Many Christians today scoff at the way that most liberals blindly believe whatever the clearly-biased media tells them. But the truth is that most Christians follow what the clearly-biased media tells them, just as blindly; the only difference is the bias itself. Most Christians today blindly worship the Republicans just as most non-Christians blindly worship the Democrats.

We are not called, however, to blindly follow any man (or group of men), but to examine them and their teachings, and follow the Scriptures. The following information is old, as it was prepared for the last election, so there may be even newer information available. It still serves its purpose, though. Please prayerfully consider it, with an open mind, and sincerely ask yourself whether you’ve been pursuing a carefully-considered Biblical path or blindly following a man.

Is President Bush really against homosexuality?

*He has appointed more open homosexuals to positions in government than all the presidents before him, combined.
*He gives his support to pro-abort, pro-sodomite Arlen Specter of Penn. instead of the conservative, pro-life candidate, knowing full well that Specter is in line for the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Bush can then nominate all the pro-life judges he wants without fear that they will be confirmed.
*He says that if the states want to institute civil unions, it is “FINE.”
*He has written a congratulatory letter to the Metropolitan Community Church (founded by a sodomite and sodomite dominated) telling them what a blessing they are to America.
*He has been praised by the sodomite Log Cabin Republicans.

Is President Bush really pro-life?

*He says that America is not ready for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. thinks it is alright to murder 15 – 20,000 little unborn children whose fathers happen to be rapists.
*He had his Justice Dept. file a “friend of the court” brief to keep pro-lifers OFF the street in Wichita, KS. He has signed increases in Planned Parenthood funding every year in office (an organization that murders little unborn children, protects child molesters & pedophiles, promotes perversion of all sorts and lies through its teeth about most everything). Under G.W. the amount of federal money they receive has gone from $187 million to $254 million.
*He has signed the bill that provided for the largest amount of funding for international abortion in the history of this country.

Is President Bush good for the economy and reduction of government?

*He has expanded EVERY part of the federal bureaucracy that he said he would reduce.
*He has given us the biggest budget deficits in U.S. history.
*He increases our control by and dependence on the U.N..
*He has pushed through the U.S. Patriot Act – one of the worst usurpations of Americans’ basic rights in the history of this country.
*He has poked the nose of the Federal Government ever deeper into the family with his “no child left behind’ legislation.
*He wants to require “mental health” testing for all American citizens – including school children.

Is President Bush honest, trustworthy, and godly?

*He belongs to the same secret societies and internationalist organizations as his opponent.
*He appointed William Pryor to a federal judgeship by recess appointment – as a reward for his prosecution of former Chief Justice Roy Moore.
*He supported Arnold Schwarzenegger in California’s special election – a man who has just signed two hate crimes bills and stands against almost everything that Christians believe.
*He has greatly increased funding for the unconstitutional and often blasphemous Endowment for the Arts.
*He has said that Muslims worship the SAME God that we, as Christians, do; and has invited them into the White House for PRAYER.
**********

“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” -Matthew 7:16-17

“Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.” – Deuteronomy 1:13

“The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” – 2 Samuel 23:3

“… approve the things that are excellent…” – Philippians 1:10a

(For a PDF version, with footnotes, please click here. I could not get the footnotes to work well within the blog.)

Filed under: Politics/Current Events by Rachel
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What makes a successful woman? The world says a successful woman is one who “has it all” – outside career, children (who are raised by the daycare center and school), material possessions. But what does GOD say makes a woman successful? We’ve already looked at Titus 2 in another post. Let’s look now at 1 Timothy 5:9-10,14.

“Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work….Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”

So a woman is successful if she lives to be sixty. Just kidding. The “sixty” here is a practicality; a woman under sixty was expected to still be able to marry again (v. 14). An older widow was only to be cared for by the church if she had fulfilled her God-given responsibilities up to that point. I believe we can say that, if she had filled the description given here of a godly woman, we can call her “successful.” So what is the description?

She had been the wife of one husband. I think it is safe to assume, given the context, and the fact that younger widows were urged to remarry, that this is not referring to remarriage after widowhood. (In that case, she is still only the wife of one man, because the deceased no longer “counts.”) A woman who is divorced and remarried is actually married to two men simultaneously. So, a successful woman keeps her marriage covenant.

