Sorry for taking so long to post this. I have been on vacation with the fam this past week.

But thanks to everyone who showed up at Kells on Thursday. It was wonderful meeting all of you. JP and I brought a camera to take pictures, but in typical Morton fashion, we forgot to take any. …oh well, next time, I promise.

I still have over 200 work emails still to get through, so I can't post much here. But again, let me say I felt honored to meet each of you. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. It was nice to be among friends.

Couv Operator sends in this link to a Steve Duin article discussing Paul's life.

I'll admit that Mr. Duin offers a much more accurate relfection of Paul deParrie. As my brother Jesse asked me the other day, "How do you think Paul is going to feel when he sees all those gays in Heaven with him?" 

Money quote:

In the process, however, deParrie's ability to hinder access to an abortion clinic effectively blocked. He spent the final years of his life haranguing evangelical churches for their apathy on abortion and cuffing Right to Life. ("Protecting the babies is not their goal, protecting their 'movement' is.")

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for him for picketing City Bible Church.

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On a completely unrelated side note: I would love to see you readers that live in Portland at Kells tonight. The first beer is on me. And if you don't drink, then your first Coke is on me. That said, I wonder if sometimes these online communities work best when we don't meet eachother. I guess we'll find out.

Reminder: This Thursday is MEET YOUR LOCAL BLOGGER night. Please come join us for an evening of tithes and offerings and beer.

 We are meeting at  Kells Irish Pub from 6pm-9pm. Everyone is invited…whether you like us or whether you hate us it's going to be a good time. (I haven't been so excited for one event since my last home school talent show.)

I am kind of late getting to this topic, but I suppose better late than never. Quite a few religious groups and conservative media outlets have been claiming that there is a War on Christianity. Other than the poor war metaphor, I think it's a valid question. Is our society unecessarily attacking Christians and their beliefs? Or is  this question just another example of insecurity among Christian fundamentalists?

The Washington Post asked the question recently and received several responses. Here are a few of the best:

Conroe, Texas:

Do I feel there is a war on Christianity? Absolutely NOT. There is a Marketing War among those who's business is Church and profits come from a "Chicken Little mentality" about scaring people into submission.

If there is a War on Christianity it's a war among factions trying to manipulate the public for funds to support special interest groups and divide the nation along religious lines.

All need to read the 'Sermon on the Mount' and use that as a guide to profiteering off of someone's faith.

Leesburg, Virginia:

Laws are being passed which undermine Christian values (approval of same-sex marriage, abortion on demand). Hollywood routinely glorifies sex before (or outside) marriage, children who are disrespectful to parents and foul language, while little positive mention is made of abstinence, obedience or wholesomeness. Tolerance is demanded and granted — unless you are talking about the Christian's freedom to express his beliefs. Rather than a war against Christianity, I see it as resistance to Jesus — another taboo word in our culture. His powerful, personally threatening message produces either repentance and freedom or rebellion

Edinburg, Texas:

I'm a Mexican-American woman from a predominantly Hispanic culture where Catholicism and the Catholic Church have always had enormous influence.

Here in the Southwest, we do not see any attacks on Christianity. What we have seen in the last 10 years is what can only be described as a blatant, almost sacrilegious use of religion by political extremists to advance political agendas. When I hear Tom DeLay claim that attacks against him are attacks against Christianity, I cringe. Mr. DeLay and those of his ilk have successfully exploited peoples fears and exploited the use of Christianity to advance their extreme agendas.

What Americans should fear is not attacks on their religion, but those who in the name of a Christian god would destroy those who they neither understand, nor have respect for.

What do you think?

A friend of City Business Church and the Morton family died recently. Paul de Parrie a fixture in Portland's Pro-Life Community died Saturday afternoon of a heart attack after giving a speech.

Paul de Parrie was a radical preacher who fervently opposed abortion and the homosexual community. He and my father spent several years protesting abortion clinics throughout Portland, Oregon. The two were arrested several times blocking the doorways to clinics as a means of preventing women from aborting their unborn children.

Mr. de Parrie also spent several Sunday Mornings in front of City Bible Church with huge banners challenging the leadership at CBC to run their church in a more righteous manner.

Politically, I would have to say that I disagree with Mr. de Parrie one-hundred percent. He spent most of his life condemning the homosexual community, along with several other lifestyle sins. However, he was a passionate man, who stood for something and sacrified for that belief. And that is something I can respect.

Also, he was always very nice to my family and once commented that he really liked our blog. He will be missed.

Here are the details for Mr. de Parrie's Viewing and Memorial Service:

Viewing

Date: Monday, May 22nd, 11:00 am to 2:00 noon.

