Joe Francis, the proprietor of the soft-core porno Girls Gone Wild series, is a little Ted Turner in the making. In the April, 2008 edition of GQ magazine, Francis declared himself to be a god:

Nothing will ever happen to me in jail. I’m a god. I’m the cool Girls Gone Wild guy. I’m revered. I’m a rock star… The one thing I fear is one of these #$%&ing people showing up at my house. I’m a different class. They’re dumb. They’re the people you see on Cops. Those are the people you see in jail.

Obviously, Francis does not realize that intelligence is not required to pull a trigger on a 12-banger. His insolence toward his fellow jail mates shows just how jaded he his. His perverse dynasty has become irrelevant.

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I am sorry if you clicked on this post looking for a rant of some kind, but it no longer exists. I am over it and you should be too. Stay and look around though.

CBS’ new show Swingtown takes prime time television to it’s lowest point yet. It serves up a healthy dose of adultery and group sex for America’s youngsters to enjoy this summer.

What kind of music should Christians listen too? For some, including myself, this can be a struggle. I have put aside a lot of music and musicians in recent years due to my changing perspective. Four years ago, I replaced Nirvana with Switchfoot as my favorite band after hearing “Meant To Live” on a secular rock radio station. I no longer listen to Eddie Vedder and Co., but I still listen to The All-American Rejects and Jimmy Eat World.

Where is the line drawn? Is “secular” to be divided into differing categories of “Good, Questionable, and Bad?” I have not formed a definite opinion on this, and am not indicting anyone. Right now, I will say it is a personal choice. If a Christian is comfortable pumping Dr. Dre’s The Chronic into his/her ears, do it. I have left this album behind as it is no longer relevant to my existence. Just how far into the world should Christians venture? Scripture can give some insight:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

It is important to know that “the world” represents sinful desire and not people or the created world around us. In the context of music, not all is created equal. Aerosmith’s “Love In An Elevator” is a bit different than Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song.” Even within the same band the difference can be profound. Oasis’ “Wonderwall” is different than Oasis’ “F*****n’ In The Bushes.” Does this fact abrogate Oasis’ entire catalogue from a Christian’s iTunes Library? I cannot say at this moment. I can say this: today’s Christian Rock, and even Gospel music, is influenced by secular artists. This means that Christian musicians have been paying attention to the Billboard Hot 100. Without a “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” there may have never been a “Meant To Live.” Without a Kurt Cobain, there may have never been a Jon Foreman. God does work in mysterious ways.

There are some startling new statistics regarding latina teens. The following comes from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

• 51% of Latina teens get pregnant at least once
  before age 20—nearly twice the national average.
• Latinas have had the highest teen birth rate of any
  major ethnic/racial minority in the country since 1995.
• Latina teen birth rates have declined about half as fast
  as non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black teens.
  In fact, teen birth rates have actually
  increased in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
• The Latino population is the largest and fastest growing
  minority group in the United States—by 2025, one quarter
  of all teens will be Latino. Clearly whatever
  goes on among Latino teens not only affects the Latino
  community, but also has an extraordinary impact on the
  nation as a whole.

This last statement is telling. Hispanics may one day outnumber all races in America if current birth rate trends continue. A high teen pregnancy rate among any race, but particularly one that is projected to be in the majority, has negative implications for everyone. I do not know if sex-at-fifteen is a cultural thing or if it is the result of rampant secularism (MTV, music, magazines, fashion, movies, commercials, etc.). It is more likely a mixture of both.

Many of these teen girls end up giving birth to multiple children with multiple fathers, virtually guaranteeing the long term need for social services like Medicaid and food stamps. This is a problem as evidenced by a February 6, 2007 article from The Arizona Republic:

Latina teens are 3 1/2 times more likely than Anglo teens to become pregnant in Arizona and are about one-third more likely to get pregnant than Hispanics nationwide.

This has helped keep Arizona’s teen pregnancy rate one of the highest in the nation. And Arizona taxpayers are increasingly picking up the tab: 82 percent of all teen births in 2005 were paid for by the state’s Medicaid program, up from 71 percent a decade earlier. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy estimates that Arizona taxpayers spent $268 million in 2004 for costs related to teen pregnancy, ranging from health care to welfare to lost income taxes.

