Peril on Oak's Mountain
By Editorial Staff
Published March 31, 2008
By Nathan Middleton
ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A large and beautiful mountain. It was the envy of all the other mountains. Everyone who saw it was enamored by it’s strength and majesty. There have been many mountains through the ages, some even larger than this one, but somehow, this mountain stood out among them all. In fact, mountain dwellers everywhere streamed to it to live while still others sought to copy its forms and structure and apply it to their mountain homeland. It was truly magnificent.
But there was one special and often overlooked characteristic of this mountain that made it unique. For rooted throughout the entire mountain landscape was a forest. But not just any forest. For this was an oak forest with deep roots and huge trunks; they were strong, resilient and tall – giving all who lived on the mountain protection and a deep abiding sense of security.
But then one day, one of the mountain dwellers said to one another, “You know, it sure would be nice if some of these trees were out of the way. For I love to frolic and play on the mountain and I’m sick and tired of the confining limitations these trees impose.” Well soon, many more mountain dwellers began to agree. And they found themselves discussing all the many things they could not or felt should not do because of the forboding presence of the forest. And the more they talked about it, the more angry they became and soon began to despise the centuries old forest.
And so they began to consider ways to begin to remove the oak from the mountain. And they began to implement their their ideas with little or no success at first. Patches of trees were removed here and there, but as a whole the forest was still strong and vibrant. But soon, the disgruntled mountain dwellers became quite adept at tree removal and the planting of a new species of trees that were smaller and more flexible – what became known as the “tolerant” species – to allow for the fun and frolic that became their just cause. And they gave convincing proofs to many other mountain dwellers to join in the advancement of their cause, creating strong alliances and coalitions, forming protests and even organizing lawsuits and boycotts against the mountain dwellers who sought to protect the forest any way.
And before too long, for the first time in mountain history, the strong protective oak foliage no longer dominated the landscape. In fact, many of the mountain dwellers scorned those who dared even consider the great mountain by what they now considered its archaic name – Oak’s Mountain. Little thought was given to the consequences of this massive movement. “After all, our cause is just,” said the mountain dwellers.
That is until one day. For a common rainstorm came, as they do to all mountains and just as it had come to the former great oak forest countless times before. But this time a strange thing happened. Violent landslide erosions were being triggered by the storm. This had never occurred before even when the scattered patches of oaks were removed. Unfortunately, the “tolerant” species of tree roots lacked the strength and depth that the oaks possessed and therefore could not stop the erosion. And the mountain dwellers were “stumped” for the answer as to how to stop it.
Interestingly, the mountain dwellers had so convinced themselves of the justice of their cause to remove the forest that they could not accept the true reason for the massive, consistent and gradual erosion. And so, not understanding the “root” cause, they just got used to the erosion. And then ultimately, one day, quite unnoticeably, the great, strong, majestic, enviable mountain had so eroded to become just like all the other mountains – groping for aid, strength and security it once gave to others.
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:23).
Forerunner - Home » The Forerunner Newspaper » Reconstruction
Your comments are welcome!
Abortion Clinic 911 Calls (DVD)
Exposes the Dangers of Abortion to Women!
These shocking eyewitness accounts expose the dangers of abortion not only to unborn children, but to the health and lives women as well. An antidote to the smokescreens of the liberal media, these six short clips show what really happens in and around abortion clinics.
Although the content is emotionally gut-wrenching, these videos have been used in church seminars and small groups to educate Christians on the abortion issue and to lead people toward a pro-life position.
Watch these pro-life videos on-line.
“These videos helped change my mind from pro-choice to pro-life. Your videos are what did it for me. I will be walking in next year’s March For Life in San Francisco.” — A. Jackson, California
“I was going to have an abortion until I saw your video. Praise Jesus!”
— M. Drew, YouTube Commenter
$4.95 — ORDER NOW!
(We accept all major credit cards and PayPal.)Click here for more information
Go Stand Speak (DVD)
With “preaching to the lost” being such a basic foundation of Christianity, why do many in the church seem to be apathetic on this issue of preaching in highways and byways of towns and cities?
Is it biblical to stand in the public places of the world and proclaim the gospel, regardless if people want to hear it or not?
Does the Bible really call church pastors, leaders and evangelists to proclaim the gospel in the public square as part of obedience to the Great Commission, or is public preaching something that is outdated and not applicable for our day and age?
These any many other questions are answered in this documentary.
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
(We accept all major credit cards and PayPal.)Click here for more information
Dr. Francis Schaeffer - A Christian Manifesto (DVD)
That Swiss Hermit Strikes Again!
Dr. Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential Christian thinkers in the twentieth century, shows that secular humanism has displaced the Judeo-Christian consensus that once defined our nation’s moral boundaries. Law, education, and medicine have all been reshaped for the worse as a consequence. America’s dominant worldview changed, Schaeffer charges, when Christians weren’t looking.
Schaeffer lists two reasons for evangelical indifference: a false concept of spirituality and fear. He calls on believers to stand against the tyranny and moral chaos that come when humanism reigns-and warns that believers may, at some point, be forced to make the hard choice between obeying God or Caesar. A Christian Manifesto is a thought-provoking and bracing Christian analysis of American culture and the obligation Christians have to engage the culture with the claims of Christ.
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
(We accept all major credit cards and PayPal.)Click here for more information
Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism (DVD)
Download the Free Study Guide!
Just what is Calvinism?
Does this teaching make man a deterministic robot and God the author of sin? What about free will? If the church accepts Calvinism, won’t evangelism be stifled, perhaps even extinguished? How can we balance God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? What are the differences between historic Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism? Why did men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards and a host of renowned Protestant evangelists embrace the teaching of predestination and election and deny free will theology?
This is the first video documentary that answers these and other related questions. Hosted by Eric Holmberg, this fascinating three-part, four-hour presentation is detailed enough so as to not gloss over the controversy. At the same time, it is broken up into ten “Sunday-school-sized” sections to make the rich content manageable and accessible for the average viewer.
Running Time: 257 minutes
$19.95 — ORDER NOW!
(We accept all major credit cards and PayPal.)Click here for more information
The Silent Scream (DVD) Eight Languages
“When the lives of the unborn are snuffed out, they often feel pain, pain that is long and agonizing.” – President Ronald Reagan to National Religious Broadcasters Convention, January 1981
Ronald Reagan became convinced of this as a result of watching The Silent Scream – a movie he considered so powerful and convicting that he screened it at the White House. More recently, it was by catching just a glimpse of what this film reveals that Planned Parenthood director and abortion advocate Abby Johnson turned and became a strong advocate for the pre-born.
The modern technology of real-time ultrasound now reveals the actual responses of a 12-week old fetus to being aborted. As the unborn child attempts to escape the abortionist’s suction curette, her motions can be seen to become desperately agitated and her heart rate doubles. Her mouth opens – as if to scream – but no sound can come out. Her scream doesn’t have to remain silent, however … not if you will become her voice. This newly re-mastered version features eight language tracks and two bonus videos.
“…a high technology “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” arousing public opinion just as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 antislavery novel ignited the abolitionist movement.” – Sen. Gordon Humphrey, Time Magazine
Languages: English, Spanish, French, South Korean, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese
Running Time: 28 minutes
$17.95 — ORDER NOW!
(We accept all major credit cards and PayPal.)
