Tait and Lauren Zimmerman were married May 3, 2008. They joyfully found out that they were expecting their first child a month later. Six months into her pregnancy, Lauren began experiencing irregular contractions. After a rushed 20-mile drive to the midwives, during which time the young couple offered up many prayers for the safety of both mother and baby, it was discovered that the baby’s feet were already in the birth canal. Lauren was rushed in an ambulance to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, a 40-mile drive.

Tait received a call from the midwife en route informing him that there was no reversing the labor, and that his new son or daughter would be born that day. After arriving at the hospital, Tait and Lauren were given the difficult news that — because of the combination of the baby’s position and extreme prematurity — the baby would have to be delivered via C-section. The couple’s midwife tried to prepare Tait for all possible outcomes, and just prior to the surgery, Tait and Lauren committed their son to the Lord in prayer.

Tait Edward Zimmerman, Jr. was born November 6, a 27-week preemie, weighing just 2 pounds 9 ounces, and measuring 14 inches long. Amazingly, Little Tait was breathing on his own, though he did need significant breathing assistance over the next few months. Little Tait spent his first three months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital at Providence in Anchorage, AK, connected to numerous feeding and oxygen tubes, wires, leads, and IV’s.

Tait and Lauren Zimmerman daily drove the 120-mile round trip to and from Anchorage for the first eight weeks to spend precious hours with their son, many times joined by Tait’s dedicated parents and sisters, and then were blessed to be able to stay in a small parent room off of Little Tait’s NICU room for his final five weeks in the hospital.

These three months were filled with strange new medical terms, and a whole education in newborn intensive care. Tait and Lauren found themselves looking forward to curious milestones — the removal of an IV, their son’s first feeding (from a syringe through a feeding tube), removal of the bili light and accompanying goggles, higher oxygen saturations, closure of his heart’s PDA valve, fewer apnea events, progression from the CPAP to Vapotherm, graduation to an open crib, satisfactory weight gains, first oral feeding, and first time unconnected to the plethora of cords, wires, and tubes.

When it came to reaching these milestones, however, Little Tait was on his own schedule. He took a somewhat longer than usual amount of time progressing with his breathing and then coordinating his breathing and eating. While these long months were some of the most difficult of Tait and Lauren’s lives, the Lord used them as a time of growth and provided daily opportunities to share their family’s hope and vision with many of Little Tait’s kind caretakers.

Little Tait finally came home on February 6, his three-month birthday, weighing 8 pounds 15 ounces. Today, he is a smiley, chubby, healthy little guy who brings constant joy to his parents. While he may need some therapies in the future, and has minor lung damage (common in babies who have been on extended breathing support), he faces no major medical challenges. Tait and Lauren are so thankful to the Lord for all the Lord has done in and through their precious son’s life, and pray that Little Tait would grow up to be a mighty man of God.

Early in their son’s stay, Tait and Lauren were approached by social workers, informing them that — because of their son’s low birth weight — Medicaid would automatically cover their hospital bills in full, as well as contribute to meals, lodging, transportation, and any future therapies. While it was definitely a tempting option to just sign their son’s substantial bill off to the taxpayers, and while social workers raised many arguments in favor of the government programs, Tait and Lauren sought counsel from and stood firm on their pre-marriage commitment not to accept government welfare, but to seek to cover the costs on their own, and with any help that the Lord would send through private support.

Tait and Lauren Zimmerman have developed a website telling Little Tait’s story and communicating their need to the Christian community.

Visit www.LittleTait.com for more information.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 30, 2009 | Permalink

The late Ellen Willis, mentor of Quiverfull author Kathryn Joyce, writes of her disdain of traditional marriage, due to the fact that procreation and the fruitful womb are expectations that flow from this God-ordained union:

“Historically, a central function of marriage has been to enforce a repressive religious morality that enshrines heterosexual intercourse as the only licit sexual act, signifying the subordination of sexual pleasure to procreation. A one-man, one-woman definition of marriage is integral to the patriarchal conception of the family as a hierarchy with father ruling over dependent wife and children.

“Feminism and gay liberation have already seriously weakened marriage as a transmission belt of patriarchal, religious values; conferring the legitimacy of marriage on homosexual relations will introduce an implicit revolt against the institution into its very heart, further promoting the democratization and secularization of personal and sexual life.”^[1]

In a separate recollection, Willis reminisces of helping young women gain access to illegal abortions prior to the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973:

“I remember when a friend of a friend came to New York for a illegal abortion, remember us trying to decide whether her pain and fever were bad enough to warrant going to the hospital and then worrying that we’d waited too long, remember her fear of admitting what went wrong, and the doctor yelling at her for ‘going to a quack’ and refusing to assure her that she would live.”^[2]

For more on Ellen Willis and Kathryn Joyce’s efforts to attack patriarchy and the blessing of the womb, click here

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 30, 2009 | Permalink

More on the mother-goddess promoting, Marxist, lesbian feminist movement rallying the media to attack home educating fruitful mothers and defenders of the biblical family....

Conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham — whose daily radio broadcast airs on 340 radio stations nationwide — has identified New York University, alma mater of feminist Kathryn Joyce, as an “incubator” of anti-marriage ideology, specifically naming Joyce’s mentor Ellen Willis as part of her observation:

Judith Stacy, a professor of sociology at New York University, believes redefining marriage is long overdue. In her journal article, “Good Riddance to the Family,” she argues: “If we begin to value the meaning and equality of intimate bonds over the customary forms, there are few limits to the kind of marriage and kinship patterns people might wish to devise.” (Give Professor Stacy her way and we might be seeing “Much Bigger Love” at a Justice of the Peace near you.)

NYU seems to be the incubator of this kind of mushy headed thinking. Ellen Willis, the head of NYU’s Center for Cultural Reporting and Criticism wrote of her hope that the debate over marriage would result in “an implicit revolt against the institution of marriage into the very heart, further promoting the democratization and secularization of personal and sexual life.”^[1]

Kathryn Joyce, who authored the recent Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement was mentored under Willis at NYU and — since her mentor’s passing — Joyce, an ardent defender of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, pays homage to Willis in her book, and has elsewhere referred to Willis as a “greatly-missed feminist writer.”^[2]

For more on Ellen Willis and Kathryn Joyce’s efforts to attack marriage and the blessing of the womb, click here

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 30, 2009 | Permalink

It’s a strange world we live in.

