Inside the Temple, Part 5

Heart of the Matter: Where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity

This is Heart of the Matter, where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity, face to face. Show 29 359 Inside the Temple Part V. September 16th 2013. And I’m your host Shawn McCraney. We praise the True and Living God for allowing us to participate in this ministry. May He be with you (and us) tonight.

If you live in the Salt Lake area and are looking for a Christian church to learn the Bible, consider CAMPUS. We meet on Sundays at 10 and 2:30. We are deconstructed approach to doing church with nearly all of our efforts centered on teaching the Word contextually. Our programs for teens and young adults are non-existent. We do have child care for kids 3 to 8. Before and after that there is nothing. And our worship is based on the Word of God put to music and a period of quite time for personal prayer.

CAMPUS: A Unique Approach to Church

We don’t have an established welfare system and our church is held in a warehouse that is too hot in the summer and we’ll see what happens in winter. The pastors is a complete jackass on two legs and we have no pull in the community. We do have coffee and bagels (usually). If this appeals to you . . .CHECK US OUT! by going to www.c-a-m-p-u-s.com for times and directions.

Why would anyone come to CAMPUS? We pull no punches. We teach the Word contextually. And we leave the responsibility of being a Christian in your hands and do not try and interject ourselves between you and your life and God. www.www.c-a-m-p-u-s.com

Hey, we want to thank each and every one of you for how you remember us. Received this email a few days ago from Jessi: “I have been praying for you and your family, Shawn. I have written you a few times before and I’m still here. Still praying. God bless you, brother.” Jessi

Thank you Jessi – and all the rest of you who remember us in your prayers. We need them more than ANYTHING else because you are petitioning the true and living God on our behalf – and He can and will hear you and we thank you so much for taking the time. Ours is an extremely unique ministry (for a number of reasons I will not articulate here) but because of our uniqueness, our ability to survive can be quite tenuous. You name the area, we are almost always in dutch with one group or another. So your prayers and other forms of support mean the world to us. As you are inclined of the Lord, please continue.

Worship and Biblical Songs

Speaking of being “in dutch” with others, I cannot help but comment on this email sent to us by Steven. It says:

Shawn, I came across this song and wondered if you thought it was OK or if it wasn't a biblical song to be sung in church, thoughts?

Verse 1: O God, you are my God I seek you I thirst for you

Verse 2: My body longs for you I have looked upon you I see your power and glory

Chorus: Your love is better than life My lips will praise you I will bless you Lord! I lift up my hands!

Verse 3: I am satisfied You feed me I praise you joyful lips

Verse 4: I will think of you All night long You are my help

Chorus: Your love is better than life My lips will praise you I will bless you Lord! I lift up my hands!

Bridge: Under your wings I will sing for joy I cling to you, You hold me up!

Chorus: Your love is better than life My lips will praise you I will bless you Lord! I lift up my hands!

Let’s see . . . how can I put this? Hmmmmm. The words all sound biblical – might even be – like from the psalms. Most of them sound Psalmish – like David penned them. But with today’s modern nuanced vernacular firmly in place the words also sound quite sexual – at least very romantic. Not sure that is what the love we have with our King is all about. I think I will end my commentary on this by saying this: God wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. If either is lacking in our selected worship music maybe we ought to rethink it. Anyway, this is a blemish – just a blemish on our attempts to reach and please and know the living God. He has dealt with stuff far more egregious stuff in the lives of people He loves so I’ll let Him handle it.

But let’s get to something more related to the heart of the Matter – Mormonism.

Perspectives on Mormonism

People can look at Mormonism from all sorts of perspectives, can’t they. Some are indifferent or maintain a live and let live attitude toward them. Other’s embrace them as “Christian.” And others, while rejecting their false doctrines say they are a morally living people and choose to side with them on the basis of their standards of clean living – their politics – whatever. All along the spectrum of responses these attitudes fall. But I want to present to you what I see modern-day Mormonism as even though I will be labeled a radical, insane, a zealot, and even a hater. Mormonism is a first-rate World power. It operates and influences by all that is in the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. We see these reflected in what they elevate, what they respond to, what they do and what they say – both publicly and behind closed doors. We see the institution clearly – but are silenced on every corner.

