June 2014

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

June 28, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

A message to America’s churches

Pastors & Laymen

God ordained civil-governments and established rules for governing them. We are blessed with a Christian, constitutional republic founded upon Christian self-government. America is not “Christian” because it was formed by Christians. America is Christian because it has a Christian form.

For the most part, the primary elections indicate that the sleeping giant is stirring, yet half or more of America’s church goers fail to participate by voting. “Choose you this day, whom you will serve” applies to more than the Lord Jesus. God has placed you in a civil society and has providentially given you the responsibility of electing that society’s leaders.

A political fact of life – The summer months following the primaries represent political doldrums. Candidates for the November ballot are now chosen in most cases. Each of them is hungry to get his message out, but things will not heat up until Labor Day. Then it will be a mad scramble to do what should have been going on all summer!

I believe every American church should be sending a letter to every candidate wanting votes from their members. Invite them to give their card to an usher at the start of any worship service. At the end of the service, invite them forward to introduce themselves and answer a few questions.

Many candidates will self-select by shunning such an invitation out of fear. Others will boldly attempt a phony bluff. A discerning church member will recognize it. The congregation and their friends will be better informed.

There are 16 weekends until election. An enterprising candidate will benefit spiritually and politically by participating in 16 worship services. That should serve to make him a better public servant!

Such a project costs nothing but a trip to the county registrar of voters for a mailing list of candidates and the postage. The return on that investment could be very significant.

I suggest one of the questions that should be asked: “What role do you believe the Bible should play in the decisions you will have to make?”

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

June 20, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Peeling the onion

The online “Principles of American Government” (PAG) course is now in its 3rd week. I wish this course were compulsory for every political activist, parent, and high school student! We study the principles that inspired America’s founders. What is it that prompted them to stand and face down the (then) world’s mightiest military force and its civil government? What did they understand? What did they believe. What was the foundation they had that our generation doesn’t understand or has forgotten?

The next PAG course begins on Monday, September 8, 2014. Student comments and course syllabus may be found on the ACH web site (see letterhead). Please phone or e-mail me for further information.

PAG students learn to “peel the onion.” That is, pull back all the layers of a thing until reaching its fundamental parts.

For example: To “govern” is to direct, regulate, control, or restrain. Thus, we may govern ourselves, our families, our church, and our civil government. Family, church and state (civil government) make up the structure of every human society. The family is the building block of a society. Every society has a corporate understanding of a “higher power” they treat as god (little “g” as used here). The vertical relationship between families and god, or God (as the case may be), we call “church.” The horizontal relationship between families and families, we call “state.”

I have found the Bible to be the most proven and reliable source for the rules by which things are governed.

Family, church, and state are the only human organizations I find in the Bible, which God ordained, and through which He works. Christ summed up the whole Bible with the simple command – Love God and love others (“vertical” and “horizontal” relationship).

Reason tells us there are only three fundamental ways to govern a human organization: Rule of one; Rule of a few; Rule of many. There are no other ways. Every human organization is ruled by some combination of these three elements. It is a rare exception, for an organization to be ruled by only one form, exclusively.

The names we assign to these forms: Rule of one – “monarchy”; Rule of a few – “aristocracy”; Rule of many – “democracy”. I find all three forma in the Bible. Each form has its assets and its liabilities. For example, a monarch can get things done without having to get agreement from anyone else. On the other hand, such unlimited power easily corrupts. The other two forms may also become corrupted.

An unlawful monarchy is called a “tyranny.”

An unlawful aristocracy is called an “oligarchy.”

An unlawful democracy is called an “anarchy.”

America’s founders tried to highlight the strengths of each form and limit the faults of each form. Thus we have “checks and balances” between the Executive (one); Judicial (few), Legislative (many) departments of our government.

Another fundamental principle, illustrated through human history: The corporate vertical relationship between a society and its god (or God) will always determine is horizontal relationship – that is – its form of civil government. Never the other way around.

What follows is a timely quotation is from Verna Hall (1960) in the Preface of the book she compiled and that we use as a PAG text book.

“In proportion as Americans let go of faith in the absolute power of God, they have accepted the belief in an all powerful State. This is true of peoples or nations, for their idea of God determines the form of their civil, political, religious and social institutions. Communism and socialism are anti-God and anti-Christian; the battle against communism and socialism never was, and is not now, just economic and political; it is religious. Shall Christianity be taken captive?”

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

June 13, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Update – Dr. Steve Long

International Students Christian Outreach – Stanford

A while back – This blog requested prater for Steve Long in Thailand. He and his wife, Vicky, are finally home. Thank you for your prayers.

Hi and thank you for your prayers and support.

June 10th We arrived at SFO at 4pm. Took 2 hours with wheelchair assistance to clear customs. SFO had a flood of people with many planes landing at a similar time. Peter, John and Becky waited patiently to pick us up. Our cell phones were not working so they did not know why it was taking so long. Finally we were reunited at 6pm. We had a celebration dinner at a restaurant, then back home. I was wonderful to be with our sons and to hear about Peter and John’s end of school year. It felt so good to be in our own beds again.

June 11th we were getting unpacked and reorganized. Also taking naps – we were so tired!!! Time for food shopping while Steve slept.

