More Episcopalian Rifts

From WorldNetDaily:

The Episcopal Church is on the verge of a mass exodus if it doesn't repent of its approval of homosexual relationships, warn the leaders of three diocese that signaled their intent this week to leave the 2 million-member denomination.

The dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy, Ill., have stated if they don't receive assurances by Sept. 30 that the House of Bishops will not reject the consecration of bishops living in a same-sex relationship and same-sex blessings, they are prepared to cut themselves off from the Episcopal Church in the USA.

The Episcopal Church is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which, led by bishops in Africa and Asia, largely has maintained traditional doctrines.

This speaks very well of the leadership of these three dioceses. Given the apostate behavior of the Episcopal denomination in general, it would be easy to get the impression that the whole denomination had gone down the tubes. But this illustrates that while there may be some in leadership positions of the denomination, far from all Episcopalians no longer care what their Bible says.

Pastor Fired for Praying in Jesus' Name

From WorldNetDaily, a pastor in Florida is fired for praying in Jesus' name:

Harvey told WND as a Christian chaplain, he routinely supported other faiths, such as Islam, expressed by patients by getting them access to someone who could help them directly with their needs.

"There are some things I can't do as an evangelical pastor. For example, I can't offer certain things of the Catholic faith, including confession. I would get a Catholic priest," he said.

He said the issue first arose several years ago when he was asked to pray over the opening of a new hospital unit. He was told he would not be allowed to include "in Jesus' name."

He objected, and was ordered to take a diversity course, which he did.

Then at a staff meeting in August, he closed with a prayer in the name of Jesus, he said.

"That's what sparked this issue. I have written documentation. I was pulled into the office on Friday and told 'Under no circumstances will you pray in this name again,'" he said. "I said, 'I can't abide by your wishes.' She also told me I should tell my volunteer chaplains they shouldn't pray in Jesus name either. About four or five days later, I was relieved of my duties."

I know a pastor here in South Dakota who was fired from chaplain duties at a hospital for similar reasons, essentially for being "too Christian."

Christians are instructed by their master, Jesus, to pray in his name:

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Chaplains have to facilitate access to the beliefs of other religions in their multi-faith work environments, and most of them understand that and have no problems with it. But the secularist institutions they work for have sometimes strayed so far from the Christian roots of this country that they don't understand that it's unreasonable to ask a Christian minister not to be faithful to his own beliefs.

What a sad day, when a chaplain--someone specifically hired for their religious affiliation--is fired for being faithful to their religious affiliation. This, in a country that once recognized that all rights came from our Creator, and that the free exercise of religion should not be abridged. A country made up of 50 states, all of whom acknowledge God in their state constitutions.

Hardees Tones Down Commercial

From AOL Money:

The fast food chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's have pushed the bounds of good taste before with TV ads featuring Paris Hilton, Hugh Hefner and a woman riding a mechanical bull while chomping a burger.

But their most recent ads featuring a teacher who dances on her desk and touches her backside while rappers in the classroom talk about her "flat buns" has apparently gone too far.

CKE Restaurants Inc., the chains' parent company, will edit the character from the ad after receiving loud complaints from educators.

The myth is that it will do no good to say something, it'll do no good to complain. This disproves the myth.

It's a pity that decent people don't use their voice more often to condemn societal rot. Perhaps they forget that we got a lot of this societal rot because it's proponents used their voice to complain and advocate the rot. It works both ways, but conservatives and Christians are usually too docile to exercise their options.

NYC Pays Parents to Parent

From the New York Daily News, New York City is paying parents to send their children to school and ensure they pass tests:

Families can get up to $5,000 a year in payouts. An annual medical checkup gets each family member $200. The families get up to $500 if a child attends high school 95% of the time and an additional $600 for each Regents exam teens pass.

Once, in the forgotten mists of time, mothers and fathers used to do this without being bribed; they did it for the eccentric reason that they cared for their children, and wanted the best for them.

It used to be known by the quaint term "parenting."

Cabela's Vote Next Week

The vote on the land giveaway to Cabela's is coming up next Tuesday, and today I got another mailer from Cabela's--this one a folded 4-page flier.

The main problem I had with the Cabela's deal was destroying a multi-million dollar Visitor Information Center (VIC) that is less than 10 years old, and shoving it inside Cabela's in less than half the space.

But now that's off the table; the VIC is staying where it's at.

Then there's the question of the giveaway of 30 acres of city property to Cabela's and the TIF itself.

While I still suspect that TIFs are being issued on flimsy grounds, I believe Rapid City most likely makes it's money back--it just takes a while.

Excepting the VIC, for me the question of the Cabela's deal comes down to this: would they have come without the TIF and the land giveaway? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know this with any certainty, but my fear is that the city essentially did what you don't do when buying a house: make your best offer first.

However, at this point, the horse is already out of the barn, and that offer has already been made. Now, the question becomes, if we take the land giveaway off the table, will they still come?

It has been said that this question is a gamble, a gamble many aren't willing to take. As for me, I'm not either. I think the city should have and maybe could have made a better deal, but what's done is done. The city is now in a much weaker position when it comes to negotiating.

I could hope that all the hubub over this might send a signal to city hall to shoot for a better deal in the future. Whether they'd get that signal could also be debated; if the land deal passes, they might see that as a tacit endorsement of what they did and become emboldened to continue or surpass deals like this.

In any event, I hope the land deal passes, for the reasons I've mentioned above. I think Cabela's will be good for the area, regardless of whether the sales tax amounts reach projections. Calling out the city on a questionable deal is a good thing; gambling that the deal will still go through if a substantial part of it is rescinded is, I think, too risky.