This beautiful Advent hymn by Paul Manz is performed by The Seminary Kantorei of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and directed by Richard C. Resch.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Kantorei of Concordia Theological Seminary - "E'en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come"
This beautiful Advent hymn by Paul Manz is performed by The Seminary Kantorei of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and directed by Richard C. Resch.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
From the Pastor - "Christ Stands at the Door"
A Weekly Column by Father George Rutler
Fr. George W. Rutler is the pastor of the Church of our Saviour in New York City. His latest book, Coincidentally: Unserious Reflections on Trivial Connections, is available from Crossroads Publishing.
These four fleeting weeks of Advent, by their very swiftness, are reminders of how quickly all things in this world pass away. It may not seem that way looking at the pyramids or Stonehenge, but those who built them have passed away. This is not a morbid thought, but it is a mortal thought. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Advent with its darkening days is a reminder that the human lifespan has a purpose intended by the Creator. He makes us a “new creation” in baptism as a foretaste of eternal joy. With holy practicality, Advent proclaims the great mysteries of Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. The fast pace of Advent is different from the rather silly Christmas rush which easily preoccupies people who would rather not think deeply. The way to make the best of fugitive time is to be profound about each moment granted to us.
Christ stands at the door of the new year just as he stands at the door of our souls. The last Sunday of the liturgical year celebrated his kingship over the whole universe, but by giving human beings a free will, he limits himself to an old royal protocol. As William Pitt put it in legal terms: “The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown.” Christ does not invade us when he comes into history but rather he proposes himself to us: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Our eternal destiny hangs on our response to that “if.”
The human soul, its intellect and will, is the door on which the Lord knocks. We are our own householder. In 1628, a lawyer, Sir Edward Coke, said that “a man’s house is his castle.” A London headmaster, Richard Mulcaster, said the same thing in 1581. Blackstone goes back farther, citing Cicero: “What more sacred, what more strongly guarded by holy feeling, than a man’s own home?” If we are a castle, we have the freedom to pull up the drawbridge and keep Christ outside. But even Pitt admitted that our earthly dwelling “may be frail, its roof may shake, the wind may blow through it, the storm may enter, the rain may enter.” Yet there is a great promise: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1). So in Advent, the Church joyfully says in the language Christ spoke on earth: “Marana tha! Come Lord!” (1 Cor. 16:22).
Advent with its darkening days is a reminder that the human lifespan has a purpose intended by the Creator. He makes us a “new creation” in baptism as a foretaste of eternal joy. With holy practicality, Advent proclaims the great mysteries of Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. The fast pace of Advent is different from the rather silly Christmas rush which easily preoccupies people who would rather not think deeply. The way to make the best of fugitive time is to be profound about each moment granted to us.
Christ stands at the door of the new year just as he stands at the door of our souls. The last Sunday of the liturgical year celebrated his kingship over the whole universe, but by giving human beings a free will, he limits himself to an old royal protocol. As William Pitt put it in legal terms: “The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown.” Christ does not invade us when he comes into history but rather he proposes himself to us: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Our eternal destiny hangs on our response to that “if.”
The human soul, its intellect and will, is the door on which the Lord knocks. We are our own householder. In 1628, a lawyer, Sir Edward Coke, said that “a man’s house is his castle.” A London headmaster, Richard Mulcaster, said the same thing in 1581. Blackstone goes back farther, citing Cicero: “What more sacred, what more strongly guarded by holy feeling, than a man’s own home?” If we are a castle, we have the freedom to pull up the drawbridge and keep Christ outside. But even Pitt admitted that our earthly dwelling “may be frail, its roof may shake, the wind may blow through it, the storm may enter, the rain may enter.” Yet there is a great promise: “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1). So in Advent, the Church joyfully says in the language Christ spoke on earth: “Marana tha! Come Lord!” (1 Cor. 16:22).
Fr. George W. Rutler is the pastor of the Church of our Saviour in New York City. His latest book, Coincidentally: Unserious Reflections on Trivial Connections, is available from Crossroads Publishing.
Historian Andrew Roberts on the Anglosphere
Here's a fascinating discussion of the great historical movements in the twentieth century and those of our day.
With A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900, Andrew Roberts completed Sir Winston Churchill's great four volume history, which ended with the death of Queen Victoria.
