Disabled newborns are being killed LEGALLY in The Netherlands – LifeSiteNews.com

Disabled newborns are being killed LEGALLY in The Netherlands: here’s the proof | LifeSiteNews.com.

This chilling but not surprising news item was sent to me this week (dated May 14, 2013). In it Peter Saunders reports on the rise of the murder of babies with disabilities in both Belgium and the Netherlands since the Netherlands passed its euthanasia laws. This is indeed another example of the “slippery slope”, since any departure from God’s clear commandments sends one rushing downward into greater darkness and depravity. May God yet turn our “motherland” back to His Word and ways. Otherwise she will receive the just reward for her deeds.

Here is the fiurst part of the report; read the rest at the LifeSiteNews link above.

In an interview this morning on BBC Five Live on the Paul Lamb case I was asked by the presenter Nicky Campbell about evidence for a slippery slope following the legalisation of euthanasia in other jurisdictions.

In my answer I mentioned the steady escalation in numbers of cases in Belgium and the Netherlands (see here and here) and said that one third of nurses had carried out euthanasia illegally in Belgium and that one third of cases in some parts of Belgium had been involuntary, although the law did not allow this.

I also mentioned the ‘Groningen Protocol’ under which disabled babies had been given lethal injections in the Netherlands.

Campbell appeared not to know about this and asked me on air to email him information about it to which I agreed. Another BBC journalist phoned me after the interview to check my sources.

I sent her a link to the original paper on the ‘Groningen Protocol’ from the New England Medical Journal in 2005.

The full reference is ‘Verhagen E, Sauer P. “The Groningen Protocol—Euthenasia in Severely Ill Newborns.” New England Journal of Medicine 2005; 352(10):959-62’

It says that ‘Twenty-two cases of euthanasia in newborns have been reported to district attorneys’ offices in the Netherlands during the past seven years’ but also highlights underreporting:

‘Given that the national survey indicated that such procedures are performed in 15 to 20 newborns per year, the fact that an average of three cases were reported annually suggests that most cases are simply not being reported.’

Peter Saunders is the CEO of Christian Medical Fellowship, a UK-based organisation with 4,500 UK doctors and 1,000 medical students as members.

What We Talk About When We Talk About God – Rob Bell Reviewed at “Ref21″

What We Talk About When We Talk About God – Reformation21.

Perhaps you have heard – the infamous postmodern “Christian” (heretical) teacher Rob Bell has a new book out: What We Talk About When We Talk About God (HarperOne, 2013). Perhaps you don’t care, based on his previous heretical publications. But you should, not because his book is “must reading”, but because we should know what postmodernists like Bell are doing to and saying about the Christian faith. Indeed, we must defend the faith against those on the outside (such as the new atheists) but also against those on the inside (heretics), who claim to speak for the Lord and for His church. Bell does not, and he must be exposed as such.

As a brief introduction to this book, this is how the publisher describes it on the back cover:

How God is described today strikes many as mean, primitive, backward, illogical, tribal, and at odds with the frontiers of science. At the same time, many intuitively feel a sense of reverence and awe in the world. Can we find a new way to talk about God?

Pastor and New York Times bestselling author Rob Bell does here for God what he did for heaven and hell in Love Wins: he shows how traditional ideas have grown stale and dysfunctional and reveals a new path for how to return vitality and vibrancy to how we understand God. Bell reveals how we got stuck, why culture resists certain ways of talking about God, and how we can reconnect with the God who is with us, for us, and ahead of us, pulling us forward into a better future—and ready to help us live life to the fullest.

What I have linked you to above (top of the post) is a solid, straight-forward review by Dr.Michael Kruger, President and professor of NT at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. It appeared yesterday (May 6) at the “Reformation21″ website. Here are a couple of points Kruger makes (Read all of his review at the “Ref21″ link above.):

…Of course, Bell’s method of defending Christianity is not by stripping it of its supernatural elements (that was the issue in Bultmann’s day). On the contrary, Bell is quite keen to remind the reader of the supernatural–God is everywhere, busy at work, in us and in our world.   Instead, Bell’s makeover method is to change Christianity into a broad “spirituality.”  His book downplays (and in some instances, simply ignores) many of the key doctrines that make Christianity distinctive. He simply turns Christianity into vague, general, theism. Whereas Bultmann demythologized the faith, Bell has detheologized the faith.

