WHO MAKES THE RULES?
By Dennis Abernathy

Jeremy Rifkin, American economic and social theorist and activist, and proponent of evolution and “New Age Religion” said: “We no longer feel ourselves to be guests in someone else’s home, and therefore obliged to make our behavior conform with a set of pre-existing cosmic rules. It is our creation now. We make the rules. We establish the parameters of reality. We create the world, and because we do, we no longer feel beholden to outside forces. We no longer have to justify our behavior, for we are now architects of the universe. We are responsible to nothing outside ourselves, for we are the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever.”

I’m sure that when some read Rifkin’s ramblings, they think they are seeing great wisdom, when in actuality they are reading foolishness! It is certainly true that many have never wanted their behavior to conform to pre-existing rules. They want to make the rules and establish the parameters of behavior and reality, and want little or no responsibility to nothing, and no one, outside of themselves.

Romans 1:21-22 says: “Because although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise they became fools.” Those under consideration did not honor God or give Him thanks. Neither does Jeremy Rifkin. Without God, this world does not make sense. “Where did we come from”; “Why are we here”; and “Where are we going” are questions that go unanswered. When God is abandoned, we have no standard of reference from which to make sense of things. Consequently, people become misguided and ignorant in their thoughts or reasoning i.e., their reasoning is without reason. Some translations say their thoughts become “complete nonsense.” Their heart becomes “foolish” i.e., without discernment, void of understanding and senseless. Although such a people consider themselves wise, in actuality they are “fools.” This is the sad results when one attempts to explain this world and the things in the world apart from God’s revelation of Himself and His will.

God’s standard, or rules, if you please, are for our good always (Deut. 6:24) even though we may not always think so. They are found in His written Word, and we will do well to conform our lives to it (Col. 3:17), because by it we will be judged (Jn. 12:48). That is why we should “Fear (respect, honor) God and keep His commandments” with the understanding that “God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:14). Think on these things. 

INFLUENCING GENDER CONFUSION
By Michael R. Baggett

The New York Times reports: “About 1.6 million people in the United States are transgender, and 43 percent of them are young adults or teenagers, according to a report providing the most recent national estimates of this population. 

The analysis, relying on government health surveys conducted from 2017 to 2020, estimated that 1.4 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds and 1.3 percent of 18- to 24-years old were transgender, compared with about 0.5 percent of all adults.

Those figures revealed a significant rise among younger people: The estimate of transgender people 13 to 25 nearly doubled since the researcher’ previous report, published in 2017, though the reports used different methods.” (End quote).

Why is there a supposed increase in transgender people? Do you think the 24 hour a day news media celebrating gender confusion has anything to do with it? How about elementary schools and Universities celebrating this movement across the Country? The fact is, over the past 10 years, efforts have been beefed up to condition young children and teenagers to not only view gender confusion as normal, but as something to be desired! The current trend is to make sexual confusion a “cool” thing or an “in thing.”

Now, some states have set aside June as “gay pride month.” Most Americans do not approve of this lifestyle; yet our leaders insist on forcing this ideology on our children in classrooms, television, animated movies, and children’s theme parks such as Disney. 

What is all of this celebrating anyway? It has been well said that the celebration of gay pride month is “perversity dressed up as diversity.” Let that statement sink in a moment. Not all diversity is good and wholesome. In fairness, not all gay people approve of this month of celebration. 

One drag queen personality has admitted that the gay movement is no longer about equality; it is about recruiting younger people! It is not enough for these people to have gained their right to live together in a perverted fashion, but now they feel they must parade their lifestyle in front of children doing dances and reading story books dressed as drag queens! It is happening across the Country. Get this, since 2018 the city of New York reportedly has spent $207,000 funding drag queens, these are men dressed up as harlot women, to read stories to kids in public schools! Did you know that one day in June is take your child to a gay celebration day? I watched a video in which one man took his 7-year-old son to watch drag queens march back and forth parading in front of everyone. The boy was taken by the hand by one of the drag queens and walked back and forth in front of everyone. The child was then handed a $5 bill and instructed to insert it in the scantily dressed man’s upper panty hose!

God has never approved of these alternate lifestyles. “In the beginning God made them male and female” (Matt. 19:4). Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for going after “strange flesh” (Jude 7). Men dressing in women’s clothes and women dressing in men’s clothes is a practice that made men and women an abomination to God (Deut. 22:5). In the Christian age, long hair belongs on a woman (1 Cor. 11:14-15)! In Romans Chapter One it tells us that men with men and women with women in sexual relationships is “against nature.” Homosexuals and effeminate men shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Is this difficult to understand?

Did you know there may be some who read this article who will say that I’m being unloving talking about these things? The unloving objection is thrown out like the race card which is thrown whenever someone disagrees with what is being taught. The god of this world, Satan, is blinding the eyes of many, including some who profess to be Christians; yet refuse to see the evil around them (2 Cor. 4:4). 

If it were 30 or 40 years ago, Pulpits across the Country would light up echoing the message in the article. Today, preachers fall under fire if they start really condemning sin and pointing out the offenders. It is a sad day when entertaining lessons with pretty pictures all presented in a conversational preaching tone is almost all you hear from most pulpits. We need to address problems! We need to point out the offenders! Jesus, Himself, called the scribes and Pharisees vipers! I guess someone would accuse Jesus of being unloving, right (Matt. 23:14)? Everyone needs to ask themselves just whose side they are on today. The fact is, if our views line up more with our society than with God’s, then we are on the wrong side.

Lastly, if parents don’t use this window of opportunity, that is quickly drawing closed, to train up their young children in the way they should go, you can be sure the social media, movies, some schools, and political pressure will point your children in the way they should not go! (Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4). Our society is influencing our children and grandchildren to be gender confused. If we just ignore it, perversion will steal the hearts of our children.