Chuck Colson Breakiing Point

Sermon Text for June 5, 2016
Presented on The Lutheran Hour on June 5, 2016
By Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, Lutheran Hour Speaker
(What is the Gospel? It's the good news of God's forgiving love for us, in 
Jesus Christ.)
Copyright 2016 Lutheran Hour Ministries
Listen to The Lutheran Hour podcast online
Text: Galatians 1:11-24

"I, Paul, want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached 
is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught
it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have 
heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the 
church
of God and tried to destroy it....(But Now)....the report: "The man who 
formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia.

Be very careful when someone says to you, "Have I got good news for you!" 
Why, because chances are that it is good news for them and not for you at 
all.

Let me explain. I want to tell you a story about a guy named Bernard. 
Bernard started his own business in 1960. He helped people invest their nest 
egg,
and he became very, very good at it. He had real good news for people; at 
least that's what most people thought. And Bernard assured them that this 
was
the gospel truth, "something you can count on and be sure of!"

But this gospel, his gospel, this good news, began to crumble in 2008. 
Finally, Bernard admitted that his investing was a scam. He took money from 
one
person to pay another. Along the way, he raked in billions of dollars.

You're thinking now that you may have heard of this Bernard. Yes, he's 
Bernie Madoff, the man who perpetrated the biggest financial fraud scheme in 
the
history of the United States. His investors were duped out of $18 billion. 
He lied about nearly $50 billion in gains. He preached good news that was 
too
good to be true. And, like all lies, it was just a matter of time before it 
all came tumbling down. Madoff is now serving a 150-year prison sentence. 
His
former clients-mostly charitable organizations and elderly people-suffered 
the terrible loss of trusting Madoff's message.

I wonder if you're putting your faith in something false like that today. It 
may not be a Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, but are you telling yourself that
you'll be happy once your health is where you want it to be? Or are you 
believing that you'll be content once you meet the right person or when you 
get
the house that you really, really want? Are you saying that once you have 
enough money, then you'll turn your life around and then you'll settle down?
Are you putting your faith in the next thing, the next development in life, 
the next purchase, the next dream realized? Is that the gospel truth you're
counting on?

Now listen, I know that there are many things in this life that make us 
happy for a time. I'm not saying those are necessarily bad, but I do know 
this,
they are not the "Gospel truth," the Good News that is the center of all 
things! Many blessings and dreams lift us up and boost our spirits. There is 
so
much to be thankful for. But can you really stake your contentment on things 
that will ultimately pass away? Can you stake your life, your attitude, your
direction, even your eternity, on things that will not and cannot last? Are 
the gospels you hear on television, or read about in social media, or are 
told
by friends, or the one that you tell yourself; are they really true gospels?

Dear friend, I don't want you to be swindled. I hope you see, today, what I 
am talking about is worth believing in. It's the true Gospel. It is the 
eternal
and enduring truth of God's love for you. It is the certainty of restoration 
for your soul, renewal for your spirit, and forgiveness for your sins. It
is the Gospel of being given a gift-the gift of new life through the work of 
Jesus Christ for you. That's the true, enduring Gospel.

As human beings, like I've said, we're really good at inventing gospels that 
make us feel better just for a while. But you don't need something in your
life that has no staying power. You don't need to play games with pacifying 
beliefs and false hopes. You need what's real and what is lasting.

A man named Chuck Colson discovered that. He found the true Gospel; actually 
the true Gospel found him. He had a brilliant intellect, he was a 
high-powered
New York attorney, became a high-profile political operative in the Nixon 
administration, and, after he was convicted of obstruction of justice, spent
time in prison. But before prison, his life underwent a radical change. 
Chuck Colson abandoned all the false gospels he was believing because the 
true
Gospel made its way into his life.

It all started when he visited one of his very wealthy and powerful clients. 
Tom was a president of a major defense contractor. Chuck stepped into Tom's
office and recalled how Tom used to have a frantic look with phones ringing, 
assistants scurrying back and forth, and his desk filled with piles of 
paperwork.
But something had changed. Colson said, "When I entered his office, it was 
the same old Tom...But the smile was a lot warmer, radiant, in fact, and he
looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him before" (92).

The two men visited for about twenty minutes when Colson finally spoke up 
and asked Tom, "What changed in your life?" Tom said, "I have committed my 
life
to Jesus, and it's the most marvelous experience." He said, "I had gotten to 
the point where I thought my life was worth nothing. Now everything is 
changed-attitude,
values, the whole bit" (93).

