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Archive for September 2008

The Audacity of HELL: Palin’s Church & Biblical Christianity

September 10, 2008 by Shane Kastler.

“If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.” (1 Corinthians 16:22 NASB)

Newsweek columnist Lisa Miller wrote a critical column this week with a headline that reads: “The Senior Pastor of Palin’s Former Church Preaches Hellfire to Anyone Who Isn’t Saved By Jesus.” In typical, high-brow, snotty, liberal fashion, she looks down upon Christians and bemoans the fact that Palin is so narrow-minded that she is a pit bull for the “religious right” and for those who oppose abortion. While Palin’s conservative political views are well known, why is Miller, and other liberals so concerned that Palin’s church believes in Hell? Undoubtedly Miller is trying to scare her readers into thinking Palin is an extremist who should be shunned. Yet what Miller, and other liberals, fail to realize is that beliefs such as this one, in Hell for the unrepentant, is embraced and believed by all Biblical Christians. Millions of Americans believe in Hell, because Jesus spoke of it often. The Bible is full of warnings to those apart from Christ who will perish in their sins unless they turn to the Lord. That may sound “old fashioned” and “radical” to people like Lisa Miller; but that just sounds like Christianity to those who believe the Bible.

This is where I believe the Political Left and the Mainstream Media are shooting themselves in the foot with regards to Sarah Palin. Since they spend most of their time hob-knobbing with uppity, liberal, elitists they fail to realize that the majority of the country is much more like Palin than they are them. I recently heard a liberal pastor complaining that Palin didn’t win office in Alaska by courting the “religious right”—she ACTUALLY IS apart of the religious right. He said it as a put down, but I rejoiced to hear it. And many other Americans do as well.

When you listen to clips of Wasilla Assembly of God Pastor Ed Kalnins preaching on Hell, it sounds very similar to what I myself, and scores of other pastors preach every Sunday. Preachers who preach “hellfire” actually have the audacity to proclaim an eternal reality that Jesus Himself proclaimed, and commanded us to likewise preach. We have the audacity to believe that if you call yourself a “Christian” then you should actually believe what Christ taught. We have the audacity to believe that there is an eternal world that awaits all people after they leave this life. We have the audacity to believe Jesus’ words that “No one comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6) And we have the audacity to believe that those who do not come to Christ in repentance and faith will perish in eternal Hell, just like Jesus said they would. When I hear that Sarah Palin attends churches that proclaim these eternal truths, I rejoice that at last a politician has arrived on the national scene who shares my beliefs, and I know that she will pay a dear price for it in the media.

But it doesn’t end with Hell. Pastor Ed Kalnins also apparently opposes homosexuality. Can’t you just hear the liberals shrieking!!! Imagine, a Christian minister who actually thinks homosexuality is a sin, and that unrepentant sinners go to Hell!!! Who knew???? Why it must just be an Alaska thing right???? No, my dear liberals, this is what all Biblical Christians believe…..and there are many of us in America today.

Kalnins says that people have a conscience that tells them what is right and wrong. And that homosexuals know their sin is wrong because their conscience tells them so. But in an effort to ease their conscience they try to pass laws supporting their sin. That way they can ease their conscience by saying the government approves of their behavior, even thought their conscience condemns them. To which I give a hearty AMEN!  That is exactly what Romans 1 teaches.

I’m not sure of everything Kalnins believes. He is an ordained Assembly of God, and I am an ordained Baptist so we probably would differ on some lesser issues. But on foundational issues, he teaches salvation through Christ alone, the reality of Hell, and the truthfulness of sin’s devastating effects. I commend him, and any Pastor, who has the backbone to speak out about Hell and Homosexuality since both issues will get you maligned in our world today. Incidentally, Kalnins and his wife also have 7 children, which no doubt drives liberals crazy as well. (Don’t those people in Alaska know we’re supposed to be KILLING babies, not HAVING babies??!!??)