According to an October 30, 2007 Newsweek article by Sarah Elkins, latinas “attend ’skipping parties’—as in skipping school—where they shed their inhibitions with the help of alcohol, pot and other drugs and hook up (have sex) with guys who are usually older than they are.” Elkins goes on to point out that, culturally, latinas are taught about “chastity and demureness,” while their male counterparts are more likely to be taught about “virility and conquest.”

Why, then, do these girls have sex at age 13 if they are raised to know better? The Arizona Republic article above points out that “Parents are busy adjusting to a new country, language and culture; they often work several jobs, while their kids are immersed in American teen culture, entrenched in sexy clothes, sexy music and sexy images on TV.” At some point, a disconnect between parent and child forms. This disconnect needs to be fixed fast judging by what Marisa Treviño tells us at the blog Latina Lista:

A friend recently told me that her daughter, who attends a majority-Latino, public middle school (6th, 7th and 8th grades) in Dallas, Texas, told her that there were 26 girls pregnant at her school. She routinely has 1-3 girls, at minimum, in her classes who are pregnant. But what is equally shocking is that her daughter said that the girls sit around and talk about how they ‘planned their pregnancies.’ It’s comprehensible that girls would plan for sex since sex is equated with sexiness and attractiveness and is so overtly glamorized in music videos and movies. There’s no pre-teen or teenage girl who doesn’t want to feel attractive and wanted by boys, but the idea that a fat belly is equally a turn-on is just a plain mystery.

In other words, being pregnant is fashionable. I approach this travesty from a layman’s perspective and cannot offer anything but a common sense approach. Articles like Elkins’ and Treviño’s offer better insight into the cultural reasons behind higher latina teen pregnancy rates. Treviño gives us the most culturally relevant and common sense statement about all of this:

All of these are scenarios that play a part in teens getting pregnant, but one other scenario that has never really been discussed is that some teens who get pregnant are continuing a family cycle — they see it as a tradition. Mom got pregnant young, dropped out of school, had more kids, worked dead-end jobs, never thought about school again. Daughter follows mom’s footstep.

This tradition has to end.

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In another sign America has peaked as a nation, a 14-year-old boy from Dallas, TX was arrested for dealing “cheese,” a heroin and over-the-counter medication mix. Along with the drugs, police found a mixture of firearms with “hundreds of rounds of ammunition.” To make it even better, an 8-year-old boy acted as the lookout. Where were the parents? They were oblivious to what was going on, judging by their arrest and subsequent release.

Back in February, it was an 11-year-old sex predator making the news in North Texas. What will be next? This is what Deputy Chief Julian Bernal had to say about all of this:

Once again, we’re back talking about 14-year-olds, and now 8-year-olds involved in the process of selling heroin. That’s extremely disturbing, and as a society it ought to be disturbing for all of us.

Well said.

Next week (05.12-05.15), Vh1 will glorify the sexual revolution. The 4-part documentary will begin with the “rigid” and “frigid” 1950s and proceeds through four decades of Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, birth control, free speech, “free love,” female objectification, pornography, feminism, taboos, androgyny, Deep Throat, moral crusaders, public sex, capitalism, Hollywood, homosexuality, STDs, and AIDS. Here is the summary from the official press release:

‘Sex: The Revolution‘ frankly examines a colorful and controversial chapter of modern American history, when individuals and events coalesced to challenge the moral orthodoxy surrounding sex and sexual behavior. Eros moved from the shadows into the sphere of public discussion, as people sought to eradicate sexual ignorance, fear and loathing. Activism took root and laws were changed; traditional institutions and gender roles were questioned; pleasure was had, and so was profit. And as with any revolution, there were counter-forces seeking a return to the status quo.

Now that the status quo is sex-all-the-time with anyone and anywhere, what is next? Beastiality? Sex with robots? Sex with machines? The latter already is commonplace. We already know the sexual revolution failed to liberate anyone. It just gave us AIDS, abortions for profit, and commodified sex. Glorifying this baby boomer debacle is moronic.

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Perhaps America’s brand of secularism poses a particular problem. It allows for professing belief in God and respects the public role of religion and the churches, but at the same time can subtly reduce religious belief to a lowest common denominator. The result is a growing separation of faith from life.

