Golden West Camp 2010 - What is Truth?

Golden West Camp 2010 will be in Show Low, AZ from July 24th - July 31st. Currently we have begun to work on putting together the program for camp, which we are writing ourselves this year. Please be in prayer for us as we do this, that God would give us the words to reach the hearts and minds of these kids - really, the leaders of the Church here in Arizona over the next generation. At camp we will be discussing Pilate's critical question to Jesus, in John 18:38 - "What is truth?" This is the deep heart-cry of our culture, but so many have given up trying to answer the question. It has become enough to be entertained, or at the very least, distracted... and it is destroying us. The Church, far from reflecting Christ, reflects the culture. If this is to change it will take very deliberate action on our part.

I write this here on the blog because I won't be posting as much as I have been as we work to put this program together. And if you have questions about camp, or would like to assist with either your time or financial support, you can reach me on my cell phone at 623.341.0240.

Thank you for reading, and for your prayers!

Charles Baldon
Camp Director, Golden West Camp

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rejoice in this Day of Thanksgiving! For the Lord of the Harvest has open the gates, and His Bounty is shared freely with all:
To the weary he has granted Rest,
The heavy laden have been granted Strength to carry on.
He is a Strong Tower to the oppressed, a Shield against the darkening storms of this world.
In the gift of His Son he has granted Hope to the hopeless,
And His Swift Sure Hand upholds the broken, making them whole once again.
Again I say, rejoice! Praise the High King of Heaven as you sit at the feast, and glory in His repast that nourishes the soul.

A Final Solution for Global Warming

A Final Solution for Global Warming

The time has come to pull out all the stops; climate change has become an issue too large to ignore. The crisis is dire, and the very survival of the planet is at stake. With this in mind, I lay out my plan for solving this terrible problem.

Step 1: Justice for the Planet is Justice for Everyone

It is an indisputable fact that global warming has a far greater negative impact on women and minorities than it does on white men. In addition, most of the worst contributors to greenhouse gases - machines such automobiles, power plants, or people that exhale - are a direct result of the reprehensible inventive and reproductive behavior of white men. I therefore propose the immediate liquidation of the male Caucasian population, beginning with those in America and Europe, who also form the dominant and repressive majority within these cultures. This particular solution has many additional social benefits, but the primary and immediate effect will be a reduction in the consumption and use of goods which add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. New fields, forests and even rain forests can then be fertilized with this new abundant resource, finally allowing us to restore balance to our fragile ecosystems. With this primary consumer base eliminated, damaged ecosystems (such as rain forests) will have a chance to recover, as they no longer need be plowed under to allow for the destructive expansion of industry.

Step 2: Reproductive Choice is the Only Choice

We must thank the great nation of China for their valuable contributions to the world in reducing greenhouse gases through their revolutionary social policies, and we must learn to follow their example. Abortion as a fundamental human right is, of course, a given; but we must move forward the idea of mandatory abortion. More than 1 child per household means additional population growth, and population growth is crucial to manage if we are to save this planet. 2.2 live births per female allows for a population to maintain it's size. We must get this number down to 1.0-1.2 as quickly as possible (currently much of Europe, and legal population of America, stand at 1.6 or less). The next step is twofold, after the elimination of white males. First, the entire world must adopt a policy of 'one child per family.' Second, those who we have already identified as potential domestic terrorists here in America (that is, those who consider themselves to be 'pro-life') should immediately follow white males as the next to be liquidated. Someday we might have the courage as a race to embrace the third step, that of widespread sterilization, but we must allow for some time for the various cultures of the world to adapt and embrace change. We can lay the groundwork for this new idea in Step 3.

Step 3: Freedom from Destructive Social Institutions

In addition to mandating '1 child' policies among heterosexual couples, we must continue to ensure that the maximum number of children possible are educated in the government education centers. This has the advantage of giving governments one unified voice in reaching these children with the critical truths they need to hear. We must also continue the advancement of homosexual culture in these centers. Replacement of the restrictive social institution known as 'the traditional family' with that of 'the modern family' has several benefits in the fight against climate change. First and most directly, homosexual couples do not produce children, so by definition each of these modern family units will produce lower levels of greenhouse gases. Second, in replacing the traditional family as the basic social unit, we reduce the influence of certain destructive belief systems (as taught by parents) upon the individual. To a large extent this has been accomplished, as most parents seek to have the government educate their children; but many - particularly in America - are not being reached. Many of these even question the necessity of our efforts, and such questioning endangers all of us in the long term.

