http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter recent pleonast.com entries by user coulter en-us http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=604570 I'm thankful for Dudley Berthold. He has had a bigger impact on me than he or those around him realize. He is a great saint that resides in the Louisville KY area & is in serious need of our prayers. Dudley has helped me more than he or any of his family realize. He has four great kids & a wonderful wife. They have a love for all the saints. He has wonderful in-laws who have been impacted deeply by the live he has tried to live in Christ. He works hard, he is the epitome of the Protestant work ethic. But he doesn't work too hard. He brings others into his work, whether it is his own sons, or another young man in the faith who needs to learn a trade & in the process learn the faith. He doesn't have to be asked to fix things around the meeting place, he would take note & show up after or before a long work day & quietly complete his task repairing, painting, or cleaning what needed to be done where the saints gathered. He worked hard, but not too hard, & he wo... 2008-11-30 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=601254 Underneath the religious controversy of Reverend Wright, president-elect Obama made an effort to gain ground in the ‘faith’ vote. That effort worked. In a recent posting from the Pew Forum.org, exit poll stats show an increase in ‘Democratic’ voting from ‘people of faith.’ While the election still showed a huge gap between the ‘faithful’ who voted for Obama & those who voted for McCain, Obama did better with every ‘faith’ group than John Kerry or Al Gore. Here are some of the surprising results: Religiously Unaffiliated : 61% Gore; 67% Kerry; 75% Obama Evangelicals: Kerry 40%; Obama 45% He actually made gains in every area EXCEPT 'white protestant non-evangelicals', in which there was 'no change.' Catholics: Obama 54%; McCain 45% (Let’s look closer at that last one: An 8 point jump from Kerry, a Catholic, who lost to Bush by over 13 points among Catholics!) And now a S.C. Catholic priest is banning communion to his parishioners who voted for Obama! ... 2008-11-20 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=595815 It is unwise to try & decipher ALL the data on controversial president-elect Obama. I will state very limited facts that I MIGHT elaborate on later if I have time to do more honest research. Obama: United Church of Christ -Controversial pastor of ca. 20 years, Jeremiah Wright. Biden: Roman Catholic -Leans heavily on Mass attendance for alone time & quiet time w/ God. (His 1st stop after being picked by Obama.) For the record: (& I might address these later as well) McCain: Raised Episcopalian, now attends Southern Baptist. Palin: Church of God, now attends 'Evangelical' -I'm not sure when the 'Church of God' phase in her life began. -Controversial statement echoing 'Christian Zionist.' 2008-11-05 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=594558 To conclude the series, I will post a summary of John McCollister's ‘Epilogue’ in: God & the Oval Office. Is the old saying true? Vox populi vox Dei—‘The voice of the people is the voice of God.’ The masses cheered when Joan of Arc was executed. The masses saluted Adolf Hitler in his quest for world dominance. The masses rejected Jesus when he was hung on a cross. A genuine leader is not one who finds out what’s popular, then jumps to the front & yells, ‘Follow me.’ A leader understand what is right often must try to turn the masses in the right direction. The question then remains, ‘How are these presidents certain they know what is right?’ Is it simple enough, that they prayed? Do we think God is working through America as a ‘city on a hill?’ To drape the American flag over the cross of Calvary; however, is a mistake. This would imply that every action taken by the US is an extension of the will of God. In fact, it was this sort of crusade men... 2008-11-03 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=593308 Well I am surprised there was not more debate about Reagan believing in modern day prophecy, prophecy that HE was destined for the White House. Maybe Bush Jr.'s comments along the same line will get the debate rolling. This is not the end of the series. The book has an interesting 'Epilogue' & a few other things I might toss in before the big day. Thanks for reading, feel free to add comments on things I might have missed or questions. (41) George Herbert Walker Bush: (Oil businessman, Episcopalian) -Each morning at the breakfast table one of his parents, Episcopalians, would read a bible lesson to all of their kids. -Bush & his wife became closer to God after the loss of their three year old daughter to leukemia. -Bush at one time taught a youth bible class where they attended. -Unlike Reagan, Bush regularly attended public worship while in office. -Bush spoke the evangelical language of being ‘born-again’ & taking strong stances on their fundamental moral issues.... 