SECTION 18.
No religious test as a qualification for office shall be required; and no preference shall be given by law to any religious sect or mode of worship; but the free enjoyment of all religious sentiments and the different modes of worship shall be held sacred. The rights hereby secured shall not be construed to justify acts of licentiousness injurious to morals or dangerous to the peace and safety of the state, or to exclude the Holy Bible from use in any public school of this state.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Who's On Jesus' Side in Mississippi?
EDITORIAL
Who's On Jesus' Side in Mississippi?
Robert Parham
Robert Parham is executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics.
10-17-07
www.ethicsdaily.com
His momma read him Bible stories at bed time and rocked him to sleep singing the old hymn "In the Garden." He gave his life to Christ at age 8 and walked where Jesus did at age 9. Thirty-years later, he stood on the banks of the Jordan River as three of his own sons professed faith and were baptized. His wife's name is Angel. He is pro-life, pro-prayer, pro-Bible literacy and pro-guns. He's a Southern Baptist running for office.
And no, John Arthur Eaves is not a Republican. He's running for the governorship of Mississippi as a Democrat against Haley Barbour, the Republican incumbent who was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997.
"I'm a Democrat because I'm a Christian," Eaves said in an interview. "Jesus came to help the people. He healed the sick, and he tried to help the poor. The Democrats' core fiber is to help people. That was Jesus' mission."
Eaves' mission is to convince enough voters that he's on Jesus' side to win the governor's race.
One TV ad opens with a picture of a wooden cross next to a lake on a cloudy day with Eaves' talking about his baptism. Following frames include his family holding hands and praying at supper time, posing together in front of their church and children praying in school. He closes by asking viewers to prayerfully consider voting for him.
Another TV ad begins with Eaves leaning on a farm fence holding what looks like a brown, leather-covered Bible: "Jesus ministered to the least and the lost. And he threw the moneychangers out of the temple. I'm not perfect, but I've dedicated my life to helping the powerless."
In a summer speech at the Neshoba County Fair, Eaves said, "I am running for governor because I believe Mississippi can be better and it will be better when we take the reins of government from the special interests who hold the keys to the governor's mansion."
"Haley Barbour has opened the doors of power to the moneychangers: Big Tobacco, Big Oil, Big Insurance. These groups--who Haley has lobbied for--may talk about helping Mississippi, but they are merely wolves in sheep's clothing who have been making false promises and pulling the financial strings of our leaders to force us to accept false choices," said Eaves.
Toward the end of his speech, Eaves said, "I am putting my entire life savings into this crusade. Instead of accepting money from special interests, I have freed myself to do my best to answer this call to service, with a clean conscience and with no allegiance to any but God and the great people of Mississippi."
Eaves' populace campaign is crammed with both obvious and veiled biblical imagery--wolves vs. sheep, moneychangers vs. Jesus, the powerful vs. the least of these, false choices vs. the true way, pridefulness vs. humbleness.
No wonder Barbour is annoyed about Eaves' aggressive insertion of faith into politics. After all, in a state where every home has more than one Bible, Eaves message has traction, while Barbour's persona looks religiously sterile.
"My opponent loves to quote the Bible," said Barbour, accusing Eaves of being sanctimonious and arguing that campaigns ought to be about public policy.
Of course, Barbour didn't seem to have a problem with the GOP being labeled as the God's Only Party over the past 25 years.
But now that a faithful Democrat is quoting the Bible, Barbour has flip-flopped on faith--faith has no role in politics, a shameful twist of hypocrisy.
Eaves, on the other hand, exhibits an authentic faith both through his example of regular church attendance with his family and his advocacy of those at the margins of life rather than advancing the interests of the powerful.
"I see him every week. He attends the Madison campus, unless he's out campaigning," said Jeff Redding, campus pastor for Pinelake Church, a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and located on two different campuses in the Jackson-area.
Redding told EthicsDaily.com, "He has never mentioned the campaign to me on Sunday because we are wrapped up in what God is doing."
If Eaves ran as a Republican, his faith-based campaign would be accepted uncritically among conservative religionists, and the SBC bureaucracy would promote his candidacy.
As a Democrat, his faith appeal appears too excessive, too out of character for the way we think about faith and politics.
However, the more Democrats strive to display their faith and Republicans stumble away from faithfulness, the more likely that a resilient new cultural storyline will emerge, one that dislodges the 25-year prevailing myth that God favors on one party.
Robert Parham is executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics.
Who's On Jesus' Side in Mississippi?
Robert Parham
Robert Parham is executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics.
10-17-07
www.ethicsdaily.com
His momma read him Bible stories at bed time and rocked him to sleep singing the old hymn "In the Garden." He gave his life to Christ at age 8 and walked where Jesus did at age 9. Thirty-years later, he stood on the banks of the Jordan River as three of his own sons professed faith and were baptized. His wife's name is Angel. He is pro-life, pro-prayer, pro-Bible literacy and pro-guns. He's a Southern Baptist running for office.