Chuck Colson couldn't believe what he heard. The president of one of the 
biggest companies in the nation, who owned beautiful homes and drove the 
finest
automobiles, who was married to a wonderful wife, had great kids, thought 
his life wasn't worth anything. Colson said, "But he had struck a raw 
nerve-the
empty life. It was what I was living with" (93).

Does that strike a nerve in you? Have you veered into an empty life? Are you 
putting your hope in yourself or in short-term gospels?

Before his conversion to faith in Jesus, the Apostle Paul was on the same 
track as Chuck Colson; same ambition, different position. Paul was a 
high-powered
church leader. He had the best education. His family had the right 
bloodline. He had all the connections and was the up-and-coming expert 
leader lauded
by the people all around him. But his life was empty. He bought into false 
gospels. They felt rewarding. They stoked his ego. They made him look 
successful
in the eyes of the world. But they were poisoning his soul and taking him 
down the track toward eternal darkness and misery.

That's when God stepped in. Paul said it this way: "But when he who had set 
me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, when he was 
pleased
to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the 
Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone" (Galatians 1:15-16). 
Paul was
pointing out that this was not a human gospel. He said, "For I did not 
receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a 
revelation
of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:12).

This was the true Gospel of the crucified, risen, and eternal Son of God, 
Jesus Christ. It was the Good News that Paul didn't have to impress people 
for
his self-worth. He didn't have to try to live perfectly to make it in life, 
because that life was impossible anyway as sinners no matter how hard you 
try.
No, because of Jesus Christ, he was already loved by God and saved by grace. 
The real Gospel changed everything, just like it did for Tom and just like
it can for you.

It even happened to Chuck Colson. After that initial meeting with Tom, Chuck 
knew he had to see him again. So on an overcast evening, he drove to Tom's
house. The two sat in the kitchen and Chuck said to Tom, "You've changed and 
I really need to know what happened."

Tom replied, "Something was missing. I felt a terrible emptiness. I would 
get up in the middle of the night and pace the floor. My life, it just 
wasn't
complete. I would go to the office and do my job, I was trying to make the 
company succeed, but there was a hole in my life. I began to read the 
Scriptures,
looking for answers. Something made me realize I needed a personal 
relationship with God" (109).

Colson could relate to Tom. The empty life is not uncommon. He realized, 
however, that he didn't seek a spiritual answer. He didn't even know a 
relationship
with God was possible. Chuck pressed for more details. Tom said, "I didn't 
seem to have anything that mattered. It was all on the surface. All the 
material
things in life are meaningless if a [person] hasn't discovered what's 
underneath them all" (110).

Then Tom shared two moments that changed his life. The first was hearing a 
preacher share that if you know something is missing, Jesus Christ and faith
in Jesus is what you need to fill that emptiness. Instead of a hollow 
promise, God's promise of new life and of peace that is beyond our 
understanding
is real. God's promise of hope that is unshakable is the true Gospel-the 
real deal. Because of that Good News....Tom put faith, his faith, in Jesus 
and
everything changed!

What changed first and foremost was pride, the idea that you've got it all 
covered and there's no one better at it than me. This quote from C.S. Lewis
challenged Tom and Chuck Colson. Lewis said it this way, "In God you come up 
against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to 
yourself.
Unless you know God as that-and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in 
comparison-you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud, you cannot 
know
God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of 
course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is 
above you"
(113).

Colson started to sweat when he heard those words. Pride. That's what he was 
all about. He was about himself. He was stubborn. He didn't need help from
anyone, and he sought his way all the time. He was arrogant. And he knew he 
was lost. He described C.S. Lewis' words on pride as a torpedo that hit him
amidships (114). Chuck thought, "Of course, I had not known God. How could 
I? I had been concerned with myself alone. I had done this and that, I had 
achieved,
I had succeeded, and I had given God none of the credit, never once thanking 
Him for any of His gifts to me. I had never thought of anything being 
"immeasurably
superior" to myself, or if I had in fleeting moments thought about the 
infinite power of God, I had not related Him to my life in any way. In those 
brief
moments while Tom read, I saw myself as I never had before. And the picture 
was ugly" (114).

False gospels. False gospels started to crumble and the true Gospel was 
beginning to work on Colson. That's what happened to the Apostle Paul as 
well.
He was a religious man, that's for sure. But even there, his confidence was 
in his spiritual superiority and in his religious fervor. Pride comes in 
many
forms. It can be psychological, physical, spiritual, political, societal; 
but no matter what, if it depends on you, your effort, your expertise, 
eventually
it will come to nothing. Why, because God created you, God gave you all that 
you possess, God even redeemed you to live a life forever again with Him in
spite of your sin and pride. But, without Him, all of this comes to nothing.

