Saturday, November 1, 2008

CHPP Daily Brief - October 31, 2008

In This Issue:

The Daily Brief Friday, Oct. 31, 2008

" . . . the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will grow stronger and stronger." (Job 17:9)

PUBLISHING NOTICE FROM CHPP:Please note the following changes in our publishing schedule next week:

Saturday, November 1: SPECIAL ALERT - THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Monday, November 3: SPECIAL EDITION - The Daily Brief
Tuesday, November 4: ELECTION DAY - We will NOT publish an alert Tuesday, but we wish instead to ask all of our partners to take this day to PRAY and to VOTE.

The remainder of the week will follow our regular publishing cycle.

The Daily Brief

1. Intelligence Head Says Next President Faces Volatile Era - Washington Post

The next U.S. president will govern in an era of increasing international instability, including a heightened risk of terrorist attacks in the near future, long-term prospects of regional conflicts and diminished U.S. dominance across the globe, the nation's top intelligence officer said Thursday.- Lord, we know how important this election will be and we pray for discernment and enlightenment before Americans go to vote.- Those who seek my life set traps, and those who want to harm me threaten to destroy me; they plot treachery all day long. (Psalm 38:12)

2. Air Force: Nuke Missile Silo Fire Went Undetected - AP

A fire caused $1 million worth of damage at an unmanned underground nuclear launch site last spring, but the Air Force didn't find out about it until five days later, an Air Force official said Thursday.

- Keep those who are charged with our safety be aware in this time of increasing danger.

- Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for holy war; rouse the warriors; let all the men of war advance and attack! (Joel 3:9)

3. Several Earthquakes Rattle Texas, Oklahoma - CNN

Several minor earthquakes gave some Texas and Oklahoma residents an early Halloween scare, but no damage or injuries were reported.

- We know that You will disturb the earth as the end comes near. Lord, let us recognize the warnings and heed them.

- After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)

4. Libya Pays $1.5 Billion to Settle Terrorism Claims - CNN

Libya has paid $1.5 billion to the families of terrorism victims, overcoming the final obstacle to full relations with the United States, the State Department said Friday.

- Lord, we praise You that the victims of these crimes are being acknowledged. We pray that any favor given to Libya by the US government will be tempered with knowledge of their past actions.

- Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor. (Romans 13:7)

5. Iran Masked Nuke Test as Quake - Israel Insider

This past Saturday night, southern Iran experienced what was reported as a significant earthquake - a seismic event measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was just north of the strategic Straits of Hormuz, which separates Iran from Abu Dhabi and Oman and which is the gateway to the Persian Gulf. The report quotes an Iranian nuclear scientist who claims to be working in uranium enrichment for the project, and who said that the "quake" was actually an undergound nuclear bomb test.

- If there are secret tests being carried out, Lord we pray for wisdom for our leaders and those of Israel so that a proper response will be formed and carried out.

- For nothing is concealed that won't be revealed, and nothing hidden that won't be made known and come to light. (Luke 8:17)

6. Saudis to draw the line at $50/barrel - World Tribune

Saudi Arabia plans to significantly reduce crude oil production to prevent prices from dropping below $50 per barrel.- We praise You for the shifting in the cost of gas and for the relief that this brings to many. We pray that You will not allow prices to be manipulated so that they harm the poor.

- The one who loves money is never satisfied with money, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

7. Indian Bomb Blasts Kill 62, Wound 300 - CNN

A series of blasts ripped nearly simultaneously Thursday through crowded areas of a remote state in India, killing 62 people and wounding 300, an official in Assam state told CNN.

- Lord, we know that Your heart is grieved by the shedding of innocent blood and we pray for peace and justice for the families of the victims.

- Their feet run after evil, and they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths. (Isaiah 59:7)

The Middle East in Focus

The Middle East in Focus This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE: "When LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come [lit: the last generation]: and the people which shall be created shall praise LORD." (Psalm 102:16-18)

1. 'Oldest Hebrew writing found near Jerusalem' - Jerusalem Post

An archeologist digging at a hilltop southwest of Jerusalem believes a ceramic shard found in the ruins of an ancient town bears the oldest Hebrew inscription ever discovered. (Read more)

2. Quartet to discuss Israel-Palestinians peace talks - AP

A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers will arrive in Egypt on Nov. 8 to meet and assess progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

3. Mofaz set to refuse Livni's olive branch - Jerusalem Post

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni offered Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz the chairmanship of Kadima's election campaign on Thursday in an effort to make amends with her vanquished party rival, but Mofaz's associates said he was unlikely to accept the post.

4. Shas source warns against Netanyahu - Jerusalem Post

It would be a mistake for Shas to forge close ties with Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud, a senior Shas source said Wednesday, dousing rumors of a Shas-Likud alliance heading into the election season.

Media Bias in Election Reporting

Media Bias in Election Reporting:"The Fruits of the False Prophets"

I was sitting in a lobby this week waiting for some folks to meet me. And the television was blasting away tuned to CNN. CNN was promoting that it was the network with the most political news. While I was waiting, it occurred to me that CNN was promoting Democratic candidate B. Hussein Obama in almost everything it said and did. Obama this and Obama that and his lead, according to a CNN poll, was insurmountable, and the campaign was warning that voters shouldn't become over confident, and there were pictures of Obama standing out in the rain at a podium campaigning for change as if there was no tomorrow.

