Maine's "Divisive Institution"

Note:  Following is the October 16, 2010 Bangor Daily News editorial about the ministry I worked for, and led, up until last year.  After the editorial I've published a letter to the editor penned by a staff member at the Illinois Family Institute and submitted to the Bangor Daily News.

The Christian Civic League of Maine has been one of the more divisive institutions in state policy debates over the last 20 years. The league - which has re-branded itself the Maine Family Policy Council - has seen its role as drawing the line between right and wrong, between moral and immoral, between traditional and permissive. Drawing that line, by definition, divides people. And people on opposite sides of a line are more inclined to shout at each other than they are if gathered around a table.

The organization has done more than change its name. Its new executive director, Carroll Conley, who succeeded the controversial Michael Heath, wants the league to be less focused on attaching scarlet letters to some and more interested in sustaining Christians as they engage with civic life. That's a laudable goal, though not without its pitfalls.

There is an inherent conflict for faith-based groups that want to influence public policy. They believe the world would be a better place if more people lived the way Christians are called to live. That's a persuasive argument. But at the same time, the New Testament does not record instances of the early Christian church seeking to impose its precepts on the secular world.The league could be a beacon for those seeking a better way to live, both publicly and privately. It also could define its mission more in terms of what it favors, rather than what it opposes.

Ordination: Called to Continue

Left to Right:  Wilson Hickam, Mike Heath, Garrett Lear, Dallas Henry

On July 30 God ordained me to the ministry.  Many people, including folks in the press, think I've been ordained for years.  While I was once licensed to preach many years ago, I have never been ordained.  In July that changed.

In a private ceremony, with my wife as witness, my ordination was acknowledged by three men who have known me, and my family, for decades.

Rev. Wilson Hickam baptized Paulie when she was a child, and he officiated at our wedding.  Rev. Dallas Henry was President of the Board of the Christian Civic League of Maine for the entire time I served that ministry.  Rev. Garrett Lear officiated at the ordination ceremony.  He is New England's Patriot Pastor, and a good friend.

While not ordained God nevertheless called me to speak to the public about Christianity and good citizenship while I was leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine.  I was honored to serve that ministry as leader from January 1994 until September of 2009.

Now, God has called me to speak about good citizenship and Christianity as an ordained man.  I feel no release from the call to confront the evils associated with sexual sin in our time.  In fact, it is more important now than at any time in my ministry to speak precisely about the horrific nature of sexual sin.

When I stepped into this particular political boxing ring nearly three decades ago our enemies were telling us that all they wanted was the "right" to pursue their sexual promiscuity as adults.  They shouted, "It's not about children."  And they vigorously attacked anyone that stepped up to defend the innocence of children.

Today, it is all about children as we stand on the threshold of redefining the family to include sodomy as a legitimate means of consummation.

Preachers who sit idly by granting this matter the exalted status of debate are shirking their duty.  Abortion and sodomy are not matters for debate.  This is war.

All Christian men are in this fight to win.  There is no other option.  Generations unborn hang in the balance.  We will not lose this fight.  We cannot.

Does this mean that I'm going to get out my 9mm Glock and go shoot an abortion doctor this week?  No, all such acts of violence, carried out as they are on the basis of private authority, are reprehensible.  No one has the authority to harm another, because such an act undermines the stability of society.  The same is true of abortion.

It does, however, mean that I'm going to rank these matters as more important in priority than taxes and the economy.  We can deal with those lesser matters when we restore honor, virtue and truth to families and relationships.

When we turn to Jesus Christ the economy will begin its recovery.  We will also learn to truly love one another, and our enemies.  With Jesus Christ, and submission to His heavenly Father's ten commandments, this is possible.  Without Them it will never happen.

If God calls you to join these men in the acknowledgment of my ordination from God there are some actions you can take to start me on this narrow path.  Here they are:

1. Pray for Paulie and me.
2. Make a financial donation.  Go here to make a donation.
3. Help us spread the word by forwarding this email to others, and by encouraging them to invite us to speak/sing to their church or group.

My ministry is called Helping Hands. Hands can be helpful in so many ways.  The grip of a pistol is shaped to fit the same human hand that tenderly cups the cheek of an innocent infant.  Manly honor and virtue are better expressed in the heroism of a Marine than in the willingness of a lukewarm Pastor to compromise the Word of God.  As Christian men we must be prepared to defend virtue and innocence.

