Christian RECON Training Institute (CRTI)

WHAT DOES RECON STAND FOR?
Rationally
Engaging
Christian
Opponents with
Nobility (gentleness & respect)

WHAT ARE CRTI’S THEME SCRIPTURES?
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. I Peter 3:15

Dear friends, although I was eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. Jude 3.

As his custom was, Paul went into the Synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving… Acts 17:2

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF CRTI?
To teach High School aged youth and young adults to apply their intellects as well as their hearts in their daily Christian walk, and to equip them to articulate and defend the Christian faith in every area of life.

WHAT DOES THE CRTI PROGRAM CONSIST OF?
The program consists of 8, 11 week training modules and a final test. The student must also read the assigned scripture readings for each module during the course of the module he/she will be studying in. The objective is for the CRTI student to read the entire Bible after completing all 8 modules. The scripture references in parenthesis next to each module subject heading is one eighth of the Bible.
Once a student has successfully completed this training program, he or she will have earned the title of Christian RECON Operative (CRO).



WHAT SUBJECTS DOES THE MODULES COVER?
MODULE 1

Introduction to Christianity & HS Prep (Mt. to Acts 23)What the Bible Says About Using Our Mind and Intellect
The Historic Creeds & Calendars of the Church
What Baptists & Evangelicals Believe
What Other Christian Denominations Believe
Survey of the New Testament Part 1
Survey of the New Testament Part 2
Survey of the Old Testament Part 1
Survey of the Old Testament Part 2
How to study the Bible with a concordance
Preparation for High School

MODULE 2

Church History 0 AD to 1,000 AD (Acts 24 to Gen. 30)1st Century
2nd Century
3rd Century
4th Century
5th Century
6th Century
7th Century
8th Century
9th Century
10th Century

MODULE 3

Church History 1,001 AD to Present (Gen. 31 to Deut 7)11th Century
12th Century
13th Century
14th Century
15th Century
16th Century
17th Century
18th Century
19th Century
20th Century to present

MODULE 4

A Biblical & Historical Study of Gov. (Deut. 8 to I Kings 6)Self, Family and Educational Governments
Church, Local and Central Governments
The Origin and Development of Civil Government
The Purpose and Function of Civil Government
The Biblical Foundation of Civil Government
Jesus and Civil Government
The Christian History of the United States
The Purpose of the US Constitution
The Relationship of Church and State in the Bible
The Relationship of Church and State in the 1st Amendment

MODULE 5

Issues in Biblical Perspective (I Kings 7 to Neh. 10)Developing a Biblical World View
World Views in Conflict
Sovereignty and Dominion
Sovereignty and Ownership
Financing the Work of God's Kingdom
Financing the Responsibilities of the State
Biblical Economics
Enemies of Biblical Economics
The Causes of Poverty
The Conquest of Poverty

MODULE 6

The Restoration of a Republic (Neh. 11 to Prov. 16)The Biblical World View of Authority
The Enemies of Biblical Authority
God's Sovereignty Over the Nations
Establishing Christian Leadership
The Restoration of a Republic
The Foundation of Law
The Administration of Justice
Human Rights and Responsibilities
Sovereignty and Education
The Future of Government

MODULE 7

Basic Training for Defending the Faith (Prov. 17 to Jer. 43)The Myth of Neutrality
Introduction to Worldviews, Part 1
Introduction to Worldviews, Part 2
Worldviews in Conflict, Part 1
Worldviews in Conflict, Part 2
Defending the Christian Faith, Part 1
Defending the Christian Faith, Part 2
Problems for Unbelieving Worldviews, Part 1
Problems for Unbelieving Worldviews, Part 2
Watching an actual debate.

MODULE 8

Logic, Rhetoric & Debating (Jer. 44 to Malachi)Rhetoric and semantics
How to construct an argument
How to cross examine an argument
Practice debates
Practice debates
Practice debates
Practice debates
Practice debates
Practice debates
Practice debates
Practice debates

For the exception of Module 8, a final exam for each module will be given in the final and 11th session.

WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE CRTI PROGRAM?The program is open to those in the Spring semester of their 8th grade school year or higher.

One must be a committed baptized believer in the Christian faith having accepted Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior.

Those studying in the CRTI program who are US citizens and are 18 and older must be registered to vote.

One must be committed to tithing (This will be done on the honor system, no follow up or verification will performed)

One must complete a CRTI application that is to be signed by the applicant, a parent (if the applicant is under 18).

