Obama Care in the Supreme Court

Wm. Hennessy Jr./CourtroomArt.com

The Supreme Court has decided many landmark cases that have had a generational impact on our society.  The Dred Scott vs. Sandford Case (1857) determined whether all Americans would be protected by the constitution.  Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) declared state laws that segregated blacks from whites in the public school system were unconstitutional.  The court agreed in Roe vs. Wade (1973) that the "due process" clause of the 14th amendment extended the right of women to choose to abort their babies.  These momentous decisions determined the projectile of the future of cultural America.  Decisions of the Supreme Court have impacted the income tax system in 1895, the Social Security Act in 1937 and the Civil Rights and voting Rights Acts in 1964 and 1965.

The docket of our land's highest court will include: immigration, voting rights, gay marriage and affirmative action in 2012.  Perhaps the most important case to be considered by the court this year has been the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, which was passed into law on March 23, 2010.  The importance of this review is enormous considering its effect on the future of all Americans.  Proponents of this law get back slaps for attempting to offer insurance for 30 million uninsured Americans. The methods chosen to enforce the new law have been debated for months.  The Supreme Court's decision pertaining to the constitutionality of the law will have repercussions on the re-election campaign of our sitting president as well as the power of our Congress to regulate commerce.

There are certain provisions in the law that would seem to be very beneficial and humanitarian at face value.  Seniors would benefit from free wellness exams.  Children up to age 26 (why are 26 year olds being categorized as children?) may be covered on their parent's policies.  Proponents of the law will argue that it is justified by the right of -Congress to "regulate commerce" (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3).  It is their opinion that this bill will improve the general welfare of Americans.  The constitution states that the imposition of taxes is necessary and appropriate in order to reach the goal of improving the lives of American citizens. So why have 26 states coalesced to oppose the measure?  

The authors of this bill determined that it could not be effective unless all Americans participated.  The majority of Americans are troubled by the fact there is no provision to opt out.  Many consider the requirement for all to buy healthcare to be a contradiction to the principles of our capitalistic, free enterprise system.  Beginning in 2014, everyone must have bought into the health insurance plan or pay a tax penalty of $95 in 2014 to increase to $695 in 2016.  The penalty for a family that hasn't bought in by 2016 will be $2,085.  The fee is identified as a 'penalty' in an attempt to avoid using the word all Americans have learned to hate, 'tax'.

The solicitor general, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., representing the government in the Supreme Court, has made the argument that Congress clearly has a right to regulate commerce.  Healthcare must be provided.  It must be financed and an 'individual mandate' that requires the purchase of healthcare is necessary for the physical and financial health of the nation.

Opponents of Obamacare will question the government doing something it has never done before; requiring Americans to participate in commerce.  Our constitution was written to limit the powers of the government.  They see the passage of this law as a trespass of the government into the pastures of individual liberties.  

The Supreme Court generally leans slightly conservative.  Justices Antonia Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito Jr., Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts are more likely to vote against the bill while Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan can be trusted to support it.  To pass muster in the Supreme Court the bill needs to convert at least one conservative to acquire a 5-4 vote.

That may prove difficult considering Mr. Verrilli was only three minutes into his defense of the mandate when Justice Kennedy began some strong questioning:  "Are there any limits?", he asked.  If the government can make us buy health insurance what else might the government make us buy?  Will we be forced to buy Chevy Volts to save on the consumption of oil?  Will we be forced to buy healthy vegetables and prohibited from purchasing donuts to insure we don't draw too heavily from the nation's health insurance plan?  Will the purchase of cigarettes become illegal by penalty of law?

Adam Smith would be spinning in his grave if he could see the amputation of his 'invisible hand'.  The government has already wrested control of our public education system from the American people.  Will Americans allow their healthcare system, which represents 18% of the entire U.S. economy, to be hijacked by their government?  We are no longer creeping toward socialism, rather, we are leaping and bounding toward a socialistic, government controlled society.

The justices must finally decide if the bill is constitutional.  If it is not, is it only the individual mandate that makes it unconstitutional?  If the individual mandate is cut from the bill does it then become Constitutional?  The court's decision regarding Obamacare will be known near the end of June, just in time to influence the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.  It may be a lose/lose situation for Obama.  If the bill is struck down, his greatest achievement as president will go up in smoke. If the Supreme Court affirms the bill it may be the impetus for unifying a divided Republican Party which may then be feel a greater motivation to run a winning campaign against the incumbent president.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

God hates sin

Sir Winston Churchill said: “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” As a nation we are setting ourselves up for the judgment of God. We have become tolerant, even supportive, even promoting of all sorts of sin. We revel in our adulteries, our idolatry, our fornication, our pornography and certainly in homosexuality. In our arrogance we think we will escape the judgment of a pure and holy God who hates such things or we dismiss the whole idea of judgment by trying to convince ourselves that no such God exists. Or, we try to reshape God in our image by portraying him as being a God of all love and no justice, too loving to judge anyone for their disobedience, selfishness and arrogance. God have mercy on us!

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

No Racism? Think Again

Two separate incidents in Florida and St. Louis seem to indicate that racism is still prevalent in American society.  Should the president sound off on racial incidents?  Are his comments one sided?  What does racism tell a person about himself?

Those Americans who have been able to pry themselves away from their video games, their satellite television and their sports obsessions have probably heard the tragic story Trayvon Martin’s death.  This young African-American was allegedly unarmed when he was shot by Hispanic, George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman.  An FBI investigation is currently being conducted to determine the facts regarding the case.  God-fearing Americans pray that justice will prevail for all parties involved. 

A primary focus of the investigation is the 911 call made by George Zimmerman.  The call will be diagnosed by special technicians to determine if George mumbled any racial slurs before the shooting.  If it can be proven that he did then his claim of self-defense will crumble under the weight of a hate-crime accusation.