She had brought up children. There is a strong implication here of actually doing the nurturing and training of one’s children. It is not enough to just bear them and dump them on someone else. A successful woman raises her own children.

She had lodged strangers. A successful woman is hospitable.

She had washed the saints’ feet. A successful woman serves other Christians, often in menial, “trivial” ways. Note that this does not say anything about having any position of honor.

She had relieved the afflicted. What is “relieving the afflicted”? Perhaps caring for the sick, offering an encouraging word to the discouraged, bringing food to the hungry or a warm blanket to the cold. A successful woman meets what needs she can.

She had “diligently followed” all of these things. They are what she gave her attention to. She was not giving them a cursory pass so she could brush them off and move on to things she deemed “more important,” but was intentionally pursuing them.

What was expected of younger widows? The same things which were expected of young never-married women: the things which would start them on the path to that “success” described by the lives of the godly older women.

They were to marry. Granted, not everyone in the world will every marry. It is, however, the norm. Most of us will marry. It is a biblical “goal” and desire for a young woman to pursue. Young women are never instructed to pursue any other life work.

They were to bear children. Literally, they were to BE child-bearers. As with the comments in Titus 2, this is not simply something we are to DO; it is something we are to BE; we are to be defined by it. Can a career-minded woman be defined by her position as a “child-bearer”?

They were to manage the house. Or “guide” or “rule.” The idea here is not that of ruling the family (That’s hubby’s responsibility and right.), but that of ensuring that the household runs smoothly. Overseeing servants (in that day), delegating as needed, and working as needed.

They were to “give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” I believe this primarily refers to verses 12-13; it is a warning against being idle, wandering about from house to house gossiping and being busybodies. But other things can give the adversary opportunity to speak reproachfully, as well. Consider the admonition at the end of the Titus 2 passage: “that the Word of God may not be blasphemed.” We must give our whole hearts to doing what we are called to do, in order to glorify our Lord!

The world’s success leaves one empty. Let us pursue with zeal God’s standard of success which supplies fulfillment and joy!

Please note that this post is addressed with married women in mind. It is not at all intended to insinuate that a single woman cannot be successful or pleasing to God. (The Scripture passage, after all, is clearly addressing women who have been married.) I do believe, however, that even a single woman will be significantly more fulfilled by pursuing these “womanly” things rather than the role of a financial provider.

Filed under: Babies & Parenting, Hard Topics, Wives & Marriage by Rachel
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Are we putting up with things we shouldn’t because we’re afraid to call them what they are?  Are we accepting the world’s concepts because we’ve never stopped to think through the ramifications of their terminology?

Our government is growing more powerful and more invasive day by day. The Church, meanwhile, is growing more complacent. Are we enabling ourselves to be lukewarm by using “comfortable” terminology?

Let’s redefine a few terms:

• social services = state organization designed to steal parents’ God-given authority over their children
• what they do = legalized kidnapping (as well as invasion of privacy)
• “public” schools = government schools/humanist temples (Take your pick.)
• what they do = humanist indoctrination
• medical community “education” = pharmaceutical propaganda (Medical schools are funded by the pharmaceutical companies.  Can you say, “conflict of interest”?)
• modern Bible paraphrases (like The Message) = _________’s Bible commentary (It may not be a problem, but it’s a commentary, not a Bible.)
• certain churchgoers who follow after certain men/women: _________ groupies
• mother-to-be = a woman who is not a mother yet (So is her baby a baby yet or not?  If he is, she is not a mother-to-be, she’s a MOTHER.)

I’m sure we could all name a few more if we stopped to think about it. But just take a moment and think about this: Are you comfortable with anything that should make you uncomfortable? Are you enabling yourself to stay comfortable with it by calling it by a euphemistic name? Call it what it is! Are you furthering an unbiblical worldview by using an ubiblical term?  Find a new one!  (Expectant mother, anyone? )

Also see Brandy’s post about “overpopulation.”

Filed under: Deep Thinking, Hard Topics, Politics/Current Events by Rachel
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I just finished reading Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook, by Maria Montessori.  I had heard of Montessori education, and was intrigued by its hands-on nature, but was a bit wary because these Montessori schools seem to be very child-centered, without an appropriate sense of authority, the need to train children up, etc.  I wanted to hear directly from the source what this method is all about.  What follows are my notes.

