Dr. Brown Clarifies the Hot Button Issues

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What is the truth regarding religious discrimination vs. LGBT discrimination? What is the truth about Israel’s war with Hamas? Dr. Brown will tackle these controversies and take your calls. Listen live here 2-4 pm EST, and call into the show at (866) 348 7884 with your questions and comments.

 

Hour 1:

Dr. Brown’s Bottom Line: Let us awaken to reality; if you really care about the children of Gaza, the Hamas must be removed from power.

Hour 2:

Dr. Brown’s Bottom Line: Let us practice our faith freely without restraint, without constraint. If we don’t practice it freely now, we can’t blame the government for putting restrictions on us later.

SPECIAL OFFER! THIS WEEK ONLY!

This week, get the powerful “Such Were Some of You” DVD, a tremendous tool for loved ones struggling with homosexuality, and as an extra added bonus, we’ll throw in Dr. Brown’s DVD debate “Is Homosexuality America’s Greatest Crisis?” with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach for free! Get both of these great resources today for only $20! Postage Paid! Order Online Here!

Other Resources:

Indoctrination in the Schools: What Should You Do?

Joel Richardson Interview; and Sorting Out End-Time Theologies

What Is and Isn’t Marriage; and Dr. Brown’s Radio Debate with a Local Gay Activist

14 Comments
  1. On today’s show, Dr. Brown said, “If your neighbor had a dangerous dog, would you not put up a gate to keep it out?” to justify the checkpoints for Palestinians.

    Here is the problem with the analogy — Palestinians are not dogs! They are people with basic human rights who should not be caged.

    Yes, there are some dangerous people in any group. Do you wall off the whole group to protect you from some? Put the criminals behind walls and bars, not the whole people.

    It’s a violation of basic human rights to treat masses of people like that.

    I’m going to risk breaking Godwin’s law by making a Nazi analogy: The Germans perceived the Jews as a national threat so they put them behind walls. This isolating of a whole people led to one of the greatest horrors in history. Such isolation disconnects the humanity of one people from another.

    ___I AM NOT SAYING THAT ISRAEL IS LIKE THE NAZIS!___

    (Please re-read the above. And, again, please.)

    But I am saying this — putting whole peoples behind walls should never be done again after the direct path that led from the Jewish ghettos to the Nazi concentration camps.

  2. Greg,

    There is one big difference. The Jews were upstanding members of society that were not firing rockets at the Germans. The Germans did what they did because of an false ideology and to bolster their wealth, among other things. Israel does what it does to protect their citizens…because of Hamas’s ideology and at great cost to themselves.

    We do put walls around criminals. We do impose sanctions on those that continue to violate human rights. We do put up border fences to benefit our own country. We have border crossings that prevent people from coming and going.

    It is too bad that Hamas is what it is. Many suffer because of them. My mom told me a long, long time ago, “Birds of a feather flock together.” If Gaza is not in basic agreement with Hamas, let them prove it.

  3. Bo,

    I agree with your point in as far as the European Jews were a _perceived_ threat while Hamas is a real threat.

    But I don’t blame all Palestinians for Hamas as you seem to.

    Can’t you see any historical parallels with the ghettoizing of Palestinians and other similar efforts throughout history? Does that ever turn out well?

    And, it becomes a violence-oppression syndrome — the ghettoizing creates a breeding ground for radicalism. Then the presence of these radicals justifies further isolation and on and on.

    If the cycle isn’t broken, God forbid where it leads to

  4. Greg,

    I understand how resentment builds. I understand also that it was there before there were any walls. At some point, some kind of war must break out…unless there is a change of heart and government in Gaza. Well, it took too long for that change of heart. Now, war. Maybe a change of heart and government will come after this war.

    Or maybe all the nations of the world will gather against Israel and Messiah will return and righteously kill all those that come against Israel. Some things are unfixable and thus Israel’s commission when they came into the land from Egypt and Messiah’s return.

    Hopefully it can be fixed…but I am betting that we have seen nothing close to the cost in human lives and suffering it will take to fix it…barring a miracle. I hope for the miracle. While I wait, I am a realist.

  5. Oh Greg there you go again…. You even misunderstood theJoan River’s analogy,(a comedian) How can you understand a Doctor’s analogy?

  6. jon,

    Care to contribute with facts or logic — or just snipe at me. Bo, even as wrong as he thinks I am, almost always comes at a topic with substance and not personal attack.

    As for Joan Rivers joke — she said that New York and New Jersey are like Israel and Gaza. It might have been a funny joke but it is a horrible analogy.

    As for Dr. Brown’s analogy likening Gazans to a neighbor with a dangerous dog is weak. Yes, I might put up a fence to keep the dog out — but I wouldn’t put up fence around the whole neighbors property, keeping them all in!

    By the way… I’m not overly critical of Dr. Brown making the analogy. He seemed to be just spit-balling and not saying that Gazans are dogs.

    But my point is not really even an analogy — it’s a lesson from history. Walling in whole groups of people can turn very very ugly.

  7. Bo,

    I honestly don’t know the solution except that, at some point,the cycle of violence needs to be broken.