With A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900, Andrew Roberts completed Sir Winston Churchill's great four volume history, which ended with the death of Queen Victoria.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Homeschooling Proving 'Good for America'
Homeschoolers are impacting the political arena with energetic determination, focus, and success!
From The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
In August 2001, the cover of Time magazine posed this question: "Is Home Schooling Good for America?" Today, as more and more adults who were homeschooled assume positions of leadership and service in our nation, we answer Time's question with a resounding "Yes!"
Without question, the contributions of homeschoolers are dramatically changing our political landscape. For example, leadership courses, camps, and organizations such as Generation Joshua, a division of the Home School Legal Defense Association, are coming alongside homeschooling families to train future leaders. During the 2010 mid-term elections Generation Joshua deployed 900 of their nearly 6,000 members to make a difference in 21 political races across the nation, including that of Congressman Daniel Webster (R-FL), a homeschooling father.
Dr. Brian Ray, founder of the National Home Education Research Institute, in his 2004 study of more than 7,000 homeschooled adults, showed that homeschoolers were more likely to vote, volunteer for political campaigns, and participate in community service. Dr. Ray found that 71% of homeschool graduates participated in ongoing community service activities compared to 37% of U.S. adults of similar ages, and 76% of homeschool graduates (aged 18–24) had voted in a national or state election within the last 5 years, compared to 29% of non-homeschooled graduates.
In his article titled "Revisiting the Common Myths About Homeschooling," Michael Romanowski, a professor at the Center for Teacher Education at Ohio Northern University, stated: "Homeschoolers clearly learn about the real world, possibly more than do their public school counterparts. While the purpose of public education is to educate future citizens who take an active role in improving the social, economic, and political conditions in society, Ray's research indicates that public schools, not homeschooling, should be scrutinized for their efforts regarding 'citizenship training.'"
When asked to comment about the recent political impact of homeschooled adults nationwide, Paul and Gena Suarez, homeschooling family of six children and publishers of the premier quarterly magazine for homeschoolers, responded that homeschoolers' success "only confirms what numerous stats and studies have already indicated -- that 'homeschooling' is about so much more than merely educating our children. It's about instilling in the next generation the conviction that if good is to prevail, then it must be advanced, and it can be advanced only by those who embrace it."
Many homeschooling families are training their children to make a difference by serving this nation with integrity, not for the sake of personal ambition or monetary gain but rather because they have learned how to be responsible citizens. Determined, astute homeschooling families are making their voices heard -- from leadership camps to grassroots organizations to Congress.
In January 2011, Ms. Jaime Herrera, age 32, will be sworn in as a U.S. Representative (R–WA). She will be remembered, among other things, as the very first member of our U.S. Congress who was a homeschooler. She will not be the last.
About The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine: Soon to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is recognized as the premier magazine for homeschoolers. This professional publication offers approximately 200 pages of information, inspiration, and encouragement to homeschooling families around the world in each quarterly issue. View a sample issue here:
www.thehomeschoolmagazine-digital.com/thehomeschoolmagazine/sample/#pg1. 
From The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
In August 2001, the cover of Time magazine posed this question: "Is Home Schooling Good for America?" Today, as more and more adults who were homeschooled assume positions of leadership and service in our nation, we answer Time's question with a resounding "Yes!"
Without question, the contributions of homeschoolers are dramatically changing our political landscape. For example, leadership courses, camps, and organizations such as Generation Joshua, a division of the Home School Legal Defense Association, are coming alongside homeschooling families to train future leaders. During the 2010 mid-term elections Generation Joshua deployed 900 of their nearly 6,000 members to make a difference in 21 political races across the nation, including that of Congressman Daniel Webster (R-FL), a homeschooling father.
Dr. Brian Ray, founder of the National Home Education Research Institute, in his 2004 study of more than 7,000 homeschooled adults, showed that homeschoolers were more likely to vote, volunteer for political campaigns, and participate in community service. Dr. Ray found that 71% of homeschool graduates participated in ongoing community service activities compared to 37% of U.S. adults of similar ages, and 76% of homeschool graduates (aged 18–24) had voted in a national or state election within the last 5 years, compared to 29% of non-homeschooled graduates.
