Values Voters

This is an interesting article. I wonder what God thinks of abortion and homosexual marriage gaining acceptance even among Born Again Christians? Comments?


http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=291

Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates
February 4, 2008
(Ventura, CA)One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be.
Born Again Voting Pattern
In 1992, born again voters sided with Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush over Democratic challenger Bill Clinton by a 39% to 35% margin. In the 1996 election, born again voters again sided with the Republican candidate (Bob Dole) rather than the incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton by a 49% to 43% margin. In the 2000 election, the born again constituency gave Republican nominee George W. Bush a resounding 57% to 42% margin over Democratic challenger Al Gore. In 2004, the born again segment again sided with George W. Bush, giving him a lopsided 62% to 38% preference over Democratic hopeful John Kerry.
In the past couple of elections, the born again vote represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S. Given the razor thin margin of victory achieved by President Bush in 2000, and the close tally in 2004, the born again vote was vital in both of the Bush victories.
Born Again Voters in the 2008 Election
Compared to recent presidential elections, the current leanings of the born again constituency have reversed. The new Barna study shows that if the election were to be held today, 40% of all born again adults who are likely to vote in November would choose the Democratic candidate and just 29% would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28% are currently not sure whom they would choose, preferring to make their selection on the basis of the candidate than strictly on the basis of his or her party affiliation.
George Barna, whose firm conducted the national survey, indicated that Republicans have an uphill climb with the born again voters. "Given the large percentage of undecided voters, it is possible that the Republican candidate might eventually win a majority of the born again vote," he explained. "However, it will not be easy to win them over. Several factors are operating against the Republican’s prospects in this election, related to both social issues and the personal integrity of several of the candidates."
If the election were held today, and all of the remaining candidates from both parties were on the ballot, the frontrunners among born again voters would be Hillary Clinton (favored by 20% of born again likely voters), Barack Obama (18%) and Mike Huckabee (12%). No other candidate reached double figures. Thirty percent of the born again likely voters said they were still undecided as to who they would choose.
Evangelicals Remain Strongly Conservative Republican
A subset of the born again population - evangelicals - has remained firmly committed to conservative ideals and, to a lesser extent, to the Republican Party. Across the nation, 43% of registered voters are aligned with the Democratic Party and 24% are registered as Republicans. Among evangelicals, though, 56% are registered Republicans and just 22% are Democrats.
Ideological leanings reflect a similar disparity. Among all voters, half say they are somewhere in the middle of the ideological spectrum on most issues, with 29% describing themselves as mostly conservative and just 14% claiming to be mostly liberal. Yet, among evangelicals, three out of every four (72%) describe themselves as mostly conservative and a mere 2% say they are mostly liberal. Just one out of four evangelicals (24%) says they are in the ideological middle ground.
If the election were held today, only 45% of evangelicals say they would support the Republican nominee for president, and 11% would support the Democratic representative. Most significant is that a whopping 40% of evangelicals are undecided. This is extraordinary, given that 62% of evangelicals voted for the Republican candidate in 1992, 67% did so in 1996, along with 67% in 2000 and 85% in 2004.
"Evangelicals are clearly sending a message to Republican leaders this time around," commented Barna, a former campaign manager whose firm has conducted surveys for candidates in two presidential elections. "There is tremendous frustration among evangelical voters, in particular. Overall, 90% of them say they are interested in the presidential election, making them among the voter segments most interested in the race. Further, 98% of them say they are concerned about the moral condition of the country and 82% say they uncomfortable with the way things are going in the world. Yet, given the stands of some of the leading Republican contenders, evangelicals are registering their discomfort with the choices they have at hand."
The Mormon Question
The Barna study also explored the opinions of people related to the Mormon faith of Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Overall, the study revealed that more than one-quarter of the population (27%) contends that Mormons are not Christians. That sentiment was especially common among evangelical Christians (57%). Other groups that had above-average numbers who reject Mormons as Christians included all born again Christians (37%), political conservatives (32%), and people under the age of 40 (36%).
"While Mr. Romney has tried hard to diffuse concerns about his Mormon faith," noted Barna, "the reality is that large segments of the population do not accept the notion that Mormons are Christian. While that would not be a central factor in most people’s voting decision, it would be a sufficiently significant factor in the minds of millions of voters to affect the race if he proves to be the Republican nominee."
Values Voters
The media have made a big deal over the so-called "values voters" in this election. Toward that end, The Barna Group study evaluated a group of likely voters who described themselves as being "deeply spiritual" and "concerned about the moral condition of the United States." That segment represents 35% of the electorate.
This group proved to be somewhat more conservative in its political views (42% are "mostly conservative") and slightly more inclined than the national population to be registered as Republican (35% Republican, 44% Democrat). However, these "values voters" are only slightly more inclined to select a Republican candidate (27%) than is true nationally (24%). In fact, the "values voters" are currently less inclined to select the Republican nominee than are born again (29%) or evangelical voters (45%).
Thoughts on the Election Season
The November election will be a study in contrasts, according to Barna. "As in recent elections, a key to victory in November will be the faith vote. Unlike the past couple of presidential races, though, the born again and evangelical vote is up for grabs. In recent elections, the faith vote sided with the Republican candidate early in the race, allowing those candidates to focus on winning over swing votes. In this year’s contest, however, the faith vote cannot be taken for granted. Much can change between now and November, but Republican candidates have a tough road ahead of them this year."
Barna also indicated that the nature of voters driven by their faith has shifted in the past decade. "Today we have a greater proportion of faith-driven voters who are concerned about issues that are often thought of as 'liberal' social policy concerns, such as poverty and health care. Abortion and family protection remain significant issues to the faith constituency, but they are not the only issues that matter to the group - or even the driving issues. Relying upon traditional stereotypes of born again or evangelical voters will not serve candidates well this year."
About the Research
This report is based upon nationwide telephone surveys conducted by The Barna Group with random samples of adults, age 18 and older. These surveys were conducted in January 2008 among 1006 adults randomly selected from across the continental United States. The survey included 649 registered voters who were deemed to be likely to vote in this year’s general election on the basis of their past voting behavior and their inclinations to vote this year. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the sub-sample of likely voters is ±4.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables.
"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as "born again."
"Evangelicals" meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."
The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) conducts primary research, produces media resources pertaining to spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website www.barna.org.