Lesbian-feminist radicals, mother-goddess promoters, Marxists, Internet kooks, and even a professing Christian publication are teaming up to target fruitful mothers, home educators, and defenders of biblical patriarchy for public censure. The Child Catcher of Vulgaria is back. See also the blog below.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 29, 2009 | Permalink

“[F]eminism is not just an issue or a group of issues; it is the cutting edge of a revolution in cultural and moral values. . . . The objective of every feminist reform . . . is to undermine traditional family values.” — Ellen Willis, The Nation, November 14, 1981.

What is one of the greatest dangers to America today?

Not the economy. Not terrorism. Not crime.

No, one of the greatest dangers is the rise of fruitful home schooling mothers.

And the time has come to warn America about these dangerous people.

Now Beacon Press, a fringe publishing house which promotes ultra-radical lesbian-feminist politics, trans-sexuality, and mother goddess worship, has teamed up with a disciple of Ellen Willis (co-founder of Redstockings, one the most radical Marxist elements of the feminist movement) to target for public censure and ridicule fruitful mothers and home educators who believe in biblical manhood and womanhood.

In fact, their book, Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement, pays homage to Willis, the author’s mentor, who helped to pen these words that appeared in her group’s radical manifesto:

We identify the agents of our oppression as men. Male supremacy is the oldest, most basic form of domination. All other forms of exploitation and oppression (racism, capitalism, imperialism, etc.) are extensions of male supremacy: men dominate women, a few men dominate the rest. All power structures throughout history have been male-dominated and male-oriented. Men have controlled all political, economic and cultural institutions and backed up this control with physical force. They have used their power to keep women in an inferior position. All men receive economic, sexual, and psychological benefits from male supremacy. All men have oppressed women. — Redstockings Manifesto

And don’t be surprised when you discover that a few networks of professing Christians are joining hands with this publisher of pornographic political propaganda to send fruitful mothers to the coliseums of public censure by favorably reviewing the book and exhorting others to join the hate-fest. Example: Not long after Christianity Today published a positive review of the pro-homosexual film, Milk, they did the same for Quiverfull. To learn more about this trend, click here

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 29, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 29, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 29, 2009 | Permalink

500 years ago a man was born whose work would help spearhead the doctrinal foundation of the Reformation and establish the Scriptural foundation for liberty in the West. His name was John Calvin, and he was one of a small, determined army of Christians who turned the world upside down by explaining the true implications of a Christian worldview. Your children need to know about this man, and the men and movements of the Reformation which built the best elements of Western Christendom.

But it is one thing to read a book, and it is another to have Calvin and his comrades come alive as you study under one of the foremost scholars of the Reformation in America. For four decades, Dr. Joe Morecraft has been studying, writing, preaching, and defending the lives and testimonies of these heroes of Christendom. I have listened to thousands of CDs and teaching tapes in my life and Dr. Morecraft is hands down the finest church history teacher I have heard. For Dr. Morecraft, teaching is not simply an exercise in training the next generation, it is an expression of love of Christ and honor to the heroes of the past. His lectures are thoroughly researched, plain and simple to understand, full of passion, and rife with practical application.

He is simply the best, and this may be your only opportunity to study underneath him.

You might want to drive many miles to learn from this great man, but now you can learn directly from him with the click of a button using our live Internet course.

Dr. Morecraft’s works include How God Wants Us to Worship Him: a Defense of the Bible as the Only Standard for Modern Worship, and his soon-to-be published magnum opus, Authentic Christianity: An Exposition of the Theology and Ethics of the Westminster Larger Catechism. Pastor Morecraft holds a B.A. in history from King’s College in Bristol, Tennessee, a M.Div from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and a M.Th. and Th.D. from Whitefield Theological Seminary.

Sign up today—registration is only open for a little while longer. Click here for more information.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 28, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 28, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 28, 2009 | Permalink

How much do you know about American history? The story told in this video is only the tip of the iceberg. If you and your family come to the Reformation 500 this summer in Boston, you will be amazed by the fascinating scope of Christian heroism, revival, and family sacrifice demonstrated in the lives of the American founders. You will also observe how the Christian Reformation left a legacy that this generation built upon.

Join hundreds of home school families, Christian students, and church leaders who will be gathering in Boston this year for a celebration of 500 years of the influence of Scripture, the Doctrines of Grace, and the role of Reformation thinking on the family, the church, and the state, as we remember the quincentennial of the birthday of the true “founding father of America,” John Calvin, in the city that once boasted the brightest light to those legacies. Join us in Boston to learn, celebrate, and fellowship. Join us as we take thousands on faith and freedom tours at the landmarks to our liberties. Don’t miss the Reformation 500 this July.

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 27, 2009 | Permalink

The Reformation 500 Celebration, one of the most exciting family history events of the year, is only 8 weeks away! Are you considering attending this special occasion along with hundreds of other Christian families? Or, are you looking for a practical way to educate your family on how the Protestant Reformation reshaped the world and birthed liberty in the West? If the answer to either of these questions is “yes,” we encourage you to make plans to attend the Reformation 500 Celebration in Boston, this July 1-4. Additionally, through the help of several scholars, an online training course on the history of the Reformation, is now available to assist you in learning from home, and preparing for the event!

Announcing the Reformation Online Study Course — Study the Reformers Online With Our Live Lectures

In anticipation of our national celebration which coincides with John Calvin’s 500th birthday, Vision Forum Ministries is pleased to announce a 14-part online course in Reformation history, featuring eminent scholars and teachers such as Dr. Joe Morecraft and Dan Ford. From May 5 to June 18, we will host a one-hour internet lecture every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., EDT, wherein our faculty will delve into some of the most important ideas that the Reformers championed — ideas that led to broad-sweeping cultural reform. The course will take place completely online. Cost is $150 per nuclear family, and no travel is required — just a working computer and faster-than-dial-up internet connection! Following the course, each registered student will be mailed a certificate of course completion.

Our 14-part study will focus chiefly on the Reformers’ impact on the three basic human institutions ordained by God: family, church, and state.

Click Here to Register for the Reformation Online Study Course.

