In doing some research — believe it or not for my novel, a domestic tragicomic murder mystery set on Cape Cod in 1959 — I ended up reading an extended history of Charles Manson and “the Family” today. More in a moment on Charlie, the Beatles, and our twisted, twisted times… but first:

Cut to one of those spooky coincidences: three hours ago, I read in The Onion that President Ford’s unsuccessful assassin, Squeaky Fromme, was recently released on parole. Meanwhile the above-linked site, Seize the Night, says that Ms. Fromme had originally been a late-arriving member of the Manson “Family”. Really weird, that her name came up in two entirely unrelated places that I stumbled upon in the same day, mere weeks after her release.

But now back to our program: because of a couple characters in my book, I got curious about the religious, bigoted and/or psychosexual roots of how Manson turned out the way he did, and what makes serial killers tick. But be forewarned: it’s hard reading (clicking the above link, or reading below).  Not for the squeamish, nor for the theologically or psychologically uneducated, in my opinion. Too many dark alleys and assumptions to get lost within.

Those who would place a cookie-cutter diagnosis on Manson’s problems don’t usually get what makes this guy and people like him tick. Not that I do entirely either, but I can at least see how a man with an IQ of 121 and a really awful, abused and abusive history, could enter the Summer of Love hippie scene in ‘68 and gain so many followers. Two out of every three California 18-25 year-olds were probably high, horny, and confused out of their minds when the charismatic Manson –the self-proclaimed “God of Fuck”– arrived on the scene. Thus the Family were all ripe for the pickin’ :  disenfranchised, misled and alienated to the point of becoming homicidal.

Not surprisingly, Manson’s life reads like a cautionary history of the grotesque underbelly of American twentieth century life. His life story exposes the wider American problems of violence, poverty, racism, religious extremism, and the ongoing debates about sexual behavior (whether religiously or psychiatrically determined, take your pick).

Charlie was born in the Depression, in 1934, illegimate and unacknowledged son of some bubba from Kentucky and a real loser of a mother. Mom was a prostitute and a drunk, eventually a convicted armed robber, who repeatedly abandoned him. Then he lived for awhile with excessively strict, sadistic, and yet somehow still ”religious” relatives as a boy. They also once dressed him as a girl and sent him off to kindergarten, to “toughen him up” – as he was probably sensitive, smart and artistic even at six years old, …before so many genuinely toxic people screwed him up big-time. Charlie got away from the relatives eventually, but Mom still didn’t want him, so he soon was living on the streets and stealing to stay alive. 

Then on the brink of adolescence, he ended up being sodomized by several older boys, while being held in a boys’ reform school. Meanwhile, a guard looked on pruriently and masturbated. It only gets worse from there, ending with all those senseless murders from 1968 on into the early Seventies, when Squeaky Fromme became the new poster-child for religious, anarchist and race-inspired psychosis.

For those who don’t recall or know about Manson and the race issue: besides being lured by the dark undercurrent of racism in certain rural and/or religious communities throughout the Forties and Fifties, Charlie’s early prison experiences brought him directly into contact with Aryan Brotherhood types. Thus he was inclined to seek acceptance or power within that community, and then later inclined to interpret vaguely angry cultural messages –like the general tone in the Beatles’  “Helter Skelter” song — as ”prophetic” calls to race war and anarchist actions: a war where he presumed he and other radicalized whites would come out on top. So Manson, who once also claimed to be a Scientologist, is nothing if not a hustler, a survivor, a master manipulator –who still manages to get our attention when his parole hearing comes around and he does something creative, dark and goofy in order to get his face on-camera again.

Things have changed some since the Family’s killing spree in the late Sixties, but not entirely. Maybe we’re not as panicky about assasinations, race wars and riots, communism and the drug culture. But we’re still worried. The Rodney King riots were not so long ago. The World Trade Center bombing and the minor riots at the WTO summit in Seattle are even more recent. Only now we are worried about who’s getting the job we lost, who crossed the border, who’s selling our teens Ecstasy, who’s killing each other over drug turf or religious doctrine, who will stop the Taliban and the heroin traders in Afghanistan, and so on, and so on. The Summer of Love morphs over time into the War on Drugs, and the War on Terror. Not to mention more racist and religious infighting in the U.S. as we elect a black president, and the dwindling middle class feels threatened yet again… by openly gay Episcopal bishops, or idiot stockbrokers who bankrupt the nation, and a government that deregulated the industry and let them.