Influence and Strategy

There are a number of things modern Mormonism is appealing to in their efforts to convert and control the world. One of them is their full time missionaries are preaching a very duplicitous and humanistic message – something hopefully not found in modern Christianity. What do I mean by this? The missionaries are telling people that living good lives is all that matters – irrespective of faith. I had a missionary convey this very message to me just two weeks ago. See, where biblical Christianity rejects such a message and stands firm on one way, one path to one heaven or to one hell, the 80,000 LDS missionaries are capitalizing on what appears to a fallen world as narrow thinking and is promoting an opposite position – to appeal. It’s their newest hook and I can tell you it is gonna play if they do it right. They are going to continue to make in-roads through worldly systems like politics and government, and will capitalize on media outlets and exposure. Additionally, they are going to strongly endorse religious tolerance, playing that card are far and long as they can even to the point of curtailing public criticism of any other faith. Just watch. In the end, all this will culminate in them going from being a first rate world power to being a primary world power – mark my words. And with this, they will exude in pride.

The Pride of Mormonism

From its foundation, the pride of life has coursed through the veins of Mormonism. You are all probably familiar with this infamous quote by founder Joseph Smith: "Come on! ye prosecutors! ye false swearers! All hell, boil over! Ye burning mountains, roll down your lava! for I will come out on top at last. I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet…When they can get rid of me, the devil will also go." (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 408, 409) After airing this quote on an earlier program we received this response from an LDS defender this past week. Take note of the tone – you’re gonna see and hear a lot more like them in the years to come – don’t say you weren’t warned: “I bet there are a few of your fans who love the Beatles and even though John Lennon made the statement that the Beatles are more popular than Christ, you all aren't burning your Beatles dvds. I'm sure you all are able to put John Lennon's statement into perspective and can agree yes, at one point the Beatles were more popular among mankind than the Lord, especially with the young teenage girls. How many of you listen to "Breakfast with the Beatles" on your way to and from church? When we look at the fact that the Prophet Joseph Smith did the incredible miraculous work of gathering a sizable flock of Latter Day Saints and held them together as the Lord had him herd all of them from New England to Ohio to Missouri to Illinois, it

The Legacy of the Prophet Joseph Smith

He held them together under the worst persecution any Church ever suffered upon this land of a nation with constitutional freedoms of religion. He built beautiful cities and was the General of their exemplary militia. The Prophet Joseph Smith completely inspired them and won their hearts and established the restored Gospel so effectively that when he was martyred, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints didn't crumble and just become some tragic incident of American history. Those pioneer Saints suffered much hardship and affliction, but successfully and bravely endured and made it to Salt Lake.

The Mormon Battalion's performance was of the highest standard of military service and community service as they helped rebuild the communities of Southern California from the devastation of the war with Mexico. I stand proud and get caught up in the awe of delightful wonder when we look at the legacy of the Prophet Joseph Smith that is now measured out in a most notable, efficient, well dressed international organization sporting the most beautiful and divine infrastructure of celestial architecture.

Political Influence and Perseverance

Two centuries later I stand with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint at the point when they obviously have reached critical mass. Forgive me if I most boastfully point out how Mitt Romney could have won the 2008 election if it wasn't for the fact the Mike Huckabee eroded his support with the "you believe Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers" routine and ended up handing the GOP nomination to John McCain. Then in 2012 it became obvious that Mitt was the man and the conservative right wing Christians handed him the GOP nomination and rallied to his support. As I watched the GOP convention, I laughed as Mike Huckabee spoke and wholeheartedly did a 180 from 2008, “Come on you persecutors you false swearers” look at the way you're now kissing Brother Mitt Romney's ass. Look at the way a persecutor and false swearer "brown nosed" the very Latter Day Saint who would have been the President in 2008 hoping the favor would be returned by an appointment to a Mormon's political regime.

I can imagine how proud and boastful Joseph Smith must of felt. Come on ye persecutors, ye false swearers kiss mine and Joseph Smith's proud boastful asses.”

