Glory To Glory
August 2013
Magazine
6Issues
A Publication of Glory To Glory Ministries, Tampa, Florida
A Review of Six Important Issues That Should Engage The Attention of Every Christian
A Real and Lasting Peace
Faces of Glory
Silence in the Face of
EVIL
contents AUGUST CONTENTS 03
Six Issues
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A Word From Bishop Shines
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Glory To Glory Magazine
• Truth is Absolute
JANUARY 2011
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• Six Issues On Which All Christians Should Be Engaged
Silence in the Face of Evil
• Open Letter To Clergy Afriad to Speak Out Against Same-Sex Marriage
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Faces of Glory
To learn more about Glory To Glory Ministries visit us online GloryToGlory.org. Thank you for following us on Issuu.com/GloryToGlory Be sure to join our social media communities. Facebook: GloryToGloryMinistries Twitter: @Glory2GloryFL
3 1. Pastor Doug Murren shares the Word with Glory to Glory Ministires 2. Bishop Aubrey Shines and Washington Informer Columnist Bill Reed 3. The Glory To Glory Family in corporate prayer Email your pictures for the September Magazine to glorytoglorymedia@gmail.com
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Article title August 2013
Bishop Aubrey Shines
Truth is Absolute The June decisions on marriage by the Supreme Court of the United States have prompted many to seriously reflect on the cultural and moral landscape of our nation. I must say that the Court’s decision to dismantle the Defense of Marriage Act grieved me. Like many of you, my emotions ran the gamut from anger to sorrow. In the emotions that surround the decisions, we must remain clear and understand that we are in the fight of our lives. We must refuse to behave as a people defeated because the God that we serve never loses a fight. The Supreme Court, the President and Hollywood can attempt to declare marriage irrelevant, but in the end they and their morally bankrupt opinions will lose. Marriage the union between one man and one woman is God’s holy creation and cannot be redefined altered or destroyed. Over 40 years ago, when the Supreme Court ruled on Roe versus Wade, pundits predicted that in time most Americans would come to accept that ending innocent lives in the womb was a morally just choice. The very opposite has happened. Today 60% of all Americans believe that abortion is wrong. For over forty-years, Christians did not give up the fight. They engaged the culture and refused to be defeated.
In the same way, my prayer is that we not give up on marriage. A recent study by the Pew Charitable Trust showed that the media is reporting stories in support homosexual marriage five times more than they are reporting stories that oppose it. This lopsided coverage paints a distorted picture of America’s true beliefs. Such overtly biased coverage is an attempt to bully us into supporting homosexual marriage or to intimidate us into keeping our objections silent. In addition to encouraging you to speak out on marriage, this issue of the Glory To Glory Magazine explores other areas impacting culture that should engage the attention of all Christians. Our hope is that you will help us spread the news about Glory To Glory Magazine. Share the link (http://www.issuu.com/ glorytoglory) with people in your social media community. God Bless You, Bishop Aubrey Shines
Is There a Bias in News Coverage of Homosexual Marriage? According to the Pew Charitable Trust, “News Coverage Conveys Strong Momentum for Same-Sex Marriage.”
Media bias for homosexual marriage During the months while the Supreme Court deliberated on marriage, the media reported on 5 stories in support of homosexual marriage for every 1 story that opposed it.
Cable Coverage of Homosexual Marriage MSNBC - support of homosexual marriage (64%), neutral stories (30%) Fox News - support of homosexual marriage (29%) neutral (63%) CNN - support of homosexual marriage (39%) neutral (57%)
Speak Out
Because the media refuses to fairly cover the issue of Same-sex marriage, it is critical that you Speak Out. Use your social media space to share the importance of marriage. Have courage. Do not fear social media bullies. Share Glory To Glory Facebook Posts and Retweet the Glory to Glory Twitter Feed. Also follow Glory To Glory on Issuu.com/ glorytoglory.
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Article Glory title To Glory Magazine
SixIssues
Religious L
Media
That Should Engage The Attention of All Christians By Glory To Glory Staff
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ISRAEL: There are pragmatic and political reasons for Christians to support Israel. Israel is a democracy in the midst of dictators and despots. But beyond the pragmatic reasons, there are more important spiritual reasons. Christians who believe that the Word of God is infallible should support Israel because God champions Israel. Israel was created by an Act of God. It is a royal land grant given to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob with an unconditional covenant.
Childhood
Obesity 04
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t n e Obesity m n o r i v n Financial E e h T Israel Freedom
s Liberties
Article title August 2013
Are you asleep at the wheel on important issues?
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THE ENVIRONMENT: Psalm 19:1 reads, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hand.” Some Christians fear being tagged a “tree hugger” if they express support for protecting the environment. The earth is a gift from God. Recognizing God’s gift means respecting the resources and not trashing them. It doesn’t mean forsaking the legitimate needs of people over the needs of plants and animals. However, it does mean living on this earth in such a way that you are honoring God’s gift in order for future generations to enjoy it.
FINANCIAL FREEDOM: In Romans 13:8, we are encouraged not to owe anyone anything other than love. What an awesome financial mantra by which to live. Most of us have eyes that are bigger than our wallets. This condition causes us to make purchases big and small beyond our budgets. It doesn’t take a long elaborate lesson on financial literacy to understand the solution. The vast majority of our financial woes would be solved if we lived within the means of our financial resources. We honor God when we are wise financial stewards.