The Pope speaking to American bishops during his recent visit, “Pope Praises Americans’ Faith and Warns of Perils of Secularism,” The New York Times (04.17.08)

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The following letter to the editor appeared in the April 17th edition of USA Today and is very straight up about what immigration to America ought to look like. Two things about this letter from Klaus Bauer: (1) It is considered racist by today’s definition of racism. (2) It puts America in a more positive light than anything Barack Obama has uttered out of his mouth.

I came to USA as a legal immigrant from Germany 10 years ago. I was 35.

Already possessing pretty decent English language skills, I still took several classes before my arrival, making sure that this move would be an easy transition for me. I knew I wanted to stay in my professional field, which is finance, so I also learned financial terms used in this country.

I found employment within a month, I found new friends and co-workers, and due to hard work, I was able to work my way up in the corporate world. From Day One, I was welcomed with open arms, especially after showing efforts to learn the language. For me, USA is still the land of opportunity where everybody gets a fair chance at improving himself or herself.

I’m honored to be here and to show this great country the respect it deserves by speaking its language fluently and also by achieving citizenship.

Every immigrant has to make a decision to live by the rules if he or she wants to live here. It is hard for me to understand immigrants who come here without English skills, refuse to take an English class and then wonder why they’re not accepted by society.

The America of Klaus Bauer is an America of opportunity, not an America of bitterness. You see, Mr. Bauer recognizes the greatness of this country while Mr. Obama just recognizes the bitterness and negativity. Mr. Bauer seeks to lift America up while Mr. Obama seeks to tear it down. Mr. Bauer is “honored” to be an American while Mr. Obama associates with terrorists and listens to a pastor who equates America with the KKK. Does Barack Obama hate America? It is quite possible.

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C.S. Lewis once wrote that pain is God’s “megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” I put this quote from The Problem of Pain on the top fold of my blog for a reason—it is the most lucid and brilliant quote of the 20th century, and a world view that is on its way towards extinction.

Open any newspaper or watch any 24/7 news channel and eventually you will see pain. Right now, it is economic pain that is on the minds of many Americans. A questionable poll shows that 81 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction America is taking. I say this has more to do with the media’s incessant use of negativity with a Republican residing in the White House than anything else. Sadly, much of America buys into the propaganda machine of the “unholy trinity.”

Rod Dreher, an editorial columnist with the irrelevant Dallas Morning News, recently wrote an article about American consumerism and its role in any impending economic “crisis.” He says this about our situation:

The cultural roots of this crisis have to do with Americans’ refusal to recognize natural limits. Americans have lost the ascetic virtue of self-discipline and have become impatient with the idea of constraints on their individual will.

Stephen Moore, in a Wall Street Journal article entitled “The Bare Necessities: A Generation Tries To Imagine Life Without iPods,” says this about the individual will of Americans:

Consumption in real per-capita terms has nearly doubled since 1970. The single largest increase in expenditures for low-income households over the past 20 years was for audio and visual entertainment systems—up 119%. In 2007, Americans spent an estimated $1 billion to change the tune of the ringer on their cellphones.

How are these Americans able to buy the iPods, car audio systems, blu-ray disc players, HDTVs, Xbox 360s, and Playstation 2s? The credit card. Moore finishes off with this bit of information:

After my lecture, one young woman walked up to me on her way out and huffed: ‘What I favor is a radical redistribution of wealth in America.’ I tried to tell her that America’s greatness is a result of our focus on creating wealth, not redistributing it. But it was too late—she was already tuning in to her iPod.

This young American’s perspective is the the path Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama want to take us on. Maybe this is why young Americans love Obama so much—he sounds like one of their communist professors. What ever happened to personal responsibility? Why reward people who purchase what they cannot afford? The view from Dreher and Moore’s vantage point is nothing revelatory for me, but apparently, it is for some Americans. This perspective is also a worldly perspective, even if it is a perfectly logical one.

I am more interested in the Lewisian perspective, otherwise known as the Biblical perspective. America is headed for some tough times if it continues to follow Europe down the path of secular progressivism. Economically, we are starting to feel the pain as a nation. Some are better off than others, but when China decides to liquidate its $900 billion dollars in U.S. bonds, we will see the real pain. The message to the United States: Just try boycotting the China Olympics.