In his article titled "Revisiting the Common Myths About Homeschooling," Michael Romanowski, a professor at the Center for Teacher Education at Ohio Northern University, stated: "Homeschoolers clearly learn about the real world, possibly more than do their public school counterparts. While the purpose of public education is to educate future citizens who take an active role in improving the social, economic, and political conditions in society, Ray's research indicates that public schools, not homeschooling, should be scrutinized for their efforts regarding 'citizenship training.'"
When asked to comment about the recent political impact of homeschooled adults nationwide, Paul and Gena Suarez, homeschooling family of six children and publishers of the premier quarterly magazine for homeschoolers, responded that homeschoolers' success "only confirms what numerous stats and studies have already indicated -- that 'homeschooling' is about so much more than merely educating our children. It's about instilling in the next generation the conviction that if good is to prevail, then it must be advanced, and it can be advanced only by those who embrace it."
Many homeschooling families are training their children to make a difference by serving this nation with integrity, not for the sake of personal ambition or monetary gain but rather because they have learned how to be responsible citizens. Determined, astute homeschooling families are making their voices heard -- from leadership camps to grassroots organizations to Congress.
In January 2011, Ms. Jaime Herrera, age 32, will be sworn in as a U.S. Representative (R–WA). She will be remembered, among other things, as the very first member of our U.S. Congress who was a homeschooler. She will not be the last.
About The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine: Soon to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine is recognized as the premier magazine for homeschoolers. This professional publication offers approximately 200 pages of information, inspiration, and encouragement to homeschooling families around the world in each quarterly issue. View a sample issue here:
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Wikileaks “Gay” Connection
US Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning at a "gay rights" event. From The Pro-Family Resource Center
By Dr. Scott Lively
If you’re looking for someone to blame for the Wikileaks scandal, a good candidate would be President Bill Clinton. He was the one who, in 1995, signed an Executive Order removing “sexual orientation” as a grounds for denying someone a security clearance. Had that policy never been revoked, homosexual soldier Bradley Manning would never have had access to our national secrets and could not have leaked them. According to news reports, Manning decided to turn traitor after a fight with his boyfriend, which somehow motivated him to send hundreds of thousands of confidential documents to Wikileaks leader Julian Assange, who has also been alleged by some to be “gay.”
As to motive, the Montreal Gazette reported that "Manning could 'identify' with Iraqis and Afghans who he believed had suffered as a result of U.S. policies, especially because he himself was a "a member of a minority" treated unfairly by the military." (How common an attitude is that among “gays” and lesbians do you suppose, when their very identity as a political movement is defined by the rhetoric of “victimization?” ) So why were homosexuals denied security clearance in the first place? A series of Senate committee reports from the 1950s concluded that "moral perverts are bad national security risks ... because of their susceptibility to blackmail" and that homosexuals are "vulnerable to interrogation by a skilled questioner" due to emotional instability and moral weakness. (Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 10/1/2001).
However, the reasons go much deeper into western history. According to Samuel Igra in Germany’s National Vice, the outbreak of World War I was a direct consequence of homosexual intrigues in the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Revelations that a clique of homosexuals had gained Rasputin-like control of the Kaiser engulfed the nation in scandal from 1907 to 1914 through a series of very public criminal trials.
According to Igra it grew so severe that Germany chose war as the only way to resolve it’s domestic crisis. He cites, among other sources, The Diary of Count Robert Zedlitz-Truetzschler, Lord Chamberlain at the Court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who wrote “Yesterday while hunting at Springe the Crown Prince had a long conversation with General von Moltke, the Chief of the General Staff, about the political situation (the internal political situation, he means) and committed himself to the opinion that only war can clear up the confused situation of the county.” Whether or not this was the true cause of The Great War is immaterial. It is enough that it caused so great a national crisis that war was contemplated as a solution.
And in World War II, also according to Igra, the most notorious of the traitors who sided with the Nazi fascists against their own governments were all homosexuals: Guy Burgess and John Macnamara in England, Edouard Pfeiffer and Jacques Doriot in France. Leon Degrelle in Belgium. Artur Seyss-Inquart in Austria, and in Norway it was the infamous Vidkum Quisling, whose surname is even to this day synonymous with “traitor.”