What Tom learned, what Chuck learned, what Paul learned, what you and I can 
learn together today again is that "Jesus Christ is the living God who 
promises
us a day-to-day living relationship with Him and a personal one at that" 
(125). Those words from C.S. Lewis, a former atheist, now a prolific writer 
of
the Good News of Jesus, they get at the heart of real good news of God that 
lasts. In Christ, you can have a relationship with God that lasts forever,
founded on His love for us, His death and resurrection for us, and His gift 
of life with Him now and into eternity.

That's the true Gospel, the very Good News of God in Jesus Christ, one that 
only He can earn, one that only He can share. It is the true Gospel. It 
doesn't
fade. It doesn't falter. It is no scam. There is no expiration. It is the 
bedrock of life-it's the only bedrock of life.

Not only does it deal with the ineptitude of human pride, but it offers 
something that only God can offer and guarantee-eternal life. And, just 
think about
that with me for a moment. Eternal life, it changes everything. It puts 
everything into perspective.

Listen to what Colson realized for the first time in his life. Again, 
reading in Lewis, "Immortality makes this other difference...If individuals 
live
only seventy years, then a state, or a nation, or a civilization, which may 
last for thousands of years, is more important than the individual. But if
Christianity is true, then the individual is not only more important but 
incomparably more important, for he or she is everlasting and the life of a 
state
or a civilization, compared with this, is only but a moment" (128).

The abounding and eternal love of God for us, His children, started to hit 
Colson with full force. Everything was changing. His perspective was 
changing.
Life was not about selfishness; it was about the selfless love of God in 
Jesus Christ. In many ways that's what overwhelmed the Apostle Paul too when 
he
met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

In Jesus Christ, then, there is a righteousness that is pure. There is a 
holiness that is enduring, and He gifts it to all who put their trust in 
Him.
In Jesus Christ, there is a forgiveness and an absolution of guilt that took 
the death and resurrection of the Son of God to accomplish, and then He 
gifts
it to people like you and me who put their faith in Him. And, in Jesus 
Christ, there is a life to be lived, each and every day, yes, but a life to 
be lived
eternally too and He guarantees that to all who put their trust in Him.

Maybe you've heard about names like C.S. Lewis or Chuck Colson, maybe not. 
But the point is not about Lewis, or Colson, or even the Apostle Paul for 
that
matter. The point is about the Good News of Jesus that changed their life. 
The Good News that can change your life too!

I remember hearing another story about Chuck Colson. As he was leaving 
prison for the crimes committed in Watergate, one of the prisoners said, 
"Hey Chuck,
I don't think we'll be seeing you here again anymore, will we?" Most 
prisoners knew that, for people on the outside, even for prisoners who'd 
been set
free, they become afterthoughts; those who are still left behind. Soon out 
of sight, soon out of mind. Well, the Gospel did more than change Colson's 
mind
about himself, it changed his mind about what he was ultimately here to do 
too. Maybe you know Colson, not from his Watergate days, but from the 
ministry
Prison Fellowship, a ministry that he started....going back to the cells of 
other inmates to tell them too about the Good News of Jesus Christ for them!

This true Gospel can change you today. It doesn't matter where you've been. 
Now is the time to begin your new life in Jesus forever! Pride aside, 
eternal
life guaranteed, and the power to love others the way that God in Christ 
loves you. That's Good News indeed! Believe it, receive it, and share it; 
there's
nothing else in the world like it! God bless you.

Amen.
Print this Sermon
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for June 5, 2016
Topic: What is the Gospel?

ANNOUNCER: And we are back once again with Pastor Gregory Seltz. I'm Mark 
Eischer. Today in your sermon you used that word Gospel quite a bit. Let's 
focus
on that word. What is the Gospel? What do we mean by that?

SELTZ: Listeners ask us about this all the time, Mark, and we need to talk 
about it. I love to talk about this word the Gospel.

ANNOUNCER: Let's start with the actual meaning of the word. It comes to us 
from the Greek and it means "good news" or "good message."

SELTZ: That's right. It's from that Greek word "euangelion." The "eu" just 
means "good" and the second part of that word has "angel" in it, which is 
associated
with the "message" or "news." But the Gospel doesn't just refer to any good 
news, Mark.