And no, John Arthur Eaves is not a Republican. He's running for the governorship of Mississippi as a Democrat against Haley Barbour, the Republican incumbent who was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997.
"I'm a Democrat because I'm a Christian," Eaves said in an interview. "Jesus came to help the people. He healed the sick, and he tried to help the poor. The Democrats' core fiber is to help people. That was Jesus' mission."
Eaves' mission is to convince enough voters that he's on Jesus' side to win the governor's race.
One TV ad opens with a picture of a wooden cross next to a lake on a cloudy day with Eaves' talking about his baptism. Following frames include his family holding hands and praying at supper time, posing together in front of their church and children praying in school. He closes by asking viewers to prayerfully consider voting for him.
Another TV ad begins with Eaves leaning on a farm fence holding what looks like a brown, leather-covered Bible: "Jesus ministered to the least and the lost. And he threw the moneychangers out of the temple. I'm not perfect, but I've dedicated my life to helping the powerless."
In a summer speech at the Neshoba County Fair, Eaves said, "I am running for governor because I believe Mississippi can be better and it will be better when we take the reins of government from the special interests who hold the keys to the governor's mansion."
"Haley Barbour has opened the doors of power to the moneychangers: Big Tobacco, Big Oil, Big Insurance. These groups--who Haley has lobbied for--may talk about helping Mississippi, but they are merely wolves in sheep's clothing who have been making false promises and pulling the financial strings of our leaders to force us to accept false choices," said Eaves.
Toward the end of his speech, Eaves said, "I am putting my entire life savings into this crusade. Instead of accepting money from special interests, I have freed myself to do my best to answer this call to service, with a clean conscience and with no allegiance to any but God and the great people of Mississippi."
Eaves' populace campaign is crammed with both obvious and veiled biblical imagery--wolves vs. sheep, moneychangers vs. Jesus, the powerful vs. the least of these, false choices vs. the true way, pridefulness vs. humbleness.
No wonder Barbour is annoyed about Eaves' aggressive insertion of faith into politics. After all, in a state where every home has more than one Bible, Eaves message has traction, while Barbour's persona looks religiously sterile.
"My opponent loves to quote the Bible," said Barbour, accusing Eaves of being sanctimonious and arguing that campaigns ought to be about public policy.
Of course, Barbour didn't seem to have a problem with the GOP being labeled as the God's Only Party over the past 25 years.
But now that a faithful Democrat is quoting the Bible, Barbour has flip-flopped on faith--faith has no role in politics, a shameful twist of hypocrisy.
Eaves, on the other hand, exhibits an authentic faith both through his example of regular church attendance with his family and his advocacy of those at the margins of life rather than advancing the interests of the powerful.
"I see him every week. He attends the Madison campus, unless he's out campaigning," said Jeff Redding, campus pastor for Pinelake Church, a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and located on two different campuses in the Jackson-area.
Redding told EthicsDaily.com, "He has never mentioned the campaign to me on Sunday because we are wrapped up in what God is doing."
If Eaves ran as a Republican, his faith-based campaign would be accepted uncritically among conservative religionists, and the SBC bureaucracy would promote his candidacy.
As a Democrat, his faith appeal appears too excessive, too out of character for the way we think about faith and politics.
However, the more Democrats strive to display their faith and Republicans stumble away from faithfulness, the more likely that a resilient new cultural storyline will emerge, one that dislodges the 25-year prevailing myth that God favors on one party.
Robert Parham is executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Front Page New York Times Story on John Eaves
Hattip to cottonmouth
The New York Times:
“The Eaves campaign, with its heavy emphasis on prayer and faith, says it is gaining with evangelicals and born-again Christians in Mississippi, a voting bloc making up perhaps half of the electorate here. And evangelicals are paying attention.”
On Main Street in the small towns, some nod appreciatively as Mr. Eaves evokes a “new day in Mississippi, where our children go to school with voluntary, student-led school prayers.”
“‘I’m a Democrat because Democrats invest in people; I’m a Democrat because I’m a Christian,’ [Eaves] said in a recent interview, after shaking hands at a diner in the courthouse town of Kosciusko. ‘Jesus came to help the people. He healed the sick, and he tried to help the poor. The Democrats’ core fiber is to help people. That was Jesus’ mission.’”
“John Arthur sounds pretty good. He’s going to cut the sales tax and put prayer back in schools,” said Charles Salley, behind the cash register, as Mr. Eaves’s bus pulled out of town.
“Put the Good Lord back in everything. That’s a priority,” Mr. Salley said.
Entire Acticle
NY TIMES
The New York Times:
“The Eaves campaign, with its heavy emphasis on prayer and faith, says it is gaining with evangelicals and born-again Christians in Mississippi, a voting bloc making up perhaps half of the electorate here. And evangelicals are paying attention.”