During Obama’s presidential campaign he portrayed himself as the great racial unifier.  He said, “…we may not look the same and may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction.” (Political Intelligence, March, 2008)   The president seems to contradict himself when he fails to constrain from weighing in on the racial issues that surface from time to time. This shouldn’t be surprising considering his tutelage under the likes of Jeremiah Wright, Derrick Bell, William Ayers and a multitude of other extremists.   

Obama finally entered the fray in response to strong criticism from the likes of Al Sharpton, the perpetrator of the Tawana Brawley hoax, and Louis Farrakhan, who spews his hatred for Jewish people by exalting Hitler as a “very great man” and Jews as being “satanic” and their place of worship as “satanic synagogues”. (DefendingtheTruth.net, March 19, 2012)  Instead of falling back on his previous theme of “we may not all look the same”, he emphasized that he and the victim have certain similarities.  “If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon.”

Many are question the President’s motive behind such a statement?  Was he trying to comfort a hurting family or was he using his words to stir racial tension and mobilize African-Americans to support him?  He has been losing the political backing of many African-Americans who are not satisfied with his performance as president over the last three years.  Many are offended by the idea that their vote can be earned by handing out more candy (welfare) instead of providing them with more jobs in order to make a respectable living for their families. 

Newt Gingrich climbed up on his stump to declare without hesitation that President Obama intended to spawn racial tension with his comment:  “What the President said, in a sense, is disgraceful.  It’s not a question of who that young man looked like. Any young American of any ethnic background should be safe, period.”  Gingrich went on to say, “Is the president suggesting that if it had been a white who had been shot, that would be OK because it didn’t look like him? That’s just nonsense dividing this country up?”  (The Hill, 3/21/12)    Questioning Obama’s intentions seems to be a legitimate quest but in all fairness, only Obama knows the motive behind his words.  He may be calling a beer summit again on the White House lawn to explain himself to the nation.

Trayvon’s tragic death occurred after the NBA All-Star game in February.  About one week later the Coon family from Kansas City was struggling with their own tragedy.  Melissa Coon’s son, Allen, was targeted in the school he attended, East High School.  During a discussion regarding Black History Month, Allen, who is white, tried to answer a question when his teacher, Ms. Karla Dorsey, who is black said to him, “What would you know about it?  You’re not our race.”  (The Moral Liberal, March 25, 2012)

Probably far less people know about what happened to Allen Coon than what happened to Trayvon Martin.  There is no justification for comparing the two incidents.  One boy is dead while the other still lives.  But both incidents reveal that racial hatred is still a cancer that affects our culture.  Allen Coon, 13,  was approached by two older black males who doused him with gasoline and set him on fire.  An investigation into the incident indicates it was a hate crime because of what was said as they set Coon aflame, “This is what you deserve.  You get what you deserve, white boy.”  (Katie Pavlich, News Editor, Townhall, March 5, 2012)

Certain Americans are questioning why they didn’t hear President Obama’s voice when Allen Coon was set aflame.  Why didn’t Attorney General Eric Holder condemn this horrendous crime?  Why didn’t MSNBC’s Al Sharpton and Rainbow Coalition’s Jesse Jackson and Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan mount their steeds and ride into St. Louis declaring all hate crime, whether perpetrated by blacks or whites, wrong and unacceptable?

We so often vehemently rise up against the sin we see in others, a reflection of a sin that may be prevalent in our own lives.  Rather than confess our own sins to God we try to justify them by discovering and magnifying them in others.  We feel so much better about ourselves if we can find someone worse than we are.  We feel a measure of self-hatred when we see our ugly reflection in the humanity of others.  Racial hatred exists and always will because the hearts of men are depraved.  Laws and courts and attorneys may be useful in limiting the effects of racial hatred in our society but only the grace of God can eliminate the stain of racial hatred from the soul.  Shouldn’t that be the message of the ‘Reverends’ Jackson and Sharpton?

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Looney or Reality - Does Obama have some 'splainin' to do?

Is it all looney tunes or fearful reality?...why was Obama in Pakistan back in the eighties when Americans couldn't go to Pakistan? Why is everything so covered up? His birth certificate? His college records? The papers he has written? In the words of Obama himself, "The only people who don't want to disclose the truth are people who have something to hide."

Washington Times' Jeff Kuhner: Everything Obama Has Done Could be Illegitimate

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Can Anyone Discover The Meaning Of Life?

Sisyphus

There is a character in Greek mythology named Sisyphus, was the legendary founder and first king of Corinth.  He was a reputed master of deceit who successfully tricked Th'natos, the demon of death, into imprisonment in the underworld.  Thus, mortals were no longer susceptible to death.  Ares, the god of war was especially troubled that men could no longer die.  Sisyphus was called before Zeus to answer for his antics.  He was found guilty of interfering with the work of the gods.  Th'natos was released and Sisyphus was sentenced to an eternal life of drudgery, that of rolling a huge boulder up a hill and watching it roll down again and then repeating the process ad infinitum.

Very few humans can escape the drudgery of every day life.  We are often fatigued by our daily grind.  Sometimes we crave for spontaneity to break up the monotonous routine.  We can become exasperated with feelings of futility. What is the purpose of it all?  What have I really accomplished?  Is this really all there is to life?  What is the true meaning of life?  Why am I here?  What is the end of it all?

Philosophers down through the ages have tried to answer these questions. French philosopher, Albert Camus, believed that humans spend their lives trying to convince themselves that their existence is not absurd. 

William Shakespeare divided human life into seven different stages. 