How did we get into this predicament? Consumerism, materialism, and our pathological need to keep up with the Joneses. Of course, there are many others, but I am going to stick with economics in this post. We are so deluded as a nation, so lacking in personal responsibility that we cannot even blame ourselves. Democrats blame Republicans, Republicans blame Democrats, Liberals blame Conservatives, Conservatives blame Liberals, legals blame illegals, hippies blame yuppies, yuppies blame the stock market, the 10% tax bracket blames the 35% tax bracket. Guess what? We are all too blame. We are all sinners.

There are consequences for our actions as individuals and as nations. For America, it is obvious, to use Rev. Jeremiah Wright, that our “chickens are coming home to roost” economically. The diagnosis is so simple it is undetectable to the experts and intellectuals. The cure is even simpler, but just as invisible. The Bible (NIV) gives us ample warning:

…if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it. (Jeremiah 12:17)

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:10)

How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? (Psalm 4:2)

Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland. (Psalm 79:6)

This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord…’ (Jeremiah 17:5)

Do wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. (Proverbs 23:4-5)

Does a complete surrender to the Lord’s will immunize us from economic pain? No. However, it gives us a perspective that allows us to deal with economic downturns. You see, God is the world’s banker. He has all the money, because He brought it all into existence. We are the managers of His money, and when we mismanage what He gives us, we can only expect to lose it. Just consider the parable of the Talents.

America is turning its back on God. We are a nation of material gluttons fueled by debt. Do not be surprised by the consequences.

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11)

Oprah is one of the most dangerous personalities in the world right now. She is loved by many, and her advice is taken to heart by individuals seeking happiness, peace, and guidance. She is also deluded. Check out this quote from a discussion she has been having on spirituality, religion, and God with Eckhart Tolle.

Well, I am a Christian who believes there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity. So, I’m a free-thinking Christian who believes in my way, but I don’t believe that it is the only way with six billion people here on the planet.

Oprah’s perspective is liberal Christianity. In fact, it is not Christianity at all. It is new age spirituality, not belief, which is demonic. Sadly, it is a perspective an increasing number of “Christians” hold. It is the perspective of Barack Obama, a man interviewing for the highest position in the world and a man Oprah vehemently supports.

Can Oprah be anymore deceived? Of course. Here is some more delusion:

God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience.

A “feeling experience” is narcissistic. It is conceited. It is about serving yourself instead of serving your Creator. This kind of thinking is why practicing homosexuals can call themselves Christians. If there is no real belief, there is no real punishment. There is no need to turn from sin if God is just a spiritual feeling with no authority.

Oprah’s ideology is more dangerous than atheism. It is packaged as Christian when, in fact, it is worldly. Oprah denies Christ is the only path to God, which is not Christian. It is sad to think about all the individuals (1,860,000 for her first class with Eckhart) she has led astray because of her popularity, and she is using this popularity to feed her own ego. She is a narcissist as evidenced by her talk show, her magazine named after herself, her store, her own network named after herself, and now a blasphemous web class on religion, spirituality, and God.

If Oprah lost everything she had—her money, her fame, her popularity, her connections—and was forced to live on the street begging for everything, she would kill herself. Her inner strength and happiness both come from her external circumstances, not God. Destroy her external strength and you destroy her inner strength. You rip apart her false peace. Her spirituality will vanish.

It is easy to lose yourself in a psychology laden, man-made spirituality when you are not lacking anything materially. It is easy to feel God when you have all you want—when you do not feel like you need anything. Spirituality will give you nothing. Only God, through Jesus Christ, can give you peace. Oprah, like many, even forgets that God owns everything. He determines what we have. Can spirituality give you a job? Can it put food on your table and a roof over your head? Not at all. Oprah’s Christianity is self-serving and demonic. Follow her at your own eternal risk.

I could write an entire blog on Oprah, so I will stop here. I have to give credit to tazdog (link in sidebar) for pointing out Oprah’s webcast videos with Eckhart.