The course will include a look at John Calvin’s own life and example — a testimony that continues to have a profound impact on the world five hundred years after his birth. This most influential of all the reformers, Calvin’s life and thought is something that every generation would do well to study and better understand. Next, we will examine the Reformation’s return to Bible-directed worship advanced by such leading reformers as Calvin, Zwingli, and Knox.

Additionally, learn about the remarkable revival of morality and culture within the family which resulted from the reintroduction of a biblical view of marriage. This view, along with the revival of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers and the resulting rise in family worship, provided the fertile ground in which boys and girls could grow into fearless workmen for the glory of God. Finally, we will explore the Reformation doctrine of civil government as well as civil resistance. What are the nature and bounds of civil government? When and how should tyrannical governments be lawfully checked? These are questions which our Founding Fathers grappled with in the years leading up to the War for Independence, and they were guided in their conclusions by the scriptural exposition of John Calvin and his spiritual descendants.

For a recommended resource list for the Reformation Online Study Course click here.

Announcing the Reformation 500 Essay Contest — Winner to Serve as Junior Grand Marshal of the Reformation 500 Children’s Parade And to Receive Calvin’s Commentaries — This and More!

Students, it’s time to pick up your pens!

God’s word gives hope, and it’s important that the next generation is equipped to defend the great hope that comes when His principles are faithfully applied and to show the disastrous results that occur when they are set aside — to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh [us] a reason of the hope” (I Peter 3:15) that we have as believers in Christ.

To encourage this outcome in light of John Calvin and Charles Darwin’s birthdays this year, Vision Forum Ministries is pleased to announce the Reformation 500 Essay Contest. The topic for the contest: “Calvin vs. Darwin: How Their Contrasting Worldviews Birthed Hope and Hopelessness.”

Contestants are expected to compare and contrast the impact of John Calvin and Charles Darwin’s worldviews on Western culture, giving specific examples of how their ideas have led to hope and hopelessness. The contest is open to any young man or lady eighteen years of age and under. The essay is not to exceed fifteen hundred words. It should be typed, double-spaced, and submitted by email with an accompanying biographical sketch, including a photograph of the essay’s author, age, email address, and phone number.

Submit your essays to:
CalvinVsDarwin@visionforum.org

Submissions must be received no later than May 25th. Two winners will be selected from the entries. The Grand Prize winner will:

• Receive a Free Family Pass to the Reformation 500 Celebration
• Serve as Junior Grand Marshal of the Reformation 500 Children’s Parade
• Be recognized on stage at the Reformation 500 Celebration
• Receive a 23-volume anniversary edition of Calvin’s Commentaries
• Receive a framed Geneva Bible leaf (pre-1640 edition)
• Have their winning essay posted on Vision Forum Ministries’ website

The runner-up essay winner will receive a 23-volume anniversary edition of Calvin’s Commentaries and a framed Geneva Bible leaf (pre-1640 edition).

Reformation 500 Essay Contest information page.

Learn more about the Reformation 500 Celebration, the family event of the year!

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 27, 2009 | Permalink

Dear Friends:

Let’s remember to pray for one another. We all really need it. Here is a beautiful letter from a dear sister who wrote In response to the blog post: “Are You Resting In All You Know To be True From the Bible?”

Dear Doug,

I can’t thank you enough for this post.

I am really struggling and have been for the last 14 years since I was saved. I am married to an unbeliever who is a college professor and evolutionist. Lately, I been feeling that the Lord has forgotten me. My lifeline is sermons from Behemoth.

Every single day is a struggle to me to press onward because the battle is in my home and I can’t get away from it. I know I have been called to be my husband’s helpmeet and I try to do that faithfully as I can, learning to have the gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to our Lord. ...With all that’s going on in the world, and in my home, I have to constantly be reminded that God is still on the throne despite my circumstances and that nothing gets past Him. Bless you and your family.

Dear Sister:

You will never be forgotten. Not for one second. Nor will His love for you cease.

Heaven and earth may pass away, but the Lord will remain true to His word which promises that if you are a child of God, you will forever rest secure in His loving hands.

The big problem that you and I and the rest of the world suffer from is being tossed to and fro by emotionally driven doubts. It is the tendency of men to trust feelings of despair, and even loneliness, more than to trust the permanency of truth that will never, ever change. Rest in what you know to be true. God’s word is true. His love for you is true. And faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.

None of us know the specifics of God’s unfolding plans, but I suspect that someday your perseverance in times of doubt, and your willingness to truly rest in what you know to be true in God’s Word, will pay off wonderfully. In the meantime, may God give you grace, peace, and perseverance. Most of all, never forget that there is never a moment when you are not precious to Him.

Douglas Phillips

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 26, 2009 | Permalink

Historians of generations past and journalists and government school ma’ams today, tend to dismiss the seventeen American Puritans as somber cranks and kill-joys who, thankfully, evolved into practical and realistic Unitarian Yankees (“people who believe in one god, at most”). Dressed in black, the Puddleglum snoops peered in their neighbors’ windows to ensure compliance with the rigid and ridiculous ethical pruderies of the Calvinist theology imposed on them by their inquisitional, witchcraft-obsessed ministers. The obdurate cynic H.L. Mencken described Puritanism as “the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”

Read Bill Potter’s Reformation 500 article entitled John Calvin and the Puritan Founders of America.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 26, 2009 | Permalink

“In Calvin’s Geneva, all of life was being reformed. What many people do not know is that, while God was reforming His church regarding the doctrine of justification by faith alone, the family was also being reformed. When one embraces “Sola Scriptura,” everything changes — including family life.”

“Calvin on Husbands Loving Their Wives”, by Scott Brown.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 24, 2009 | Permalink

This is what I heard from a young man who came to see me today sporting blue ink on his face and wielding a butter knife. Apparently, the “Come and take it” speech is encouraging random acts of historical anti-tyranny re-enactment.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 23, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 23, 2009 | Permalink

...In all my writings I have always tried — how far successfully I know not — to advance the cause of Truth and Right and to induce my readers to put their trust in the love of God our Saviour, for this life as well as the life to come. —R.M. Ballantyne

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 23, 2009 | Permalink

I recently attended their New Venture Academy for entrepreneurs. Wow!

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 22, 2009 | Permalink

The Widow’s Might, winner of the $101,000 Best of Festival Award at the 2009 SAICFF, continues to make news. The following is an excerpt of an email we received from Director John Moore (published by permission).

