This week’s radio commentary:

“Christians are heirs of a 2,000-year tradition of proclaiming God’s word, seeking justice in our societies, resisting tyranny, and reaching out with compassion to the poor, oppressed and suffering.”

So begins The Manhattan Declaration, a solemn statement composed by various American Christian leaders in Manhattan in late September of 2009. It is a call to American Christians to acknowledge, publicly proclaim, defend and stand by their deeply-held Christian beliefs and values in three absolutely crucial areas: life, marriage and religious freedom. The Manhattan Declaration is not a doctrinal treatise; it is not an ecumenical statement. It is a declaration regarding critical aspects of our society that groups that call themselves Christians in our country, in spite of very real and significant doctrinal differences, can agree on. While it is not a presentation of the Gospel, it is a declaration of the impact the Gospel has made and should make in any society where it is given free course.

For almost two-thousand years now, God has entrusted the Truth regarding life, culture and human government to a body of believers known as Christians. For almost two-thousand years, the followers of Christ have labored, loved, and lived under that Truth, with, of course, many notorious and sad exceptions.

Read/listen to the rest here…

Read/sign the Manhattan Declaration here…

Today is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection or The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. It’s hardly a time for celebration, though, as the book has had a profound and very adverse impact on Western civilization, Christianity and our culture.

This summer I read the book Darwin’s Plantation: Evolution’s Racist Roots, which expertly outlines the dark roots and devastating consequences of evolutionary thought.  Ken Ham partnered with Dr. Charles Ware to write Darwin’s Plantation, a fascinating but troubling read that will help you:

• Uncover the the origin of the word “race” and the tragic legacy of Darwin’s theory
• Discover the disturbing connection between evolutionary thought and the most ruthless (and bloody) dictators in history
• Join an eye-opening discussion on racism and its roots in the hearts and minds of millions
• Step beyond the legal precedents to find the true solution in the Bible—one that resolves this issue in the hearts of mankind

Here’s a video review of the book by one of its authors.  I highly recommend Darwin’s Origins–it’s a must-read for every American.

This week’s radio commentary:

For many, 2009 has been a very difficult year financially with job cutbacks and losses, reduced investments, and maybe even a home gone. But God is faithful, and we are extremely blessed that financial difficulty in 2009 does not reduce us to the near-starvation the Pilgrims experienced the year they celebrated the very first American Thanksgiving Day.

We are used to prosperity in the United States, thanks to God’s blessing and the Puritan work ethic the Pilgrims and other explorers and colonists instituted the moment they set foot on American soil. A year of economic recession and of unrelenting, radical attacks on our Christian values and beliefs may leave us feeling beleaguered and weary of doing well.

But in the midst of apparent chaos, we can take comfort in this promise from Matthew 6, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing…For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (NKJV)

Read/listen to the rest here…

We have an update on the status of the Milwaukee County resolution to give health care benefits to the same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners of county employees at the estimated cost of $4 million/yr to county taxpayers.  In our last e-update, we mentioned that Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker vetoed the resolution, as promised, and that the County Board was going to consider a veto override.

The County Supervisors met Wednesday night and they did vote to override 21 of Walker’s 34 vetoes in the 2010 budget.  However, we are pleased to report that they did not vote to override Walker’s veto of the domestic partner health benefits resolution. Instead, they used a stalling tactic to send the resolution back to the committee where it originated.  The resolution is not dead but it is at least delayed until the next time the County Supervisors meet, which will likely be in December. We do not yet know the date of that meeting but we will let you know as soon as we find out.

If you live in Milwaukee County, there’s still time for you to call your supervisor at 414-278-4222 and urge him/her to sustain Executive Walker’s veto of the domestic partner benefits resolution.  If you don’t know who your supervisor is, click here to find that information.

Thank you for contacting County Executive Walker’s office in support of his veto and for contacting your Milwaukee County Supervisor! Wisconsin Family Action placed at least 11,000 calls into households in Milwaukee County and four surrounding counties, urging people to call/email County Executive Walker in support of his veto and encourage the County Supervisors to uphold Walker’s veto.  Your actions paid off! For now, at least, the resolution is stalled in committee with the possibility that it may never come out of committee, in which case County Executive Walker’s veto will stand!

Update! Senate Judiciary Committee is holding Butler’s confirmation hearing tomorrow at 10 a.m. Click here to read WFA’s press release on Butler’s nomination.

In the current political climate, I guess it comes as no surprise that Wisconsin voters have once again been ignored and insulted.  But it’s still incredibly frustrating!

In 2000, Judge Louis Butler ran for a seat on the State Supreme Court and was rejected by Wisconsin voters in favor of conservative Justice Diane Sykes.  No worries for Butler, however; four years later when Sykes vacated her seat for an appointment to the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Gov. Jim Doyle appointed Butler to the coveted position on the state’s High Court.

