He that has ears to hear let him hearEarsToHear.net
He That Has Ears To Hear, Let Him Hear
 (Matthew 11:15-30)
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)
Challenging both secular wisdom and religious doctrines. - Will our descendants know moral virtue?


EarsToHear.net Newsletter
May 19, 2008 
- A new label for Evangelicals who want to disengage from allegedly "political" issues.


(Click links for complete columns)

Upfront 'Evan-jellyfish with no spiritual vertebrae' Pastor Ken Hutcherson of the Antioch Bible Church in suburban Seattle -- who's known for his straight-talking style -- has a new label for Evangelicals who want to disengage from allegedly "political" issues.

Pastor: Cleared by IRS A Southern Baptist pastor in California has been cleared by the Internal Revenue Service of any wrongdoing for endorsing Republican Mike Huckabee for president. However, according to Drake, an IRS investigation found that the press release constituted a personal endorsement and that the radio show is not associated with the church. Drake says he will continue to be vocal about political matters. "We're going to keep on fighting," says Drake. "We're going to keep on doing what we've been doing -- we're going to keep on preaching against sin, we're going to keep on preaching against bad politicians. And if the IRS doesn't like that, that's too bad," he states.


Take Action - (Alerts, Action, Petitions)

(Click links for complete columns)

Send a message to Sen. John McCain asking him to strongly support a federal marriage amendment making marriage legal only between one man and one woman. Sen. McCain has said in the past he supports marriage only between one man and one woman. But he voted against the federal amendment when it was voted on in the Senate. Such an amendment would override the legalization of homosexual marriage by the liberal California Supreme Court. It is time for Sen. McCain to take a stand for marriage!


News and commentary (News & Commentary)

Random Thoughts Thomas Sowell - Senator John McCain could never convince me to vote for him. Only Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama can cause me to vote for McCain.

(Click links for complete columns)

IRD Slams 'Supremely Arrogant' Judicial Activism of California Definition of Marriage Ruling "While a small minority is exalted as a specially protected class, the majority of religious people are marginalized from public life. We have already seen this process in places like Massachusetts and Great Britain, where churches have been driven out of adoption and traditional believers have been punished for supposed hate speech because they affirm the traditional definition of marriage.

CALIFORNIA HIGH COURT ORDERS SAME-SEX “MARRIAGE” - “This is absolutely ridiculous,” said Faith and Action President Rob Schenck. “Four judges have said that marriage is nothing more than a legal convenience and virtually any adult should be allowed to marry anyone he or she pleases. It degrades the sacredness of holy matrimony and reduces it to an immoral joke. The citizens of California should remedy this outrage by voting 'No' on these bad judges when their names appear on the state ballot.” ...California Chief Justice Ronald George was joined in the decision by Justices Joyce Kennard, Kathryn Mickle Werdegar and Carlos Moreno. Although she did not vote with the majority to order so-called “same-sex marriage,” Justice Carol Corrigan said in her decision that Californians should allow homosexual couples to call their relationships “marriage.” Justices Marvin Baxter and Ming Chin dissented. Veteran California pro-family leader Randy Thomasson, a party in the case that came before the Court, said, “This arrogant judicial activism took 121 pages of contorted logic to explain . . . By bowing down to homosexual activists and the rebel city of San Francisco, the California Supreme Court has exchanged the rule of law for the rule of unbridled power to destroy all that is good and sacred.” Faith and Action this year launched its State-by-State Initiative to bring information and evangelism to state judges and justices across America.

McCain Joins Global Warming Cult By Cal Thomas - In an effort to win over those "moderates" who believe that global warming is about to destroy the planet, Republican presidential candidate John McCain spoke Monday at a Portland, Ore., training facility for Vestas Wind Technology. He claimed, "The facts of global warming demand our urgent attention, especially in Washington."

