OCPAC Weekly Insights 4/15/19
| | 1. At OCPAC: Larry Stein
Larry Stein, Oklahoma County Assessor, oversees the assessment of the more than seven billion dollars in the 720 square miles of property located in Oklahoma County. That is about 1/4 of all the property valuation in the state of Oklahoma.
Prior to government service, Larry was an award-winning multi-media journalist covering everything form the court house to the White House. He was exceptionally good at it and won many local and national awards including the National Press Club Award for Consumer Journalism.
Larry has studied the issue of assessing property in Oklahoma. While Oklahoma County has earned perfect scores for performing all the required tasks, the funding in some counties and staff limitations prevents them from being able to do the required duties. The impact on Oklahoma’s budget could be substantial.
Larry earned a Sports Letter at the University of Oklahoma for competitive fencing, rides motorcycles, and is an accomplished chef. Most importantly, he has raised the political hackles of some politically correct groups in town. It is our privilege to have this nimble political combatant spend the hour with us this Wednesday! | | Join us THIS WEDNESDAY! NOON to 1 PM at Olivet Baptist Church NW 10th and Western, OKC Lunch Available: See Below! $2 donation to church if not eating
| | 2. Property Rights, Dominion Theology, and Sin by Bob Linn 3. Lunch provided 4. Charlie Meadows takes issue with Senator Lankford. 5. Nathan Carr and Christian Education 6. Two Days Only: PILGRIMS PROGRESS THE MOVIE 7. Join AFR and Petition Walmart's promotion of homosexuality 8. Dr. Everett Piper: Not A Daycare available here. | | 2. Property Rights, Dominion Theology, and Sin by Bob Linn | | This week’s speaker exercises authority over those who own property in Oklahoma County. Property is a key Biblical issue addressed in many passages of Scripture, including the Ten Commandments. Earthly dominion as God’s vice-regents is man’s calling (Genesis 1) and Christ redeemed us that we may fulfill that calling (Matthew 28).
Earthly dominion is not just our calling, but also a part of our God-given nature. This desire for earthly dominion was perverted, however, when Adam fell. We now possess a perverted (sinful) nature and an equally twisted perspective on the divine calling for mankind to exercise earthly dominion. Hence, few men see their earthly dominion as an exercise of authority under God for His glory. Instead, most covet control of earthly possessions (and desire more) because of their secret desire to be God! | George Orwell, in his book 1984, described the way in which man’s fall altered and perverted man’s desire for dominion. He said, “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever”. Speaking of the way in which this perversion of human nature impacts governments, Orwell paints the picture quite vividly. Speaking of the quest of nations for more territory, he describes it this way: “Portions of it [the earthly globe] are constantly changing hands, and it is the chance of seizing this or that fragment by a sudden stroke of treachery that dictates the endless change of alignment … The two aims of the Party [states/nations/tyrants] are to conquer the whole surface of the earth and to extinguish once and for all independent thought.”
Man’s only hope for deliverance from this demonic dominion is the regeneration of the minds and souls of men. The political hopes of all mankind rest on this decisive transformation available through Christ who is our Creator, our King, and our Redeemer. It is those who have been so transformed who will deliver us from the tyranny of “the state” which seeks to take the place of God on the planet. Men who have been restored, bearing the image of Christ, seeking to be God’s faithful vice-regents on the earth represent the only hope for all nations to establish political peace.
The earth is the Lord’s. Men and their governments must exercise dominion over it in a way that glorifies Christ and not feed the sinful appetites of men.
Real estate is an aspect of dominion (our topic this coming Wednesday). We must treat our property as the Lord’s under Godly human management for His glory. It is not ours for our glory. God assigns mankind dominion of the earth. He does not grant them sovereignty. | When Thomas Paine wrote the Rights of Man, the transfer of earthly sovereignty from God to man was on full display. It is a work quite contrary to the American Declaration of Independence which affirms that all rights come from God. Paine said, “The nation is essentially the source of all sovereignty; nor can an individual, or any body of men, be entitled to any authority which is not expressly derived from it.” (The Complete Political Works of Thomas Paine)
Writing this in support of the French Revolution, Paine clearly articulated his affirmation of totalitarianism. This is in direct contrast to the foundations of the American Revolution which looked to God and His Law as the foundation for men and their governments.