So how much have we really changed? Are we really any less helter-skelter, any less confused, than we were forty years ago? For example, I also saw yesterday that Rolling Stone ran a cover story just last month on “Why the Beatles Broke Up”.  My first instinct was “Why should we even care anymore?” But then as a longtime Beatles fan, I started wondering: was it really NOT Yoko’s fault? (not that I really think it was…) Was there something or someone, some drug or guru or opportunistic agent who secretly mucked it all up for the Fab Four? Then finally I decided again that it was just a manipulative attempt by Rolling Stone to hook Boomers and Generation X guys like me into caring again, about their old-school magazine and its generally shallow Sixties and Seventies vibe. I ain’t buying it though. Movin’ on…

When I get to the bottom, I go back to the top of the slide…

What goes around comes around. So I guess Manson still manages to matter. Why? Because unfortunately everyone loves a train wreck: whether it’s the end of a major musical group, the violent end of that hippie innocence (or in the case of Woodstock, just the muddy and stupid beginning of the end), or the end of sanity in a violent, bloody massacre. Deviants, hate crimes, and hedonism are still somehow fascinating: the achilles heels of the now tilting Statue of Liberty.

Most folks seem to need someone to demonize, or at least to act as a scapegoat. When presidents and right (or left) wing hacks or militant Islamists or gays or dope dealers or the pope or Jimmy Swaggart or Jews or blacks or illegal aliens can’t be blamed for our problems– and sacrificed to atone for our deepest fears and sins– then a crazy man with a gun, a hard-on, a Satanic Bible and the sickest of minds will do the trick nicely.

Face To Face With Tongues

A Verse by Verse Examination and Exposition On the Subject of Tongues By Dr. Max D. Younce, Pastor

(By Pastor Max D. Younce.  Without a doubt, this is the best Biblical examination of tongues I have ever read.  Dr. Younce teaches about tongues, miracles and signs from a solid Biblical perspective.  You’ll be amazed and edified.)

——————————————————————————–

May I lovingly dedicate this book to…

The Good News Bible Church in Dora Lake, Minnesota, where I had the privilege to pastor early in my ministry. This church of believers have meant so much to us, as they truly are defenders of the “faith once delivered unto the saints.”

and…

The people of all the other churches I have been privileged to pastor, the congregations of which with their loving spirit and teachable attitude have contributed greatly to this writing. The many requests for study material about the subject of tongues have forced my “nose to the grindstone” during many a late night session. They made me aware of the need. Thank you!

FOREWORD

If tongues are for today, I want them. If tongues are not for today, I do not want to be deceived. The only way for any person to be convinced is if they are willing to take the Word of God, examine It honestly, and stand 100% on “Thus saith the Lord”! It can be stated no better than Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Of all the tongues advocates I have talked with, they almost always credit speaking in tongues with their desire to witness, their enthusiasm, their love for the Lord … on and on it goes. It seems to supplement what they need to fulfill their Christian life, or make it complete.

I have never spoken in tongues. After examining the Scriptures, I am sure that I never will, because they are not for today. Isn’t it amazing? I have everything in Christ, and more, without speaking in tongues than those who claim tongues. The Christian life is exciting and fulfilling. There is nothing more thrilling than witnessing and leading people to Christ. Three things found in Ephesians 6:17-20 are responsible for the Christian’s motivation and enthusiasm:

Let God speak to You. “Take…the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (vs. 17)

Let us speak to God. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” (vs. 18)

Let us speak to the lost. “…and for me…that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” (vs. 19)

This is all the “spiritual high” we will ever need. Tongues advocates are supplementing the speaking in tongues for something they are missing from Ephesians 6:17-20.

