It's our year end fundraiser here at Progressive Christian Ministries. Can you please help PGM stay on the Internet? I run this website at my own expense, and I don't draw a salary, it's 100% volunteer work. Help me keep spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ over the Web. Help me buy more cheeseburgers and fries for our large homeless population as well. Books from $7.95, Christian T-shirts $12.00 or 2 for $20.00, or make a donation in any amount. Tax deductible, free shipping on everything!! Many thanks to all, enjoy your holiday; http://www.pcmatl.org (choose from 'T-shirt fundraiser' or 'books and donations' page, or just click any Pay Pal button).

I Want My Christmas Back!!

The True Spirit Of Christmas

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

This week as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I want to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, and on how Christmas has been twisted and perverted by the dying economic system known as capitalism that we're all stuck living under. Here in the 21^st century, people all over the world are in a holiday feeding frenzy of buying ridiculous amounts of unneeded consumer goods. The only sure outcome of this is for every shopper to wind up even more deeply in debt than they were before Thanksgiving, and to be increasingly insolvent as well. Too many people have collectively forgotten the true reason for the season, the birth of Christ, and they have traded His sacred birth for the blind pursuit of material gain. Instead of worshiping the Son of God, people everywhere are worshiping the almighty dollar and all the goods that it can bring home with them. This is idolatry in its purest form, and as a minister of the Gospel I stand against it!

This rampant money-worshiping has been carried to such extremes over the years that it has carried people from all walks of life past the point of insolvency. As I write this, the average level of indebtedness for any given American is well in excess of 120% of their net worth. In other words, the majority of working Americans are bankrupt, a condition that continues to get worse as time marches on. Clearly this trek into the economic wasteland of bankruptcy is unsustainable. A full two-thirds of the US economy is powered by consumer spending. The true unemployment rate in this country stands at around 15% or more here at the end of 2015, because the government doesn't count those who have given up looking for work as well as those who are working part-time when full-time employment is required. While all this is happening, the US government continues to spend $12 billion per week (see the Defense department or GAO websites) on overseas military excursions, which is similarly unsustainable. The bottom line here is that such obscene levels of spending, which is exacerbated by the Christmas shopping season, will eventually cause the American economy to implode on itself due to corruption from within and crushing debt levels from without. And this may well happen sooner rather than later, so be warned!

We call the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday". This ominous sounding moniker, which reminds me of the 1970's Steely Dan song by the same name, is actually a forecast of good tidings, especially if one is a retailer. No matter how poorly retail sales have been throughout the year, the giant retailers whose CEO's and top managers rake in millions and millions of dollars per year for themselves can count on Americans to put themselves, their families and other loved ones at risk by spending money that they don't have on gifts that people don't need. Consequently, the wealthy captains of retail can be certain that their profits will be in "the black" starting on the day after Thanksgiving through December 25.

Many Americans who call themselves Christians claim that they place themselves more deeply in debt starting on the day after Thanksgiving as a way to celebrate the birth of a very special Man. As with all religions, not all Christians practice their faith in the same manner. Not all Christians see the full month before the day on which this man was supposed to have been born as a time to fret over the equity with which they part with the money they borrow. Not all Christians use this time to become agitated, depressed and even angry because of the internal and external conflicts they suffer over the distribution of gifts purchased with borrowed money. However, the man, obviously the man that people today refer to as Jesus Christ, was an extremely special Man. This Man is so special that we began counting time once again based upon the year in which he was born. Therefore, many of those who call themselves “followers” or “Christians”, feel the need to become more reckless, not only with their financial standing, but with the Earth's natural resources like the water we drink or the air we breathe. I have had a belly full of this worldwide consumer insanity! Moreover, this consumerism is consuming the consciousness of my fellow Americans as we lose our fiscal minds more and more each year!

It's really not that important, however, to debate the historical narrative of the life and times of Jesus Christ. What's important is that the part of the Word that's dedicated to that life and time emphasizes what many would today call "democratic socialism" (see 2^nd Corinth. 8: 13-15; Acts 2: 42-47 and Acts 4: 32-37). Although it's written that, at times, Jesus Christ warned anyone who would listen that they'd better believe in his words and follow his lead and direction lest they spend eternity experiencing unimaginable torture, torment and agony, the bulk of the writing about Jesus Christ describes giving to those less fortunate, plus social and economic inclusion, and world peace. What a different outlook we would have if, every day, from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas, the goal for those with an overabundance was to search for those who don't have any and, when they find them, give them what they need! Why, it would be just like the unconditional love and peace that Jesus Christ taught us about! You know, being more Christ-like, not hoarding money and goods for oneself, and putting the needs of others ahead of ourselves. That Jesus. The real deal.

What is the available alternative to this? Last year, two people were trampled to death on "Black Friday" as they callously stormed into the money changers' temples. Refusing to participate in this annual orgy of consumption is much more in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. But the ugly truth is that this behavior is in large part due to American culture, similar to gun ownership. America is the world's top arms manufacturer. There are more guns in American homes than in all the other countries of the world combined. We as a people, as I've written in the past, have some serious soul-searching to do about what it is we really value. As you read just above, America has now become so violent that we can't even go shopping on Black Friday anymore without risking accidental death! And, all this is happening within what is supposedly the greatest country in the world! Lately I've begun to wonder about that. Hey, I'm just one guy trying to turn the time of year that's always fallaciously referred to as a time of "peace on earth and good will toward men" into entire years of "peace on earth and good will toward men."