Step 4: Acknowledging the Equality of the Species

Once and for all, this antiquated notion that man is the pinnacle of nature must be put to the rest. Arising from the destructive teachings Judaism and Christianity, this idea that men and women are somehow different from other creatures - as they would say, 'created in the image of God' - is completely antithetical to what our governing philosophy must be if we are to save the planet. What right do we have to this planet that every other creature shouldn't also have? In addition to the sheer barbarity of killing our evolutionary cousins for food (please note the genetic similarities between humans and cows), we waste tremendous natural resources breeding many animals for just this purpose... not to mention the enormous amount of greenhouse gases produced by the extra animals, themselves, grown only to feed us. We must begin to examine endangered species in this critical light: how do one or more human lives compare, when measured against the extinction of entire species? More widespread use of hydroelectric power may indeed save additional human lives, but what of the ecosystems damaged by this intrusion? We must allow natural selection to take its course, and throw off the chains of 'compassion.' Those that cannot feed or care for themselves must face the consequences without intervention, for the good of all. This further reduction in the human population can only serve to improve the plight of our imperiled planet.

In summary, we have already taken several of the crucial first steps towards this Final Solution. We have a widespread understanding among the culture of our enemy truly is: those of industry. We have the means to continue our education of the next generation in knowledge of the truth, and we must work to weaken the influence of those whose ideas are most destructive to the cause. Darwin in his brilliant theory has given us the framework, within the realm of science, to alter the destructive philosophies that have controlled the world for far too long. We must continue to strive forward, workers across the world! We must unite to save this planet.

Thanksgiving 2009

And so another holiday season is upon us... seems like Resurrection Sunday was last week, and yet here we are with Thanksgiving 3 days away. Thanksgiving as an annual national holiday began back in 1863. Here is the text of the speech President Lincoln gave:

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

When these words were spoken, the nation was in the middle of a terrible struggle, the Civil War. Why then these words of thankfulness, in such a dark time?

Perspective. Note the language used by our Secretary of State. Can you imagine the current office holder speaking in such a manner, for any occasion? The original purpose behind the day was a moment of reflection, a pause to give thanks to God for his blessings, even in the midst of trial. And that is the perspective we now lack. Ultimately the course our nation takes in foreign policy, health care, union/management relations, or "global warming" is meaningless unless we are building upon the proper foundation. And that foundation is crumbling. Our nation drifts without a sense of purpose, no longer understanding the vision of those who founded it. We either can not or will not acknowledge the great gift our very nation is to us, from God Himself. And as we drift, our sense of gratitude is also fading. Having left ourselves with no greater purpose than our own will, what do we have to be truly thankful for? To whom are we grateful? So much has been given for us. So much has been sacrificed by others so that we have what we have.

This year, I encourage all of us to remember. Implicit within gratitude is memory, the remembrance of what we have been given. Let us thank God even as we ask Him to restore knowledge of Himself to our nation, that our foundation would again grow strong. By His grace we, as the United States of America, have the power to lead the world. But this is not a change that will come about politically. Conservative, centrist, liberal - none of these hold the key. True change will come about as gratitude leads us to greater sense of humility, and humility leads us to knowledge of the Truth.

May God richly bless each of you this day of Thanksgiving, and may he touch your hearts with His wisdom and understanding.

Lies Assaulting Our Ministries, Part 3

Lie #1 - Darwinian Evolution "A Cosmic Accident"

C) History: Is society evolving or has anything really changed?

A previous post addresses this point in some detail. Please skim that before continuing here, so that this will make sense.

If we take the viewpoint that human cultures are evolving, would we not expect to see a change in human behavior over the course of the centuries? And yet we have not seen this change happen in a positive direction. Just look at war over human history; there was very little peace in the ancient world, the Middle Ages, the 20th century was the bloodiest to date. Nothing has changed, we see people attempting to dominate other people throughout all the cycles of human history. So far within the 21st century, we have seen more of the same. So far we have not experienced the worldwide open conflict as the 20th century, but in Africa we see a continent ravaged by war, with the resulting poverty and famine. We see most of the Western world so terrified of a major conflict that they dance to the tune of petty dictators in North Korea and Iran, calling appeasement 'diplomacy.' I would challenge those who think our efforts in North Korea and Iran commendable study the policies of England and France in regards to Germany during the 1920s and 1930s. The comparison is chilling.

Another interesting point to consider is abortion. In our 'progressive' society, we decided in 1973 that this should be permitted, and our Supreme Court decided it was a Constitutional right. So how does the impact of abortion on society, not to mention the women who suffer through it, differ from the impact of child sacrifice to Chemosh in the Old Testament? Is the impact different on the babies who are aborted/were sacrificed? Either way they are dead. How is it we would label our society 'civilized' but theirs as 'barbaric?' Is the difference in the presence of doctor, versus a pagan priest? Or is the difference between the operating table and the stone altar? I do not ask to mock, I ask in an attempt to reconcile what we seem to believe with reality, as it truly is. We want to say that things are different now, that we have advanced. Where is the evidence?

