Christian Times Magazine Issue 17

LIRPA | 71 EUSSI

Grace and politics

EASTER SPECIAL

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; For the Love of Others RESALARU KIRKLAND

CHRISTOPHER GRANH HOWARD

Democrats cannot keep delaying Planned Parenthood’s end MATTHEW SNAPE

SEARCHING FOR OUR NATION’S SOUL BEFORE WE LOSE IT STEVEN P. RAY

CONTACT US CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ctmagazineofficial@gmail.com www.ctmagazine.tk Anil Anwar CTM President / CEO

WELCOME

EDITORIAL ANIL ANWAR

Welcome to the 17th Issue of Christian Times Magazine, Christian Times Magazine Issue 17 designed especially for people who really like News and Political articles and consider picking up a News & Political magazine.

Editor-In-Chief

This is for readers who want to up-to-date with political, Religious and Entertainment News. While as a nation We aim to cut through the confusion and give you clear, sensible and reliable information and News from writers and experts that you can trust.

RAVEN YOUNGBLOOD

We want it to be entertaining and informative, at times contrary, but above all useful. Inside you’ll find a mixture of news, features and Monthly regular columns/articles on a wide range of News and Political related topics.

Issue 17 Leading article is Grace and Politics by Christopher Grahn Howard I hope you enjoy this Issue 17 and do let us know if there are any article you’d like to see covered in the future.

Anyway, we hope you enjoy this one.

Copyright © 2018 by Christian Times Magazine (CTM) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, For permission requests, Published in United States of America Publisher Christian Times Magazine

DAVID CLARKE Operations Editor

US Office Operations Director

CONTRIBUTORS CHRISTOPHER GRAHN HOWARD MATTHEW SNAPE RESALARU KIRKLAND CHARLES LINGERFELT STEVEN P RAY CARLOS VAZQUEZ SCOTT CAHILL PATRICK M. GREEN PASTOR DAVID COLBERT MICHAEL D. GREANEY DAVID CHILTON EANYA POUT

D I S C L A I M E R

Please be aware that all the articles published in Christian Times magazine are the personal views of writers / columnists and not necessarily the views of Christian Times Magazine, or CTM is not responsible to anything written by writers / columnists.

Our views are expressed in  our CTM BylawsÂ

CONTENTS 09

GRACE AND POLITICS

By Christopher Grahn Howard

11

DEMOCRATS CANNOT KEEP DELAYING PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S END

By Matthew Snape

15

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS

By ResaLaRu Kirkland

20

SEARCHING FOR OUR NATION’S SOUL BEFORE WE LOSE IT

By Steven P Ray

CONTENTS 22

INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK GREEN

By CTM

25

‘IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION -STAND FAST!’

By Charles Lingerfelt

27

ABSENT FATHERS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS

By Dr. Carlos Vazquez

29

SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: WE DID IT TO OURSELVES

By Scott Cahill

CONTENTS 30

“THE GIFT IS IN YOU”

By Pastor David Colbert

32

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL D. GREANEY

By CTM

37

“WH A T R E A L L Y HAPPENED AT 70AD” Foreword by David Chilton

4O

INTERVIEW WITH EANYA POUT

By CTM

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

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PAGE 9

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

GRACE AND POLITICS

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

GRACE AND POLITICS

By Christopher Grahn Howard

As I am celebrating my risen Lord and Savior I have also been thinking of what his death and resurrection means. Not being a theologian, I won’t get too deep.

Grace. Grace is a concept being lost in American culture. In the realm of political discourse, we should remember grace. We should remember we are all sinners and will fall short of the glory of God.

CAPITOL HILL PHOTO SOURCE PIXBAY

Democrats and Republicans are all sinners. All will/are falling short of God’s glory. The elegant beauty of Christianity is grace. The fact that our justification before God is accomplished not by our

principal of democracy is frustrating. Previously I

deeds, efforts, church attendance or anything else

have written about America being a Christian

other than the grace bestowed upon us by our risen

nation and I would refer you to that article for

Savior.

more. On a personal note, I wish to mention a couple of things. First, an old acquaintance sent me

Grace is what will separate the serious activist, on

an audio recording of a discussion between two

either side, from someone who is just yelling at the

political operatives, one Democrat and one

wind. In a time of great division, angst and even

Republican. They both talked about grace and how

anguish in American politics, it is important to

it is missing in the current political discourse. I did

remember that as Christians we must demonstrate

find it telling that the discussion centered on the

Christ’s love and grace even as we fight to protect our

conservatives displaying anger and frustration much

rights under the constitution. It is tough to be a

less than the democrats. I find it telling for a couple

Christian conservative in this current climate and guess

of reasons. Liberals are always willing to agree with

what? Jesus never promised it would be an easy

us when we admit our faults while never admitting

journey. In part, what makes it difficult for Christian

their own. In another way I find it telling in how

conservatives is the idea we are to love our enemies

liberals see the world. Honestly, it is so very

and show them grace. Knowing often that that gift will

depressing. The glass is always half full, there is

not be returned to us. Knowing that the principals upon

always a limit on what can be done or one can

which our constitutional republic was founded are in

have. Wrongs can only be righted by taking

fact Christian principals. That those very ideas are

something away. We can only help promote women

being bastardized and refuted in the misnamed

by putting men down. More on that another day.

PAGE 10

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

GRACE AND POLITICS

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

Grace. Is there a limit on that as well? Dear God in

Standing up for your faith and defending your

heaven I pray not! Liberals must believe it so. There is

political rights are paramount in these times when

only enough for them. Yet, giving is better than

those very rights have been under attack and your

receiving. Giving/showing grace to those whom I

faith has been under attack. If you do it in such a

disagree with gives me satisfaction. Not an arrogant

way as the liberals would…you are doing it wrong.

pleasure but a real pleasure. I love the debate of ideas,

We are called to be salt and light. Be salt and light

the crucible through which I believe better outcomes

with grace. Doing so will make your message more

arrive. I do not get angry, frustrated but not angry.

powerful and effective. It may take longer, it may

Jesus would not have it so. Jesus must have been so

be harder, and it may even be discouraging at

very frustrated with people in his time on earth, let

times. Have faith. Have the very faith you are trying

alone now. There are very few examples of him losing

to defend. Be the Christ-like example you are

his temper. Instead, he showed grace and love.

called to be. You will fall short, as do I…daily. You will be challenged…daily. It will be worth the effort

That is the example for Christians engaged in political

just as striving to do your best always does. Display

discourse. This is not to say we should not work,

grace. You are saved by it and have no right to

engage or even debate our values in the marketplace

deny others as such.

of ideas. We all should. In this country we get to choose those who rule over us. The Bible states we should render unto Caesar what is his. We, as conservative Christians get to choose our Caesar. Look at the current landscape of political discourse. Nothing strikes fear and the resulting anger with liberals than bringing up the Judeo-Christian heritage, values, or even traditions. Where is the grace? Where is the tolerance they speak of?

We, as Christians, must also remember to show grace, love, and compassion. There is no limit to the grace of Jesus. Why should we buy into the idea there is a limit?

It is ok to stand up for what you believe in, you should.

In America, you have that right. Please exercise that right. We must stand up and be counted, support those who stand up and lead and most of all stand up and defend your faith. However, do it with the grace Jesus has shown you.

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

DEMOCRATS CANNOT KEEP DELAYING PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S END

DEMOCRATS CANNOT KEEP DELAYING PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S END

By Matthew Snape

Photo Source: Reuters

President Donald Trump is renowned for his phrase

secure funding for Planned Parenthood and so-

‘the art of the deal.’ With a background as a shrewd

called ‘sanctuary cities.’ However, they failed to fix

and successful businessman, this experience has

DACA funding in the bill. Many conservative

provided him with the backbone necessary to

members are also disappointed with the bill. Firstly,

conduct himself in the complex environment that is

it is 2,000 pages long in terms of its specifications

American politics. Congress is all about deal-making.

for funding commitments, which proves Congress

With the Democrats and many Republicans hostile

has embarked on a substantial spending program.

against his radical manifesto promises, it will take

Without the removal of Planned Parenthood and

impeccable negotiating skills to pass through his

funding for ‘sanctuary cities’, conservatives have

policies, even if compromising comes at a price.

considerable work they must complete if they hope

Democrats had claimed that they scored some

to reverse these irresponsible measures. Arguably,

victories in this spending bill.

the $1.3 trillion spending bill represents a victory for the President in some ways, despite his threat to

They have been able to thwart President Trump’s

veto it. There is a massive increase in military and

requests for new deportation agents and detention

infrastructure spending as well as funding to

center beds. The opposition have also managed to

combat the nation’s opioid crisis. The President’s

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

DEMOCRATS CANNOT KEEP DELAYING PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S END

threat of a veto forced Democrats to retreat from

compromise when necessary and that he is willing

their opposition to his central campaign promises.

to place the national interest first. Despite this, the Democrats constantly agitate his agenda. Congress

Furthermore, the border wall that Trump promised

cannot afford to keep approving of their wasteful

during his campaign to enter the White House is

spending projects. They are going to create long-

gradually transforming into a reality. Even though

term damage for the US, and in relation to Planned

talks between the Democrats and Washington DC

Parenthood, here’s why.

collapsed after the former pushed for a path to citizenship for those who are currently eligible for it

One Planned Parenthood executive said that they

(which is approximately 1.8 million people), the

are fighting for their lives due to threats of cuts to

spending bill still includes $1.6 billion for border

federal funding to this terrible abortion program.

measures. Although that will be allocated to repairing

Revenue for Planned Parenthood currently equals

existing fencing and rules out any new prototypes the

more than one-half of a billion dollars a year in

President viewed when he visited California, both

taxpayers’ money. In the last eight years alone, that

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis) and the President

has equaled four billion dollars. According to its

eased conservative concerns last Thursday, arguing it

annual report, Planned Parenthood received more

will provide one-hundred miles of border

than $554 million in government health services

construction. Understandably, the President is

grants in 2015-16. This is a disgraceful waste of

disappointed that he was forced to sign this bill. He

taxpayers’ money to approve of the legal murder of

comprehended that it was the only way to guarantee

babies and Congress must defund this awful

the military received additional funding at the

initiative in the long-term.

expense of supporting wasteful Democrat projects that are terrible for the US. The President has warned

While Donald Trump remains in the White House,

that he will never sign legislation this costly again.