WHAT ARE THE MODULE PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS?
One must attend all 11 sessions for each module and arrive on time. Unexcused absences and tardiness will not be tolerated.
All assigned scripture reading for each module must be complete by the end of that module.

HOW IS THE CRTI PROGRAM WORK WITH THE EXISTING SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM?
The CRTI program is strictly an elective Sunday School course. Those High School aged youth who are attending the current Sunday School program may continue to do so, or study in the CRTI program when it is in session.

The regular Sunday School program is an ongoing year around program. Whereas, CRTI program will only be in session for a given period of 11 consecutive Sundays at a time.

WHAT DOES THE FINAL TEST CONSIST OF?
After the student has successfully completed all 8 of the CRTI Modules, the student will then have to take what he/she has learned and apply it by engaging a Christian Opponent in a formal debate.

WHERE AND WHEN WILL THE SESSION BE HELD?
Module 1 will begin on May 8, 2011 at:
Iglesia Bautista Lindale (Lindale Baptist Church)
6615 Irvington
Houston, Texas 77022
Sunday morning from 10:00 to 11:00am.

www.iblindale.org

CONCLUSION
In order for one to be a well grounded and educated Christian, one needs a good practical working knowledge in the following areas:
• The Bible
• Theology
• Church History
• The Denominations of the Christian Church

The CRTI program covers all of these areas.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Matthew Jackson is a graduate of the Agape Force Training Institute where he studied Ministry Communications while serving a 5 year stint in the mission field. He is the author of two books, The Pro-Life Position, and Are You A HEREDEWOSO? Matthew has also written over three dozen articles for various newsletters and his blogs.

One of Matthew's main concerns is the lack of interest and appreciation for the intellectual side of Christianity among most Evangelicals today. While Matthew is not diminishing the heart/emotional side of the Christian faith, he sees a very disproportionate imbalance between the two in the Evangelical community.

In an attempt to swing the pendulum back the other way and bring a reasonable balance between the head/intellect and the heart/emotion sides of the Christian faith, Matthew has created a training program as a way to encourage and equip High School aged youth to explore and develop the intellectual side of their faith. Hence, the Christian RECON Training Institute.

Matthew has extensive experience with engaging Christian opponents himself. He has defended the faith on several radio shows, and has engaged in 4 formal Lincoln-Douglas debates and several online debates. As a Pro-Life Activist back in the late 80's, Matthew has organized several abortion protests and has been arrested 8 times while participating in rescue missions.

Refusing to surrender the academic and intellectual venues in our culture to the liberal, non-Christians, Matthew would like to counter this pagan onslaught by training young people to be Christian RECON Operatives who will be willing to take on the liberal, non-Christian intellectual and academic establishment. Will you join him?

CRTI APPLICATION(Please Print)

Name:
Address: Zip Code:
Phone:
Email
School: Current GPA:

I have read and understood the CRTI course prerequisites and requirements and I agree to abide by those terms.

Applicants Signature:
Date:

(Applicable if student is under 18)
I have read and understood the CRTI course prerequisites and requirements and I agree with those terms and I will support and encourage my child to abide by those terms.

Parent’s Signature:
Date:

The Agape Force Report 2011

THE DATABASE

It’s Origin
Back in 1998, I developed an Agape Force web site for the purpose of creating an alumni network. One of the features the web site had at that time was a directory of AF alumni with their email addresses. As this list grew, I began wondering if there was an “official” roster of those who served as staff members in the Agape Force out there somewhere that I could use as a guide to help me track down more alumni. I eventually made contact with Steve Harrison and he kindly emailed me the roster that he had constructed on a MicrosoftWorks spreadsheet. Not long after the AF web site was established, Ken Light started an AF email list. We used this AF roster as a tool for verifying the alumni status of those seeking to get on the AF email list. So, this roster has underwent a lot of updating and honing for more than a decade. I have since transferred the data over to an Excel spreadsheet and have added more data fields. So, this roster that Steve gave has evolved into a database that reveals statistical information that provides a lot of insight about who we were.

The Sampling Sizes & Statistical Accuracy
As is the case when one studies trends and patterns in any culture or society, the researchers base their conclusions on a random sampling of the data that is available to them. Few researchers have a 100% of all the data on the field they are researching. This study is no exception to that rule. All the stats that you will read in this report are based on a sampling. Suffice to say, the task of gathering information for this database is and will be an ongoing work in progress.

