Monday, November 10, 2008

Election '08: 'It Ain't Over 'til it's Over'


For those of you who thought that one of the most heated elections in the history of the United States had finally come to a close on November 4th, you may be interested to hear about this startling new development.

I've gone to a good deal of trouble to verify the authenticity of this story (you might be suprised by the amount of trouble I had in attempting to navigate through the U.S. Supreme Court's website), as most bloggers have simply referenced each-other as sources in this matter. Apparently on October 30th, 2008, Philip J. Berg, lawyer and supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton, filed a Writ of Certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court requesting the review of a lower court's dismissal of Berg's lawsuit "against Barack H. Obama, Jr., the DNC and the other co-Defendants" (source). Why? Philip Berg, along with others, feels that the state of Barack Obama's natural-born citizenship may be in question (the significance of which being that if Obama is not a natural-born citizen, then he is not eligible to run for president of the United States). The buzz seems to be that he may have been born in Kenya. While many have questioned the authenticity of the entire story, the United States Supreme Court authenticates it here. Here's what the docket says:

No. 08-570
Title: Philip J. Berg, Petitioner
v.
Barack Obama, et al.

Docketed: October 31, 2008
Lower Ct: United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Case Nos.: (08-4340)
Rule 11

~~~Date~~~ ~~~~~~~Proceedings and Orders~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oct 30 2008 - Petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment filed. (Response due December 1, 2008)

Oct 31 2008 - Application (08A391) for an injunction pending disposition of the petition for a writ of certiorari, submitted to Justice Souter.

Nov 3 2008 - Supplemental brief of applicant Philip J. Berg filed.

Nov 3 2008 - Application (08A391) denied by Justice Souter.


Note that it states that the response to the Writ of Certiorari is due December 1st, 2008. This means that President-Elect Barack Obama will need to provide a legitimate birth-certificate to the Court by that date. The docket also states that Berg's request for an injunction to delay the November 4th elections was denied by Justice Souter. What can we expect in the coming weeks? It's hard to say, but one thing's for sure: the Supreme Court wouldn't take too well to resistance on the part of the President-Elect. If he doesn't produce the certificate by December 1st, Obama's name may not appear on the ballot on December 13th (the day the Electoral College votes).

In Christ's Love,
Matthew

Monday, November 3, 2008

My Perspective: Election '08


This year's election has been one of the most heated America has ever seen, and with the media discussing the election 24/7, election ads running on television and being sent both in the mail and through e-mail, as well as some pastors even being so bold as to proclaim from the pulpit the candidate they support, many Christians are struggling over who they should vote for tomorrow when the polls open. The question being asked across the board seems to be: What is the Christian way to vote? And many authors and televangelists are quick to offer their responses. For this reason, I would like to make just a short note concerning this year's elections and attempt to offer a reality check as to what a Christian's priorities ought to be concerning politics.

The bottom line is, it isn't our job as Christians to change the world through politics. Just look at the government Israel was under in the New Testament - believe it or not, Rome was far worse than anything we're facing today. Yet Jesus still never once told his disciples to overthrow the government and establish a new, more biblical one. That being said, it's still good to do what we can to keep our country from declining morally even more than it already has. But rather than throw my support behind a particular candidate (as I'm not particularly impressed with any of them, Democrat, Republican, or Independent), I'm proposing a different focus. I propose that we as Christians pray not for change in Washington, but for salvation in Washington. Pray that whoever wins the elections on November 4th will come to know Christ, and that He will change him into a man after His own heart - that would be a far better influence than simply voting for whoever you deem to be the "lesser of evils" out of the current pool of candidates.

In Christ's Love,
Matthew

Pray for Salvation in Washington

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Discovering the New Age Movement - Constance Cumbey Tells Her Story

Constance Cumbey, author of The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, and A Planned Deception, as well as host of the internet radio show My Perspective (Radio Liberty), explains how she first discovered the New Age Movement and its surprising (and overwhelming) influence on modern society and the modern church as well as the Movement's agenda for a 'One World Order.'



I would strongly encourage you to check out her books if you ever get the chance - they're getting harder and harder to find all the time, so I wouldn't get my hopes up for finding them at the local library. If you know me personally, I have them both and should be able to loan them to you for a while - just ask!






In Christ's Love,
Matthew
The Way of the Master