Four years later, after Butler had firmly established his reputation as a liberal justice, during a hotly contested election, Wisconsin voters rejected him again in favor of another conservative, Justice Michael Gableman.  It was the first time in four decades a sitting Wisconsin Supreme Court justice lost a retention election.

So what does a slightly-used State Supreme Court Justice do when he’s been rejected by voters both times he ran in an election?  Get himself nominated to a lifetime federal judgeship in the Western District of Wisconsin, by none other than President Barack Obama.

And of course, Wisconsin’s U.S. Senators (both of whom sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee that held Butler’s nomination hearing), could not be happier with the nomination, since they recommended it.  This blatant disregard for Wisconsin voters might lead some to question Kohl and Feingold’s loyalty to the people they’re supposed to be representing.

In the meantime, Gov. Doyle is getting ready to sign into law a bill that would increase (to a scarily unlimited amount–at the taxpayers’ expense no less!) public financing of State Supreme Court elections.  This despite Wisconsin’s bad history of public financing of elections…

A suggestion for your family as you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving Day next week…

In 1623, after a particularly harsh winter, Plymouth Governor William Bradford wrote that the people had existed daily on only a few kernels of corn.  But by harvest time that year, God had providentially ended a severe drought and sent ships with both people and provisions.

That second Thanksgiving feast was truly a time when our forefathers corporately gave heartfelt thanks to God for His goodness and protection.

By the mid-1820s, those seeking to honor the Pilgrims had established a wonderful tradition of putting a few kernels of corn (many say it is 5 kernels) at each person’s place at the Thanksgiving dinner.  Perhaps some of you do that.  I hope many more will after reading this.

The kernels can be powerful reminders. Let’s “mark” them.

• The first kernel reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who founded and established this country.
• The second kernel reminds us of God’s faithful provision to those early settlers and also to us today.
• The third kernel reminds us of the privilege that it is to live in America, the Shining City on a Hill, where we still enjoy incredible freedom and prosperity.
• The fourth kernel reminds us of family and friends and the laughter, love and support they give us.
• And, last, but far from least, the fifth kernel reminds us of the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ, Who is the Author of Liberty and Who makes life worth living.

Of all people, American Christians should be most grateful.  We have a great and faithful God Who has privileged us to live in a country uniquely founded and marvelously blessed.

This Thanksgiving may we take time as we gather with family and friends to thank God for all that He has given us individually and nationally.  What bounty has come from those few kernels of corn!

In the last 24 hours, we’ve heard from at least 2 reliable sources that the US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying hard to get a confirmation hearing–as early as this coming Tuesday–for one of President Obama’s most liberal judicial nominees.  Obama has nominated David Hamilton for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.   This is the same court on which one of Wisconsin’s finest, Diane Sykes, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, also serves.

Hamilton is a district judge in Indiana who has quite a history of raw judicial activism, including ruling that the Indiana legislature cannot have anyone open that body in a prayer that includes “in Jesus’ name,” but indicated that a prayer in Allah’s name is just fine.  Fortunately, a higher court overturned this insane ruling.  However, that doesn’t change the heart or intent of the judge who made the initial ruling.

One of Townhall’s bloggers has a letter prepared to send to Senators to encourage them to not confirm David Hamilton.  Click here to read the short article and the letter and then send it.  Remember that to send an email to Kohl and Feingold, you have to use their online form.  Here are those links:

Sen. Russ Feingold:  http://feingold.senate.gov/contact_opinion.html

Sen. Herb Kohl:  http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Just copy and paste the text of the letter into the form, choose “Judicial Nominations” as topic and blast your message off to the senators.  We encourage you to take these easy steps to let Kohl and Feingold know not all Wisconsin citizens agree with this ultra-liberal nominee for our branch of the federal appeals court.

Last Thursday, November 5, the 19-member Milwaukee County Board voted 13-6 in favor of a proposal to give health care benefits to the same-sex and opposite-sex domestic partners of county employees. This proposal, if implemented, is yet another attempt to undermine the institution of one-man, one-woman marriage, in spite of being “disguised” as just a “benefit.”  Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has promised to veto the provision which comes with an estimated $4 million price tag at a time when the County needs to cut costs, not implement entirely new ones.

This is not an isolated incident.  What happens in Milwaukee County will likely be in your county soon. When the people of Wisconsin voted to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment in November 2006, same-sex marriage proponents vowed to get their radical agenda in at the local level. Already, Dane County, the City of Madison and the City of Milwaukee have instituted domestic partner benefits and/or registries.

We need to support County Exec Walker’s decision to veto this proposal and uphold fiscal responsibility and the institution of marriage in Milwaukee County.  What happens in Milwaukee County will embolden other counties all around the state.  Please, take a moment to send a message encouraging County Exec. Scott Walker in his decision to veto this expensive and unnecessary provision.  The veto needs to happen by next Wednesday.  Please send your message as soon as possible.

lf you do not live in Milwaukee County, click here to send that message.

If you are a Milwaukee County resident, click here to send a message.