Vice President Palin? Now, That is REAL Change!

Conservatives and mainstream Republicans, one and all, received a pleasant surprise when Presidential hopeful John McCain announced his running mate this morning. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is going to keep the hopes of a woman in the White House alive for voters in 2008. As for conservatives, worried about the auspices of an ultra-liberal like Barak Obama becoming our next President....

“They’re beyond ecstatic,” said Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition. “This is a home run. She is a reformer governor who is solidly pro-life and a person of deep Christian faith. And she is really one of the bright shining new stars in the Republican firmament.”

The forty-four year old Palin is known to conservatives for choosing not to have an abortion after learning that she was carrying a child with Down syndrome. “It is almost impossible to exaggerate how important that is to the conservative faith community,” Mr. Reed said.

Ms. Palin, a former mayor of the small town of Wasilla, an Anchorage suburb, mother of five and one-time beauty pageant queen, first rose to prominence as a whistle-blower uncovering ethical misconduct in state government.

As she was introduced by Senator McCain this morning, Ms. Palin praised the achievement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who lost a long and bitter primary race against Senator Obama, saying that she had left “18 million cracks” in the highest glass ceiling in the land. Then, making an explicit appeal to Ms. Clinton’s disappointed supporters, she said, “It turns out that the women in America aren’t finished yet, and we can shatter that glass ceiling.”

Personally, I'm glad to know that a true, pro-life Christian woman is going to be part of the Presidential election process. Her influence will be needed as our next President is sure to select at least two Supreme Court justices -- a decision that will positively or adversely affect every person in this nation. Vice President Palin? Now, that is REAL change!

TOPIC: Charles Barkley? Really?!? What Does He Know Anyway?
Article from ChristiansUnite.com
Day Gardner, President, National Black Pro-Life Union, submits the following:
It is interesting that there is so much noise about Charles Barkley's remarks about abortion and Barack Obama. Barkley made the comments last Friday in an interview with CNN's The Situation Room news show and also referred to pro-life advocates as "hypocritical." He also stated that the word "conservative" makes him sick to his stomach. Really, Mr. Barkley? Conservative, conservative, conservative! (Just kidding).

Mr. Barkley was once a very talented basketball player, but this does not qualify him as a great thinker [or even an intelligent person]. If he were, he would understand that abortion is not a Republican or Democratic issue; it's a simple matter of life and death. (Has he ever seen what an aborted child looks like?) The good news is that there ARE many pro-life Democrats! There are Democrats of strong moral fiber who will not bow to the beast. There are Democrats who stand fierce in support of saving the lives of unborn children even at the risk of loosing the support by their political party. Unfortunately, Barack Obama is not one of them!

When Wolf Blitzer asked Barkley to explain his callous anti-Christian remarks, Barkley condemned Christians for wanting to be "judge and jury." But that's just it, Mr. Barkley -- women who become pregnant are judging their own innocent child by making the determination that the child growing inside is somehow not worthy of life and therefore, sentenced to a horrific, violent death by abortion. There are two victims in abortion -- one dead, the other injured. Women need not kill their children due to fear or pressure from boyfriends, husbands or parents. Young girls and women need to realize that it is not necessary to kill their children to have productive lives. Both mother and child are precious in God's eyes!

The word of God says pre-born children are people from the moment of conception, PSALM 139:13-16. The Bible also says if anyone harms a pregnant woman so that her baby dies--that person should be punished "an eye for an eye", EXODUS 21:22-25. So, who is Charles Barkley? He's just a former basketball player, no more -- no less.

TOPIC: A Christian Statesman Has Gone Home
Rev. D. James Kennedy, Broadcaster, Dies at 76

Article by NEELA BANERJEE

[For some reason, Ms. Banerjee has a problem calling Dr. Kennedy by his proper title. Yet, she entitles Barry Lynn "reverend" as though it means something. ???]

The Rev. D. James Kennedy, a Christian broadcaster and the pastor of a Florida megachurch who played a critical role in the rise of conservative Christianity, died yesterday at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 76. The cause was not immediately known, said Kristin Cole, a church spokeswoman, but Mr. Kennedy suffered permanent damage from heart arrhythmia last December and had been undergoing rehabilitative therapy since then.

From the founding of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale 48 years ago, Mr. Kennedy became an indefatigable and persuasive voice urging Christians to take on a broader culture that, in his view, had begun to decay.

He argued that the decline was due to society’s increasing secularization and hostility to Christianity, said Frank Wright, a friend and the chief executive of the National Religious Broadcasters Association. Though not as well known to the broader public as the late Rev. Jerry Falwell or the Rev. Pat Robertson, Mr. Kennedy provided much of the theology that attracted millions of Christians into the camp of the religious right, said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “He was absolutely relentless in his criticism of everything on the left,” Mr. Lynn said. “He was a formidable creator of an opposition to what people like I believe.”