The Theocratic Ambitions of Mormonism

Sincerely, Thomas Van Gillespie

Just another religion? Just a church that does good things? Just a different Christian approach?

I’ve said this before and I reiterate it now – Mormonism is a world power out to dominate all things through a theocracy driver that has been in place since it began. Unfortunately I am of the opinion that it will succeed. And I think weak sister Christian men and women are gonna help them right along.

And with that let’s have a word of prayer.

The LDS Temple Ceremony

We are in our final segment of the LDS temple ceremony known as the endowment. This segment is perhaps the most troubling part of the endowment for a number of reasons. So far we have witnessed some rather long, arduous rituals and repetitive theatrical representations. Temple attendees have thus far received by covenant several laws and their associated signs, tokens, and hand-grips. At this point in the whole thing there is one more Law that they will agree to, which is taken in conjunction with all the previous laws they have covenanted to take.

This is called the Law of Consecration. It is one of the best evidences of what Mormonism is truly all about – building Mormonism up as a world power and here they place every temple attending Mormon under covenant to give EVERYTHING to building up Mormonism – EVERYTHING. Pay close attention to what every temple attending Mormon covenants to do under this final promise they take before God, angels and temple witnesses. After observing this, we will be able to see them gather around their temple altar in a prayer circle, and then we will watch as all of the stuff they have learned culminates in them repeating the key parts at the veil. The video actually takes us up to the veil in a very intimate fashion, and then into what the LDS call the Celestial Room. All of this will take 21 minutes. Here we go.

Let’s open up the phone lines:

Before we wrap it up for tonight we want to share an email with you all. It sort of summarizes why

A Personal Journey from Mormonism to Christianity

Hi Shawn,
My name is Austin and without taking too much of your time, I wanted to say thank you. I'm 16 and I used to be LDS and I was the boy that every good Mormon boy should be. I wanted to go on my mission, I took seminary, and I did all that was expected out of me. I was born in Salt Lake City and was raised mostly in the St. George and Kanab area. My mother was raised Mormon but later became sort of a naturalist/humanist, but I always had an unquenchable thirst for spiritual solidity. So when my freshmen year came I started seminary, and took that through the entire year. but that desire to know God was still burning in my heart. As a Latter-Day Saint I felt that God the Father was a distant entity, who sat up in Heaven and I would go there if I was a good person and had faith in Jesus. I always thought that getting to heaven was like a big staircase, and that Jesus had built the staircase, but it was by my own works within the church that I would actually climb up the steps to God. I thought I was doing good, but I still had that need to know God and I kept seeing these problems in the church. Then one day, its the last period of the school day and I'm sitting in seminary and I wasn't really paying attention and something the teacher had said that was the final nail in the coffin for me, He said: "There is a difference between eternal life and immortality. Jesus came to make men immortal and Joseph Smith came and restored the gospel so that we may earn eternal life."

Seeking Truth and Finding Faith

By that time I was literally begging God to show me the truth, because in LDS it's all about the feelings and God giving you warm feelings inside, when you read the Book of Mormon or go to church or whatever. One night I just decided to do some research on the truthfulness of the Mormon church, and I came across a YouTube video that was entitled "Funny Mormon vs. Christian debate" and that was the first time I had heard of you, and I watched your videos all night long, and they made so much sense! I then went to a few Bible teaching online ministries, I read through a few books in the New Testament, and I locked myself in my bedroom late at night, fell on my knees in front of my bed, and said "Jesus save me" and I changed, my eyes were opened, and my mind was clear. As I continued to research into this, I found it to be more and more accurate. I checked out of seminary the first chance I got, I was reluctant though because in my sinful flesh I wanted Mormonism to be true. Being with my family forever and become a god sounded amazing. I was also ashamed to admit that I wasn't a Mormon anymore to my devoted LDS friends, that aspect of it was especially hard because I was only about 15 at the time, and I didn't want to lose that.

