Teens for Liberty

Christian Excellence

Calvin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:22:44 +0000

I was recently blessed with the opportunity to listen to world-renowned Christian artist Ron DiCianni speak on the subject of excellence in the arts. DiCianni imparted to the mainly teenage audience his life story in the arts. He told us briefly of how he spent many years of his artistic career going from paycheck to paycheck, striving to earn as much money as he could. While he experienced a high degree of success in this endeavorer, it was simply not quite enough. Although he was making a lot of money, and his artwork was very popular, Mr. DiCianni just didn’t feel…fulfilled. His life still lacked real purpose.

DiCianni then proceeded to tell us of his new found vision that drove his artistic efforts. He had found new purpose in the person of Jesus Christ, and His death and resurrection as prophesied in the books that make up the Old Testament, and recorded in the New Testament. DiCianni found that the Biblical account of Jesus Christ, the literal Son of God, confirmed by a mountain of historical and bibliographic evidence that is simply undeniable, gave Him a new reason for pursuing excellence in the arts. If, as the biblical account says, Jesus Christ, as the Son of God in human form, really rose from the dead as the perfect atonement for all of the shortcomings that you and I have (And we all have them, in abundance even) when we fail to live up to God’s standards of living, and if, as the Biblical account is accurate when it says that Jesus is the only way to enter God’s paradise after death, then DiCianni wanted to spend the rest of His life imparting this knowledge to others, so that they could experience this same joy in their own lives.

From the very beginning, God has had as His plan for us to be with Him. He created us for the purpose of communion with Him. However, since God is a perfect God, He cannot be in the presence of imperfection. We have all fallen short of God’s standards of living. As human-beings, we all sin. We are all imperfect. If this was the end of the story, then we would be doomed to an eternity without God, because our imperfection would hinder us from being with God. However, from the very beginning, God has had a plan to restore us, to save us from this imperfection. His plan was to send His son to this Earth to die in our place, to, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter five, in verse twenty one: “Be Sin, who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God”. When Jesus Christ died outside of the city of Jerusalem, and was later raised from that death on the third day of His being dead, this happening two thousand years ago, it was a real historical even that saved you and I from our sins. All that is left for us to do is to accept that free gift of salvation from Him, and then to live our lives with faith in Him, striving daily to live our lives in accordance with His will.

This brings me to an important point for those of us who have already accepted Christ’s gift of salvation, being renewed in our minds (Ephesians 4:23). Now that we have this salvation, we owe our entire lives to Jesus Christ. Our entire lives. Every aspect, every field of study, every activity, every day, every thing under the sun that we do, we should do to glorify the God who is perfect, and has provided a way to save us from our imperfection.

Essentially, my point is this: Those of us who have been given new life through Jesus, must live like it. We need to get out of our comfort zones, blast past the mediocre, and begin to do our best to honor our Lord in every situation.

Calvin Seervald once said that: “Whatever arena that Christians withdraw from goes to hell”. What this means is that whatever arena of life that Christians do not do our best to excel in, will be prone to false doctrine, philosophies, and world views that do not present purpose, but instead produce purposeless strivings that are ultimately vain.

So I challenge you, my readers, to find purpose in the person of Jesus Christ. Put your trust in Him, and He will give your life purpose. If you need further evidence to convince you of this truth, I would encourage you to first read some of the New Testament, especially the Gospels. This will give you a better understanding of the salvation and purpose that is offered through Jesus Christ, and how you can take hold of it. Secondly, read Joshua McDowell’s The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Maybe you feel that the Christian religion is just like any other; based in the “feel-good” teachings of a great person who died a long time ago. No! The Christian religion is the only one based in historical reality. There is much more bibliographic (literary) evidence supporting the belief in a real time, historical Jesus than there is of Homer’s existence! No other book in the history of the world has any where close to the amount of manuscripts confirming it’s accuracy than does the Bible. In McDowell’s book, this truth is shown with stunning detail. If you are skeptical, please read his book. If you have any further questions about Christ’s Divinity, the accuracy of the Bible, or the impact that the Gospel can have on your personal life, then please contact me through the site’s contact form.

Thanks and God Bless!

Calvin

The Five Pillars of American Restoration Pt 4: Education

Calvin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:19:42 +0000

Education is, in my opinion, and area in public policy where we cannot afford to go wrong. The America of tomorrow will be determined by how we educate our youth today. Tomorrow’s policy makers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and the like will all be raised from the students who are currently being trained in our Country’s education system. Thus, I believe that it is highly important that we ensure that our youth are getting an education that will raise them to become responsible citizens that will pass the torch in respect to work ethic and freedoms that today’s citizens have.