Planned Parenthood’s days are numbered. He has said he will only continue to fund them if they

President Trump has had to be a reasonable man in

(pardon the pun) abort themselves from the

the business environment in the past and he has

abortion business, to which they have said no. Yet

issued his own red lines when dealing with fellow

they are one of the biggest killers in the US. From

businessmen. When someone like Donald Trump warns

their perspective, Planned Parenthood argue that

he will never approve of a spending bill that size

they do more than provide abortion services. They

again, they must remember that so far, the President

also issue women with pregnancy tests, STI tests

has proven to be a man of his word. The Democrats’

and cancer screenings, which are beneficial for

luck in obstructing his policies in Congress will soon

them. The problem is that government money is

run out, especially with midterm elections fast

funding abortion. Here are some facts about

approaching. The Democrats should be ashamed of

Planned Parenthood and proof of how they spend

themselves. To ensure this bill was approved by the

their money. They are the US’s largest abortion

President, recipients of the Obama-era Deferred

seller, with almost one in three abortions committed

Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program were not

at its facilities. More than one in seven of its clients

mentioned. Trump intends to terminate this scheme

have an abortion. The number of Planned

by September, providing Congress with a six-month

Parenthood abortions has increased by more than

timeframe to provide a legislative fix. 800,000

forty percent since 2002. 323,000 abortions are

enrolled recipients face an uncertain future in the US

now carried out in the US every year.

due to delays by the courts, which is a shameful outcome for many who hope to reside in this nation.

In 2015 alone, a pregnant woman going to Planned Parenthood was twenty-five times more likely to

The President was aware that a veto to this bill would

abort than receive an adoption referral or prenatal

have shut down Congress, which could have created

care. For every one adoption referral that was

chaos on the political scene. By signing this bill for

issued, Planned Parenthood executed 113 abortions.

now, Trump has proved that he is willing to

The number of abortions increases while Planned Parenthood’s prenatal services declines.

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

DEMOCRATS CANNOT KEEP DELAYING PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S END

Planned Parenthood provides a platform for rapists

the number of cancer screenings has dropped by

and sexual offenders to partner with vulnerable

fifty percent while the number of abortions

women. They have turned a blind eye to reports of

increased by twelve percent. Taxpayer funding has

statutory rape. In 2015, Planned Parenthood lobbied

also doubled. They are doing an injustice to cancer

Democrats to thwart a domestic anti-trafficking bill

sufferers at the expense of receiving money.

because it would prohibit money in a restitution fund

Planned Parenthood is being investigated by the US

from being wasted on abortions. The organization’s

Department of Justice. A Congressional

corporate profits are generated on behalf of

investigation uncovered documents and received

taxpayers. Their 2016 annual report discovered that

testimonies from confidential informants stating

taxpayers’ dollars accounted for at least forty

that four Planned Parenthood clinics may have

percent of the corporation’s revenue, but one-

violated federal law forbidding the transfer of

hundred percent of its profits. Americans United for

foetal tissue for ‘valuable consideration.’

Life condemned this as a significant profit generated

That same investigation discovered that Planned

after they had paid for all expenses, including not

Parenthood would alter abortion techniques to

only its employees’ salaries and benefits, but also half

maximize recovery of intact foetal parts, like body

a billion dollars for ‘public policy’ categories in its

parts from unborn babies. When Congressional

reports. Planned Parenthood is too dependent on

investigators questioned a Los Angeles Planned

taxpayers’ money and it is unlikely it would survive if

Parenthood abortion provider, she confessed she

Congress slashed its funding. Planned Parenthood

would change abortion procedures to increase the

has played a significant role in opposing abstinence-

likelihood of a successful procurement of certain

only education and advocates sexual deviancy. They

fetal tissue for resale. Particular Planned

have filed lawsuits against school districts that have

Parenthood associates are more concerned with

decided to implement abstinence-only programs.

the financial aspect of the program above anything else. The scheme encourages a sale on body parts

Value-neutral education is at the heart of this

as opposed to safeguarding their patients’ privacy.

organization’s ambition, which encourages teenagers

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability

to engage in anal sex to preserve women’s virginity.

Act of 1996 (HIPAA) established the Privacy Rule.

They are willing to hijack school curriculum to achieve their goals, perverting children’s perceptions of sex in

This protects all individually identifiable health

the meantime. Medicaid has been abused by

information by setting limits and conditions on the

Planned Parenthood. They are taking advantage of

uses and disclosures that may be made of specific

the US’s largest healthcare program to succeed in

information without patient authorization. Another

their goals. Investigations conducted into Planned

Congressional investigation found that many

Parenthood’s financial data and practices in twelve

Planned Parenthood clinics violated this rule by

states discovered hundreds of thousands of abortion-

revealing patients’ individually identifiable health

related claims were billed unlawfully to Medicaid.

information in a bid to resale human foetal tissue

Auditors and investigators reported Planned

obtained from abortions to a biomedical supply

Parenthood affiliates as the source of $12.8 million in

company, which shows their disdain for patients’

waste, abuse, and potentially fraudulent over billing

privacy. Partial-birth abortion is a tragedy and

and penalties. They also found numerous improper

Planned Parenthood has opposed measures to end

practices resulting in significant federal funding over

this practice since the 1990s. This grotesque

payments of more than $8.5 million, and overbilling of

procedure enables the abortionist to pull the baby

state family planning programs totaled to more than

out of the womb feet-first and into the birth canal,

$123.8 million. This is an abuse of taxpayers’ money

without the head, which the abortionist intentionally

that must end.

keeps lodged just inside the cervix. They then puncture the center of the baby’s skull with a

The number of cancer screenings this program

surgical instrument.This is a brutal way to terminate

provides has significantly dropped. Planned

a baby that did not ask to be born in such

Parenthood claim they provide these necessary

circumstances and Planned Parenthood should be

medical services, but the reality is that since 2005

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

DEMOCRATS CANNOT KEEP DELAYING PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S END

ashamed of themselves for supporting such a

Furthermore, the variety of services they are meant

practice.

to provide women with are supposed to range from cancer screening tests to pregnancy tests, all of

In 2013, a Planned Parenthood of Florida lobbyist who

which are vital to a lady’s health. However, they

was testifying against the state’s Born Alive Infants

have declined in recent years and paved the way

Protection Act, told Congress that if a baby survives

for an increase in the number of abortions. The

an abortion, it is debatable whether they should live

Democrats cannot delay the President’s plan to

or die. While serving in Illinois state senate, Barack

eradicate this program forever. All they are doing is

Obama collaborated with Planned Parenthood to

delaying the inevitable.

decide how he should vote on partial-abortion legislation, and with their approval, he voted ‘present’ to protect his one-hundred percent record on abortion votes. The Democrats’ record on supporting Planned Parenthood is a travesty. Many renowned Democrats have shamelessly supported this scheme and now it is being used as an opportunity to score points against the President. After entering the White House, the Obama administration and Democrat Senators used Planned Parenthood as a chance to close Congress to fund one of its closest allies at the taxpayer’s expense.

In 2008 and 2012, Planned Parenthood endorsed Barack Obama as a champion for women’s health.

This was the third time in their existence they endorsed a president. They poured money into Obama’s campaign and churned out thousands of volunteers. Yet the reaction to a Republican administration threatening to close the government to fund Planned Parenthood is different, as recent events have proved.

Increased funding for the military should not come at the expense of safeguarding Planned Parenthood.

The Democrats have been deploying this abortion organization as a political weapon for a considerable period. The President must be true to his word when he says this is the last time he will fund failed Democrat projects. It is clear Planned Parenthood has murdered innocent babies and has squandered taxpayers’ money to implement legal murder.

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

PAGE 15

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS

By ResaLaRu Kirkland That was the night I carefully opened a Reader’s Digest article from the November 1959 issue, penned by Hal Wallis. The title across the yellowing article read “The Movie Star You Never Saw.” My heart swelled in the same way it does when I feel something sacred, and my awe over the selfless love the warrior has for his fighting brother—and for the freedom of others—was cemented. Ricardo Carrasco and Robert Talmage Kirkland became friends in the fall of 1945 and remained close until graduating from high school in May 1952. Both joined the military – Robert in the Navy and Ricardo in the Army – and intended to make it a career.

I came to know Patriotism and the living example of the pure love of Christ one July night in 1991 while looking through the scrapbook of Robert Talmage Kirkland – my father. Dad had never spoken of this story, of his friend. I accidently found it because I was bored.

Ricardo Carrasco and Robert Kirkland, Best Friends

Ricardo arrived in Korea in late March 1953, as part of the 7th Division, 32nd Infantry Regiment, Company A. He spent the next three months fighting on the evil twins – Old Baldy and Pork Chop Hill – and grew to despise Korea. Oh, he liked the people, and the Republic Of Korea (ROK) soldiers, but he wanted to go home. What happened next should have been a godsend – a big old silverscreen Hollywood godsend. While Ricardo was fighting, his future was unfolding back home in a

Robert Kirkland, 40 Years after Korea

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

PAGE 16

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

way most people only fantasize. Paramount Pictures

The 19-year-old from Texas was

producer Hal Wallis was approached by an old friend

quiet – moodier than the others,

and director, Owen Crump. He wanted to make a

and every day he would ask the

movie on the front lines in Korea, using only front-line

same question: “When can I go

soldiers. Wallis listened as the man pitched the idea. It

back to my fellahs?” Crump had

was straight from the headlines of the Korean War.

already decided that Ricardo would be the American to “die”

The story took place

on that last day of the movie war,

on the last day of the

and since finding out his movie

war – the cease fire

fate, he couldn’t seem to wait to

was to go into effect that night. In the interim between when

get it done. The other men were

PFC RICARDO CARRASCO

enjoying every minute of the experience, grateful to be away

the decision is made and the actual cease fire, fighting continues and men die. This is one of many heartbreaking aspects of war. Crump wanted

OWEN CRUMP

the plot to revolve

around a group of 14 men who are ordered to set up an observation post on Red Top Hill, a “movie” hill that was loosely based on the infamous Pork Chop Hill. One of the men would die in the effort. The agony of dying on the last day of the war summed up in 80 minutes.

Wallis loved it and ordered it made. In June 1953, Crump walked among front line troops, choosing each soldier who would be a part of the fictional “Easy Patrol.” Every “actor,” every uniform, every bullet, every explosion was the real Government Issue thing. No fake Hollywood stunts for this film. The 14 GI’s-turned-actors were

from the shooting, mud and death. So Crump couldn’t figure Ricardo out, Yet when the cameras were on, Ricardo had a knack. He played his part flawlessly; remarkable considering he’d never acted a day in his life. Crump was pleased beyond belief as they forged this new, cinematic ground, and was anxious to see if Paramount would be as impressed as he was. Hal Wallis watched the black and white rushes with growing enthusiasm. He was Hollywood’s preeminent

“starmaker” – in fact, he

was Hollywood, and while he couldn’t define it exactly, he knew a star the first moment he saw one. As he watched, one soldier stood out: PFC Ricardo Carrasco of El Paso, Texas. This kid had “it.” He watched each piece of raw footage from his director, and every frame proved him correct.

