Hypocrisy On Display . . . But How Many Will Notice?

The Indiana Senate has repeatedly tried to allow the citizens of Indiana to decide if they want to prevent Indiana courts from radically defining down marriage to allow for same-sex marriage, polygamy or any other configuration in the future. Each time the Senate acted, Indiana House Speaker Patrick Bauer and other Democrat leaders blocked the amendment even though it would pass with 65% of the members support had a floor vote been allowed.

On the rare lone occasion when we were successful enough to force the House to allow a committee hearing, three prominent Indiana businesses, (Wellpoint, Dow Agro Sciences and Cummins Engine) testified against the amendment. They offered a goofy argument that an amendment created an environment that was somehow not friendly to business or to attracting the best employees. This argument went largely unchallenged in the media. (AFA-IN often pointed out that the amendment mirrors state law, thirty states already have amendments, and many of the states at the very top of the economic and employment performance rankings are states with marriage amendments.)

On Sunday the Indianapolis Star ran an article on the front page of the business section wondering why Cummins Engine would choose Nashville, Tennessee over Indianapolis for a new customer center. That center will create 200 new jobs in Tennessee, some of which are transfers from Columbus to Nashville. The article listed the strong selling points Indy had to offer and how the city matched the requirements Cummins desired when Indy applied for the new center.

The Star article missed the glaring hypocrisy and rank political antics of Cummins Engine when it had claimed that marriage protection amendments created environments which are not conducive to job creation and retention. Obviously, that’s a bunch of bologna. Tennessee voters passed a lengthy marriage amendment (ours was but two short sentences) with one of the highest voter approvals in the nation (81%) in 2006.

Many homosexual activists know this is just liberal rhetoric that they think can scare legislators away from protecting marriage. When asked about this on the PBS News Hour, the President of theNational Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Matt Foreman, admitted that state amendments would have “no effect” upon private businesses or any homosexual employees.

(This is not the first time such hypocrisy and political agendas have been exposed. Shortly after Dow testified against the amendment in 2008, they announced that they were moving several Indiana jobs to Midland, Michigan, a state with one of the strongest amendments in the nation.)

Someone should tell the Cummins employees who testified before the Indiana House that this is what the Tennessee Constitution says:

The historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of one man and one woman shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state. Any policy or law or judicial interpretation, purporting to define marriage as anything other than the historical institution and legal contract between one man and one woman, is contrary to the public policy of this state and shall be void and unenforceable in Tennessee. If another state or foreign jurisdiction issues a license for persons to marry and if such marriage is prohibited in this state by the provisions of this section, then the marriage shall be void and unenforceable in this state.

Former Saturday Night Live Cast Member is “Mad at Christians”

I have not watched Saturday Night Live in a very long time. Yet, I did recognize the picture of former cast member Victoria Jackson, who played a funny, often ditsy blonde with a shrill voice in various sketches. What I didn’t know about Victoria was that she has a strong Christian faith and a corresponding Christian worldview. (Not everyone who claims to be a Christian has a Biblical worldview.) That is why her blunt, thought provoking, and funny editorial, which appeared last week at the web site “Big Hollywood”, so impressed me. I thought you might enjoy reading it and perhaps sharing it with others.

I’m Mad at Christians
by Victoria Jackson

I was sitting in Church-Lady Helen’s living room. Someone commented on the illegal immigration problem. I said, “For some strange reason our government doesn’t know that illegal immigration is illegal.” Pious Helen stuck her nose in the air and proudly declared, “I never discuss politics.”

I felt like I’d just been punched in the face.
Is it a sin to watch the news? Maybe it’s okay to watch it, but not to talk about it.
I was sitting in the pew of my old church, sucking on a Coffee Nip, 30 calories, and mentally calculating my caloric intake of the day….so far, I had about 970 calories left for the day if I was to lose 20 pounds by…I focused on the sermon again.
The pastor said, “Okay…I’ll just come out and say it. (angry face) Instead of clicking a button and sending out some email information about the President…why don’t you spend 15 minutes praying for him?