            "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players;

            They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many             parts…" 

Every life begins in infancy and then advances through the following stages: school boy, lover, soldier, middle age, decline and old age.  Shakespeare seems despondent in his observation.  We come full circle.  We start out as children and we end as a child.  The eyes weaken, the ears no longer hear, the taste buds malfunction and we become oblivious to the world until we just fade away.

The great 20^th century novelist, Thomas Wolfe, wrote in his essay, God's Lonely Man, "The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness, far from being a rare and curious phenomenon, peculiar to myself and to a few other solitary men, is the central and inevitable fact of human existence."  He observed the "huge unhappiness of the human soul."  What is the reason behind this epidemic of human unhappiness?  When the true meaning of life remains undiscovered, it leads to feelings of futility and frustration.

How would the common, secular American citizen answer the question, "What is the meaning of life?"  The meaning of life is:

·        "To love one another."

·        "To live peaceably with others."

·        "To be creative and contribute to the good of society."

·        "To have a family and a home."

·        "To accumulate the most toys."

Who could disagree with these idealistic ramblings?  These may indeed be the effects of a meaningful life but what is the cause of true meaning in life?  What is the source of love?  What is the source of peace and goodness? 

Those who call themselves Christ-followers have a Christian worldview that places God at the center of all meaning in life.  He is the source of all happiness and fulfillment in life.  A life that is not God-centered has no meaning.  Jesus summed it up by saying, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me."  (John 4:34)  He was saying that the entirety of his human life revolved around the will of the transcendent God. 

One African ruler traveled over 1,000 miles to observe first hand the wisdom of the legendary Solomon.  No man on earth was wiser than he.  He posed this question and wrote a book attempting to answer it:  "How can anyone discover the meaning of life?" (Ecclesiastes 7:24)  Solomon, like many after him, observed that life could become tiresome, unfulfilling and insignificant.  He, too, felt the frustration of feeling his life spin out of control.  He concluded that one could never discover meaning in life apart from God for he is the one who has placed "eternity in the hearts of men." (Ecc. 3:11) 

Haven't we all felt the darkness of despair then feel relief when despair takes wings to fly away.  Unfortunately, some people live wretched lives in which an emptiness has rooted in their souls and it never leaves. For a few, the anguish they feel drives them over the edge.  Most people die naturally but some cannot take it anymore and they end their own lives.

The enemy would like us to believe there is no meaning in life.  This suggestion becomes absurd when we consider that each one has been created in the very image of the Source of all meaning.  Darkness envelops the soul when we believe ourselves to be meaning-making machines.  When we replace God with humanity, when we substitute reality with our own illusion, when we assign importance to material substance rather than spiritual truth we lose all meaning in life.

God is never the source of despair or discouragement or despondency.  Rather, he is the author of hope and promise.  True meaning in life is found in Christ Jesus.  He offered hope to the desperate when he died on the cross.  He conquered death to provide meaning in our lives. Those who believe in the living Christ and dedicate themselves to his purpose are ultimately and entirely satisfied.  His purpose is that we might spend eternity basking in the glory of his presence.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

The One Thing We Dare Not Pray For

A False Gospel Reaps False Converts

The modern Christian church has replaced the true gospel with a poor substitute.  What is being preached today in many churches is NOT the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This modern gospel is man-centered rather than God-centered.  Some Americans are choosing a church to attend based on what the church can offer them in terms of programs and ministries.  Attending church should be about worshipping and knowing a holy God.  It should be about learning of the majesty and glory of God rather than finding ten ways to a better financial future or five ways to greater occupational success

The Apostle Paul admonished his followers not to stray from the true gospel: "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand."  (1 Cor. 15:1)  Before they could receive the 'good news' they must first comprehend the bad news.  The bad news was that they were depraved human beings.  They were born in sin and they were completely helpless and hopeless apart from the mercy and grace of God. A man feels no joy at the sound of the keys unless he realizes he is imprisoned and about to be set free.  We must realize our need for salvation before we actually experience salvation.

It seems the disciplines of the Christian life are no longer deemed necessary.  Bible study and time spent in prayer are avoided by categorizing them as frivolities of legalism.  Without these disciplines, Christianity has become shallow, a mile wide and an inch deep. The modern church has lost the strong conviction of the true purpose of Jesus Christ.  Jesus did not come simply to increase our level of happiness.  He did not come just to make us more comfortable.  He came for one purpose and one purpose only, to live a pure life, to die on a splintered cross, to rise from the dead thus providing us an escape from the sin that so totally separates us from him.  He came to rescue us from the death we chose for ourselves and give us an opportunity for eternal life.

We fail to understand the true purpose of God because the gospel we hear is so watered down.  The true gospel reveals the holiness of God.  No man can contemplate God's holiness until he has realized his own sinful depravity.  Too many church leaders  admonish the shepherds of the flock to be careful not to portray a God who is so holy and so exalted that man feels that he can't approach such a holy God.  This is nonsense.  We diminish the holiness of God at our own peril.  "As the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways…" (Isaiah 55:9)  Try as we might, we will never comprehend the vastness of God's holiness.  We must never put parameters on the nature of God. 

We don't understand God's true nature because we don't accept the reality of our own nature.  We could never understand the concept of light unless we experienced darkness.  We can never achieve a true concept of the holiness of God unless we comprehend our own depravity.  The secularist tells us that all men, by nature, are good.  Scripture teaches just the opposite, that the souls of all men are blackened by sin and man is desperate for deliverance.  "…There is none that doeth good, no not one." (Romans 3:12)  "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) 

The one thing we dare not pray for is justice.  No man deserves anything less than wrath of God. A just God cannot contradict his own nature.  That's why he sent his only begotten Son to die in our stead.  None are worthy of his mercy and grace.  Men who turn their hearts to God don't pray for justice, they pray for mercy.