In the United States, the primary means of education for most students are public schools which are funded by the Federal Government. This morning, I want to express my concern for the Public School System, giving four reasons why I feel that it would be in the best interest of our students, as well as our Country, to abolish this system and to stimulate instead the growth of private schools and home-schooling, as well as various advanced distance learning programs.

The first reason why I believe that it would be in our best interest to abolish the Public School System is it’s unconstitutionality.

The Tenth Amendment states that “Any powers not delegated to the United States (Meaning the Federal Government) by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Nowhere in the Federal Constitution is it stated that the Federal Government should run public education, thus the Public School system is in violation of the Tenth Amendment. Since the Constitution is the highest legal document in the United States legal system, this means that any other law sanctioning the Federal Government’s role in education is technically negated by the Constitution. For this reason, it becomes necessary to abolish the public school system in order to retain respect the United States’ legal system.

My second argument for abolishing public schools and increasing focus on private schooling, home schooling, and other advanced distance learning programs is the fact that economically, public schools are incredibly inefficient.

Many would suggest that abolishing public schools would not be practical because many families cannot afford private schools. However, in reality, public schooling is much more expensive than the average private school.

In fact, Education Department figures show that the average private elementary school tuition in America is less than $2,500. The average tuition for all private schools, elementary and secondary, is $3,116, or less than half of the cost per pupil in the average public school, $6,857.

Furthermore, whereas private school tuitions are paid exclusively by the guardians of the children benefiting from the system, public schools are mostly paid for through property taxes, which means that every American citizen who owns property must pay for public education, regardless of whether or not they have children who are in the system.

In spite of this massive amount of spending,

Alongside it’s unconstitutionality and economic inefficiency, the public school system has failed to provide students with the tools necessary to function properly in higher education as well as in the workplace:

The following is an excerpt from a publication by the Cato Institute focused on the cost of private schools:

“Another indicator of the government schools’ failure is the number of colleges and businesses doing the work of the high schools: by the late 1980s, 25 percent of U.S. college freshmen were taking remedial math courses, 21 percent were taking remedial writing courses, and 16 percent were taking remedial reading courses. A recent survey of 200 major corporations found that 22 per- cent of them teach employees reading, 41 percent teach writing, and 31 percent teach mathematical skills. The American Society for Training and Development projected in 1990 that 93 percent of the nation’s biggest companies would be teaching their workers basic skills within the next three years.”

Those numbers are simply unacceptable. We cannot allow this status quo of poor education standards for our students to continue if our nation is to remain the entrepreneurial powerhouse that has been accredited as being throughout it’s history thus far.

While our current education system is undoubtedly a failure, I will not leave without providing you with what I believe is a viable solution to the problems presented. What follows is my step by step plan for saving American education.

As is the case in any task as daunting as the one that we face, it is appropriate that those who would be influential in this transformation of American education get together and outline certain attainable goals for this transformation.

I believe that a significant amount of planning by these leaders in education would be necessary in order to make certain that future generations are equipped with an understanding of the American principles of self-government, thrift, and reliance on Divine Providence.

This planning would make certain that the transformation fulfills it’s goal of providing each of our students with an excellent education.

The second step in this plan is the abolishing of the department of Education, as well as any governmental involvement in youth education. An emphasis on the development of private schools, home-schooling, and advanced distance learning programs would take the place of public schools in educating American students. Rather than doing so in one fell-swoop, I believe that some kind of transitional process towards this goal of privatized education would be called for.

After both of these steps have been implemented, it is my belief that education will not only be held to a higher standard, but will also be cheaper than current methods.

Is America a Democracy or a Constitutional Republic?

Calvin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:38:42 +0000

Many assume that because our Country was founded on Democratic ideals such as those laid out in the Bill of Rights, that our form of Government is a Democracy. For a very long time, I had been under this same impression. Know that I know differently, I am appalled at how widespread this belief has become in American society. A step backwards and a look at the big picture in regards to governmental system becomes necessary. In this essay, I will explore the differences between a Democracy and a Constitutional Republic, which is America’s self-pronounced system of Government.

To begin with, I want to examine the Democratic system of government, so that you can see what that entails. According to Wikipedia,org, a “Democracy is a form of political organization in which all people, through consensus (consensus democracy), direct referendum (direct democracy), or elected representatives (representative democracy) exercise equal control over the matters which affect their interests.^[1] The term comes from theGreek: δημοκρατία – (dēmokratía) “rule of the people”,^[2] which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) “people” and κράτος (Kratos) “power”, in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC”.”