On Main Street in the small towns, some nod appreciatively as Mr. Eaves evokes a “new day in Mississippi, where our children go to school with voluntary, student-led school prayers.”
“‘I’m a Democrat because Democrats invest in people; I’m a Democrat because I’m a Christian,’ [Eaves] said in a recent interview, after shaking hands at a diner in the courthouse town of Kosciusko. ‘Jesus came to help the people. He healed the sick, and he tried to help the poor. The Democrats’ core fiber is to help people. That was Jesus’ mission.’”
“John Arthur sounds pretty good. He’s going to cut the sales tax and put prayer back in schools,” said Charles Salley, behind the cash register, as Mr. Eaves’s bus pulled out of town.
“Put the Good Lord back in everything. That’s a priority,” Mr. Salley said.
Entire Acticle
NY TIMES
Monday, October 8, 2007
Necrotizing fasciitis, The Flesh Eating Disease
Yesterday, MPW received a prayer request for 2 year old Grace who has Necrotizing Fasciitis, The Flesh Eating Disease. Please be in Pray for her and her family. Although this disease is still consider rare, ever since my Mother-in-law went through this a few years back, I hearing about more and more cases of it.
Necrotizing fasciitis or fasciitis necroticans, commonly known as “flesh-eating bacteria,” is a rare infection of the deeper layers of skin and subcutaneous tissues, easily spreading across the fascial plane within the subcutaneous tissue. Many types of bacteria can cause necrotizing fasciitis.
The infection begins locally, at a site of trauma, which may be severe (such as the result of surgery), minor, or even non-apparent. The affected skin is classically, at first, very painful without any grossly visible change. With progression of the disease, tissue becomes swollen, often within hours. Diarrhea and vomiting are common symptoms as well. Inflammation does not show signs right away if the bacteria is deep within the tissue. If it is not deep, signs of inflammation such as redness and swollen or hot skin show very quickly. Skin color may progress to violet and blisters may form, with subsequent necrosis (death) of the subcutaneous tissues. Patients with necrotizing fasciitis typically have a fever and appear very ill. More severe cases progress within hours, and the mortality rate is high, about 30%. Even with medical assistance, antibiotics take a great deal of time to react to the bacteria, allowing the infection to progress to a more serious state.
The diagnosis is confirmed by either blood cultures or aspiration of pus from tissue, but early medical treatment is crucial and often presumptive; thus, antibiotics should be started as soon as this condition is suspected. Initial treatment often includes a combination of intravenous antibiotics including penicillin, vancomycin and clindamycin. If necrotizing fasciitis is suspected, surgical exploration is always necessary, often resulting in aggressive debridement (removal of infected tissue). As in other maladies characterized by massive wounds or tissue destruction, hyperbaric oxygen treatment can be a valuable adjunctive therapy, but is not widely available. Amputation of the affected organ(s) may be necessary. Repeat explorations usually need to be done to remove additional necrotic tissue. Typically, this leaves a large open wound which often requires skin grafting. The associated systemic inflammatory response is usually profound, and most patients will require monitoring in an intensive care unit.
Necrotizing fasciitis or fasciitis necroticans, commonly known as “flesh-eating bacteria,” is a rare infection of the deeper layers of skin and subcutaneous tissues, easily spreading across the fascial plane within the subcutaneous tissue. Many types of bacteria can cause necrotizing fasciitis.
The infection begins locally, at a site of trauma, which may be severe (such as the result of surgery), minor, or even non-apparent. The affected skin is classically, at first, very painful without any grossly visible change. With progression of the disease, tissue becomes swollen, often within hours. Diarrhea and vomiting are common symptoms as well. Inflammation does not show signs right away if the bacteria is deep within the tissue. If it is not deep, signs of inflammation such as redness and swollen or hot skin show very quickly. Skin color may progress to violet and blisters may form, with subsequent necrosis (death) of the subcutaneous tissues. Patients with necrotizing fasciitis typically have a fever and appear very ill. More severe cases progress within hours, and the mortality rate is high, about 30%. Even with medical assistance, antibiotics take a great deal of time to react to the bacteria, allowing the infection to progress to a more serious state.
The diagnosis is confirmed by either blood cultures or aspiration of pus from tissue, but early medical treatment is crucial and often presumptive; thus, antibiotics should be started as soon as this condition is suspected. Initial treatment often includes a combination of intravenous antibiotics including penicillin, vancomycin and clindamycin. If necrotizing fasciitis is suspected, surgical exploration is always necessary, often resulting in aggressive debridement (removal of infected tissue). As in other maladies characterized by massive wounds or tissue destruction, hyperbaric oxygen treatment can be a valuable adjunctive therapy, but is not widely available. Amputation of the affected organ(s) may be necessary. Repeat explorations usually need to be done to remove additional necrotic tissue. Typically, this leaves a large open wound which often requires skin grafting. The associated systemic inflammatory response is usually profound, and most patients will require monitoring in an intensive care unit.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Matthew 5
I love Matthew chapter 5
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