This book really contains some fascinating stuff!  Dr. Montessori’s method is certainly incomplete, as it does not address the spiritual development of a child, but what it does address, it does so very methodically.  A great emphasis is placed on teaching by example which, of course, is Biblical.  (This teaching by example is the main purpose for the notion of, “treating the children with respect,” which is so blown out of balance nowadays.)

Great emphasis is also placed on developing the children’s skills of observation, via all of the senses, as well as their motor skills.  The teacher provides direction, but the exercises (mostly educational “toys”) are designed/chosen to allow the children to discover knowledge and acquire skills for themselves.  They are trained to control their movements, and to recognize colors, gradations, light and dark, loud and soft, large and small, thick and thin, long (or tall) and short, shape, and pitch.  Later they are taught to recognize letters, phonetic sounds, numbers, numerals, and quantity.  This is accomplished by a number of manipulatives of which I have made notes.

(Two other comments before I move on to the manipulatives.  First, it should be noted that this method is intended for young children – “preschoolers” through about age 7.  Second, I find quite instructive Dr. Montessori’s comments that the fact that small children move around a lot and touch things is simply a natural part of their development.  It is much more productive to train them to control their movements than to continually tell them to “sit still and stop getting into everything.”)

• Fastening frames: Wooden frames with pieces of fabric affixed, for buttoning, lacing and tying, etc.
• Three sets of pegs with holes: Each set of ten pegs is fitted into a strip of wood with holes sized just right to accommodate the pegs. The pegs have little nubs on the tops for handles. The first set of pegs is graduated in diameter. The second is graduated in both diameter and height; the third is graduated in height. (One of the key features of this tool is that it is self-correcting. The child can tell if he has made a mistake because the pegs won’t fit properly.)
• Set of ten wooden cubes: These are pink cubes, ranging in size from 1 cm to 10 cm. The children stack them, and they teach the concept of “large” and “small.”
• Set of ten wooden prisms: These are brown rectangular prisms, 20 cm long. The square ends range in size from 1 cm to 10 cm. The children stack these, as well, or line them up beside each other, and they teach the concept of “thick” and “thin.”
• Set of ten wooden rods: These are green (for the younger children) or red and blue striped (for those learning numbers). They are 4 cm square and range in length in 10 cm increments from 10 cm to 1 m. The children stack them, and they teach “long” and “short.” For older children, each 10 cm of length is painted, alternately in red and blue. These are used to teach numbers.
• Textures: Several different tools are used here, but the underlying principle is that a variety of textures are presented, and the children learn to feel them. Two of each type should be provided, so they can be matched.
• Wooden tablets: The wooden tablets in this set are all the same size, but differ in weight. The purpose is for the children to learn to differentiate them by weight.
• Geometric solids: These are light blue, and are simply the geometric solids you see sold for teaching geometry – prism, cube, cylinder, sphere, etc.
• Colors: Dr. Montessori’s schools used specially-designed manipulatives here, but I don’t see why they’re necessary. Sixty-four colors were provided, 8 gradiations in each of 8 basic colors. Each had a duplicate so they could be matched. These are used for teaching both basic color recognition and recognition of gradiations – subtle differences.
• Geometric insets: Of all of the manipulatives, I find this the most intriguing. It is a set of six trays, each of which holds six square “frames.” Each frame (except the blanks) has a cutout shape in the center, with a little handle attached. (Basically, it’s a series of simple puzzles.) The shapes are painted blue, as are the bottoms of the trays, so the shape looks the same once removed. The first tray contains 6 circles of varying diameter. The second contains a square and five rectangles, each of which has the same height, but in varying widths. The third contains 6 different triangles. The fourth contains a pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, and decagon. The fifth contains an oval, ellipse, rhombus, rhomboid, and trapezoid. (The oval is egg-shaped – narrower at one end than the other.) The sixth contains 4 blanks (solid squares with no cutouts), and two irregular shapes – basically a 4-petaled flower and a shape that looks like an obese triangle. ) There are also three sets of accompanying cards, identical in size to the cutouts. These display images of the same shapes, one in solid blue, one with a think (1/2 cm) blue outline, and one with a thin black outline. These are used for a number of things, but one very important feature is that of teaching the child to trace the outside of the shape with the tips of two fingers. This helps him learn to recognize the shape by feel, and is preparation for drawing and writing. Prewriting children can trace the insides of the trays and outsides of the insets, and color the resulting shapes for more development of writing skills.
• Set of six cardboard cylinders: These cylinders are opaque and completely sealed, and contain sounds in a variety of intensities. There should actually be two sets, so they can be matched.
• Two sets of chromatic bells: These bells are used for teaching the recognition of pitch. A set includes a full chromatic scale (everything from C to C on the piano keyboard, including the black keys). All of the bells should be identical in appearance, so that only striking them allows differentiation. As with the other manipulatives, there should be two sets, to allow for matching. These are placed on a long board, which is painted white and black in the same order as the piano keyboard.
• Colored pencils and precompiled designs: Colored pencils are used with the geometric shapes for tracing. They are then used to color a preselected set of designs to further develop prewriting skills
• Sandpaper letters and numerals: Cards with cutout sandpaper letters and numbers are used for tracing with the fingers when introducing these concepts.
• Letter cards: Smooth (non-sandpaper) letter cards are used for arranging into words. Use the sounds of the letters with the cards, rather than their names, then “spell” the words out sound by sound with the cards. In this manner, the child will learn to spell and read.
• Counting box: This is a box with 10 compartments, labeled from 0 to 9. Beans, small sticks, etc. can be counted into the compartments for recognition of quantity and the numerals that represent it.
• Number cards and slotted frames: These are cards with numbers printed on them. All multi-digit numbers should end in zeros; they’re used for teaching place value. A “2″ could be placed over a “10″ which is placed over a “500″ which is, in turn, placed over a “2000″ to demonstrate that 2,512 is really two thousands, five hundreds, one ten, and 2 ones.