Tracking down data on about 800 people is no small task, so you can expect this report to be updated every year or few years. Having said that, the more information I receive from other AF Alumni in the upcoming years, the more accurate these stats will be. So the numbers that you will be reading in this report now will be based on the data that I have effective the date of this report.

Thanks to all of you who have given me information for the AF database up until now. Let’s keep working together on this.

THE AF STAFFER

The Profile
My best estimate is that there were 804 people who served as a staff member of the Agape Force from 1970 to 1989. The gender balance was 51% female and 49% male. The average length of service for an AF Staffer was 4.9 years. This stat is based on a 96% sampling. However the accuracy on most of the years of service from that 96% is questionable and needs additional verification which will be an ongoing activity.

The vast majority of Staffers were white, Americans from the Baby Boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964). There were Staffers representing other races, ethnicities, and nationalities. And, there were a few who were from the Silent Generation (born between 1925 and 1945). However, I don’t have enough data yet to give any hard conclusive numbers. Hopefully, I will have something in the next report.

The average age one entered the AF was 24, and the average age of departure is 31 (21% sampling size). That statistic combines those of the Silent Generation and the Baby Boom Generation. The average ages for just the Baby Boomers are, 22 entering and 29 departing (20% sampling size).

As of yet, there is no record of anyone from Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) being a Staff member in the AF. Annette Applegate Lanson and Marc Dalton are believed to be the youngest of the Baby Boom generation to join the AF at age 17.
The Staffer Criteria

The criteria for an AF Staffer (as opposed to a Missioner or paid Employee) varied a bit over the years while the AF was in existence. However, this is the general criteria that I have established for this database that I have developed. A staffer usually (there are always exceptions) met all of the following:
1. He/she completed and passed the established AF training course, whether it was called DTI, AFTI or CSI;
2. He/she lived and worked under the discipline structure of the AF in a 24/7 environment.
3. He/she went door to door selling books and/or records in order to raise funds for the ministry.
From time to time, a Missioner or an Employee may have done one or more of the above. However, that would have been the exception, not the rule. Also, this database does not include those who completed one of the training schools and did not go on to join the AF.

Years of Service (YOS)
As far as this database is concerned, one’s tenure begins effective the year he/she entered in to one of the AF training schools. Also, the year one entered and departed the AF has been rounded out. For example, those who entered the training school in September/October would be credited the entire year. Subsequently, those who left the ministry early in the year, such as Janurary/February, they would be credited the entire year. The reason for rounding out the years is to keep the calculation process simple. Being that everyone entered and left at various times of the year, the stats will average themselves out anyway.

The Anthony Paul Factor
Around 1984, the idea of another organization spinning off from the AF for the purpose of becoming a for profit business was conceived. The name of the organization was called Anthony Paul and it officially became an organization in December of 1985. During that time, there were many AFers who went with AP upon its formation. As far as this database is concerned, the APer’s tenure with the AF is considered terminated after 1985 and their years of employment with AP from 1986 and forward is not figured in to their AF YOS.

The Deceased
Of the estimated 804 AF Staffers, I have record of 22 of them being deceased. Here is the list I have for those who are deceased:
Linda Adams
Dennis Britton
Fernando Castillo
Leonard Chastilaine
Kevin Chatwin
Charlotte Christian
Debbie Copeland
John Cordoza
Bob Gardner
Susan Ivanovich
Walter Jay
Jim Locke
Bob McWilliams
Rick Motter
Ray Nicholson
Mark Olson
Jeff Paul
Debbie Davis Pendergrass
Irvin Plummer
Gail Shoemaker
John Surma
Greg Vasquez
Let’s face it reality here, none of us are getting any younger and this list will continue to grow. So I can use all the help I can get keep it current. The dates of death (DOD) will be another field of data that I will be inquiring about.

AF MEMBERSHIP OVER THE YEARS

YEAR NUM. OF MEMBERS
1970 007
1971 032
1972 054
1973 095
1974 165
1975 251
1976 313
1977 364
1978 373
1979 350
1980 371
1981 377
1982 328
1983 287
1984 262
1985 120
1986 065
1987 046
1988 031
1982 014

AF MARRIGAGES

The Types of Couples
Of the 804 people who served as Staffers in the AF, 346 (43.0%) of them, served while being married for part of their tenure or their entire tenure. The 173 married couples who served In the AF have been divided into two categories. Those who joined the AF single and met their spouse and went through their courtship and marriage while serving in the AF. I call this group the After Couples. The other category is the couples who were already married before they joined the AF and joined as a couple. I call this group the Before Couples. The After Couples are by far the larger category with 124 couples. This comprises 71.7% of the AF couples.