Honor and truth require it.

Never forget that the freedom to know God in this world is under attack as never before.  If we surrender to the athiests our promise to be One Nation Under God (Jesus Christ) then we submit ourselves to His judgment.  We should not be surprised when our nation collapses.  We will have earned it.

Serve the Lord with fear

and rejoice with trembling

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry

and you be destroyed in your way,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2

My son, Sean, and my brand new daughter-in-law,
 Kimberly, in front of their muddy "Heep"

The Psalmist observes that children are God's best gift and that the fruit of the womb is his generous legacy.  The writer of Psalm 127 also says that God enjoys giving rest to those he loves.

This weekend has been a great blessing to me in that regard.  On Friday I met with my mentor of the past eight years, the retired Reverend Bob Becker.  Bob is part of an official mentoring program for Christian leaders that is overseen by Reverend Bob Frederich.  Rev. Becker and I have been meeting occasionally for prayer and a meal over the past eight years.  Friday he came to my house for a hamburger.

Just before he arrived my son came roaring into the driveway in what we affectionately call the "Heep."  It was looking more heepy than ever.  He took a friend fishing at a pond way back in the woods of Vassalboro.  The trip to the pond required some mudding.

Who is Walking Away from the Battle?

The destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah

Our splendid Maine summer is here at last, and people want to think about camping, boating, and fishing instead of worry about politics. That is fine. Not everyone is called to fight the forces of immorality which have engulfed our state.

Earlier this week, someone made the laughable comment that I "walked away from the battle" when I left the Christian Civic League.  I wish someone had told me that earlier!  I was wondering why I was so bogged down with work and worries about our nation's future.  

The  gentleman's comments were included in a webpage thread to an online newspaper article in which he is quoted.  He claimed in his remarks that I was "competitive" and that I created a rift with the Roman Catholic Church.

I've already addressed the charge that I created a rift with the Catholic Church here. Someone ought to call my Catholic friends to ask for comment.  The claim that I was competitive is too silly for anyone to worry about.

But let me address the laughable claim that I "walked away from the battle." That way we will know what the battle is, and we will know just who walked away from it.

The League: A Look Back

It was my honor to work for the Christian Civic League of Maine for more than two decades.  I was there when the ministry began creeping towards compromise on the evil of abortion.  I, in fact, helped create the “strategy."

I later learned that compromise is not a strategy.  It is cowardice.  God doesn’t compromise, and politics doesn’t have to be about “cutting the deal” or finding a middle way.  Politics is ennobled by truth, courage, beauty and the power of good ideas.

I was also there when the League decided not to rest on its laurels as the homosexual movement bulldozed the state’s morals.  We decided as a matter of political strategy to go on the offense with the “gay” movement.  We reasoned that they would achieve their goals faster with spineless, compromising, deal-making, politicians than with Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad and the Average Joe.

Kagan a Lesbian? Why it Matters

I sought, and received from Matt, permission to publish this sassy column a week or so ago. I wish that time had permitted me sharing it with you sooner. Lots going on.  I serve on the Americans for Truth Board of Directors with Matt.  Even though we haven't met (yet) I consider him a good friend.  He was fired from his job at a prominent national insurance company a few years ago simply for expressing his conviction that homosexuality is morally wrong.  He is now a rising star in the world's conservative movement, and deservedly so.  He writes well.  He is often published on www.wnd.com.  Check him out.  Way to go Matt!  Great column!! -- Mike Heath

I don't see how liberal media-types can write, what with those uncalloused, milky-soft little digits all bundled in bulky kid gloves and all. Oh, when the target of their "reporting" is a conservative politico, or even Tea Party Joe, off come the gloves. But when it's one of their own – when circumstances require that a fellow liberal undergo a modicum of journalistic scrutiny – its simpatico most sublime. Out with the inquiry; in with the Huggies and tushie powder.

Media, here's your question: "Solicitor Kagan, do you identify as a lesbian?" Ms. Kagan, your answer is simpler still: "Yes" or "no."

