Of the 31,103 verses in the Bible, what are the odds that Larry Stickney would happen to employ in his political campaign the very one that Tony Perkins (Family Research Council) is using to browbeat Christians into doing his own political bidding?  Larry Stickney is the campaign manager of the misnamed Protect Marriage Washington, an organization promoting the anti-domestic partnership Referendum 71.  Here’s Larry in a July 14, 2009 “press release”

My friends, we are in a grave moral crises as a state and nation. A return to the faith and integrity of our forefathers is the only hope we have. We must recover our vision and put 2 Chronicles 7:14 into practice: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

R-71 provides us with an opportunity to draw a line in the sand with those who mock our values and institutions and seek to tear them down. We have the chance to “just say no” to our societal descent into depravity.

Here’s Tony Perkins describing the scriptural inspiration for his latest political ploy to manipulate Christians for his political ends

The Call 2 Fall Declaration comes straight from the pages of Scripture:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The journey back to God, to His forgiveness and favor, begins on our knees in humility and repentant prayer.

Stickney is clearly letting Tony Perkins do the thinking for him.  And perhaps his own pastor too.  It can’t be coincidence that Larry invoked this Bible verse shortly after his Referendum 71 comrade (and personal pastor?) Pastor Rick Long of Atonement Free Lutheran Church in Arlington, WA built his July 5th sermon around an extensive list of FRC’s talking points and linked them to Referendum 71.  The sermon transcript is below the fold.  Recitation of FRC talking points begins at about minute 12.

It is clear that Pastor Long and Larry Stickney are using Perkins’s model of submission to spark and channel political activism.  Look how Perkins doesn’t stop after merely catalyzing submission, but makes sure that the newly submissive are readied for active duty:

Consequently, we are sensing the need to return to simple but powerful truths like:

   * God is sovereign.  He is holy and He is love.

   * We are sinners.  We are saved from His severity of His wrath toward sin only by the fierceness of His love in Christ.

   * When we drift away in disobedience, we experience His discipline.  His judgments are just.

   * The pathway back must begin with:

         o A humility and brokenness before the Lord.

         o A desperation to find the face of God.

         o A heart cry for the mercy of God.

         o A desire to turn from our sinful ways.

         o A resolve to return to the ways of God.

This is what the ancient words of Scripture are calling us to do when we speak of a “Call 2 Fall.”

I emphasized the blue text, because Perkins provides explicit guidance on how to “return to the ways of God” through directives mailed to churches and posted on the internet.  The directives fan moral outrage against President Obama, people with “various forms of sexual perversion: homosexuality, cross-dressing, and gender manipulation/mutilation” and pro-choice advocates.  And they call for support or opposition to specific pieces of legislation, like the federal hate crimes bill. Likewise, Larry Stickney immediately followed his invocation of 2 Chronicles 7:14 in his press release with an exhortation to act on Referendum 71.

The connection between Larry Stickney and Tony Perkins is clear.  The only thing I can’t figure out is whether Larry is consciously using Perkins’s model, or has simply become another Perkins zombie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Related:

* Call 2 Fall = Grooming the Sheeple

* R-71 Backer Ron Boehme Literally Demonizes Opponents”July 5, 2009 sermon by Pastor Rick Long of Atonement Free Lutheran Church, Arlington, WA.

Let’s again bow our hearts in prayer together.  Lord as we gather around your word at this time, considering additional words from you Jesus, from the Beatitudes, give us understanding and a willingness for life application, as we pray in your precious name, amen.

This isn’t a book that we’re taking our text from today, but I want to mention that in Paul’s first letter to Timothy Chaper 1, as he is urging Timothy to establish the church in Epesis, to establish it in solid teaching he says, “after all the goal we are seeking to achieve among them is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from a sincere faith.”  

Paul mentions this matter of a pure heart in a second letter ot Timothy, Chapter 2 verse 22 in these words: “flee also youthful lust, but pursue rightousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the lord out of a pure heart.”  

We’re going to give our attention to this matter of a pure heart today, because Jesus sets it before us this this next in the Beatitudes, as we look there in Matthew 5 verse 8: blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see god.