I got to be honest…when I hear of Sarah Palin’s associations with “radicals” like Ed Kalnins, I rejoice rather than recoil. When I hear Barack Obama’s Pastor of 20 years, Jeremiah Wright shrieking “God-D–N” America” and calling America the “US of KKKA.” Then I hear Kalnins preaching the truth of the gospel and the reality of Hell; the choice for our country is clear. While these two Pastors are not running for office, it says a lot about the candidates when you examine the spiritual company they keep. While Newsweek liberal Lisa Miller tries to scare people by writing of Kalnins belief in Hell, all she’s doing is galvanizing the millions of Americans who agree with him, and Palin; and she’s motivating us even more to get out and vote come November.

Sarah Palin has an extremely rough couple of months ahead of her. Her enemies are numerous and powerful and they will unleash all they have to try and destroy and discredit her. So far their attempts have backfired, and I hope they continue to. What our nations needs from it’s government leaders is a deeply rooted, God-fearing, love for Jesus Christ. Palin seems to fit the bill. Lisa Miller calls her the “pit bull for the religious right”…I simply call her a breath of fresh air. Continue to pray for her as the liberals, reporters, and snobs of America seek to ruin her….and in the process, further ruin our country. And pray for Kalnins and other Biblical preachers. The tendency will be to go soft on the gospel in order to avoid political fallout, but the Great Commission leaves no room for reticence in the pulpit. We must speak boldly, faithfully, and truthfully about all things Christian, including eternal Hell. Bravo to Kalnins for doing it. Let’s hope and pray he keeps up the good work; and that the gospel of Christ is proclaimed in the midst of this political election season.

Posted in Eternal Issues, Politicians, Political Issues, Homosexuality | Print | 3 Comments »

Praying For Sarah Palin: Has She Come to the Kingdom For “Such a Time As This?”

September 5, 2008 by Shane Kastler.

There’s an old expression that talks about people who: “put their money where their mouth is.” Gambling reference aside, this expression refers to people who not only make claims, but actually backup their claims with authentic action. Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin seems to be one those types of people…and she’s a breath of fresh air in the putrid world of politics.Many in the nation were stunned when John McCain picked Palin, a relative unknown, as his running mate. But her name had been mentioned as a possible candidate for quite some time. Palin is a staunchly conservative, Pro-life, Pro-gun, Pro-Christian, first term Governor who has made a name for confronting corruption in a state that is famous for it. She began her political career as a City Councilwoman in Wasilla, Alaska in 1992. She went on to become Mayor, and eventually Governor in 2006. In 2004, she was appointed by Governor Frank Murkowski to be the Ethics Commissioner for Alaska’s Oil & Gas Commission where she blew the whistle for ethical violations committed by one of her fellow commissioners, who just happened to be the head of the state’s Republican Party. She has a reputation for taking on corruption wherever she sees it, regardless of party affiliations, which is bound to make you some enemies in the political world. But perhaps her greatest crime, according to some, is that she has the audacity to be a conservative from a small town.

When she was announced as McCain’s VP candidate, Barack Obama’s camp immediately derided her for being the “former mayor of a town of 9,000” thus re-confirming the notion that Obama and his cronies have no respect for small town Americans. You may remember Obama recently making the statement that small town Americans “bitterly cling to their guns and religion out of fear.” Strangely enough, it never occurs to high brow liberals like Obama that some people in this world might actually enjoy hunting and love God. Their conclusion is that there must be something wrong with anyone who’s not a pacifistic atheists.

But while the media and the leftists of America deride Sarah Palin’s lack of experience; let’s keep this in mind. With twelve years as a Commissioner, Mayor, and Governor—Sarah Palin has more executive experience than Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and John McCain COMBINED. Senators vote on issues, spend the people’s money, and give long winded speeches; but Governors and Mayors actually manage the Government. And let us bear in mind that Barack Obama still has not completed his FIRST TERM as a United States Senator, having been elected in 2004. If the Democrats want to have a debate on experience they are destined to lose when they attack the Republican’s number two person, who has more executive experience than their number one.