…In the end, my overall concern about this volume is a simple one: it is not Christian. Bell’s makeover of Christianity has changed it into something entirely different. It is not Christianity at all, it is modern liberalism. It is the same liberalism that Machen fought in the 1920′s and the same liberalism prevalent in far too many churches today. It is the liberalism that teaches that God exists and that Jesus is the source of our happiness and our fulfillment, but all of this comes apart from any real mention of sin, judgment, and the cross. It is the liberalism that says we can know nothing for sure, except of course, that those “fundamentalists” are wrong. It is the liberalism that appeals to the Bible from time to time, but then simply ignores large portions of it.

Bell’s book, therefore, is really just spiritualism with a Christian veneer. It’s a book that would fit quite well on Oprah’s list of favorite books. What is Rob Bell talking about when he is talking about God? Not the God of Christianity.

Resolution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church-US Concerning Same Sex Marriage

Resolution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church-US Concerning Same Sex Marriage.

This news item was part of the weekly “Aquila Report” summary I receive each week ( I have referenced this before and encouraged you to subscribe. It is a good source for news on Reformed and Presbyterian churches, colleges, etc.). This resolution recently adopted by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America is faithful to Scripture and powerful in its witness to the truth of God on sexuality and marriage.

I will give you the “AR” introduction (below) and urge you to read this entire resolution at the link above. And now, I also ask you, Is it time for our churches through its Synod also to address this matter to our government? Do we not even have the duty before God to do so? We have made statements before on Sabbath observance and union membership. Why not on this pressing issue of our day?

I am simply thinking out loud. Why would we not?! I know the arguments we have mustered in the past about doing this kind of thing (It’s not ecclesiastical business; it’s a matter of private citizenship, not public church pronouncement, etc.), but are these really true and justifiable? Is not the church the conscience of the nation? Does she not speak publicly from her pulpit every week (And now, through the Internet more openly and farther and wider than ever before!)? Why then not publicly to our government by way of letter?

I also understand the question of where to draw the line, if one starts to do this. Shall we then also draft letters on abortion, other marriage issues, as well other social evils? These are not easy questions to answer, and I do not pretend to have the answers. I do believe, however, that we have “privatized” our united, ecclesiastical and public faith too much.

In any case, here is the Aquila Report introduction to the resolution:

The Reformed Presbyterian Church in the U.S., at it meeting on April 19, 2013, adopted a statement concerning Homosexuality and Same Sex marriage. They intentionally included positions from the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church with the hope that they would once again join in making a prophetic statement to those in civil authority that the fear and judgment of God may at least move enough legislators and judges not to approve of or support legalizing “same sex marriage.” Their desire is that the whole Christian, and especially the Reformed church, should protest this matter.

And here is the first part of the resolution. Read the rest here:

The Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States being of more recent origin than the Presbyterian Church in America does at this date adopt the position of the Presbyterian Church in America on Homosexuality adopted at the 5th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America, 1977, 5-49, 4, p. 67 and 8, p. 68:

Whereas, God has plainly spoken of homosexuality in his Word, denouncing both the,  act and the desire as sin, condemning this perversion as unnatural, a degrading,  passion, an indecent act, an error, an abomination and hence worthy of death  (Lev. 18:22, Rom. 1:26-32); and

Whereas, we recognize, that God’s righteous judgment is upon those who approve of  such detestable acts, as well as those who practice them; and

Moreover, whereas God has clearly stated that the condoning of homosexuals along  with murderers, immoral men, kidnappers, liars, perjurers and all other  unrighteousness is contrary to sound teaching (1 Timothy 1:11, 2 Peter 3:14-18);

Therefore, be it resolved that the General Assembly encourage Christians to recognize  their responsibility to petition the powers that be that such men and women who  practice, approve, or condone any of these activities not be invested with the authority to teach in schools or be in a position where they can influence our  nation, which professes “In God we trust.”

“Abortion” – Randy Alcorn

Abortion by Randy Alcorn | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org.

Yesterday I read the final main feature article in the April 2013 Tabletalk, which is on the theme “Defining Personhood” (See my previous Monday posts this month.). This article is simply titled “Abortion”, and is written by Randy Alcorn, who has also penned a book on this subject as well as numerous articles.