A lot has happened since the film festival in January! Along with continuing to work on the film, improving the sound and visuals, we have been in negotiations for a DVD distribution contract. We received a dozen offers for television or DVD distribution, some from very notable companies. We’re excited to have that kind of exposure and opportunity so quickly after the festival.

A very interesting thing happened though, in the beginning of March. A man called my cell phone, with a rugged southern voice. A brief conversation later, I learned that this man, Jerry Dalton, hadn’t heard that our film was an award winner of any type, but had searched the web for a God honoring film shot on a RED camera, and found us. He requested a screener, and after watching the film, called back with an offer for theatrical distribution to 94 screens.

It didn’t give us a lot of time to promote the film, but theatrical distribution on any level opens so many doors for DVD distribution down the road, we felt like it was a good decision.

Well, since then, we’ve been on television, broadcast over hundreds of radio stations nationwide, and in various internet and print articles about the release of the film. It started a buzz, and since then we’ve had over one hundred thousands unique visitors come to our site and look up information about the film. Things are going very well!

At this time, David and I have gathered up the necessary gear and we’re prepping for a cross country excursion to capture interviews with various folks that supported the film. Our purpose is to create the special features and commentaries for the DVD over the next month. The DVD will be released to the homeschool market in July, so keep checking back to TheWidowsCry.com for news and updates, including an announcement about a short film competition for families and filmmakers who want to feature their work on The Widow’s Might DVD.

The Widow’s Might is built on a foundation of prayer, so we ask that you continually pray for us, that we would be wise and honor the Lord as we finish this project.

God Bless, and Thanks!

John

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 22, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 22, 2009 | Permalink

In my speech to more than 15,000 people at the Alamo last week for Tea Party day, I told the story of the five messages of the Alamo defenders: First, tyrants must give way to freemen; second, constitutional liberties are worth fighting for; third, it’s not yours to give; fourth, you may not take our guns; and fifth, the state is not God, only God is God. Watch the four minute clip on YouTube.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 21, 2009 | Permalink

You have to crack a lot of eggs to make a good omelette. We look at a lot of patterns before we select a dress for our girls’ catalogue. Above, Virginia models dress reject # 23 (or something like that).

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 21, 2009 | Permalink

Dear Mr. Phillips,

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement yesterday regarding faith and the truth of God’s Word.

For the past several years our family has been walking through some deep trials including my struggle with a chronic illness.

The Lord has been so good during this time to teach us the importance of trusting Him beyond circumstances (a lesson we are still learning) and that His Word is Truth no matter what.

Several weeks ago we lost our precious little Baby-on-the Way at 11 weeks and since then I have been struggling again with many doubts and much discouragement as things appear (from our limited view) to be getting worse and not better.

The Lord used your words to remind and encourage me that He IS FAITHFUL and His Word is TRUE, even in the dark valleys.

I also wanted to let you know that the timing of your post had even added meaning as yesterday was also the first birthday of our sixth child and third son; Gideon Truth.

We gave him his name (which means Mighty Warrior of Truth) both with the hope and prayer that he would live up to it, and that it would be a constant reminder to us of the Absolute Truth of our Holy and Faithful God and His Word.

Thank you again.

in Christ, J. M.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 21, 2009 | Permalink

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

This was the heart of my message at a recent Indiana home school conference during my updated talk “How to Think Like a Christian. “We must praise the Lord for the permanency of God’s Word. We must rest in the hope it gives us during green pastures and dark valleys alike. In the end, however, faith, like love and hope, is not a mere emotion, but an objective reality based on deep commitments to transcendent truth. ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ (Hebrews 11:1). God forbid that economic distress, political turmoil, personal heartache, or loss would cause us to turn from all we know to be true. God’s word is a solid rock (Psalm 119: 89-96).

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 21, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 20, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 20, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 20, 2009 | Permalink

Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for you wonderful ministry. I just finished listening to Doug’s tea party speech and was warmed in my heart. What a tremendous blessing the Lord has bestowed upon us! I have been supporting your ministry for the last couple of years and I have been blessed beyond measure by the many resources your ministry provides. I have learned the importance of family worship, I have learned the importance of presuppositional apologetics. I have been given the bullets that were missing in the gun. I have learned that the sovereignty of God is not merely something religious people say, I have learned that God is sovereign and that His Word is the ultimate authority. Thank you for your hard work, thank you from revealing the inconsistency of autonomous man theology. May the Lord bless you all! May you know the warmth that I feel in my heart for you. May the Lord bless you and keep you, and make His face shine upon you.
Sincerely in Christ,

WO1 Eric S. C. B Co. Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 18, 2009 | Permalink

Here is a four-minute sample of highlights from the “Freedom at Risk” speech the Lord gave me the opportunity to deliver at the San Antonio TEA Party rally on the grounds of the Alamo before an estimated 15,000 people. You may hear or watch the entire speech as a free download on Behemoth.com. Secondly, a full press release on the event is now available on the Vision Forum Ministries website.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 17, 2009 | Permalink

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 17 /Christian Newswire/ — Doug Phillips, a constitutional attorney and the president of Vision Forum Ministries, issued a pointed charge to thousands gathered in front of the Alamo on April 15: To honor God and the sacrifice of our patriot fathers, and to return to Christ. His remarks were given at the close of the San Antonio Tea Party, a non-partisan grassroots rally that also featured Fox News Commentator Glenn Beck, who hosted his daily television show in view of the Alamo’s famous chapel.

“As I speak to you about two important things, free men and tyrants... there is something important we need to do,” stated Phillips. “We need to give thanks to our God, the author of liberty, Who our Founding Fathers acknowledged. They began the Declaration of Independence acknowledging Him... [and] He is the reason why we can be here today.

“He taught us something that is very important: ‘Honor your father and your mother that you may live long in the land.’”

Phillips urged the attendees to honor the sacrifice of such Texas pioneers and patriots as Moses and Stephen F. Austin, William Barret Travis, Lorenzo De Zavala, and Juan and Erasmo Seguin and then offered thanks to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for preserving the Alamo — and for allowing the San Antonio Tea Party to be held in front of this historic shrine which they own and oversee:

“Thank God for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.”

