FREEDOM: 2014

CITY ORDERS CHURCH TO SHUT DOWN GLEE CAMP

Jesus and Jazz don't mix.

That’s the gist of a legal battle in Auburn, N.Y., pitting City Hall against a summer glee camp hosted in the Case Mansion a building owned by the First Presbyterian Church.

The city’s code enforcement officer issued a cease-and-desist order in July — alleging the church’s musical theater glee camp was a zoning violation. And more than five months later – the wheels of justice are finally beginning to turn.

The church considers that glee camp to be a form of ministry. And it’s beyond comprehension that a city government would try to regulate God’s work.

“Immediately cease use of property in an R-2 zone for commercial use,” the order read. “Cease operating a summer glee camp @100/camper in a residential district. This is not an allowable use here.”

City Hall would have us believe that the Presbyterians have taken to the streets like the children in “Fame,” dancing atop automobiles parked along Main Street while belting out, “I Sing the Body Electric.”

But that’s hardly the case at all, says Pastor Eileen Winter.

“I believe this action is a misguided and discriminatory act on the city’s part that not only harms the church’s ability to carry out its religious mission in the community, but also threatens a chilling effect upon other faith organizations similarly situated in residential areas throughout the city,” the pastor said in a court deposition.

Here’s the back story:

For the past two years First Presbyterian has hosted a musical theater glee camp in a mansion that is owned by the church and is adjacent to the sanctuary.

The camp was directed by a local couple with musical training. Students were tutored in singing, dancing and acting — as many as 78 in the 2014 session. The culmination of the summer camp was a performance held in a local theater.

The campers paid a fee to cover the costs of the instructors and materials during the three-week session. That’s what they did in 2012 and 2013.

It wasn’t until last July that the city took issue with the camp.

City Hall alleged the church, by charging a fee, was engaged in a commercial enterprise within a residential district. I suspect it could argue the same point about the church’s Sunday morning offering.

This debacle of a farce could be a comedy if it wasn’t so tragic.

The city manager’s office declined to comment on the matter because it is a pending legal issue.

“Why in the world is the city prosecuting the church over a glee camp?” asked Hiram Sasser, a Liberty Institute attorney defending the church against the city’s prosecution. Liberty Institute has a reputation for taking on religious liberty cases — and Sasser said First Presbyterian definitely has a case.

He said the church was not making a profit on the camp and therefore was not in violation of any ordinance.

“The facts are clear that the church made no monetary ‘profit’ from hosting the Glee Camp and had no intention to do so,” Sasser wrote in court documents. “The church’s motivation to host the Glee Camp was not profit-driven, but religious based.”

Furthermore, he said that even if the camp was a commercial enterprise, the city’s attempt to ban it is a violation of the Religious Land Use Act.

As proof of the RLUA violation, Sasser said the city’s zoning law allows carnivals to operate in the same residential area.

“If you can have carnivals in that zone, then certainly you can have kids playing and singing music,” Sasser told me.

He makes a great point. I mean, what are they going to do next? Send down the health department to inspect congealed salads at the monthly church suppers?

Pastor Winter said the entire episode has been terribly upsetting to the congregation — and to be honest, it’s tested her pastoral patience.

“I have to think a couple of times before I open my mouth,” she said with a chuckle.

She said the city’s prosecution of the church should serve as a wake-up call to other congregations.

“We can’t rest on our laurels anymore,” she said. “There are forces in our world now that are challenging the church’s ability to minister. There are forces out there trying to stop us — not just in our community, but in other communities as well.”

Based on the court documents I saw, the church could be facing fines of up to $50 per day of the three-week camp. Now, I know that may not seem like a lot of money in the scheme of things — but there’s a principle at stake here, folks.

You see, the church considers that glee camp to be a form of ministry. And it’s beyond comprehension that a city government would try to regulate God’s work. Consider this from the church’s court statement:

“The summer Glee Camp is an essential part of the church’s religious mission. The summer Glee Camp brings people to the church with whom the church wants to build a faith relationship who may be reluctant to visit the church or may be looking for a church home. The camp advances the church’s religious mission of supporting the community and the love of music.”

And the love of Rodgers and Hammerstein, I might add.

First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1810, and as far as anyone can figure, this is the first time the congregation has run afoul of the law.

“It’s terribly sad,” the pastor told me.

It’s beyond sad. As they say on Broadway – it’s downright “Wicked.”

WARNING ISIS PLANS MASS GENOCIDE

By ANNABEL GROSSMAN

Reporter who spent ten days with ISIS says the West 'has no concept' of how dangerous the group is and says they want to 'kill all non-believers and enslave their children'

German journalist and author
Jürgen Todenhöfer,
74, spent ten days in
ISIS-controlled territories

*Jürgen Todenhöfer, 74, spent most time in Mosul, but also traveled in Syria

*He said the West has underestimated the risk posed by ISIS 'dramatically'

*Also warned that ISIS plans for mass genocide and 'religious cleansing'

*Said group is 'much smarter and more dangerous than our leaders believe'

ISIS is 'much stronger and much more dangerous' than anyone in the West realizes, a journalist who spent ten days embedded with the group in Iraq and Syria has warned.

A fighter of the Islamic State on a street in the city of Mosul.
German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer, 74, spent several days
with militants in the city and described them as an 'extremely brutal' group

Jürgen Todenhöfer, 74, said that the West has 'no concept of the threat it faces' from the Islamic State and has underestimated the risk posed by ISIS 'dramatically'.

The German reporter spent most of his time in Mosul in northern Iraq, but he also traveled to the ISIS-controlled territories of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor in Syria.

Speaking to ABC News, the veteran journalist described ISIS as 'the strongest group I ever met. Very strong, very clever, very enthusiastic'.

