Monday, January 25, 2016

Marching; Changing Minds, Changing Hearts

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Several hundred thousand people were in Washington DC this weekend to March for Life---in spite of freezing temperatures and near record snowfall.

The largest March for Life outside Washington DC was held Saturday in San Francisco.

Between 50,000 and 60,000 marched for life in the city by the bay.

The demographics of the hundreds of thousands who marched skewed young---high school to young adult.

A new Marist Poll shows "an overwhelming majority of Americans do not support the way abortion is practiced in this country today."

Things are changing. And look what the high school kids are doing when they are not marching.

Alert for Washington State: Senate hearing on Bathroom bill this week.


The Washington [State] Women's Network is announcing there is a newly scheduled hearing for SB 6443 this week. SB 6443 is a bill to repeal the Human Rights Commission's open bathroom policy.

The hearing for the Senate bill will be held this Wednesday, January 27 at 1:30 p.m. at the Capital.

Attend if at all possible.

If you can't attend but want to weigh in on the matter, call Rep. Laurie Jenkins who is attempting to kill the corresponding HB 2589 by refusing a hearing or Committee vote. Her phone numbers are 360-786-7930, 1-800-562-6000 or 253-566-5610.

Be respectful, but be direct.

I'll be talking more about this on our live radio program this morning. Join me live at 9 AM PST or rebroadcast at 7:30 PM PST from anywhere in the world. Here's how.

One News Now reported Friday, "Several hundred thousand people are in Washington, DC today for the annual March For Life event."

Resistance to abortion is indeed on the march. More and more Americans are seeing the abortion industry and its enablers as immoral and racist. And the resistance is centered in this generation.

Clenard H. Childress, Jr,. of the Education and Resource Network (L.E.A.R.N.) says ultimately progress has to be measured by changing hearts one at a time. "We have to take our own values into the public square," he says, "and demand the rights of the unborn be adhered to, and also that the criminal activity of Planned Parenthood cease and certainly that no tax payer dollars should be funding them."

Childress also points out the racist element of the abortion industry which reflects Planned Parenthood's founder Margaret Sanger's eugenistic belief that blacks should be culled out of the culture.

Planned Parenthood is the face of evil.

Childress hopes that Americans will become more mindful that the abortion industry targets the black population. He says, "African Americans make up 12.4% of the population of this country, yet account for 36% of the abortions"---and that's according to one of Planned Parenthood's own affiliated organizations---the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

It's probably worse than that.

While hundreds of thousands marched and participated in ice-cold Washington DC, tens of thousands marched in San Francisco Saturday.

Delores Meehan with Walk for Life West Coast said about 50,000 to 60,000 marched for life down Market Street in SF.

Meehan says the demographics of the marchers themselves are even more important than the numbers of marchers.

She says, "This year there's been a very special focus on outreach to our local high schools. It's really exciting to have our own youth and really how the cultural landscape of San Francisco will change with their enthusiasm."

The West Coast spokesperson also noted that these young pro-life teenagers are increasingly organizing pro-life clubs in their high schools and helping to educate and inform other young people on the issues.

She says, "Los Angeles and San Diego have launched Walk for Life events; and one is planned for Spokane, Washington."

A recent Marist Poll finds that Americans are becoming more fed-up with the message of Planned Parenthood and other abortion operations and are responding more and more to the pro-life message.

Carol Tobias with the National Right to Life Committee has taken an in depth look at this newest study.

She says, "Once again they found that a majority of Americans---an overwhelming majority of Americans---do not support the way abortion is practiced in this country today where unborn children can be killed by abortion up through the ninth month of pregnancy for any reason."

Tobias says, "Even those who support abortion now believe there should be limits...They don't think tax dollars should be used to pay for abortions...And they think that parents should be notified before their minor daughter can get an abortion."

She says this sends a message to politicians seeking office.

"And," she notes, "Democrats tend to support abortion on demand, but won't say it on the campaign trail because the view of the strong majority of Americans has changed."

Hearts and minds are changing.

Personally, I have a deep sense that things are changing for the better in our culture, although much in our collective life here in America seems to be getting worse. I mention it often in this column and on the radio.

America is generally fed up with the way things are: politicians who promise one thing and deliver something very different; so-called transgendered people who are confused about their gender---about .5% of the population--are attempting to restructure personal privacy expectations and the use of public restrooms and locker rooms across this nation putting children and adults at risk; homosexuals who represent about 2% of the population declaring they have a right to "marry" whom they love, shaking their fist at God the Creator, human tradition and the belief of every major religion in recorded history while attempting to redefine what cannot be redefined---marriage.

Not all of the outrage is righteous indignation. Some is frustration boiling over---it's anger.

But some outrage is righteous indignation.

This is a time for Christians to lead, not follow, or simply be silent.

While hundreds of thousands of our children are marching for their biblical beliefs in freezing temperatures and being mocked by many in the press and ignored by others in the press, too many adults---the slightly older generation, sit by the fire and stay warm while observing the cultural chaos, then we listen to a sermon on Sunday that has virtually nothing to do with anything important or eternal.

History shows a pattern of biblical miracles and spiritual renewal that have risen from the most chaotic times.

From the time of Creation to the Old Testament prophets, to the times of the New Testament Apostles who were accused of "turning the world upside down," to the American Revolution itself, we have seen God bring beauty from ashes and order from chaos---life from death and light in darkness.

And freedom from bondage.

This is a time of confusion in our culture. A perfect time for a miracle.

Trust the Lord. Stand firm in the faith. And...

Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Pro-Active. Be Prayerful. Be Blessed.