Alcorn begins with a strong Biblical defense of the personhood of the unborn and shows that the Word of God clearly counts abortion as murder. He also points out the proper perspective we must take of children, viz., that they are “a gift and blessing from the Lord”. He also addresses the line of argument from the pro-abortion camp that abortion is a necessity because of rape and incest (1% of actual abortions). He includes here some powerful quotes from other sources.

Again, there may be some statements and points with which we would differ with Alcorn, but on the whole this is a very profitable article, and I encourage you to read all of it at the Ligonier link above. Below are a few paragraphs to get you started.

Some “pro-choice” advocates claim to base their beliefs on the Bible. They maintain that Scripture does not prohibit abortion. They are wrong. The Bible does, in fact, emphatically prohibit the killing of innocent people (Ex. 20:13) and clearly considers the unborn to be human beings worthy of protection (21:22–25).

Job graphically described the way God created him before he was born (Job 10:8–12). That which was in his mother’s womb was not something that might become Job, but someone who was Job—the same man, only younger. To the prophet Isaiah, God says, “Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you” (Isa. 44:2). What each person is, not merely what he might become, was present in his mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13–16 paints a vivid picture of God’s intimate involvement with a preborn person. God created David’s “inward parts” not at birth, but before birth. David says to his Creator, “You knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (v. 13). Each person, regardless of his parentage or handicap, has not been manufactured on a cosmic assembly line, but personally formed by God. All the days of his life are planned out by God before any come to be (v. 16).

Meredith Kline observes: “The most significant thing about abortion legislation in Biblical law is that there is none. It was so unthinkable that an Israelite woman should desire an abortion that there was no need to mention this offense in the criminal code.” All that was necessary to prohibit an abortion was the command, “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13). Every Israelite knew that the preborn child was a child. So do we, if we are honest. We all know a pregnant woman is “carrying a child.”

Pentagon Blocks Access to Southern Baptist Website

Pentagon Blocks Access to Southern Baptist Website.

This disturbing news report was just released today by Fox News (April 27, 2013) – and follows on the heels of an even more disturbing report involving our military a few weeks ago (See this story: http://theaquilareport.com/an-extreme-position-on-extremism/ ).

Here is the latest to be reported about religious discrimination and censor (I.e., against Christians) in our military:

The U.S. Military has blocked access to the Southern Baptist Convention’s website on an unknown number of military bases because it contains “hostile content” — just weeks after an Army briefing labeled Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics as examples of religious extremism, Fox News has learned.

The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation’s largest Protestant denomination known for its support of the pro-life movement and its strong belief in traditional marriage.

Southern Baptist chaplains reported that SBC.net had been blocked at military installations around the nation. An Air Force officer told Fox News that when he tried to log on to the website he received a message that his Internet usage was being logged and monitored for trying to access a blocked site.

The censorship was made public after an Army officer tried to log onto the denomination’s website and instead — received a warning message.

 

I don’t think we fully realize how quickly our constitutionally-protected freedoms  (I don’t like the much-abused term “rights”, since everything we have is a gift and a privilege, not a “right”.-cjt) are being taken away from us and how anti-Christian our current administration and society are becoming. We need to pray for our government leaders (As 1 Tim.2:1-6 instructs us, along with how and why) and for the church of Christ, that she would be faithful and uncompromising in the face of increasing persecution. Are we?

 

“Blood in the Streets” – R.C. Sproul Jr.

Blood in the Streets by R.C. Sproul Jr. | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org.

In connection with the theme of this month’s Tabletalk and under his usual rubric “Seek Ye First” R.C.Sproul, Jr. wrote the above-linked hard-hitting piece on our calling to defend the lives of the unborn. As Sproul points out, we have become too comfortable in our Christian lives and too complacent about the plight of the unborn and those involved in the abortion industry. Be prepared to be awakened (shaken!) to the cause and the need when you read this. I was.

Here are a few paragraphs from the article. You will find all of it at the Ligonier link above.

Our Lord reigns. His kingdom knows no bounds, for all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. But there remains in His realm rebellion. There is work to do. In this country, we have once again denied the humanity of an entire class of people—the unborn. In so doing, we have shown forth our inhumanity. What may be worse is that this great evil demonstrates our lack of humanity. How twisted, how distorted, is a state that God ordained to punish evildoers, but that instead uses the sword God gave it to guard the grisly practitioners of this crime? How twisted, how distorted, are men who were made to protect and defend women and children, but who now drag their girlfriends, wives, or daughters to killing centers? How twisted, how distorted, are women who were made to nurture their babies, but who now hire assassins to kill them?