He added: 'They are extremely brutal. Not just head-cutting. I'm talking about the strategy of religious cleansing. That's their official philosophy. They are talking about 500 million people who have to die.'

He went on to say that ISIS are 'completely sure they will win this fight'.

In a stark warning issued in a detailed post on Facebook, the journalist wrote in German: 'The West underestimated the risk posed by IS dramatically.

Peshmerga fighters pass through northern Iraq while shipping
military ammunition to fight ISIS. Todenhöfer has warned that ISIS
is 'much stronger and much more dangerous' than anyone in
the West realizes

'The IS fighters are much smarter and more dangerous than our leaders believe. In the Islamic State, there is an almost palpable enthusiasm and confidence of victory, which I have not seen in many war zones.'

Todenhöfer went on to say that ISIS have plans for mass genocide, with the aim or eradicating all atheists and religions that are not 'people of the book' or who do not subscribe to their particular brand of Islam.
'The IS want to kill... all non-believers and apostates and enslave their women and children. All Shiites, Yazidi, Hindus, atheists and polytheists should be killed,' he wrote.

'Hundreds of millions of people are to be eliminated in the course of this religious 'cleansing'.

'All moderate Muslims who promote democracy, should be killed. Because, from the IS perspective, they promote human laws over the laws of God.

'This also applies to - after a successful conquest - the democratically-minded Muslims in the Western world.'

The reporter describes the Islamic State is currently operating as a functioning totalitarian state - one which, he claims, many Sunni residents in Mosul are unopposed to since it is preferable to the oppression they suffered under the previous regime.

ISIS currently controls parts of Iraq, including Mosul - the country's second-largest city - as well as large swathes of northern and eastern Syria.

Recent coalition air strikes are believed to have begun to turn the tide over the last few months, with the jihadists losing ground in Iraq and only able to hold on to their positions in Syria.

But ISIS strongholds in Mosul, Tikrit and Fallujah have been spared much of the U.S.-led onslaught.

ISIS parade American supplied military vehicles and
weapons captured from the Iraqi army in Mosul.
In his Facebook post, Todenhöfer rejected the idea that
Western military intervention could help to defeat ISIS

In his post, Todenhöfer rejected the idea that Western military intervention could help to defeat ISIS, particularly in the city of Mosul.

He wrote: 'The city of Mosul [in Iraq], with a population of three million, for example, is controlled by IS with about 5,000 fighters. To crush them with bombs means reducing all of Mosul to rubble and killing tens of thousands of civilians.'

Speaking on RTL's Nachtjournal program after his return to Germany last week, Todenhöfer said that he constantly heard the view that ISIS want to 'conquer the world'.

This is the largest religious cleansing strategy that has ever been planned in human history,' the journalist added.

MICHELE BACHMANN DROPS A BOMBSHELL ABOUT OBAMA JUST BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE

Rep. Michele Bachmann

by Conservative Tribune

It’s now well understood that President Obama is a sympathizer of Islam. His actions have spoken louder than his words, which is no simple task – as we all know he loves to talk.

Soon-to-retire Rep. Michele Bachmann had a few choice words of her own for the president, as she outlined several different ways that Obama is helping advance a radical Islamic agenda in the West – specifically in the United States.

On a recent radio show, Bachmann explained that by serving on the House Intelligence Committee for the past four years, she had a “front row seat in watching this up-tempo of Islamic jihad across the world.”

Obama is one to quickly shout that Islamic radicals act independently of their so-called “religion of peace” – which couldn’t be further from the truth, according to Bachmann and common sense.

“This has everything to do with the tenets of Islam; and it is a new state that is being put together for the purpose of destroying Israel and to turn the United States also into an Islamic caliphate,” Bachmann said on the radio show, reaffirming that Islamic radicals do it just like the Koran tells them too. (H/T WesternJournalism)

She also pointed out Obama’s willingness to “cut the legs of our ally, Israel,” at every possible chance, especially when it deals with the terrorist group Hamas, which is the group responsible for spawning the Muslim Brotherhood – a group that has a growing presence in the United States thanks to front groups such as CAIR.

Bachmann said that there had been recent attempts by Obama to meet with Iran’s ayatollah in an effort to use his negotiating skills and slick charm to back them down off a nuclear weapons agenda. During a one-on-one conversation with the charmer-in-chief, Bachmann attempted to penetrate his ego force-field and explain how important it was to stop Iran before it was close to achieving its goal of a nuclear weapon.

Obama’s response? A condescending laugh and the four-word reply, “it isn’t that easy.”

She quickly pointed out to him that, “the history of the world will change because of your failure to act.” And she’s 100% right.

The good news is that Obama only has two years left to damage the United States’ foreign policy. The bad news is that he still has two years left to do.

HOW I FAKED AN ABORTION AND ESCAPED MY SEX TRAFFICKER

by Darlene Pawlik Lifesitenews.com

I was trapped in the sex trafficking industry from age 14-17. Trafficking in persons is not like any regulated industry. It is unmitigated anarchy. There are no rules.

I was conceived during a brutal rape and learned of it when I was very young. That knowledge and child sexual abuse by my own father and later by a maternal uncle had me feeling worth less than others and vulnerable. I was 12 when my mother got her second divorce. By thirteen, I’d been dabbling in drugs and alcohol, wandering the neighborhood and hanging out with a bodybuilder in a black Cadillac. He was patient as he courted me and manipulated me into his bed.

I wasn’t held in sex trafficking with locks, bars or handcuffs, but by fear, threats and hopelessness. I had no hope in the authorities helping me. One apartment I stayed in was leased to the candidate for sheriff of that small city. Some of the buyers were businessmen, a city councilman, professionals, as well as derelicts who thrived on violence and pain.