Colonel Ron Ray in his 1993 book Military Necessity and Homosexuality noted:
“Even if homosexuals are not ‘turned’ by foreign agents, evidence exists that homosexuals, as a group or subculture, can and do turn against their country simply on account of the nature of homosexuality and its hostile attitude toward the existing moral order. This fact is illustrated by a well known group of preeminent writers, thinkers, artists and high social figures known as Bloomsburys who began to reform English tastes before the second world war. That period, termed modernity, saw the supplanting of the fixed moral norms with another ethos. The key to understanding modernity and Bloomsbury is sodomy: Bloomsburys wanted to ‘live as they wanted to live.’ Along with their homosexuality they developed an amoral, irreligious attitude and were unpatriotic as well. E.M. Forster, a member of the Bloomsbury, was quoted as saying, ‘If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country‘”…A concise summary of the problem with inviting homosexuals into highly confidential circles is drawn from the memoirs of Police Commissioner Hans von Tresckow, who headed the equivalent of the Berlin “vice squad” from 1905 to 1919:
“Another one of its members, Sir Anthony Blunt, a member of the British Intelligence [and a notorious homosexual], became a traitor and breached security, thereby causing many to die. He regularly passed highly classified information on to a nation which would become the primary foe of the free world: the Soviet Union. He once remarked to an intelligence colleague near the end of World War II, ‘it has given me great pleasure to have been able to turn over the names of every MI-5 officer to the Russians.’”
“[I]t is not the sense of duty towards one's fellow-men or the nation that forms the rule of conduct for homosexualists; but in every turn of life and in all their striving they think only of the good or harm they may do to their own clique of friends.”It was true then and it is true today. Just ask Bradley Manning.
Dr. Scott Lively is an attorney and President of Defend the Family International. The facts in this editorial are documented in his book The Poisoned Stream which is published in PDF form at www.defendthefamily.com/pfrc/books/poisonedstream/poisonedstream.pdf
Cardinal Bertone: 'Christians the Most Persecuted Religious Group in the World'
The fourth Gospel contains a stirring "promise" of the Bible. It is rarely recounted by some contemporary preachers who often refer to the "promises" of the Bible in a manner that seems to imply we can all be "healthy, wealthy and wise" if we simply "claim" them. However, this promise is found in all of the Gospel accounts and comes right from the mouth of the Lord Himself:
"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:18-20)
Most of our readers know that I write often about the growing persecution faced by our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Just yesterday we published a stunning account from a survivor of the evil attack on Catholics during Holy Mass at Our Lady of Salvation (Deliverance) in Iraq. Here is an excerpt:
"It was a Sunday and evening mass had just begun. Shortly after the Gospel reading, about 17.15, we heard the sound of gunfire outside the church. Father Tha'er, who was celebrating the liturgy, tried to calm everyone down, telling us to pray together. The noise became louder, then we heard a loud explosion and the terrorists entered the Church - five or six in all - and started shooting everywhere.."
"I saw the injured girl. I decided to go and get her to try and bring her to safety. I took her on my shoulders, but one of the terrorists saw me and threw a grenade at us: the girl died and I was on the ground wounded. I pretended to be dead.
"While I was on the ground I saw Father Tha'er trying to defend the altar servers: he embraced them and covered them with his cassock, to protect them, as if he wanted to hide them. One of the men attacked him, trying to beat him to his knees, but he resisted and remained standing, in the end the terrorist killed him. I could hear the cries of the people in the church, terribly afraid, when at one point I heard a voice, I do not know who he was shouting to the terrorists: 'We die, we die, okay. But the cross lives. Whoever it was, was immediately killed."
In recent articles I have covered the plight of Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother in Pakistan whose "crime" is her love for Jesus Christ in a hostile Islamic State. She is scheduled for execution because she stood up for her faith in the midst of a crowd of angry persecutors. I have written about the horrid persecution against Catholics and other Christians in Mumbai India at the hands of Extremist Hindus and the continuous assault against Catholics and other Christians in Vietnam and China.
These are not isolated incidents. Sadly, they represent an ominous trend.