My motivation, encouragement, and enthusiasm comes from God speaking to me and my speaking to Him. The excitement of the Christian life is found in defending the faith, witnessing, and leading others to Christ. I am fully satisfied with this, and need nothing more. I have all I need in Christ … not tongues.

OUTLINE

Acts 2, 10, 19

PURPOSE OF TONGUES AS EVIDENCED TO THE MESSIAH (ACTS 2)

Time of the Holy Spirit’s Coming Defined
Tongues Defined
The Two Workings of the Holy Spirit Defined

PURPOSE OF TONGUES AS EVIDENCED TO THE JEWS (ACTS 10)

Preparation of Peter
Performance of Peter
Purpose of Tongues

PURPOSE OF TONGUES AS EVIDENCED TO THE MESSAGE AND APOSTLESHIP OF PAUL (ACTS 19)

The Background
The Meeting
The Message
The Messenger

I Corinthians 12, 13, 14

THE CONCENTRATION OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (I CORINTHIANS 12)

God’s Gifts to the Individual (1-11)
God’s Gifts to the Church (12-31)

THE CONSUMMATION OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (13)

The Concern of Love (1-7)
The Contrast of Gifts (8-13)

THE CONTROL OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (14)

Church Is to Be Controlled by Edification (16)
Church Is to Be Controlled by Clarity (17-19)
Church Is to Be Controlled by Maturity (20-25)
Church Is to Be Controlled by Order (26-40)

Mark 16:14-20

THE COMMISSION
THE CONCERN
THE CONCLUSION

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/BTP/Dr_Max_Younce/Tongues/toc.htm

So Donnie Swaggart was on a role yesterday, dredging up some old headlines for shock value, I guess. He resurrected the Terri Schiavo case from a few years ago. Sure, you remember her; the young lady who  had been hospitalized in a coma for many years, diagnosed with PVS (persistent vegetative state).

Her husband, Michael Schiavo, had custody over Terri and, in 1993 had a “Do Not Resuscitate” order in place for her but was convinced to have it rescinded. In 1998 he once again went forward with his choice to remove the devices that were keeping her alive and she later died with much international attention. Much of this attention came from the Roman Catholic clergy along with mainstream media coverage and outrage from the radio righties and a handful of protestant preachers.

Donnie Swaggart expressed outrage yesterday that the government would, in his words, “murder” her. He said they (the judges) should have ignored the law in favor of life. That the judge should have taken a stand to keep Terri alive and he (Donnie) regretted not being there along side the Catholics in protest of the government “murdering” Mrs. Schiavo.

Here is the third definition of “fascist” given by Dictionary.com …

–adjective

So, Donnie Swaggart wanted a dictator who is above the law to rescue Terri from the evil husband and the law which enabled him to deal respectfully and humanly with his wife. I guess that about sums it up, eh? I said this from the beginning and now I will say it again. It is the decision of the husband to deal with his wife in conjunction with decency and legality. It is dangerous ground for Swaggart and Dobson and all the other fascist [christians?] to stand on expecting the government to save the day all the time. They put far too much hope in Uncle Sam. Does the Bible have anything to say about this, Donnie?

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Revelation 9:6

Did it ever occur to you that maybe Terri really did desire to die in such a case as this? That maybe, just maybe, her husband really did do what was right? And maybe, just maybe, people like Swaggart and Dobson and Hannity were keeping her from fulfilling her desire to get out of that sick body once and for all? You think about that. And while you’re at it, think about this…

Genesis 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Now, I know the parents said they were willing to keep her alive and pay the cost and everything but that really does miss the point now doesn’t it? It wasn’t their decision to make. I want all of you to consider the precedent this would set had the parents won that case. It would have opened the flood gates against spousal rights and given the government more control over decisions better left to husbands and wives.

There is one final point to make here. It’s the whole quality of life arguement. I mean, for whom were the efforts being made, really? For Terri? Hardly. It was really for the parents, right? It’s undenyably torturous to see a child in such a condition. I understand that. But should life and death decisions be based on emotions alone? Especially since we really don’t know what the emotions were? Was it guilt? Was it uncertainty over the afterlife? Whatever the case, government is not the answer. The Bible is. And the Bible has some very definite things to say about this. I hope I have enlightened you… if only just a little.