Here is a very interesting take on the swing of "values voters." It is interesting that Born Again voters are abandoning their previous concern for overturning Roe v. Wade and the Definition of Marriage Amendment. I wonder how God views these issues as becoming unimportant?





http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=291



Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates
February 4, 2008
(Ventura, CA)One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be.
Born Again Voting Pattern
In 1992, born again voters sided with Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush over Democratic challenger Bill Clinton by a 39% to 35% margin. In the 1996 election, born again voters again sided with the Republican candidate (Bob Dole) rather than the incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton by a 49% to 43% margin. In the 2000 election, the born again constituency gave Republican nominee George W. Bush a resounding 57% to 42% margin over Democratic challenger Al Gore. In 2004, the born again segment again sided with George W. Bush, giving him a lopsided 62% to 38% preference over Democratic hopeful John Kerry.
In the past couple of elections, the born again vote represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S. Given the razor thin margin of victory achieved by President Bush in 2000, and the close tally in 2004, the born again vote was vital in both of the Bush victories.
Born Again Voters in the 2008 Election
Compared to recent presidential elections, the current leanings of the born again constituency have reversed. The new Barna study shows that if the election were to be held today, 40% of all born again adults who are likely to vote in November would choose the Democratic candidate and just 29% would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28% are currently not sure whom they would choose, preferring to make their selection on the basis of the candidate than strictly on the basis of his or her party affiliation.
George Barna, whose firm conducted the national survey, indicated that Republicans have an uphill climb with the born again voters. "Given the large percentage of undecided voters, it is possible that the Republican candidate might eventually win a majority of the born again vote," he explained. "However, it will not be easy to win them over. Several factors are operating against the Republican’s prospects in this election, related to both social issues and the personal integrity of several of the candidates."
If the election were held today, and all of the remaining candidates from both parties were on the ballot, the frontrunners among born again voters would be Hillary Clinton (favored by 20% of born again likely voters), Barack Obama (18%) and Mike Huckabee (12%). No other candidate reached double figures. Thirty percent of the born again likely voters said they were still undecided as to who they would choose.
Evangelicals Remain Strongly Conservative Republican
A subset of the born again population - evangelicals - has remained firmly committed to conservative ideals and, to a lesser extent, to the Republican Party. Across the nation, 43% of registered voters are aligned with the Democratic Party and 24% are registered as Republicans. Among evangelicals, though, 56% are registered Republicans and just 22% are Democrats.
Ideological leanings reflect a similar disparity. Among all voters, half say they are somewhere in the middle of the ideological spectrum on most issues, with 29% describing themselves as mostly conservative and just 14% claiming to be mostly liberal. Yet, among evangelicals, three out of every four (72%) describe themselves as mostly conservative and a mere 2% say they are mostly liberal. Just one out of four evangelicals (24%) says they are in the ideological middle ground.
If the election were held today, only 45% of evangelicals say they would support the Republican nominee for president, and 11% would support the Democratic representative. Most significant is that a whopping 40% of evangelicals are undecided. This is extraordinary, given that 62% of evangelicals voted for the Republican candidate in 1992, 67% did so in 1996, along with 67% in 2000 and 85% in 2004.