Those who live in the West have not had to face the kind of persecution that ends in the shedding of our blood - at least not yet. Instead, we are being squeezed out of the public square. We are facing the brunt of selective discrimination, verbal denigration and being increasingly marginalized; all of which is a sign of the intolerance of what Pope Benedict rightly labeled the "Dictatorship of Relativism." However, this too is a part of the same ominous trend.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is representing the Holy See this week at an international gathering occurring under the auspices of the "Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe" in Astana, Kazakhstan. The organization has 56 member countries which include the United States and Canada. It claims to be the world's largest intergovernmental organization dedicated to security and central to its claim is its expressed support for human rights.
This meeting had an agenda to cover terrorism, human trafficking, unrest in Kyrgyzstan and the ongoing tensions in Afghanistan. The Cardinal gave a strong address in which he addressed those concerns. However, what was most striking in his address was his explanation of the Holy See's concern that all Nations respect "that human dignity which unites the entire human family."
He insisted that "this unity is rooted in four fundamental principles: the centrality of the human person, of solidarity, of subsidiarity and of the common good. These principles harmonize well with the overall concept of security, which is the foundation of our organization, and are a constant reminder which the political community must bear in mind".
The Cardinal reminded the leaders "the CSCE and the OSCE have always had the promotion and protection of human rights in their respective agendas" and that "These fundamental freedoms include the right to religious freedom". He affirmed "Developments of recent years and the progress made in drafting the various texts adopted by the OSCE show, with increasingly clarity, that religious freedom can exist in different social systems".
He continued, "closely related to the denial of religious freedom is religiously-motivated intolerance and discrimination, especially against Christians. It is well documented that Christians are the most discriminated and persecuted religious group. Over 200 million of them, belonging to different denominations, live in difficult conditions because of legal and cultural structures".
It was that line, "It is well documented that Christians are the most discriminated and persecuted religious group" which caught most of the headlines around the world. Rightly so, because the Cardinal is absolutely correct. We are living in a new missionary age. The promise of the Lord is being fulfilled "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."
I am grateful for the efforts of Church leaders like Cardinal Bertone. I am encouraged by the witness of heroes like Father Tha'er in Iraq who covered the altar servers with his cassock in an effort to protect them. However, in the midst of this ominous trend I am inspired by the anonymous martyr in that same Church who spoke the truth while staring down the barrel of a gun, "We die, we die, okay. But the cross lives!" Christians are the most persecuted group in the world.
Do Americans Still Believe Freedom Leads to Prosperity?
From The Hill
By Dr. Barry Asmus
One of the greatest displays of American military and economic might took place during the tsunami relief efforts of 2004, when close to 230,000 people died. When all seemed most bleak, American rescue operations were there. Within hours of the disaster, a giant city rolled upon the shores of Indonesia, in the form of one of America’s 24 aircraft carriers (the world has only 34). The ship’s nuclear power generators fueled the water purification efforts, bringing life and hope to millions of Indonesians. The confluence of American technology, manpower and execution symbolized the last century of American dominance on the world stage. Billions of dollars poured out of the hearts of Americans, giving more to the relief effort than the next five countries combined. The whole world watched. America’s capability to organize such a massive relief effort would not have been possible but for its economic system. The modern ideals of private property, free markets and low taxes found unprecedented success in America over the last two hundred years. Beginning with free trade between the states, low taxes, and a nearly hereditary aversion to government meddling – America prospered. The United States, with less than 5% of the world’s population, created almost 1/3 of the world’s wealth for every year over the last century.
Read the rest of this entry >>
By Dr. Barry Asmus
One of the greatest displays of American military and economic might took place during the tsunami relief efforts of 2004, when close to 230,000 people died. When all seemed most bleak, American rescue operations were there. Within hours of the disaster, a giant city rolled upon the shores of Indonesia, in the form of one of America’s 24 aircraft carriers (the world has only 34). The ship’s nuclear power generators fueled the water purification efforts, bringing life and hope to millions of Indonesians. The confluence of American technology, manpower and execution symbolized the last century of American dominance on the world stage. Billions of dollars poured out of the hearts of Americans, giving more to the relief effort than the next five countries combined. The whole world watched. America’s capability to organize such a massive relief effort would not have been possible but for its economic system. The modern ideals of private property, free markets and low taxes found unprecedented success in America over the last two hundred years. Beginning with free trade between the states, low taxes, and a nearly hereditary aversion to government meddling – America prospered. The United States, with less than 5% of the world’s population, created almost 1/3 of the world’s wealth for every year over the last century.
Read the rest of this entry >>
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