Bible God’s Word? – Deedat vs Swaggart 1 of 23

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Set Free

This song I believe will really stir you and bring you closer to the Lord Jesus, when you think of what He has done for you.

If as yet He is not your Saviour, there is a challenge at the end of the video. 

To watch it, all you have to do is just press the play icon in the centre of the video player.

There is a control bar also on the video. You can pause it, or use the volume icon to adjust the sound.

 

more about “Charismatic Movement: History and Err…“, posted with vodpod

 

 

 

 

(By Pastor Max D. Younce.  Without a doubt, this is the best Biblical examination of tongues I have ever read.  Dr. Younce teaches about tongues, miracles and signs from a solid Biblical perspective.  You’ll be amazed and edified.)

Face To Face With Tongues

A Verse by Verse Examination and Exposition On the Subject of Tongues By Dr. Max D. Younce, Pastor

HERITAGE BAPTIST BIBLE CHURCH
P.O. Box 573| Walnut Grove, MN 56180 | Telephone (507) 859-2519

——————————————————————————–

May I lovingly dedicate this book to…

The Good News Bible Church in Dora Lake, Minnesota, where I had the privilege to pastor early in my ministry. This church of believers have meant so much to us, as they truly are defenders of the “faith once delivered unto the saints.”

and…

The people of all the other churches I have been privileged to pastor, the congregations of which with their loving spirit and teachable attitude have contributed greatly to this writing. The many requests for study material about the subject of tongues have forced my “nose to the grindstone” during many a late night session. They made me aware of the need. Thank you!

FOREWORD

If tongues are for today, I want them. If tongues are not for today, I do not want to be deceived. The only way for any person to be convinced is if they are willing to take the Word of God, examine It honestly, and stand 100% on “Thus saith the Lord”! It can be stated no better than Isaiah 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Of all the tongues advocates I have talked with, they almost always credit speaking in tongues with their desire to witness, their enthusiasm, their love for the Lord … on and on it goes. It seems to supplement what they need to fulfill their Christian life, or make it complete.

I have never spoken in tongues. After examining the Scriptures, I am sure that I never will, because they are not for today. Isn’t it amazing? I have everything in Christ, and more, without speaking in tongues than those who claim tongues. The Christian life is exciting and fulfilling. There is nothing more thrilling than witnessing and leading people to Christ. Three things found in Ephesians 6:17-20 are responsible for the Christian’s motivation and enthusiasm:

Let God speak to You. “Take…the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (vs. 17)

Let us speak to God. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” (vs. 18)

Let us speak to the lost. “…and for me…that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” (vs. 19)

This is all the “spiritual high” we will ever need. Tongues advocates are supplementing the speaking in tongues for something they are missing from Ephesians 6:17-20.

My motivation, encouragement, and enthusiasm comes from God speaking to me and my speaking to Him. The excitement of the Christian life is found in defending the faith, witnessing, and leading others to Christ. I am fully satisfied with this, and need nothing more. I have all I need in Christ … not tongues.

OUTLINE

Acts 2, 10, 19

PURPOSE OF TONGUES AS EVIDENCED TO THE MESSIAH (ACTS 2)

Time of the Holy Spirit’s Coming Defined
Tongues Defined
The Two Workings of the Holy Spirit Defined

PURPOSE OF TONGUES AS EVIDENCED TO THE JEWS (ACTS 10)

Preparation of Peter
Performance of Peter
Purpose of Tongues

PURPOSE OF TONGUES AS EVIDENCED TO THE MESSAGE AND APOSTLESHIP OF PAUL (ACTS 19)

The Background
The Meeting
The Message
The Messenger

I Corinthians 12, 13, 14

THE CONCENTRATION OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (I CORINTHIANS 12)

God’s Gifts to the Individual (1-11)
God’s Gifts to the Church (12-31)

THE CONSUMMATION OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (13)