"Evangelicals are clearly sending a message to Republican leaders this time around," commented Barna, a former campaign manager whose firm has conducted surveys for candidates in two presidential elections. "There is tremendous frustration among evangelical voters, in particular. Overall, 90% of them say they are interested in the presidential election, making them among the voter segments most interested in the race. Further, 98% of them say they are concerned about the moral condition of the country and 82% say they uncomfortable with the way things are going in the world. Yet, given the stands of some of the leading Republican contenders, evangelicals are registering their discomfort with the choices they have at hand."
The Mormon Question
The Barna study also explored the opinions of people related to the Mormon faith of Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Overall, the study revealed that more than one-quarter of the population (27%) contends that Mormons are not Christians. That sentiment was especially common among evangelical Christians (57%). Other groups that had above-average numbers who reject Mormons as Christians included all born again Christians (37%), political conservatives (32%), and people under the age of 40 (36%).
"While Mr. Romney has tried hard to diffuse concerns about his Mormon faith," noted Barna, "the reality is that large segments of the population do not accept the notion that Mormons are Christian. While that would not be a central factor in most people’s voting decision, it would be a sufficiently significant factor in the minds of millions of voters to affect the race if he proves to be the Republican nominee."
Values Voters
The media have made a big deal over the so-called "values voters" in this election. Toward that end, The Barna Group study evaluated a group of likely voters who described themselves as being "deeply spiritual" and "concerned about the moral condition of the United States." That segment represents 35% of the electorate.
This group proved to be somewhat more conservative in its political views (42% are "mostly conservative") and slightly more inclined than the national population to be registered as Republican (35% Republican, 44% Democrat). However, these "values voters" are only slightly more inclined to select a Republican candidate (27%) than is true nationally (24%). In fact, the "values voters" are currently less inclined to select the Republican nominee than are born again (29%) or evangelical voters (45%).
Thoughts on the Election Season
The November election will be a study in contrasts, according to Barna. "As in recent elections, a key to victory in November will be the faith vote. Unlike the past couple of presidential races, though, the born again and evangelical vote is up for grabs. In recent elections, the faith vote sided with the Republican candidate early in the race, allowing those candidates to focus on winning over swing votes. In this year’s contest, however, the faith vote cannot be taken for granted. Much can change between now and November, but Republican candidates have a tough road ahead of them this year."
Barna also indicated that the nature of voters driven by their faith has shifted in the past decade. "Today we have a greater proportion of faith-driven voters who are concerned about issues that are often thought of as 'liberal' social policy concerns, such as poverty and health care. Abortion and family protection remain significant issues to the faith constituency, but they are not the only issues that matter to the group - or even the driving issues. Relying upon traditional stereotypes of born again or evangelical voters will not serve candidates well this year."
About the Research
This report is based upon nationwide telephone surveys conducted by The Barna Group with random samples of adults, age 18 and older. These surveys were conducted in January 2008 among 1006 adults randomly selected from across the continental United States. The survey included 649 registered voters who were deemed to be likely to vote in this year’s general election on the basis of their past voting behavior and their inclinations to vote this year. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the sub-sample of likely voters is ±4.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables.
"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as "born again."
"Evangelicals" meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."
The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) conducts primary research, produces media resources pertaining to spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website http://www.barna.org/.

