Mar 28, 2012

Constitution Party of Wyoming Gains Ballot Access

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March 28, 2012 — The Constitution Party of Wyoming (CPWyo) didn’t miss out on ballot access this time.
After submitting more than 6,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office in Cheyenne, the CPWyo was notified this week that it had turned enough valid signatures to become the fifth recognized political party in the Cowboy State. With volunteers gathering signatures at gun shows, in parking lots and from friends and neighbors over the past 11 months, the CPWyo easily surpassed its initial goal of 5,005 signatures.

The CPWyo, which missed ballot access by a mere 388 signatures in 2010, wouldn’t settle for anything less than “Total Success,” the party’s rallying cry throughout this petition campaign, said State Chairman Rex Fritzler.

“This accomplishment is truly a tribute to our volunteers, the men and women who worked so diligently and doggedly to ensure ‘Total Success,’” said Fritzler, a retired U.S. Army veteran who lives near Glendo. “It would have been easy for us, especially after coming so close in 2010, to have quit. We could have just thrown our hands up and told ourselves, ‘Oh well, we tried.’

“But that was never a consideration, not for a minute,” he said. “We simply had too much belief in the Constitution Party and too much love for our country and our state to settle for anything but victory.”
With the CPWyo’s victory, the Constitution Party (CP) has now achieved ballot access in 14 states for the 2012 election. The fastest growing political party in the United States in terms of voter registration, the CP strives to reflect the principles of the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

The party’s goals include limiting the federal government to its delegated, enumerated, Constitutional functions and restoring American jurisprudence to its original Biblical common-law foundations.

The CPWyo plans to nominate candidates for federal, state, county and local positions at its second state convention June 7-9 at the Agricultural Resource and Learning Center in Casper.

“We’ve been energized over and over again in the last 11 months by the people who have supported our efforts to give Wyoming another choice in the next election and we’re not going to let them down,” said Fritzler, who also thanked the Secretary of State’s Office for its guidance and diligence throughout the petition campaign. “We’re looking forward to identifying constitutionally-minded candidates and supporting them in their efforts to help build a better Wyoming.”

Formed in July 2010, the CPWyo has volunteers in 20 of the state’s 23 counties and has organized groups in six counties. To learn more about the CPWyo or to become involved in the party, go to the official website at www.wyomingconstitutionparty.com.

Mar 27, 2012

Can it be Christianity without the Church?

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 By Chuck ColsonPublished Date: March 26, 2012

This BreakPoint commentary was published October 1992.

Americans today hold a paradoxical attitude toward religion: Polls show a rise in people's interest in religion--but at the same time there's a decline in church membership.

This appears to be a contradiction.

But the explanation is simple: A lot of people think they can have religion without the church. The baby-boomers have given up their beads and guitars, but they still harbor a deep distrust toward institutions--including organized religion. 81 percent say they can find their own religious truth apart from the church.

Many Christians--especially evangelicals--see their faith primarily in individualistic terms, as the gospel of "Jesus and me."

It's true, of course, that the gospel begins by restoring our relationship with God. But that's only the beginning.
Listen to what Jesus said about the church. In Matthew 16, He asked his disciples, "Who do you think I am?" Peter burst out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." It was a confession of faith inspired directly by the Holy Spirit.

But notice Jesus' response. He did not say, "Peter, that's wonderful. Go your way and have an abundant life." No, immediately Jesus announced that He would establish His church--a new society of people who share Peter's confession.

What does it mean to be part of this new society? Do we just join the neighborhood church?

No, when we become Christians, we first become part of what theologians call the church universal: the whole body of believers throughout the ages and across the globe, of every nation and color.

This universal body is broken down, however, into smaller units--the church particular. This is where the work of the church is done: preaching the Word, making disciples, and administering the sacraments.

You can think of it like an army. At first, army recruits are an untrained mass. Then they are clustered into training units to learn the skills of warfare. Later they are stationed into divisions. Finally, when the army is fully deployed, it is able to carry out its task.