As Phillips and Beck rallied an estimated 16,000 freedom-loving Texans in San Antonio, crowds gathered on April 15 at Tax Day Tea Parties in more than 700 other cities from coast to coast — from Anchorage to Atlanta. Newt Gingrich spoke to a New York City gathering. Sean Hannity addressed participants in Atlanta. And Paul Jehle of the Plymouth Rock Foundation regaled a throng in Boston with the true story of the original “Tea Party” staged in Boston Harbor by the Sons of Liberty in 1773 — the event which was the inspiration for the Tax Day Tea Parties taking place this year.

In Phillips’ San Antonio address, he hearkened back to the original Boston Tea Party, even as he shared lessons of liberty from the Texans’ fight for freedom in 1836 — the most memorable battle of which took place at the Alamo where more than 180 patriots sacrificed their lives to pave the way for Texas’ independence.

“The citizens of Texas are not a people who are easily subjugated by tyrants,” Phillips declared. “We may have allowed complacency to lull us into slumber for a season, but we are a sleeping giant! All around us, the blood of the ground cries out. The names of Crockett and Travis remind us we are meant to be a free people, which is why our answer will always be the same.

“Message to Washington, D.C.: If you want our guns, our businesses, our constitutional freedoms, come and take it!”

During his 22-minute message, Phillips gave the audience a primer on America’s Bill of Rights, concluding with the Tenth Amendment. Stated Phillips: “The Tenth Amendment reads: ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.’

“What does this mean in plain English?” Phillips asked. “It means this: The federal government is not our nanny. The federal government is not our mother. The federal government is not our doctor. The federal government is not the high priest of a new religion.

“And, ladies and gentlemen, the federal government is not our Savior! That designation is reserved to one person only, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and to whom, the author of the psalm declares, ‘The nations of the earth should bow.’”

Near the close of his remarks, Phillips issued this sober charge:

“My friends, we must be reminded of what the Scripture says, because, in the end, all of our political efforts will amount for nothing if we are not humble before God, if we do not repent of the wrongdoing.

“We cannot continue to subsidize the killing of unborn babies. We cannot continue to subsidize the United Nations. We cannot continue to subsidize all sorts of outrageous wealth redistribution programs that are nothing but Marxism in disguise. We must return to constitutional principles and liberty!”

Phillips continued: “The Scripture says this: ‘If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.’”

To hear Doug Phillips’ remarks, click here.

To interview Doug Phillips regarding the state of our nation in view of the recent “bailouts” and stimulus package, contact Wesley Strackbein by e-mail at press@visionforum.org or by phone at (210) 340- 5250, ext. 222.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 17, 2009 | Permalink

From the speech:

The Tenth Amendment reads: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution,nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

What does this mean in plain English?

Here is what that means:

The federal government...

is NOT our nanny.

It is NOT our mother.

It is NOT our doctor.

It is NOT the high priest of a new secular religion.

And despite the remarkably arrogant statements of politicians...the state is NOT our Savior.

That designation is reserved to one person only — The Lord Jesus Christ who is King of kings and Lord of lords and to Whom (the author of Psalm 2 declares that) the nations of the earth must bow.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 17, 2009 | Permalink

Hello,

I’m not sure if I’m directing this to the correct department, but I just wanted to say thank you for all the great resources you are providing! Everytime I get an email from you, there is something else that I would like to add to my library. There’s too many great resources - I have to pace myself. :)

Thanks so much for what you’re doing to impact Christians and provide them with great resources, particularly concerning our amazing history and God’s providence in it.

God bless you!!! :)

Heather O.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Joshua Phillips of www.ballantynethebrave.com.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

It will be broadcast on the Adam McManus show on KSLR today between 3-6 pm CST.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

“When a government has ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people from whom its legitimate powers are derived, and for the advancement of whose happiness it was instituted; and so far from being a guarantee for the enjoyment of those inestimable and inalienable rights, becomes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers for their oppression;

When the Federal Republican Constitution of their country, which they have sworn to support, no longer has a substantial existence, and the whole nature of their government has been forcibly changed without their consent, from a restricted federative republic, composed of sovereign states, to a consolidated central military despotism, in which every interest is disregarded but that of the army and the priesthood - both the eternal enemies of civil liberty, and the ever-ready minions of power, and the usual instruments of tyrants; When long after the spirit of the Constitution has departed, moderation is at length, so far lost, by those in power that even the semblance of freedom is removed, and the forms, themselves, of the constitution discontinued; and so far from their petitions and remonstrances being regarded, the agents who bear them are thrown into dungeons; and mercenary armies sent forth to force a new government upon them at the point of the bayonet.

When in consequence of such acts of malfeasance and abdication, on the part of the government, anarchy prevails, and civil society is dissolved into its original elements: In such a crisis, the first law of nature, the right of self-preservation - the inherent and inalienable right of the people to appeal to first principles and take their political affairs into their own hands in extreme cases - enjoins it as a right towards themselves and a sacred obligation to their posterity, to abolish such government and create another in its stead, calculated to rescue them from impending dangers, and to secure their future welfare and happiness. Nations, as well as individuals, are amenable for their acts to the public opinion of mankind. A statement of a part of our grievances is, therefore, submitted to an impartial world, in justification of the hazardous but unavoidable step now taken of severing our political connection with the Mexican people, and assuming an independent attitude among the nations of the earth.

The Mexican government, by its colonization laws, invited and induced the Anglo-American population of Texas to colonize its wilderness under the pledged faith of a written constitution, that they should continue to enjoy that constitutional liberty and republican government to which they had been habituated in the land of their birth, the United States of America. In this expectation they have been cruelly disappointed, inasmuch as the Mexican nation has acquiesced in the late changes made in the government by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who, having overturned the constitution of his country, now offers us the cruel alternative either to abandon our homes, acquired by so many privations, or submit to the most intolerable of all tyranny...”

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

A DAY OF FASTING & HUMILIATION 1798 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES - A PROCLAMATION

23 March, 1798.

As the safety and prosperity of nations ultimately and essentially depend on the protection and the blessing of Almighty God, and the national acknowledgment of this truth is not only an indispensable duty which the people owe to Him, but a duty whose natural influence is favorable to the promotion of that morality and piety without which social happiness can not exist nor the blessings of a free government be enjoyed; and as this duty, at all times incumbent, is so especially in seasons of difficulty or of danger, when existing or threatening calamities, the just judgments of God against prevalent iniquity, are a loud call to repentance and reformation; and as the United States of America are at present placed in a hazardous and afflictive situation by the unfriendly disposition, conduct, and demands of a foreign power, evinced by repeated refusals to receive our messengers of reconciliation and peace, by depredations on our commerce, and the infliction of injuries on very many of our fellow-citizens while engaged in their lawful business on the seas - under these considerations it has appeared to me that the duty of imploring the mercy and benediction of Heaven on our country demands at this time a special attention from its inhabitants.