Pipe down, lefties. Yes, it is relevant. Most liberals would disagree, but despite "progressive" protestations to the contrary, character does, in fact, matter. A majority of Americans still consider sexual morality – or a lack thereof – a pertinent factor in contemplating one's fitness for any public service – chiefly, perhaps, a lifetime appointment to our most supreme earthly court.

Every major world religion, thousands of years of history and uncompromising human biology have established that homosexual conduct is among other volitional behaviors rightly filed under "sexual immorality." Indeed, the majority of folks around the world – billions, actually – count this a timeless truth.

But the controversial nature of homosexuality is but one point of concern. Another involves potential conflicts of interest, "real or perceived." If we had a judicial nominee – widely believed a compulsive gambler – tapped to preside over gambling cases, would it not matter? If we had a nominee credibly rumored to use medical marijuana who might someday rule on the legality of medical marijuana, wouldn't such information be germane?

And before you liberals throw out that favorite red herring: "By this logic, Clarence Thomas shouldn't rule on cases involving race or sexuality because he's a black heterosexual male" – remember: skin color is a neutral, immutable characteristic. Being black is what someone is.

On the other hand, being "gay" is what someone does. It involves feelings and changeable behaviors. Homosexual conduct is more akin to the aforementioned gambling or pot smoking behaviors than it is to skin color (and for those in the lifestyle, especially men, sodomy most definitely involves rolling the dice). To compare "black" or "heterosexual" to "gay" is to compare apples to oranges. Understandably, many African Americans find this disingenuous comparison tremendously offensive.

Moreover, "heterosexual" is the state of sexual normalcy. It's our God-given design. There remains no credible or replicated scientific evidence to the contrary. Homosexual conduct is but one of many sexually deviant behaviors. Even Darwin's theory of evolution, which imagines "survival of the fittest," would seem to bolster this self-evident truth. You can choose political correctness. I choose moral and biological correctness.

Still, Kagan's "sexual orientation" remains the pink elephant in the room: Can a sitting justice, potentially engaged in the homosexual lifestyle, be trusted to rule on cases that might well grant special preferred government status to some – including that very justice – while, at the same time, eliminating certain free-speech and religious-liberties rights enjoyed by others? (i.e., hate-crimes laws; the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act; constitutionality of "don't ask don't tell," etc.)

In April, CBS News published an online column identifying Kagan – should she be confirmed – as the "first openly gay justice." The White House pounced, demanded CBS remove the article and called the assertion "false charges." CBS dutifully complied, tail twixt legs, whimpered away and curled-up behind the rest of Obama's slobbering media lapdogs.

Whereas every liberal hack on the planet tripped over one another to demand Mark Foley, Larry Craig, Ted Haggard and, most recently, George Rekers divulge the most intimate details of their own bizarre (allegedly) sexual appetites, with Kagan, they've suddenly lost interest.

Although the mainstream media refuse to do their job, some in the homosexual-activist press are stepping-up to fill the vacuum.

Homosexual blogger Andrew Sullivan, for instance, writing in The Atlantic, opined: "In a free society in the 21st century, it is not illegitimate to ask [whether Kagan is gay]. And it's cowardly not to tell."

But Kagan ain't tellin', and the media ain't askin'. Of course, even if they were inclined to ask, they'd have a difficult time doing so. The White House has Kagan wrapped-up tighter than Barney Frank in a bustier.

The question is important for context. The answer, for instance, might explain why Kagan drop-kicked our brave men and women of the armed services in the solar plexus, during a time of war, by banning military recruiters from Harvard while dean of the law school. She did so in protest of the military's "don't ask don't tell" policy, calling it "a profound wrong" and "a moral injustice of the first order."

As it turned out, Kagan's actions were illegal, and the very Supreme Court upon which she hopes to serve slapped her down with its 8-0 decision upholding the Solomon Amendment, which would have allowed the Department of Defense to withhold federal funding to Harvard if it failed to reverse its discriminatory policy.

Ed Whelan, head of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., said of Kagan's activism: "At a time of war, in the face of the grand civilizational challenge that radical Islam poses, Kagan treated military recruiters worse than she treated the high-powered law firms that were donating their expensive legal services to anti-American terrorists."

Newt Gingrich took his criticism a step further. While addressing the controversy, he bluntly said of Kagan's nomination: "That is an act so unbecoming of an American that she should be disqualified from the very beginning."