This week's Bible study will be 2nd Timothy chapter one

A Spirit of Power Given From God

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

Today we will begin an in-depth study from a Progressive Christian point of view of Paul's 2^nd letter to Timothy, better known as Second Timothy. As we open today's study, we find the apostle Paul writing a letter of encouragement to Timothy. As you will see, Paul has been imprisoned once again for preaching the Gospel. He is exhorting Timothy in his absence to keep up his good work for the Lord, and even more importantly, to continue to keep himself pure in his daily walk with Christ – just as we all should strive to be perfecting ourselves in our own lives. So without further comment, let's begin at the first verse of chapter one.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy chapter one, verses 1-7, NIV)

The first thing that jumps out at me here is Paul calling Timothy “my dear son”. Since there is mention of only Timothy's mother and grandmother, and none of his father, I think it is reasonable to assume that Timothy's biological father probably died when Timothy was still young. So Paul, in effect, is telling Timothy that he should consider himself adopted. He hadn't had an earthly father in his youth, so Paul evidently took up the responsibility for his mentoring and coaching, as we can clearly see here. I grew up in a foster home, and my foster-dad died just after my 12^th birthday, so I also know what it's like to grow up without a father. But an Old Testament prophet wrote, “You are my son; today I have become your father, thus says the Lord your God”. I can personally attest to the fact that all of the kids who grew up without dads can take great consolation in knowing that we each have a heavenly Father who looks down on us and guides us, who protects us from harm, and who seeks a personal relationship with each of us. The Lord God Almighty is our heavenly Father who is our provider and our protector, of that you can all be sure. Moreover, God sent his only Son to save the world from its numerous sins, and Jesus Christ was in fact executed by the Roman Empire by being nailed to a cross, and He became the ultimate sacrifice by substituting himself for the animal sacrifices of several thousand years ago. Then, after lying in a borrowed grave for three days and three nights, Jesus Christ became the only man in recorded history who ever rose from the dead and gain immortality. That's the gift God has given every one of us, the gift of salvation through eternal life in Christ. Now that's what I call having an awesome dad!!

“Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.” Evidently Paul and Timothy had been together long before Paul had been locked up, or Timothy may have visited Paul in prison. Either way, their parting was apparently an emotional one. This is noteworthy because it was 2,000 years ago, and so to see grown men weeping must have been very rare back then. They have an unmistakable affection for one another. Paul then makes reference to Timothy's upbringing as being the reason for his being filled with the Holy Spirit, which he undoubtedly was. All you parents should take note of this because it is still just as applicable today. It is absolutely crucial in a child's development to bring them up in the ways and teachings of Jesus Christ. This doesn't necessarily mean everybody suddenly has to become religious, which is defined as dogma that originates from the minds of imperfect men. But the teachings of Jesus Christ are taken right out of the Bible, and they are interpreted exactly as they are written. The teachings of Jesus Christ supersedes religion and all things religious.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God … For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” The Bible says repeatedly that God is “a consuming fire”, and I'm certain that that's what Paul was referring to when he wrote these words. If God is a consuming fire, then we fan the flame that personifies the gift of God. We do this by acts of faith, hope, charity and being merciful to others whether we think they deserve it or not. Paul wrote that God's Spirit is the exact opposite of timid. That Spirit is one of unimaginable power, unconditional love, self-discipline and with great fortitude. While mere men and women like ourselves have physical and mental limitations, God has no such limitations. Therefore that which He can do for us, if only we will ask him with humility and thankfulness, has no limits at all. Bearing that in mind, let's conclude today's study starting at verse eight.

“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the Gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.” (2 Timothy chapter 1, verses 8-18, NIV)

“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord … who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus...”. In the same way that Paul was charging Timothy with the task of spreading the Gospel, we as readers are similarly charged with this same task. By the same token, that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone should take the first available plane or boat to the 3^rd world country of their choice and become missionaries. Not everyone is called to be a missionary, nor are all evangelists, teachers, helpers, musicians and administrators, and so on. But those who don't stand in front of groups or go to churches and preach or teach aren't excused from spreading the Gospel. If we're not called to step up to a microphone (and not everyone is), then we should be leading and witnessing by example. How well do we treat others? Are we compassionate, considerate and generous? Do we stop first before acting and ask, “What would Jesus do?” 

 

Nothing that we do on our own, no matter how well-intentioned, can enable us to come home and be with God for all eternity when our bodies wear out and die. Only Jesus, and no one else, can save us from our sins against God. “All have sinned”, king David wrote, “and fallen short of the glory of God”. So by the grace of Jesus Christ, which was given to us before the beginning of time, we are saved from condemnation and by no other means. “And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed... ”. Paul was appointed to be a herald and a teacher for the Gospel of Jesus. In a way so am I, although in my case “apostle” might be stretching it a little bit. As you all can clearly see by my writings, I am not the least bit ashamed of my faith either. Although I am not suffering for my faith, I don't draw a salary or derive much income from this web site. I don't do this for the money, I do this as a form of praise unto God, “through whom all blessings flow”. Paul wrote that he knew full well what he believed in, and so do I, so we are at least somewhat alike in that regard.

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” In the same way, what you read here from me, try to put it into practice in the most practical and user-friendly way that you can. As I wrote earlier, there is no singular way to praise and worship God, and to lift up the most holy and sacred name of Jesus. There are a myriad of ways to do this. If you're not sure how to proceed, pause and talk to God about it. There's never a charge for consulting with His Majesty the Lord. Pray to him and ask for guidance. He loves you immeasurably and will be very happy to assist you. Until next time, let go and let God be your guide.

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

The Bible and the State of Political Dissent in America

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

For the last few years I have been watching as political dissent has unfolded worldwide, first in form of the Arab Spring, then the Occupy and 99% Movements, and most recently the rage that has boiled over in Ferguson, Mo. and numerous other places, with the greatest of interest, maybe even fascination. I have written and published two books about these worldwide political and social movements, with more in the works (stay tuned). It is captivating to watch all of the demonstrators stand up and make their voices heard, and it is inspiring to see thousands of Davids going to battle with the government Goliaths, especially knowing that “we the people” will win again just like David did. One by one, the world's dictators and America's racial barriers are falling, and it all started with one man in Tunisia setting himself on fire. One guy! And now the civil unrest over what amounts to the extreme abuse of authority has spread all across the US, as I pointed out above. Today as I write this there are organized demonstrations or grassroots organizations in all 50 states and in Washington DC. All these protests highlight the need for authentic equality, more economic opportunity, the right to decent housing and to a living wage, the right to unqualified access to health care and higher education, and for the elimination of poverty, hunger, crime and disease. Lately this has also begun to include an end to all wars, and of the extreme abuse of power by a few firmly entrenched bigots and haters. This, my dear readers, is the stuff that really matters to real people, the ones who are caring and compassionate and who show empathy and mercy towards others by putting aside personal differences. What is needed today is more people who are focused on the needs of others, and a lot less on themselves.