    That’s why I keep coming back to the peace teachings of Jesus — they do exactly that.

    If the cycle of violence keeps escalating, the end game will be horror.

    What almost surely won’t work is for the two sides to keep bombing each other, expecting the other side to give-in. When does that ever work? Almost always, it just makes them hate each other more.

  8. Since everyone is making analogies, I’ll make mine from physics.

    From high school physics class, do you remember what happens when you contain expanding energy?

    An explosion — of course.

    Isn’t an explosion the inevitable outcome if Palestinians are contained but growing?

  9. A second issue raised on today’s show:

    Is it discrimination to not give a religious group tax dollars?

    I say no. (never mind the discrimination issue)

    Tax dollars should be for secular organizations only.

    A strict separation between church and state is a win-win. It’s a win for the church and a win for the state.

    The last thing the church needs is the government regulation that invariably comes with government money. And the last thing the government needs is for religious groups to start meddling around in civic affairs. If European history taught us anything – it’s that state religion is bad for everybody.

    Is the old proverb goes: “Keep ’em separated.”

  10. Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world.

    The world includes a lot doesn’t it? Does that mean they should get involved in being salt and light, working to bring people into kingdom reality, but not if the people are involved in politics?

    It seems to me that all the world world include the things people get into as well as those things that come against the rule of God, and the rights of his people, whether it be rockets raining down on his people, or wrong political agendas that would encumber freedom of religion in a nation that has that protection written into their constitution.

  11. I believe a government certainly may encourage religion because of the benefit to it’s people, just as the military encourages it’s people to participate in worshiping God and providing such services for them, using tax payer’s dollars.

    I believe that’s an example of responsible government in action.

  12. Greg using fact and logic is a waste of time. I can prove it, you have read M.B. books and studied them thoroughly, you listen intently to his programs. Well what better facts and logic do you want? If M.B. does not get through to you then I will take the Proverb’s approach. ( I do not have better facts and logic than what you find on this program.) ( I do not have a better understanding to God than what you find in this ministry.) I do have the understanding of what a blessing both are and will give my 100 percent support to this ministry and not hinder it in any way. May God bless this ministry, and forgive those that do not know or have understanding of what of it’s source is.

  13. Jon,

    No offense… but you sound a little like a cult member. Dr. Brown is smart but he’s not perfect!

    Surely there is some perspective on faith that he could learn from you. (and I, as well) You are also a priest in the priesthood of believers.

    The only book I have read of Dr. Brown’s is “Queer Thing” which had deep flaws in both facts and logic.

    The problem with facts was that his sourcing was horrible. I am not exaggerating here… if one of my ninth grade students gave me a paper like that, I would return it as unacceptable.

    The problem with logic is that there was so little of it. The basic premise of the book was “be afraid!” I read each chapter searching for some sort of thesis statement and usually came away with… “Dr. Brown thinks gays are [some type of bad].”

    This is not a personal attack on Dr. Brown, (although I expect he’ll take it that way.) I can be critical of one of this books without attacking him personally.

    I suspect that his books related to Jewish issues and biblical exegesis are great. He has an amazing grasp of the bible.

    On his show, this is where he really shines. His understanding of Hebrew, especially, can bring some great insights to a bible passage.

    I have also learned a lot about Pentecostalism from Dr. Brown. I have worshiped with them, many times, and partnered with them in ministry but I can’t say I know them beyond personally. So that’s been great. It’s not my personal issue but I really enjoyed “eavesdropping” on the “Stranre Fire” controversy.

    I also really enjoy his shows on missionary work. They seem like great people, used by the Lord. The couple of shows he has done on sex trafficking are extremely needed in our American media.

    I think Dr. Brown does a good job in pastoral ministry to his callers that are hurting for various reasons. He brings a warm style and sensitivity that seems to be what people are looking for.

    Well. this post went on longer than I expected!

    I think it’s because people think I hang out here to just argue about “the culture wars” issues. Yes, that comes up almost daily because Dr. Brown mentions it almost daily — especially the gay issue.

    But, there are so many other areas I like about Dr. Brown and his show. I wish he would do more of those!

  14. Ray,

    >>I believe a government certainly may encourage religion because of the benefit to it’s people,

    Encouraging religion and subsidizing religion with tax dollars is very different.

    The best encouragement is for the government to stay out of religion (and for religion to stay out of government!)

    Have you lived in countries where the government gets involved in religion? I have — and it’s bad for religion. It’s bad for everybody.

    >> just as the military encourages it’s people to participate in worshiping God and providing such services for them, using tax payer’s dollars.

    “just as”? If you are suggesting the government should pay pastors’ salaries and build churches, like they do for military chaplains, I could not disagree in more uncertain terms.

    The military is considered a unique “whole lifestyle” situation where the government sometimes provides housing, grocery stores, transportation, medical care, recreation, entertainment, and all kinds of stuff inappropriate or unneeded in civilian life. That would include religious services.

    I was in ministry to the military for about a year, as a volunteer, and, I gotta say, it made me uncomfortable at times as a citizen. If the commanding officer is devout to one type of Christianity, he can put unfair pressure on his troops to conform. I think I saw that.

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