term impact of a son turning to his father and a father turning toward His son. The blessing will roll for many generations. And, the world would be filled with the glory of God.

We trust that God will give us much repentance among fathers and sons. We trust that God would give us a powerful turning after the spirit of Elijah as recorded in the last phrases in the Old Testament.

What Will You Take Away?

When the retreat is over and you are on your way home, what can you expect to take away? You will understand the ultimate goal of all fatherhood and son-ship. You will know how to proceed as father and son. You will marvel at God’s wise plan. You will see how to pattern you life after the Father and His perfectly obedient Son. You will know more how to better disciple your sons and daughters for the Kingdom of God. You will be equipped to be a spiritual father to many.

Invitation

If you would like to come to the conference, please contact the registrar, Blair Brown at missblairbrown@aol.com by noon on Oct 6. Or call: 919-556-0508

If you are not able to join us at this conference, please pray that God would give us a harvest of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ for His Glory in the church for many generations.