In order for workers throughout the world to make the case for their right to organize without fear of reprisal, it is essential that they be completely unified. To live and work in unity means that relatively large groups can organize and demonstrate globally for the common good, particularly in matters regarding basic human rights. United we stand and divided we fall, so it is always in our best interests to stand united with a common purpose. Unity is what enabled the early thirteen colonies to throw Great Britain off the North American continent and back home to England. Unity is what repaired the United States after the American Civil War and paved the way for a reunited America that established the remainder of the 48 contiguous states by the turn of the twentieth century. Unity is what allowed America to win two world wars. We have since lost some of that unity, partly due to apathy, ignorance and fear, but largely due to being intimidated by abusive authoritarians of the US military-industrial-incarceration complex. People have become tired of getting pushed around and being told what to do by cold, uncaring political and economic systems whose sole purpose for existence is profit. Jesus himself made a timeless comment about this at the 'sermon on the mount' when He said, “No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”. (Matt. Chapter 6, verse 24) Meaning, anyone who is devoted to the pursuit of profit despises God whether he or she realizes it or not.

In spite of all the raw greed in today's world, I have observed that many other people everywhere are finally beginning to wake up, and they're figuring out that we can get our country back from the crooked Wall Street bankers that robbed the US Treasury via the 2008 government bailout (but only after cleaning out the retirement savings of millions of innocent Americans beforehand). God has already given us the power to resist evil through the power of His Word, and so has the US Constitution and its predecessor, the Declaration of Independence. If we pray to God for this Holy Spirit power of resistance to evil, and do so believing that we will receive it while maintaining a thankful heart, He will give it to us freely. Remember what Jesus taught us? “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. Chapter 7, verses 7-8 NIV) When Jesus gives, that means without limits, people. By the same token, if one will not bother to seek, ask or knock, that person should not be surprised when they find themselves destitute, homeless and hungry. Just as surely as people have united in the Arab world against tyranny, as Labor Unions and affiliated workers in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana stood up against the attempted liquidation of their political and economic clout, and as surely as Ferguson Mo. burned last summer, so will there be massive civil unrest right here in the United States because of the tyranny of capitalism of, by and for the very rich, and because of the tyranny of consumerism and materialism that has us all completely infiltrated! Not to mention the fact that the police these days are shooting at anything that moves. But if we don't start fighting back, we will wind up with zilch at best, or cooped up in some FEMA camp somewhere, or maybe even dead.

It is disturbing to see the apparent lack of unity that still remains in the US, particularly regarding the negative slant that the mainstream media is showing on cable TV. It makes me wonder what is happening to America? Why are we yelling and screaming at each other in town hall meetings? Why have television and radio talk shows degenerated into shouting matches? Why do hate-filled messages permeate the Internet on all sides? What has happened to us as a people? There is a poison flowing through the body politic of America, it will torpedo and sink our democracy unless the flow is shut off, and that poison's name is corruption. Those on the far-left accuse the far-right of being fascist Neanderthals while those on the far-right accuse the far-left of being heathen Communists. This kind of immature stereotyping and deliberate polarization of America threatens to tear the fabric of our country apart. Actually, the far-left and the far-right have more in common then they would ever want to admit. Both sides are absolutist in their ideology and uncompromising in their politics. They see no shades of gray, only black and white. Each side believes that they possess absolute truth and each side refuses to compromise on its beliefs. That's why I identify with neither, which is why I'm a political independent and always will be. I refuse to identify my Internet church with any church denominations for similar reasons.

What particularly troubles me in today's political environment is the level of anger and even outright hatred that is being displayed. I have been trying to figure out the source of this anger and hatred for some time now. Some of today's rabid emotionalism can be traced to old-fashioned racism but I think for many people it goes deeper than that. I would suggest that this anger and hatefulness is really a response to the fear of change. Fear is an emotion we don't like in ourselves and anger is a way of covering up our fears with an emotion that makes us feel more powerful. Anger, then, is like a drug, and like a drug it can become habit-forming. The antidote, then, is to face our fears and see them for what they are: being afraid of negative outcomes that either never happen, or that get negated by some other positive force, person or event. We live in a world where society, technology, the economy and demographics are rapidly changing and this change is deeply threatening to many people. They are frightened that the world they have known is disappearing. This deep internal fear of change produces an angered response that is directed toward an outward target such as Wall Street bankers, the government or even immigrants. We repress our fear by directing our anger toward someone or something outside of ourselves. If we want American democracy to survive, some of us need to grow up. We need to stop yelling at each other and learn to start listening to each other. Everybody can't be right about everything all of the time! We need to accept the reality of change and begin working together to find productive ways of dealing with a world that is constantly changing, and doing so for the mutual benefit of all. The needs of the many, Mr. Spock once said, outweigh the needs of the few. You see, the future in which this idyllic truism exists has already arrived.

The fact is that America has been and is built upon compromise. Our great experiment in democracy is founded upon the belief that each issue has many sides and that the most workable solution comes from a compromise that blends together many disparate views. Compromise is the glue that holds America together. Change is inevitable. It's the way the universe is constructed. The fact that time exists means that change must occur. Rather than fear change, we need to make it work for our benefit. Rather than trying to go back and trying to fix the past (why bother?), we need to work together to create a better future, to literally manufacture an entirely new world. If the American experiment is going to grow and mature, 'we the people' have to grow and mature. We have to put our irrational fears behind us and start working together as mature adults in order to deal successfully with the challenges that change presents to us, such as saving our planet and getting ample food and clean water to the 2.5 billion human beings who currently have no access to either. Those who refuse to help the most vulnerable individuals make themselves accessories to manslaughter on a global scale. What am I talking about here? Fifty thousand per day. That's how many children under the age of 12 starve to death each day globally. Fifty thousand. Those who refused to help them helped kill them all with not so much as a second thought.