Wallis wired the news to Crump: Get Carrasco under contract. The starmaker had big plans for him.

whisked off to the war correspondent’s building in Seoul where they slept in real beds, ate dinner at tables with linen cloths and waiters, and had all the cigars and whiskey they wanted.

HAL WALLIS, HEAD OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND KNOWN AS “THE STARMAKER”

RICARDO CARRASCO, FAR RIGHT, IN SCENE FROM “CEASE FIRE!”, CIRCA 1953

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

PAGE 17

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS

In Seoul, after a particularly long day, Crump pulled

It was the best acting the kid had done yet, but he

Carrasco aside for a private moment so he could relay

took no time to celebrate. He gathered up his gear

the news to the private. He waited for the shriek of joy;

and hopped into a waiting jeep, chatting about his

he never could have anticipated the young man’s polite

mother and El Paso and the approaching football

“No thank you, sir.”

refusal.

season during the hour long ride back to Pork Chop.

As they pulled up to the forward area late that

Crump stood stock still for a moment. Something was

“No, wait, son, you don’t understand.

Hal Wallis is offering you a contract with Paramount Pictures. He wants to make you a star.

He thinks you have what it takes.” Crump was wrong here.

assured that this time Carrasco would understand. But

“Yes sir, I understand that, but I’m not interested.”

Ricardo remained firm.

Crump could only stare. What Carrasco said next left

“Sir, do you think we could get me killed off in the next day or two?” Again Crump could only whisper, “What?” the man reeling.

afternoon, he hopped out and waved goodbye. It was the final image his fellow soldier/thespian would have of Carrasco That was the night the Chinese attacked in a final, brutal assault, and at 11:25 p.m., a scant 12 hours after his movie death had been filmed, the man who could have been a prince of Hollywood ended his tour of duty and his lifein an explosion of brain and skull and mortar.

There was no slow motion, no swell of music as his head burst. His reel death and his real death had played out only 12 hours apart.

“Sir, buzz is the Chinese are getting ready to attack Pork Chop again. The guy they got to take my place is green – he’ll get my fellahs killed. I have to go back … I couldn’t live with myself.”

The director felt sick as they argued back and forth.

This boy was throwing his future away with both hands.

He couldn’t deny the fire in those deep, chocolate eyes,

“You’re a damned fool, kid. Go to bed.

We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” but still …

Crump sat at a table, scratching out a quick note to the producer. He wired it to Hollywood, bracing himself for the angry reply once the powerful producer found out he had just been turned down by a 19 year old nobody.

When Wallis read it a couple of days later, the

THE ONLY REMAINING PICTURE OF THE ORIGINAL DEATH SCENE OF PFC RICARDO CARRASCO FROM THE MOVIE “CEASE FIRE!” His reel death and his real death had played out only 12 hours apart.

starmaker boiled. He had never been turned down before and, by God, he wasn’t going to be now!

But after a few hours, his red hot ire cooled, and He told his assistant to wire back a far more calm and reasoned response. Since the cease fire would be signed into effect in a few days, Crump was to again make the offer. Maybe then, with the war behind him and his sense of duty fulfilled, Carrasco would be more receptive. But back in Korea, Crump could take no more of Carrasco’s daily hounding, and he made a fateful decision. He rewrote the sketchy script to kill Ricardo off two weeks ahead of schedule, and shot the closeups of Ricardo’s death scene on the morning of July 6, 1953.

A MONSTROUS MOUNTAIN OF MORTARS REDUCED PORK CHOP’S DIRT TO LADY’S FACE POWDER

PAGE 18

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS

The cease fire was signed 21 days after Ricardo’s

It was the best acting the kid had done yet, but he

death, on July 27, 1953, and the Paramount Pictures

took no time to celebrate. He gathered up his gear

Crew missed a day of filming when they werecalled to

and hopped into a waiting jeep, chatting about his

Panmunjom to record the signing for posterity. The war

mother and El Paso and the approaching football

dragged on in unfinished ambiguity, waiting to rear its

season during the hour long ride back to Pork Chop.

diabolical head at a future time when we are distanced

As they pulled up to the forward area late that

from the Godly and distracted by the frivolous.

afternoon, he hopped out and waved goodbye. It was the final image his fellow soldier/thespian would have of Carrasco That was the night the Chinese attacked in a final, brutal assault, and at 11:25 p.m., a scant 12 hours after his movie death had been filmed, the man who could have been a prince of Hollywood ended his tour of duty and his lifein an explosion of brain and skull and mortar.

There was no slow motion, no swell of music as his head burst. His reel death and his real death had played out only 12 hours apart.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES FILMED THE HISTORIC MOMENT IN PANMUNJOM; THIS PIC THE MILITARY PHOTOGS TOOK

“Cease Fire” premiered in November 1953. Ricardo was the only one to return to the front before the cease fire, the only one to see battle again, and the only one to

THE ONLY REMAINING PICTURE OF THE ORIGINAL DEATH SCENE OF PFC RICARDO CARRASCO FROM THE MOVIE “CEASE FIRE!”

die – twice in one day, no less.

His reel death and his real death had played out only 12 hours apart.

A MONSTROUS MOUNTAIN OF MORTARS REDUCED PORK CHOP’S DIRT TO LADY’S FACE POWDER

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

WHY SOLDIERS SOLDIER; FOR THE LOVE OF OTHERS

The movie, like the war, was not a box office hit. The movie, like the war, faded into the past and never received much notice or attention. The men of the movie, like the men of that war, moved on with what was left of their lives – all except one, who left his life on a hillside in Korea, and his image on a Hollywood Screen.

RICARDO CARRASCO, BACK, WITH COSTAR JOHNNIE MAYES IN SCENE FROM “CEASE FIRE!” Greatest of all warriors on earth, the American soldier is capable of fighting fiercely, loving gently, living nobly, forgiving totally. These are not war-mongers that Hollywood today tries desperately to portray; these are gentle, loving creatures who want nothing more than to be free to go on living and loving. It is this desire that enables our brothers to choose to step out of their own selfish tendencies on behalf of another. God chooses sides, and commands us to do no less. The soldier is the epitome of this choice – a choice born of magnanimous, miraculous, meticulous love, with no expectation of return. For Ricardo the war became what it becomes for all good soldiers. It wasn’t about communism, America or freedom, at least not completely. It was about those men he so loved. It is not a choice made lightly, but once made, it is set in stone. Most soldiers feel the real heroes died over there, but I submit to you that their moment of agony was short. It is those who must live everyday with the torment of memories – they are my heroes, because they bear the awful burden every day. There is no love like it – no gift more precious – and we have treated them poorly for their priceless gift. They deserved better, DESERVE better, a return at the very least equal to what they gave us – no, for what they gave up for us. I have yet to measure up to what they gave, yet to suffer, yet to deserve. The thought that a mere boy could be offered the greatest human acknowledgement known to flesh in the form of fame, fortune and power – and turn it down for war, blood and death is an exact similitude of the sacrifice that saved us all when

As I researched and learned of this story, the questions constantly formed in my mind: Why did Ricardo do it?

Is the soldier man at his most base animal or most

our perfect Brother did it, and it leaves me in a stunned stupor of wondering awe.

It isn’t the American Soldier’s perfection that touched me that day.

spiritual God? Is he the monster coming out in us, or the

It is that in spite of weaknesses, they achieve a type of selfless

Deity weaving its way in? This is what I see when I look

sacrifice that can only compare to the gift the Savior gave the

into the eyes of our soldiers. Thrown into the most

world.Their vigilance is our only hope, for in the course of awful,

horrifying concoction of man’s inhumanity to man, it is

painful, heartbreaking, glorious human events, they make the stands that save the souls.

the fact that these mortals are capable of such unselfish, beautiful acts of humanity--no, Divinity-that reaches the soul of those left behind in a dustcloud of wonder. Of all God’s children, surely He must relate to and glory over the American soldier.

KEEP THE FAITH, MY BROTHERS.

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

SEARCHING FOR OUR NATION’S SOUL, BEFORE WE LOSE IT

SEARCHING FOR OUR NATION’S SOUL, BEFORE WE LOSE IT

By Steven P Ray We are living in a dangerous world, a world

As the 1980s moved into the 1990s and early 2000s,

increasingly devoid of the sanctity of life and a lack

media and Hollywood had a huge negative impact

of morality and faith in God and Jesus Christ.

on the younger generation. Video games became violent, movies became more disturbing and laden

The recent school shootings in Parkland, FL, have,

with grisly gore and gratuitous sex that desensitized

once again, left our nation stunned at the evil that

a whole generation of young people before they

lurks among us in society today. We know evil has

could become adults. This, coupled with lack of

walked earth since God created man, but why does it

guidance at home, led many to lack the value and

seem that we have more and more shootings and

appreciation of life as God intended.

mass killings today than we did decades ago?

We can blame existing laws on gun violence, Most of what we are witnessing today is a complete

suggest that the 2nd Amendment is archaic and

disintegration of the moral fiber of the American

needs changed, but perhaps the real problem is to

society. With that, our younger generation are the first

blame on all of us for allowing society to fall so far

to fall prey to an idle mind, disassociated from right

from God’s grace that we all must work harder to

and wrong based on external circumstances that

change everything we have seen go wrong in the

subject them to behavior and social patterns that

last 50 years. We need to profess our love of God,

push them to despair.

move toward ensuring our children have a good and strong sense of the teachings of Christ and

Most of us in our 40’s and older grew-up in a simpler

demand the media and the entertainment industry

time. Not all families were on the same slate as

do their part to end the violence they repeat and

“Leave it to Beaver,” but while divorce rates began to

contribute to the reduction of the value of human

climb in the 1970s, there still was enough tradition

life.

instilled in children of that era and before that being good, respecting authority and following the rule of

We need to also understand and discuss mental

law were standards in raising our children. This was

health and mental illness and talk more about it.

carried on from the Baby Boomers and their parents

Recognize it is an illness and the only thing wrong

of the Greatest Generation.

with it is not being open and discussing it as a society. Find a willingness in all of us to recognize

Then things began to change, the roll-over of the 60’s

those who may be dealing with it and get them the

era, freedom to believe what you wanted and the

help they need before they lash out in a fit of

drug culture began the downward-spiral of societal

unstoppable evil against others.

norms. The divorce rate began to skyrocket in the 1980s and more and more children found themselves

This is the work that our Lord Jesus Christ calls upon

products of broken homes, lack of supervision, raising

us to do for our fellow brothers and sisters. We must

themselves and lacking direction or guidance through

unite to ensure His words and teachings guide us to

religion and sustaining a belief in God and Christ’s

do what is right and just before it is too late for our

teachings.

nation and the rest of the civilized world.