There were only 49 Before Couples who served which comprised only 28.3% of the AF couples. The scope of this database does not include those who left the AF single and met and married their spouses after they left the AF. As interesting as a study as that would be, it would be very difficult to do because there are more variables to contend with.

The After Couples
Of the 124 After Couples, 93 of these couples have been accounted for. Meaning, the marriage statuses of these couples have been confirmed. Of these 93 couples, only 19 of them are divorced which gives us a divorce rate 20.4% (75% sampling size). The marriages of 7 of the 93 couples were ended with the death of one of the spouses, and of course those numbers are not figured in this divorce rate.

The Before Couples
Of the 49 After Couples, 13 of these couples have been accounted for. Meaning, the marriage statuses of these couples have been confirmed. Of these 49 couples, only 3 of them are divorced which gives us a divorce rate 23.1% (26.5% sampling size). The marriages of 2 of the 49 couples were ended with the death of one of the spouses, and of course those numbers are not figured in this divorce rate.

Conclusion
In total 106 AF married couples (including before and after) have been accounted for and only 22 of them are divorced which gives us a combined divorce rate of 20.8% (61.3% sampling size). I think an overall divorce rate of 20.8% is remarkable given that the divorce rate in mainstream society is about 50%. I think these numbers reflect well on the AF. The sampling size for the Before Couples is a little small as compared to the After Couples, but we will see how these numbers hold up as more data comes in.

Special Note
If you happen to know of an AF couple that is divorced, and are unsure if I have a record of it in this database, I ask that you let me know in a private message in order to maintain discretion and avoid any further embarrassment to the couple in question.

FINAL COMMENTS
As I stated before, this report is and ongoing work in progress and will be updated at least once a year. I am looking forward to making contact with more of you and getting more data on your YOS, DOB and other info. Thanks for your help.

So Much For Affirmative Action

Back on May 2, 2009 my wife and I attended Houston Community College’s annual graduation ceremony at the invitation of a friend who was one of the graduates. I found the keynote address to be rather peculiar insofar as it was not within the general theme of what I expected for a graduation ceremony. At these kinds of events, I have come to expect the keynote speaker to encourage and exhort the graduates as they are entering the next phase of their lives. The commencement speakers I have seen usually gave the graduates their counsel, wisdom and insight on how to navigate through the obstacles and challenges that lies ahead them. However, this was not the case with this keynote speaker. Although he may have had some words of encouragement, the vast majority of speech, was nothing but a bunch of bloviating about the so-called virtues of Affirmative Action. So, who was the keynote speaker at this event? It was none other than the distinguished Harvard professor, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

After hearing about his July 16th arrest for disorderly conduct after being verbally abusive to a white police officer, I can’t say that I was all that surprised based on what I heard from his boring speech back on May 2nd. The thing that really strikes me odd about this whole thing is that this racially charged incident did not take place in the South. The officer was not a racist redneck who was having a slow shift and was looking to roust a brother. Sgt. Crowley did not hit him in the head with a billy club and called him a “boy.” Nor did he call Dr. Gates the dreaded “N” word. This incident took place in the North, in the Common Wealth of Massachusetts, which happens to be one of the most (if not the most) liberal states in the Union. Dr. Gates lives in a very Pro-Affirmative Action state and he is the Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

In spite of living in the most pro-affirmative action state in the country and having his own department at Harvard, Dr. Gates still wants to belly-ache and play the race card after a police officer responds to a 911 call from someone who thought that a burglar was breaking into HIS HOUSE. I thought Affirmative Action was intended to right the wrongs of the past and bring healing and harmony between the races. Gee, a lot of good all of this Affirmative Action stuff has done. It sounds to me that Affirmative Action is neither, affirmative, or action.

MEMO TO DR. HENRY LOUIS GATES

The few times that I have seen your name published, I saw additional words such as, “Scholar,” “Professor,” “Author,” and “Lecturer,” accompany your name. When I associate those words with an individual, I usually think of a person who is smart. However, the hearing the news of your behavior that led to your arrest, it sounds to me that what you did was… well, shall I say… not smart. In fact, I would say that you behaved, “stupidly.”