CHILDHOOD OBESITY: America’s youth are growing increasingly overweight. Children need at least an hour of physical activity each day. Weight can be a sensitive subject. So rather than talking about weight loss with your children, be about weight loss with your children. Being about weight loss may mean temporarily taking away electronics so that your children can experience the glory of playing outside. The scripture says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES: You think that it could never happen in America, the land of the free. But every day religious liberties are being eroded across our country. From an elementary school girl being prohibited from singing “Awesome God” in an afterschool talent show to a seasoned college administrator being stripped of her duties for signing a marriage petition, Christians are under attack. The attacks are not theoretical. They are actually happening. The best solution is an engaged Body of Christ. Know your rights as citizens and don’t be bullied into silence on issues that are important to you and your family.
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MEDIA CONSUMPTION: We have all heard the expression garbage in garbage out. With media all around us, it is sometimes impossible to truly understand the volumes of garbage that we are consuming. A Neilson study from 2011 showed that Americans spend 20% of their day liking, retweeting and consuming social media. That does not include television consumption. All media is not bad. There are social media apps that read the Bible to you. There are websites and television programs that encourage you to think through your faith. They however are not nearly as popular as the rubbish that glorifies lifestyles and attitudes that dishonor God. You have deceived yourself if you think you can spend 20% of your day consuming such media and not be influenced by it. As painful as it may be to some of us, there is a solu-
tion. - unplug from your media consumption. Another excellent solution is to encourage
Christians to enter the world of media and entertainment and to support media outlets that are producing quality products.
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Article Glory title To Glory Magazine
Silence in the Face
Evil
AN OPEN LETTER TO CLERGY FROM BISHOP AUBREY SHINES
The German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
• Shame on you for allowing yourself to be deceived by President Barack Hussein Obama. • Shame on you for judging a man by the color of his skin and not the content of his character. Your blind support of this President has allowed him to Over the last four years, Christian leaders have advance the homosexual agenda in defiance to the been intentional in their silence on homosexuality will of God. in general and same-sex marriage specifically. They have chosen not speak and not to act. In 2008 when the Senator Obama was asked by the gay magazine The Advocate why Blacks did not Fellow Clergy - you know who you are. Now that support the homosexual agenda he said, “I think that the Supreme Court has made a way for dismantling the difference has to do with the fact that the AfricanGod’s first creation, the family, you stand like fools in American community is more churched and most shock wondering how it happened. African-American churches are still fairly traditional in their interpretations of Scripture. And so from You cowards, you knew the truth, but for fear of the pulpit or in sermons you still hear homophobic offending you have not spoken the truth. You knew attitudes expressed. And since African-American the will of God, but for the fear of losing tithers, ministers are often the most prominent figures in the you have not taken action. You have co-signed on African-American community those attitudes get Hollywood and Madison Avenue’s insanity by magnified or amplified a little bit more than in other silently affirming this New Abnormal Modern Family communities.” as the will of God. This fairly traditional interpretation of the Scripture You had the knowledge that would save the people, is a belief that the Scripture is the divinely inspired but you refused to share it. Instead of saying that Word of God. These attitudes that President Obama homosexuality is not the will of God and same-sex called homophobic are not homophobic. It is merely marriage is not the will of God, you have spent the recognizing that the Word of God is truth. last decade preaching about territory increases and encouraging your congregation to name and claim We are called to Speak Truth in all places. Today, I the million dollar blessings that they are supposedly encourage my fellow clergy to have courage and owed. Speak Truth. I have a special word for my brown and black leaders of the faith.
Speak Truth!
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Faces of Glory... Article title August 2013
I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts 2:47 Magazine - 7
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Glory To Glory Magazine
A Real & Lasting PEACE
Americans of all political stripes, religions and creeds should not only be aware, but also engaged and alert on how our government is treating Israel. In the world of politics, it is not always guaranteed that the right thing to do morally is in our best national interest. Pre-school 101 teaches us the right thing to do is to be loyal to your friends. Israel has been a loyal friend and America should return the favor. As it happens, in the case of Israel, the right thing to do happens to be in America’s best interest. There are some key facts that are getting lost in Israeli-Palestinian question.
FACT#1 - Over the last 60 years, Israel has proposed a two state solution even if the territory for the Jews was as small as a tablecloth. Over the years, some of the plans did relegate Jews to a tiny sliver of land. The Jewish community accepted these terms. The Palestinian community rejected these terms because they will only be satisfied when the Jews are pushed into the sea. They do not want peace with the Jews. They want the complete extermination of the Jews. FACT #2 – The publicly stated goals of Hamas is not peace but destruction. I do not know when it became politically incorrect to identify terrorists as terrorists. But it is no secret to anyone 08
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paying attention that Hamas was founded as a terrorist organization. FACT #3 – I will not be the first to point out the lack of authenticity of Palestine as a state. Leaders of Hamas and the Palestinian Liberation Organization openly admit that Palestine is an invention of a group of people who claim a relatively new national identity and now assert the rights another people’s land. FACT #4 – This final point is made to Christians. Beyond the pragmatic reasons to support Israel, like it being a democracy in the center of dictators and despots, there are important spiritual reasons to support Israel. Christians who believe that the Word of God is infallible should support Israel because God champions Israel. Israel was created by an act of God. It is a royal land grant given to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob with an unconditional covenant. For Christians, it’s just that simple. There are a number of ways to engage the question of IsraeliPalestinian relations. However, in the end, there is but once response that will produce a real and lasting peace. Supporting governments bent on destroying their neighbors and the U.S. is not the answer.
Scripture on Israel
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Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed’” (Gen. 12:1–3)
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Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:14–15).
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Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. (Isaiah 41:11-12)