It's time to refocus and to stop the childish name-calling – from the presidential primaries all the way down to you and me – and to start having rational, thoughtful discussions about the issues before us. It's time to turn away from those in the media and on the Internet who feed our fears and fuel our prejudices. It's time to start respecting each other as fellow Americans regardless of our individual differences. It's time for all of us to become part of the solution. Waiting on the government to act is pointless! Each of us must stand up for a fundamental American truth – united we stand, divided we fall. As Americans we absolutely must stand together. We must totally reject the anger and hatefulness that is dividing us and start using our God-given common sense to work together for the common good. Living in competition only grinds us down, but achieving through mutual cooperation lifts everyone up. Competition may be a good thing in the business world, but it is counterproductive for human relationships. We must either learn to live in harmony or perish. The choice is ours.

This week's Bible study will be 1st Timothy chapter 6

Setting the Record Straight About Wealth and Money

[1^st Timothy chapter 6]

Last week when we finished chapter five of 1^st Timothy, we read the apostle Paul warning Timothy about entanglement in the sins of others. Some sins, Paul wrote, go ahead of those who are sinning, which is the true origin of a bad reputation. Other sins, Paul wrote, follow after those who are sinning, and so those who are on the receiving end of those type of sins don't find out until it's too late. So, the really sneaky sinners – who do so deliberately and repeatedly – are (sometimes) clever enough to conceal the true purpose of their activities. The ones whose sins go before them, who have the worst reputations, aren't as innovative or imaginative, but they are so ruthless about achieving their objectives in life that they often don't care who knows what they are up to or not. So Timothy, who was likely in his twenties at the time the apostle Paul was writing this, was being warned about shady characters who ingratiate themselves within churches for their personal gain. Bearing that in mind, in this sixth and final chapter of 1^st Timothy, Paul moves on from direct threats within the Body of Christ to the root cause of the above mentioned sins – greed.

“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them. If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree with the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to Godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about the words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1st Timothy chapter six, verses 1-10, NIV)

As to verse one where slavery is mentioned, some would dismiss this as something from a bygone era when slavery was an institution and a way of life. In actuality, this first verse of chapter six is very applicable today in an era of falling wages, long-term unemployment (particularly for the older and most experienced workers), human trafficking, and the epidemic of homelessness. To put this into perspective, the Federal Reserve was established a century ago in 1913. Using that as a benchmark for the buying power of the dollar and figuring economic inflation into the equation, one dollar in 1913 is worth four cents today. (By the way, that works out to an inflation rate over the last 100 years of just over 2,000%! So, if you hear anyone in or out of church that says hyper-inflation is coming because it's mentioned in Biblical prophecy, I've got some news for those people. Hyper-inflation is already here, it started 100 years ago, and it was done in a really sneaky way. Wake up, people! The economic futures of your grand-children have already been stolen from them!!) At any rate, this ties in with modern slavery around the world. Individual take-home pay no longer covers even the most basic essentials for modern living. If your income is less than your monthly expenses, you're a slave, like it or not. I would rather be vilified for telling the truth than be popular for telling a lie, but that's just the way it is. But due respect is still due to your employer despite all this. You don't have to like them, but that does not excuse us from being the best employee we can possibly be. Remember that God is watching us. The best revenge in such circumstances is to save up enough money to start your own business.

“Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers ... These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.” If your boss or supervisor is a born-again believer like yourself, we are to be good workers here on earth while maintaining our Spiritual equality, since all are equal in the sight of God. Lead by example to your co-workers, and if you have children then that goes double. Do it all for the glory of the Lord as a Spiritual act of praise to Almighty God, and He will reward you. Trust me on this point because I'm speaking from experience. “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree with the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to Godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about the words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men … who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” Sounds familiar, doesn't it? If anyone teaches subject matter in or out of church that contradicts the Word of God, they are guilty of propagating false doctrines and bogus “religion”. Today in the US alone there are well over 400 different Protestant denominations alone, and all are teaching just as many different versions of Christianity. All of these various divisions within the greater Church even preach against one another, and some even condemn each other. They are forgetting that judgment and condemnation (or not) is God's job and not ours. Instead, we are to love our enemies because Jesus said that this is mandatory, not optional. “If you love me”, Jesus said, “keep my commandments”.

There are those “who think that godliness is a means to financial gain”, and these people are seriously in error, to put it mildly. This looks and reads like the modern-day purveyors of the so-called “prosperity gospel”. If you want to get anything from God, they tell us, you must first give, and money is the primary thing they seek to obtain. The truth of the matter is that God doesn't need our money. Granted, the church needs some positive cash flow to remain solvent. The rent or mortgage on the building must be paid, ditto for the light bill, plus the pastor's needs and those of his/her family, and let's not forget about community outreach while we're at it. But giving to the church for the sole express purpose of getting something back in return, such as a new car and a bigger house that probably wasn't really needed in the first place, is diametrically opposed to the teachings of Christ as well as the writings of the apostle Paul. In point of fact, quite the reverse is true. When we give, we do so out of an intense desire to help support the church of our choice. Nothing is expected in return since our contributions are done not out of a sense of duty, but out of love for God, as it is written, “God loves a cheerful giver”. Those who think that financial success and the Gospel of Christ go hand-in-hand are way off the mark. They have been completely deceived. Break the chains of the prosperity gospel and set yourselves free! Remember what Jesus said: “You cannot worship both God and money”.