Since you pride yourself in being an expert in black culture, I think it would be safe to say that you know who Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is. This is one guy who has probably been arrested more times than you have and has probably suffered from more police abuse than you have. Never at anytime was Dr. King ever rude or impolite when encountering law enforcement officials. He made it a point to keep his conduct and behavior above reproach. I can never imagine Dr. King saying, “yo mama” to a police officer as you did.

You might want to think about using a similar approach as Dr. King did when dealing with the police by being polite. After the encounter is over, and both of you have gone your separate ways, if you think that the officer has acted unprofessionally and that his/her actions were racially motivated, then you deal with it at that time. This is why most police departments have internal affairs divisions and this is why we have civil courts.

Your actions on July 16th will have more of a teaching impact on your students than what you will be telling them in the classroom. You are doing the black community a great disservice by teaching them to have a chip on their shoulder and play the race card every time a mishap, a misunderstanding or a miscommunication occurs between a white and black person. Playing the race card and alleging racism where it does not exist only makes it that much harder for those who are the real victims of racism.

My Solution To The High Cost of Health Care

The reason President Obama and the Democrats can’t get the health care issue right is because their worldview is out of whack. Their thinking is based to two flawed premises:
1 No system that can be created that will ensure that everyone will get full comprehensive health care coverage regardless of one’s ability to pay. This is a pipe dream. No matter what health program is implemented, somebody somewhere will fall through the cracks and not get the health care that they actually need.
2. Whether you like it or not, no matter how you slice it and dice it, health services are a consumer product just as any other type of goods and services that you purchase. Given that, if you want to lower the cost of health care and make it accessible to as many people as possible, it needs to be done according to the same economic principles that are used to lower the price of any other consumer product.

Once you understand those two givens and that we are in a health care cost crisis as opposed to a health care crisis (there is a difference), then the solutions are quite simple. Here is my plan:

1 Implement a sound tort reform plan. Make laws that will prevent frivolous mal-practice lawsuits against Doctors. Also, if a case does go to trial, have it where the looser pays the court costs. This will reduce the amount of mal-practice insurance a Doctor will need to buy, and thus reduce the Doctor’s overhead. This will also prevent the Doctors from over prescribing tests and treatments in order to prevent lawsuits in the first place.
2 Implement a uniform pricing policy regardless of who the payer is. First, allow the heath care providers to set the cost for their services. Then, what ever price the health care provider sets, the cost for that service should be the same whether the service is being paid for directly by the consumer, private insurance, or medicare/medicaid. If the health care providers want to charge an administrative surcharge to cover their cost for processing the non-cash paying costumers, then I would be okay with that as long as it is within reason. Let’s say 5% of the cost, but not to exceed $100 (Those figures can be negotiated, but you get the idea).
3 Implement laws that will encourage the insurance companies to write policies that will cover only the high dollar and catastrophic cases. This will lower the insurance premiums. In the long run, it is a waste of resources for insurance companies to cover routine Doctor visits for minor illnesses and injuries. Those expenses should be paid for out of pocket by the consumer.
4 Implement laws that will encourage and enable the insurance companies to write national policies. This will give the consumer the option of having some mobility. As of now, the medical policies are written per each individual state. The problem with that is, if one wants to move to another state, one has to change policies.
5 Revise the tax code and allow individuals to have a tax break on their health care costs. Allow everyone to pay up to $5,000 per year for their insurance premiums or regular out of pocket medical expenses with non-taxable income. Business are not taxed on the money they spend on insurance premiums, so I say give the individual the same benefit that the businesses have.
6 Revise the tax code so it will encourage Medical Savings Account tax shelters. The more money the consumers have to spend, the more they are impowered to shop around and choose their health care providers.

These are just a few ideas that I have thought of, I am sure there is more. Will any of those ideas that I just outlined create the perfect health care system if they are fully implemented? I don’t think so. However, I will submit to you that if they are fully implemented, our health system will be far better than it is now. When it is all said and done at the end of the day, any solution to our health care problems should be free-market based and should incite competition between the health care providers. Competition is what will drive the cost of health care down, not government intervention. And the lower the cost of health care, the more accessible it will become to those who need it.

And The Winner Is... Donny Osmond!