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

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PAGE 22

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

CTM SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK GREEN

CTM SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK GREEN ABOUT HIS BOOK

The Millionaire Journey PATRICK: Thank You for interviewing me for Christian Times

becomes a millionaire for early retirement. It can

Magazine (CTM).

happen for almost everyone, and it's almost never too late or too early to start!

ANIL: What inspired you to write Your book ?

PATRICK: Sound like a good one !

ANIL: How will reading The Millionaire Journey change the minds or hearts or lives of readers?

I am just a regular guy who came from a very humble background. My Dad filed bankruptcy and we lost our

PATRICK: The Millionaire Journey will meet anyone

house as a kid, and my Dad died at the age of 59 in a

where they are and help them believe they can

Medicaid (welfare) Nursing Home, without a penny to

reach Financial Freedom, and show them the steps

his name. I determined not to allow that to happen to

they can take to make the journey to get there.

me. Fortunately, I found some great virtual mentors like Dave Ramsey, Zig Ziglar, Thomas Stanley, Larry

ANIL: Why is this topic so important to you,

Burkett and others that taught me some very simple

personally?

principles that allowed me reach Financial Freedom and Millionaire status in my early 50's. I wrote my

PATRICK: The fact is I had 3 strikes against me

book hoping to give others hope and a plan to make

when it comes to money, then I made it even harder

their own journey to Financial Freedom. Their own

by taking a decade to really launch my career, and

Millionaire Journey.

yet I still reaches Financial Freedom in my early 50s.

If I can do it, anybody can. Yet most people think it

ANIL: How did behind-the-scenes event impact you in

isn't really possible so the just do what everyone

such a way that you had to make your book?

else does, and get what everyone else gets. Debt, stress, poverty, and failure. It does not have to be

PATRICK: I have been coaching people on personal

that way!

finance through my local church and have some great resources that have been created for that, but I

ANIL: How difficult was it to bring these kinds of

wanted to try to create a resource that people could

ideas into this book?

hand to someone to give them that would be succinct, entertaining, inspiring and yet informative

PATRICK: It was fairly easy. I used a combination of

and instructional.

my own life stories, and an allegory thread based loosely on my life story to illustrate the important

ANIL: Why is your book important to the average

steps for one wanting to make his or her own

person?

Millionaire Journey.

PATRICK: Because average people really CAN and

ANIL: Is The Millionaire Journey a result of your

should be Millionaires. I have an example in the book

experiences, research, expertise, or what?

about a guy who makes $10/hr his entire life and still

PAGE 23

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

CTM SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK GREEN

The Millionaire Journey PATRICK: It is primarily a step by step guide to make the journey to Financial Freedom, using proven systems that I learned from other author/speakers such as Dave Ramsey, Zig Ziglar, Ron Blue and others, and then implemented in my life to make my Millionaire Journey. It also includes a good deal of research about our current societal norms for relating with money and shows how badly Normal Sucks!

ANIL:Â Thank You so much for your Interview and your important time

ANIL: What are the key takeaways you hope readers find in The Millionaire Journey?

PATRICK: First is that everyone has the power to make the choices that will cause them to win with money. More than that, though is that money is never the goal. Money is just a tool that we can use to live life well and leave a legacy. It will find it's way to those who serve well and are outrageously generous. Money is neither good or evil. It is like a brick that can be used to break a window, or build a home. Those who have money have choices. I want people to have money and choose to make both their lives and the world around them better.

ANIL: last question !

Now that people have read your book, what do you hope they will do next?

PATRICK:Get down to mapping out their journey from where they are to Financial Freedom. Engage in a community that can help them get there. Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class can be a great starting place.

They can also reach out to me on Twitter at @Millionaire8662, or at my author website, www.themillionairejourneybook.com

The Millionaire Journey Patrick M. Green, MBA themillionairejourneybook.com

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

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PAGE 25

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

‘IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION - STAND FAST!’

‘IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION STAND FAST!’

By Charles Lingerfelt Because of who they were and what they stood for, the early church in the first century endured severe and fierce persecution. It came with the territory! Hatred and affliction, it seemed, were everywhere. Persecution, quite naturally, followed the confession and witness of a holy life. First century Christians were stoned, beaten, hanged, killed by the sword and murdered everywhere; and the fiery winds of persecution scattered Christianity to the far-flung corners of the earth. It was a terrible, hostile world in which to live. The concept of persecution was taught and prophesied in many Old Testament books, such as Isaiah. The New Testament also teaches that “those who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.“ In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that God’s prophets always faced persecution.(Matthew 5:12) So, according to the words of Jesus, if we are going to be his disciple we must “expect persecution.”(Matthew 10:23) In the early church, there were two ideas which were taken over from Judaism to express the meaning of persecution. Jewish theologians taught that in the death of the righteous sufferer there was redemptive value.

Well, this idea was applied primarily to Jesus by the early Christians, the persecution of his followers was seen as a participation in Jesus’ suffering: filling up “what is lacking in the affliction of Christ.”(Colossians 1:24) A good statement of this is that of Tertullian: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”

The idea of the coming Messiah held that the suffering of God’s people was part of the coming of the kingdom — evidence that a person is truly one of God‘s very own. Therefore, they are “blessed”(Matthew 5:10) and should “rejoice“ and “glorify God“ since “the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.“(1 Peter 4:13-17) The Jewish opposition to Christianity arose primarily from among the Sadducee (Acts 4:1; 5:17). At first, The common people and the Pharisees did not strongly oppose the church(Acts 5:14, 34; 23:6).

The first persecution of the church actually came when Stephen spoke out about the inadequacy of the land of Israel and the Temple for salvation. This intensified when the apostle Paul began to proclaim the salvation of

Gentiles through Jesus Christ. Both Jews and Christians began to realize that the two were now separate religions, rather than sects of a single religion. Opposition by the Romans to Christianity also developed gradually in the first century. The Book of Acts emphasized Roman tolerance for the new religion. But this began to change with the Jewish riots against Christians in Rome, resulting in the Emperor Claudius banning both groups from Rome in AD 49. This set the stage for the intense opposition(persecution) of later years that allowed Nero to make Christians the scapegoat for the fires which leveled Rome in A.D. 64. During this persecution the apostles Paul and Peter were martyred. Paul was beheaded and Peter was hanged upside down. What we have clearly learned from the life of Jesus Christ, the son of God and Savior of this world, as we read of his living, his witness and testimony and his ministry in the New Testament Gospels, and what we learn as well from the testimony and ministries of the Apostles Paul and Peter is that we are to live our lives “steadfastly and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”(1 Corinthians 15:58) Christ has commanded all of us(as disciples), as he did ‘The Eleven’ on the mountain near Galilee, to evangelize the world(Matthew 28:18-20). All four Gospels in the New Testament close and the Acts of the Apostles opens, with the commands of Christ to his apostles and disciples to engage at once in proclaiming throughout the world the gospel which he came to make possible. The Lord’s words at the close of the Gospel of Matthew are amazing. Here is a staggering claim, which no other person on earth could, in his right mind, dare to utter. In those days of the calling forth of His disciples, He commissioned them to go into all the world teaching the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit; He commanded those coming to Him, and submitting to Him, and trusting Him, to enter into the fellowship of his leadership and

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

‘IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION - STAND FAST!’

‘IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION STAND FAST!’

By Charles Lingerfelt

sufferings. He commanded them to “make disciples.” He commissioned them to “teaching the disciples to observe all things that He had commanded them.” In so doing, this would require obedience and submission.

A disciple is truly a “follower.” When Jesus asked the disciples to follow Him, He did not ask them to first, “count the cost.” He simply said, “take up the cross and follow me.” And they did!

Levi(Matthew) was a tax collector and when Jesus asked him to, “follow me,” he immediately left his coins and change and got up and followed Jesus.(Mark 2:14) Simon, the Galilean fisherman who became an apostle of Jesus Christ, left his trade and fishing nets to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has called each one of us to follow Him as a disciple; and with this calling unto discipleship there is a charge to be loyal and faithful in our calling. Sure, there are “costs” in discipleship, but with these costs comes a great reward at ‘the end of the race.’

The Lord Jesus requires great discipline of us because we are obedient “followers”of a humble, loyal Master. He has gone before us and paid ‘the ultimate price’ Himself. He was faithful and obedient unto death - death by the Cross! He is our Example - “even unto death.”

Therefore, it is required of the servant(disciple) that he be “found loyal” - even in ‘the face of persecution!’(James 1:1-3) John 15:20 - 1 Corinthians 15:9 - 2 Corinthians 4:9 - Matthew 5:11,12 I humbly pray that The Lord Jesus will find us “faithful unto the end of this age.”

Even so, come Lord Jesus.....

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

ABSENT FATHERS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS

ABSENT FATHERS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS Dr. Carlos Vazquez

A daughter’s first relationship with a man is her father. It would follow that the father would be modeling, thru his relationship with his wife or other significant women in his life and teaching her how a woman should be treated. The lack of a father in a young girl’s life removes a healthy model which in turn can cause the young girl to seek to fill that void in a myriad of ways. Studies have found that fatherabsent girls display “increased sexual promiscuity, higher rates of teen pregnancy, earlier first sexual intercourse, and difficulty forming stable long-term relationships later in life, especially if the father was absent from an early age” (Hill, Leyva & DelPriore, 2016, p. 437).

hurt and anger increased the risks of the daughter being depressed and unruly at school. This effect was also witnessed in an economically diverse group. However, those daughters whose fathers communicated well and engaged with them were less likely to participate in risky behavior than those who didn’t. Poor or little father engagement can also lead to troubled and unstable romantic relationships in a daughter’s life. In college, these daughters often have more trouble trusting and being emotionally intimate with men (Harvey & Fine, 2010; Kilmann, 2006). They have more difficulty communicating with their boyfriends, often fearing emotional intimacy (Morris & West, 2001). With men, they generally have more trouble negotiating,

According to studies, women without father figures lack a sense of protection and as a result may become discouraged even by the smallest of adversities. Fatherless daughters are at a higher risk of suicide, homelessness, and other disorders. In addition, fathers also have an influence on their daughter’s sexual behavior and psychological wellbeing. In a study of 302 teenage daughters from low-income, single-parent families, those who were most likely to be depressed or misbehaving at school had little or no contact with their fathers and felt angry and alienated from him. The absence,

compromising, controlling their emotions, and defusing anger (Hetherington & Kelly, 2002).

