February / March 2002

Dear ones,
The days are getting longer, birds are getting romantic, crocuses are beginning to bloom in West Kentucky, and Spring is on the way. Be of good cheer, we have things to share...

THE SPRING RETREAT
The Spring Retreat is scheduled for 22-24 March, and will again be at Kentucky Dam Village State Park. If you don't have a reservation, call Marty at 270-965-2174, e-mail her at mmmck@apex.net, or call the office at 270-965-5060. We expect great blessings, as usual, and it isn't too late to make a reservation.

"BLACK HAWK DOWN"-THE TRUE STORY
"Black Hawk Down" is a movie, just released, about the debacle in Mogadishu in which 18 of our Rangers and Delta Force soldiers died and many others were badly wounded. In October 1993, our very finest soldiers were sent on a mission they could have accomplished on their own. But hindered by the confusion of UN command, and denied the fire support and armor they needed, they were sacrificed to "political correctness." The History Channel has just aired its own documentary on the disaster; I watched every minute of it, and it made me cry. But there were significant things left out - either too politically unsexy, or they just didn't know (probably both). If you would like to know the real story, from the inside, including information from the survivors, I wrote it in the book, "Clinton Chronicles" (Chapt. 9 and Appendix A). You can order the book from our office, by phone, mail or e-mail.

ISLAM PROMOTED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
In our public school systems, where even posting the national motto ("In God We Trust") can bring an ACLU lawsuit, the pagan religion of Islam is finding favor. Irrational? Yes! Dangerous? Definitely. In California 7th graders are now required to complete a course in which they must learn the fundamentals of Islam, read the Koran, adopt an Arab name, wear a robe, and plan a jihad ("holy war" against non-Muslims). If this isn't forced indoctrination, what is it? And I need not remind you that those same 7th grade children are not allowed even to read the Bible, or wear a cross to school - let alone compose a plan to lead others to faith in Jesus.(ANS, et al) On the other hand, read on...

BUT IT'S OKAY TO TRASH CHRISTIANS
While Islam is being protected and promoted in public schools, Christian-bashing is tolerated - even rewarded. Teachers at a Massachusetts high school admitted that they were on high alert to protect Muslim students from discrimination, yet at a school party they presented awards to three students, two dressed as pregnant nuns, and one as a priest who impregnated them. The prize-winners were chosen by the teachers. (ANS/Catholic League)

QUOTABLE QUOTE
"Only Jesus can redeem us when life's debts are past due." (Bob Bartell, Arlington, Va.)

GOVERNMENT BIOLOGISTS PLANT FALSE EVIDENCE
Biologists, both federal and state, were found in December to have planted hair of the rare Canadian Lynx in several places in the West, so that they could then "find" it, in order to have the areas placed off-limits to human use under the Endangered Species Act. I wonder if the crooked biologists will be fired? And one naturally wonders how many other times such false evidence has been planted for the same reason. (ANS/WT)

ABORTIONIST CONVICTED OF MURDER
Prominent Oklahoma City obstetrician, John Hamilton, owns an abortion clinic where he has been killing 15 or 20 babies each week. Described by a neighbor as "the kindest person in the world," Dr. Hamilton was convicted in December of choking and bludgeoning his wife to death in their home on Valentines Day. It seems that his wife was thinking of divorcing him over his adulterous involvement with a topless dancer. And it seems to me that, once having embraced the abortion industry's culture of death, murder had become, in his mind, an acceptable way to solve problems. He insisted that he loved his wife; one might say that he loved her to death. (World)

METHODIST OFFICIALDOM OUT OF STEP AGAIN
In the United Methodist Church, not unlike the other establishment denominations, the national leadership hierarchy, where power is held and decisions for the denomination are made, is completely out of step with most rank and file Methodists in local congregations (the source of all that power at the top). This has often been manifested in the Women's Division of the UMC, where feminism, lesbianism and New Age religion are often promoted. For example, in its October meeting, the Women's Division refused to include the Pledge of Allegiance (there wasn't even a flag in the room). They condemned President Bush's war on the terrorists, declined to pray for the victims of the 11 September attacks, and invited a lesbian activist to be a featured speaker at their next national conference in April. One reason that such situations are tolerated is that so many Methodist pastors are afraid to speak out against them; another is that most older Methodist women at the local level simply refuse to believe it, even when they are told. (ANS)