Mr. Kennedy stayed largely in the background as men like Mr. Falwell, Mr. Robertson and James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family spoke to Americans about the need to curtail abortion rights, gay rights and the teaching of evolution. But over the last decade, he, too, grew more openly active, creating the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, which held conferences that taught people to how to get involved in the political process. The center closed in April.

Mr. Kennedy opened the Center for Christian Statesmanship in Washington to equip evangelicals on Capitol Hill to be more effective in government. He was also instrumental in establishing the Alliance Defense Fund, an increasingly active Christian counterweight to secular civil liberties groups.

“For decades, Dr. Kennedy has been a passionate defender of biblical truth in a culture that increasingly forgot it,” Dr. Dobson said in a statement. “He was a giant in the battle to restore traditional values in our nation.”

Kennedy accepted Jesus after the message of a radio preacher woke him one Sunday morning. In Mr. Kennedy’s often-repeated account, which appears on his Web site, the preacher asked: “Suppose you were to die today and stand before God, and he were to ask you, ‘What right do you have to enter into my heaven?’— what would you say?”

In 1967, he started an “evangelism clinic” called Evangelism Explosion, which taught Christians how to spread the Gospel. Mr. Kennedy’s Coral Ridge Ministries, which includes radio and television, says it now has an audience of 3.5 million people, according to the group’s Web site. “Coral Ridge Hour,” a weekly sermon by Mr. Kennedy, is broadcast in more than 145 countries and on more than 600 stations.

Mr. Kennedy also founded a seminary and a school and wrote more than 65 books. Mr. Kennedy worked with other evangelicals to articulate the core beliefs of what would become the religious right. Mr. Kennedy spoke sharply against gay rights and abortion rights. But he thought the greatest threat to society was the fact that public education had left prayer out of the classroom and continued to teach evolution, Mr. Wright said. “When people feel that they are the product of some accident and not the intended creation of God, they are filled with a sense of hopelessness and there is an almost pagan barbarianism in the way some people would act,” Mr. Wright said.

TOPIC: Jerry Falwell Has Passed On To Eternal Life

By staff at christiansunite.com

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, a noted televangelist, founder of Liberty University and frequent political commentator, died yesterday at the age of 73. His efforts to mold conservative Christianity into a political force altered the American political landscape and were a decisive factor in the ascendancy of Evangelicals as a formidable voting block. Often one of the first to be quoted by the mainstream media on controversial social issues, Falwell was frequently a nexus of controversy in the engagement between religion and politics in America.

IRD UM Action Director Mark Tooley commented:

"Rev. Falwell helped bring millions of previously politically unengaged evangelicals into the forefront of American public life. He challenged religious people to apply their faith in the political sphere. In the late 1970's and through the 1980's, he was instrumental in the creation of what became known as the "Reagan Coalition," of which evangelicals were a key component.
As the founding pastor of a congregation that now numbers over 24,000 members, Rev. Falwell also foreshadowed the mega-church movement in America, which now involves millions of American Christians. Rev. Falwell was central in bringing and keeping issues involving family structure and sexual ethics in public debates, when many others, even among conservatives, would have preferred to ignore them.
During the course of Rev. Falwell's career, evangelicals went from the sideline of American religious and political life to the mainstream, where they are now America's largest religious and political demographic.For all of his polarizing statements and controversies, Falwell undeniably initiated a season of growing Evangelical influence in American politics. He will be remembered in history as a decisive figure in our nation's political and religious life in the second half of the 20th century."

The Institute on Religion and Democracy, founded in 1981, is an ecumenical alliance of U.S. Christians working to reform their churches' social witness, in accord with biblical and historic Christian teachings, thereby contributing to the renewal of democratic society at home and abroad.

TOPIC: Are Conservatives and Christians Capable of Being Funny?
Some folks may think not. Those of us who are conservative and/or Christians know that we can be humorous -- and remain within the confines of good taste. We don't need the antics of Ricky Bobby, Napolean Dynamite or any of the other mindless drivel that invades our senses in the name of being funny.
Without tooting the clown horn too loudly, here's a list of some interesting comics and cartoons -- created and illustrated by conservative Christian artists:
After Eden (Dan Lietha)
Church Mice (Karl Zorowski)
The Back Pew (Jeff Larsen) - MY Favorite!
ReverendFun (Richard Germain)
ToonFever (Tim Walburg)
Faith Kartoons (not extremely funny, but good if you know your Bible)
EZG Toons (Erin Gillespie)

As stated previously, The Sope-Bocks will feature these artists and their toons over the next few weeks -- in an effort to create a "wider dimension" for the blog. In fact, cartoons have been added to some older posts.