He sold me for the first time on my fourteenth birthday. I stood in three inches of slush, my sneakers full of icy water, shivering in front of a local drug store at the end of the street where we lived waiting for Ace to pick me up. The buyer was thrilled to know I was so young, awkward and afraid.

Ace sold me for sex hundreds of times. He then sold me to another man who sold me for sex too. It was a quagmire of abuses, gang rape, attempted suicide, sleeplessness, huddling in doorways and church steps, drugs, drinking, arrests and foster care, and running away again. At seventeen, I was sold to a man as a "house pet." I thought I’d be safer -- at least I would only have to serve him. He dressed me up and took me to nice dinners. I got a job. Finally, I felt kind of stable, kind of normal.

He’d told me that if I got pregnant, I would have to have an abortion. It scared me, but I didn’t feel I had any choice.

After four months, I did get pregnant. As he slammed his fist on the wooden arm of the couch, he shouted, “I want NO life!” It was terrifying -- his voice shot right through me. The man was a small-time organized crime boss. He said that I would have an abortion or he’d kill me, and I knew this was true. One of his enforcers had been my trafficker and beaten and raped me numerous times. I made the appointment in his presence.

That evening, I literally threw my hands in the air as I cried and prayed, “God, if you’re real, please help me!” Somehow, I fell asleep and I had a dream of an abortion in living color from the perspective of inside of the womb. I had no knowledge of abortion at the time, but I now know that it was accurate for the level of development in great detail. Those little hands and feet, that tiny face, the ribs and blood -- it was horrifying! I had wanted to be a mom for as long as I could remember.

When I awoke, I called everyone I could think of, going through old business cards people had once handed me. I reached a social worker who had tried to help me as a runaway. She found a maternity home that would take me. Some friends would take my things to storage. But how would I get away? My captor insisted that we would go out to dinner after the abortion appointment.

So, the day came. I left and made arrangements with the social worker, but I returned and got ready for dinner. I’d been so scared that I was crying and near hysterical all day. With my face swollen, eyes bloodshot, trembling and shallow breaths, I got into the car. I fidgeted -- my breaths uneven. I stuttered, as I told him that I wanted to go live with a cousin who would give me a job.

“Something happened to me on that table,” I said, “I don’t want to be here anymore.” I thought he would understand because he had told me of other girls who he’d forced to have abortions and they were let go. The whole evening, I couldn’t sit still at all because I was so afraid he’d find out. I went to the bathroom frequently and cried through the meal, pretending to be nauseous and in pain. On the way home, he said I could go, but if I came back to town, I would have to find him.

I moved quickly the next day. I promised God that I would bring my children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, if my baby was okay. She was, and I did. People who know me today, cannot fathom that I had lived such a life. I explain to them -- saving my baby saved my life.

Darlene Pawlik is a wife of 24 years and mother of five. She's also an author, a practicing nurse, the Chair of the Educational Trust for New Hampshire Right to Life, an Executive Board Member of Personhood Alliance, the Vice-President of Save The 1, and a pro-life speaker and blogger for Save The 1.

American Sniper Breaks All-Time Record for Limited Release: Best Film in Decades

By Pamela Geller

Longtime readers of Atlas Shrugs know how much I love movies — not the dreck that’s served up today, but the great golden age of Hollywood, when America was a proud force for good. Every Saturday night, I run a movie from that era that reminds my readers who and what we are and could
be.

Tonight I saw a film that all Americans should see. Finally, a modern film that made me proud to be an American: American Sniper. It tells the truth about the war we are in and the savages we are fighting (a word used repeatedly, I might add).

Every film about war about and since Vietnam, with few exceptions, has been a left-wing hate-filled attack on America. Proud, patriotic films about American heroism and goodness have gone the way of all great American institutions, such as individualism, liberty, and capitalism under the decades-long siege by the left.

Clint Eastwood can join the pantheon of great American directors such as Frank Capra and John Ford, proud Americans who loved their country and made films that reflected the culture of the good. We owe Clint Eastwood a huge debt.

Depraved leftists like Max Blumenthal hate the movie without even having seen it. Blumenthal said that Chris Kyle was “just a popular mass murderer.” No surprise — it’s what the left does: hate the good for being the good.

'American Sniper' Breaks Christmas Record in Limited Release
- December 26, 2014 | Dave McNary

“American Sniper” and “Selma” — the last awards contenders to open this year — have launched impressively in their Christmas Day debuts.

Warner Bros.’ “Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, was particularly stellar with $240,212 at four venues — breaking the all-time record for a limited release under 10 screens on Christmas Day.

It played in Dallas, Los Angeles and New York.

Clint Eastwood directed the R-rated “American Sniper” from a script by Jason Hall, based on Chris Kyle’s autobiography about his tour of duty in Iraq and his struggles as a father and husband.

Warner Bros. will expand “American Sniper” into a nationwide release on Jan. 16 — the day after Oscar nominations are announced.

City that Mandates Gun Ownership Bows to Islam – New Mosque to open in Kennesaw, Georgia

by TIM BROWN

Back in 2012, I wrote an article highlighting the effect of the city of Kennesaw, Georgia’s mandate that all homeowners own a gun. In doing so, it was clear the positive impact that mandate had on the community, not only in seeing a tremendous reduction in crime, but led to Kennesaw being declared one of Family Circle’s “10 best towns for families.” That may change in the near future due to the City Council bowing to Islamic supremacism.

City Council officials in Kennesaw, Georgia

City Council officials in Kennesaw, Georgia, voted to approve the opening of a mosque in a local shopping center, despite some opposition from local residents, after supporters threatened to sue the city for violating their religious freedom rights.