The issue that I think Sarah Palin deserves respect for, and I hope she has the greatest impact on, is the issue of Life. Todd and Sarah Palin were married twenty years ago and are the parents of five children. Their youngest, born in April, was a surprise who was diagnosed before birth with Down Syndrome. In our day, roughly ninety percent of Down Syndrome babies are aborted prior to birth. Given the option of having a “special needs” child, most parents choose to simply exterminate the baby rather than allow him or her to live. But Sarah Palin would hear nothing of it. By having a Down Syndrome baby at age 44, while serving as Governor, Palin has chosen to embrace the hardship rather than take the easy (and murderously immoral) way out.

I recently wrote a Letter to the Editor bemoaning the fact that women political leaders, who should be leading the charge to ban abortion, have repressed their God-given maternal instincts in order to advance their careers. The Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Michelle Obama types who fight tooth and nail for a “woman’s right to choose.” It saddens me to see so many women who are so duped and intoxicated with the lure of political power that they would sacrifice babies to further their careers. In all honesty, I would expect such low morals from men…but I would like to think of women as being more compassionate than that. Hillary, Pelosi, and Obama seek power. But Sarah Palin stands on principal. In watching her meteoric rise to fame, I can’t help but think of the words Mordecai said to Esther in the Old Testament when the Jews faced possibly extermination by the authorities. “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 (NASB) My hope is that Palin will be to the unborn what Esther was to the Jews. My hope is that Palin is God’s appointed leader who will stand up for life and (as John McCain said about her) not let anyone tell her to sit down. My hope is that Sarah Palin will do more than just be a voice for life; but that she would actually influence the pro-choice females of America to forget politics and do the right thing for a change. But I assure you, Sarah Palin will need your prayers in abundance.

Rush Limbaugh recently said: “Sarah Palin is the very antithesis of everything liberals believe in. And they will stop at nothing to destroy her.” We’ve already seen that in hundreds of ways this week. And the attacks on Palin will intensify. But so far, Palin has shown unflinching resolve in the face of these attacks. As someone who makes his living speaking in public, I am always intrigued by public speeches whether they are religious, political, or informational. Those who are good at public speaking know when to pause, when to speak slowly and softly, when to raise their voice triumphantly, when to be serious, and when to be funny. Sarah Palin’s speech before the Republican National Convention was a work of art. She didn’t show the slightest hint of anxiety in what was perhaps the biggest pressure cooker any politician has had to speak in for the past several decades. An estimated 40 million people tuned in to see what she was like; and she electrified the crowd by telling the media in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t going to Washington to earn their approval, she was going to serve the people of America. Palin is a smooth and charismatic speaker, but she’s more than that. She appears to be a genuine, tried and true, born again Christian. And those are very rare in the political world.

Recently I watched a clip of Sarah Palin speaking to a Youth Group at her home church the Wasilla Assembly of God Church (watch it by clicking here.) And what you see in the clip is an extremely down to earth woman who is challenging the young people to make an impact for Jesus Christ. This isn’t a typical political “faith” speech that mentions everything but Jesus. This is a testimony where she speaks of being “saved” and “baptized” and she says that all of the changes she’s bringing to Alaska are worthless if Alaskans hearts aren’t changed. The Pastor who introduced her talks about how she’s the “real deal” when it comes to her Christian faith, and from watching the clip I came to the same conclusion. Of course the ultimate test for anyone’s claims of Christianity is to examine their life to see if their proclamations match their actions. Barack Obama claims to be a Christian and yet supports the murder of children born alive. Obviously there is a disconnect between his claims and his actions. But Palin has backed up her talk by taking public stands against evil that have cost her dearly. Such character is rare and such leadership is sorely needed in our world today.

I’m committing myself to praying for Sarah Palin everyday between now and November. I believe she is more than just a conservative politician that shares my views….I believe she is a sister in Christ, who maybe, possibly, perhaps, has been appointed by God…to come to this American kingdom……for such a time as this.

Posted in Politicians, Political Issues, Abortion | Print | 1 Comment »

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