Kenya

Here is an update about Kenyan United Church of God members.


http://members.ucg.org/announcements/01032008EastAfrica.htm
Kenya Update—by John Elliott, senior pastor, East AfricaKenya's Daily Nation newspaper reported Jan. 24, "President Kibaki and the Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga have met for the first time since the disputed General Election, and shaken hands before a battery of journalists" ahead of face-to-face talks. This came late in the day after a mediation contingent, led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, met privately with both sides. Nothing has changed yet, with both men insisting that they won the presidential election. The real basis of Kenya's violence lies not in politics, nor in ethic hatred, but in the fragility of daily life and the despair of any hope. But Kenya is expected to calm and return to normalcy, thanks to the basic decency of ordinary Kenyans whose priorities are hard work, educating their children, fearing God and enjoying a few sodas. Kenyans know that only they themselves can prevent fresh chaos and that the entirety of political leaders are to blame.Interruption of supplies, fuel, food, transportation and a potential collapse of the tourism and agricultural industries are a foreboding reality. As Aidan Hartley wrote in the Jan. 11 New York Times, "On the political front, perhaps the best we can hope is that Big Men will reach a deal and the tribes will put away their machetes and rifles." Then the local residents can "return to their daily struggle to survive."Last Sabbath, our deacon Antonio (full names withheld for security reasons) visited the Elburgon congregation where Kalenjin tribal violence is being reported in the news. The Kalenjin tribe, best known for their marathon champions, have used the current tribal strains to demand a clearing of all tribes from their ancestral lands. Portions of their Rift Valley lands were taken by the British during colonial rule. Afterwards, the British sold the lands to others instead of returning them to the Kalenjins. Now they claim for themselves the huge Rift Valley region of Kenya from Tanzania to Ethiopia, insisting that all others leave.A few UCG members have come close to the violence in the Rift Valley and in Migori. Last night, Geoffrey, our local congregational leader in Elburgon, slept outside with his neighbors to try to keep bow-and-arrow-wielding Kalenjins from burning their houses and maize crops like they had done other houses nearby. In Migori, our deacon Moses does not feel safe anymore. He is a Kisii living in Luo lands where he serves as postmaster. This week some neighbors began stoning their house until others intervened on their behalf. Moses needs to relocate his family to their tribal home. Most Luo schools have not reopened yet. Reportedly the teachers and children have been threatened that they would be burned if they attended school. In one area citizens looted and burned the district hospital. In the city of Kisumu, citizens reportedly looted and burned nearly every business. However, all of our brethren of all the tribes and affected areas have been spared any loss.Many members continue to be affected by the disruption of services and supplies, particularly our Lou members in Western Kenya where our deacon Otieno says, "We are now in another world. Commodities prices have hiked up; transportation is too high; life has changed dramatically. But this is where we are now. We are just praying, since only God is able to solve the problem and bring our country to normal life we were used to." The interruption of transportation used to bring maize and other foods to that famine-parched region has pushed prices of available food out of reach for many. A Good Works project this month quickly supplied the immediate funds needed for needy brethren to purchase the increasingly expensive food they require. A question frequently arises from compassionate Church members, "What can we do to help?" While many feel an urgency to send in funds, we have already received sufficient funds for the current needs through the Good Works project that was quickly funded in January. Those funds are already being distributed according to needs, particularly in Western Kenya. Most other areas have food and necessities available at this time. The current funds will hopefully cover any extreme needs the brethren have there through March. We will continue to monitor the situation and will announce future needs should additional funds be required.At this time you can help most by remembering all of our brethren worldwide in your prayers. While our area is receiving a lot of attention, such situations are mirrored in countless other regions where daily life begs for the return of Jesus Christ's government. As Antonio told me today, "Thankfully, we are all safe and doing well. We are praying for peace in the country for the sake of being able to continue doing God's work."May God continue to bless us all as we serve Him,John Elliott