The Concern of Love (1-7)
The Contrast of Gifts (8-13)

THE CONTROL OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (14)

Church Is to Be Controlled by Edification (16)
Church Is to Be Controlled by Clarity (17-19)
Church Is to Be Controlled by Maturity (20-25)
Church Is to Be Controlled by Order (26-40)

Mark 16:14-20

THE COMMISSION
THE CONCERN
THE CONCLUSION

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/BTP/Dr_Max_Younce/Tongues/toc.htm

I decided today to revist my old friends at Sonlife Radio.  It only took about 15 minutes before I found myself both shocked and appalled, and also frustrated and saddened.  Here’s what they said in response to “missional” churches and The Call movement:

“The mission of the Church is to preach the gospel, not to change the world.”

Please take a moment and read that again.

I really have so much to say about this statement but really feel that no commentary is necessary.  This statement is at the very least theologically ignorant.  How can one preach the gospel and not have the world changed?  What exactly do these people thing the “gospel” actually is?

Just so that we can clear this mess up, the gospel of Christ is the good news that God is at work in the world and will continue to be at work in the world redeeming God’s creation.  What kind of God do these people serve that the very essence of their message is not good news to the world?

Sorry to new readers of this blog, but I will be periodically checking in and exposing the h&*$%& of the sonlife crew. (Yes, I used the “h” word.)

I have very little tolerance for any type of discrimination. That is why I still don’t understand why people continue to discriminate against my man, O J Simpson. Possibly one of the greatest actors in modern time, he still is being harassed wherever he goes. How is he going to find the real killer if people keep bothering him?

On the other hand, virtuous types like Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard and Jimmy Swaggart are allowed to go about their business with little trouble. This in spite of the fact that their “ministries” caused a great deal of pain in many more lives than O J ever dreamed of. (Plus, they never won a Heisman or lead the NFL in rushing).

I am not picking on religious icons. They are good reminders of how celebrity can corrupt even the most virtuous endeavours. The counter argument is that these religious leaders do more good than harm. Maybe that’s true but so did O J. How many USC and Buffalo Bills fans had a happier moment in their lives because O J busted a 50 yard run for a TD?

So, I am asking all of you to please stop discriminating against my man O J. If you people would just leave him alone, he could continue his criminal investigation.

Corrían los años ochenta y el estadunidense Jimmy Swaggart copaba las mañanas dominicales de TVN con sus sabrosas teleprédicas pentecostales.

Su exitoso show le reportaba millonarios ingresos y la idolatría de cientos de miles de televidentes en todo el mundo y en Chile, donde su fanaticada se dio el gran gusto de verlo en vivo y en directo.

1988 fue el año que lo marcó para siempre. Se metió en una pelea de baja estofa con dos colegas -Jim Bakker y Marvin Gorman- y salió trasquilado: Un detective privado lo descubrió en un fogoso encuentro con una meretriz, quien tiempo después lo delataría sin asco, diciendo que el telegurú era “cliente frecuente”.

“Dios mi salvador, he pecado y pido tu perdón”, dijo en ese entonces Jimmy, quien al parecer consiguió la misericordia divina. Es que pese a las indelebles manchas de su hoja de vida, el tipo sigue de pie con su show, que aún se ve en más de 50 países del mundo.

El diario argentino La Nación relata que la cuenta de ahorros de Swaggart ya no es tan abultada, aunque podría volver a serlo, ya que el mítico religioso encontró un nuevo nicho como cantante de música gospel. Sin ir más lejos, lleva vendidos 15 millones de copias de su último disco y lidera todos los rankings de este extraño rubro musical (escribe un informado periodista de Las Últimas Noticias, Ndr).

This has got to be one of the most moving and touching of songs. We all at some stage in our lives lived in wasted years.

Maybe as you listen to this song you find yourself in such a position. In the words of the song, may you, “turn around, turn around, God is calling – He’s calling you from a life of wasted years.”  

 To watch it, all you have to do is just press the play icon in the centre of the video player.

There is a control bar also on the video. You can pause it, or use the volume icon to adjust the sound.