He was looking right at me.

My mind shouted back at him, “Why can’t we do both?!”
I do both.

Are Christians allowed to read and think ? Or are we only allowed to pray?!
Now, when I say, “I’m mad at the Christians,” I include myself. I am a Christian. And, I must confess, if I am to be truthful, that…okay, I’ll just put it out there…the first time I ever voted I was forty something. There I said it. I know. It’s embarrassing. But I’m trying to make a point. It was the year Clinton said, “…that depends on the meaning of the word ‘is’.” I snapped. His adultery didn’t shock me so much. I had three preachers already who had done that. It was that haughty look, lack of shame, and zero repentance combined with that asinine sentence…the meaning of the word ‘is’ . That is what led me to the voting booth. I know. I’m sorry. Well, I always thought politics was for the middle age people. But then, one day, I was the middle age people.

So, I voted Clinton out. My vote counted. Bush won.
Back when I was 18 and first got the right to vote, I asked my Dad who I should vote for.
He said, “Anyone with an R next to their name.”
I said, “Why?”
He said, “They’re closest to the Bible.”

So, I voted for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Ross Perot. No, just kidding.
I didn’t vote for anyone. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know where to go. I never saw a sign that said, “Vote Here.” I didn’t know how to “register” or even that I had to register. I didn’t know what the candidates stood for or how to find out. Word of mouth I guess, but no one I hung out with talked about politics, ever.
Al Franken told me once that his family discussed politics at the dinner table every night of his childhood. My family discussed the Bible every night at the dinner table. *Maybe that’s why the Liberals are running the country and not the Christians.

Also, Liberals consider Liberalism their religion. Therefore, they dedicate their souls to the State and we give our souls to Christ. But, I still don’t see why we can’t give our souls to God and our thoughts and energy to Him by being informed and involved in our culture, and keeping our freedoms protected and our country safe. I’m thinking, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 ) So, I’m a U.S. citizen and I should be one with all my might. I should vote with all my might, which to me means be informed, be involved. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” (Mark 16:15) It doesn’t say ‘go into all the world, except the political world.’

We need candidates who represent what we believe in. Where will we find them? Look in the mirror.

In my 20’s, Reagan was President. I felt secure. I didn’t have to vote. The middle aged people had handled that for me. I did a handstand on the SNL Update desk to celebrate Reagan’s trip to Rejeivich. He went there, ended Communism, and tore down the Berlin Wall with his charm, courage and deployment of Pershing and cruise missiles in Europe. That’s my President. I am safe.

During my “SNL” years, I even did an Update piece on “Terrorists” but I made a big joke out of it. The word “Terrorist” meant nothing to me back then. I filmed my two year old swinging in the park on the Upper West Side and told Dennis Miller I was “looking for terrorists.” The joke was I was just using the news as an excuse to show home videos of my baby because I was a new, proud Mommy.
When I voted Clinton out, I forgot about politics for a while. The Bushes were in and I felt safe again. They knew the meaning of the word ‘is’.

Most of my pastors would not touch politics. I assumed they were afraid of losing their tax-exempt status and rightfully so. They are there to win souls, not pick presidents. But…

What if a fire is about to consume your neighbor’s house, are you supposed to just pray? or maybe pray and scream, “Fire! Fire!” and run over there and try to pull them out of the flames and save them…and their pets?
My friend Jimmy Labriola likes to say, “God Moves Mountains, But You Bring The Shovel.”

**It’s very interesting that Jewish synagogues and African American churches are saturated with political speech, but in evangelical churches it is strictly forbidden.
During the 2008 election, I asked a preacher relative of mine, “Why aren’t Christians getting involved in keeping this Marxist out of office? Don’t they know that in all Communist countries Christians are persecuted?”
He replied, “The church is supposed to win souls. Then, the people will vote the right way.”