Pastor's European Adventure

This is a Bumped and Updated post of my pastor's European Adventure.

Pastor's European Adventure
Here is the link to updates to my pastor's European Adventure.http://www.ucgtucson.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=10&Itemid=11
Posted by Brian Lee at 1:56 PM 0 comments Links to this post

UCG Travel Blogs

Here are some interesting travel blogs to show the faith of the United Church of God around the world!


Blogs
Travel Blogs
Victor KubikUCG Council of Elders member and senior pastor for Eastern Europe.
December 9, 2007 - January 10, 2008 UCG Council member Victor Kubik and wife Beverly visit Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. They visit 22 people, plan for 2009 Feast of Tabernacles in Sweden and much more.View this blog.
June 10-29, 2007 Victor Kubik, Senior Pastor for Scandinavia and Eastern Europe will be traveling through Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia from June 10 – 28th. On this trip he will meet with United Church of God members, coworkers and people with whom we've known over the years. Services will be held in Sweden and Estonia on the two Sabbaths while traveling. In Estonia we will mail out two issues of the Good News magazine along with Bible Study Courses in Russian and Estonian along with sundry other literature requested.View this blog.
January 10-24, 2007 Journey to Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. View this blog.
September 27 - October 20, 2006 Come and travel with Beverly and me to South Africa, Malawi and Zambia in September and October 2006. View this blog.
June 7-25, 2006 Four travellers on a journey through Hungary, Ukraine, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. View this blog.
Joel MeekerCoordinator for French speaking areas of the world.
January 20 - February 10, 2008 This pastoral trip will take me to Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Kenya, Burundi, the Seychelles, France and Belgium. There will be travel in both winter and summer, and on both sides of the equator. And I should meet and visit with lots of fascinating people. View this blog.
September 5 - October 7, 2007Come along as I visit three countries south of the equator: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Rwanda; and three just north: Cameroon, Togo and Cote d'Ivoire. View this blog.
January 16 - February 12, 2007Welcome! You can follow our progress on this pastoral trip on behalf of the United Church of God an International Association, to Mauritius, Madagascar, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, and France. View this blog.
June 6 - August 22, 2006 Welcome! This is the Meeker family travel blog about our summer 2006 around-the-world trip to visit members of the United Church of God. View this blog.
John ElliottSenior pastor for East Africa, just completed a fascinating trip to China, including Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. View this blog.
----------------------------------------
News Blogs
World News & Prophecy Blog and Podcast Feed Darris McNeely, managing editor of World News & Prophecy, publishes Longitude—a daily online blog and audio podcast commentary—covering world events as they happen

Modern Israel Proofs

A list of some of the clues that identify modern Israel. I know sometimes this is a complex doctrine and I thought that having a handy list would make things easier. You can use this for review, mark these verses in your bible, and/or print out this chart as a handy guide to place in your bible. Let me know if you can think of anything else.