BTW, I personally know and can vouch for Karl Zorowski, creator of "Church Mice". He's a great guy, with an awesome family -- and a heart for God.

Visit Church Mice

TOPIC: The Sope-Bocks Takes a Turn
Over the past three years The Sope-Bocks has been online, it has pretty much been a blog about "whatever" -- whatever I was thinking about... whatever I read in the news... whatever was the topic of the day on the Internet... whatever.
During the past few months, I've been praying about direction in my life -- purpose. I've asked God for direction in all areas of my life. To me, at least, it seems that more than one area of life has a definite direction (though those matters are not discussed in my blog). One part of my life that can be discussed is the direction of The Sope-Bocks. As I look over the articles and posts that have caught my eye or raised by eyebrows, I find that The Sope-Bocks has taken a turn towards topics on Christianity and how believers see the world -- along with how the world sees us.
I make no bones about it. My postings are based on my own beliefs. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong -- and don't mind being corrected. Just remember that my faith in God and the Bible are unshakable. And just for the record, I'm happy to offer a blog with a decidedly conservative Christian slant. Lord knows there are very few of us with the 'nads to stand the heat from liberals, atheists and all of the other worldly forces that attack us for our points of view.
If you're a conservative Christian, and you read The Sope-Bocks regularly, I thank you. If you're a left-winger who happened upon The Sope-Bocks and want to choke me for my posts, I thank you. IOW, I welcome you -- no matter who you are or what POV you represent.
My sole goal is to make you THINK and consider the ideas presented herein -- whether your conclusions are in agreement or in vehement opposition. One thing I ask is that you don't label me beyond what I have labeled myself. Offer me and my "soapbox" the same courtesy I offer anyone else. The truth in love, is my motto -- Speak the truth in love (even when that means being firm). No compromises. No apologies. THANKS for being a part of The Sope-Bocks.

QOTD: I teach conservatives that their principles are fundamentally Christian, and I teach Christians that when they live out their faith, they're fundamentally conservative... If the world is going to be saved from secular communism, European socialism, and the Islamo-fascist threat, it's going to be America that leads the way. -- Frank Pastore

TOPIC: Who REALLY Cares? Conservatives or Liberals; Christians or Atheists?

by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

The Religious Right really does put its money where its mouth is—at least more so than its secular rivals, according to a recent study from Syracuse University professor Arthur Brooks. Published in late November, 2006 the controversial findings in Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism have grabbed the attention of political commentators.
"If you asked me, I would have expected to find that religious conservatives are stingy," said Brooks, a committed Catholic and political independent. "That's what academics think. That's what we are told all the time." What he found instead was the Religious Right gives more in "every measurable way," from writing checks to volunteering time to donating blood.
Brooks attributes the difference to four factors— church attendance, two-parent families, Protestant work ethic, and distaste for government social services. But he said church attendance is by far the most telling. "Religious liberals and religious conservatives give at the same rate," he said. "What you find is more religious conservatives than religious liberals." Ninety-one percent of regular church attendees give to charity each year, compared with 66 percent of those who said they do not have a religion. The gap adds up— the faithful give four times more money per year than their secular counterparts. While most of that money is given to churches, religious people also give more to secular charities, such as the Red Cross or their alma mater.
Religious people also donate twice as much blood and are more likely to "behave in compassionate ways towards strangers," Brooks said. For example, they are much more likely to return extra change to a cashier when they are accidentally given too much. Generous giving is part of the religious conservative identity, according to sociologist Tony Campolo. "The Religious Right, by conviction, is convinced that helping the poor is something that should be done individually or by the church," said Campolo. "[They say that] asking the state to do it is wrong." But religious conservatives might not want to pat themselves on the back quite yet. Christian research organization Empty Tomb Inc. said evangelicals gave away 6.7 percent of their income in 1968. By 2004, that figure had dropped to 4.4 percent, but growing attendance and rising incomes have kept many churches from feeling the pinch. At the same time, more money is staying within the church to pay for things like music and technology. Evangelical churches, on average, devote only about 2 percent of their budgets to missions.

The Sope-Bocks: While this is NOT bragging, it is an indictment of those who preach tolerance and liberalism. It is also an indictment of those who spew hateful speech about the "evils" of religion, especially targeting Christians. The fact is -- they are TALKING, while believers are DOING.
Don't believe me? When was the last time you saw Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, NOW or the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) working in a disaster area? When was the last time one of these organizations held a blood drive or food drive? When was the last time a feminist group worked in a homeless shelter or gathered garments for the local clothes closet? When have you ever seen PETA sponsor a fund-raiser that aided the poor?
The fact is -- those organizations are bent towards hate speech, accusatory rhetoric, anger and, worst of all, self-righteous pride. They don't really HELP anyone. And frankly, they NEVER will. It is NOT part of their make-up, their thought processes or their beliefs.