A Democracy is ruled by either the people, or else directly elected officials. In this respect, we are very much like a Representative Democracy. We directly elect our officials, just like a Representative Democracy. However, there is a key difference, which you will soon see. In order to better understand Democracies, examine this chart from the Economic Intelligence Unit measuring the “Most Democratic” countries of the world: http://www.economist.com/images/rankings/Democracy.jpg. Note that the United States is not on the list. Why is that? After all, we elect our officials, in the same manner as a Representative Democracy would. However, as I said before, there is a key difference between our country’s governmental system, and that of a Democracy.

The difference is that in the United States, our elected officials are not given all of the power, and that power is not ascribed to the people either. In this country, our government is based on a Federal Constitution, a document that sets forth the checks and balances of our government, while ascribing all political power as initiated by God and upheld by the people and our Representatives. Due to the presence of this document, we are considered a Constitutional Republic. I am convinced that there is an astronomical difference between the two forms of Government. In a Democracy, there is no limit to the power of the people or their representatives. What the people decide, is essentially what happens. Need I remind you that the Holocaust was a result of the majority of the people confiding in Hitler and his ideologies? People are easily swayed by political leader’s, and in the case of Hitler’s Germany, the results became disastrous.

However, A Constitutional Republic like our own is less susceptible to this danger. This is because all of our beliefs as a nation have already been set in stone, and we have designed our entire legal system to protect those beliefs. Although not flawless, this system has been greatly beneficial to American citizens throughout the Centuries, as well as to countless others worldwide.

I believe that it it highly important that we as American citizens understand this difference between these two systems, as well as understand why our Constitutional Republic has outperformed all others in the preservation of human liberties.

Fourth Practice Essay- Should the Amount of Women in the Legislature be Artificially Raised?

Calvin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:08:59 +0000

The argument to artificially raise the amount of women in the Legislature is part of the feminist platform worldwide. Feminists argue that this is precisely what must be done in order to achieve their goal of equal gender representation in Government. Various organizations such as Quota Project and International IDEA (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) have initiated quotas for the amount of artificial stimulus of women in legislature’s worldwide. These quotas are defined as “Mandatory or targeted percentages of women candidates for public elections. An electoral quota for women may be constitutional, legislative or be in the form of a political party quota. It may apply to the number of women candidates proposed by a party for election, or may take the form of reserved seats in the legislature.” (www.quotaProject.org/aboutProject.cfm#quotas)

IDEA has stated on their website that they are “…committed to ensuring that gender equality is integrated in democracy building. As a cross cutting dimension of democracy, gender is addressed through two complementary and critical approaches; gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment. Through the global program on Democracy and Gender as well as regional program initiatives (in Nepal, Bolivia and Sudan etc.) we support knowledge transfer and capacity building on gender equality and women’s empowerment in electoral processes, political parties, constitution building processes, state of democracy assessments and democracy and development processes.”

But other political groups from across the ideological spectrum have attributed ulterior motives to groups like IDEA who suggest the implementation of such practices. One example of such a group is found at www.ifeminist.com. In regards to feminist’s push for the artificial stimulus of women in the Legislature, Wendy McElroy from Ifeminists.com says in an essay entitled: “Boss Tweed” Feminism, that organizations such as the United Nations and the Feminist Majority, an American group, are…trying to rig the election. They’re not trying to control the voting-just the nominations.”

McElroy continued with an example of these policies being implemented in Kosovo, “…where the parliament functions under a U.N. mandated quota guaranteeing women will constitute close to a third of its members. Every third candidate in the 2001 election had to be a woman.”

My personal belief on this topic is reflected to some degree by McElroy (Although our opinions on specifics are profoundly different) when she stated that: “The ideal of equal representation for women in democratic governments around the globe sounds praiseworthy. But its implementation has little to do with “equality” or “democracy.” Instead, it has become a policy of privilege and quota, driven by elite powers that disregard the wishes of “the people” in regions where it is applied. It is affirmative action applied to the political realm.”

Should Government Censor the Internet?

Calvin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:35:16 +0000

My answer to this question is positively in the negative. I believe that with the sole exception of illegal content, the government (whether on City, State, or Federal levels) should have no censorship over material on the world wide web. My reasons are purely of philosophical root. I give this answer because I believe that every individual is “Endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” (US Federal Constitution). Allow me to explain.

Our government was founded as a Constitutional Republic which paid homage to Democratic ideas such as the three major ones listed above. The implications of such a government (A government run by a written Constitution) were such that allowed the unrestricted access of citizens to those Democratic ideals which were treasured by the individuals who framed it. For example, the Court System in the United States is such that if I intrude upon another in a why that violates a Constitutional right, I will pay a penalty for my actions. If I steal from an individual or group of people, I will either pay a fine, or spend some time in jail. This is because our government was framed in such a fashion that it’s primary function is to protect the rights of the people. When a governmental activity steps across these bounds, it is no longer considered to be constitutionally protected.