Embracing Christianity

I am now a Christian, and I know Jesus as God, and I understand that I will never do anything in my flesh that will please him, the only thing I've done that is pleasing to Him is come to Him as a broken man. It was your ministry and by power of the Holy Spirit that my eyes saw the truth, so Shawn I thank and love you my brother, and I especially praise and thank Him for what He had done. Thank you and God again Shawn, Love, Your brother Austin 🙂

By the way, have any of you noticed these commercials on television and radio touting good moral values? Billboards plastered with quotes that sound like they were written by Norman Vincent Peale or Anthony Robbins? They say things like: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” OR “Who, being loved, is poor?” (that’s was by Oscar Wilde) These phrases and quips and quotes are being promoted by a group called: “A message from a Foundation for a Better Life” A group who owns a website called Values.com. Living here in Utah I hear and see them all the time and everytime they pop up I wonder, “What’s behind

The Foundation for a Better Life

They sound so focused on Man, so focused on building character, so . . . Mormon. Going to their website you can read thousands of quotes that they pull from – and it appears they do not care who said what – as long as the quote is inspiring. There’s quotes on Achievement Quotes, Appreciation Quotes, Courage Quotes, Forgiveness Quotes, Friendship Quotes, Good Character Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Integrity Quotes, Leadership Quotes, Motivational Quotes, Optimism Quotes, Peace Quotes, Quotes About Hope, Quotes On Love, Respect Quotes, Responsibility Quotes, Strength Quotes, and Teamwork Quotes. So who is this Foundation for a Better Life?

Foundation Overview

The Foundation for a Better Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2000. Our sole objective is to promote positive values and encourage viewers to Pass Them On. We communicate these values through inspiring messages in movie theatres, on television, billboards, radio and the internet. We believe that people are basically good and often benefit from a simple reminder. We offer these messages in an effort to promote good values, good role models and a better life.

The Foundation has developed a network of writers, art directors and marketing professionals to provide technical and creative input. These individuals come from diverse backgrounds, with a wide range of viewpoints and perspectives that help us to create universal, nonsectarian, apolitical messages to hopefully provide inspiration to our viewers. We also listen and respond to stories of those who are making a difference in their communities to better understand the role values play in their desire to do good and Pass It On.

Affiliation and Mission

The Foundation for a Better Life is not affiliated with any religious or political viewpoint, either formally or informally. We do not endorse any particular political party or religion. We examine our messages rigorously to ensure we present values in intriguing, nonpartisan ways. Since inception, we have focused on our commonalities, not the beliefs that divide us. We believe anyone, from any background, can be caring, courageous, inspiring to others, or otherwise live the many values we are proud to share in our messages. Passing on respect and admiration for these kinds of positive values is our only agenda. We hope that the values we share transcend religious, political or cultural orientations.

Our sister organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, is the only organization with which we are affiliated. Please visit their website for ideas on how to share kindness in your community, school and family: www.randomactsofkindness.org

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the heart of the kindness movement whose aim is to help everyone create a better world by spreading awareness and increasing engagement in kind actions. Randomactsofkindness.org is a platform where media, education, community, social networking and entertainment connect people with inspiration, tools, resources, organizations and a larger support network to help them take action, get involved, harvest and share the benefits of kind actions in their daily lives and society. Randomactsofkindness.org is dedicated to providing users with dynamic means to teach, learn, collaborate, grow and communicate the kindness they care about in their unique ways. All who join Randomactsofkindness.org can participate in and contribute to a thriving movement where members engaged in thinking, doing and sharing kindness are changing the world.

About The Foundation

Established in 1995 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a resource for people committed to spreading kindness. We provide a wide variety of materials on our website, including ideas for kind actions, ideas for educators and schools, activities and lesson plans, inspirational quotations, videos and workplace resources—all free of charge. The Foundation is privately held and funded. We accept no donations, grants or membership dues. We do not provide financial assistance to individuals or organizations. The Foundation has no religious or organizational affiliations; we encourage the practice of kindness in all sectors of society. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is the United States delegate to the World Kindness Movement. People in participating nations promote kindness within their countries’ borders and are creating a global network of kindness and compassion.

As people from different cultures and from all walks of life join to spread kindness, they are creating a powerful, synergistic action throughout the world. Please join us in bringing kindness and compassion to our local and global communities!