We have watered down the gospel so as to think we might be saved simply by saying a little prayer at some certain time in some certain place.  If that prayer is not accompanied by genuine repentance we are not saved.  Consider a man's wife who declares her love for him and then proceeds to live an adulterous life.  Her words would be meaningless.  The path to real salvation is difficult.  Jesus said as much when he declared that few would find it.  (Matt. 7:14)  It is our nature to avoid pain when possible.  So, we try to blaze our own trail to salvation.  The Bible teaches that we are not saved from our sin until we repent, until we turn from our sin.  Many fail to believe they are saved because they depend on their own simple incantation, so, of course, they are not saved.  True salvation is a marvelous work of God Almighty in the soul.  It is God opening a soul shuttered in darkness.  It is the indescribable light of God flooding out the darkness of our souls.  It is deaf ears hearing again, it is a hardened heart flooded with emotion once again.  It is God lifting the weak soul out of the ditch of despair and setting him once again on the road to eternal life.  It is nothing less than this. It is much more than this.

So how can one be sure they are saved?  Not by the remembrance of a short prayer long ago.  The evidence of salvation is a changed life.  The man who is truly saved no longer captains his own ship.  "It is no longer about me. It is now all about Christ."  The true convert submits to Christ's choosing for his life's direction. 

Biblical assurance means that a man who has become a follower of Christ and has been delivered from his sin  is preserved, not by his own power but by the power of God alone.  Many believe they are saved even though they are producing no fruit.  Waving the banner of eternal security, they believe they are saved by a prayer or a trek down the aisle of a church.  Many embrace the absurd contradiction that the heart can be somehow transformed even though outward actions may not demonstrate a transformation.   This false doctrine rejects the idea that the true evidence of salvation is more than a dunk in a baptismal.. The Apostle Paul said you will know you are saved if you continue in your salvation. He said true Christians are "renewed by the transforming of their minds." (Romans 12:2) If you are not behaving in a Christian manner you have no assurance of your salvation.

One old preacher summed it up very well, "If your religion hasn't changed you, then you need to change your religion."

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Radical Feminists: Reformers or Reprobates

Abigail Adams was wife of the 3^rd president of the United States.  She and John Adams fell deeply in love and were married in 1764.  Their marriage was not just the union of a husband and wife. They were close companions, the best of friends. They counseled each other. They were lovers in the truest since of the word.  Abigail was the daughter of a Congregational minister and professed to be a Christ-follower in 1759.  She was not so unusual except for one major thing; she was a radical feminist in her time.

The wife of President Adams was continually stepping out where few women were brave enough to tread.  John was proud of the fact his wife could run the farm more efficiently than he when he was off on a diplomatic mission.  She openly questioned the southern patriots who clamored for liberty when they so blatantly denied liberty to their fellow man.  Abigail endured great criticism when she enrolled a black boy in a local evening school. 

Abigail Adams fought for the rights of women by declaring they should not simply be attractive ornaments hanging on their husband’s arm.  They should be educated.  They should be involved in the education of others.  She insisted that women should have a voice in their government.  She continually reminded her husband that women deserved better, "I cannot say that I think you are very generous to the ladies; for, whilst you are proclaiming peace and good-will to men, emancipating all nations, you insist upon retaining an absolute power over wives.”  (New Viewpoints in American History, Arthur Meier Schlesinger, p.109)

John and Abigail were happily married for 54 years.  Abigail’s love for her husband was never questioned.  They had many children together.  One would ascend to the Presidency of the United States as did his father.  Abigail was ever conscience of the need in the hearts of men for the grace of God.  She wrote of her assurance “that those who fear God and work righteousness shall be accepted of him..."  (Dictionary of U & U Biography, Abigail Adams)

Now let us fast-forward 240 years and look at where feminism has come.  This is not your mother’s feminism.  It is not the feminism of Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  It is the feminism of Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan and Andrea Dworkin.

Does Sandra Fluke represent the feminist movement in 2012?  Ms. Fluke recently testified before Congress demanding her ‘right’ to free birth control from Catholic Georgetown Law School.  (No laughing please, I know she is coughing up $43,750 to pay tuition at Georgetown University Law Center, top-law-schools.com.)  Ms. Fluke had no qualms about violating the religious rights of those who oppose such a thing in order to selfishly protect herself from the consequences of her own sexual immorality. (Assuming her desire for free birth control is not for medical purposes.)  Abigail Adams would have had a few words of advice for a radical feminist who insisted that her birth control be subsidized by those whose conscience it violated. 

Does this mark the death of feminism?  Can anyone really take the movement seriously?  For hundreds of years the movement was admired because they fought for things that were honorable; education, women’s suffrage, equal rights and equal pay.  Abigail Adams and her ilk fought to correct injustices and eliminate atrocities aimed at women.  Now, the radical feminists are fighting for the right to have tax payers buy their contraceptives so they can participate in illicit, promiscuous sex?  Why are these women not trying to emancipate sex slaves throughout the world?  Why are they not trying to eliminate the detrimental institution of polygamy?  Why are they not committed to the rescue of innocent female children who are being sexually assaulted?  Why are they not fighting the spread of pornography and its destructive depiction of women as simple sex objects created for the sexual pleasure of men?  There are so many noble causes to rally around but instead they choose to create a battle that involves forcing others to pay for their sexual pleasures? 

Abigail Adams was all about how she and her husband could help each other.  She was not divisive, she was not hateful.  She loved him deeply and patiently worked with him to make him understand.  She embraced the Judeo-Christian concept taught in Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”  The feminism of Abigail Adams was about loving her man, not despising him.

Is this the death of feminism?  Can anyone really give credence to a radical movement that is so hate-driven?  No one can take seriously the ideas of the Ku Klux Klan because they are blinded by their hatred of blacks.  Who could give the Jew-hating Nazis any serious consideration?  When Iranian leader Ahmadinejad spouts his hatred for Israel at the U.N. few take him seriously.  When radical feminism is no longer about improving the lives of the oppressed, when it is only about hating men, who can take them seriously?