Location: Aftercare Cremation and Burial Service
4764 SE Milwaukie Ave.
Portland, OR 97202

Memorial Service

Date: Tuesday, May 23rd 6:30pm

Location: Trinity Fellowship
2700 SE 67th Ave.
Portland, OR 97206
(Two block south of 67th and Division)

Evidently, this blog is where internet surfers go to ask questions about City Bible Church. 

New reader DonMich asks:

Wow,

Not having been to PBC or now CBC since the late 1980s, it would seem that much has gone awry.  We are looking at Bible Colleges for my daughter and are considering PBC.

Is there anyone out there who can give a balanced discussion on this school and church?

Thanks

Having run this blog for over a year, I don't think this is the place to get a balanced anything. But some of our readers are more intelligent that I, so once again I throw this out to you.

I apologize for not posting this earlier. I have had an insane week at work and haven't been keeping up with the news. Thankfully, several readers forwarded me Pat Robertson's prediction that God is going to send mighty storms to America's Coast and possibly a Tsunami to the Pacific Northwest. (I guess God hasn't made up his mind yet about the Tsunami).

Here is Pat's prediction:

"If I heard the Lord right about 2006, the coasts of America will be lashed by storms," Robertson said May 8. On Wednesday, he added, "There well may be something as bad as a tsunami in the Pacific Northwest."

I think I speak for most Pacific Coast residents, when I ask Robertson to clarify this with the Lord. Because this is pretty big news, and I'd kind of like Pat Robertson to make sure he has heard the Lord right.

Trust me I understand, perhaps the Lord is speaking to Pat on an bad cellphone, or maybe he doesn't get reception up in Heaven. I don't know. But if Pat could just call God back on a landline, and make sure he heard everything correctly that would be great. 

And I'm just thinking out loud here, but if Pat could maybe get a specific date and time for this Tsumani, that would be really helpful as well. So I would know when to head straight to Kansas.

Honestly though, this is the biggest bunch of BS I've ever heard. Why do people listen to Pat Robertson?

Update:

I'm really out of it. I see that Fezzik has already posted this link in the comment section. So here are some other great thoughts from our readers:

Fezzik: What strikes me about that article is last week I watched a History Channel special discussing tsunamis with focus on the topic of a tsunami hitting the Pacific Northwest, how they've struck every 250-300 years, how we're due for one soon, and the projected aftermath.  Does Pat get his insights from God or Cable TV?

John444: You know, if God really wanted to get our attention, why use storms and tsunamis, when striking people with hemorrhoids is so much more effective … that's what He did to the Philistines when they stole the Ark and they couldn't return the Ark fast enough … Ya can run from storms and tsunamis, but ya can't run from hemorrhoids.

pdxrn: I do NOT heart Pat Robertson

Here's what Anna had to say about last weeks sermon at CBC: 

I went to CBC yesterday, first time in months (not counting the conference). Yes, they still use the KFC-style buckets.

Like John444, I found it totally surreal - and that was my church for years and years. The worship was good quality, but worship is a personal thing and God will always meet you wherever / whenever you worship Him.

However, the sermon was the biggest boatload of New Age drivel I've heard in a looooooong time. For a church with a "Bible College," you'd think the congregation would be more scripturally discerning.

PF is starting a new series on "Imagine" (yes, with a cute little graphic of clouds and sunshine). He started off with the story of Solomon when God said He would give Solomon whatever he asked for. And then it launched from there into you can have whatever you can imagine. Your vision is too small… ask big. Be like Bill Gates, be like Walt Disney… you, too can have your dream, and even get God to give it to you.

Never mind what it cost God to give us His favor. Never mind what it costs us to walk in it. This was just more of the "Peace and Safety" lullabye that has put everybody to sleep, fat and happy with their tummies full of warm milk.

It's not like I can go to PF and say, "What are you doing????" I went to the people I had a relationship with, and got nowhere. It was Frank's way or the highway, as said before, only they said it so nicely.

So I asked one of my friends, "How can you sit through this? Doesn't it make you want to scream?" The answer…. "Well, no church is perfect. We just keep praying. We are with Celebrate Recovery, and we help people."

And what they don't say is that most people derive their spiritual self-esteem from the church; it's where they get their accolades. Because of the all-inclusive nature of the beast, it's where all they spend all their $$$, their time, and where their friends are, etc. To leave is a huge personal upheaval. So it's easier to stay.

Ok. Off the soapbox. I wish it were funny. I wish I make a silly comment about the whole thing. But there's nothing funny about a car-wreck.

.

 James 4:2

…You do not have, because you do not ask God.

Ahhh, I love this scripture. How often have we heard this. It's good to get a reminder every now and again that we need to have faith and ask God for the things we want.

I wonder if the rest of the book of James is as interesting. I think I'll read on…

Wait a minute. What's this in verse 3? No, it can't be…

3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Is this really saying that we can't just ask for anything we want? Our motives have to be right as well? This is ridiculous.

I'm cutting that verse out of my Bible.