Obama and Clinton Vote Against Oil Independence – Again Domestic Exploration in Desolate Areas Would Reduce Dependence upon Foreign Oil, but Liberals Once Again Prohibit It Liberal political leaders, including two who happen to be running for President, constantly claim to seek American oil independence. Invariably, however, they turn around and thwart measures to achieve precisely that. This week, a bill introduced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – Kentucky) once again illustrated liberals’ duplicity on this subject. Senator McConnell, along with twenty other Republican Senators, had introduced the Domestic Energy Production Act, which sought to allow domestic oil exploration and production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the deepwater Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This would result in production of more barrels of oil here at home, creating well-paying American jobs in the process, as opposed to further increasing dependence upon oft-hostile foreign sources. ...For those still unfamiliar with ANWR, it is an isolated, frigid wilderness area at the far northeastern tip of Alaska. This barren area has almost no trees or mountains, and is completely blanketed by snow and ice for nine months out of the year. For three months out of the year, in fact, it is covered in 24-hour darkness. And even during summer months, its coastal plain is pocked with bogs, runoff ponds and permanently-frozen tundra. Beneath its barren, inhospitable surface, however, ANWR presents an invaluable new source of domestic oil. According to geologists, ANWR constitutes America’s greatest prospect for oil discoveries, with billions of barrels of recoverable reserves. A 1987 survey determined that 500 million barrels likely existed below its coastal plain alone, an estimate that was increased in 1998 following a United States Geological Survey. In other words, ANWR is precisely the type of deserted, inhospitable area from which we should be recovering the critical oil resources upon which our nation’s economy and livelihood depend. Moreover, merely 8% of the entire ANWR area would be open to environmentally-safe exploration and recovery, preserving 92% to its current desolate, untouched state. But you’ll obviously never hear that admission from liberal politicians who favor environmental special interest groups over everyday American consumers paying excruciatingly high prices at the pump.

In Defense of 'Big Oil' By Cal Thomas - "According to government estimates, there is enough oil in areas accessible to America -- 112 billion barrels -- to power more than 60 million cars for 60 years. The Outer Continental Shelf alone contains an estimated 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Had President Clinton not vetoed exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in 1995, when oil was $19 a barrel, America would currently be receiving more than 1 million barrels a day domestically, all of it taken by better technology than existed more than 30 years ago. That was when the Alaskan pipeline was built despite protests from environmentalists who claimed it would destroy the caribou. It didn't, but the environmentalists are back with the same discredited arguments. Because most of the oil remains 'off-limits,' we are becoming more dependent on foreign oil."

McCain Makes a Start on Health Care (Ashbrook Center) It is already apparent that health care will be a major issue in the 2008 presidential election, and John McCain joined the fight with his April speech. While he praised Health Savings Accounts, called for medical tort reform, and promised to promote preventative medicine, the heart of his address consisted of a proposal to begin shifting from employer-based health insurance to individual-based health insurance that subscribers could take with them from job to job. As McCain pointed out, such a system would have many advantages. Individuals and families could shop for policies that fit them best, promoting greater competition and innovation among insurance companies.

Guns and Judges: Electing the Supreme Court in 2008 By Sandy Froman -The political “hot button” issues of guns and judges have become intertwined in this election year. The fate of both issues will be decided by the candidate we elect as president. Why? Because over a four-year term, that president will likely appoint at least two and possibly three justices to the United States Supreme Court. Simply stated, this year when we elect a president, we will also cast our ballot for the next Supreme Court.   ...That’s why the 2008 presidential election has unprecedented importance for gun owners. Despite their campaign rhetoric purporting to support the right to keep and bear arms, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are categorically opposed to our Second Amendment rights. Hillary Clinton opposed the 2005 tort reform law that saved the American gun industry from bankruptcy. Barack Obama has declared his opposition to all concealed carry laws. He has refused to repudiate his answer to a 1996 questionnaire, where he answered “yes” to a question asking if he supported laws banning “the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns.”

Obama wins pro-abortion sweepstakes NARAL apparently believes Barack Obama is more pro-abortion than Hillary Clinton, and has awarded its presidential endorsement to the Illinois senator.

'Obama Knows Best' By Michael Farris - What this means in plain English is that the UN has determined that the government will decide for all what is best for our children. The government has authority to intervene in decisions regarding a child's education. The government will choose whether the child's wishes or the parent's wishes are the best for children. This is the ultimate dream of elitists: they get to decide for all of us what is best for our own children.

Video about Senator Barack Hussein Obama connecting the dots the news media refuse to see, much less report.

Mexican Immigrants Do Not Assimilate Quickly in US, Study Finds By Pete Winn CNSNews.com - "Today's immigrants are making more progress in assimilation because they are assimilating more rapidly," Vigdor said. "They are starting out with a disadvantage, but they are making up for that disadvantage at a rapid pace for the most part." But Mexican immigrants, he said, are the exception. "Immigrants from Mexico are not exhibiting the same patterns as immigrants of other nationalities," Vigdor said. "They are assimilating more slowly over time. We see this particularly in terms of their economic and their civic assimilation." Mexicans -- by far the most numerous nationality of immigrants -- lag significantly behind other groups, Vigdor said, largely because a lack of legal status keeps many Mexican immigrants from advancing economically.

Striking Changes in Arizona as Illegal Immigrants Flee the State By Rachel Alexander - Since Arizona's local law enforcement began enforcing illegal immigration laws and an employer sanctions law went into effect, illegal immigrants have been fleeing the state in large numbers. The effects have been far-ranging. Commuters are reporting fewer vehicles on the freeways, shortening their rush-hour commutes. What had become a serious transportation problem in Arizona is losing its urgency. English Learner Language (ELL) students started dropping out of school. This helped end a confrontation between the state legislature and a liberal federal judge who had ordered the state to spend more money on ELL classes.