I have therefore thought fit to recommend, and I do hereby recommend, that Wednesday, the 9th day of May next, be observed throughout the United States as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that the citizens of these States, abstaining on that day from their customary worldly occupations, offer their devout addresses to the Father of Mercies agreeably to those forms or methods which they have severally adopted as the most suitable and becoming; that all religious congregations do, with the deepest humility, acknowledge before God the manifold sins and transgressions with which we are justly chargeable as individuals and as a nation, beseeching Him at the same time, of His infinite grace, through the Redeemer of the World, freely to remit all our offenses, and to incline us by His Holy Spirit to that sincere repentance and reformation which may afford us reason to hope for his inestimable favor and heavenly benediction; that it be made the subject of particular and earnest supplication that our country may be protected from all the dangers which threaten it; that our civil and religious privileges may be preserved inviolate and perpetuated to the latest generations; that our public councils and magistrates may be especially enlightened and directed at this critical period; that the American people may be united in those bonds of amity and mutual confidence and inspired with that vigor and fortitude by which they have in times past been so highly distinguished and by which they have obtained such invaluable advantages; that the health of the inhabitants of our land may be preserved, and their agriculture, commerce, fisheries, arts, and manufactures be blessed and prospered; that the principles of genuine piety and sound morality may influence the minds and govern the lives of every description of our citizens and that the blessings of peace, freedom, and pure religion may be speedily extended to all the nations of the earth.

And finally, I recommend that on the said day the duties of humiliation and prayer be accompanied by fervent thanksgiving to the Bestower of Every Good Gift, not only for His having hitherto protected and preserved the people of these United States in the independent enjoyment of their religious and civil freedom, but also for having prospered them in a wonderful progress of population, and for conferring on them many and great favors conducive to the happiness and prosperity of a nation.

Given under my hand the seal of the United States of America, at Philadelphia, this 23d day of March, A.D. 1798, and of the Independence of the said States the twenty-second.

By the President : JOHN ADAMS.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 16, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 15, 2009 | Permalink

In this wonderful little book, Doug Phillips has once again reminded us of the vital importance of the permanent things, the enduring things, the things that matter the most, but alas, the things that are all too often lost amidst the tyranny of the urgent. I highly commend it—I particularly commend it to young dads like my sons and to young granddads like myself. —Dr. George Grant

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 15, 2009 | Permalink

The Lord provided an evening rich with insight and blessing to the Texas gathering of the Christian Boys’ and Men’s Titanic Society last night. More than a dozen men brought testimonies from Scripture and history, both past and present, in support of the doctrine of “women and children first,” and in honor of the men who were counted among the dead ninety-seven years ago today. It was the thirteenth annual celebration of the CBMTS.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 15, 2009 | Permalink

I’m pleased to announced for the thirteenth year in a row the Christian Boys’ and Men’s Titanic Society will be meeting to honor the memory of the brave men who gave their lives for “women and children” on this evening ninety-seven years ago. This year’s special dinner will take place in San Antonio, Tx. For more information on CBMTS go to www.titanicsociety.org.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 14, 2009 | Permalink

Please tune in to listen to me dialogue with my good friend Adam McManus today at 5:30 at KSLR. Adam and I will be participating along with Glenn Beck at the Alamo Tea Party, which is scheduled for tomorrow, April 15, in front of the Alamo. Click here to listen.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 14, 2009 | Permalink

The Sun reports that “a sketch of the sinking Titanic has come to light . . . 97 years on. A mystery passenger or crewman on the doomed ship made the pastel drawing. It was given to Second Officer Charles Lightoller, an unsung naval hero and the last man rescued. Lightoller, then 28, famously ordered “women and children first” into the lifeboats. He kept the drawing until he died in 1952 — and it is now to be auctioned among his mementoes.”

According to the Sun, auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said: “It shows the moment of sinking, with the stern hanging in the air and lifeboats rowing away: It’s slightly inaccurate as it shows four funnels intact when we now know two had broken off, but it is a very good sketch.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 14, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 14, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 13, 2009 | Permalink

The Galapagos Islands, known as Darwin’s Eden, and often described as a “laboratory for evolution,” are experiencing a major volcanic eruption on one of the more famous islands, Fernandina. Notably, this eruption is taking place on the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of his magnum opus, The Origin Of Species.

The Galapagos National Park says La Cumbre volcano on Fernandina began spewing lava, gas, and smoke on the uninhabited island on Saturday. The park says in a statement the eruption is not a threat to people living on nearby Isabela Island. But it says lava flowing to the sea will likely affect marine and terrestrial iguanas, sea lions, and other fauna. It is still not clear how far-reaching the lava flows are, but what gets in the way of the blazing hot volcanic rock will be destroyed. Nothing survives the force of a lava flow which can reach temperatures of 2000 degrees C.

There are no Galapagos giant tortoises on Fernandina any more, but the island is home to the largest and most exotic collection of salt-sneezing marine iguanas, as well as Galapagos hawks, sea turtles, flightless cormorants, and other animals endemic to the archipelago.

This is an image of the great Fernandina crater shot before the eruption began.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 13, 2009 | Permalink

The faith and freedom tours are limited to under 150 each and are made available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so sign up now to get the selections you want.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 13, 2009 | Permalink

Four months after Michelle gave birth to number eighteen (Jordyn), the Duggars announced today that they are having another baby, but this time the baby will be from the family of Jim Bob and Michelle’s eldest son Josh and his wife Anna. The baby is due on October 12.

The story was announced this morning on Today Monday. MSNBC reported:

The couple made their happy news public from the home of Josh Duggar’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Surrounding them were Josh’s 17 brothers and sisters and his parents. . . .

“We are so thrilled and so excited for Josh and Anna,” said Michelle Duggar, who held her youngest daughter, 4-month-old Jordyn, on her knee. She said that when she was growing up, she had nieces and nephews her own age, so it wouldn’t be strange to have a grandchild almost the same age as her own child. . . .