ANNOUNCER: Here we're talking about the Good News of God's salvation, the 
gifts of His forgiveness and new life that comes to us through faith in 
Jesus.

SELTZ: That is the message. That's the Gospel. It is the true Good News 
given to our world; a world that is filled with lots of bad news and even 
some
good news that only lasts for a while. The Gospel is the enduring, even 
over-arching message of God's love for us in Jesus Christ.

ANNOUNCER: But why are the first four books of the New Testament called 
"Gospels"?

SELTZ: They're accounts of Jesus' life and records of Jesus' words and 
actions. Jesus is the Gospel in the flesh. In fact, those Gospels; Matthew, 
Mark,
Luke and John; they converge around the core focus and message of the Good 
News of Jesus' death and His resurrection. This Good News in Christ runs 
directly
in contrast to the bad news that we deal with every day.

ANNOUNCER: Are you talking here about the headlines or our personal 
struggles?

SELTZ: In a way, both. The terrible things that are happening in our world 
and the difficult things happening in our lives are symptoms of the really 
bad
news. We have all separated ourselves from God because of our rebellion 
against Him. Our lives, our world are broken and chaotic because we push God 
away
and we fall away from Him.

ANNOUNCER: And the Bible's name for that is "sin."

SELTZ: Yeah, and even sin is not so much about the bad things that we do, 
and that's bad enough, the worst thing is our condition is flawed and in 
total
need of repair. The Apostle Paul says it this way, "For I do not do the good 
I want, but the evil I do not want to do, that's what I keep on doing" 
(Romans
7:19).

ANNOUNCER: I think we can all relate to that. We try to do the right things, 
but find ourselves falling over and over again either in thoughts, words,
or actions.

SELTZ: Me, too, Mark. Whether it's at home, driving, personal life; sin is 
evident everywhere. It is true in all of us. Just look in the mirror and ask
yourself if you're perfect. Any honest person knows the answer is a 
resounding "No!" This isn't a shot at our self-esteem either. It's simply 
telling the
truth of what we all struggle with every day.

ANNOUNCER: But along with his outcry of frustration, the Apostle Paul also 
shows us the answer, doesn't he?

SELTZ: He does. He says in Romans 7: "Wretched man that I am! He's straight 
up. Who will deliver me from this body of death? I love it. Here he says, 
"Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"(Romans 7:24-25)

ANNOUNCER: So, he gives us the bad news, but then along comes the Good News.

SELTZ: Well, Paul says it straight though to make the ultimate point. The 
answer to real, real bad news is the real good news of the Gospel. So Jesus 
put
all the bad news of our lives on His shoulders. He carries our guilt and 
brokenness-everything for all people.

ANNOUNCER: And He offered Himself to God on the cross for our punishment and 
to receive there the consequences of everything that is wrong with us and
with our world.

SELTZ: Yes, that's why He died on the cross as in the place of a criminal 
for us. God the Father punished Him in our place and that's why Paul could 
say, "There
is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus"(Romans 8:1).

ANNOUNCER: That IS Good News!

SELTZ: That's the Gospel. In fact, that is the Good News of God. Every 
listener can be in Christ Jesus by believing in Him today. Every listener 
can receive
the gift of forgiveness in baptism. It's a tangible way God pours His gifts 
into our lives. Every listener can have hope in Jesus and the certainty of
eternal life as they trust in His Good News.

ANNOUNCER: And one more point, the Gospel is not just a message; it also has 
the power to change lives.

SELTZ: Paul said that too. He said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, it 
is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16).

ANNOUNCER: Our prayer is that every listener believes the Gospel that they 
hear each week on this program.

SELTZ: Absolutely.

ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Seltz. This has been a presentation of Lutheran 
Hour Ministries.

Action in Ministry for June 5, 2016
Guest: Bruce Wurdeman

ANNOUNCER: You're listening to The Lutheran Hour and this is Action in 
Ministry. Pastor Seltz, as I think about today's message, I'm reminded of 
those
many Bible stories we learned sitting in Sunday School all those many years.

SELTZ: The Bible is packed with wonderful stories, Mark, many of which we 
hear from the time we're old enough to sit. Our next resource...we're 
reminded
that there's always something more to learn.

ANNOUNCER: I know. Often we hear these stories but we don't dig deeper so we 
might be missing out on some important insights.

SELTZ: I agree.