The proposal passed by a vote of 5-0, reversing a 4-1 decision against the mosque that was made in early December.

Originally, the council argued that approving the land use permit sought by the Suffa Dawat Center could create serious traffic concerns at the shopping center in question, and that zoning regulations prohibited the construction of religious buildings, Reuters reported.

Traffic concerns? How about jihad concerns?

Kennesaw Mayor Mark Mathews said that the decision to change votes to approve the mosque didn’t come from input from the public or anyone else, but rather was legal advice from the city attorney.

“The city council caved,” said resident Kimberly Reckles.

Carlene Fregeolle of Kennesaw didn’t believe that the concerns of the council changed so quickly about traffic concerns without outside pressure.

“They said they’re expecting about 80 children on Sundays. So, again, no worries about traffic and parking issues? Really? We’re now talking kids and lots of them,” Fregeolle said.

“Everything was done behind the scenes,” Fregeolle added. “If they don’t get their way they sue. Our city council is afraid to stand behind their own zoning laws.”

The Suffa Dawat Center had said they wanted to use the strip mall as a temporary location for their meeting place till they were able to construct a more permanent location.

Ms. Fregeolle, who lives close to the strip mall, said that the Muslims had lied (not shock there) about what she thought of the new mosque.

“They told the council I wouldn’t mind,” she said. “Again, that is false information. … By your flip-flopping you have made the city even more vulnerable.”

According to WSBTV, “A complaint was filed with the U.S. Justice Department. Now, those council members who voted no say they approve, citing just a newly adopted vision statement focused on creating a welcoming environment and a more inclusive city.”

So the mayor would have us believe that no one pressured them into doing what they did, but a complaint was filed with the Obama Justice Department, which has no authority in this matter at all, and voila! The city council changes their tune.

Hamas-CAIR, labeled a terrorist group by the United Arab Emirates, backed the Suffa Dawat Center. There is no question in this author’s mind that Hamas-CAIR is the very organization that helped filed the complaint with their partners in crime at the Obama DOJ.

Yet, Randall Bentley, the city attorney for Kennesaw, said that the DOJ had not threatened the city with a lawsuit.

One would have to read between the lines since the Obama DOJ has made several threats about those who would speak out against Islam on social media may face prosecution and imprisonment. Why would one expect them to change their tune when it comes to an issue like this?

However, City Council member Debra Williams, who previously voted against the mosque and changed her vote a second time around, said that the council had previously denied a night club due to “traffic, noise and parking.” She indicated that those wanting to put the club in were willing to do whatever it took to keep the place as quiet as possible, including installing sound-proof walls. “They should sue our pants off,” she said.

She also makes clear that even if there was not a threat of a lawsuit from the DOJ yet, she knew they were aware of the situation and would more than likely bring one.

In the end, Williams said it all came down to costs of a potential lawsuit, not necessarily what was best for the people of Kennesaw.

What should happen is that if the City Council is concerned about the Obama DOJ threatening a lawsuit, they should publicly state that they will ignore the lawsuit, based on the First and Tenth Amendments, and not put any resources into fighting it. Then they should dare the federal government to come and enforce what they think they have the authority to enforce and let the chips fall where they will. Otherwise, this is simple cowardice on the part of the City Council.

My guess is that the night club that previously asked for the facility is going to file a lawsuit and the costs are going to be there for the city of Kennesaw anyway, only now, Kennesaw has bowed to Islamic supremacism.

To add insult to injury, Khalid Hashmi said, “I think we have achieved success for the whole community including those who oppose us.”

Then Samir Malik added, “The Bible says love thy neighbor. Our religion teaches love your neighbor.”

But, Muslims believe the Bible has been corrupted. See the insult?

Capt. Linc Doberman of the Georgia Security Force said that he believes Islam is much more than a religion, and as a result of that thinking believes it should not be treated as a religion.

“The imams in the mosques are all striving towards the establishment of a caliphate and you can’t have a constitutional republic along with a caliphate,” he told WND. “So you can allow it to continue creeping in, until you feel the deep, red welts of domination.”

In this writer’s opinion, Kennesaw needs to evaluate their mayor and council members in the coming election and anyone running for office in the city should be pressed to be fully in opposition to Islam. A City Council that caves to political pressure from Islamists is not your friend. I know, that’s asking a lot in our politically correct environment, but it is necessary if the people of Kennesaw are serious about stopping the spread of Islam in their community. After all, you have the power to stop Islam in its tracks.

MOTHER THREATENS LAWSUIT OVER BIBLES GIVEN AWAY AT SCHOOL

by bsu

Jessica Greene is threatening a lawsuit against the Bartow County School District after the Gideons distributed free Bibles at her fifth grade son’s elementary school.

Leo Greene with mother, Jessica, looking, reads from the Bible
he received from Gideons at his grade school.
Screen Capture/WXIA-TV, Atlanta.

Leo Greene went with other classmates to get his free Bible after his teacher told the class that visitors in the library were giving away copies. When he got home with his Bible, his mother told him he had to return it.

“I was just shocked that the school system would do that,” Jessica Greene told WXIA-TV in Atlanta. “I tried to contact the superintendent, he has not returned my call.”

Her son’s elementary school did send her a Facebook message in which it stated, “The Gideons are permitted to offer Bibles to students who wish to pick them up. It is strictly voluntary and the library was the location where students could pick one up; our librarian did not hand them out.”

Greene, who says she is Christian, was not satisfied with the explanation and contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The FFRF sent a letter to the superintendent demanding that the school district stop the distribution of Bibles and reprimanded the Cloverleaf Elementary School’s principal and teachers.