Vieira asked Josh what lessons he’s learned about parenthood from growing up in such a large family.

“In any large family you learn responsibility. You learn it from an early age,” he said.

His father offered another bit of advice: “teach your children to love the lord with all their hearts; serve others.” . . .

On their web page, Josh and Anna write: “We look forward to the blessing of children as stated in the Psalms, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” (Psalms 127:3) Having both been raised in large families, we have agreed to trust God in the area of children and the size of it.”

In January, Josh told People magazine, “I would welcome a big family. My parents have been wonderful examples.”

To read the whole story, click here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 13, 2009 | Permalink

“The antiquary of tradition is the preserver of all that is right and good and true. It is the wisest and most progressive of all the human impulses — for it guarantees continuity for the uncertain days of the future. Let every man and woman warmly embrace the lessons of the past.” Calvin Coolidge

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 9, 2009 | Permalink

One bite — down the hatch it went.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 9, 2009 | Permalink

There are three books that every home school family needs to bring to their table this year.

For the foundations of our faith and worldview—bring your Bible. To help you define your words and build your vocabulary in terms of that Christian worldview—bring your Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. But to teach your children to know, understand, and defend the remarkable providence of God in American history and to rejoice in the gift of liberty He has bestowed on them—you must bring Marilyn Boyer’s For You They Signed.

Here is why: For You They Signed is an antidote to the rampant historical revisionism dominating the schools and media today. Our founders were not atheists. Nor did they believe in some deistic God who was disconnected from the affairs of men. In fact, they were one of the most theologically literate and God-fearing generations in the history of Western civilization.

Our Founders invoked the name of Jesus Christ in their public prayers, and appealed to the God of the Trinity in formal acts of Congress. They affirmed that Christian laws and Christian morals were the only safeguard for freedom. It was this foundation of Christianity that was used of the Lord to lay the foundations for liberty in America.

To understand America, you must understand the character and faith of the men who built it. That is precisely what you get in For You They Signed.

Learn More and Save Up to 36%

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 8, 2009 | Permalink

Today is a dark day for America.

Vermont has become the fourth state to “legalize” sodomite marriage. In a remarkable act of defiance against the Lord, His law-word, and the historical, biblical, definition of marriage, the Vermont legislature overturned an executive veto of a same-sex marriage law. This act follows on the heels of a similar outcome in Iowa. This makes Vermont the first state to allow same-sex marriage through legislative action instead of a court ruling. It comes less than a week after the Iowa Supreme Court performed their own act of judicial tyranny, declaring by fiat that same-sex marriages would be legal in their state.

Similar measures are pending in about a dozen other states.

One very clear element of the story is this: The enemies of the family are organized, on the prowl, and are chalking up victories.

The battle lines are drawn.

May God prepare us to fight for “our daughters, our wives and our houses.” (Nehemiah 4:14)

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 7, 2009 | Permalink

Dear Doug

I loved reading today’s blog on race and marriage. My children and I were just discussing this the other day as they were asking what ethnicity their children would be. We are a family that is built through biological children and internationally adopted children, so far from Korea. I was stating that it depended on the ethnicity of the person each child married. Our younger three children would have children that are at least 1/2 Korean but could be 1/2 caucasion/black/chinese, etc. or full Korean. Our older children will have children that are at least 1/2 caucasion but could be half Korean/black/hispanic, etc. They all looked at me as if this was so wonderful. Of course we discussed that the key is that their spouse is 100% in love with Christ. This was in complete contrast to the racist family I grew up in, so it was so wonderful to have this very natural discussion with them and mean it with my whole heart that race was not the factor. I hadn’t phrased it with the one race... human race concept, but that compliments it nicely. Thanks for the salt!! And that was the first thing I noticed on the book cover.... you could not tell the ethnicity of the man on the cover. J. D.

Dear Mrs. D:

Thank you for this precious note. I have included this image above which I thought would be an additional encouragement to you and your family. The image depicts a blue-eyed “white” skinned Remee, and her biological twin sister, brown-eyed, “brown” skinned, Kian. These twins, born in April 2005, are a living testimony to the potential for tremendous variation in skin color that God has built into the human genome, and the foolishness of those who would claim that we should be divided on the bases of melanin count.

Also, if you are interested in further reading and listening on this subject matter, Vision Forum carries a number of materials. Dr. John Morris and I conducted Back to Genesis conferences in the late 1990s and through much of the 2000s, in which I addressed the unbiblical basis of racial prejudice. You can hear my thoughts and his in our Back to Genesis album. For close to a decade we have also addressed the tragic implications of both sinful prejudice and the unbiblical and wrongful practices which result from such prejudice, like chattel slavery, anti-miscegenation laws, eugenics, welfarism, etc., at our Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy and on our Faith and Freedom tours. Our Jamestown 400 event also included an important message I gave presenting the historical case that America’s first legacy included the “one blood” anti-racist perspective that individuals united in Christ could marry regardless of melanin count, as evidenced by the letters of John Rolfe and the official act of the governor of Jamestown. You can also get a good introductory overview to the issue in the book One Blood, published by Masters Books, which we have carried for more than a half a decade.

Finally, let me recommend that you purchase Dr. Baucham’s excellent book, What He Must Be. The book is published by Crossway and you can purchase it from Vision Forum, Amazon.com, or through Dr. Baucham’s website. With graciousness, but clarity, Dr. Baucham articulates in his book and on his blog, the biblical position on race, marriage, and related subjects. He exposes the fraud and hypocrisy of self-appointed book burners, the anti-biblical family kook brigade, and professional name-callers who want to label people racists because they quote famous Christian slave owners (i.e. Abraham and Sarah, George Washington, Jonathan Edwards, etc., etc.), but think nothing of promoting literature which praises slave owners like Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, or Mary Lincoln (wife to the president, who grew up in a family that kept slaves). Understandably, Dr. Baucham has little patience for those whose personal agenda, and government school-trained view of history, allows them to conveniently skip over Abraham Lincoln’s overt bigotry and white separatism (maintained through the Civil War), while excoriating great Christians who were men of their time and who, regretfully, maintained similar views.