It seems a good movement has been hijacked by those consumed and blinded by their own misandry.  Here are but a few examples of man-hatred:

·        “All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a women,” – Catherine MacKinnon, Professing Feminism: Cautionary Tales from the Strange World of Women’s Studies.

·        “Only when manhood is dead--and it will perish when ravaged femininity no longer sustains it--only then will we know what it is to be free.” Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood: Prophecies And Discourses On Sexual Politics - The Root Cause.

·        “I feel that ‘man-hating’ is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them.” – Robin Morgan, editor of MS magazine.

The radical feminist movement has lost its way.  They are eaten up with hatred, not just hatred for men but also self-hatred.  The movement desperately needs to be rescued by women of integrity who know how to love instead of hate.  It was a movement that fought for decency, chastity and rightness. Has it now become a movement that is fighting for indecency and immodesty?  Sandra Fluke is fighting for the right to have sex anytime, anywhere with anyone and insists that others pay for it.  Is this what the feminist movement has come to, demanding the right to be mere sex-objects?  Is the totality of a woman’s nobility now simply to have earned the right to free birth control in order to fornicate without consequences? 

When a love is replaced by hatred it leads to a corruption or perhaps even an extinction of values.  It is blinding.  Hatred can never extinguish itself; its only antidote is love. 


Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Masculinity And The American Male

"Follow Me" portrays a masculine Christ

My six year old first grader is wide-open, 100 mph from dawn until dusk.  He overflows with energy, laughter and excitement.  He also sits in school a good portion of the day.  Kameron, like other rambunctious little boys, has trouble sitting hour after hour while he reads, pushes his pencil and colors his pictures. He has a very patient teacher who loves him dearly, yet refuses to allow him to drop below her level of expectation.  He is familiar with the principal’s office.  He has missed a lot of recess and he has often been deprived of the things he enjoys most in life as a punishment for misbehavior at school.  His mother and I insist that he learn to obey and respect his elders and that he learn to cooperate and share with his peers and that he practice self-control.  It will be a long and tedious journey but we are very confident that Kameron will learn these lessons well and one day he will develop in a fine young man.

We are very satisfied with his educational experience but we are also aware of the difficult dynamic of educating young boys.  Their rambunctious display of energy is often considered detrimental to learning and desperate attempts are made to suppress it.  Little girls seem to thrive in a system that requires they sit still and use cooperative and creative skills.  The little male warriors are expected to do the same.   If little boys fail to sit still and act like little girls they are often ‘diagnosed’ with a ‘psychiatric disorder’ (ADHD) and fed Ritalin tablets to bridle behavior.  Learning and behavioral problems are not cured by Ritalin.  Ritalin simply treats the symptoms, the problem is still there.  Is it not troubling that so many child psychiatrists begin their diagnosis by claiming that they, too, are ADHD?  Our society has become insanely dependent on chemicals to treat the symptoms of their emotional, physical and spiritual problems while ignoring the possibility of discovering and destroying the root cause of their problems.

If a young boy’s raucous behavior can be tempered and controlled it can be a great benefit to the development of the child and to society in general.  These energetic, masculine expressions need to be fostered and developed, not chemically suppressed or destroyed.  The aggressive, independent boy who is ‘too big for his britches’ may one day be the quarterback of the football team or point guard on the basketball team.  He may lead a group of Navy Seals to save innocent lives by capturing or killing of an evil tyrant.  He may help colonize the moon, build an empire or change the world in which he lives by making an astounding discovery or invention.  Should we not control the development of a young boy’s masculinity rather than try to feminize him?

It is likely my son will advance to the 7^th or 8^th grade before he finally has a male teacher.  By the time he graduates from high school he will have accumulated 14,000 instructional hours in school.  His life will be dominated by female personalities. That’s why, as his father, I am determined to teach and demonstrate for him masculinity.  Wrestling contests, fishing and camping trips, baseball and target practice are activities that will help him distinguish his masculine role. There are multiple life lessons to learn through competition and adventure. Children with no father in the home are disadvantaged but are often taught to blaze their own trail by surrogate male role models such as grandfathers, uncles and coaches. 

I’ve taught high school teen-agers for nearly 30 years.  I’ve watched as masculinity has slowly declined and nearly disappeared among a large number of young males.  Some of them are ashamed to act manly.  Some are simply confused about gender roles in society.  Some have been taught that superior male strength should be used to dominate and control women rather than protect them.  Masculine independence is a foreign concept to many.  Many have had females take care of them their whole lives and they expect this to continue throughout their adulthood. This has created a generation of young males who are petrified of a marriage commitment or the prospects of actually having to provide for the children they father.  Too many 30-year- old males are still playing video games at home, complaining because mom hasn’t made supper yet, while their female counterparts have achieved a bachelor’s degree by age 22 and a master’s degree by age 24.

Feminization of the male is a problem among Christians just as it is in the secular world.  Male leadership in the Christian high school where I teach rarely exists outside of the area of athletics.  If you visit some of the Christian ministries on our university campuses you will mostly see women in charge.  We have feminized church ministries.  Men may need a shoulder to lean on but they are often embarrassed when offered a shoulder to cry on. 

Hollywood has a much greater impact in teaching worldview to our youth than the church does.  Television entertainment has dedicated a large portion of its programming to the feminization of men.  The American family watches an average of 5 hours of television per day.  Your child may have watched over 142,000 hours of television by his sixteenth birthday. (Nielson Research, Leichtman Research Group, Podcasting News.com)  Everybody loves how Raymond is such a doofus while Debra, his wife, seems to have a solution to every problem. 