I agree.

Indeed, whether or not Elena Kagan self-identifies as a lesbian, she has proven herself a radical anti-military, pro-homosexual ideologue and activist. There's little doubt that she would take this activism with her to the high court.

So, Ms. Solicitor General, if in fact you are "totally not gay," as some of your friends and your president claim, then it's my hope that a few Republican U.S. senators might take the time to introduce you to a nice fellow by the name of Phil A. Buster. Believe me, it's a match made in heaven.

Matt Barber is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. He is author of the book “The Right Hook – From the Ring to the Culture War” and serves as Director of Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel. Send comments to Matt at jmattbarber@comcast.net. (This information is provided for identification purposes only.)

A Time to Plant: Faith verses Strategy

Al Lowberg is a friend and client of mine.  While he is campaigning as an independent he describes himself, at the end of this article, as a republican.  I'll let you contact him directly to learn his reasoning on that point.  Al is a bold Christian who deserves a hearing.  I enjoyed this article. -- Mike Heath

This is spring time and many will be sowing their gardens, and we all know we can not expect the harvest for several months. We also know we can not predict what kind of harvest we will receive. Last year was a poor harvest but that will not stop any of those who planted last year to try again this year.

From the winter we had, and the spring we are having, I am optimistic we are going to have a better harvest this year. However, from the many comments I am reading I am not so optimistic in the political arena, because we need God’s blessing, but we are not giving Him anything to bless; that is, we are still looking to sow by strategy and not by faith.

The Bible says in Hebrews “through faith [they] subdued kingdoms.”  In both the old and new Testaments we are taught the “just shall live by faith”, it does not say acknowledge faith as a Bible doctrine and then live as we please. And what is faith but our voluntary cooperation with what we know to be God’s will. And what is His will in the election process but to vote our conscience and not strategy.

When we vote, let’s say the strategy of the “lesser of two evils”, by our own admission we are still voting for evil. The prophet Hosea said “They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind. The stalk has not bud; It shall never produce meal. If it should produce, Aliens would swallow it up; Israel is swallowed up...”  Whenever we vote strategy over conscience we are sowing the wind, and we shall be swallowed up. When we vote strategy we place our trust in our own wisdom and not in God, but in order to sow something that God will bless we must sow in faith.

Many of you are angry, and full of threatening. But James said in the Bible, “ye fight and war, yet you have not because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lust.”  If many of you would pause for a moment and reflect, you could not deny you are entering into this election season without one particle of faith in All-Mighty God. And yet you will be the first to expect a different result—this is not faith, this is insanity. (Deuteronomy 28:15+28-29)

My beloved friends—I would like to call you friends—it is not too late to sow in faith our political aspirations, but if we sow the same old “lesser of two evils” strategy we shall reap the same old harvest. In Ecclesiastes it say “To every thing there is a season…a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” Now is the time to plant your political aspirations by faith.

Won’t you give up this faithless, “lesser of two evils” strategy and sow with me a crop of faith in this political season. The only way we shall regain our country is by faith. We may yet lose another election, but by placing the matter in God’s hands some good will come from it. Our seeds of faith will be in good ground, and if we continue to water it by faith we shall have a political harvest of abundance very soon.

In Proverbs we read “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Many are growing strong in their own strength, but fainted long ago in the only battle that counts. That battle is the battle of faith, and you do not have to be part of any organized religion to exercise faith in this election. (Hebrews 11:31) This chapter also says that by faith the weak were made strong, became valiant in battle, and turned to flight [rout] the armies of the “aliens.”

The illegal aliens from Mexico are far less dangerous to this Republic than what I call “illegal aliens” in the White House, the Halls of Congress, the Courts, and in State legislatures across this land. These illegal aliens are elected or appointed leaders who have denied the Constitutional rule of Law; and this has caused “we the people” to be swallowed up by them. Our Constitution is the only constitution in the World that recognizes Religious Freedom. We as a people have relinquished that freedom; it is time to exercise that freedom again.

The only way these ‘illegal aliens” can be driven out of the halls of government is by faith. It is time to subdue “by faith” the kingdom of America for righteousness. Trust God and Vote Conscience Not Strategy!

Alan Lowberg is Maine’s only Republican candidate for Congress District 1 www.standforfreedom.info