June 12th we went to the VA Hospital to meet with our primary care doctor. The medications were reviewed along with the hospital report. We got USA meds, a chest x-ray, and blood test. Next time will be with the cardiologist for further assessment.

So, thank you again for your prayers. Steve is a miracle. He was dead 9 times, and now he is alive. Nothing is impossible with God. We look forward to seeing you soon. Praying for God’s direction and guidance – Steve is a new man. God has also given him a new message and anointing.

Blessings and love,

Steve and Vicky

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

June 8, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Cicero was wrong!

Cicero’s words sound very reasonable today do they not! I know of no single area of American culture that has not degraded under Obama’s administration. Our President appears to have taken every opportunity to give aide and comfort to America’s enemies, foreign and domestic. I believe that is called “treason”.

On the other hand, in Cicero’s time Christ had not come to change everything.

“A knowledge of our American history is so important to Americans that without it we act like a nation which has lost its memory. A knowledge of America’s Christian History not only restores our national memory but it provides us with the purpose for which America was established.

“Historians who wrote close to the period of our founding were convinced that God reserved this continent and held it in readiness for that time when mankind was ready to accept to the fullest the opportunity and the responsibility for extending Christian liberty to every sphere of life.

“No other nation in the Christian era has had such a unique establishment as America. No other nation has consciously and purposely based its institutions upon Christian Biblical principles. There would be no America if there were no Christianity.[1]” [emphasis is mine]

Christ summed up the entire biblical message – love God and love others. Human history records God’s hand in teaching men to love Him then to love one another. We are slow learners!

Rosalie Slater’s article (above) focuses upon the great providential as well as human effort that has been invested in America to illustrate that men are indeed capable of self-government with God’s help. If that is not true, then Christ died in vain.

Individuals, families, churches, and civil-governments that try to govern themselves without the help of God are destined to fail.

Were God’s hand not at work, America’s civil government would long since have failed. I believe Christian prayers of intercession, asking for mercy rather than justice, are the reason justice has been delayed. If America collapses, as she deserves, the world will say, “Christian ideas of self-government do not work.” God’s efforts in America will seem to have failed. Cocero will appear to be right, we cannot survive treason.

Darkness and hopelessness will shroud the globe. On the other hand – If “We the people” somehow, with God’s help, manage to set our ship of state right again, the whole world will rejoice and God will be honored across the globe.

If Christ appears beside me today, I want Him to find me optimistic that America’s restoration is at hand. I want to be found working toward that goal. Lord, show us your loving mercy and your glory!

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

June 3, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Homosex and peace

How would you react to members of a wife-beaters, bank robbers, or child molesters group who seek to convince you that what they are doing is normal and acceptable?

On what grounds would you base your decision? “Well, that’s an easy one,” you say, “wife-beating, bank robbing, and child molesting is just wrong!” The other guy disagrees. Who is right?

Let’s say the child molesters persuade civil-authorities to pass laws that make molestation legal. Does that make it right? Who decides?

Nothing exists without a set of laws to govern it. Atoms and molecules, galaxies and planets, rocks and dirt are governed by laws of physics. Plants are governed by laws of photosynthesis. Animals are governed by laws of instinct. Humans have the unique attribute of choice. There are laws that govern choices.

In every case I know, when any of these laws are broken the result is chaos. Where did these laws come from and what gives them authority?

Fools pretend that they believe there is no intelligent designer (God) and it all happened by random chance, without intelligence. The rest of us acknowledge God and recognize that He set up the laws of nature.

Sir William Blackstone, “father of the legal profession” [1723 – 1780] discusses law in his book, “Commentaries”:

“This law of nature …directed by God Himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. … No human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this; and such of them (i.e. human laws) as are valid derive all their force, … from this original. But in order to apply this, … it is still necessary to have recourse to human reason … And if our reason were always … clear and perfect … the task would be pleasant and easy; we should need no other guide but this. But every man now finds … that his reason is corrupt, and his understanding full of ignorance and error.

“Revealed law. – This has given … occasion for the interposition (i.e. intervention) of divine providence; which, in compassion to the …blindness of human reason, hath been pleased to …discover (i.e. uncover) … its laws by … direct revelation. The doctrines thus delivered we call the revealed or divine law, and they are to be found only in the Holy Scriptures.”

Thus: “The laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” [America’s Declaration of Independence]

It is becoming “politically correct” to accept homosexuality in our society. If that is acceptable, why not accept wife-beaters, bank robbers, and child molesters in the same way? Soon, nothing will be wrong and homosexuals, wife-beaters, bank robbers, and molesters (see Romans chapter #1 for an extended list) will dominate our society. There must be a standard.

“Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”, which cannot be repealed (!) will be broken. Our society will be in chaos.

If we desire the peace and liberty that goes with a “law abiding” society, we have no choice but to stand and say, “It is destructive to violate the ‘Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.’ Homosexual activities are wrong.” Else others are deceived.

If someone says, “I do not accept biblical authority.”

I respond, “We must be governed by some set of laws. It would be foolish not to seek out the best. I will agree in advance to accept a greater, more proven and reliable set of laws. What have you to offer?”