The feminization of men is not always a passive, subconscious yield to a popular trend in society.  It is also the result of a radical feminist hate movement that was birthed in the 1960’s by women like Betty Friedan (The Feminine Mystique) who compared the suburban home to a concentration camp and encouraged women to seek fulfillment outside of their marriages.  Another radical feminist, Gloria Steinem, attempted to stir hatred for men by exaggerating violence in the home to mythical proportions.  She opposed the ‘patriarchy’ element in society by declaring, “The most dangerous situation for a woman is not an unknown man in the street, or even the enemy in wartime, but a husband or lover in the isolation of their own home.” (Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, pp. 259-61)  I would never minimize the problem of physical violence in American homes, but to make a blanket accusation that all men beat their wives is like saying all Eskimos are stupid or all Swedes are ugly.  It demonstrates how one’s feelings of hatred, in this case, hatred for men, can totally eliminate one’s ability to be rational.

Our perfect example of masculinity was Christ himself.  Real masculinity isn’t lording it over those who are weaker.  Rather, it’s about caring for them and protecting them.  Christ was not averse to using violence (Mark 11:15-19) when it came to defending his Father and what belonged to his Father.  He never raised his hand to bring harm to a woman.  He treated women with utmost respect and his love for children was unprecedented.  He thought so little of his earthly life that he was willing to subject himself to the humility of a public beating by the Roman soldiers and finally a brutal death on a wooden cross to purchase salvation for those he loved. 

True masculinity is the loving of our wives as Christ loved the church.  (Ephesians 5:25)  Real men don’t just procreate. They rear their children with love and compassion. They sacrifice for them, protect them and invest tremendous amounts of time and energy in their lives.  Our society needs men, real men, Christ-like men, more now than ever before. 


Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

The War For Our Minds

Thought Police

“Tolerance is not, in itself, a virtue. On the contrary, tolerating what is vicious and wicked can be a sign of moral amnesia brought on by making a god of tolerance” – R.R. Reno, First Things.

Tolerance is necessary for a people to live at peace in a pluralistic society.  But tolerance must be defined by limitations.  Enforced tolerance doesn’t reveal the true heart.  It simply reveals the heart of those powerful enough to force others to accept it.  The deception is the belief that society is a better place due to the ‘virtuous’ tolerance legislated by the “Gods of the Marketplace” (Rudyard Kipling).  It’s like telling your child to take his cough medicine, he may take it, even without complaint, but you know he hasn’t given his heart to it.

Tom Trinko tells of an old woman of the Baltic States who had lived under the horrible oppression of both the Nazi and Communists governments.  When asked which was worse, Nazism or communism, she stated that communism was worse.  “If you did what the Nazis wanted, they left you alone, but the Communists demanded that you think what they thought.  Essentially the Nazis merely wished to enslave or possibly kill you, but the Communists wanted to steal your soul.” (American Thinker, Tom Trinko)

Men lose their minds when overtaken by the lust for power.  The greed for power can cause men to participate in outrageous acts of insanity.  “Power corrupts the few, but weakness corrupts the many.” (Macbeth, Shakespeare)  There are only a few, drunk on their own power, who will try to determine how the many are to think their thoughts.  In the name of the virtue of the times, tolerance, we are being told what we are permitted to think about abortion, pornography, sex, homosexuality and a variety of other issues that have polarized conservatives and liberals.  True Christians will not get direction on these issues from society, but from the Word of the Living God.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law…abridging freedom of speech.”  Our courts have struggled over the years to define just what is and is not free speech.  The recent fuss over Rush Limbaugh saying derogatory things about a left-leaning law student and liberal activist, Sandra Fluke, is a perfect example of how difficult it is to draw parameters around what can or cannot be said.  Limbaugh apologized but his apology was rejected because it was not sincere enough.  I know, you are having thoughts of small children throwing sand at each other in a sand box.

Just when you think things are beginning to calm down, another character rushes on stage.  Gloria Allred, a celebrity ambulance chaser if there ever was one, spouts her doctrine of politically correct speech by uttering her shrill cry that Rush Limbaugh ought to be arrested.  I know, you are now looking for some men with white coats to enter the stage of this comedy.  Gloria Allred is insane in her desire to be a part of the discussion.  She knows that her best team of lawyers would lose to a rank amateur law student fresh out of law school on these outrageous charges.  The government couldn’t prosecute Rush or anyone else for practicing their freedom to speak.

The irony of it is that those who insist that conservatives Christians bow to society’s golden idols of homosexuality and abortion will whip them with the cords of intolerance if they do not bow.  In so doing they expose their own hypocrisy by violating their own doctrine.  Instead of recognizing and respecting the opinion of their opponents, they call for them to be cast into the fiery furnace.

Americans are getting a much clearer understanding of what it might be like to live under Sharia Law where people are severely punished, perhaps killed if they don’t become a Muslim.  Ms. Fluke and Ms. Allred represent a cadre of liberals determined to impose penalties on those who refuse to bow to their gods of liberalism.  This is selective tolerance.  While flailing Rush Limbaugh for his name calling, these same accusers declare the young woman who wants to dedicate her life to being a great mother and a loving wife to be a Neanderthal idiot.  Gentlemanly males who have been taught to treat women with respect by opening doors for them and using their greater physical strength, not to harm them, but to protect them are targeted as chauvinist pigs.  Those who refuse to enthusiastically embrace homosexuality are declared homophobes.  Christians have been run out of the adoption business if they refuse to accept homosexual adoption. 

The agenda of the liberal left has nothing to do with tolerance.  It has everything to do with a lust for power. It is an unbridled desire to control others.  “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can control the whole animal.”  (James 3:3)  Saul Alinsky would be proud of the progress of the liberal faction in our society.  The progressives, just like the communists, are attempting to control the masses by determining what they can and cannot say. 