College women who feel rejected by their fathers are more likely to be clinically depressed than daughters who feel loved (Thompson & Berenbaum, 2009). Even when family income was considered daughters were found to have fewer psychological problems when their fathers were actively engaged in their lives (Sarkadi, Kirstiansson, Oberklai, & Bremberg, 2008). Some studies even go as far as say that depression during the adolescent years

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

ABSENT FATHERS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

may be more closely connected to the type of relationship daughters have with their fathers than with their mothers (Videon, 2005).

levels of self-esteem, and not feel as though she needed the presence of a man in her life to determine her value as a person. The study stated that this might be due an increase of self-security

Benefits of a father

and identity created by the sense of affirmation

Father–daughter relationships that are good are generally associated with good sexual decision making. As an example, Caucasian girls whose fathers continue to be actively involved in parenting during the teenage years and who talk with their daughters about dating and sex are less likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases (Bowling & Werner, 2000). In addition, African American daughters are also less likely engage in less risky sexual behavior when they have an open and trusting dialogue with their fathers about sex and dating. This even occurred when it was nonresident father (Hutchinson, 2002). Daughters also demonstrated to be more assertive and more selfconfident about refusing to have sex when having a good relationship with their father.

given by the father. When this occurs, women are

A long-term study that lasted for more than 10 years, carefully examined the father-daughter relationship and discovered that when a father was able to provide self-confidence to his daughter, that then the daughter was more likely to feel higher

Executive Director of “Inside The Badge”

more likely to have emotionally intimate relationships that are fulfilling and satisfying

‐

(Rudolph & Zimmer Gembeck, 2014). There is very little doubt that a father’s involvement in his daughter’s life is a significant factor in the development of her self-esteem.

We have discussed briefly a small part of the far reaching influence of a father on their daughters’ lives- both negative and positive. The role of the father is a crucial component in a girl’s life and the importance should not be dismissed. Fathers may find it easier to connect with their sons, they should make every effort to build and nurture a close with their daughters.

By Dr. Carlos Vazquez

Psychology Professor Consultant on Criminal Psychology Contact: Info@insidethebadge.com

Dr. Carlos Vazquez

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: WE DID IT TO OURSELVES

SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: WE DID IT TO OURSELVES

BY SCOTT CAHILL

All of us who believe in conservative values have been standing by as one school child after another shoots their classmates. We find it hard to understand what drives a young person to so disassociate from society, to hate so deeply. We struggle with our own hate, some accepting prejudice, benign or destructive. We work to rise above it, perhaps we fail, perhaps we grow through it, in any case we see it in ourselves and address it. Even those who fail at times, may raise our children to be devoid of the demons that we harbor, each generation better than the last, each more successful, better educated, more completely protected. Our fathers throughout this world went to war in hellish places and they fought for things that seemed to matter, some failing, some succeeding, all hurt by the necessity, all lost something - some lost everything. When they returned home they were changed men. They wished to put aside the things that they had seen - the things that they had done, to find a harbor where there was serenity and peace. They coddled us, their children. We grew up happy, we grew up with our bellies full, our hands soft, our hearts scarless, weak. We could never be the men of bone and muscle and sinew who tamed the wilderness, who made the steel and built the great lands and buildings and infrastructure - the foundation of an empire, the repair of the waste of war. We were lesser men. Men of steel are hardened by the hammer of difficulty. One cannot be a great warrior without a battle.

One cannot be a great philosopher when all is understood. One cannot be a great teacher when one has no control over learning. So, through a drive to cloister our children, to separate them from conflict, bullying, fear, calamity, we built a soft place for them to live, a safe place without hard corners. We did not care to see that it is the hard falls, the sharp corners, the near misses that build a man and a woman, these things cannot be learned in books. We, each of us singularly, must venture out into the world and we must be hurt or in we will never become what we were meant to be.

For it is the meaning of life to be so tested, to fail and succeed and to grow through the test of life to become a whole person, is it not? I had a father. He was a great man, a man with hands like steel, who held a baby or a child like a little bird. He was the manifestation of strength and kindness. He quietly stood between me and any threat, still he allowed me to run free and to find

the bounds of the physical and intellectual realm. He allowed mistakes and he accepted them. He loved us, his children, completely, still, when we were wrong he said so. When I built something, it had to be perfect or it was done again. When I worked, he expected more of me than others because I was his son. When the job was difficult or disgusting, I was given it to show that he would not ask anyone else to do something that he or his own son would not do. I was proud to be such a man's son. I was proud to be me. a pretend world, their little minds becoming acclimated to the process, until, at last, it seems real, normal.

Psychotropic drugs blur reality further, removing emotion, feelings, consequences. So many children walking zombie-like through the halls of schools stripped of their emotions by these mind killing drugs.

I do not wonder why there are killings, I wonder why there are not more killings. Children learn to be adults by being treated like adults, not like children. Children learn not to hurt others by experiencing hurt. Children learn to be good people by learning things that cannot be taught in a classroom. It is, and always has been, a difficult and painful exercise, still, it is a right of passage into a wonderful place, manhood and womanhood, it is there that the child gets his reward, a self attained position of attainment and competence which may be guided by you, but may never be purchased or stolen.

CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE

PAGE 30

“THE GIFT IS IN YOU”

ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

“THE GIFT IS IN YOU”

BY PASTOR DAVID COLBERT

I would like to begin by saying that every good and perfect gift comes from God. If we do not show love in the use of our gifts they mean nothing. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The first thing I want to cover is: WHAT ARE THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT?

The Word Of Wisdom-Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (Solomon was the wisest man but he realized that along with wisdom he needed understanding be able to apply wisdom. Wisdom without understanding is like a car with the keys. You can set in it but you can’t make it go. The scripture says: James 1:5&6 if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him/ But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

The Word of Knowledge- Proverbs 2:2 through 5 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and leftist up thy voice for understanding;4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searches for her as for hid treasures;5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. The Gift Of Faith- The Just shall live by faith. Hebrews 11:6- But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. There are so many verses on faith that I cannot cover them all in one setting. We all have the measure of faith, but some have occasion to utilize it more. I believe that I have the gift of faith. God tests our gifts also when he gives them to us. (Look at your neighbor and say “The Gift Is in You”. Tell some stories of faith from my life (This is not my first time stepping out on faith and believing God for His provisions.) I feel like Indiana Jones sometimes but it

is great to see how God works things out. It makes my faith even stronger. I came up very poor; I believe that was essential for me to have faith in God to get out of my situation. I lot of my friends ended up in prison or dead from hopelessness. (Hebrews 11:1) (Tell a story of faith)Tell your neighbor The Gift Is in You. The Gifts of Healing- In my lifetime I have seen the gifts of healing in operation. I have witnessed it with my wife with her gift and others like in corporate prayer.

Tell of some experiences (cripple legs made straight, ears opened and muscles in atrophy restored) The Working of Miracles- Look at your neighbor and say The Gift is in you. Women giving birth work a miracle. It is definitely a miracle. I have seen several miracles done through corporate prayer such as healing of cancer, I have heard of external tumors falling off. In San Antonio one of our members was hit by a car and the church prayed after the doctors said he would never walk again, but the great physician said no he will walk again and he did. Let’s give God praise for all He has done. The Gift Is In You!!!

The Gift of Prophecy- My brother Ron had this gift and he used it to uplift others. He went home to be his and our Lord Jesus on the day before Thanksgiving in the year 2000. I miss my brother saying The Lord said The Gift Is In You. Tell your neighbor again The Gift Is In You. I will quote this next scripture and move on 1 Corinthians 14:1- Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.

Discerning Of Spirits- This is a gift that some seek after; but it is hard to bare, because sometimes you receive information about others that you prefer not to know. I have this gift. This gift increases you need for wisdom and understanding to maintain it. That is all I will say about that. Moving on say The Gift is In You. Divers Kinds Of Tongues- I will not go too deep into these gifts but to say one is use between you and God only and the other must be interpreted in directed out towards the people as a message from God. Interpretation of Tongues- This is for specific words received and revealed by the one, received by one or more interpreted. I have witnessed this operation on several occasions. In 14:26 ¼ through 28- Let all things be done unto edifying. 27 If any man speaks in

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

HOW CAN I KNOW WHAT MY GIFTS ARE?

These next 2 sections are short and to the point.

Number 1 you can ask God to reveal or give them to you.

Gifts normally are things you do not struggle with, that for a lack of a better term you find easy to you. Using modern terms you flow well in that gift or gifts.

Proverbs 4:5 says- Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Paul says it like this by permission not by commandment In 1st Corinthians 7:7- For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. (In this portion he primarily is speaking on marriage, but I feel this statement holds true also in the gifts God gives to all his saints) Look at your neighbor and say the gift is in you.

HOW DO I USE MY GIFTS TO GLORIFY GOD?

I’d like to begin this final section by saying that most of us focus our time and resources on temporal things and a little on the eternal things of God. I am going to attempt to answer 2 questions in this section: 1) - How do we use our gifts on temporal things? And 2)-How do we use our gifts on eternal things towards God 1) How do we use our gifts sometimes on temporal things?

In John 12:43 - For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. When we use the gifts God has given us for special recognition or prestige.

Some at times in our history made merchandise of God’s gifts, because God gives us freewill we can abuse what he has given to us. I do believe, however that if we continue in this way. He will remove the gift or gifts from us. I have seen it happen before and the people are left in ruin. This is because of God’s nature law that saysYou will reap what you sow for God will not be mocked.

Some use the gifts to laud over others. We have our gifts on loan from God. God owns them.

2) How do we use our gifts on eternal things towards God? We should use the gifts for edification of the body of Christ. We can use our gifts to instruct and exhort. We can use our gifts to guide and direct others who need guidance in love. In Mark 3:14 & 15 it says that- 14 And

“THE GIFT IS IN YOU”

he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils

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CTM INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL D. GREANEY

CTM INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL D. GREANEY Today It is very honor to be interviewing Michael D. Greaney author of Ten Battles Every Catholic Should Know ANIL: Hi Michael D. Graney, thank you for agreeing to this interview.

ANIL: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

MICHAEL: That probably varies from publisher to publisher, even from editor to editor. If you were asking about writing, that would be a much easier question to answer: writers combing through sources — if they even bother to check sources instead of simply inventing facts — and twisting what they find out of context in order to conform to a predetermined position. Such writers aren’t seeking truth, but personal affirmation.