ANNOUNCER: Joining us today is Bruce Wurdeman. He's the former Executive 
Director of Lutheran Hour Ministries. He is also the author and star of a 
wonderful
video series called, Stuff They Didn't Teach Me in Sunday School. Bruce, 
thanks for joining us.

WURDEMAN: Yeah, star might just be a little over the top.

SELTZ: You wear it well, Bruce. You wear it well.

WURDEMAN: It's good to be here with you all.

SELTZ: Bruce, welcome back. You were at the helm here from 2009 to 2013. So, 
the first question is how has retirement been treating you and Mj?

WURDEMAN: Really good. It's a lot of fishing, a lot of golf, a lot of 
volunteering to do the things I want to do and saying no to the things I 
don't want
to do. That's the advantage of retirement.

SELTZ: Sharing the Gospel on the 19th hole.

WURDEMAN: You betcha.

ANNOUNCER: Now during your time here at Lutheran Hour Ministries you 
produced this video series. Why did you think it was needed?

WURDEMAN: I don't know that it was my idea. I was teaching a Bible class at 
the time; once a week with some of the staff; and some of the staff said, 
"We're
finding out things we didn't know before about Scripture. We ought to try to 
do a video on this." So we did six videos to start with for a Men's NetWork
series. It went from that to 186 videos. It just kept going.

SELTZ: Wow, it's a great resource. Bruce, you were also known for your sense 
of humor when you were here and that's always helpful too in sharing the 
Gospel.
That's who you are. So tell us a little bit about that. That's in the series 
as well, right?

WURDEMAN: Yeah, the humor comes out, I think, sometimes. I love what the 
Scripture represents. I think God has a sense of humor.

SELTZ: You're right.

WURDEMAN: He makes points in ways that we sometimes miss. One of the ways 
that I think He makes a point in the Scripture, and maybe there is some 
humor
attached to it, is some of the names He gives to people; my favorite 
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, the spoils speeds the prey haste. Every time that 
Isaiah calls
his son to dinner, it's a message for the nation.

SELTZ: It took a long time to call him to dinner.

WURDEMAN: I think they probably called him "Bud," though, don't you think?

ANNOUNCER: All together there are 186 episodes in this series. Are there any 
favorites?

WURDEMAN: It's the story of Jacob when he's running away from his brother 
after he's cheated him out of the birthright. He goes to sleep one night and
he has a dream. The angels ascending and descending and he's got his head on 
a rock and he has this dream. And then that's the last you hear of it until
you get to the New Testament and then here's Jesus. He encounters a guy 
named Nathanael and he says to Nathanael, "I saw you when you were under the 
fig
tree" and Nathanael's just got his mind blown because apparently Jesus 
wasn't anywhere near him. And Jesus says, "Well, in fact, you ain't seen 
nothing
yet. You're going to see the angels ascending and descending on the Son of 
Man." Well, the rabbis in that day taught that that rock that Jacob had his
head on was the foundation stone in the temple where the Ark of the Covenant 
used to sit. By Jesus' time it wasn't there anymore. And they said, "That's
where God touched earth in that foundation stone." And Jesus says, "No, it's 
in Me that God touches His world."

ANNOUNCER: And a modern reader doesn't understand that...

WURDEMAN: No, because they don't know the history. They don't know the 
rabbinical creation...

SELTZ: But again, that's the kind of stuff that's brought out in these 
studies.

WURDEMAN: Yeah.

SELTZ: And that's the kind of stuff that can actually reconnect the people 
back to the Bible in a meaningful way.

WURDEMAN: Yeah.

SELTZ: Well, Bruce, that's incredible because our listeners are going to see 
there's 186 of these things. How do you suggest one starts working through
these things so that they can be a really good resource for them?

WURDEMAN: Some churches have used them for Bible studies or small group 
Bible studies. Each one is about 5 to 7 minutes long, something like that, 
and
they come with a discussion guide with them. So, if you use the video, you 
look at the Scripture section itself, and then work through the discussion 
guide,
you've probably got 45 minutes, hour of discussion. Other people have just 
sat at home and watched them themselves.

SELTZ: Blessed at home.

WURDEMAN: All kinds of ways of being used.

SELTZ: Well, these videos are available right now at our website. In just a 
moment we'll tell you where to find them. Bruce, it's great to have you back
with us and God continue to be with you and Mj.

WURDEMAN: Thanks for having me. It is good to come back home.

SELTZ: There you go.