A PRESIDENT SALUTES
In our armed services, a subordinate salutes his senior, and holds the salute until it is returned by the senior. Our president recently reversed this tradition to honor a badly wounded victim of the 11 September attack on the Pentagon. Badly burned in the attack, LtCol. Brian Birdwell, was taken to the Washington Burn Center. On 14 September, President and Mrs. Bush visited Colonel Birdwell, and his wife, Mel, who had not left him since his arrival. Her clothes were dirty and blood-stained. Upon arrival, Mrs. Bush hugged Mel for a long time ("seemed like eternity"), and the president approached the bed. Silently, he saluted the burned officer, and held his salute. Not until the colonel struggled for a long time, very slowly, to raise his hand to return the salute, did his Commander in Chief drop his own salute. I'd call that class. (Ky. Conservative)

THE DEATH OF REASON
In the Canadian armed forces (they have no separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps, etc as they once had) chaplains may no longer use specifically Christian words or expressions. There, a military chaplain may not say, in a public service, "Jesus," "Christ," "Father, son and Holy Ghost," "Trinity," etc. I haven't seen the directive, but apparently it places no such restrictions on Muslims - they wouldn't put up with it, anyway. (ANS/Calgary Sun)

CHRISTIANS FAIL, BUT CHRIST NEVER DOES
A man generally recognized as the father of Christian marriage ministries, Ray Mossholder, whose ministry is credited with saving more than 11,000 couples from divorce, is divorcing his wife of 42 years. Worse still, he is planning to remarry - as soon as the new woman is divorced from her current husband. Mossholder is publicly accepting the blame ("I am ashamed and disgraced before you"), but is going ahead with both divorces and remarriage. This tragedy, of course, provides massive material for the anti-Christians to ridicule and attack the Church. To be remembered, however, is that although Christians do fail, sometimes spectacularly, Christ, whom we follow, never has and never will. (WND/Charisma)

BENEFITS OF BIBLE READING
One of the many benefits of reading the Bible regularly was highlighted recently in a survey by the Barna Research Group. In the study, 82 percent of those who read the Bible regularly described themselves as being "at peace," compared with only 58 percent of those who said they never read the Bible. (PWB)

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
In case you don't know it, Planned Parenthood is the World's largest provider of abortions. And, in case you don't know it, PP is also funded, massively, by your tax dollars. In 1999 Congress gave PP $184 million, and in 2000 increased it to $196 million. And, in case you don't know it, PP also gets public funds from individual states. This year, however, Colorado is witholding state funding because of a statewide referendum. PP executives are "furious" according to the Family Research Council, not because they need the money, but "they are fighting like demons, because they desperately need the the respectability that comes with public funding." (PWB/FRC)

MEDAL OF HONOR - AT LAST
At long last, a genuine American hero has been awarded, posthumously, the Medal of Honor. Capt. Humbert ("Rocky") Versace, a Special Forces officer executed (more accurately, murdered) in a Vietcong prison, has at last been awarded the nation's highest award for valor. When originally recommended for the medal 30 years ago, the Army downgraded it to a Silver Star, apparently for political reasons. Fluent in Vietnamese, when he was led through villages after capture, a rope around his neck, he smiled and spoke to the people about God and America. For 2 years (1963-65), despite severe, untreated wounds, torture and starvation, Rocky continued to defy his captors. He was placed in irons and gagged at times to keep him from shouting encouragement to other POWs. In 1965 he was shot in the head to silence him. The last thing the other prisoners heard from him, he was singing "God Bless America" at the top of his voice in his isolation box. May God give us more such men, and a government that will not betray them.

OUR CHRISTIAN HERITAGE
"Nothing but Christianity will give you the victory. Until a man believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is his lord and master....his course through life will be neither safe nor pleasant. My only regret is that I was so long blinded by my pleasures, my vices and pursuits, and the examples of others, that I was kept from seeing, admiring and adoring the marvelous light of the gospel." (Francis Scott Key, author of The Star Spangled Banner)

MUSLIM INDOCTRINATION OF CHILDREN
One of the worst aspects of militant Islam is, to me, the way small Muslim children are taught to hate non-Muslims, especially Israel and the US. There are schools in this country, paid for by wealthy Muslim nations, such as Saudi Arabia, for Muslim children; in these schools the children are indoctrinated with anti-Christian, anti-Jew propaganda. At least one such school is in Washington, DC. In Israel, Palestinian TV and schools not only indoctrinate children with such hate, but encourage them to become suicide bombers, teaching them that if they die killing "infidels" (that's you and I), they will instantly be in Arab Heaven. Yasser Arafat, who controls what is taught in Palestinian schools and what is aired on their TV, talks of peace to the Western World; however, to his own people, he speaks jihad ("holy war" murder), and poisons the minds of Arab children with it in the schools he controls and on TV. (WND/ANS, et al)

MORE AND MORE MOSQUES AMONG US
Muslim mosques are being built in this country at a rate almost 4 times the rate of evangelical churches. In the past 10 years there has been a 42 percent increase in mosque construction, compared with only a 12 percent increase in evangelical churches..