> > A. GEOGRAPHY> 1. Ends of the Earth: Isaiah 24:16, 26:15, 41:8-9 43:6 49:6> 2. Isles Isaiah 24:15 49:6 60:9 Jeremiah 31: 9-10> 3. Thighs, Peninsulas, and Coasts: Jeremiah 31:8> 4. Tarshish (Atlantic Ocean Area) Isaiah 60:9> 5. Western Location: Isaiah 24:14, Hosea 1:10> 6. Located to the Northwest of the Land of Israel: Isaiah 49:12> 7. In the "North" Land: Jeremiah 3:18 31: 6-10> 8. Australia ("Land of Sinim" See also Brit-Am Computer Codes) Isaiah 49:8> 9. Best Places (Atziliyah) Isaiah 41: 9> 10. Fires in the Isles referring to Celtic Britain Isaiah 24:15> 11: Zarephath, meaning France and Britain, Obadiah 1:20> 12. Dolmens showing Pathway of Migration Jeremiah 31:21> 13. Many Waters (Several Oceans) Numbers 24:7
> > B. RECOGNIZABLE SYMBOLS> 14. Bald-Headed Eagle (symbol of USA) Micah 1:16> 15. Lion and Unicorn (Symbol of Britain) Numbers 24:7-9
> > C. HISTORICAL BEHAVIOR> 16. Cyrus: Messiah son of Joseph Isaiah 44:28> 17. Rule Over OTHER Peoples:> Genesis 27:29 48:19 "A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS" (Hebrew: "Malo HaGoyim" > i.e. Complete the Peoples, Onkelos: = Rule over the nations), Psalms 47:3> 18. Being Recognizable as a "Brit-Am" Isaiah 42:6 49:8 Covenant of the People> 19. Seafarers Isaiah 42:10> 20. Be the Dominant World Power Numbers 24:7-9 Micah 5:7-9> 21. Military Power: Deuteronomy 33:27 33:29 Jer. 51:20-21> 22. The "police-man" (battle-ax) of the Almighty Zechariah 10:7> 23. Defeat Edom (Germany and Europe) Ez. 25:14 Obad. 1:18> 24. Light for the Gentiles Genesis 12:2-3, 18:18-19, 22:18 > 24:4 Isaiah 42:1 42:6 Amos 6:15> 25: Alcoholic Drunkards Isaiah 28:1, 3
> > D. SITUATION> 14. Separate from Judah: Isaiah 11:12-13 49:21> 15. Not known to Judah: Isaiah 49:13-14, 21. Hosea 1:7> 16. Christianity: Hosea 2:8, 2:13, 2:16 11:12 Jeremiah 31:6> 17. Gomer: Linkage with European nations: Hosea chapter one
> > E. BLESSINGS> 18. Numerous: Genesis 15:5, 22:17, 24:60, 32:12, Numbers 23:10, > Isaiah 10:22, 24:16, 26:15 Hos.1:10> 19. Agricultural Plenty: Gen 27:28 49:25 Deut 33:13-16 Hoshea 2:8> 20. Mineral Resources Genesis 49:25 Deuteronomy 33:13, 15
> 21. GATE(s) OF YOUR ENEMIES (International Strategic Points) Genesis > 22:17 24:60> 22, 23, 24. Cush (India), Egypt, Chains in Slaves from Africa to be > taken overseas to homeland: Isa. 44:28 also Isa 43:3 45:14> 25. Ruled by Sons of David Jeremiah 33:22, 26> 26. Headed by Kings Genesis 17:6, 16, 35:11
> > G. ANCESTRAL NAMES IN GENERAL> 27. The name Hebrew (Western Celts were "Iberi"): Genesis 14:13 > 39:17 40:15 1:12 43:32 Jonah 1:9> 28. Isaac: (Genesis 21:12 48:16). Scythians, Zohak, Ishkuza, Sacasson, Saxon.> 29. Jacob: Isaiah 49:6 Tribes of Jacob: Union Jack, Yankee,> 30. John "Bull (nickname for Britain): Deut 33:17 Jeremiah 31:18 > "Aegel" (Angle) was a nickname for Ephraim> 31-101. Seventy Tribal and Clan Names still used
> > H. NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS> 102. Nobility Principle associated with Ephraim (UK) Jer. 31:20> 103. Representative Democracy associated with Manasseh (USA) Genesis 41:51> 104. The name "America" from Machir firstborn of Manasseh. USA the > major Capitalist nation and "Machir" denotes Principle of Sale.> 105. Zebulon on the shores of the Sea (Gen 49:13) Sabulingoi (People > of Zebulon) in Holland who do literally dwell on the sea-shores.> 106. Numerous Other Proofs in Scritpure and Related Sources.
> > > > > AND I WILL MAKE OF THEE A GREAT NATION, AND I WILL BLESS THEE, AND MAKE THY> NAME GREAT; AND THOU SHALT BE A BLESSING:> > AND I WILL BLESS THEM THAT BLESS THEE, AND CURSE HIM THAT CURSETH> THEE: AND IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED [Genesis> 12:2-3].>

taken from www.britam.org

Blasphemy?