This sort of thing came out of Academia. As the classical scholar Andrew Robert Burn noted in his introduction to the translation of the Histories of Herodotus by Aubrey de Sélincourt, “the . . . Ph.D. system . . . makes a high salary depend on producing original work. In a field as well-trodden as that of classical literature, . . . a truly original theory has a high probability of being a perverse theory.” In other words, if you want a good job or even a degree, you come up with a bizarre theory, preferably one that upsets conservative or orthodox thinkers, and twist or even invent the evidence to support it. With respect to publishing itself, however, it may be what seems to be an almost automatic, virtually a knee-jerk liberal or (more accurately) quasi-liberal bias in what is accepted by many mainstream publishers and the media in general.

Frankly, this sort of thing is based on an orientation and a theory of society that is liberal only in name. True liberalism, the liberalism on which the United States is founded, is based on the principle that every child, woman, and man is endowed with certain inalienable, natural rights, among which are life, liberty, and private property, just as George Mason of Gunston Hall stated in his draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights in June of 1776. Given that everyone has these rights absolutely at the same time necessarily implies that all rights must be limited in their exercise; having a right is not the same as exercising a right — God builds rights into every human

being, but the exercise of those rights is “socially determined,” that is, something that people work out for themselves to fit their particular circumstances. In general, the exercise of any right is restricted by the principle that no one by the exercise of a right may harm him- or herself, other people (including infringing other’s rights), groups or institutions, or the common good as a whole. The big caveat, of course, is that the exercise of a natural right may never be defined in any way that nullifies the right itself, or that nullifies the rights of others; my life and liberty may never be exercised to deprive others of their lives and liberty. Many individuals and groups in the media, which includes publishing, have a definition of “liberal” directly at odds with this traditional American liberalism, although they hijack the term and apply it to a wide variety of things that are far from liberal.

Their theory of society, in my opinion, is that something they call “humanity” or “the common good” has rights and is sovereign, and actual human beings only gain rights as a special gift from the State instead of having them built into human nature itself

by God. This makes the State greater than God. It becomes very easy under this theory for those who control the State to force their vision on others without regard to the life, liberty, or property of those others. Is there a way to fix this? Yes. As Daniel Webster said almost two centuries ago, “Power naturally and necessarily follows property.” Louis O. Kelso, the lawyer-economist who invented the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), showed there is a way for every child, woman, and man in the United States, even the world, to become an owner of the capital that vests them with power, and without redistribution of existing wealth belonging to others — but you were asking about unethical publishing practices, not how to fix publishing, Academia, or politics!

ANIL: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

MICHAEL : I would say both. Any good writing (and I hope mine is at least half as good as I think it is) takes work. Searching out facts, correlating different accounts, trying to figure out what makes sense, and so on, can be very exhausting, even frustrating at times, especially when a presumably authoritative

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source has something that couldn’t possibly be true; “fake news” even when it’s unintentional, is nothing new! For example, in a current project I was baffled for a while when the Roman historian Titus Livius stated that a Carthaginian general had been killed in 200 B.C. . . . and then had him captured alive after a battle three years later! Fortunately, another historian, Appian of Alexandria, recorded that the general was captured after the later battle, so Livy probably made a mistake regarding the general’s earlier death. Is that certain, however? No — and it’s things like that, that make writing of all kinds exhausting. On the other hand, when something works, and you find out what looks like the true story, or your fictional tale all comes together (and you have managed to avoid being too clever for your own good), it is very energizing, even exciting. The daughter of Rex Stout, the writer who invented the detectives Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, remembers her father on a number of occasions coming down to lunch almost cackling with glee and announcing, “You’ll never guess what Archie said to Wolfe today!” You can never be genuinely objective about your own work, of course, but when you can’t wait to find out how it turns out, whether fiction or non-fiction, you may be on the right track.

ANIL : What inspired you to write Ten Battles Every Catholic Should Know?

MICHAEL : I had worked with the Acquisitions Editor at TAN Books, an imprint of Saint Benedict Press, before when he edited and published The Catholic Men’s Quarterly, and he published some of my articles on military history, in which I concentrated on events that might not be familiar to most readers in Western Europe and the United States. After he became TAN’s Acquisitions Editor, we spent some time discussing the best way to capitalize on my writing. Although the military history is actually the smallest part of what I’ve done — I’m Director of Research for the interfaith Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ) in Arlington, Virginia, and most of what I write relates to that (and “social justice” is probably not what you think it is; pay a visit to our website to see our “take” on the subject, http://www.cesj.org) — we decided that it was probably the most saleable for a relatively new author, “new” to readers of popular books, that is. I think he was right, and TAN Books did a fantastic job, especially with the cover.

The husband of CESJ’s Director of Communications is a professional graphic artist, and he was very impressed with the cover. And — if I do say so myself — the inside

CTM INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL D. GREANEY

of the book is even better. (I’m allowed to say that because I wrote it.)

ANIL : How did impact you in such a way that you had to make Ten Battles Every Catholic Should Know?

MICHAEL : Although it is not too explicit in the book, there is an underlying theme of justice or, more accurately, what the lack of justice can do to a society, lead to economic downturns, social unrest, and — as I hope this book demonstrates — war and death. War is nothing to glorify, but it is essential to know that injustice can lead to it. And that is where social justice comes in. Many people think that “social justice” means trying to replace ordinary justice and charity with group or State action. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, people are obligated to help others, and even State welfare can be justified in extreme cases, but redistribution is not a solution, but an expedient to buy time on the way to a solution.

The real solution to poverty and injustice is to enable ordinary people to have power to be productive and full members of society, and that, as Aristotle said 2,500 years ago, will only be when people own capital.

This, in fact, was echoed by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. As he said, “We have seen that this great labor question cannot be solved save by assuming as a principle that private ownership must be held sacred and inviolable. The law, therefore, should favor ownership, and its policy should be to induce as many as possible of the people to become owners.”

(Rerum Novarum, § 46.)

The job of social justice is not to give people what they would have had, had they been productive and full members of society. No, that was and will always be the job of individual justice and charity. The job of social justice is to repair the “structures of virtue” in the common good, those “social tools” (especially the State itself) we call “institutions” so that people can do things for themselves, not be dependent on others for everything, especially the tool of the State, which we should control, not the other way around.

What happens when society is unjustly structured?

War — and, as I try to make clear in my book, that is not an answer.

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ANIL : Why is topic The Battles Catholic Should Know the name of your book important to the Catholic but not all Christians or average person?

MICHAEL : That is the one thing in which I am not in complete agreement with TAN Books. Frankly, the selection of the title was a very difficult process, and I am very bad at titles. The most common comment by reviewers has been that this book is mistitled as it appeals to everybody. One reader belonging to an Orthodox Church asked why not Protestants? Orthodox?

Muslims? Hindus? My Jewish business associate asked why not Jews? And they’re right. Why not? The fact is that there are a number of books titled “Ten [Something] Every Catholic Should Know” that have been quite popular, and we decided it was a reasonably good fit.

It’s not really something that you can say was a bad thing or a good thing.

ANIL: How will reading The Battles Catholic Should Know change the minds or hearts or lives of readers?

MICHAEL : As I quote in the “Publisher’s Preface” (drafted by me, but improved considerably by the staff at TAN), as George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” If we do not truly grasp the horrors of war and what can lead to it, we are likely to keep on getting into them. I’d like to be more clever and profound than Santayana, but why try to top genius?

ANIL : Why is this topic so important to you, personally?

MICHAEL : As I noted above, my main interest is in something we at CESJ call “the Just Third Way” based on the inherent dignity and sovereignty of each human being. If this book does what I hope it can do, it will motivate people to seek out new solutions to old problems that can lead to war, and — hopefully — one of the things they will investigate will be the Just Third Way. ANIL : How difficult was it to bring these kinds of ideas into this book?

Not hard at all, actually. When you write about war, it is natural to think about alternatives to war, and when you have sound principles and virtues to begin with, it falls into place almost automatically. The difficult part is not writing about such things, but in finding the right words to convey understanding to the reader —and that’s why

CTM INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL D. GREANEY

if you ask an author what he or she thinks is his or her best work, the answer is often “What I’m working on now.” Only God is perfect, but if you aren’t constantly striving for perfection (the paradox of human existence), you aren’t doing your job as a human being.

ANIL : Is The Battles Catholic Should Know a result of your experiences, research, expertise, or what?

MICHAEL : Fortunately, not personal experience, but many years of intensive research into these things.

(Short answer for a change!)

ANIL : What are the key takeaways you hope readers find in The Battles Catholic Should Know?

MICHAEL : I hope I don’t sound simplistic, but “War is bad” is probably first on the list. I also tried to stress that a just society can avoid war more easily than one that is unjust, and that private property necessarily goes along with life and liberty. These are minor themes, however; the evils of war are the main thing.

ANIL : How long on average does it take you to write a book?

MICHAEL : The actual writing has taken anywhere from a month and a half for Supporting Life: The Case for a Pro-Life Economic Agenda (2010) to a year and a half for the as-yet untitled book on how social justice was hijacked that is currently in editing here at CESJ. I managed to do Easter Witness: From Broken Dream to a New Vision for Ireland (2016) in exactly 101 days. It is my view on the Easter Rising in 1916, and I needed to get it out before April 24, 2016, the centenary of the Rising, and the son of one of the men who participated delayed for months getting me his father’s firsthand account, then I had to write very fast. Overall, it takes me about six months for a book.

ANIL : Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find ?

For a current project I inserted something involving G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, George Bernard Shaw, and Don Quixote that doesn’t detract from the main point but reinforces it — if the reader notices it! — but as a rule, no. That’s easier to do in fiction where the writer can to a limited extent manipulate events (at least until the characters start doing their jobs and take over), but difficult to do well. I understand James

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Joyce loved to do that sort of thing and — although I shouldn’t admit this as someone of Irish descent — I don’t generally care for most of Joyce’s writing. It comes across to me as too “cute,” a joke the writer is playing on the reader. Unfortunately, far too many writers these days (and “too many” can be as few as one; fortunately, most writers try to make themselves understood and are much more in touch with their readers and respect them) are pushing agendas or playing an inside joke that is comprehensible only to the chosen few. This has actually taken over some select areas in science fiction and fantasy with a few authors actually having contempt for those of their readers not “in the know.”

ANIL : What was your hardest scene to write?

MICHAEL : With some hesitation, I would say the entire chapter about the “crusade” carried on by Vlad III Tepes, better known by one of his titles, “Dracula.” There is so much myth and misinformation piled on the story that the truth was very difficult to discern, and the legends in general so disgusting and horrifying that even the research was a difficult task. The whole modern “vampire cult” didn’t help any, any more than Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula (which has almost nothing to do with the real Vlad) or Bela Lugosi’s film character.

Stoker’s novel and Lugosi’s character were tremendous achievements — but they told you nothing about the real Dracula other than how to spell the word correctly.