It's the same way with God's people. Every Christian is a member of the church universal, which reigns invisibly in the hearts of all true believers. But to make that church visible to the world, we unite with other Christians into smaller units.

That means, for example, a local congregation; it may also include command structures, like denominations; it may include special training forces, like Prison Fellowship, to equip the church's fighting units.

Once we see this bigger picture, it becomes obvious that membership in a local church is not optional; it's the very essence of what it means to be a Christian.

This has to be the answer we give to those who say it doesn't matter whether you belong to a church--the advice we give to friends who are church-hopping. As I write in my new book The Body, a casual attitude toward the church is the central reason we Christians have so little influence in society.

Sucked in by the individualism of the age, we undermining the very instrument God has chosen to witness His kingdom to the world.

Mar 24, 2012

Napoleon believed the Bible

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"The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it." — Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821)

Mar 21, 2012

Fillet of Faith

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Do You Really Believe?
By: Chuck Colson|Published: March 21, 2012

 The militant atheism behind this month’s upcoming “Reason Rally” on the Mall in D.C. isn’t the only flavor of skepticism these days. In fact, instead of blaming people of faith for the woes of the world, some atheists now are actually speaking out on behalf of religion. But their reasons for doing so are as different as one could imagine.

Alain de Botton, the famous British atheist who challenged Richard Dawkins’s “destructive” attacks on religion, says society needs faith. Now there’s a “man-bites-dog” story.

De Botton explained in a recent interview: “[M]y argument is that…religion is full of useful, interesting . . . consoling ideas that could…appeal even to someone who has…no interest in being a believer.”

In his book, Religion for Atheists, de Botton insists that churches and other places of worship are just some of the many elements of religion unbelievers must incorporate into their lives if secularism is to survive. And he’s proving how serious he is by sponsoring an atheist “temple” in London, a place he says is designed “for ‘love, friendship, calm and perspective.’”

Now, love, friendship, calm, and perspective are all fine things, but how do you get the fruits of religion without the religion itself?

Coincidentally, de Botton’s views sound like an echo of another voice here in the States — retired Episcopal bishop John Shelby Spong, a man whose views place him squarely outside Christian orthodoxy. Spong took to the airwaves last month to promote his new book, in which he argues that Scripture was never meant to be read literally. Letting go of rigid doctrines like the Virgin Birth and Divinity of Christ, he says, are necessary if Christians hope to “stop the exodus of people from religion.”

In fact, he says, fundamentalists who get distracted by debates over abortion, homosexuality, and birth control are missing the point just as badly as atheists who reject faith completely.

Well, as nice as it seems that some atheists are favorably disposed toward religion, they can’t have it both ways. In fact, another atheist, who is a homosexual rights advocate in Britain, thinks de Botton and Spong’s ideas are both ridiculous. And he’s right! In a recent Spectator column, Matthew Parris calls religious believers to wake up and realize that their “faith is being defended by the wrong people, in the wrong way.” He warns us: “Beware…the patronage of unbelievers. They want your religion as a social institution, filleted of true faith.”

“To those who truly believe,” he writes, “the implicit message beneath ‘never mind if it’s true, religion is good for people’ is insulting.”

According to Parris, the only valid reason to believe the religion of Jesus Christ is if it’s true! And if it is true, he says, “it must have the most profound consequences for a man and for mankind.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Nor could I have more accurately summed up the core message of BreakPoint: The Christian worldview claims to explain and embrace all of reality. It makes hard-and-fast truth claims. And — as another one-time atheist, C. S. Lewis, argued — does not leave us the option of reducing Christ or the Bible to being “good moral teachers.”
No, religion is only “useful” or “consoling” insofar as it is true. And Christianity, unlike others, is both because it is.

Mar 16, 2012

Pastors and the IRS bogeyman

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 Dr. Jerry Newcombe - Guest Columnist - 3/15/2012

This is a critical election year. Some have said it may be the most important election in our lifetime. With so much at stake, how great it would be to hear from more pastors and priests, during these times when the government encroaches on more of our freedoms.