Olbermann Makes Light of Resurrection of Christ

By Ken Shepherd January 25, 2008 - 13:37 ET
Ten days after ESPN sportscaster Dana Jacobson's "F*** Jesus" outburst, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann made a dopey crack that made light of the Christian belief that Jesus was resurrected in an immortal body from the dead. The remark came at the end of his "World's Best Persons" feature on the January 21 program as Olbermann relayed the story of one Feliberto Carrasco of Chile, who awoke from an apparently deep slumber in a casket at a wake being held for the presumed-to-be-dead elderly gentleman. Quipped Olbermann as he eased into a commercial break, "So do I have the etiquette correct here, does Mr. Carrasco get his own religion now, or what happens? Is there a vote?"Video (26 seconds): Windows (1.56 MB) or MP3 audio (184 kB) To be fair, Olbermann's remark is, to my judgment, hardly incendiary, at least in comparison to Jacobson's rant, but it was dopey and lame, needlessly dismissive of the beliefs of many people in his own viewing audience.

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ESPN Anchor Goes On Vulgar Anti-Jesus Rant at Celebrity Roast

By Noel Sheppard January 20, 2008 - 10:35 ET
In the past few decades, as political correctness has taken hold of virtually every industry, folks involved in sports and sportscasting that have made racist or sexist remarks on camera have typically been fired or forced to make public apologies.
Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder's termination by CBS back in 1988 is a fine example, with the recent two-week suspension of Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman being another.
Yet, given what happened on an Atlantic City dais on January 11, where a high-profile ESPN anchor went on an alcohol-induced tirade which included a vulgar reference to Jesus Christ, it appears public antitheism is not politically incorrect.
After all, until this moment, you probably hadn't heard about this incident, and the person involved apparently has not been publicly admonished for her behavior by her employer.
While you consider such a double standard, Press of Atlantic City reported on January 12 (h/t NB reader Andy Traynor, readers are warned that vulgarity and blasphemy appear after the jump):
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It was everything a roast should be: insulting, vulgar and fun. Unfortunately, the fun moments weren't frequent enough as Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg of the popular ESPN morning talk show "Mike & Mike" celebrated their eighth anniversary with a celebrity roast at a sold-out House of Blues.
[...]
ESPN anchor Dana Jacobson made an absolute fool of herself, swilling vodka from a Belvedere bottle, mumbling along and cursing like a sailor as Mike & Mike rested their heads in their hands in embarrassment. [Comedian Eddie] Griffin came to the podium to defend her after she was booed by the crowd. [Host Jeffrey] Ross eventually had to pull her off stage, too.
For those unfamiliar with Jacobson, she was a "SportsCenter" anchor for ESPN in 2005, and later made a co-host of that network's morning show "Cold Pizza" which is now "ESPN First Take."
So, what did she actually say? According to the website Deadspin:
f... Notre dame""f....touchdown Jesus"and - the step-aside-because-lightning-is-about-to-strike... "f.... Jesus."
Didn't hear about this? Think it might have gotten more attention if her remarks were racist, sexist, or, heaven forbid, directed at Allah?
Heck, if she went on such a vulgarity laden anti-Muslim rant, she might have been fired that evening with ESPN airing a round-the-clock, every hour on the hour apology to prevent the Council on American-Islamic Relations from requesting a boycott of the network.
So, why the double standard?
—Noel Sheppard is an economist, business owner, and Associate Editor of NewsBusters.

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Topics:
Anti-Religious Bias
Atheism
CAIR
Censorship
Christianity
Double Standards
Islam
Mohammed Cartoons
Religion
Dana Jacobson
ESPN