ISLAM FACT SHEET
We have finally finished our Islam Fact Sheet, a summary of facts about Islam, its nature, history, and beliefs, with signiificant quotes from the Koran, the Islamic "Bible." To receive one free, just contact the office, and please forgive the delay in getting them ready.

A SYMPATHY NOTE FROM AFRICA
In October, a South African pastor (black, if that matters) sent to me a sympathy card and note. Bro. J. Moses Pelo, of Tsakane-Blackpaw, S.A. wrote: "Bro. McKenney, Sorry for what has happened on 11 Sept 2001. I love you, America. I love you New York." he followed with "2 Cor 13-11, 2 Tim 3-12,13, Eph 6-10,11,12 and Matt 10-26,27,28." You see, brother Moses knows what is found in I Cor.12: when one part of the Body of Christ hurts, it all hurts.

A PROBLEM WITH LARGE CHARITIES
Money given locally to a large charity to meet a need, may actually be used for something else - even to combat the cause for which the money is collected. A group which received charity funds donated to help victims of the 11 September attacks, is actually obstructing the investigation and protection from future attacks. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund was given a $30,000 grant by the September 11th Fund, a project of the United Way. Now that group is filing lawsuits to impede the investigation of the attack and detention of aliens who may have been involved. (ANS)

ABORTION IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
What keeps our legal system from universally banning abortion is the unresolved conflict over when life begins. Of course, you and I aren't confused about that, but our legal system is. But there should be no confusion here. Why? Because the Preamble of our matchless Constitution makes it clear that all of its provisions, without exceptions, are secured by that foundational law of our land, "to ourselves and our posterity...," making the question of when life begins moot. Shouldn't this settle it? (with thanks to Joe Farah, Ed/Pub of WorldNetDaily)

POSTER GIRL LESBIAN MARRIES
Until recently, the most famous lesbian couple was that of actresses Ellen DeGeneres (of TV "Ellen" fame), and Anne Heche; they were "partners." Now Anne has opted for marriage and motherhood, left Ellen, married cameraman Coleman Lafoon in September, and is pregnant. This, of course, flies in the face of the favorite lie of the homosexual world, that one is born that way and cannot change. No, Ann has not become a Christian, nor has she denounced lesbianism; she has simply chosen a better way to live.(ANS)

MORMONS PUTTING ON THEIR "CHRISTIAN" FACE FOR OLYMPICS
The Mormons, who spend a great deal of money trying to make the unsuspecting think they are Christians, are going all-out these days, hoping to cash in on the millions who will be coming to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics. They are down-playing Joseph Smith, and moving Jesus to the forefront in their PR campaigns. Their missionaries are even being given a new approach when knocking on your door; rather than opening with Joseph Smith and the "burning in the bosom," they are opening with Jesus. Don't be deceived; they still have a very different Jesus (Satan's brother!), and they are still polytheists, believing that they will eventually become gods themselves (the men, that is), carrying on perpetual intercourse with their many heavenly wives, producing millions of "spirit children." (Newsweek/ANS/et al)

HITLER, JEWS AND THE OLYMPICS
One of the prominent Americans who died in 2001 was Marty Glickman, a popular sports announcer for 55 years. He was also a World-class track athlete. Glickman was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1936, headed for Munich, but was yanked. Why? Because he was a Jew, and our government didn't want to offend Adolph Hitler, the host of the 1936 games. Yet pro-Roosevelt historians and media people continue to claim that our government didn't know about Hitler's anti-Jewish pogroms. Yeah, sure. (World)

DIVISIVE RACISM IN THE NAME OF "DIVERSITY"
In the midst of ongoing attempts for the last 40 or 50 years to eliminate racial division in this country, it seems to me that much significant hindrance to this is coming from two sources: opportunist, self-appointed leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, running from place to place, looking for publicity and playing the race card; and from "black pride" sociologists and teachers who actually breed separatism and hatred of whites. A recent example of the latter is the "Black Pledge of Allegiance": it is, "We pledge allegiance to the Red, Black and Green, Our flag, the symbol of our eternal struggle, and to the land we must obtain. One nation of Black People, with one God for us all, Totally united in the struggle for Black Love, Black Freedon, and Black Determination." The Millwood Public School System in Oklahoma has attracted a lot of e-mail since carrying this pledge on its web site; the superintendant, who approves, says the children found the pledge on the web and adopted it. The flag of "Red, White and Green" is said to represent blood, freedom and the land that black separatists want to establish in some part of the US as an independent black nation. If this isn't divisiveness and separatism, what is it? (WND/Daily Oklahoman)