“But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap ...”. There you go, everyone, the proof is in the Spiritual pudding. As you can see, Paul – like Christ before him – was what we would call a minimalist in the early 21^st century. They, like myself, scoff at those who think that material wealth somehow makes one a better person. In fact, quite the reverse is true as you can see. I try to practice this very thing myself. I'm retired and on a fixed income. I don't derive a salary from this website, or from whatever blog you may be reading at the moment. It's not that I don't need one, but it's nice that once in a while somebody comes along and makes a donation or purchases a book or a t-shirt. Still, the fact that I'm not very prosperous usually doesn't bother me much. I no longer own a car and I have never owned property. I use Atlanta's public transit system to get around. I sneer at million-dollar houses and cars with six-figure price tags. And I, as an unpaid but nevertheless well-rewarded ambassador for Jesus Christ, have also in recent years become a minimalist who has no use for the phony trappings of material wealth. I have sufficient food and clothing, a nice new apartment, but few material possessions. I quit the rat race of capitalism for the simple life, and I'm glad I did. Try it for yourself and you'll see what I mean. Hint: the simple life lowers your blood pressure.

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves with many griefs.” This is likely the most misquoted verse in the entire Bible. “Money is the root of all evil”, as the old saying goes. But the apostle Paul wrote that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”. Although I seriously doubt that God wants us all to be rich, I'm absolutely sure that he does want us to be comfortable and contented. The pursuit of wealth, or materialism, is a trap laid by Satan for all who are convinced that material pursuits are good, maybe even beneficial. But that is true only to a certain extent. For example, I'm a retired IT professional. I owned my own computer store and repair shop all through the 1990's, and I know what it means to have a six-figure income, and what it takes to be able to make payroll, pay the rent and utilities, have enough cash flow built into each sale to replace what I sold and still turn a profit. I've been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt! But my customers were driving me crazy, and competent help back then was very hard to find. My ownership of this business for over 8 years, especially towards the end, was more a curse than a blessing. I seriously doubt whether I will ever own a retail store-front operation like the one I had, and I am not sad about it in the slightest way. I left all that stress behind while I moved on. Those individuals reading this whose lives are dominated by stress would be wise to find a way to do the same. Having said all that, let's move on and finish up 1^st Timothy.

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness and faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time – God, the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.” (1^st Timothy chapter six, verses 11-21, NIV)

The first thing that I notice as I type this Spiritual message is Paul calling Timothy a “man of God”. To have the apostle Paul call anybody – not just Timothy – a man of God would be the ultimate compliment for any Christian. I would surely receive such acclimation from Paul in total humility and thankfulness just as I would if I were told this by Billy Graham or someone else of equal stature. And what does it take to be a Godly person? Paul defined it for us all when he wrote, “... pursue righteousness, godliness and faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called”... We are charged with the task of being a God-loving people who are righteous, faithful, loving and gentle, but with the greatest of endurance. “Fight the good fight of the faith”. We are commissioned to be peaceful and gentle, to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ, but we are also continuing to work on fighting evil, opposing inequality, standing up against social and economic injustice, and being a proponent of world peace.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God … In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” Here we see Paul reminding Timothy one last time about the futility of the pursuit of materialism. Wealth is so uncertain – just ask anybody who lost money in the stock market, and there's a lot more of them than Wall Street would care to admit. Instead of laying up riches on earth, store up Spiritual wealth in heaven which lasts for eternity – unlike your bank account, which will evaporate when the US dollar gets devalued, which is a certainty by the year 2020 at the latest, and maybe even sooner than that. “ Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge...”. I'm quite sure that Paul was referring to the advancement of science, which in those days proclaimed that the sun revolved around the earth, and that there were only seven planets. This was during a time when over 90% of the population was illiterate. Although science has made several quantum leaps since then, mankind is struggling to catch up. But, that's another topic for some other time. Until then, take good care, and let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Ending Gun Violence by Ending Inequality

Is Human Equality Ordained By God? Can It Stop the Violence?

By Pastor Paul J. Bern

Since the dawn of time itself mankind has been plagued by violence. The first instance can be found in the Bible in the book of Genesis. Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God, and God accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's because Cain offered his sacrifice with an impure heart. So Cain became jealous of Abel and killed him in the first murder in recorded history. As time marched on and the earth's population grew, tribes and nations rose up against each other and took prisoners who then became slaves, and the industry of human trafficking was born as master lorded it over slave, marking the advent of mass inequality. This social and societal scourge of inequality grew exponentially throughout the ages, with the beginning of the end of slavery marked by the end of the American civil war of the 1860's, the war with more American casualties than any other. Today the institution of slavery, human sex trafficking and smuggling of illegal aliens continues to thrive, and all are a form of social injustice as far as I am concerned. As such they are absolutely immoral.

In the late 1700's, the French revolution was happening in Europe at about the same time that the American Revolution was unfolding in colonial America. These two separate but related events in human history marked the beginning of the modern concept of human equality. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln heralded the next significant step towards social equality as it criminalized slavery. But nothing more occurred for another 80 years, until the US military ended racial segregation within its ranks in 1948. At about the same time, Mahatma Gandhi initiated a new equality movement in India that resulted in India's independence from Great Britain. By the 1950's the US civil rights movement began gaining momentum, led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rev. Dr. King was, first and foremost, a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was from the Bible that he obtained much of his inspiration for the American civil rights movement, although he also used the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as frames of reference to add justification to the American social upheaval that he thankfully instigated. And so this week's sermon will highlight three passages from the Bible that Rev. Dr. King no doubt used for his own inspiration, and here is the first one.

“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written, 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.'” (2 Corinthians 8: verses 13-15 NIV)

“...Your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality...”. The apostle Paul, who wrote these words nearly 2,000 years ago, is saying that we are to be mutually beneficial to one another when it comes to our physical and/or material needs and wants. Under no circumstances is any one person or group to have significantly more necessities than any other person or group, nor may any one person or group acquire an excess of anything at the expense of any other. There is no reason other than pure selfishness for one person or group to have a surplus of food while another goes hungry. There is no reason for one to have plenty of clean clothes to wear while another is dressed in rags, or to have a warm coat while another has none, except that certain people find themselves excluded from any opportunity they could have to improve themselves, to aspire to be something or someone more than they currently are, just so others can have more. There is no reason other than pure selfishness for one person or group to have a roof over their head while another sleeps in their car, a tent or under a bridge. Even the cave men lived in caves!And in these examples I am only talking about basic necessities. When it comes to luxury items this line of reasoning applies even more so. With so much wealth in the world, especially with such a large percentage of wealth concentrated in the hands of relatively few people, I find it unconscionable to hoard too much wealth and material goods to ourselves while others less fortunate than ourselves go without. Remember what Jesus said, and it's in all four gospels. Don't take my word for it, go and read it for yourself. Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man (or woman) to enter the kingdom of heaven”.