If you want to know the real source for Stoker’s character, in my opinion it was John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester, who during the reign of Edward IV of England in the fifteenth century — contemporary with Vlad III — was both one of the most learned men in England and a sociopath. He was known as “the Butcher of England.”

ANIL : What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

MICHAEL : Get the facts straight and resist the urge to turn people of yesterday into clones of modern people you most detest or admire. People are, up to a point, creatures of their time, and can only be understood properly within that context. Süleymân the Magnificent was arguably the greatest ruler the Ottoman Empire ever had, but if he were in power today doing exactly the same things he did in the sixteenth century, he would be considered a monster and an enemy of the human race.

This does not excuse what he did, but for his time he was no worse than some others, and better than a great many. Should we, for example, reject or dismiss the

CTM INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL D. GREANEY

accomplishments of, say, Thomas Jefferson because he kept slaves? Certainly, we should condemn him for that, and if a U.S. president today owned slaves, we should certainly wonder how he got elected, much less stayed out of prison, but throw out the Declaration of Independence (even though due to slavery Jefferson carefully avoided mentioning the importance of private property as the chief prop of life and liberty!)? Why? Take people for what they were and what they did, good or bad. Tell the truth, not what you think should have happened, or what you wanted to have happened, or invent something useful to you. The truth may at times be hard, but in the long run is the only thing that matters in writing, and that includes fiction as well as non-fiction.

ANIL : What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning The Battles Catholic Should Know?

MICHAEL : I can only give a misleading answer to that question. About half the first rough draft of the book consisted of articles I wrote years ago, and had to update and rewrite, if only because I had more and better information and am a better writer now. So, how long? Thirty years for this book . . . sort of. Much of it was done before the internet, and that meant a lot of time in libraries tracking down cites and sources.

The internet has made research much easier, since I can google a subject and see what is generally available sitting at a desk instead of making a special trip. With the global book search services available I can get in days what formerly took months, sometimes years to track down. For my current project, for example, I found a rare autobiography in a Tokyo used book store, the only copy available in the world so far as I know. Fortunately, the individual was fairly obscure, so the book was reasonably priced, but most of the experts in the area of social justice don’t even know the book exists, and it gives important facts nobody else has. For my book on the Easter Rising I even found a copy, very rare, of Sir Francis Fletcher Vane’s memoirs, Agin the Governments, published in 1929 after the British government confiscated and destroyed his notes and papers. Considering its rarity, again it was very inexpensive, but had it not been for the internet I wouldn’t even have known it existed.

When I restarted the research for Ten Battles, I was able to locate a firsthand account of the siege of Nicosia in 1570 that had been republished from a rare book thanks to “print on demand” technology, and also some newly available books on the battle of

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Mohács. Other than that, I reviewed what I already had, which was fairly comprehensive for the popular treatment my editor and I wanted, pretty much limited to published sources in English. Because I was rewriting and also researching at the same time, it probably went faster than it would have had I had to finish the research first. It was about a month of research considered apart from the actual writing.

ANIL : Now that people have read your book, what do you hope they will do next?

MICHAEL : Buy copies for their friends and relatives, of course! I also hope they’ll look into some of the other things I’ve written or edited. I think the one that would be of most general interest to Christians, although intended for everyone, would be So Much Generosity, an overview — I call it an “appreciation” — of the fiction of Cardinal Wiseman, Cardinal Newman, and Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson. Most people are not aware that Wiseman and Newman even wrote fiction, while their knowledge of Benson’s novels is limited to his apocalyptic science fiction satire Lord of the World and a couple of his historical novels, such as Come Rack!

Come Rope! about Saint Edmund Campion. They know next to nothing about Benson’s “mainstream” novels, of which a personal favorite is An Average Man from 1913, although all of Benson’s books were popular with both Catholics and Protestants. Most people don’t know that Evelyn Waugh thought very highly of Benson, and based a number of his own satires on those of Benson; “Out of Depth,” for instance, is Waugh’s version of plot elements found in Benson’s The Dawn of All, Love Among the Ruins is Waugh’s take on the themes in Benson’s Lord of the World, while readers of Waugh’s The Loved One will get a distinct sense of déjà vu reading Benson’s A Winnowing. A Winnowing has what I consider one of the best and funniest lines in recent English fiction. After an extended description of everything at a charity flower show, Benson closes with the sentence, “And there were flowers, too, I think.”

For people interested in more history, they might want to look into Easter Witness, in which my research suggested a number of things ignored by most chroniclers of the Rising in Dublin in 1916, particularly the massacre on North King Street and the reason for the sudden decision to surrender after committing themselves to fight to the bitter end..

CTM INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL D. GREANEY

Above all, I think people should pay a visit to the website of the Center for Economic and Social Justice (http://www.cesj.org/), which will give a great deal of information on my basic orientation and what I try to put into my writing. For readers, there are a number of e-books available for free download (http://www.cesj.org/resources/free-ebooks/), from the two books Louis Kelso co-authored with noted Aristotelian philosopher Mortimer Adler, to CESJ cofounder Father William Ferree’s The Act of Social Justice.

And, of course, be sure to visit the TAN Books website (https://www.tanbooks.com/) and take a look at their other offerings. They are, in my opinion, all of good quality and well worth reading, whether you’re Catholic, other Christian, or any other faith or philosophy, although of course some will appeal more to Catholics.

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“WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT 70 AD”

AN ARTICLE IS SUBMITTED BY OUR VICE PRESIDENT AND INTRODUCES ED STEVENS THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS RELATING TO FULFILLED PROPHECY. THE ARTICLE IS CALLED,

“WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT 70 AD” Foreword by David Chilton (1951–1997) M.Div. PhD.

In this slim volume, Edward E. Stevens clearly and convincingly demonstrates that our Lord Jesus Christ predicted His Return within the lifetime of His first-century hearers. That fact presents Christians with a dilemma: If Jesus was wrong in His prediction (as theological liberals have been saying for many years), we have a much bigger problem than an academic theological issue regarding the doctrine of Eschatology – it means we can’t rely on Jesus for salvation, either! If we can’t trust Jesus in Matthew 24, we certainly can’t trust Him in John 3:16! As a well-known theologian recently said, “If Jesus is a false prophet, my faith is in vain.” But Mr. Stevens shows that Jesus fulfilled His promise, explicitly and to the letter, in the “great tribulation” of A.D. 70, in which God unleashed His covenant wrath against Israel, which had been threatened for centuries throughout the Old Testament Law and Prophets, and specifically applied to first century Israel in the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament. I am particularly impressed by two arguments: First, Stevens provides a chart showing the harmony of Christ’s two separate discourses recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 17 – demonstrating that any proposed division of Matthew 24 into two different “comings” is illegitimate, nugatory, and gossamer. Scripture foretells a Second Coming (Heb. 9:28) – not a third! Second, Stevens presses Christ’s declaration in Luke 21:22 to its limit: “Jesus said that all Old Testament prophecy would be fulfilled by the

time Jerusalem was destroyed.” The more I pondered the awesome implications of Jesus’ words, the more I realized their truly revolutionary significance for eschatology.

Without exception, every event foretold by the Biblical prophets was fulfilled within that generation, as Jesus had said (Matt. 16:27-28; 24:34). Supplementing his Biblical thesis with testimonies from first-century witnesses such as the Jewish historian Josephus, the Roman historian Tacitus, the Talmud, and the fourthcentury Christian historian Eusebius, Stevens presents a powerful case that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ occurred in A.D. 70.

David Chilton, M.Div., Ph.D. Author of three other works on Preterist eschatology, available from the same place you obtained this book: Paradise Restored (1985); Days of Vengeance (1987); The Great Tribulation (1987) Part 1 Edward E. Stevens (b.1951). Raised on a farm in Texas by a devoted Southern Baptist mother and Methodist father. This function of this article is to introduce a view of Bible prophecy which many have found extremely helpful in their Bible study. This view solves the riddles and anomalies which have always bothered students of Bible prophecy.

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It is a consistent position which refutes cultic doctrines often built on the prophetic passages; and makes the book of Revelation much easier to understand. It clarifies when (and why) the charismatic gifts ceased, and establishes when the NT canon was complete. It also demolishes the liberal attack on the inspiration of the New Testament, and is more conservative on most other issues than traditional views. There is no compromise of the essential Biblical doctrines of the Christian faith. The key to understanding any passage of Scripture has always been a good grasp of the historical setting in which it was originally written. Two thousand years from now our history, culture, politics and language will have changed dramatically. Imagine someone then having to learn the ancient language of “modern English” to read our newspapers! If they saw one of our political cartoons with a donkey and elephant, what would they think? How would they go about understanding it? Not only would they have to study the language, but also our culture, history, politics and economics. The same applies to Bible study. If we are really going to understand what all the “donkeys and elephants” (beasts, harlots, dragons, etc.) symbolize in the book of Revelation, we will have to seriously and carefully study the language, history, culture and politics of the First Century. Of course, this does not mean that the truths essential for salvation are that difficult to understand.

Those essentials are couched in simple language that everyone can grasp. But there are numerous scriptures in the Bible which are “hard to understand” (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16), and Bible prophecy is one of those things which must be approached with much more attention given to the original historical context. One of the main purposes for this book is to provide a closer look at the historical framework of the New Testament. Let’s lay aside (at least temporarily) our traditional interpretations of the book of Revelation (since they have taken us nowhere) and look at another alternative. The mere mention of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 raises concern among Jewish people. The author wishes to reassure them that he does not cast guilt upon modern Jews for what some of their first century ancestors might have done. The author has no anti-Semitic bias toward the Jewish people at all, but rather a fond appreciation for the rich heritage they have given us and a sympathetic understanding of the

“WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT 70 AD”

unspeakable anguish they have suffered throughout history. The world has much to learn from their history and religion, and much to thank them for. Apostle Paul stated that Israel was “beloved for the sake of the fathers” of our faith, and only enemies in the sense of their rejection of the gospel about Messiah Jesus. It was the Jews who were “...entrusted with the oracles of God.” As Jesus said, “...every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.” (Matt. 13:52 ) And it was through them that the Gentile world has received redemption, “for salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22) But it needs to be clearly stated that fleshly (racial, ethnic and nationalistic) Israel does not have a guaranteed place in the spiritual kingdom of Christ even though they might be fleshly descendants of Abraham or keepers of the Mosaic Law. The physical temple, priesthood and sacrifices were merely types and symbols of the spiritual realities we now have in Christ. A righteous remnant of faithful Jewish believers in Messiah Jesus were grafted back into God’s Olive Tree along with Gentile believers to form one Olive Tree. (Rom. 11:17-24; John 10:16) Christ has consummated all things in Himself and the true Spiritual Israel (the church, the Kingdom).