Isn't it time people starting THINKING -- and realizing -- that these groups are NOT helpful, but hurtful, hateful and destructive to true peace and cooperation among humans?!?

TOPIC: Liberal Bias in the Media -- PROVEN
I'm not a big John Gibson fan, but his latest My Word notes something The Sope-Bocks has been saying since Day One (post regarding this bias are here, this one and one other). Here is the transcript from Gibson's MyWord:

"I have long thought the mainstream media is decidedly left wing. Now there's proof. The Center for Media and Public Affairs did an accounting of the network newscasts from September 5 thru October 22 and found an overwhelming liberal bias. On the "Big Three" network newscasts, the audit showed a clear jihad against the Republican Party. Only 12 percent of election stories that aired on NBC, ABC, or CBS could be regarded as remotely "favorable" to Republicans.
In contrast, as The Washington Times put it this morning, "Democrats basked in glory." The study showed that 77 percent of news accounts in the six-week period offered favorable evaluations of Democratic candidates and lawmakers. Robert Lichter, director of the CMPA, said: "The numbers are pretty striking. The coverage has become a referendum on Republican leadership."The killer stat from this study: Midterm elections in 2002 warranted only 35 stories from the "Big Three." Midterms in 2006 got 167 stories, and 77 percent were pro-Democrat.
Now, we've known for many years that reporters, editors and news executives are overwhelmingly liberal or Democrat. There really isn't much point debating that anymore. But what's changed here — this time around — is the willingness to come out of the closet. Instead of just tilting left in the story while pretending to be objective, the mask is now off.
The mainstream media, typified by the "Big Three," is rooting for the Democrats to win, and slant coverage to make it happen. They want to make sure the conservative argument is shouted down, buried and made entirely disreputable. They do it with coverage: story selection, interview selection, sound bite selection and snarky scripts, and lead the viewers to their network conclusions that were set in stone at the 9:00 a.m. meeting.
These are people who think so little of their own vaunted tradition of objectivity that they are willing to throw it all away just to see their favorites win an election. And why is that? It all comes down to Bush. It all comes down to the huge number of elites in this country who think it is their duty to bring the Bush era to an end, to bury it, and marginalize anyone who says Bush was really right all along.
Stand by. More of this is coming, especially if the Democrats win and they get subpoena power. This is what they have been living for.
That's My Word." -- John Gibson

What EVERYONE needs to key on from the transcript is this: "The mainstream media, typified by the "Big Three," is rooting for the Democrats to win, and slant coverage to make it happen. They want to make sure the conservative argument is shouted down, buried and made entirely disreputable." Bernard Goldberg was an award winning reporter for CBS -- and has written a book about the left leaning bias of the mainstream media. It's a very good read for anyone questioning the validity of bias claims.
This morning, Jennifer Harper, of The Washington Times, penned an article regarding the same study. Here are a couple of good quotes:

• CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric (aka Katie Communist), for example, said yesterday that 2006 would prove a "wave election, where public dissatisfaction changes the political environment" and "incumbents are washed away."

• On NBC, Brian Williams led a report from Ohio with the phrase, "Could this red state end up going blue?"

• ABC News' Jake Tapper also showcased Ohio voters, saying they showed "an extra layer of disillusion with the Republican Party."

Like negative campaign ads, negative news reports may have a destructive rebound effect on a fickle viewing public. "For the past week, the mainstream media has run story after story about the nastiness of this year's campaign ads -- perhaps as a way to distract our attention from their own dirty tricks," observed Stephen Spruiell of National Review Online yesterday.
"Viewers can get sick of negative TV coverage. They consistently rate the news coverage as one of the worst parts of a campaign, specifically citing negative content," Robert Lichter (Director of the CMPA) said.

TOPIC: My New Newz Blog...
The Sope-Bocks was created as a means of posting relevant information, along with the ramblings of a "kooky conservative" that lead the reader to THINK for themselves. Of late, The Sope-Bocks has become more of a news blog. The truth is -- I keep finding excellent news items that I want to post. Since I try to keep The Sope-Bocks limited to no more than two posts per day, I seldom find any room for personal views, editorial ramblings or responses to your comments.
Therefore, The Sope-Bocks now has a sister blog. It's title is simple, as is the message:
Previews, Newz and Reviews. The subtitle or description aptly represents the purpose for PNR: "Current News, Technology, Previews, Politics, World Views, Photography -- It's all on NewzReviews!" I sincerely hope you enjoy both The Sope-Bocks and Previews, Newz and Reviews. They are here to entertain, enlighten and provoke THOUGHT (and action).