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Quote of the Week | 04.06.08

Sometimes, when I set to thinking about the various activities of men, the dangers and troubles which they face at Court, or in war, giving rise to so many quarrels and passions, daring and often wicked enterprises and so on, I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room… The only good thing for men therefore is to be diverted from thinking of what they are, either by some occupation which takes their mind off it, or by some novel and agreeable passion which keeps them busy, like gambling, hunting, some absorbing show, in short by what is called diversion.

Blaise Pascal, Pensées (37-38)

For my generation, looking like a virgin when you marry is completely unappealing, boring even. Who cares about that part anymore?

Natasha DaSilva, The New York Times (02.21.08)

One of my favorite authors, Peter Kreeft, once said that modernity’s only sin is the belief in sin. Sin is modernity’s four letter word. We do not want to confront it, and anyone who does, is called a hypocrite suffering from plankeye syndrome. Even worse, Christians cannibalize each other for confronting the sin that exists in our culture.

If we deny sin, which is to deny God, we are free to make our own rules. If we can make our own rules, we are free to change them. Absolutes no longer exist. Sin has no meaning. Some say, “I don’t need God because I am a good and moral person.” You may be “good” and you may be “moral” by the standards of this world, but you are still a sinner and the only way out of your sin is through Jesus Christ.

Satan has funneled many lies into the world, but none are more destructive than the belief that sin is relative and that we don’t need Jesus nor God to escape it. The modern man thinks that one man’s good is just another man’s evil. If this is true, which it is not, there is no evil and thus no real sin.

The modern man does not need to be “saved” because there is nothing to be saved from. He just has to be “good” person, helping out his fellow man by giving some money to charities and AIDS relief in Africa. Maybe he builds some pink 2 x 4 houses in New Orleans without realizing the real reason Hurricane Katrina happened—rampant immorality with a big F-bomb to God (Isaiah 60:12).

Sin is the cause of every problem facing the world. Unless humans address each problem from this perspective, everything we do is merely a band-aid and a temporary fix. We are just cutting the leaves off the weeds instead of pulling them out by the roots. If we do not confront sin the way Jesus did (John 4:1-26, Matthew 27:45-50), and/or worse, we just deny sin is a problem, we end up with 11-year-old boys soliciting girls for sex, 14-year old girls prostituting themselves for Big Macs, and perverts dying while having sex at beastiality bordellos.

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Quote of the Week | 02.17.08

Barack Obama is promoting a change in circumstances for America. This will not work. It will not last, because America is decaying from the inside out. Until the tumor of the heart is taken care of, Obama’s message means nothing.

We are prone to think that a change in circumstances is always the answer to a problem. But the problem is usually within us and not around us. The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.

Warren W. Wiesber, Be Wise (80)

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Last month, Oprah Winfrey announced her new network OWN. It will be a 50/50 partnership with Discovery communications, but she will control all content and the creative vision of the network. This essentially makes it hers.

I have always considered Oprah’s incessant use of her name and image as odd. She is not the only wealthy businessperson to do this and I understand that “Oprah” is now a brand. But does anyone else get the feeling that Oprah has crossed into narcissistic territory with this venture? A blogger on her own website message board believes she has already been there.

She has her own show. This does not make her narcissistic, but it certainly cultivates narcissistic tendencies (Oprah’s “Favorite Things”). She started a magazine that she named after herself in which she features herself on the cover of every issue. This might catagorize her as narcissistic to some. Now she has a network named after herself.

Oprah helps a lot of people, but does she have to put her name on everything she touches. There is something to be said about humility through anonymity. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:1-4:

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Quote of the Week | 01.27.08

This quote is disturbing in its reflection on the lifestyles considered normal in Ibiza, Spain. It is evidence of human and cultural decay. It is also a glimpse of the future—unhibited and legal public nudity and sex. This is only one of the debased activities brought to life by George Curley in the April 2007 Vanity Fair.

On another afternoon, a boat anchors a hundred yards from a popular beach, in full view of the sunbathing families. On deck an attractive woman strips, which is nothing new, but then she pulls the swimming trunks off her boyfriend and starts performing felatio. Next she gets on top of him, and after the couple finish they dive into the sea. More applause. It’s the same attitude everywhere you go on this tiny, outrageously beautiful island…

George Curley, “Ibiza” (Vanity Fair 4/07)

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