Any form of government censorship of otherwise legal content found on the word wide web would be a violation of the First Amendment, which grants the right of freedom of the press, as well as freedom of speech.

However, not all Americans are of this opinion. This is because not everyone believes in the Constitutional principles on which our Republic was formed. Some do not believe in the unrestricted access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as articulated in the US Constitution. The most widespread ideological alternative to a Constitutional Republic is Statism. Statism, according to www.Dictionary.reference.com, is: “The principle or policy of concentrating extensive economic, political, and related controls in the state at the cost of individual liberty.”

Thus, this ideology is inconsistent with the principles on which our Constitution was framed. A Statist’s answer to the question of whether or not the government should censor the word wide web would most definitely be an aberration from Constitutional standards and the opinions derived by those who agree with those standards.

My point in detailing both of these opinions to you is to show that the question posed has deep philosophical roots. I answer that government should not censor the world wide web, because doing so would fall under my definition of intrusion on freedom of speech. However, the way in which any individual answers this question will be determined by the way in which their worldview handles the discipline of government.

Collegeplus! Essay Contest

Calvin — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:06:26 +0000

Hey guys, I just want to leave a note encouraging you to check out collegeplus!’ essay contest going on right now. There are several insightful essays to look at, all on the subject of: “Wise Solutions for Fixing the College Debt Crisis”. You can visit the essay contest here:

http://www.collegeplus.org/scholarship/vote/essays/

I have posted an entry myself, and you can find it (And click on the like button next to my name as well in order to help me towards winning an i-pad) at this link:

http://www.collegeplus.org/scholarship/vote/essays/calvinlyman

The Five Pillars of American Restoration Pt. 3: Truth

Calvin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:09:49 +0000

This essay is the third enstallment of my five part series entitled: “The Five Pillars of American Restoration”. Today I am writing on the subject of truth.

I have made it my goal in these writings to present you with an honest and accurate view of the subjects that I cover. Truth is a foundational concept in my efforts, and I want that to show. However, it is clear to me that truth is not a very sought out thing amongst many media and literary outlets. Truth has never been, and will never be, a popular thing.

In my last two posts, I expounded on the two most important “pillars” of our country that ABSOLUTELY need to be restored if our country is to retain it’s heritage of observance of justice and liberty, as well as progress further towards those ideals. These two pillars were Faith in God, and reliance on traditional Family values. Today I add a third pillar: Truth.

We as human beings have a natural aversion to the truth whenever it becomes uncomfortable. From Adam and Eve’s lie to God after the first sin, to Bill Clinton’s lies about his relationship with a White House Secretary after being impeached in 1998, we as human beings tend to fib our way out of trouble when trouble comes. As we all know, our country is currently experiencing a lot of trouble. This trouble is running rampant in the form of terrible fiscal responsibility (This is true for households as well as government policies), eroding freedoms formerly guaranteed to be respected by our government, less respect for human life, and in many other forms as well.

I and many others have been making the case for quite a while now that we as Americans need to look to our Biblical heritage in order to find the solutions to the problems that we face. I hold to that premise more heartily than ever before.

Read this selection of scripture taken from John’s account of Christ’s ministry, beginning in verse 31:

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

It is highly important that we don’t lose sight of this reality. The truth is the only thing that can save us. The truth that was lived through the example, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the redemption of your sins and my sins. If you would like to know more about this, please e-mail me at calvinlyman@rocketmail.com.

In the next addition to this series, I will tell you why I think education is the fourth area in which we must make drastic change if our nation is to reclaim it’s lost ground in the battlefield of liberty.

Calvin

Broadening Horizons, Tearing Down Walls

Calvin — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:22:04 +0000

I am posting at this time to let you know about several changes that I will be making to Teens for Liberty.

In the past, I have focused centrally on political discussion when posting, and topics have ranged from abortion to Federal Spending and from shady backroom deals to terrorism.

I am writing today to tell you that I will be broadening the scope of my attention to several other topics. The name will stay the same, and I will still provide political opinion, but in the future I wish to capitalize on other aspects of Liberty, and not just the self evident truths written about in the Declaration of Independence (Natural Law). Namely, the liberty that Christians have from eternal death when they begin their walk as a Christian.

I want to bring more attention to the tearing down of walls. I am not speaking strictly about the Berlin Wall of which President Reagan so famously said: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”, but also of the many walls that our Lord has a habit of tearing down. This includes the walls of sin that stand between us and a relationship with our Lord.