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 6, 2009 | Permalink

“For, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.” The Declaration of Arbroath

The decisive victory by Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn did not end aggression from the English against the Scots, but it did much to secure freedom for Scotland. In the years that followed Scots would draft a declaration which many believe to contain elements which were precursors to our own Declaration of Independence. In fact, since 1998 the United States Senate has claimed that our Declaration is based upon the “inspirational document” of Arbroath. In 2005 the U.S. House of Representatives passed resolution 41 and declared April 6 as “National Tartan Day” and to be celebrated annually as a day of significance to Americans of Scottish descent. At Bannockburn, I delivered a message about the Declaration of Arbroath. Key elements of the document are included below with my own headlines.

The History of the Scots Summarized

”...we know and from the chronicles and books of the ancients we find that among other famous nations our own, the Scots, has been graced with widespread renown. They journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Pillars of Hercules, and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain among the most savage tribes, but nowhere could they be subdued by any race, however barbarous. Thence they came, twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, to their home in the west where they still live today. The Britons they first drove out, the Picts they utterly destroyed, and, even though very often assailed by the Norwegians, the Danes and the English, they took possession of that home with many victories and untold efforts; and, as the historians of old time bear witness, they have held it free of all bondage ever since. In their kingdom there have reigned one hundred and thirteen kings of their own royal stock, the line unbroken a single foreigner...”

The Historical Argument of Apostolic Stewardship

”...The high qualities and deserts of these people, were they not otherwise manifest, gain glory enough from this: that the King of kings and Lord of lords, our Lord Jesus Christ, after His Passion and Resurrection, called them, even though settled in the uttermost parts of the earth, almost the first to His most holy faith. Nor would He have them confirmed in that faith by merely anyone but by the first of His Apostles — by calling, though second or third in rank — the most gentle Saint Andrew, the Blessed Peter’s brother, and desired him to keep them under his protection as their patron forever...”

The List of Grievances and Appeal Against Tyranny

”...Thus our nation under their protection did indeed live in freedom and peace up to the time when that mighty prince the King of the English, Edward, the father of the one who reigns today, when our kingdom had no head and our people harboured no malice or treachery and were then unused to wars or invasions, came in the guise of a friend and ally to harass them as an enemy. The deeds of cruelty, massacre, violence, pillage, arson, imprisoning prelates, burning down monasteries, robbing and killing monks and nuns, and yet other outrages without number which he committed against our people, sparing neither age nor sex, religion nor rank, no one could describe nor fully imagine unless he had seen them with his own eyes...”

Thanksgiving for Robert the Bruce, a Providential Leader Likened to Judas Maccabeus and Joshua

”...But from these countless evils we have been set free, by the help of Him Who though He afflicts yet heals and restores, by our most tireless Prince, King and Lord, the Lord Robert. He, that his people and his heritage might be delivered out of the hands of our enemies, met toil and fatigue, hunger and peril, like another Macabaeus or Joshua and bore them cheerfully. Him, too, divine providence, his right of succession according to or laws and customs which we shall maintain to the death, and the due consent and assent of us all have made our Prince and King. To him, as to the man by whom salvation has been wrought unto our people, we are bound both by law and by his merits that our freedom may be still maintained, and by him, come what may, we mean to stand...”

Apologetic From the Purity of the Commitment to Liberty

”...Yet if he should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself...”

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 6, 2009 | Permalink

A used garage sale bike—$25.

The rituals of boyhood—priceless!

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 6, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 6, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 6, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 6, 2009 | Permalink

For nearly two decades I have had the opportunity to teach on the issue of creation, the family, and the Bible. Throughout this time I have had the privilege of preaching on the subject of “race” and marriage before thousands. I have always addressed the question the same way. This weekend at the Father and Daughter Retreat the question was asked again. Here is how Dr. Voddie Baucham and I answered the question:

QUESTIONER: “...How does race fall into you and your daughter’s choice in a man?”

DOUG: “I’ll give you my answer. The Bible teaches that there is only one race. And that is the human race. So, consequently because there is only one race (and that’s the human race), we’re all of one blood.” Therefore, all men and women are qualified for marriage—not on the basis of their melanin count—but on the basis of other things all-together.”

“So from my perspective, anti-miscegenation laws are unbiblical and are wrongful. Prejudices which prohibit inter-marriage based on so-called skin color are deviant, ungodly, and unscriptural. That’s my perspective. Would anybody else like to add to that?”

VODDIE: “In What He Must Be if He Wants to Marry My Daughter, notice a couple of things: On the cover of that book you cannot tell the ethnicity of the man. That’s intentional. The last chapter of the book—the conclusion—is addressing this question directly right from the perspective that Doug just echoed. I really felt like that was an important issue. So it’s addressed on the cover and it’s addressed in the conclusion of the book, What He Must Be if He Wants to Marry My Daughter.

There are two types of people who hate this answer.

The first are bigots.

Bigots come in all different stripes. Some are “white” and some are “black.” Some are red, or yellow, or brown. (Perhaps some are polka-dot—I don’t know.) Some claim to be Christian, and some don’t. But the ones who claim to be Christians usually have an errant perspective on the book of Genesis—a perspective which is often linked to a clear theological compromise with evolutionary thinking. The ones who don’t claim to be Christian tend to have pagan views of culture and ethnicity. Alternatively, they may simply harbor ill-will in their heart to those who are different from them.

The second group who hate answers like the one that Voddie and I gave includes people with an agenda to smear Christians and Christian ministries. Not content to address real ideas and real positions, they resort to perverse fact-twisting, bizarre analogical reasoning, outrageous straw men—anything to appeal to those silly and undiscerning individuals who can be easily taken captive by the fear-mongering tactics of the kook-brigade. This point becomes clear should you find yourself surfing the web and stumble across “Christianswholovebabiesareracists.com,” or “womenwhoareatleasttentimessmarterthanourweaklinghusbands.com,” or even “holyfeministswiththespiritualgiftoflying.com.”

When all else fails—call your enemy a racist.

Like the first group, the second group includes individuals of different stripes, but the common denominator here is hatred for Christians and Christian ministries, not concern for people with a different melanin count.

The Bible has the answer to bigots, Internet hate-mongers, and those who genuinely inquire about the truth of His Word. While God does classify men along the lines of “kindreds and tongues and nations,” there is no “white race,” nor “black race.” God has “made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). Praise the Lord!

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 2, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 1, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 1, 2009 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on April 1, 2009 | Permalink