(I have omitted one or two manipulatives which just did not jump out at me as strongly as the others.)

In addition, Dr. Montessori recommends two other activities which I thought sounded useful.

• Line-walking: Having the children walk along a painted/taped line (like an imaginary balance beam) helps develop their coordination and grace.
• Silence practice: Have the children sit down comfortably and be as still and silent as possible. The main motivation for this is to train their sense of hearing to be more acute and discerning: in the quiet, “little” sounds which we normally tune out become obvious. It has the side benefit, however, of developing an appreciation for calm and a distaste for clamor. If very soft instructions are given, or the child’s name is then called, very softly (in a whisper), attentiveness may be trained, as well.

Filed under: Book Reviews - Homeschool, Preschool at Home by Rachel
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Many Christians today refer to themselves as “fundamentalists,” presumably for the sake of clarity.  Unfortunately, the term does not provide the desired clarity because it is not only inconsistently used; it is rarely used accurately.

The term is often intended to communicate that the one being described believes the Bible to be literally true.  This is, indeed, part of fundamentalism.  It is, perhaps even more frequently, applied to non-pants wearing, non-makeup wearing, Christians who will not read any translation other than the King James version.  Some of these things may be fine, but this list is not a description of fundamentalism!  A true fundamentalist is one who agrees with the doctrines set forth in a series of volumes, originally published in 1917, called The Fundamentals.  There are many articles in these volumes, and I recommend reading them, if you can get your hands on them, but I will attempt to summarize them as best I can.  (Some of the articles are instructive in nature, rather than asserting the standards of orthodoxy.  I have skipped over these.)  I have put certain portions in bold type; these indicate beliefs which are commonly not be held by those calling themselves Fundamentalists.

The first volume is a collection of articles about “Higher Criticism” (the study of the literary structure of various books of the Bible). The article teaches that “Higher Criticism” is not inherently anti-Biblical and this type of study does not imply that the student does not believe in the supernatural nature of the Scriptures. However, that group of people historically known as “Higher Critics” is a biblically liberal bunch. The articles here uphold – and make cases for – the specifics in the following paragraph.The Pentateuch was, indeed, penned by Moses (with the obvious exception of his own death account). The Bible is a supernatural book. The Old Testament historical accounts are literally true. The patriarchs were real people. The tabernacle in the wilderness actually existed. The miracles in the Bible did actually take place. Archaeology supports the Scriptural account. The Universe was created by God, and the Scriptures were inspired by Him. Christ is God.

Filed under: Theology & Spiritual Growth by Rachel
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