As we think about these words this morning…I think once agains it is appropriate to begin today with this  question, what does it mean to be pure at heart? You know it’s certainly a phrase to stands in contrast to the natural human heart.  Scriopture is very direct in telling us taht the natural human heart as we come into this world due to sin is what we could call today divided, and even corruopt.  By divided I mean this: that it isn’t naturally loyal to god, or to anyone but the self.  And our natural hearts have in-born tendency to all that is opposed to the will of god. I thinkk of the words of Jeremiah 17 verse 9, where we read: “the hreat is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.  Who can know it?”  

Those are strong words, aren’t they?  Similar to the words of Jesus in Mark chapter 7 where he says out of the heart of men precede evil thoughts. adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  The natural human heart is not a very pretty thing, is it?

3:00

By contrast, a pure heart that Jesus speaks of in these words, is one that is honest, with no hidden motives – in fact I’d put it this way in the outline – the pure heart is transparent and selfless in relation to man.  Does that make sense?  A pure heart as we interact with other people taht we recognize integrity, a trustworthiness, selflessness, pointing away from self to others.  And in relationship to god put this way: wholy devoted and upright.  Pure heart.

Peter in 1st Peter 1:22 as we read these words earlier urges love on another fervently with a pure heart.  in a Psalm 24 verses 3 and 4 we read, who may ascent into the hill of the lord or who may stand in his holy place, the answer is he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who is not lifted up his soul to an idol nor who has sworn deceitfully.  You think about the contrast between the natural heart and yet the purity of heart that Jesus calls for, and I think that another logical quesrion, this isn’t in your outline, but we addres this today, how is such a drastically different attitude even possible?  Brothers and sisters, do know this: it’s only be first getting a new heart, isn’t it?  I mean we must come, have come in the past or come now to on the one hand see our sinful heart for what it is. a heart of rebellion against god, we need to see our ways for what they are: displeasing to him and deserving of his eternal judgment.  ANd because of that the real realization in our lives that at some point, if we are to have an eternal relationship with god, to acknowledge that before him in humility and transparency. And look to him to grant us forgiveness as can only come through Jesus.

5:06

You know as we come to our great god, he then gives a new heart as we are born again into his family.  And it’s only this new heart born in us – I think of 2nd Corrinthinas 5:17 if any man is in Christ he is a new creature.  Old things have pased away behold all things have become new.  This spiritual life then in Jesus, this new heart gives even the possibility of being people of a pure heart before god.  Have you been born again, then?  Have you clearly seen yourself as a sinner in need of his forgiveness?  I pray that’s the case.  You know it is ours only by putting our trust in Jesus, god’s son who died that ugly death on the cross to pay for our sin.  Trust in him, allow god to first give you a new heart and cleansing.  When we do have Jesus and this new heart then it is that he’s calling us with the words of this text to live before him with a pure heart.  

6:14

And before we talk about how that happens though, let me just go to this next question: why is this so important, a purity of heart?  Could I hold before us two things today.  One the one hand, you know Jesus is concerned about you and me.  He’s concerned about our personal wellbeing. For us to be careless in our lives, even as CHristians, can easily begin to bring damage to our faith. Jesus desires to keep us from being snared or damaged or destroyed by sin.  We can say purity of heart is really parallel it seems to me to to Ephesians Chapter 6, in talking about the full armor of god, Paul talks about butting on the breastplate of rightousness as well, that we commit ourselves to upright living for the sake of not allowing sin to bring damage and destruction into our lives that it otherwise will surly bring.  But in addition to our personal wellbeing, Jesus is certainly concerned about the public testmony that we have as his people.  You know the way in which we represent Christ makes a difference, both through the witness we give through of his work in our lives, as well as the influence that that becomes on others.  You know we’ve only been left in this world once we come to Christ so that we can faithfully represent him to others, to be the salt and light he call us to be.  Will we, the church of our time, fulfill our purpose to our nation and to the world?  

7:54

You know the fact is much of the modern church – I’m going to put it strongly – it is a scourge to our society.  And I’m talking about teh visible church, many who call themselves Christian.  Thy’ve become in our nation a scourge to the church, to the name of CHrist, rather than an influence to stop moral decay and deterioration.  Many in the church have become the cause, the purveyors, the bringers of impurity and ungodliness.  

