Thursday Evening Blog with Pastor Williams (October)
Posted on October 4th, 2006 by TADCCBLOG
Pastor Williams will be active on this blog site THURSDAY from 8:30 to 9:30pm. Please suggest topics or questions for discussion.
Filed under: Discussion Topics, Live Blog on Thursday
3 Responses to “Thursday Evening Blog with Pastor Williams (October)”
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Interesting information about bankruptcy and tithing. My question is, as a Christian, should you file your tithes and charitable contributions on your taxes? I know it’s a legitimate deduction as far as the goverment is concerned, but in the eyes of God, are’nt we getting our reward when we write off as a deduction? Some people use the tithe and charitable givings to off set earned interest income.
Christ Jesus our Lord said to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21).
Since deductions are not evil or immoral it is right to file on your taxes. By filing your deductions it makes you a better steward of the resources God has given.
Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
The Online Greek Lexicon defines a steward as:
1) the manager of household or of household affairs
1a) esp. a steward, manager, superintendent (whether free-born or as was usually the case, a freed-man or a slave) to whom the head of the house or proprietor has intrusted the management of his affairs, the care of receipts and expenditures, and the duty of dealing out the proper portion to every servant and even to the children not yet of age
Since we have to pay taxes, as Christ Jesus our Lord stated above, we need to be sure that we are being good stewards of our monies which can include claiming deductions given to us.
We get our reward when we give – period. Corporate America understands this concept far better than some Christians do. Most if not all major corporations believe in philanthropy or giving to worthy causes. Not only do they do it because of the tax benefit, but also because of the goodwill it generates in the community and with their customers.
We as Christians receive the same dual benefit when we give. We have pleased God and God causes others to bless us, including the Government.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
HUMAN RIGHTS
We reaffirm our commitment to the full and equal protection of the lives, liberties, rights, and properties of all citizens and residents of North Carolina. All human beings deserve the opportunity to realize their own potential. We support the provisions of the Geneva Convention, and believe any American departure from it undermines our moral standing in the world, thereby threatening our soldiers and citizens abroad.
CIVIL LIBERTIES: We support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association and assembly and the right not to be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. We oppose efforts to limit or eliminate these fundamental constitutional rights. We believe that all persons should have access to our courts.
DISCRIMINATION: We oppose discrimination of any kind – whether in employment, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, veteran status, religious affiliation, spiritual beliefs, health care, education, retirement programs, housing, or any other area. We encourage vigorous enforcement of existing civil rights laws and a periodic re-examination of their adequacy.
NON-DISCRIMINATORY EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES: We support access to employment without discrimination of any kind. We support vigorous enforcement of existing anti-discrimination laws to ensure that all persons have access to good jobs at fair wages and benefits.
NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PLATFORM
1. We believe our nation’s strength lies with the family. The family is where each new generation gains its moral anchor. It is the first school of good citizenship, the engine of economic progress, and a haven of security and understanding in an ever-changing world.
2. Republicans believe that a two-parent family, where a husband and wife live in harmony in one home, provides the ideal environment for raising children and is the best model for family life.
3. We praise the courageous efforts of single parents who work hard to provide stable homes. We recognize that single parents often succeed and that two-parent families sometimes fail.
4. We believe homosexuality is not normal and should not be established as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle either in public education or in public policy. We do not believe public schools should be used to teach children that homosexuality is normal, and we do not believe that taxpayers should fund benefit plans for unmarried partners. We oppose special treatment by law based on nothing other than homosexual behavior or identity. We oppose actions, such as “marriage” or the adoption of children by same-sex couples, which attempt to legitimize and normalize homosexual relationships. We support the Defense of Marriage Act and will support a constitutional amendment to ensure that marriage is limited to the union of one man and one woman. We commend private organizations, such as the Boy Scouts, which defend moral decency and freedom according to their own well-established traditions and beliefs.
5. Many children do not live in loving families, free of abuse and neglect. This must change. Government cannot legislate family love and compassion and should not preempt parental responsibility for children; however, government can protect children from abuse and neglect. We support laws that balance parental rights with the protection of a child’s life, safety and well being. We support efforts to hasten the adoption of foster children into permanent, safe and nurturing homes. We urge strong support for religious and private initiatives that seek to promote healthy, nurturing families and work to restore and rebuild dysfunctional families.
Article IV: Sanctity of Life
1. The North Carolina Republican Party believes strongly in the sanctity of all human life.
2. We believe unborn children have constitutional rights to life and liberty, and we therefore urge the Supreme Court to overturn its decision in Roe vs. Wade. We also support the adoption of a constitutional amendment establishing that human life begins at conception. We stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who oppose efforts to mandate legalized abortion or to fund local, national, or international organizations that provide or promote abortion services. Abortion is never an acceptable method of birth control.
3. We oppose the heinous procedure known as partial-birth abortion. We applaud President Bush and the majority of the Congress who passed into law the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban. We urge the North Carolina General Assembly to pass state legislation prohibiting this procedure. Furthermore, we urge members of the Republican Party of North Carolina to support financially, or with in-kind contributions, only those candidates or nominees who support measures to end partial-birth abortions.
4. We support and strongly encourage positive alternatives to abortion, such as adoption. We believe that biases against intact, caring families should be eliminated from adoption laws and tax codes. Adoption should be encouraged through significant tax credits, insurance reforms and legal reforms.
5. We oppose the erosion of parental rights and responsibilities by agents of the state when it comes to pregnant unmarried minors. Informed consent and parental consent should be prerequisite to any minor receiving family-planning services.
6. We support all developments in biomedical research and technology that enhance and protect human life. But we oppose any new development that does not treat all human life as a precious gift of God, or that does not treat every individual human life as a locus of unique and irreplaceable dignity no matter how weak, immature, or dependent.
7. We oppose all procedures in research and medicine that involve the intentional destruction of innocent human life except to save a mother’s life. We also oppose the cloning of whole human beings, the use of human embryos in research for purposes other than advancing their own health and safety, as well as all forms of active euthanasia.
8. We urge the recruitment and support of candidates who will work hard to protect all innocent human life
Article VII: Education
8. All schools should encourage patriotism and knowledge of the traditional values of Western civilization upon which our republic is based. We oppose using public dollars, to fund liberal attempts at social engineering contrary to the foundations on which our nation rests. We support daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools, and we believe every classroom should display an American flag and a copy of our national motto — “In God We Trust.”
9. Republicans oppose mandatory sex education in public schools and believe sex education should not be included in any public school program without obtaining prior approval from parents or guardians. Where sex education is included, we support teaching abstinence until marriage as required by state law, and as the expected norm for acceptable sexual behavior. National studies have shown that the majority of Americans agree with this approach. The practice of abstinence until marriage is the most effective way to prevent teenage pregnancies, absentee fathers, abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases. It is also the most effective way to create healthy relationships and healthy self-esteem among young people.
10. We oppose the provision of school-based social services, including school-based clinics and mental health programs, which attempt to bypass parental authority and responsibility.
11. Just as discourse on public policy relies on moral principles based on spiritual convictions, so also learning must rely on moral principles supported by our deepest convictions. We believe America must be neutral toward religion itself. But mindful of our country’s Judeo-Christian heritage and rich religious pluralism, we also support the right of students to engage in voluntary prayer in school and the right of others to pray as well at public occasions such as commencement exercises. We also strongly support equal access to school facilities.