Now we must acknowledge that technology has advanced, and this is a point I don't deny. I would challenge you to think on technology, and break down the net result of our collective advances. Do some live better, longer lives due to advances in medicine and machinery? Absolutely. Does a majority of the population of the world live better lives? Or has the gulf between the technologically advanced and others led to contempt and indifference? Is a gun superior to a bow? What of nuclear weapons? Have things like iPods and cell phones brought us deeper, more fulfilling relationships? Has the Internet increased wisdom, or merely knowledge? How do we define 'better?' What makes one life better than another? This is not to say we should reject technology; we just need to understand its place in an historical context.

These are critical points to consider. I hope the result of our contemplation is humility, an enlarged sense that we are not better, or superior, to those who have come before us. How can I learn from the lives of those in the Bible? Because they struggled with the same things I do. What motivated them, motivates me. What hurt them, hurts me. And when we start to see ourselves in the proper light, knocked down several pegs and in desperate need of the same grace God has given throughout history, it will change the way we think about our present day world. Without a sense of the past, you cannot properly understand the present. Without a sense of the past, we cannot understand the working out of God's plan throughout human history. Too many of us, as Christians, have no sense of the bigger picture because we deny it even exists. Perhaps we don't deny it in our minds, or our words - but what of our actions?

Lies Assaulting Our Ministries, Part 2

Once again, we are trying to cover a tremendous amount of ground in a short time. Please email or comment with questions and I will be happy to expand or explain as requested.

Lie #1 - Darwinian Evolution "A Cosmic Accident"

B) What is our identity? Where does it come from?

Ideas have consequences, and here we begin to see that the long reach of Darwinism extends far beyond the science classroom. If we are the result of random, purposeless forces - what is our value as human beings? What is the worth of a single human life? What is the value of an unwanted baby (or fetus, some would prefer)?

"When it comes to pain, love, joy, loneliness, and fear, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. Each one values his or her life and fights the knife." Ingrid Newkirk's statement is a chilling one, once you think it through. Reading on from PETA's own website, we find that we shouldn't discriminate, even on the basis of species. An animal should have every right that you do. Now, some would say that PETA is a rather extreme choice for an example of the evolutionary mindset. But taking that viewpoint to its logical end, their ideas makes perfect sense: what is the difference between the species? We are all made of the same stuff, we all come from the same place, and we all have our spot in the natural world. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy; don't bother me with a starving child in Africa when an entire insect species is going extinct. What is the life of one child when measured against the extinction of a species? If I say - as the compassionate heart would like to - that a child is worth more than even millions of bugs, what is my basis for saying so? If I say "Well, in my heart I know what is right," then how do I establish moral superiority over someone like Newkirk, who "knows" a different truth in their heart? Who is right? Where do I go, what truth do I claim, to win this argument? For that matter, from a purely evolutionary mindset, why do I care about a starving boy, anyway? If he can't feed himself, let him die. He was clearly not fit, and natural selection is taking its natural course.

Thank God for Scriptural truth! For we find in the very beginning that man is created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). His value is innate, his worth established because it is ordained by the Creator. Every unborn child, every starving person on some distant continent - they are all created in the image of God. Human life has greater value than that of the natural world, over which we were given stewardship and authority (Genesis 1:28-29).

We further find that, in addition to being created in God's image, mankind has specific purpose in this world, even before sin entered it (Genesis 2:15-24). Man created to work, woman created to help him; we have distinct roles in both responsibility and relationship.

What does the world say? Just a few days ago, a report on gender (in regards to terrorism) was given to the UN. This viewpoint, that gender is a social construct and not part of who we are created to be, is taught to children everyday in this country in the public schools. And this conclusion follows logically from evolution as well. With the natural world established as the boundary of reality, it follows that there is no behavior that we can engage in that can be considered unnatural. If a man chooses to act as a woman, this is natural. If a woman chooses the life of a man, this is natural. In short, there is no particular role or relationship that cannot be redefined, since these things are merely social constructs in the first place.

Reality doesn't line up with this worldview, however. Read the news, check the Internet. We are surrounded everyday by more and more broken people, wearing themselves out trying to be something they were not created to be. As Christians, this should break our hearts, and here is where we often go wrong: we focus on the sin, and not the sinner. Where we have the chance to show the love of Christ, to show hurting people that it does not have to be like it is, that there is a better way, a plan - instead we judge, so intent on being self-righteous that we forget our own moral corruption. That is, we forget that sin is sin and we are no better than anyone else, we are just saved by grace. None of us are righteous (Romans 3:23). God's grace in our lives is all that separates us from anyone, not that we do anything to deserve it, but that God gives it freely (Ephesians 2:8-9) to those who believe.