However, two U.S. Circuit Courts have ruled that the distribution of religious materials, including Bibles, is constitutionally protected.

Many people (Christians included), misunderstand how the separation of church and state applies to public schools. It does not mean that public schools have to be devoid of all religion. It simply means that a school system cannot promote one religion over another. The Bartow County School District did nothing unconstitutional by allowing the Gideons to distribute Bibles. As long as a school district allows other religious groups to do the same, such as permitting Muslims to distribute free copies of the Quran, then the district is in compliance with the separation of church and state.

Contact the Bartow County School District Superintendent’s Office and encourage the superintendent to continue to allow the Gideons to distribute free Bibles and not take any action against the principal or staff of the Cloverleaf Elementary School.

House Oversight Report Confirms IRS “Bias,” Targeting “Icky” Conservative Groups

By Jay Sekulow

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has released a scathing interim report detailing extreme political “bias” throughout the ranks of the IRS that led to it targeting conservative groups in response to the anti-conservative group rhetoric “being openly and loudly espoused by the President of the United States.”

The report comes at the conclusion of Representative Darrell Issa’s chairmanship and serves as a status report from the Committee as the investigation continues. The report notes a number of areas where it is still not able to reach conclusions due to the IRS’s continued stonewalling and refusal to comply with subpoenas.

Importantly, the Committee details how the IRS began covering up its wrongful actions and misleading Congress in early 2012. As The Daily Caller reports:

The IRS admitted that the front office was “spinning” about the targeting rumors as early as 2012, after IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman denied the tea party targeting to Congress.

“This is what the front office and [IRS Chief of Communications and Liaison] Frank [Keith] are spinning about now,” an IRS legislative affairs office employee wrote in an email to co-workers, referring to a news article on Shulman’s dishonest testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, in which he denied rumors of improper targeting. . . .

Then-IRS commissioner Steven T. Miller almost broke down and told the truth about the tea party targeting at a July 2012 hearing, but Lerner’s sidekick Nikole Flax told him not to.

“I am beginning to wonder whether I should do [Chairman] Boustany[’s hearing] and affirmatively use it to put a stake in politics and c4,” Miller wrote in an email to Flax.

Flax replied, “[I]f the hearing is as generic as I recall, seems like you are too senior. Would be silly to think the c4 issues won’t come up – but I think Sarah [Hall Ingram] could handle it fine as well.”

The report’s conclusion details the unbelievable bias against conservative groups that pervades the IRS and significantly impacted its targeting of conservatives for their political beliefs, beliefs IRS officials openly disparaged:

Conservative organizations were not just singled out because of their political beliefs—they were targeted by IRS officials and employees who expressed a general loathing toward them even while begrudgingly admitting that those organizations were in compliance with the only thing the IRS should care about: the federal tax code. . . . One IRS agent wrote about an organization applying for 501(c)(4) status that donated to other organizations that engaged in political activity, “I’m not sure we can deny them because, technically, I don’t know that I can deny them simply for donating to another 501(c)(4).” Another agent responded, “This sounds like a bad org . . . This org gives me an icky feeling.”

During an interview with Committee staff, one IRS employee explained his view that, “These [Tea Party] organizations mostly concentrate their activities on the limiting government, limiting government role, or reducing government size, or paying less tax. I think it[‘]s different from the other social welfare organizations which are (c)(4).”

A top deputy to Exempt Organizations Director Lois Lerner wrote to colleagues, “We suspect we will have to approve the majority of the [advocacy org] c4 applications.” Recognizing the infusion of a personal moral judgment in a legal matter, a recipient forwarded a quote from that e-mail to another colleague: ‘“We suspect we will have toapprove the majority of the c4 applications.’ That’s an interesting posture.”

Yet, despite the fact that, legally, the IRS “ha[d] to approve” the tax-exempt applications of conservative groups, it did not. Under Lerner’s leadership, the Obama Administration’s IRS embroiled these groups, which were merely attempting to exercise their constitutional free speech rights, in an endless quagmire of delays and unconstitutionally intrusive and abuse demands.

Though Congress’s investigation continues into the ongoing IRS abuse, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has reached a number of disturbing findings:

“The Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative-oriented applicants for tax-exempt status;
“Unlike applications from conservative groups, the small batch of applications from liberal-oriented groups received additional scrutiny for non-political reasons. Of the applications that received additional scrutiny, only seven contained the word “progress” or “progressive,” all of which were subsequently approved by the IRS, while Tea Party groups were subjected to an unprecedented degree of review and years-long delays.
“Senior Internal Revenue Service officials covered up the misconduct and misled Congress about the existence and nature of the targeting;
“The Internal Revenue Service sought to rein in conservative-oriented non-profits as early as 2010;
“The Administration is using the targeting as pretext to support its proposed regulation to limit political speech of conservative non-profits;
“Mismanagement among the senior leadership of the Internal Revenue Service contributed to the targeting;
“The Internal Revenue Service and the Obama Administration knowingly and wrongly blamed line-level employees for the misconduct;
“Employees of the Internal Revenue Service inappropriately used non-official e-mail to conduct official government business;
“The Internal Revenue Service has compromised its traditional position as an independent tax administrator;
“The Obama Administration exhibited a lack of accountability for the IRS misconduct;
“Lois Lerner’s refusal to testify hindered the Committee’s investigation;
“The Internal Revenue Service obstructed the Committee’s investigation; and
“The White House and congressional Democrats obstructed the Committee’s investigation.”