2008-10-30 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=591834 In this issue of the series we come to a neat contrast. Our most well known Democrat & Republican ‘Christian President.’ Each of these men were very open & active in their faith in different ways. Different denominations, different decisions, different political parties, one Savior & Lord, Jesus Christ. My main source is our previous one, but this time around I also leaned heavily on the 1st book to lead me into this study, a spiritual biography of Reagan. Carter’s book on Faith is interesting as well. I’d be glad to read other information others want to contribute. (39) James Earl Carter: (Farmer/Naval Officer, Baptist) -Rosalynn Carter said, “For Jimmy Carter, the church is an important part of his life. My husband would be lost w/o it.” -His secret service nick-name was ‘Deacon.’ He was known to be deeply connected to his Southern Baptist faith. -Bob Hope joked, “Washington, D.C. is now the only city in the world where someone can call ‘Dial-a-pray... 2008-10-26 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=590693 As the days tick away to Nov. 4th I thought it good to restate facts about the faith of America’s Presidents. My main source is ‘God & the Oval Office’ by John C. McCollister. I’d be glad to read other information others want to contribute as we continue down the list. (36) Lyndon Baines Johnson: (Teacher/Politician, Disciples of Christ) -‘No man could live in the house where I live & work at the desk where I work, w/o needing & seeking the support of earnest & frequent prayer. Prayer has helped me bear the burdens of the first office, which are too great to be borne by anyone alone.’ -His mother was a Baptist, & he married ‘Lady Bird,’ a strong Episcopalian. The President was a member of the Disciples of Christ from his youth. -Johnson holds the distinction of attending the most churches, Protestant & Catholic, of any president. At his inauguration service at the National City Christian Church, a Catholic priest, a Protestant minister, & ... 2008-10-23 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=589235 This is neat. Watch how the anti-Catholic sentiment in America shifts from #31 Hoover (Late 1920s) to #35 JFK (Early (1960s). Weirdest of all, Truman's Denomination giving him orders to be anti-catholic. (Protestants had always argued a Catholic should not take office due to the Pope issuing him orders!) We are continuing our series on facts about the faith of America’s Presidents. My main source is ‘God & the Oval Office’ by John C. McCollister. I’d be glad to read other information others want to contribute as we continue down the list. (31) Herbert Clark Hoover: (Engineer, Society of Friends [Quaker]) -“I come from Quaker stock. My ancestors were persecuted for their beliefs. Here they sought & found religious freedom. By blood & conviction I stand for religious tolerance both in act & in spirit. The glory of American ideals is the right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.” -His wife explained his calm reaction... 2008-10-19 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=588352 (Heading out of town & behind in work. So sorry I can't interact more with some of the recent feedback. Keep it coming, I appreciate it. I'll look into it more later.) As the days tick away to Nov. 4th I thought it good to restate facts about the faith of America’s Presidents. My main source is ‘God & the Oval Office’ by John C. McCollister. I’d be glad to read other information others want to contribute as we continue down the list. (27) William Howard Taft: (Lawyer, Unitarian) -‘I am a Unitarian. I believe in God. I do not believe in the divinity of Christ, & there are other of the postulates of the orthodox creed to which I cannot subscribe.’ -He refused the offer to be president of Yale, his alma mater, b/c his convictions differed with the orthodox ‘Congregationalist’ school. -He also didn’t want to be president of the county. After his presidency he became chief justice on the Supreme Court & commented he was happy with his life & didn... 2008-10-16 http://www.pleonast.com/user/coulter?l=5&entryID=587668 As the days tick away to Nov. 4th I thought it good to restate facts about the faith of America’s Presidents. My main source is ‘God & the Oval Office’ by John C. McCollister. I’d be glad to read other information others want to contribute as we continue down the list. (25) William McKinley: (Lawyer, Methodist) -‘My belief, embraces the Divinity of Christ & a recognition of Christianity as the mightiest factor in the world’s civilization.’ -Joined the Methodist church at 10 years old. -At one point served as the superintendent of Sunday school for 1st Methodist Episcopal Church in his hometown. -After he had declared war on Spain & signed a peace treaty that gave the Philippines to the US he was frustrated with their revolting to their rule. He commented, ‘There was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, & educate the Filipinos, & uplift & civilize & Christianize them.’ -Displayed unwavering loyalty to his wife who was tormen... 2008-10-15