And I’ll illustrate what I’m saying.  Just a week ago, yesterday, the Everett Herald carreid an article tha perhaps many of you saw.  On it’s fromt page it was an article about two churches in the area that are not just extending compassion to those in the homosexual lifestyle, but accepting the lifestyle itself and urging others to do the same.  ANd I want to be clear because we’ll speak more about it, is we have compassion and genuine love by god’s grace for all people, regardless of the life choices that they make.  But we’ll stop short of condoning those choices when the word of god speaks against it.  Over the course of the past many years many liberal churches and church bodies have actively supported not only homosexuallity but also abortion, euthenasia, embryonic stem cell reasearch, which is distinct from adult cell research, which is appropriate, embryonic stem cell research involves the taking of a little life.  And also liberal chruches involved in denial of the Bible’s account of creation.  

And when we think of those things, in other words what we have to acknowledge is the very voice, the visible church in our nation that should be helping to build up a standard for rightousness in our land are the first ones to be tearing it down.  I’ll just say that differently:  if our church had been the church over the last several decades we wouldn’t be faced with the situation that we are today. Is it any wonder that we see our society in general accepting of these practices when many part of teh visible christina church have been the most vocal advocates for the abominable teachings and practices.  The natural result is that we are experienceing rapid moral decline and a clear evidence of god’s judgment.  ANd we can expect only more unless there is a turning.

10:33

You know I think it appropriate at this point today to even to share with you today a letter receive from Family Research COuncil just this past Thursday describing the state of our nation.  ANd I want tyou again to understand that as I read this, it doesn’t have to do with democrat or republican, it has to do with the facts of what is being taking place right now at this time under the hands of the current administration that we do have.  This is titled “A Dangerous Course and an Urgent Choice”.  And a quote begins it: “”One way or another, America will bend her knees.”

Last month, Bishop Wellington Boone declared at our Watchmen Pastor’s briefing, “We’re worried about offending people. It is God we had better not offend.”  [here he varies from the online letter] The current administration is leading AMerica on a dangerous course that is utterly offensive to god.  Because these decisions are by elected goverment officials they represent the will of the majority of the nation.  In other words, evidently the majority of people are responsible for putting these people in office, and they share the guilt for what is going on, and we’re all of course brought into that as a part of this nation.  America’s positioning herslef in defiance against the revealed will of god, just as ancient Israel did.  We know the consequences.

The following represents only some of the decisions made since January 2009. They are presented in order to underscore the immoral direction of our present course. We’re going to go to prayer for America a little later this morning.  Again, this is just to say, this is the reason why.  This is what’s going on.

12:10  [almost verbatim from website through the enumerated points]

First of all, under the president and his  administration, the have rescinded the pro-life “Mexico City Policy” and authorized our tax dollars to fund international groups that are promoting abortion around the world.

Secondly, they began the process of eliminating the conscience clause protections that allow doctors and nurses not to be forced to take part in the crime of abortion.  In other words, protection clauses are in the process of being taken away with the effort to force doctors and nurses, medical staff to be involved in acts they conside immoral – abortion and other things.

Thirdly, they’ve expanded human experimentation by increasing federal funding of destructive embryonic stem cell research.

Fourthly, they dismissed the President’s Council on Bioethics that advises the president on life issues.

Fifthly, renewed funding for the United Nations group that helped China carry out its one child policy of forced sterilization and forced abortions.  We are the strongest voice around the world right now advocating abortion in every nation around the globe, as well as homosexuality and putting pressure on nations to change their policies.  

We’ve appointed, or the administration has appointed rabid pro-abortion, pro-homosexual activists to key positions in the federal government. Many of you that get things from different conservative watch organizations know that President Obama has chosen the most liberal people he can for every possible position to this point, since January.  One example, Kevin Jennings to head up “Safe Schools” at the Department of Education?  Sure, Mr. Jennings is the founder of Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network.

Number seven:  The administration told the Muslim world, or the president did, in his speech from Cairo University, “I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.” He has made no such statement in defense of Christianity. In fact, last month  he declared “We are no longer a Christian nation.”

Number eight, the end of the National Day of Prayer Service at the White House.

9. He chose homosexual Episcopalian bishop Eugene Robinson to “pray” at an inaugural event at the Lincoln Memorial.

Number ten, by presidential proclamation, declared June to be Homosexual, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

11. He instructed our United Nations representatives to join efforts to support a resolution that would decriminalize homosexuality around the world.