This report continues to lead to more questions than answers. For example, the IRS Chief Counsel, William Wilkins, an Obama appointee, is apparently suffering from a nearly complete memory lapse when it comes to his office’s significant role in the targeting. As the Oversight Committee report notes:

[D]uring his transcribed interview with Committee staff, Wilkins stated “I don’t recall” 80 times in full or partial response to questions. His inability or unwillingness to recollect important aspects of the misconduct – after over five months to prepare and refresh his recollection – suggests a deliberate attempt to obfuscate his role.

The report presents further evidence of what we’ve known for years—that the IRS intentionally and maliciously targeted conservative organizations—going so far as to virtually brainstorm ways to suppress conservative speech—then misled Congress when conservatives felt the effect. There is nothing “phony” about this scandal. Indeed, it represents a grave threat to core American liberties.

This report reaffirms the fact that conservative groups targeted by the IRS deserve justice. The IRS must be held accountable for its actions. Yet, the Obama Administration’s faux investigations, led by the President’s political supporters, cannot possibly provide that accountability.

In addition to the still growing need for an independent investigator, a Special Counsel, the ACLJ continues our ongoing litigation efforts on behalf of 41 targeted conservative and pro-life groups from 22 states.

We will have more information about the next steps in these efforts in the days and weeks ahead.

If you haven’t already done so, join nearly 125,000 concerned Americans and sign our petition demanding and independent prosecutor to end the IRS abuse.

7 NFL Players on Joining Athletes for Charity's 'Holiday Bible Giveaway' to Gift 500 Bibles to Fans

BY CHRISTINE THOMASOS , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

Countless NFL players are focused on helping their teams get to and through the playoffs which is fast approaching, but there were seven Christian athletes in particular who focused on spreading the word of God off of the football field this holiday season.

Alterraun Verner is participating in
an Athletes for Charity initiative.

Athletes for Charity teamed up with seven NFL players to host the "2014 Holiday Bible Giveaway" where premium Tyndale study Bibles were gifted to social media followers of the professional athletes. Don Carey and Andre Fluellen of the Detroit Lions, Ryan Lindley of the Arizona Cardinals, Kawann Short of the Carolina Panthers, Kevin Pamphile and Alterraun Verner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Reggie Walker of the San Diego Chargers all participated in purchasing Bibles that they then gifted to people in unique ways.

Verner, the 26-year-old Buccaneers cornerback, was one of the first NFL players to participate in the initiative when it was created three years ago. The Christian athlete often asks social media followers to share their favorite scriptures before randomly selecting participants to receive a Bible.

Verner told The Christian Post that he hopes using his platform to participate in the initiative can help people learn more about Jesus Christ and bring a smile to someone's face who is receiving the Good News about our Lord and Savior.

"God placed us here for a reason. Use the time you have on this platform to spread His Word," Verner told CP. "Being saved isn't supposed to be exclusive to just us. It's our job to be disciples and spread the Word to others."

While Fluellen agrees that it's important to use his platform, the 29-year-old Lions defensive tackle believes all people have a unique gift that can help them spread the Word of God. He reflected on Matthew 23:12 while explaining that all people are equal in the eyes of God, regardless of their occupation.

"I believe that nobody has a greater or lesser platform in the eyes of God. That man who works at a factory that witnesses to his coworker, or that woman who works at a salon who prays for her customers, is just as important as I am," Fluellen told CP. "God has blessed me with a gift, just as God has blessed everyone with a gift. We are all responsible for using that gift to show God's love to others."

Fluellen got involved with the holiday Bible giveaway after being influenced by his teammate, Carey. Carey, the 27-year-old Lions safety, heads Don Carey International Ministries with his wife, LaKeisha, and began the holiday Bible giveaway after being contacted by Athletes for Charity last year.

The pair uses their ministry page on Facebook to pose trivia questions to people before giving away Bibles.

"This year's holiday Bible giveaway has been a blessing to my wife and I," Carey said in a statement. "We come up with daily questions to post and select the winners to receive a free Bible. It truly warms our hearts to see the enthusiasm and interest that people still have for the Word of God."

He told CP why he believes it's important for him to do his part in spreading the Gospel.

"As a believer in Christ, I believe that we are all given a command by Christ to spread His Gospel according to Matthew 28. I am only trying to fulfill that command," he said.

Lindley, the 25-year-old Cardinals quarterback, has worked with Athletes for Charity on various initiatives before deciding to help give away Bibles this year. He spoke to CP about what he would consider a successful holiday Bible giveaway.

"As long as one soul is touched and changed by what we do this holiday season, I will view this as a success," Lindley told CP.

Cathleen Laporte, the president of Athletes for Charity, founded the organization over 10 years ago. What started as Laporte asking professional athlete family members and friends to help her give back to underprivileged children in the community, grew into years of working with professional athletes on various community service initiatives to help youth.

As a law school student, Laporte's mentor gifted her with a Tyndale study application Bible which she described to CP as "the best gift." Years later, she contacted the publisher to figure out the cost of purchasing the Bibles in bulk and decided to reach out to professional athletes to aid her in the initiative.

In its third year, the holiday Bible giveaway was able to gift people with 500 Bibles in an initiative that came to a close this Christmas.

Laporte explained why it was important for her to create the initiative.

"I view the Bible as a life guide. There isn't a problem that you can encounter that you can't find some refuge or an answer to in the Bible," Laporte explained. "There are so many things going on in the world that if people actually used the Bible as a life guide, we'd see a better world."

After over a decade of working with professional athletes, she told CP why she believes her organization has been successful because most professional athletes recognize their blessings and would like to give back to their communities. For the holiday Bible giveaway Laporte said she was able to get help from athletes to spread the word of God in an effective way.

"We're using our social media as a platform to share the word of God and to gift the greatest gift, a Bible," Laporte asserted. "We're able to spread the word far more quickly than by just physically speaking."