This, beloved, is the battle. Here is the drama. Souls of men and women are being twisted and slowly dragged into the very pit of hell. Babies are being burned alive, on purpose. And we, even though we have been made alive, even though we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, worry more about stock markets and football teams.

Right now, in our own neighborhoods, people’s lives are at stake. Every one of our neighbors, young or old, male or female, believer or not, will die. And when they die, they will become fully, finally, and forever one thing or another.

…We don’t seek the kingdom merely when we read our Bibles or sing our hymns. We seek the kingdom when we love our wives and cherish our children. We seek it when we weep and mourn for the murder of our neighbors, and when we weep and mourn for our neighbors’ murderers. We seek the kingdom when we call on men to be men and women to be women. We seek the kingdom when we welcome the least of these into our lives, into our homes, and into our families.

Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. is a teaching fellow of Ligonier Ministries and founder of Highlands Ministries. He is author of the video series Economics for Everybody.

“When God is Not Enough” – Scotty Smith

When God is Not Enough by Scotty Smith | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org.

As I continue to use and profit from Tabletalk magazine, one of the rubrics I have grown to look forward to is “Heart Aflame”, which contains articles directed to the Reformed Christian’s heart. The new April issue contains an article by pastor Scotty Smith (PCA) under the title “When God is Not Enough”. In this fine article he addresses the matter of idolatry, which, as he shows, begins in the heart. He bases his thoughts on Ezek.14 and speaks to our hearts, which is what God does in this passage.

Here is a portion of his article; you will find the rest at the link above.

The new hearts we have in Christ are yet-to-be-perfected hearts, and when God is functionally “not enough,” our anxieties and fears take over; then we go on the hunt for designer gods and pseudosaviors. What does this look like?

At the beginning of Ezekiel 14, we get to eavesdrop on a fascinating conversation that took place between the prophet and God. Here’s the back story: Instead of showing and telling God’s story of redemption to the nations, Israel had progressively been drawn into the worship of the gods of the surrounding nations.

Israel’s drift into idolatry didn’t happen because the people became bored with the liturgy of their temple, enamored with the music of the worship bands in pagan temples, or impressed with the oratory of the new Canaanite prophet who had just moved into the neighborhood. No one in Israel went looking for a new worship service, but for new gods to service them. The center of their worship shifted from God to themselves. They began to worship worship more than they worshiped God—that is, their relationship with God became utilitarian rather than doxological.

When the glory of the one true living God is no longer our principal passion in life, worship becomes a pragmatic vehicle for fulfilling two basic quests in life: provision and protection. Instead of living for God’s glory and looking to Him to meet our needs, we exist for our glory and look for gods who will meet our demands.

Rev. Scotty Smith is founding pastor of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, and he is author of Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith.

“Understanding Personhood” – W. Robert Godfrey

Understanding Personhood by W. Robert Godfrey | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org.

With the new month comes notice of the latest issue of Ligonier Ministries’ Reformed devotional, Tabletalk. The April issue has a rather unique theme: “Defining Personhood”. As you might guess, this “pro-life” issue is devoted to the subject of the value and dignity of human life from the viewpoint of the person God uniquely forms in the womb. As Christians, this ought to be a subject dear to our hearts and a matter of passionate defense in our lives. Especially we who so strongly embrace and emphasize the absolute sovereignty of God, which I believe is the foundation for a true “pro-life” or “pro-person” stance (and the principle behind the 6th commandment).

I am (and was), therefore, eager to read the featured articles on this subject in this Tabletalk issue. Yesterday I read the introduction by editor Burk Parsons as well as the first main article, the one linked above, by Dr. R.obert Godfrey. I appreciated and benefited from both articles and share them with you today, so that you too might think anew of this important Biblical and cultural issue in our time. First we quote from B.Parsons’ introduction to this theme. After refering to then Pres.Ronald Reagan’s 1988 “Personhood Proclamation”, Parson’s adds the following comments:

President Reagan’s words are sobering, particularly as we consider how much more they are needed today than in 1988. In America and throughout the world, the church of Jesus Christ must rise up to defend the rights of all individuals—children in the womb and abused children outside the womb, kidnapped girls forced into sex trafficking, men captured and sold into slavery, and the aged, infirm, or unwanted murdered through euthanasia and genocide. Our triune God is the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of life, He has bestowed dignity on every person, and He alone has defined personhood. The barbaric murder, abuse, and slavery of our fellow human beings ought to bring us to tears, to our knees in prayer, and to action in behalf of the least of these as we preach the gospel to the nations and fight for the life and freedom of all individuals so that they might live and hear the gospel of eternal life.