The modern physical land of Israel is not “the true spiritual promised land,” nor are the modern fleshly descendants of Abraham the true “Chosen People.” Those promises are fulfilled in Christ and His spiritual kingdom (“the better heavenly things” – Heb. 9:23; 11:16; 12:22-28) which Christians already enjoy.

Christians now live in the better country, and have a better temple and priesthood and better sacrifices. The physical sacrifices, priesthood and temple were destined to “disappear” or vanish away when their true spiritual realities arrived. (Heb. 7:12,18f; 8:13; 9:8-10; 2 Cor. 3:7,13; Mk. 2:21f; Col. 2:8-23) Futurists (especially the premillennial dispensationalists) believe that Christ failed in His mission to set up an earthly kingdom, and that He will have to come back, restore the old physical temple, priesthood and sacrifices, and try again. The prophecies about the establishment of the Kingdom were supposed to be fulfilled during a time when the temple and sacrifices were in

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operation, and since they believe the kingdom is not here yet, they believe the temple will have to be rebuilt and the sacrifices reinstated. That would make Christ’s priestly and sacrificial work on the cross meaningless and powerless.

Non-Christian Jews laugh at this supposed failure and use it to suggest that Jesus therefore is not the Messiah. Their forefathers in the flesh rejected Jesus in His first coming because He didn’t fulfill the prophecies in the materialistic and nationalistic fashion they had expected. It is with significant similarity that premillennial dispensational futurists today are demanding the same kind of physical-literal fulfillment of the Second Coming passages. Are they making the same kind of mistake about the Second Coming that the Jews made about Christ’s first coming?

Jesus repeatedly said His Kingdom is “not of this world” and that it would “not come with observation.” It was a spiritual entity. It has arrived. It is here now.

“WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT 70 AD”

The worldview which comes out of the futurist position is defeatist, retreatist, escapist and pessimistic. It thinks things are just about over, so it has no consistent reason for improving conditions of society for the long-term. It is not interested in “polishing brass on a sinking ship.” It actually believes that things will get worse instead of better, so why fight it?

Only the preterist view provides the correct optimistic long-term worldview to live by.

Christians are finally beginning to seek alternatives to the futurist interpretation. This book introduces the preterist view. “Preterist” simply means past in fulfillment, that Christ has already fulfilled His promise to return and consummate redemption in Himself and His ongoing spiritual kingdom (the church).

Part 2 of this article to follow.........

We now live in it. This should be cause for pause for both futurist Christians and Jews. The futurist views of prophecy popularized by Walvoord, Lindsey and others have done much damage. The constant false predictions of the date-setters has disillusioned many, and provided ammunition for the critics of Christianity.

Every generation thinks it is “the final generation.” The widely divergent views of Bible prophecy has not only confused Christians, but has disillusioned many to the point of leaving the faith altogether and even suicide.

Liberal critics of the Bible use the failure of the predictions to undermine the integrity of Christ, the apostles and the inspired NT writings. There were cases of abortion in Korea where women believed the rapture or return of Christ was to occur before their babies could be born. Many atheists and agnostics use the failure of all these prophecies to heap criticism upon Christ and Christianity.

David Chilton

Ed Stevens

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CTM INTERVIEW WITH EANYA POUT

CTM INTERVIEW WITH EANYA POUT AUTHOR OF CHURCH GAMES ANIL : Hi Eanya, thank you for agreeing to this interview EANYA : Thanks again for interviewing me for Christian Times Magazine (CTM). It is my pleasure to share with you and the readers my purpose of writing Church Games. I hope my book gives every reader a greater understanding of what's happening in the Body of Christ and how to avoid the pitfalls of becoming a participant in the game.

ANIL : What inspired you to write Church Games?

EANYA : Church Games has been on my heart for a while but not in the form of a book initially. What ended up as a book started as a burden. I have been in and seen the dysfunctional operations and relationships in the church for the past twenty years. With each year it seems the dysfunction worsens. Churches are comfortable with trends, false doctrines and error. Relationship are born to suit financial needs and fame instead of spiritual growth and godly fellowship. Most importantly, there is no fear of God as His Holy standard is compromised for relevancy. I guess my inspiration was birthed from the Holy Spirit to teach the right ways of God through His Word to address the issues that have been plaguing the Church.

ANIL : How did behind-the-scenes event, I mean you was writing this book , how did it impact you in such a way that you had to make Church Games Book?

EANYA : In addition to my eight year journey to healing, I was talking to a woman who identified with a video I made on spiritual abuse. She messaged me privately to speak about her situation. When she called I could hear the pain she was going through but before I could give her any

wisdom, she burst into tears. I literally held the phone to my ear for a good five minutes while she released deep tears of years of pain. Â After she finished crying I could hear a refreshing overtake her. She admitted that she never spoke to anyone and was very grateful that she found someone who was willing to speak about their pain as well. Her pain, along with others that I spoke to impacted me to write Church Games. A part of the mandate Jesus had in His ministry was to set the captives free. As a healed believer, it is a part of my responsibility to take the key of my healing and open doors to those who are held captive by hurts, wounds and pain. My book is the key to everyone who is held captive by the bondage church games.

ANIL : Why is Church Games important to the average person?

EANYA : Church Games is very important because according to God, no person is an 'average' person.

Every Christian has a purpose and every unbeliever's primary purpose us to become a Christian. Church Games addresses everyone as it is written to open's the eyes of Christian's and their responsibility to God when attending church and prepares the heart of the unbeliever should they decide to visit a church. Everyone from the leadership to the parking lot attendant is affected by church games because through them the perception of God, His standard and how He views us is distorted. Church Games help eliminate those distortions to bring one back into right perspective and relationship with our Father.

ANIL : How will reading Church Games change the minds or hearts or lives of readers?

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

CTM INTERVIEW WITH EANYA POUT

CTM INTERVIEW WITH EANYA POUT AUTHOR OF CHURCH GAMES My book will do what many books fail to do: bring Christians face to face with their own heart condition. It will lead everyone to examine why they attend church and how they operate in church. It will also encourage leadership to examine their methods, processes, procedure and relationships and put them under the Light of Truth. Ultimately, repentance and change will take place not only in the heart but in their relationship with God for everyone is responsible to Him for their own spiritual lives. No one can't point the finger of blame if they chose to play games.

are key to bringing revival to their heart. I believed I achieved this balance by listening to the Holy Spirit on what to put in the book.

ANIL :Is Church Games Book a result of your experiences, research, expertise, or what?

EANYA : Church Games is a combination of my experiences in church and counseling others who have been through those same (or similar) experiences. I went through an intense hurt in the church which took me eight years to recover. There were several aspects to my situation that plummeted me into an intense anger for church and

ANIL : Why is this topic so important to you, personally?

EANYA : My heart is for the Kingdom of God and it's through the Kingdom that Christians learn about God, are able to grow in Christ, and produce the fruit of the Spirit in our heart. I believe above all things, God is looking for those who want to know and please Him. Church Games hinders that from happening. It's through church games that our relationship with God is broken and the move of the Holy Spirit is stifled. God can't move in the heart of man if what is at the forefront is manmade tradition, selfish ambition and the love of this world system.

ANIL : How difficult was it to bring these kinds of ideas into this book Church Games?

EANYA : It really wasn't difficult at all. I had already been praying diligently for the Church and spiritual leadership. What became somewhat of a challenge was how much to reveal in the book because there's so much happening. On one hand, I wanted readers to know what's happening without inundating them with too much information and on the other I didn't want to omit important points that

the processes in church; some being rejection for teaching truth, my unwillingness to compromise, being held back from ministry because I couldn't be controlled just to name a few. After I had been wounded I went through a time of abandonment from the church. My issue wasn't with God but the blatant politics in church that not only tried to destroy my spiritual life but several of my friends. I was reluctant to get the help I needed because like many Christians I was taught that you had to 'keep things in the house' and 'if you touch God's anointed you will be cursed'. So I released my pain through sin. The sin I committed combined with the void in my heart affected me for eight years. After I went through the process of healing, which was years of crying, transitional anger and fighting through the depression of ever having to attend church again, I became strong enough to continue my walk with God. It was through that strength that God told me to start teaching on Facebook, which ultimately led to me writing Church Games. There are many wounded Christians who have been affected by Church Games that are either afraid to get help or don't realize they need help because in many cases dysfunction in the church is the norm.

While some issues are addressed superficially,

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CHRISTIAN TIMES MAGAZINE ISSUE 17 | APRIL 2018

CTM INTERVIEW WITH EANYA POUT

CTM INTERVIEW WITH EANYA POUT AUTHOR OF CHURCH GAMES rarely does one go into the details and reveals what is actually happening...until it's too late. I've spoken to many people, even those in leadership positions, that were reluctant to seek help until they spoke to me. Though my experiences and book Christians that are hurt can not be delivered and receive the healing and wisdom they need to continue in the Faith.

ANIL : What are the key takeaways you hope readers find in your book Church Games?

EANYA : I have several goals that I hope leaders take from Church Games. First is that Christians receive truth and discernment. Many Christians are apathetic about their spiritual life unless they're receiving (or hoping) for some type of financial gain or blessing. The truth of God's Word, His Will and Way are rarely sought and therefore leaves countless souls in famine of truth and discernment.

I know there are Christians that are playing church games but don't see it as a game. They've been operating, teaching and believing error for so long that they can't see. The bible state that the truth shall make you free - John 8:32. Freedom only comes when God's truth is revealed and received.

Second, I pray that those who read Church Games will gain wisdom and understanding. When I revealed each game, I not only explained what it is and how it's played, I also provided a way of escape which is in line with God's Word in I Corinthians 10:13. There is no need to have instructions if one does not know how to apply it to their life. Lastly, my hope is that in the end readers will move on to follow the Holy Spirit and grow in grace. I find that this last step is missing in the lives of many believers. Christians are busy following manmade traditions, trends and church politics instead of

following the Holy Spirit. Once the church begins to truly follow the Holy Spirit there will be no pawns to play church games.

Now that people have read your book, what do you hope they will do next?

I pray that each person will be like King Josiah. King Josiah ushered in true, spiritual revival in the land by teaching truth, tearing down idols, removing wicked leaders and bringing spiritual order in the land. This is exactly what we need in the Church. We need idols and idolatry removed from the heart condition, leaders who will stop making holy rostrums into platforms and laypeople to take responsibility for their spiritual lives. Church games will be eliminated when true confession, repentance and change happens. When it does, the Holy Spirit will move in our hearts and His Presence will visit with power.

Gracefully, Eanya Prout, Author Of Church Games

Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. - II Peter 3:18

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