Evangelical Leaders Ponder America's Race Problem: Is the Multiethnic Church the Solution?

BY ALEX MURASHKO , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

Evangelical pastors and leaders agreed during a panel discussion livestreamed on Tuesday from the historic Lorraine Motel and National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis about the need for the church in America to be more centered on the Gospel and not be swayed by the media when it comes to racially charged issues currently confronting the nation. Meanwhile the leader of a multi-ethnic church plant movement watching the conference said that it's long past time for only dialogue about race within the local church, and it's time to see results.

Eleven evangelical Christian leaders, including event organizer
Pastor Bryan Loritts, theologian John Piper, and pastors Matt Chandler,
Darrin Patrick, and Derwin Gray pray before "A Time to Speak"
a panel discussion at the historic Lorraine Motel and
National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Dec. 16, 2014.

"The increased frequency of racially painful, polarizing, dialogue in our society is today forcing the American Church, and more specifically Evangelicals from a much broader base of denominations and networks than ever before, to address their own systemic segregation," said Pastor Mark DeYmaz, who is executive director of the multiethnic church movement Mosaix Global Network and who watched the livestream of the event, to The Christian Post. "And this we must do in order to present a credible witness of God's love for all people in an increasingly diverse and cynical society.

"That said, as I'm sure organizers of this event will agree, many believe it is long past time to speak about race within the local church."

DeYmaz explained, "For as my good friend, Efrem Smith, president of World Impact, recently suggested, we should not be striving for 'Well Discussed' but 'Well Done' when it comes to race, justice, and advancing the kingdom of a God on earth as it is in heaven. Indeed on matters of race it is long past time to get beyond rhetoric to results by establishing healthy multi-ethnic and economically diverse churches for the sake of the Gospel patterned after New Testament churches such as existed at Antioch, in Ephesus, and Rome. Failure to do so will likely render segregated churches irrelevant in the years ahead and/or to be seen as cults in a culture that otherwise values diversity.

"Any credible call to unity and diversity in the local church must be more than a theological construct; it must be evidenced in the churches we, who call for such unity otherwise, lead or attend. It must also extend beyond network and denominational exclusivity to inform our involvement with the greater body of Christ, locally and beyond."

Discussion about the speakers panel, which was called "A Time To Speak" with hashtag #ATimeToSpeak, trended on Twitter for several hours.

During the event's opening, Pastor Bryan Loritts, whose vision it was to have the conference, gave the reason for having the panel discussion.

"Like everybody else, a couple days ago, when I woke up and saw the news that they had refused to indict in the Eric Garner case, my heart sank at the grand jury's decision, but I think I got even a little bit more sad as I watched the same cast of characters assemble together to be on the scene to make pleas for justice," said Loritts. "In the middle of it all I just wondered out loud, where are the conservative evangelical voices."

Loritts was joined by moderator Ed Stetzer, pastors John Piper, Matt Chandler, Darrin Patrick, Derwin Gray, Eric Mason, Thabiti Anyabwile, Voddie Bauchman, Albert Tate, and author Trillia Newbell.

Loritts said the grand juries' decisions to not indict police officers in the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner left many in the nation "angry, saddened and hopeless."

"The fact that such heart-wrenching decisions have taken place some 50 years after the civil rights movement have left the children of those who marched in such places as Birmingham and Selma wondering if justice has not only been delayed, but has she finally and permanently been denied," he added in a conversation with Stetzer.

At the Tuesday event, Loritts said, "While the civil rights movement changed laws, it couldn't change hearts, and that's where God working through his people in the already not yet kingdom of God called the church, that's where we can offer some hope."

Panelist Eric Mason, pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, describing what has transpired in the church since the aftermath of the grand juries' decisions, said, "Our immaturity in the area of the Gospel and race was deeply exposed."

Gray, pastor of Transformation Church in Indian Land, South Carolina, said the church needs to be involved in a multiethnic, multiracial conversation, because Christians are biblically mandated to spread the Gospel to all nations and therefore, all races.

"The church itself has allowed racialized culture to influence us more than the Christ," Gray said during the panel discussion. "What I want to hear is a blood-soaked solution that Christ is our peace, that He broke down dividing walls. That's what I want to get to because I believe there's a resurrected king who is the solution. …My blackness does not define me, my Christ-ness defines me. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop being black, I'm always going to be black, but the beauty of it is that when we bring all of our differences together under the lordship of Christ, that's what the world wants to see. From that we become ambassadors and agents of reconciliation."

Piper, who appeared to be relishing the moment more as a listener, did contribute his thoughts on leadership when it comes to other issues of social significance as well.

"There are cowards in the pulpit who won't touch the subject of abortion with a 10-foot pole, and how much less racism," he said. "So my first plea is, be bold. My second thing, preempt the issues on abortion, racism, and others. Biblically, go there first. Capture the vocabulary, otherwise you'll inherit the Fox News vocabulary, whatever vocabulary, instead of biblical vocabulary."

FIRE CHIEF REFUSES TO TAKE DOWN "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS" CHRISTMAS SIGN DESPITE COMPLAINTS FROM ATHEISTS

Teresa Neumann : Dec 19, 2014 : Benge Nsenduluka – The Christian Post

"9/11 brought a lot of the guys closer to God, and they just wanted to show their faith in Jesus." -Fire Chief Russell Brooks

A Utica, N.Y. Fire Chief is refusing to take down a Christmas-themed sign displayed outside of a firehouse, despite growing complaints from atheists.

The sign, which reads "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS WE LOVE YOU," is displayed outside Firehouse No. 4 in South Utica in the spirit of Christmas, however; atheists are demanding that it be removed, according to CBS.