During the decade of the 70s there was a sort of a perceived rivalry by many between Donny Osmond and Michael Jackson. Donny, Michael and myself are contemporaries. I am 11 months older than Donny and 19 months older than Michael. So I had the opportunity to observe of both of their careers and draw comparisons. When it comes to sheer talent, there is no question in my mind that Michael far surpassed Donny. Michael won more Grammys and sold more records than Donny could ever dream of. And, Michael had a much broader fan base and had a farther reaching influence on pop music.

As is the case with any area of life, talent is not everything and Michael’s death only proved that. So what does Donny have? Well, for starters, he is STILL ALIVE. Michael may have had more talent than Donny when he was alive, but Donny was a better steward of his talent than Michael was of his, and Donny is still able to use his talent. The bad choices that Michael made over the course of his life put him on a path of self-destruction. So much so, that Michael’s talent could not even save him from the consequences of his bad choices.

I am not privy to Donny’s financial situation, but if I were to venture a guess, I would say that Donny is far more financially solvent than Michael was. Although Michael made more money, his obsessive and compulsive spending habits left his estate more than 400 million dollars in debt when he died. Donny may have had his ups and downs since his hay days in the 70s. In spite of that, I would contend that proportionately, Donny has done more with less. There is no doubt the Michael was a great entertainer. However, he failed in the areas of life that mattered the most. So, as for the so-called, “rivalry” between Michael and Donny, I officially declare Donny the winner by default.

MEMO TO DONNY:

Donny, in the event that you read this, I would just like to say that even though I do not know you personally. I think I know you well enough to know that you do not take any pleasure in winning this so-called, “rivalry” with Michael. Also, you don’t strike me as the type of guy who would have begrudged the fame and success that he achieved. I think we would agree that we would have preferred that Michael would have made better choices and put his life on a more constructive path.

If I may, I would like to offer you some words of encouragement. We are both still in our early 50s. Even though we have crossed the halfway point in our lives, we still have some productive years ahead of us. Whatever you do, don’t stop working in show business. You have a God given gift. Remain a good steward of your talent and God will reward you for it. Keep on working your projects. If one fails, don’t worry about it. Just get back on your horse and move on to the next one. You have a broad enough fan base and are well respected and loved enough that an occasional failed project will not kill your career. It is important that you keep working and get your projects in. This way, people will be able to judge you based on your entire body of work.

Take a look at Melissa Gilbert. You two have something in common insofar as both of you started in show business when both of you were a child. Melissa is at a point in her career where she realizes that she will probably not get the big blockbuster projects. She has resigned herself to the fact that she may not get all the millions and the Oscars. However, she has set her sights on getting the Life Time Achievement Award. Although most of her projects were not blockbuster hits, they were successful enough for her to put food on the table and hopefully money in the bank before moving on to the next project.

My advice to you is to take a similar approach to what Melissa is doing. As the old adage goes, “How you finish is far more important than how you start.” If you take this approach, I think you will leave a good legacy that you and your family can be proud of. See ya at the finish line.

Christianity & Yoga

A few months ago I signed for a family membership at our local YMCA. Afterward I acquired a copy of their schedule to see what kinds of group fitness activities were available. Their fitness activities ranged from aerobics to cardio boxing to power flex to cycling to zumba dancing to yoga and more. I attended a few of these classes to get an idea of which one would be best suited for my personal fitness goals. Finally I attended a yoga class.

After attending about four or five classes and liking the results, I made an announcement in Facebook that I have begun studying yoga. Not long after that, one of my Evangelical Christian brothers sent me an email and expressed his concern about me taking up yoga, thinking that I might be compromising my Christianity due to the fact that yoga has its roots in eastern mysticism. For many years, I had avoided yoga for that reason; I was a little hesitant going to my first class and wondered how much of this eastern stuff I was going to have to sift through.

As for the yoga class that I am attending, there is nothing going on that I would consider to be in conflict with Biblical Christian values. The most eastern thing we do was at the very end of the class where we all sat in the lotus position and folded our hands and they said a word in Sanskrit that means peace. Other than that, it was all a bunch of stretching, breathing and balancing exercises.

Keep in mind, I have attended less than a dozen classes at only one location so far. I can't say that the class that I am taking at the YMCA is representative of all the yoga classes given or even the average yoga class. The class that I attend doesn't get into the meditation part of yoga and I think that's probably where it takes its turn to the east.