Jesus said, “The things that come out of the mouth come out of the heart.” (Matt. 15:18) The attempt of the thought police to decide what we can or cannot think reveals an outrageous attempt to supplant God.  They have decided they are their own source of morality.  They get to choose what is the right or wrong thing to say or think.  They have written their own set of commandments.  They are vigilant and totally devoted to their cause because they truly believe they are creating heaven on earth (utopia).

Christians must not “defile themselves with a portion of the king’s meat” (Daniel 1:8) by blindly accepting a tolerance and political correctness that is defined by those who discard the Word of God and replace it with their own moral compass.  Christians declare themselves children of the Almighty and they cannot be stolen away by those who would choose thoughts for them. 

As Christians, we resent others telling us what to think and say.  We look to Christ to guide us and correct us in that area of our lives.  “With our tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing, my brothers, this should not be.”  (James 3:9-10)  Our speech and thoughts must be governed by the truth found in God’s word and the very words of Christ himself.  True Christians have a great desire to say the right things and speak the right words although we often fail.  We don’t take this lightly because “the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart.” (Matthew 15:18)

To those who would like to govern our thoughts and speech, thanks, but no thanks, we already have a God.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

When Men Choose Their Own Truth

Both liberals and conservatives can get it wrong sometimes.  We live in depravity and our minds are not perfect.   Those who are knowledgeable of their own mental shortcomings and humble enough to admit them may offset some of their weaknesses by turning to the Source of all truth.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)  Men cannot arrive at wisdom by wandering about in the mud of his own mind, wisdom can only be found by looking to a transcendent Source that reveals his wisdom in a love letter written to those he created.  We acquire wisdom when we reverence God.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10)

Many of the liberal persuasion are quick to turn away from the Source of wisdom.  This brings great mental confusion as was predicted by the prophet Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”(5:20) Truth provided by God’s word is like an ancient GPS.  It directs us.  It speaks to us and shows us the way.  If we fail to heed its warnings we will surely lose our way.  “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

The truths found in scripture are absolute.  They are not malleable nor can they be textured to suit our own persuasions.  They are the everlasting words of the Almighty God.  We are warned not to add to his words or “he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” (Proverbs 30:6)  We are cautioned not to subtract from his eternal truth because “if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (Revelation 22:19)  For some, this makes no sense because they don’t believe in the Bible.  God has so mysteriously and miraculously designed us with a consciousness centered in the heart.  This consciousness makes us aware of ourselves and aware of a Holy God.  Disbelief is not a problem of the intellect. It’s not a problem of logic. It is a problem of the heart.  Belief starts in the heart, not the mind.  “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified…” (Romans 10:10)

The unbelieving mind questions and even tries to eliminate the absolute truths of God’s word.  It embraces a relative truth rather than an absolute truth.  Some would simply declare that real truth cannot be discovered.  Others will declare that it doesn’t matter if they ever grasp truth, what is really important to them is that they are sincere in what they believe and do.  Pre-marital sex, homosexuality and adultery are all justified by asking the question, “Are they really in love?”  Somehow, being ‘really in love’ justifies violating laws written for men by an eternal God. 

If you were slated to have open heart surgery, would you want your doctor to be sincere or competent?  Sincerity is a warm, fuzzy that makes everyone feel good.  But when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, absolute truth trumps sincerity any day.

Some will justify their choice of relative truth over absolute truth by promoting the myth that a situation can make it right.  They believe that truth depends on circumstances.  An adulterous affair is acceptable as long as neither family finds out.  Killing an unborn child is ethically acceptable if the mother is poor or simply too immature to rear a child.  Those who make moral choices based on whether those choices bring comfort or make other people feel happy have created their own moral compass.

The moral relativist tends to develop their own ethical constructs when it suits their own purposes.  The conservative, right leaning mind does the same thing. That is why it is important for a liberal or a conservative to base their beliefs on “God's solid foundation (which) stands firm” (2 Tim. 2:19) The Word of God is the moral compass that will lead both mindsets to the truth.  The moral relativist tries to choose his own direction.  Imagine being lost in a deep, dark forest and pulling out a compass only to make your own choice about which way is north?  Many are roaming endlessly in a black forest of confusion and despair because they have not yet discovered that “the truth will set (them) free.” (John 8:32)

There is no human logic that can dismantle the absolute truth of the Creator.  It may have been Woody Allen who said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”  God must laugh even louder when we tell him how much we know.  Job was humbled when he contemplated the answer to God’s question, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much.” (Job 38:4)  Isaiah was echoing this thought when he said, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (55:9) 

The wisdom of the secular humanist, the relativist, pales in comparison to the wisdom of God.  The liberal mind that seeks truth in his own understanding and ignores God violates the warning of God to such men, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)  This truth cannot be opposed.  This truth awakens fear in the hearts of men, a fear they cannot explain.  They cannot refute it.  They cannot disprove this truth so, as a last resort, they desperately try to silence it.   The most popular way to do this is to proclaim to their opponents, “You’re being judgmental!” 

The inconsistencies are glaring.  They blow their bugle for tolerance but it is a selective tolerance.  They are tolerant for homosexuals, but not heterosexuals.  They are tolerant for Muslims and atheists, but not Christians.  They are tolerant for socialism, but not capitalism.  They have ignored scriptural truth and built their own Babel of truth.  They have decided to be their own gods and determine their own direction. 

The ultimate danger for a conservative or a liberal who turns their back on God’s truth is the possibility that he will give “them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”  God has demonstrated over and over again how patient and longsuffering he is.  But here is one absolute truth we dare not ignore, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal.” (Gen. 6:3)  We only have so much time to find the truth that will set us free.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

America was founded on Christian principles

‎"One of the great strengths of the United States," President Obama said, "is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation" - The President was in Turkey when he denied the Judeo-Christian heritage of America. Is this more evidence that he doesn't know our history or that he denies it?  Or, is the meaning of his words twisted because they were taken out of context?

