Yearly Archives: 2012

God Is Calling, Is America Listening?

Last Sunday as I was preparing for my Sunday School class on 2 Timothy 3, God put it on my heart to write a devotional series on righteousness. Normally Karen and I attend first service, but Karen was substituting in daycare, so we went to second service. My daughter Tiffany 'Harlan' Schreffler texted me during then (thinking I was already home) telling me I had to hear her pastor's message from that morning.

Karen and I just listened to it. Understand this young pastor is no more than 41 or 42. His name is Dr. Stephen Rummage and he is the senior pastor of Bells Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fl, just east of Tampa. Dr. Rummage is the product of solid seminary teaching that came about after the Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention.

Pastor Rummage's sermon dovetails nicely with what I wrote about this past week. Please share it far and wide.

Listen to sermon

Admitting When I’m Wrong?

I have to agree with my buddy Steve Deace in it is looking more and more likely that Mitt Romney just may become our 45th President in light of Barack Obama's stepping into the burning brown paper bag on the White House porch.

The most amazing part of this is the votes Obama is losing over the gay marriage issue will never be made up by whatever votes he could possibly garner from the LBGT crowd.

The states that I thought Romney would lose are now in play...

...stay tuned.

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 5

Bro Dennis answers our last two questions:

Will God hold me accountable for my votes and will pragmatism be an allowable excuse?

What characteristics should Christians look for in a candidate?

Some will think Bro Dennis answers border on hysteria. I can assure there is no man I know more in control of his emotions and fears than my pastor. Too many Christians are looking through temporal eyes instead of eternal ones. My pastor uses the latter and teaches his flock to do the same.

Here is the last segment:

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 5

Please check back tomorrow because I am going to do a video blog addressing some of the accusations, objections, and questions I've received in response to this series.

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 4

In tonight's segment, Bro Dennis answers the question:

If I do not vote for Mitt Romney, am I by default voting for Obama?

Bro Dennis' answer is what was the most enlightening to me and it dovetails with my friend Tricia Erickson's book, "Can Mitt Romney Serve Two Masters?": The Mormon Church Versus the Office of the Presidency of the United States of America."

Mormonism is a cult; it is by definition a cult. That is easily proved. Bro Dennis and Tricia's great concern is the Mormon Church is working very hard to become a mainstream denomination of Christianity. As a pastor, Bro Dennis must preach and defend the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As a former Mormon Bishop's daughter who was married in a bizarre temple wedding, Tricia - a born again Christian - also is defending the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am well aware that this is a very unpopular and unwelcome subject. I've already heard from some of you on this. Nevertheless, I am obeying the call the Lord has put on my life for a time such as this. I did not choose this and I would prefer to not tackle it, but then I would be in direct disobedience to my Lord. I cannot do that.

You can do with this information what you will. My prayer is that the truth will be heard because Jesus said that we can know the truth and that it would set us free (John 8:32). Here is part 4:

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 4

Please come tomorrow back to hear Part, the end of the interview, for answers to questions 4 and 5...

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 2

The next question I posed to Bro Dennis, do I have more than a choice between the GOP or Democratic presidential nominee. He also answers the second question:

Can a Christian vote for a Mormon?

We talk about our three branches of government, a third party candidate, choosing the lesser of two evils, problems within the Republican Party, Mormonism, and Bro Dennis' last statement will no doubt shock some of you.

Stay tuned for Part 3 to hear his explanation.

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 2

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 1

With Mitt Romney the GOP presidential nominee heir apparent, and with his religion already being questioned, I've received numerous emails and inquiries on what position I will take based on my past public pronouncements. I've received, in general, five specific questions about Mitt Romney, Mormonism, and Presidential Politics:

  1. Can Christians vote for a Mormon?
  2. Should Christians vote for the Republican nominee, no matter who that is, to stop Barack Obama from four more years in the White House?
  3. What characteristics should Christians look for in a candidate?
  4. If I do not vote for Mitt Romney, am I by default voting for Obama?
  5. Will God hold me accountable for my votes and will pragmatism be an allowable excuse?

I posed these questions to my pastor, Dr. Dennis Brunet, Senior Pastor of Midway Baptist Church in Gulf Breeze, FL. In a taped interview conducted over just under an hour on Monday, April 23, 2012. The answers I received both validated what I believe and also Bro Dennis (as he is wont to be called) surprised me with a couple of his answers.

He tackled the questions in a different order than appears above and here is Part 1 of the interview where he answers the question:

Should Christians vote for the Republican nominee, no matter who that is, to stop Barack Obama from four more years in the White House? 

Mitt Romney, Mormonism, & Presidential Politics, Part 1