ANNOUNCER: The title of this resource is: Stuff They Didn't Teach Me in 
Sunday School. To view or download this content at no cost, go to 
lutheranhour.org
and click on Action in Ministry. For information on ordering a DVD copy, 
call 1-855-john316. That's 1-855-564-6316.
Music Selections for this program:

"A Mighty Fortress" arranged by Chris Bergmann. Used by permission.

"When in the Hour of Deepest Need" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 
Concordia Publishing House)

"By Grace I'm Saved" From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia 
Publishing House)
Visit lutheranhour.org

Christmas Smack Down by Chuck Colson, BreakPoint
In a Texas classroom, children were told to draw a
tracing of their foot, and then put a message on the
drawing. One little girl wrote "Jesus Loves Me" on
hers. What happened next shows the abysmal state of
religious tolerance in America.
As Fox news anchor John Gibson relates in his new
book, The War on Christmas, the child's teacher ripped
the tracing off the board. "Don't you ever do this
again," she said. The little girl burst into tears.
When her outraged father called the school, nervous
officials told the child to make another tracing. She
did so--but this time, instead of scrawling "Jesus
Loves Me," she drew a tiny cross that was so small it
was almost invisible.
This little girl had learned her lesson well. Her
Christian faith was something shameful--and she should
keep it to herself.
And this little girl is not the only child learning
this ugly lesson. In a Plano, Texas, classroom, a
teacher told students not to write "Merry Christmas"
on greeting cards for soldiers in Iraq because it
might offend someone. They were even forbidden to say
"Merry Christmas" to their classmates. And this, in
Plano, Texas?
In a New York school, the halls were decked with
menorahs and Kwanzaa candles. When a father asked why
there was no Christmas tree, the principal said, "Oh,
we're trying to make sure we don't offend people."
In Maplewood, New Jersey, fifth-graders were asked to
make posters demonstrating diversity. A boy named
Anton pasted on the Star of David and a Muslim symbol.
When his mother suggested he add a Christian symbol, he
said, "No, I don't want to offend anyone." These kids
are being brain-washed.
Every December, symbols of Christmas are treated like
pornography, sex, or second-hand smoke--things that
ought to be enjoyed in private, lest others be
offended.
According to Gibson, people who treat Christian
symbols this way are acting out of a deep-seated
hostility toward all things Christian. They're often
offended by Christianity on an intellectual level.
They think it's a crutch used by the less intelligent.
And since they have begun losing battles in the
courts, they've opened up a new front called
"inclusiveness." Yes, they admit, the Supreme Court
says it's okay to have Christmas trees on public
property--but do we really want to offend neighbors
who don't celebrate Christmas? The same goes for
Christmas music and candy canes in schools; somewhere,
someone might be offended. But isn't it strange that,
in case after case, only Christian symbols seem to
have the power to offend?
Well, many Christians have had enough, and they're
fighting back. For help, they're turning to religious
liberties groups that have sprung up to defend our
First Amendment rights. Among these are the ACLJ, the
Thomas More Law Center, the Alliance Defense Fund, and
the Beckett Fund. Visit our website
(www.breakpoint.org) for more information.
Parents are right to resist efforts to try to teach
their kids that Christian symbols--and the faith they
represent--are inherently offensive. In a country that
honors religious freedom, the real offense is not
saying "Merry Christmas" to a friend, but in teaching
kids that expressing their faith is something to be
ashamed of.
BreakPoint by Chuck Colson
November 16, 2005
Copyright 2005
http://www.breakpoint.org/
BREAKPOINT.ORG|BY ROSS FELDMAN

Gratitude

  By Chuck Colson 

John Calvin said gratitude was at the center of the
Christian life, and G. K. Chesterton called it "the
mother of all virtues." It was gratitude for living in
a free country that caused me to put on the uniform of
a United States Marine officer during the Korean War.
We do our duty to our country out of gratitude for
those who went before us to defend the liberties we
hold so precious. 

I loved the scene at the end of the movie, "Saving
Private Ryan." Ryan, who is now seventy years old,
returns to Normandy, and he is looking at the grave
marker of Captain Miller, the man who died to save him
during World War II. Ryan is on his knees. The grave
marker is a stark, white cross. He addresses Miller,
now long dead: "I've tried every day to live up to what
you did for me ... I hope I've lived a life worthy of
your sacrifice."1

Ed. Note: I trust that we who call ourselves Christians
are, with God's help, living a life worthy of Jesus
Christ's sacrifice for us.

1. BreakPoint with Charles Colson. Commentary #020911 -
09/11/2002 www.pfm.org/