Material wealth is a distraction that takes our eyes and our focus off God. The more earthly goods we accumulate, the less we think about our spiritual needs. The less we think about our spiritual needs, the less we think about God. Prosperity, while it can be a good thing when it is in the right hands, is most often that which alienates us from God and from our spiritual selves. When our lives are over and we die, it is our souls that live on while our physical bodies get left behind. The more spiritual we were during our lives on earth, the greater our faith is in Jesus. Our eternity in heaven is directly proportional to our spiritual existence on earth, but too much emphasis on material gain and possessions neutralizes our spirituality. Remember what Jesus said when He taught the crowds that followed after Him, “What does it matter if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?” In the very next book in the New Testament Paul makes additional comments concerning equality.

“You are all sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3: verses 26-29 NIV)

“ But when the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a woman, born under law to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His son into our hearts, the Spirit that calls out, 'Abba, Father'. So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has also made you an heir.” (Galatians 4: verses 4-7 NIV)

All of humankind, then, are equals under Jesus Christ because God has made it so according to Scripture. It is therefore immoral, unethical and sinful to discriminate, prejudge, or to hold in contempt any other human being regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic origin, or because of their religious background and their faith (or the lack thereof), or because of their gender, age, or their marital, social or economic status, or sexual orientation or political affiliation. Any person who does any of the above things that I have just written is guilty of holding in contempt that which God has made, and by extension holds God Himself in contempt. And that is blasphemy in its highest form. The Bible teaches that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the only sin that God can't forgive. Any person who deliberately commits this sin will be eternally condemned when they die. I don't know about you, but condemnation is not in any of my future plans. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Based on this Scriptural teaching which is the irrefutable Word of God, I know with certainty that any person who hates another for any reason is without excuse. The apostle John said, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in Him.” (1^st John chapter 3, verse 15) There can therefore be no racial hatred, nor can there be any hatred of one religion or religious denomination by another (Hey ISIS! Hey Taliban! Hey Christian right-wingers! Y'all go back and read that one more time!!), nor can there be any hatred of those who are economically disadvantaged such as the homeless, nor can there be any hatred of gay people just because one considers them 'immoral', nor can there be any hatred of liberals or conservatives, or any other form of intolerance (such as age and gender discrimination). This is the very essence of true Spiritual belief. God put diverse groups of people and cultures on this earth all together in order to teach us, among other things, tolerance of one another. Once tolerance takes root, it leads to communication. Communication in turn leads to understanding, understanding then leads to empathy and empathy to compassion. And when we have compassion for one another, that invariably leads to peace. Peace will inevitably lead to an end to war, poverty, crime and sickness, and with it inequality. What a wonderful world that would be, and it is all within our grasp if we will only embrace tolerance and renounce violence. Let us therefore join together in tolerance, communication, understanding, empathy, compassion and peace. Since the majority of us claim to be Christians, we proclaim ourselves to worship the Prince of Peace. That means we had better be emulating Jesus Christ by becoming peaceful people. And that is how we will all make the world a better place, starting with ourselves. Shalom!

Global Climate Change Fulfilment of Psalm 83

This week's Bible study will be the rest of 1st Timothy chapter 5

Advice From the Apostle Paul to Church Elders

and Those Who Aspire To Be

[1^st Timothy chapter 5, verses 15-25]

Today we will be finishing up the fifth chapter of First Timothy from verses fifteen to twenty-five. As we begin today we find the apostle Paul finishing his thoughts about widows and how they should be living. Evidently there were at least a few widows who were living it up, and others within the various churches were complaining about it. Apparently word of this had reached Paul, compelling him to intervene. As we begin at verse 16, Paul weighs in on how the more prosperous women should be more willing to assist the most needy and elderly ones.

“If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help the widows who are really in need. The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, 'Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain', and 'The worker deserves his wages'. Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that others may take warning.” (1^st Timothy chapter 5, verses 16-20, NIV)

“If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help the widows who are really in need.” Here we can see in stark detail the difference between what life was like in Paul's time compared to what it is today. Back then, the care of the sick and the elderly was viewed as being one of the primary functions of the church community. This tradition remained much the same way up until around the 1930's during the Great Depression era. The enactment of the Social Security Act of 1935 was the beginning of the end of this tradition, as government took on – I would call it usurped – the care of the sick and the elderly. To exacerbate the situation, some of the churches (never mind which ones, that's not important) became slack in their duties to tend to the needs of the poor, having been given the mistaken impression by the government of that era that, “Your good old Uncle Sam has everything under control”. As anyone who has ever dealt with the majority of the US federal government knows, nothing could be further from the truth. At any rate, the greater Church recognized and began to correct this error when President Kennedy launched his “war on poverty” campaign back in the early 1960's, with the established churches both great and small being inspired by his example. This war on poverty that John F. Kennedy started still resounds today, and I am honored and feel privileged to be a part of it.

“The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” Notice that it says those who direct the church's affairs well are most commendable, not just 'those who direct the church'. I see too many pastors today who have turned their churches into profitable enterprises by buying airtime on Christian TV stations for the sole express purpose of soliciting donations. These people are in the ministry for all the wrong reasons, and I prophesy that God will deal with each of them most severely according to what he or she has done. “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that others may take warning.” How would you like to be involved in a church like that? Getting caught up in a shady business deal, or cheating on one's spouse, or getting caught up in a law enforcement sting operation would, in that eventuality, get any of us vilified right in front of the entire congregation, much to the complete shame and embarrassment of those who would be accused. Now there's something that would instantly cause the genuine fear of God to be firmly planted in the hearts of men and women all over this planet! Bearing that in mind, let's move on now and finish today's study.