I said, “Ooookaaay…but, I have a couple Christian friends who are voting the wrong way…

… And, you do realize that the Progressives consider your preaching “hate speech” , and there is a new law from Henry Waxman that could be “interpreted” in the liberally dominated courts to send you to jail for preaching the Bible.”

He shrugged.
He could get involved. But, no. Just shrug.
I have Congress on my speed dial now. Is that a sin?
I searched my soul. Jesus said all the commandments can be condensed into these two; “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and mind, and Love thy Neighbor as thyself.” ( Matthew 22:37-40 ) I think that means I should put God first and then, fight for my neighbors’ freedoms and protection, and help him out when he’s in a jam.

Proverbs 3:5-6: “…in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.”
I try to do that:
I acknowledge Him in my stand up act.
I acknowledged Him in my recent college graduation.
I acknowledge Him in my political blogs.

I assumed that my fellow Christians were educating themselves along with me. They get Beck, Hannity, and Rush. They have brains. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7)

Alas, they were not.
I spoke at a Tea Party in the Bible belt, where I have many conservative Christian relatives. Not one came.

What gives?
“Evil succeeds when good men do nothing.” Christians WAKE UP!
One friend owns a restaurant chain. I asked him, “Doesn’t this Obamacare affect your business? In a bad way?

He replied, “Um…yeah, but that’s not for four years, right?!”
???!!! What?!
So, come on brothers and sisters, quit preaching to the choir and acting perfect in front of each other. Go out into the real world and preach the gospel in your schools, in your work, and in your vote.

That’s what Jesus would do.

Practicing Jew and brilliant thinker, Dennis Prager said on his radio show recently, “If we’re going to take our country back, the Christians are going to have to get involved.”

I interviewed a few Christian friends. I asked them why so many Christians are not involved.

Their answers:

“Don’t let politics get in the way of your mission.”
“A political leader cannot change society, only a changed heart can. A heart changed by Christ.”
“Some people have the gift/talent of politics. Some people have the gift/talent of art, or singing, or business.”
“I’m afraid to get involved. I’ll probably get audited or something.”
“I don’t want to make enemies.”
“I’ll lose clients.”
“We are from another kingdom, not this one. We are not of this world.”
“It is the end times. Jesus is coming back soon. The death of America and a one world government is inevitable.”

Jesus is coming back but He doesn’t want us to sit by the window and wait. He wants us to live in the present. I’m thinking, show up at a Tea Party with Ephesians 6:12 on your poster. Call your Congressman and pray for them on the phone. Teach your children about the founding fathers and basic civics. Read the Constitution with them. Tell your Representative # 202-224-2131 that abortion is murder, and you don’t want your taxes funding it. Tell Reid, Pelosi and Boxer that you don’t want the government deciding whether or not you get chemotherapy when you have cancer. Support Sekulow and ACLJ. Call the FCC Complaint Line # 888-225-5322, press 1-3-0 to speak to someone. Tell them you want to keep your Freedom of Speech, and your Conservative and Christian radio. Call Diversity Czar Mark Lloyd, # 202-418-7390 and tell him that “diversity” means Christians and Conservatives are allowed to speak too. Contact the Media Research Center’s Free Speech Alliance. Watch Glenn Beck and Hannity. Compare them to Joy Behar and CNN. Who is lying? Seek the truth. I know we don’t have time. We are raising families and going to work and soccer games and church. But…
Life is a mission field. Politics is just one small slice of life. Waving the banner of Christ in the political arena is just as important as waving it on a mission trip to Mexico or Haiti, or waving it in a jungle in Africa.

Let’s put Jesus back into politics. He can fix it. He can fix anything. Luke 1:37.

Happy Independence Day Holiday

I will be away from the AFA-IN office (and e-mail and Facebook) starting tomorrow on a trip to Colorado and a road trip to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota this weekend. I hope you also have a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend with your family.  Thank you for your support of AFA of Indiana!

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