And second, we quote from R.Godfrey’s article, the first on the theme. One of the things Godfrey does in his article is to show how modern science has been used to justify the dehumanizing and destruction of human life (persons). And of those connections involves Nazi Germany and its use of evolution.

The wicked justification of violence may well be at its worst when it appeals to science. We can see that in a particularly clear way in the Nazi movement in twentieth-century Germany. The character and historical appeal of Nazism is complicated, but one important element of its ideology was its use of science. In particular, it used the theory of evolution. If evolution teaches the survival of the stronger at the expense of the weaker, it seems to follow that stronger races should dominate inferior races. Nazi scientists claimed to have scientific means for distinguishing races and for proving the superiority of the Aryan race to others, particularly Jews and Slavs. Today we know that the Nazi science was bogus, but at the time it convinced many, including some of the most educated scientists. Nazi ideology did seem to be a logical extension of evolution.

You will find the full articles at the links I have provided here. Well worth your reading and reflection.

Is Love A Reason To Support Same-Sex Marriage?

Is Love A Reason To Support Same-Sex Marriage?.

Rex Rogers, former President of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI, had this good commentary on two recent high-profile statements affirming homosexuality. We are all too familiar with the argument (ad nauseam!) that approves homosexuality on the basis of love – even God’s love. Rogers speaks to this in this article posted on his own website (March 19, 2013). Click on the link above to read all of it; below is the introduction to his thoughts.

Ohio Senator Rob Portman recently announced his support for same-sex marriage. Why he adopted this view is more interesting than the fact he is the first Republican in the United States Senate to publicly do so.

The Senator recently learned his now 21-year-old son is gay. “Knowing that my son is gay,” the Senator said, “prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective.”

In another public announcement recently Mr. Rob Bell, former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the author of the controversial Love Wins, told an audience in San Francisco that he now endorses same-sex marriage. He justified his position by saying, “I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man.”

So twice in a month notable leaders claim love is the reason they now endorse same-sex marriage. According to Senator Portman and Mr. Bell, love explains their dramatic change of heart. Apparently for them, in the words of the Beatles, “Love is all you need.” But is it?

Obama Administration vs. the Law on Same Sex Marriage

Obama Administration vs. the Law on Same Sex Marriage.

From the Heritage Foundation (Feb.25, 2013) comes this important update on what our current administration is doing with regard to its determination to establish homosexuality with full legal rights in our land, including marriage rights. Of course, that also means you have to try and destroy God’s definition of marriage as the law of the land, which is exactly what it is attempting to do. Yet there are others who are fighting back. Read the full article at the link above.

President Obama has so many flip-flops in his policy positions that it’s hard to keep track. After running for President supporting traditional marriage, he “evolved” to support same-sex marriage—and now his Justice Department has officially urged the Supreme Court to overthrow the law of the land.

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defining marriage as one man and one woman for the purposes of federal law passed Congress with an overwhelming bipartisan majority and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It is the subject of a court challenge that the Supreme Court will hear on March 27. Last Friday, the Obama Justice Department filed a brief with the high court stating the Administration’s position that DOMA is unconstitutional.

Normally, it is the Justice Department’s job to enforce the nation’s laws. But as Heritage’s Hans von Spakovsky has noted, Obama’s Administration is different:

But now we have a Justice Department so politicized that it is actually arguing against federal statutes in court, and doing so not based upon the dictates of the law…but based on the apparent policy preferences and political ideology of this administration. So much for taking care that the laws be faithfully executed.

The Supreme Court will also hear arguments against Proposition 8, California’s state constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman, which was passed by popular vote of the citizens of that state. The March 26 arguments will come the day before the DOMA arguments. Several organizations, led by the National Organization for Marriage, are holding a March for Marriage in Washington, D.C., on March 26.