I decided I would time a 15 minute segment to see whether the bias was just in my mind. The first six minutes of the segment was about how Obama was taking the lead in the major electoral states. Of course, the background was comprised of these very powerful Obama poses with the the word "change" written across the podium. The pictures of McCain, who was barely mentioned in the segment, show him with an angry frown and a frumpy suit. Then there were about four minutes of commercials-two of which were CNN promos about interviews with Obama. Returning to programming was a story about how actors were working with "Rock the Vote." These guys were at an Obama rally, even though they said they were non-partisan there were Obama signs and supporters.

After the commercials and a different set of CNN promos about election night coverage that featured images of Obama, there was a piece about how Sarah Palin was personally benefiting from being chosen as the McCain Vice Presidential running mate- certainly an upbeat look at the mechanics of personal gain-leaving viewers with a bad feeling about Palin. In a 15 minute segment on CNN, there was not one positive thing said about McCain, and it was all about Obama. My journalism professor at OhioState would have failed the entire network for being biased. But that was another age-one that has gone by. Didn't Jesus say in Matthew 7:16 of the false prophets, "Ye shall know them by their fruits"?

Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com

Hate in the Name of Love

Next to the presidential election, California's Proposition 8 is the most important vote in America. It will determine the definition of marriage for the largest state in America, and it will determine whether judges or society will decide on social-moral issues.

In 2000, 61 percent of the voters in California, one the most liberal states in America, voted to retain the only definition of marriage civilization has ever had - the union of a man and woman (the number of spouses allowed has changed over time but never the sexes of the spouses). But in May 2008, four out of seven California justices decided that they would use their power to make a new definition: Gender will now be irrelevant to marriage.

As a result of this judicial act, the only way to ensure that we continue to define marriage the way every religious and secular society in recorded history has defined marriage - as between men and women - is to amend the California Constitution. It is the only way to prevent the vote of one judge from redefining marriage, as was also done in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Which is why Proposition 8 exists.

But even though California voters decided by a large margin to retain the man-woman definition of marriage, passing Proposition 8 will be a challenge. First, the attorney general of California, Jerry Brown, unilaterally renamed the proposition as it appears on California ballots. It had been listed as "Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Brown, a liberal Democrat, changed the proposition's wording to: "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment." The reason for this change is obvious - to make the proposition appear as a denial of a basic human and civil right. . .

The second hurdle for Proposition 8 is even greater: the multimillion-dollar campaign to label proponents of Proposition 8 "haters" and to label the man-woman definition of marriage as "hate." Or as they put it: "Prop 8 = Prop Hate." . . .But it is the charge of hate (along with bigotry, homophobia and intolerance) that is the primary charge leveled against supporters of Proposition 8. That's why one major anti-Proposition 8 group is "Californians Against Hate."

These charges of "hate" against proponents of retaining the man-woman definition of marriage do not speak well for those who make them. I, for one, find it easy to believe that most opponents and most proponents of Proposition 8 are decent people. There are millions of decent people who think marriage should be redefined. I think they are wrong, but I do not question their decency. Why won't those who favor redefining marriage accord the same respect to the millions of us who still want marriage to remain man-woman?

(Source: CitizenLink. Note: This column first appeared on Townhall.com on Oct. 21, 2008. It is used with permission.)

TAKE ACTION:

If you live in California, please vote "Yes" on Prop. 8. Visit ProtectMarriage.com for more information.

Good News from Atlanta

Circuit Court Says 'Jesus' can be Part of Public Prayers

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has ruled that praying in the name of Jesus or other religious leaders is permitted at government meetings. Taxpayers in Cobb County had complained that their county commission and planning commission opened meetings with prayers assigned among local religious leaders on a rotating basis.

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the court simply sided with the First Amendment. But, he said, the case probably is not over."I would expect them to appeal because they are frightened by any invocation of a deity in the public square," he said.
(Source: Citizen Link)

Children Rescued from Sex Trafficking

Good News: Dozens of Children Rescued from Sex Trafficking

Forty-seven children were rescued from commercial sexual exploitation during Operation Cross Country Two, a three-day national prostitution crackdown.The FBI reported 642 adults were arrested last week in 29 cities. Law-enforcement officials targeted casinos, escort services, Web sites and truck stops.

Lisa Thompson, The Salvation Army's liaison for the abolition of sexual trafficking, said helping women to leave prostitution takes time and love."We kind of expect we should be able to walk up to a woman who's been involved in prostitution and say, 'Oh, we're here to help you. Why don't you come off the street now?' It doesn't work that way."
(Source: Citizen Link)

Protestantism & American Independence

The American Minute:Protestantism & American Independence
American Minute with Bill Federer

October 31

Upon signing the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams stated: "This day, I trust, the reign of political protestantism will commence." The 56 signers were mostly Protestant, with a notable exception being Catholic Charles Carroll of Maryland.

New York University Professor Emeritus Patricia Bonomi, in her article "The Middle Colonies as the Birthplace of American Religious Pluralism" wrote: "The colonists were about 98 percent Protestant."

Protestantism traces its origins to OCTOBER 31, 1517, when Martin Luther posted 95 questions on the door of Wittenberg Church. Summoned to stand trial before 21-year-old Emperor Charles V, Luther was declared an outlaw. Frederick of Saxony hid him in Wartburg castle where he translated the New Testament into German.

Luther later wrote: "I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth."
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