“I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and do nothing out of favoritism. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.” (1^st Timothy chapter 4, verses 21-24, NIV)

“I charge you ... to keep these instructions without partiality, and do nothing out of favoritism.” These are timeless instructions, no question about it. Plus, impartiality applies equally to churches as well as businesses. Would any of us run a business favoring one or more employees over the others, or pastor a church showing favoritism to certain members of the congregation while excluding others? Of course not! Yet sadly there are a few – and thank God it's not a majority – who are doing this very thing both in the workplace and at houses of worship. I can practically hear God telling me right now that those who do not confess their sins and repent of them will be dealt with most severely on the Day of Judgment. “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.” Paul was referring to the laying on of hands during prayer for any individual who was sick and asking for healing. Not sharing in the sins of others and keeping ourselves pure are self-explanatory. They should be put into practice from the time we get up until the time we go to sleep at night.

“Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” This is a Scripture, or one of them, that I quote whenever I find myself talking to any Christian who thinks that abstinence from alcoholic beverages is a way into heaven. That is actually only true up to a point. If anyone feels any conviction about their drinking, they should stop. By the same token, if there is one who struggles with addiction, there is certainly no shame in asking for help. This would be an instance where I think the “laying on of hands” would be very appropriate. Just remember that Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine, and it is documented that there were at least two glasses of wine consumed at the Last Supper. Those two facts alone shoot down the argument that one must be a teetotaler in order to be born again. As we have just read, even the apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes.

“The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.” The sins of some go before them because of bad reputations. But the sins of the sneaky and the trickster, no matter how cunning they may be, will sneak back up on them in the end. I think it's safe to say that none of us wants to be the unlucky recipient of either of those two fates. Instead, follow Paul's advice. If you want to be a person who has no need to prove themselves to others, then spend as much time as you can involved in contributing to the betterment of others. It doesn't matter what you do or how you go about it, just do what works best for you and for your clients or church members. People who spend their days making positive contributions in the service of others build good reputations that last a lifetime. Even those deeds which aren't very obvious, even if they are deliberately hidden, will still emerge sooner or later, and always at just the right moment. Jesus said it best: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. God isn't nearly as interested in how much you donate to the church each month as he is in how you treat those around you, or how well you treat people you don't know, especially when no one else is looking. Let's focus on that until next time. Let's love our neighbors as ourselves just as Jesus taught us. Since the world is an infinitely smaller place than it was during the time of Christ, that means our love must by default extend outward globally from each of us. Let's continue to practice that until next time, when we'll be finishing up First Timothy. Shalom!

Thanksgiving wasn't so happy for everyone

More Volunteers Needed To Serve The Homeless

All Year, Not Just During the Holidays

by Rev. Paul J. Bern

Another Thanksgiving has gone by, and I have once again seen the usual fanfare on various media about hundreds of volunteers coming out to feed the homeless this past week. It then occurred to me that, besides Thanksgiving and Christmas, what do all these homeless people do the remaining 363 days of the year? Before you say, “Get a darn job!”, allow me to point out that I once wound up homeless myself. I never thought I would end up homeless. I thought I was well educated and diligent enough to avoid that fate. I also had the opinion that, since I was in the computer field, there would always be plenty of work. It used to be that a busy man was a prosperous man, but that's no longer true. It's been over 7 years since I have been in that kind of potentially dangerous predicament, but the memories are still fresh in between my ears. After spending the final 7 years of my former IT career working a series of 'temp' jobs that eventually ran out in 2008, I wound up homeless after using up the last of my resources. I am far from being a lazy man – I worked for 35 years. But I developed significant medical problems when I hit my fifties, so now I'm semi-retired while trying to carve out another career as a writer and minister. But my point right here is that homelessness can happen to nearly anybody, except for the rich. My 21 years in IT and the technology businesses did not exempt me or insulate me from the effects of an American economy that has been in a tailspin for years. My current home and office, along with the church I attend, are located in what can only be described as a blighted neighborhood about 2 miles west of downtown Atlanta. I am seeing encouraging signs lately that this run-down area where I live is slowly undergoing a gradual transformation that will someday convert this area into a live/work/play green space surrounded by residential streets lined with newly remodeled houses, many of which date back to before World War II.

Unfortunately, the reality today is that about one third of the houses I just mentioned are currently boarded up, and some of them haven't been lived in for many years. Since there are a lot of transient and homeless people in this poverty-stricken area, a lot of them are currently living in these abandoned homes with no electricity or running water. Consequently, we have men, women and children living in third-world conditions right here in the United States, even in our midst! The primary cause of this can be laid at the feet of the public education system in America, but also because of institutionalized racism. Over 95% of the homeless people in this area are African-American, and it is minorities and people of color who are being cheated out of higher education or vocational training opportunities. This is a social injustice, and my ministry is devoted to helping out those that I can, either on my own where possible or through my church. Are you going through hard times yourself right now? I'm now living in some HUD apartments and I'm still in recovery from my experience. I am where I am because Christ was with me every step of the way, and if He can do that for me, He can accomplish that for you too.

America was once called “the land of milk and honey”. It was so named for the prosperity and promise associated with the opportunity that was once available to anyone who, when willing to work, could acquire a piece of the America Dream. In contrast, the old notion of hard work in the 21^st century seems to mean little in our current system, where the elite control all the money. The associated greed so intrinsic they have robbed good, hard working Americans of their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness just so they could squander the money on endless wars overseas that are becoming increasingly dangerous. After a lifetime of effort in the chase for their piece of the pie, some Americans are finding themselves out in the cold, having lost their jobs and their dreams in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Some have fallen victim to not only Wall Street's criminal over speculation in a system that could not support such monetary betting, but to a banking system that committed wholesale mortgage fraud when looked to and trusted by home buyers for professional guidance! Many of these unfortunate people are quickly finding themselves added to the homeless numbers of America. Many are trying to survive the current economic depression by seeking federal assistance but have found, much to their dismay, that government programs, one of their only rays of hope during their time of tribulation, are being taken by the same group of people who assisted in their demise: Congress.