I take the attitude that yoga is similar to the martial arts insofar as you can master the physical techniques of the discipline without embracing the eastern philosophy. However, after I did an internet search on Yoga & Christianity, I discovered that not all Christians are in agreement with me on this point. I read arguments on both sides of the issue in the various web sites that I perused. There are even a few books out on this subject as well.

I read one opinion on the con side of the debate that stated that Christians should not engage in yoga in any way shape or form. And, that one can achieve the same degree of agility and flexibility by taking up low impact aerobics, gymnastics and ballet. I don’t agree with that opinion at all. Although flexibility is needed in order to be good at those disciplines, stretching and flexibility is one of the main cornerstones of a yoga workout. Yoga contains a vast vocabulary of stretching exercises covering all the major muscle groups that the other exercise disciplines just don’t offer. Of course, I recall being involved in a similar debate over 30 years ago concerning Christianity and Rock Music. There were those who argued that Christian rock was not a legitimate form of Christian Music.

I read another opinion from one of those hardcore swami/guru Hindu types from India who believed that if one wants to be a true student of yoga, then one must embrace the entire yoga package. He said, if you are doing only the exercises, then you are not really studying yoga, you are just doing yoga exercises. This guy might have a legitimate point. If he is right, then maybe I should amend my April 28, 2009 announcement on Facebook. Instead of saying, “I have started studying yoga,” maybe I should say, “I have started studying yoga exercises.”

The main thing I think that has gotten lost in the debate among Christians over yoga is the concept of us being a good steward of our temporal earthly body and trying to keep it as fit as possible in order to be in a position to better serve God during our finite amount of time here on Earth. I think the best way for a Christian to approach yoga is to approach it from a fitness perspective as opposed to a spiritual perspective as the Easterners do.

In closing, allow me to offer some tips for those Evangelical Christians who might be contemplating a yoga exercise program:
1. Try to find a yoga class at your local YMCA or someplace like the Y. Those kinds of venues tend to teach a more westernized version of yoga as opposed to going to a Hindu Temple;
2. Remember that yoga is an art form as well as an exercise program. So, not all yoga classes are exactly the same. The degree to how eastern the class is will depend on who the instructor is. Some classes hardly contain any eastern stuff at all. While other classes may vary in degrees. If the class contains a little bit of eastern elements, you can always abstain from those activities. It the class has more eastern stuff than you are comfortable with, then you might want to just look for another class. Let your conscience be your guide.
3. Talk to the yoga instructor and let him or her know that you are a Christian and that you are only interested in studying the physical exercise side of yoga. Even if your instructor may be more eastern in his or her thinking, he or she might still be supportive of you just pursuing the physical side. Remember, your yoga instructor is more than likely getting paid to teach this class. Yoga instructors are not any different than any other kind of instructors teaching in the private sector. They want to have as many students as possible in order to keep their job. If there are enough Christians that speak up and let their light shine before all men, they will be more open to adjusting their program to fit their audience.
4. Try to find a beginner level class if one is available. The class that I am attending is a mixed level class because there are not enough beginners to form an entire class. If you find yourself in a mixed level class, approach each exercise (or pose) with caution. Some of these poses will take several weeks and months and sometimes years to master. If they are too difficult for you at first, ask your instructor to show you the beginner level version of that pose. In most cases your instructor will be more than happy to show you the beginner version of a pose if there is one. But, you might have to take the initiative and ask.
5. Yoga exercises are best done on special mats designed for that purpose. More than likely the place where the yoga class is being held may have a mats for those who don’t own their own. However, once you have decided that yoga is something that you will want to continue doing, you might want to buy your own mat. Yoga exercises are best done with bare feet and you don’t exactly know where other people’s bare feet have been when using a shared mat.
6. Be sure and drink a lot of water before attending your class in order to prevent any muscle cramps. Some of these poses will be exercising and stretching muscle new groups that are yet not accustomed to a yoga workout and you might experience a cramp or two. Hydration is the best way to prevent cramping.

And now for the bonus tip. WARNING!!! If you are a prude, do not read this last tip.

7. Avoid eating any flatulentary foods before attending your session. Some of these yoga poses may feel awkward to you at first and the last thing you would want to do is to create any embarrassing noises while executing these poses. Plus, controlled deep breathing will play a big role in executing these poses. So you don’t want to do anything that will adversely affect your air quality.