Some fear that to preach on the moral issues of the day, like abortion or marriage, might be construed as "preaching on politics." But they are moral issues addressed in the Bible. But I recognize that elements of our culture may have turned them into political ones.

I think part of the reason many pastors and priests are unwilling to speak out on "politics" (so-called) is because they fear the loss of their tax-exempt status.

I believe that the perceived threat is far more insidious than the actual threat. The dog's bark is much more prominent than the dog's bite.

I also believe there are some who stoke this fear. For example, Rev. Barry Lynn (a liberal minister) of Americans United for Separation of Church and State sends out letters like clockwork during election years, warning pastors to not say anything too political or he'll be sure to tell the IRS on them.

For example, during the last president election, Barry Lynn sent out a letter with the headline: "Election Season 2008." He stated, "Dear Religious Leader....The First Amendment protects the right of all Americans, religious leaders included, to speak out on religious, moral and political issues." So far so good.

He goes on more ominously: "However, houses of worship…are barred from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office and may not intervene directly or indirectly in partisan campaigns. Any activity designed to influence the outcome of a partisan election can be construed as intervention. If the IRS determines that your house of worship has engaged in unlawful intervention, it can revoke the institution's tax-exempt status or levy significant fines on the hour of worship or its leaders."

Mar 7, 2012

Cameron defends remarks on homosexuality, 'gay marriage'

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LOS ANGELES - Actor Kirk Cameron says he shouldn't be accused of hate speech for responding honestly when he was asked what he believed about homosexuality and "gay marriage."


Cameron told CNN's Piers Morgan that marriage "was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve -- one man, one woman for life." He added that in his view, homosexuality is "socially destructive," "unnatural," ''detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization."

That prompted homosexual advocates to launch an online petition that has more than 6,000 signatures. It says Cameron's views are "out of step" with other people of faith who don't believe homosexuals should be "condemned because of their sexual orientation."

The Christian actor responds in a statement that he tries to love everyone, but believes "God has something to say about these things." Cameron adds that people who preach tolerance shouldn't expect him to be silent or bend his "beliefs to their moral standards."

Mar 4, 2012

Time To Occupy LCSD1!

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1740H Dell Range Blvd., #180, Cheyenne, WY 82009

307.316.7632 (Main) 307.316.7634 (Fax)
Time To Occupy LCSD1!

Laramie County School District #1 Mission Statement: "In cooperation with students, parents, staff, and the community, [our mission] is to guarantee a high quality education in a safe and orderly environment for all students, inspiring them to become life-long learners and responsible, productive citizens."

LCSD1 filled a much-needed gap by signing a 30-day contract with Marvin and Darlene Nash of Bullying Hurts. After Alexander Frye’s bullying suicide death of Jan. 1, 2012, the kids finally had a voice they could trust.

Except that, as of Feb. 24, that contract expired; yet the Nashes still receive one to three calls daily, and they continue to answer their phones. On Feb. 29, five days after the contract had ended, the Nashes were instrumental in helping to prevent another suicide death at one of our local junior high schools. "The child cries, and a phone call is made, and the people on the other end of the phone take action; one life is saved because one voice was heard - that one life or one voice might be yours someday." I pray for the same quick response to be available through the Bullying Hurts services the Nashes provide this community, when the next child cries. Marvin and Darlene’s phones are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The LCSD1 board is going to implement a program that will take a year to put into place. In the meantime, who is going to fill this gap? If we have saved one life and mediated workable plans for many others through the Bullying Hurts program, then we must be on the right path. The kids are now talking because they trust the Nashes, and this is 80 percent of the battle; yet the school board will be meeting in a closed-door executive session to discuss the fate of our kids and what is truly going on in our schools.

We are asking this community to join us on Monday, March 5 at 6:00 p.m. to "occupy" this closed-door meeting, which is not legal. What affects our kids should be heard by every concerned individual!

Together we have the opportunity to make a difference today - otherwise, how many more lives are we going to lose?

Bradley and Barbie Harrington
Publisher and Editor, Liberty’s Torch Newspape


307.316.7632
 

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