It is the totalitarian thinking reflected in the writing of Thomas Paine that is the foundation of the concept of eminent domain. Eminent domain was not a part of the Christian governments instituted in the early American colonies. It came later under the influence of pagan notions of “natural law” and the influences of English law. | To understand how eminent domain became a part of American Law, William M. McKinney and Burdett A. Rich, Ruling Case Law, (1915) wrote: “Eminent domain is an Exercise of Authority. It was the theory of Grotius [Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius 1583-1645] that the power of eminent domain was based on the principle that the state had original and absolute ownership of the whole property possessed by the individual members of it.” | Our Puritan forefathers reserved the word “sovereignty” for God alone. Our constitution makes no use of it. Today's Christian patriot stands in the midst of a world which needs our leadership on this very issue. Through us, the Kingdom of Christ is being enlarged.
Issues of property, public and private, are issues we must consider in light of the Word of God. This Wednesday, Larry Stein will articulate the proposals he has presented to Governor Stitt regarding the way our county governments exercise domain over private property owners. Larry has quite a personality, and I think you will enjoy him. | I am indebted to one of America's great 20th century thinkers for the content of this editorial opinion. It was 46 years ago that I read the particular section of the writings of Rousas Rushdoony (1916-2001) that is the foundation of my comments today. Rushdoony was a philosopher, historian, and theologian who sought to bring the church and the culture it is called to influence back to a Biblical mindset. He became an inspiration for the modern Christian homeschool movement. While I have added some of my own ideas, phrasings, and embellishments, the thoughts you have read are essentially his. I am, with thousands of others, deeply indebted to the work God did through him. | WEEKLY BONUS: CHARLIE'S RANT! | Charlie surprises us each week with Political insights you'll hear nowhere else! | Last week, Charlie challenged the thinking of Senator James Lankford on Presidential appointments. At last week's state Republican convention, Senator Lankford suggested that the President should be able to appoint who he wants as federal judges.
Charlie agrees that the long and drawn out obstructionism practiced by the Democrats needs to be stopped. However, Senator Lankford's statement that a president should be able to get who he or she wants for federal judges flies in the face of the very reason the Constitution requires Senate confirmation for these positions. | Join us at OCPAC. If not eating our $7 lunch, we ask for a $2 donation to Olivet Baptist Church to pay for utilities. THANKS! | I'd like to invite you to bring your children and grandchildren to the weekly OCPAC meetings. Build a foundation for the role of Biblical thought in their political views. Only as we train our future leaders will we be able to anticipate the maturing of the Kingdom of God expressed both through the church and through the State. | HELP RIGHT THE SHIP IN OKLAHOMA! Wednesday, April 17, 2019 NOON to 1 PM OLIVET BAPTIST CHURCH 1201 NW 10th St, OKC, OK 73106 | | We have a $7 lunch solution through EAGLE ONE PIZZA.
It is one of Oklahoma's highest rated pizza kitchens and they make it all fresh from scratch. Rated A+.
"Authentic pizza made from the finest ingredients: fresh basil, olive oil, vine-ripened fresh tomatoes & fresh mozzarella."
The $7 includes the $2 meeting room fee.
Tea and water is provided. | | Nathan Carr addressed the importance of wedding our earthly education with our Heavenly values.
Government schools have produced a generation of socialists. They are ruining American culture by virtue of their having removed the Bible and prayer from its educational foundations.
All OCPAC videos are placed here. | | PILGRIM'S PROGRESS The Movie | | Pilgrim's Progress is a 1678 Christian novel. It is the first novel written in English. It has been translated into more than 200 languages. John Bunyan wrote the novel while imprisoned for preaching without a government permit. The esteemed Ralph Vaughn Williams wrote an opera using the book as inspiration. It is one of the most widely read novels in human history and referenced much in many other literary works.
Revelation Media has just released a CGI animated film based on John Bunyan's Pilgrim's progress. It will be showing two days only in Oklahoma, throughout America and around the world! It will even be broadcast into countries like Iran where the government is unfriendly to Christianity! Find a theater near you here. | | Walmart Launches Gay Dating Ad | | Join American Family Radio's petition to ask Walmart to end their promotion of Sodomy! Sign the petition here. | | Dr. Piper is one of God's choice men. He is leading the way in the American Church and in the American Christian University by calling for a return to epistemological bedrock. I urge those of you who have not read his book, Not A Day Care: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth, to order a copy today. It is available very inexpensively here.
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