ENTROPY AND THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY
According to the law of physics known as Entropy, systems run down, wear out, and deteriorate with time. Sad to relate, we certainly see this in the Christian world. Churches, denominations, seminaries, and other Christian organizations that start out with pure motives and a blazing zeal for God, over time, slide slowly toward apostasy, doubt and denial (Harvard and Yale were founded as schools to train Christian preachers). Today the YMCA, though it still bears the name "Christian," has become little more than a health club. When I was growing up, it was a place for athletics within a Christian context; a generation before that it was a place where men were brought to Jesus. Alas, the same thing seems to apply to Bible societies. Except for a very few reactionary ones, they have become infiltrated with doubt and compromise. Example: the American Bible society. A recent article in their publication, "Record," by Barclay Newman, the Society's Senior Translation Officer, the Book of Genesis can't be taken literally (note the man's position in the Society). Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, since Sir John Marks Templeton, whom Dave Hunt describes as "rank unbeliever, occultist, anti-Christian" served on the Society's Board of Managers for 15 years. (ANS)

MARTY'S CORNER
A Christian columnist recently wrote that most Christians couldn't tell you in a sentence or two what their worldview is, could you? Although the word "worldview" is one of those trendy, recently created words, not found in most dictionaries, we need to be able to clearly define it in Christian requisites.
While creating new words, our (ungodly) culture is also redefining many words - such as tolerant, choice and country - with the motive of reshaping our way of thinking. We should be able to clearly articulate what we know the truth of these key words to be. Tolerant has been so distorted that it now means being open-minded to everyone except Christians. Our country is the USA, not the world. We need to be unintimidated by such changes. Instead, we are to have the courage to speak up in whatever situation we're in (family, friends, work, school or church) … and having done all, to stand fast in Jesus, the Truth.

Worldview is defined by some as our conception of the world or of human life while others define it as our beliefs or principles. Simply, it's our standpoint. In truth, perhaps we would have many answers - take the time to define yours. "…Because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves," a phrase that Pres. Bush used in his inaugural address, is a good opening for us as Christians. I'm sure I'll think of many other responses but my immediate reaction to the columnist's challenge was to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God in accordance with the (only) Holy Bible because that's what the LORD requires of me, as Micah 6:8 tells us.

VIDEO GAMES AND CHILD VIOLENCE
It should come as no surprise that exposing children to violent video games produces in them violent attitudes and behavior. After all, the Bible makes it clear that what we allow to come into our minds will eventually find expression in our behavior. Concerning this, a recent study found that when video game use among 8-and-9-year-old children was reduced to one hour a day (7 hours weekly) for 20 weeks, their verbal aggression was reduced by 50 percent, and physical aggression was reduced by 40 percent. (ANS) The obvious question, it occurs to me, is: why not reduce their video game time to ZERO? (ANS)

MILESTONES
Married 2 Dec. - Dr. Jack C. Wilhoit and Betty Gibson Compton, both life-long friends, in Louisville, Ky.
8 Dec. - John D. A. ("Johnny Red") Bridges and Amy Louise Albertson, in Redwood city, Calif.

Died 29 Dec. - Forrest Boyd, respected, long-time Christian broadcast journalist, at age 80.
13 Nov. - Frank B. Watts, retired FBI agent, and longtime Christian friend, in Bull Shoals, Ark., at age 76 (burial in Wiggins, Miss).

FINAL WORD
Treasure and use each day as if it were your last, and never give up hope; God has a limitless supply of new beginnings, and he makes beautiful things out of broken pieces.
You are precious,

(Sources: AFAJ-American Family Journal; AFRN-American Family Radio News; AP-Associated Press; BP-Break Point; C-Charisma; CBN-Christian Broadcasting Network; CO-Charlotte Observer; CR-Congressional Record; DR-Drudge Report; EP-Evangelical Press; Fox (Fox News); FRC-Family Research Council; GN-Good News Magazine; HC-History Channel; IFA-Intercessors for America; IMG-Israel My Glory Magazine; Ins-Insight Magazine; LAT-L.A. Times; Mil-Military Magazine; NR-National Review; NW-Newsweek; NYP-New York Post; NYT-New York Times; PHN-Paul Harvey News; PWB-Pastors' Weekly Briefing; RT-Religion Today; RTLB-Right to Life Education Foundation Bulletin; USAT-USA Today; USNWR-U.S. News & World Report; VOM-Voice of Martyrs; W-World Magazine; WND-World Net Daily; WT-Washington Times); WW - Washington Watch.