In short, my focus will from now on be to glorify God through journalism, and edifying the reader (you) through my writing. I also want to broaden my horizons in respect to journalism, because I feel that God has called me to do so.

I hope that you and I will be drawn closer to the Lord throughout this journey.

God be with you!

-Calvin

The Five Pillars of American Restoration Pt. 2: Family

Calvin — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:34:17 +0000

Continuing on the same thread of American Restoration, I present to you the second establishment of my five part solution to America’s problems. This second “pillar” of American Restoration as it were, is the re-birthing of traditional family values in the home.

It has been made strongly apparent to me that one cannot restore America to former greatness without first dealing with the root of the problem in American society. In my last posting, I suggested that a nation without God is a nation without order (Proverbs 29:18). Today I am going to continue by suggesting to you that also integral to our nation’s success is the establishment of the traditional family. I believe that this establishment has been torn down immensely in our culture today, and I propose that if we restore this establishment, along with the other pillars or restoration, we will continue to be the land of liberty.

The God ordained family structure is as follows:

First, there is marriage. Marriage is reserved for one man and one woman. This is God ordained as according to the scriptures. After marriage, it is the man’s job to provide for the family (This does not imply male superiority, but rather distinction in gender roles). ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife’ (Mark 10:7, English Standard Version). The parents are responsible for their kid’s education, and it is their duty to ensure that their children are brought up to be faithful to God, as well as members of the civil society. It is certainly not the role of government, or any other institution, to do the child raising for the parents.

Here is the dilemma we find ourselves in:

In this day and age, all of the above principles have been majorly in society. The traditional family has been widely distorted into something that can no longer build a civil society. What I mean is this: When the God ordained, traditional family is in motion, the whole unit contributes to society. The children are raised to be members of God’s church, as well as upstanding members of society. Society is strengthened. However, when God’s purpose for the family is distorted, society ceases to be benefited by the family unit. Children are raised by either the Department of Education, day cares, etc.. In the fourth pillar of restoration: Reclaiming future generations, I will say more on the issue of education. For now, I would like to continue by giving a defense for the institution of marriage:

Marriage is where the family begins, thus it is important that a defense for it’s benefit’s to society be given. I also want to stress that marriage is God ordained, and that he holds it in high regard.

To the first point, let it be known that marriage is beneficial to society, and statistical evidence proves it to be so. In preparing this piece, I read sections of a report by the IWF (Independent Woman’s Foundation) on the subject of marriage and it’s importance to a society’s function. In this report statistical evidence was given supporting the notion that the state of disarray in which the institution of marriage finds itself in is co-relational to our society’s problems. The report made mention to the fact that:

• The U.S. Census Bureau reports that for 1996, the percentage
of poor children in married-couple families was
9.2 percent for white children, 13.8 percent for black children,
and 29.4 percent for Hispanic children.
• For the same year, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that
in female-headed households, the percentage of poor
white children is 43.1 percent, the percentage of poor
black children, 58.2 percent, and the percentage of poor
Hispanic children, 67.4 percent.

The report also pointed out that woman are safer in a marital environment than in cohabitation, an alternative support system that our society today is overwhelmingly resorting to:

• All violent crimes against women by their intimate
partners between 1979-1987, about 65 percent were committed
by either a boyfriend or ex-husband, while only 9
percent were committed by husbands.13
• The Family Violence Research Program at the University
of New Hampshire reports that overall rates of violence for
cohabiting couples was twice as high and the overall rate
for “severe” violence was nearly five times as high for
cohabiting couples when compared with married couples.

If you would like to further explore this subject, I would refer you to the full report by the IWF.

As for the second point in my argument: That God holds marriage in high regard, I will consult the scriptures to show you that this is so.

Many bible verses speak on the topic of marriage. I will list a few of these that pertain directly to our study:

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

—Hebrews 13:4

Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.

—Ecclesiastes 9:9

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

—Genesis 1:26-28 (God speaking to Adam and Eve)

As is shown in the verses above, God does care about marriage. He established it in the beginning, and he has told all of his children (For everyone is a child of God) to honor it.

Conclusion

Traditional family values, namely heterosexual marriage and parental accountability for the raising of children, are critical to our society’s structure. The current deterioration of these values is concurrent with our society’s problems. If we are to restore our country to former greatness, we must restore traditional family values nationwide.

Thank you for reading and please stay tuned for the next installment of this series on the Five Pillars of American Restoration: The Renewing of a National Pursuit of Truth.

The Five Pillars of American Restoration Pt. 1: Faith

Calvin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:29:25 +0000