March 4, 2007

“And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman,” (Ruth 3:11).

America has entered into a great depression, a depression worse than the one that began in October 1929. This one is not economic it is ethical; while we may have more economic prosperity than anytime in our history, the morality of America is bankrupt. The truth of this great depression can be seen in the fixation Americans of all walks had with Anna Nicole Smith. A nation became paralyzed while a drama unfolded as to where to bury the rotting corpse of this young woman who never met a man she wouldn’t sleep with. Now that it has been decided by the weeping judge to bury her in the Bahamas, attention is turning to who fathered her daughter. I wonder if she knew!

And why are people fascinated? It is because it has all the elements of this great depression, money, sex, celebrity, a corpse, a baby. (Can a movie starring Reese Witherspoon be far behind?) People are obsessed about a dead woman who began her flight to stardom by taking off her clothes for Playboy. Then there was her “marriage” at age 26 to an 89-year-old billionaire and the fight with his children all the way to the Supreme Court regarding inheritance. Her death received more media coverage than the deaths of former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford combined.

Her life was not a tragedy it was a moral depression. Nowhere in this sordid story do we hear about wrongdoing, filth, degradation; according to the life and death of Anna Nicole Smith there is no right, no wrong and for sure no wages of sin. What lesson is being taught to the girls of America?

Unfortunately there are many Anna Nicole wannabes waiting in the wings. A Newsweek cover story asks: “Girls Gone Wild: What Are Celebs Teaching Kids?” If this headline says anything to us, it is there will be many girls who will throw away their lives on sex, drugs and debauchery just like Anna Nicole. From Britney Spears to those posting on myspace.com there will be many more Anna Nicole’s before it is all over. Today, during this great depression, girls are getting a start by advertising their sexuality on Internet websites, detailing intimate details of those lives to faceless strangers. Thank you Anna Nicole Smith!

I am not so naïve as to think celebrities are just now becoming role models. For better or worse they have for many years. The difference is that today these celebrities flaunt their depravity. Those who watched (and I can’t for the life of me figure out why) the Academy Awards last Sunday night saw Melissa Etheridge kiss her lesbian lover when she was announced the winner for best original song. And, should we even be surprised that Ellen DeGeneres hosted the crude affair? Can anyone old enough to remember them imagine that June Allyson, Doris Day, Annette Funicello or Sandra Dee would ever have done publicly what is being accepted as normal today? These women may have had flawed lives but they did not flaunt them.

Such tawdry homemade celebrity (like Anna Nicole) eliminates the need for moral discipline or talent. Furthermore, if something doesn’t happen to cause us to come out of this moral depression I tremble for my grandchildren.

-- jrb

The IRS and Your Contribution

Several weeks ago we had a brief article about new Internal Revenue rules pertaining to contributions to churches. Some expressed confusion and so this follow-up article is intended to clear up any misunderstanding as well as tell you what the elders are doing to comply.

As you know any contribution made to the church can be claimed when you file your income taxes. This in no way should determine our willingness to give on the first day of the week. Our obligation stems not from tax deductions but from 1 Cor 16:1-2. A weekly collection taken by the local church is mandated by God and no Christian can ignore it and remain in fellowship with God.

The IRS in time past allowed those who claimed contributions as a tax deduction to just report what was given. That is, the IRS took the word of the taxpayer, not anymore. Now the IRS is demanding proof of what was given. That proof must be as follows.

1.If you give a weekly contribution by check of more than $250.00, then you cannot just show your canceled checks as proof. You must have a statement from the church stating that you gave checks of $250.00 or more. The treasurer is keeping a record of those contributions so as to provide proof to the IRS. If you are in this category, just request the record that is being kept. (This record only goes to those who gave the contributions).

2.If you give a weekly contribution by check for less than $250.00, then the IRS allows you can continue to use your canceled checks as proof.

3If you give a weekly contribution of cash and wish to claim those contributions as a tax deduction, then you will have to provide the IRS with written documentation from the church. The only way the church can truthfully provide that documentation is to know what was given. So, if you give by cash and wish to claim an IRS deduction, you MUST either put your cash contribution in an envelope with your name on it, or clip your name on the cash contribution so a record can be made and given to you by the church for tax purposes.
If you give a weekly contribution of cash and do not want to claim it as a tax deduction, then just continue doing what you have been doing; place the cash into the plate without any name attached.

Scenario number 1 – There was going to be a Bible study for young people. You know the routine, girls bring a snack and guys bring a soda. Invitations are handed out after Sunday morning services. It will be held in the house of a new family who live in a doublewide mobile home. They are eager to fit in and make friends, especially for their three children, so they planned the event. It’s a bust! No one comes! All the obligatory excuses are given: “We had plans,” “Homework and all,” “It was not a good time,” “We planned to come but something came up.”

Scenario number 2 – Another Bible study for young people; this time it is being conducted by an extremely well-to-do family. The children are very popular at school and wear all the latest styles. No need to bring a thing, food and drinks will be provided. After a brief Bible study all will retire to the game room and to the home theater for movies. There were nearly seventy-five young people present. “We were going to visit grandparents but we changed our plans so the children could be there.”

Scenario number 3 – A “getaway” for young marrieds is planned by a handful of Christians. A gymnasium is rented for the day and speakers are lined up. The topics are biblical and needed; “Home, Happiness and Heaven,” “Still in Love after Fifty Years,” “Raising Children not to Rebel” and “Surviving Adultery.” The speakers are not very well known, none have written books, or preach for large dynamic congregations and not a single speaker ever spoke on a college lectureship. These “nobodies” did not interest a particular young influential woman, so she set out to dissuade others from attending. Therefore, many who would have benefited from the studies boycotted them because of pressure from the powerful.

Scenario number 4 – A local congregation decides to have a children’s church. It isn’t called a children’s church but that is what it is. During a gospel meeting, all the elementary kids are taken to a large classroom where they have their own speaker and song service. One Christian has a conscience problem with this arrangement but sends her children anyway because it is what her friends are doing and she doesn’t wish to disappoint them. “After all if Mona and Jared think it’s scriptural, then it must on OK.”

AS I SEE IT, the faith, commitment and involvement of some professing believers depends upon who is doing the scheduling; this is wrong. “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality,” (Jas 2:1).

In a Depression