A tale of tort reform Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying, “A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.” Well, in two states, the kitties’ feast has finally ended. Missouri and Mississippi, both one-time playgrounds for trial lawyers, have closed the door on free rides. Missouri’s transformation began three years ago, when the legislature limited punitive damages in liability cases to $500,000 or to five times the net amount of the plaintiff’s award, whichever proved greater. The legislation also capped non-economic damages at $350,000. Since then, medical-malpractice claims have plunged by 61 percent, and fewer doctors are leaving the state. Travel south to Mississippi, and the results are similar. Since that state’s tort reform four years ago, which capped awards for non-economic damages and banned trial attorneys from shopping around for a sympathetic judge, jobs are up by approximately 60,000. In addition, unemployment is down from nine percent to six percent, out-of-state business investment is up and medical-malpractice lawsuits are down by almost 90 percent, resulting in a 30-45 percent reduction in malpractice insurance. Furthermore, more students are now considering studying business and fewer are studying law. While there is reason to celebrate, don’t hold your breath. Outside of unions, trial lawyers are the biggest Democrat donors on the list. And while cats will often bite the hand that feeds them, Democrats won’t.


Indoctrination - (Education?)
Without a Heritage every generation starts over
Will our descendants know moral virtue?

(Click links for complete columns / footnotes)

Massachusetts Senate Ways & Means Committee cuts $200,000 from homosexual school programs in 2009 budget after flood of calls from citizens! You made a difference!  May 15, 2008 - On Wednesday afternoon the Senate Ways & Means Committee stunned the homosexual lobby by cutting $200,000 from two budget items which fund "gay" programs targeted at schoolchildren. This followed an angry torrent of calls and visits over the last several days from parents and others to the committee - and particularly the Chairman, Sen. Steven Panagiotakas (D-Lowell). Last week the full Mass. House of Representatives had voted overwhelmingly (including many "pro-family reps) to increase the money given to radical homosexual groups for programs in the schools from $500,000 to $750,000. Then on Wednesday, the Senate committee cut it down to $550,000.


Extra, Extra...

Gospel of John Quiz
Answer these questions while reading through the Gospel of John.

(Print this quiz at: http://www.earstohear.net/Kingdom/quiz_john.html)

Read each question while reading through the Gospel of John, looking for an answer. Once you have an answer, read the next question. Send an e-mail to info@earstohear.net  to compare answers with EarsToHear.net, or any questions or comments you may have.

1. Why is Jesus referred to as "the Word of God?"

2. John the Baptist baptized in water. What is the baptism Jesus offers?

3. How many men did Jesus "know?"

4. How is eternal life obtained?

5. Did Jesus condemn the world?

6. What did Jesus mean when He said: "...for every one that does evil hates the light."

7. How does the Father want people to worship Him?

8. Can you honor the Father without honoring the Son?

9. Jesus said: "Whosoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, has eternal life." What did He mean?

10. Why did the disciples stay with Jesus, when others left Him?

11. If you are not "of God," can you still understand the Word of God?

12. What does John 9:41 mean?

13. Who is the "thief" in John 10:10? Does God cause destruction, or kill?

14. What was Jesus' opinion of the Old Testament Scriptures?

15. How can you get to see the "glory" of God?

16. By what means will those that reject Jesus be judged in the last day?

17. If you "know" Jesus, who else do you "know?"

18. Who is the "comforter?"

19. Where does the Spirit of Truth dwell?

20. What is required to have Jesus and the Father come live with you?

21. Who will "teach" you the things of God?

22. Who brings to memory what Jesus has said?

23. Is there a difference between the "peace" the world gives, and the "peace" Jesus gives?

24. Jesus said: "I have many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now." Why can't you bear them? What is needed to understand?

25. What is eternal life?

26. What name did Jesus declare concerning God?

27. "He breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." Why? How?


EarsToHear.net book: Lessons of the Holy Spirit - A Guide for Entering the Kingdom of God and Discover Why it Pleased God to Hide His Kingdom from the Wise - Click here for Press Release and lesson content. Covering many of the concepts categorized below and can be used for both personal challenges and group discussions. If you enjoy the Quiz on the Gospel of John, you will enjoy this book of 17 lessons.


Disclaimer: EarsToHear.net does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted in its newsletters. All articles are aimed at challenging apathy and to encourage taking a stand for the values you represent. Please see associated EarsToHear.net links for its stance and commentary on the issues.


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