Those responsible for 2008's economic plunge and the ensuing chaos are trying to phase out social systems that provide those who are suffering a lifeline in the ocean of betrayal they are drowning in. Even worse, it seems to not matter to those surviving the current economic disaster. The top 1% of America's wealthy are scrambling to protect their own by supporting a political bureaucracy that has abandoned the remaining 99%. Like prisoners protecting their plate of food, these people are surrendering conscience for three squares and a warm cot of their own. In light of the actions taken – or inaction in some cases – by our governmental representatives, those from rural and suburban areas have had no choice but to abandon their townships and move toward the cities in search of shelter and whatever government aid they can get. They have migrated from everywhere to the urban centers of this nation in search of the remnants of their national security. But in place of the Golden Lamp, they have only found iron bars and cold, impersonal streets. In lieu of allowing the preservation of their survival, cities are beginning to enact anti-homeless initiatives to drive them back to where they came while those responsible for this treachery receive record bonuses and wallow in ill-gotten gains. St. Petersburg, Florida is a prime example of such inhuman approaches. The City enacted new laws back in 2011 towards the criminalization of homelessness. A report that same year by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless, tells much about the current war on these unfortunates:

• Since early 2007, St. Petersburg has passed 6 new ordinances that target homeless people. These include ordinances that outlaw panhandling throughout most of downtown, prohibit the storage of personal belongings on public property, and make it unlawful to sleep outside at various locations.
• In January 2007, the Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender announced that he would no longer represent indigent people arrested for violating municipal ordinances to protest what he called excessive arrests of homeless individuals by the City of St. Petersburg. According to numbers compiled by the public defender's office, “the vast majority of people booked into the Pinellas County Jail on municipal ordinances were homeless individuals from St. Petersburg."

This is not the only American city to turn its back on those in need. Across America, the painful cries of economic injustice coming from America's working people is being called to the forefront as the newest form of white-collar crime. Many laws have been put into place to criminalize people living in the streets, thereby dissuading them from coming to their cities at all. Both sides of the Congressional aisle have argued the semantics of the deficit crisis and the current economic strife, but the blame for the downfall of this once great nation means nothing when one is huddled beneath a dirty blanket trying to survive the cold or going hungry. The homeless only know that their basic American rights have been denied. Even cave men lived in caves! Are they better than us? Adding insult to injury, those Congressional representatives who were put into office to ensure the continuation of our American system, are trying to take even more from them.

Many conservatives have complained that the US has become a “nanny state”. They expound upon the belief that we must no longer allow the expenditure of US tax dollars to go to those who supposedly will not help themselves. This may have been a valid approach in strong economic times of yesteryear when work was plentiful and the American Dream was alive but now, in the shadow of Bush Era gluttony and growing neo-liberal faux patriotic oligarchy, it stands as a slap in the face of hard working Americans waking to the American nightmare. Some on the left, voted into office by an American public that needed to be protected, are making deals to further empower the elite in order to acquire their own earmarks and campaign contributor benefits. They too, seem to have lost sight of what America used to stand for. The only security this country seems to care for anymore is the one that allows for funds to be taken from social services and used for illegal and unnecessary wars, Patriot Act driven oppression and corporate welfare entitlements. Those unfortunate souls who have to stand in line for a warm bed in an overcrowded dormitory or in a food kitchen line to get a modest meal, are painfully finding that many of their lifelines are being denied by the very country they pledged their allegiance to. Instead of solutions, politicians are only delivering rhetoric, excuses and false promises. In this, our country's greatest time of need, they would rather protect their own than fight for proper provision for the American people.

Many try to ignore these people as they represent the errors and gluttony of a nation lost but they are still American citizens and need to be cared for. The religious right and their Tea Party counterparts vehemently expound upon the protection of our borders against illegal immigrants, terrorists, foreign influences and protecting the Constitution for the preservation of America's citizens, but in the same breath they condemn or cut funding to social services that support Americans in their time of need. The simple reality is this: American governance has become detached from the lives lived by those whom it has been charged the protection and care of.

In America today, people who have been misguided enough to believe in the American system and lost their piece of the “American dream” because of it, are now increasingly angry and have become significantly more demanding about implementing some sorely needed reforms. We are insisting on genuine, authentic reforms to a broken government and to our economic system, which seems to work very well but for only an elite few. We as a nation are quickly falling into the realm of the second world – we are no longer a superpower. Those who continue to blindly follow the myth of American exceptional-ism will end up starting World War 3 and charbroiling the entire planet. The future of this nation and the world will indeed be dim if this bloodthirsty insanity is allowed to continue. The book of Isaiah says, “'Come now, let us reason together, you and I', thus says the Lord.” This is perfect advice for our modern times. All of humanity had better stop and think about what we want to do next.

Let's take a look and see what the Bible has to say about all this. First, an example from Christ himself. “Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, 'Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?' 'Why do you ask me about what is good?', Jesus replied. There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments,' 'Which ones?', the man inquired. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.' 'All these things I have kept', the young man said. 'What do I still lack?' Jesus answered, 'If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.' When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.' When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible'.” (Matthew chapter 19, verses 16-26)

Now let's look at what the apostle James had to say about homeless people. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed', but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James chapter 2, verses 14-17 NIV) Homelessness has in the past been viewed as a state of laziness, but today it is a growing condition that represents a dying world power. The elite persist in the denial of this national illness, since its recognition would admit fault. At the end of the day, ignoring it will not lessen the inevitability that this, our once great nation, is now a declining empire. Many are on the brink of bankruptcy in this country – so are many small businesses – and where once lay the promise of prosperous times for all, there now exists the reality that we are all only one paycheck, one medical emergency or one misfortune away from being homeless in the land of milk and honey. Plus, one out of every four homeless people are minors under the age of 12. This is no way to run what is allegedly the greatest country in the world. Homelessness in America is inexcusable, and it's the government's fault.