The firehouse crew has been displaying the sign outside the station around Christmas every year for the past decade, but one particular atheist group wants to put an end to the tradition. They claim the sign is "exclusionary and alienating."

"About 20% of Utica citizens are nonreligious and others follow non-Christian faiths — and that includes Utica firefighters. The Utica Fire Department should not send them this exclusionary and alienating message," Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), said in a statement.

Utica Fire Chief Russell Brooks said that he has been bombarded with letters demanding the removal of the sign but he has no plans to remove it. He said firefighters began putting up the sign after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and that ultimately it allows them to honor their faith.

"9/11 brought a lot of the guys closer to God, and they just wanted to show their faith in Jesus," Brooks told WKTV. "They had no idea a controversy would arise."

FFRF began complaining to Brooks back in April and in a letter sent to Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri on December 10, the group complained that it poses a constitutional violation.

"How would Brooks feel if his local government put up a sign saying, 'Happy Birthday, Mohammed. We love you!'? This sign is equally inappropriate because government bodies should not take sides on religion," Gaylor argued.

Brooks, who has hired the Thomas More Law Center, said that he has been given the all clear to display the sign.

"I was advised by the Thomas Law Center that we were well within our rights to display our Christmas sign," he wrote in a response to the Freedom From Religion Foundation. "In addition, they would support us, as well as any efforts from any organizations looking to prevent us from doing so."

FAMOUS FORMER LESBIAN PUBLISHER AND GAY ACTIVIST SAYS "CHRIST DID A 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 TRANSFORMATION IN ME"

Mark Ellis : Dec 22, 2014 : God Reports

"It is a lie that you can't change. Homosexuals have been changing for years. It was documented by Paul when he wrote, 'Such were some of you. '" -Charlene Cothran, Pastor of Zion Baptist Church, Florida

Charlene Cothran

At a tender age, she became convinced boys only wanted one thing—sex. After she lost her innocence and got turned off by boys' aggressiveness, she gradually moved toward the gay lifestyle. Despite a church upbringing, she turned her back on God and eventually became a prominent gay activist and the publisher of Venus magazine.

"I didn't know how to handle attention from men and boys," recalls Charlene Cothran. "I was tall for my age and fully developed at nine-years-old."

Her parents divorced when she was three and the absence of a father left her hungry for affirmation from the opposite sex. "I wanted a guy to really like me." But when she discovered that most of the boys she met wanted one thing, it turned her off.

"I decided no more of this," Charlene recounts. She says she closed her heart to boys at 14 and fell into a trap in which lesbianism felt like a "safe alternative."

In doing so, she drifted from her upbringing in a traditional Baptist church. "I learned the Scripture; I learned about Christ and the Cross and His redemptive power. I believed it." She had once been a youth leader in her church.

When Charlene went off to college in the '70s she felt like she was "outside the covering" of the Church and she began to explore gay clubs and gay culture in the Atlanta area. "Little by little I gave more and more of myself, my thought processes, and my belief system to the gay lifestyle."

At the same time she embraced lesbianism, she wanted nothing to do with the straight world. "My mother couldn't tell me any different. My friends praying for me couldn't tell me any different. If you weren't gay or bisexual I didn't want to fool with you at all."

After college, Charlene began to produce private social events for black lesbians in Atlanta, which were very successful and drew a large following – including many pillars of the community.

Ten years later, she launched Venus magazine. Aimed at African American gays and lesbians, it gained a multitude of subscribers throughout the world.

At the height of her publishing career, she was hit by the early and unexpected death of her mother due to complications from ankle surgery. Charlene and her live-in partner decided to move closer to her grandmother in Yonkers, New York following her mother's death.

Charlene bought a three-grave plot for her mother, grandmother, and herself. "That was the beginning of God changing my outlook," she recalls. "Every time I would go and put flowers on my mother's grave I was reminded this is where I'm going to be some day. That made me stop and think about things that are eternal. I knew getting buried is not the end."

Charlene Cothran

What will happen on the other side of death? she wondered.

"Gays did not pay attention to eternity," she says. "Nobody wanted to talk about death. They pretended that every gay person who died is in Heaven."

Because of her upbringing in the Church, she knew that couldn't be true. But as she considered the seeds planted in her heart during her formative years, she felt conflicted. "I didn't think I could get out of the lesbian lifestyle. I didn't think I could access the love God created between a man and a woman."

You can't go back to that. You're a lesbian, she thought.

On a Tuesday morning in June, 2006, Charlene placed a call to a prominent female minister in New Jersey.

"Where are you in the Lord?" the woman asked Charlene.

"I've been lesbian my whole adult life and I don't think I could be anything different," Charlene replied.

Then the minister "opened the book of her life" and shared her own rough past, which included incest, drug addiction and prostitution.

The woman told Charlene that feelings of unworthiness were from the devil. "I know you want to come back to Christ, Charlene," the woman affirmed.

Then Charlene felt God speak to her heart: This is your day. Choose today whom you will serve. If you choose Me today, I have a Jeremiah 29:11 plan for your life. If you refuse me today, you can do whatever you want, but at the end of that road is judgment.

"I knew it was my day to make an eternal choice," she says. The tears began to pour down her cheeks. "I felt the Spirit of God on me like never before. I submitted to Him and I knew I was never going back."

Something like scales fell from her eyes and the light of Christ re-emerged. Charlene looked down and was shocked by what she saw. "I literally looked at my hands and my hands looked new. The world looked different that day."

Charlene couldn't wait to tell someone what happened, so that same afternoon she tracked down an older woman who had known her as a girl. Charlene found the woman on her back porch.

"Christ came into my life today," she told the astonished woman, who began to weep with joy.

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