My Position on Illegal Immigration

INTRODUCITION

This position paper IS NOT about taking a position against immigration. This paper IS about drawing the distinction between LEGAL and ILLEGAL immigration. As is the case with most Americans (in this paper, Americans are defined as those who are citizens of the United States), all my ancestors at one time or another immigrated to the U.S. It may also interest you to know that I am married to a Latin lady who also immigrated to this great country. However, let it be known that my ancestors and my wife immigrated to the U.S. LEGALLY.

This paper is also about proposing a reasonable and fair plan for slowing down the tide of illegal immigration and dealing with the illegal immigrants who are already in the U.S. I fully understand that most of the people who enter the U.S. illegally from Latin America are looking for opportunities to work and make a better life for themselves. I also acknowledge that there are a lot of jobs in the American job market that illegal immigrants will take that a lot of Americans are less inclined to take. However, as true as this may be, the fact is that we have approximately 15 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. today and it is taking its toll on the American health, education, welfare and criminal justice systems and our economy.

PREVENTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

When addressing this whole topic of illegal immigration, it is very easy for Americans to look upon illegal immigrants with contempt because they are violating the law. The fact of the matter is, the Americans need to first look at themselves in the mirror and realize that they are just as much a part of the problem with illegal immigration as the illegal immigrants are. The reason illegal immigrants are here is because American businesses are willing to provide illegal jobs for them. The American consumer is willing to buy products from companies that hire illegal immigrants. So, while I do support some changes in our immigration laws, I also think that our government should enforce the laws that we already have concerning businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

One of the problems with the U.S. immigration policy (besides the lack of enforcement) is that it is actually easier and more convenient for someone to come here illegally than legally. So, the answer to this problem is quite simple. The U.S. Government needs to come up with a way to make it more convenient to enter the country legally while at the same time coming up with a way to make it more difficult to enter illegally. Therefore, I am in favor of granting some sort of guest worker permits for those who immigrants who want to find work and can pass a criminal background check and a physical. And I am in favor of closing the border with Mexico by building a wall on the entire length of the border. Furthermore, I think we should hire legal immigrants with guest worker permits to build the wall because this type of project will provide a lot of jobs for several years.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE ALREADY IN THE U.S.

I am not in favor of granting amnesty to those illegal immigrants who are already in the U.S. However, I am in favor setting up a system that will enable them to become legal residents and remain living in the U.S. Here are a few of the conditions I think illegal immigrants should meet in order to be allowed to stay:
· Pass a criminal background check;
· Pay a fine and processing fee of $2,000.00;
· Forfeit the right to become a U.S. citizen;
· Forfeit the right to receive public welfare and medical benefits;
· Score at least a 70% on a standardized English proficiency test.

I think those who do not meet the above conditions with in a reasonable timeframe shall be deported. If one does not have the $2,000.00, they can work it off by helping the U.S. Government build the wall on the border. If an illegal immigrant meets those conditions, then I think their children who were born in the U.S. should be considered legal U.S. citizens. Otherwise, the law should be changed and not allow children of illegal immigrants to be U.S. citizens automatically. Their children should be required to wait until they adults to seek citizenship if they so choose.

CONCLUSION

If you are an illegal immigrant please don’t think that I hate you. Or, that I hate Latin people in general. As I have already stated, my wife is Latin and we both attending a Spanish speaking church and I am learning to speak your language. If you don’t agree with what I just wrote, that is okay. The ideas expressed in this paper are solely my opinions on how I think things should be.

At this point in time, I doubt that any of my ideas will actually be implemented anyway. So, you should not have much to worry about. However, let me give you a few facts that you might find interesting. Did you know that:
· The Mexican Constitution prohibits their immigrants from protesting against the Mexican government at anytime;
· Being an illegal immigrant in Mexico is a felony with a possible punishment of two years in prison;
· A legal immigrant or naturalized citizen in Mexico can be deported at anytime without due process;
· A naturalized Mexican citizen cannot:
Run for public office;
Be a officer in the Mexican military
Be a member of the clergy.
· Mexican Soldiers are stationed at their boarder with Guatemala to prevent illegal entry into their country;
· The Mexican Government does not provide public welfare benefits to their immigrants;
· Bilingual education does not exist in the Mexican school systems;
· The Mexican Government requires their immigrants to speak Spanish when conducting government related business;
· Mexico deports more illegal immigrants a year than does the U.S.

Do you think it would be fair if the U.S. did whatever Mexico does about immigration?