"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people, they will be called 'sons of the living God.'" - Romans 9:26

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Joseph Kony: The Danger in the Campaign to Capture Joseph Kony

Who would ever deny that Joseph Kony is a very evil man, perhaps even demon possessed.  But the potential of this technique to manipulate the opinion of the masses is troubling.  I don't question the motive of documentarian Jason Russell but lives will be lost as a result of Russell's campaign.  Due to that fact, the references and substantiation for his claims should be exhaustive.  How fearful it would be to garner the support of millions of people who may be ignorant of the facts and manipulate them to destroy an innocent man.  I think the method is controversial and its potential if frightening.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Children's Letters to God

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Adoption: How To Save Someone’s Life

It was a custom in ancient Rome for a father to decide if he wanted to keep his infant children.  Many fathers chose to reject their babies, especially their daughters.  Rejection usually meant the child was taken to a barren place where she eventually died from exposure or was taken away by a wild animal.  This hatred for their own children was a symptom of a worldview, a common thought process that would eventually destroy the structure of the family and a civilization of people.

Christians believe that truth is eternal. New truth cannot be manufactured.  It can only be discovered.  “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)  It is not at all surprising to see that human behavior hasn’t changed much in 2,000 years.  Just like the ancients, we are still sinful creatures.  Modern man affirms daily “that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) 

Modern culture is filled with people who hate their children.  In the U.S. alone we have murdered 50 million unborn babies since Roe vs. Wade in 1973.  We don’t feed them to the wolves but we do rip them limb by limb from the womb and flush their remains into the sewers of America.  We do this for the same reasons the ancient Romans did it.  We choose to murder them because we don’t want to be inconvenienced by them.  Infants are demanding.  They require lots of attention and they claim their own fraction of the family income.  The truth is often too horrendous to comprehend, but, selfish mothers who refuse to share their time and resources are often moved to murder their children.  It is a contract with the devil, the life of their children for the removal of inconvenience.

The Bible records the reconciliation of two feuding brothers.  Jacob was not at all comfortable about meeting his angry brother, Esau.  Setting aside the dynamics of their relationship, or lack thereof, let’s simply look at the question Esau asked Jacob, “Who are these with you?” referring to the passel of women and children following Jacob.  Jacob replied, “These are the children God has graciously given your servant.”  (Gen. 33:5)  Children are a gift of God.  Can you imagine the pain your loved one might feel if your birthday gift or Christmas gift were returned unopened?  We so often return to God his gifts to us, unopened, because we fear what might be within the wrappings.

There is a situational myth many apply when violating God’s 6^th commandment.  They rationalize the murder of the unborn by creating a situation to justify the decision.  “I am still trying to work my way through college, I couldn’t possibly care for a baby.”  “The father doesn’t want anything to do with the baby.”  “I can’t bring a baby into this world by myself.”  “I am too poor, I don’t have enough money.  I am too young.  I’m just not ready for this.”  These are all unfortunate situations but none of them justify the murder of a child.  The Ten Commandments are absolutes truths that apply for all generations of all ages.  God’s command to obey them cannot be altered by our own rationalization, or discomfort or desire.  

24% of Americans make moral choices based on comfort. 1/3 believe in moral truths, 1/3 believe moral truths are based on situations and 1/3 choose not to believe that moral truth even exists. You must be thinking, “How did a Christian society get to this point?  Killing our children with no conscience or fear of repercussion?”    We got here by ignoring God’s word.  We tried to compromise the truth.  We redirected our minds from the absolute truth of God’s word and started chasing rabbits down trails that led to death and confusion.  It began with poor thinking.  “Be careful how you think, your life is shaped by your thoughts.” (Proverbs 4:23)  The way we think shapes the values we will embrace.  Our actions are our values on display.  Thinking leads to values and values determine behavior.  Blindness overcomes us when we demand to find truth in places truth cannot be found.  “If people can’t see what God is doing they stumble all over themselves:  But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (Proverbs 29:18, msg.)

Few Christians would argue the fact that Satan has declared all out war on the American family.  The family is being destroyed by divorce, alcoholism, drug and pornography addictions, abandonment, neglect, etc.  The focus of this paper is the destruction of the family and of human life through the evil of abortion.  What can a Christian do?  How can our churches be more proactive in addressing this destructive, Satanic process of murdering our innocents and destroying our families? 

Christians need to engage.  I love to see Christians standing firm in the battle against this evil.  They write articles, they preach sermons and they carry their placards in front of abortion clinics.  My prayer is that more Christians might experience the joy and blessing of saving a child from abortion through the process of adoption.  What the church must not do is to say no to abortion, or say no to homosexual adoption without providing an alternative.  Adoption clinics abound throughout the nation and they perform a wonderful service but they are also very profit conscience, I know, I adopted six years ago and I’m still paying.  I pray more churches would place adoption on their priority list.

We believe that the best, most stable family for a child to grow up in is a Christian family.  A family that lives by the principles taught in God’s word.  Christ defined pure and undefiled religion as this, “look after orphans and widows in their distress and….keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27)  Let us encourage our young pregnant mothers to see the actual life in her womb by viewing the sonogram.  Let’s find creative ways to help average families finds ways to afford adoption.  Let’s prepare meals, offer to do household chores and care for the other children of families embarking on the journey to adoption.

Let us pray.  Pray that the unborn life will be spared.  Pray that young women will choose to keep and mother their young.   If not, might they choose life for their children by allowing their young to be adopted by mothers who yearn deeply to nourish the innocent and helpless.


Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.