12. He held reception at White House for homosexuals, lesbians, and transsexuals, telling them, “I want you to know: You have our support…I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you.”  In that same speech he called those who would oppose homosexuality those who are holding to old-fashioned beliefs that they needed to get over.

13. He told the same group he is committed to overturning the military policy prohibiting homosexuality as well as the Defense of Marriage Act itself, vowing to sign “Hate crimes” laws giving those who practice sexual perversions preferential treatment in federal law.

Again, the president, as the top elected official of the United States, reflects the will of the majority of the American people. We are taking a position before God that is openly defiant and deviant. We are daring God to act in judgment.

Here are actions by the Congress.  

House, the House has passed “hate crimes” bill giving special class status to various forms of sexual perversion: homosexuality, cross-dressing, and gender manipulation/mutilation. Pedophilia – they were not willing to excluded that from the language of the bill.

The Senate is to vote on same “hate crimes” legislation before August. President is eager to sign.

Other pro-homosexual legislation introduced in the House is the Employment Non-discrimination Act, designed to force business practices that violate employers’ beliefs and conscience.

What has out State Department done?  It now grants households headed by homosexuals the same benefits given to families headed by heterosexual married couples.  Under the Obama administration they’ve given support to the U.N statement on “Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.”

Homeland Security, in their Domestic Extremism Lexicon, designated pro-life supporters and patriotic pastors as extremists. Only public outcry forced recall of the publication.

And finally, what’s happening in the state legislatures, State Supreme Courts:  Counterfeit “same-sex marriage” has been legalized in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa; Our capital, Washington D.C., is perilously close to legalizing same-sex “marriage.”  ANd of course in our own nation we’re fighting it and hoping to stand against it through Referendum 71.

17:29

That’s just a little thumbnail sketch of some of the things happening in our nation at this time. Brithers and sisters, by contrast to the ways of liberalism and unrightousness, god is calling us to a bold, clear commitment to rightousness when he says blessed are the pure in heart, so that we might be an influence for good, a salt and light in a corrupted world.

Well, how is a pure heart expereinced?  You know I shoudl first of all make clear that a pure heart is not a heart and life without sin.  In our sinnful fallen condition, even as believers we continue to struggle with failures and imperfection.  But this is the question: do we desire, to the degree possible, a pure heart?  A heart and life that is recognized as honest and transparent before our fellow man as we’d find it before, and a life that god knows is wholy devoted to him and walking in uprightness.  You know if that is our desire we can experience a pure heart that god desires by allowing these three elements:

The first is a continual attitdue of true brokeness and repentence.  You know, it takes honesty and humility to come beofre god and acknowledge our failures the faults in our own lives, our complicity with the nation that we are in and yet this is where real purity at heart begins, that we would have that humble heart before god to acknowledge our faults our failures our sin , our need for his cleansing, renew before him our grasp on the forgiveness that can only come through Jesus.  

But then flowing from that, there ought to be shouldn’t there, a spirirt of total dedication.  Recognizing all that god has doen for us through his son that we would desire nothing less than the live our entire lives to serve him.  ANd do you know this is the only way god can really use us powerfully, throught totall dedication?  You know anything less is in some measure holding on to wanting to control our own lives.  But when we surrender them to him, saying lord whatever it is you call me to, wherever I’m to go, whatever I’m to do, I desire to be your vessel.

20:00

But then this third point, we need to certainly acknowledge that it’s only by the power of the hold spirit.  He is the one who’s been given to end well the children of god that, really, by his power live sugh a life in and through us.  May these attitudes of heart be ours today.  

ANd let me say it’s even with these thoughts in mind and desire on our hearts that I do want to invite you to join ne in prayer today.  It was Tony Perkins the director of Family Research Council who a couple of months ago thought you know, the 4th of July weekend is a critical time, or a very appropriate time to call Christians across the nation to literally fall on their knees before god asking that there would be a turning of hearts in our nation so that there could be a turning of the nation itself. And so what I’d like to invite you to do join me in prayer now, and I’m going to go to my knees.  If you have that desire and ability, and I realize that’s not the case for all, do join me on your knees as well but, certainly, all of is can join in heart.  Let’s just turn our hearts to prayer even at this time.

20:15