In addition to different roles in society, we see different roles within marriage. The Bible teaches clearly that God's order for marriage is the husband in a position of leadership and the wife in a position of submission (Colossians 3:18-39, Ephesians 5:22-33). But here again we need to be careful about using Truth as a bludgeon. The example of our - husband's - leadership is Christ as we witness him here on earth in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Christ willingly surrendered his rights as God to take on the role of Savior, remaining God as He was here on earth but using only the authority given Him by the Father. Jesus set aside everything He was in order to meet the need of a fallen world for a Savior, ultimately dying on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins. Somehow I don't think that kind of leadership is a problem for women, were they to see it properly lived out by the men in their lives. As for women, their submission is to be that of the Church to Christ. Christ did not give the Church a list of do's and don'ts, expecting simple mindless obedience. No, a Christian's life should look different because it is a response to a loving relationship almost beyond comprehension. A wife's submission is the loving, respectful response to the husband's servant leadership and sacrifice.

But the toughest aspect within marriage is the call to do our part, regardless of our spouse's choices. As a reflection of God's unconditional love for us, we must be loving to our wives and respectful to our husbands; the direction of the Bible here is clear (Ephesians 5:33) and unconditional. And this extends to Christians within society as a whole: we need to be living out lives full of grace so that others can see Jesus Christ in us. We need to worry about what we can do for others, and not what others can do for us. We need to focus on our responsibility as Christians, and not our rights. We need to follow the two commandments Jesus Himself gave as the greatest: to love the Lord, and love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:28-34).

To review, we have looked at the authority of the Bible in relationship to evolution; that is, the Bible has no authority if evolution is true, because they cannot coexist. The Bible claims perfection, and if this perfection is lost (due to falsehood in the Genesis account) the whole effort is a waste of time, other than perhaps to "feel good" in some vague religious sense.

And if we embrace evolution, we see that society suffers because the roles of men and women are no longer defined in an absolute way. A person has no greater worth than an animal. A man has no different a role than a woman, and in turn neither has a call to be anything more than an animal here on earth. In contrast, the Biblical model for society lived out offers the greatest joy a person can have. A loving father, a caring mother, obedient children, and a family as a whole putting the needs of others before their own. It sounds Utopian, and yet it is society as it was created to be. Will we embrace it? Will we live in such a way that the world will begin again to see the value in God's social order?

Lies Assaulting Our Ministries, Part 1a

This post is to clarify what is meant by 'evolution' during our discussions.

Evolution is defined as:

Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.

A reader brought up some good points, which I quote here (originally posted on Facebook):

Hi, Charles. I'd like to read more of what you have to offer, but I think it would be helpful to your point to, at least, shift your terminology in-line with accepted definitions. First, a "species" is a breeding population. Two species may still be genetically compatible, but do not normally breed with each in nature. In addition, typically, the union of two different species often produces a "mule," or a sterile offspring. What is sometimes called "microevolution" - a term that is falling out of favor - is more commonly termed "speciation." Speciation is simply when one species gives rise to a new, novel species. Speciation has been observed in the field and in the laboratory. "Macroevolution" -- again, a term falling out of favor - simply describes evolution over the categories of taxa - species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, and kingdom. However, really, "macroevolution" is just countless generational "microevolutionary" steps...

The concern I have here is the subtle shift in definition that has attempted to change the argument. As I stated before, we see variations within types of organisms, but we don't see the change from one type of organism into another. Given all the time requested, even billions of years, the small steps still have to result in one type of organism becoming another one (for evolution to be true). This is what we don't see. If we then say that the time required is far beyond that of the human life span, then we have a scientific problem: our hypothesis cannot be measured or observed, and so can never be proven.

And the 'big picture' questions remain: how do random, purposeless forces give us a universe of order? How did the living arise from the nonliving? Why is there something rather than nothing? How is it we can look at systems many times more complex than, say, a desktop PC, and cry 'random chance?' The PC on which you are reading this blog is incredibly complex, but you yourself are many times more so. Yet I know the PC to have been designed and built according to a plan. How then can I say that you are the result of random processes over billions of years? How do we rationally say that complex order arises from chaos? The fact is, we have to try very hard to deny the design we see in systems all over the world. A very good question is: why is it so important to so many for evolution to be true? What are the consequences if it is not? And once we say that no design exists, that all we have are purposeless, natural forces - we swim in some very dangerous waters, as we will explore going forward.

An excellent resource in the evolutionary debate is a book titled Darwin's Black Box, written by Michael Behe, who is not a Christian - just a scientist presenting issues with evolution. A great resource from a young-earth Creationist viewpoint (the one I defend throughout this series) is Answers in Genesis. Their website and other resources are great for teaching the Biblical viewpoint.