Philip Anschutz: Life and Career

Philip Frederick Anschutz, born on December 28, 1939, in Russell, Kansas, is an influential American entrepreneur. Anschutz, a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and a conservative Christian, bought out his father's drilling company, Circle A Drilling, in 1961, earning significant returns in Wyoming. He has since invested in stocks, real estate, and railroads. Anschutz co-founded Major League Soccer and invested in several teams, including the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chicago Fire. He owns stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, and various venues such as the Staples Center and O2 Arena. Forbes ranks him as the 38th richest person in the U.S. with an estimated net worth of $10 billion as of 2013.

Land Ownership and Business Ventures

In 1970, Anschutz purchased Baughman Farms in Kansas, and the following year, acquired land along the Utah-Wyoming border, marking his first fortune in the oil business. The Anschutz Ranch's significant oil field discovery in the early 1980s led him to sell a half-interest to Mobil Oil for $500 million. Anschutz ventured into railroads by purchasing the Rio Grande Railroad's holding company in 1984 and acquired the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1988. With the merger of Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Corporation in 1996, he became Vice-Chairman of Union Pacific. Anschutz also served as a Director for Southern Pacific and Forest Oil Corporation and held leadership roles at Qwest and Pacific Energy Partners.

Entertainment and Philanthropy

Anschutz expanded into entertainment by investing in family films like The Chronicles of Narnia and co-founding Major League Soccer. He is known for his reclusive nature, granting only two formal interviews in over 30 years. Despite his preference for privacy, his influence spans across various industries, earning him a place in the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2002. His philanthropic efforts and investments continue to impact the economic landscape significantly.

Business Ventures and Legal Controversies

The boards of the American Petroleum Institute, in Washington, D.C. and the National Petroleum Council in Washington, D.C. In May 2001, the Bush administration upheld Anschutz's right to drill an exploratory oil well at Weatherman Draw, in south-central Montana where Native American tribes wanted to preserve sacred rock drawings. Environmental groups, preservationists, and ten Native American tribes had appealed the decision without success. In April 2002, the Anschutz Exploration Corporation gave up its plans to drill for oil in the area. They donated its leases for oil and gas rights to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has pledged to let the leases expire, and the Bureau of Land Management said it had no plans to permit further leases there, and would consider formal withdrawal of the 4,268 acre (17 km²) site from mineral leasing in its 2004 management plan. In recognition for its preservation efforts, The National Trust for Historic Preservation presented its President's Award to the Anschutz Exploration Corp.

In May 2003, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer reached a settlement with Anschutz after the AG filed a civil complaint accusing Anschutz of accepting IPO shares from Salomon Smith Barney in exchange for his firm, Qwest's, investment banking business. He continued to vehemently deny any wrongdoing but agreed to pay a total of $4.4 million to settle the case. Anschutz paid $100,000 to each of 32 New York nonprofit groups that he selected, as well as $200,000 to each of six law schools. In return, Spitzer dropped his civil suit. The payment was roughly equal to his profit from the practice of IPO "spinning", thus he actually suffered no penalty. The controversial suit by Spitzer was panned in a Wall Street Journal editorial headlined, "The Anschutz Ransom". The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice extensively investigated Qwest officials, and determined that there was no justification for taking action against any board member. The Denver Post summarized the implications for Anschutz thus: "Not only is Qwest founder and board member Philip Anschutz not a defendant in the long-awaited civil case against the regime of former Qwest chief executive Joe Nacchio, he doesn't even merit a mention in the 50-page complaint."

Changes in Business Focus

In February 2006, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reported that Anschutz would not stand for re-election to the boards of Qwest and Union Pacific, and would resign from the board of Regal Entertainment Group, so that he could focus on his other investments. On June 24, 2008, it was announced that Anschutz would buy Xanterra Parks and Resorts, which had purchased the Grand Canyon Railway in 2007. In 2011, it was announced that Anschutz purchased the Oklahoma Publishing Company, and as part of their assets the Broadmoor and the Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway in Colorado Springs. Effective August 1, 2010, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, owned by Denver-based Anschutz Company, has purchased and assumed management of Kingsmill Resort. Xanterra purchased the resort from Busch Properties, Inc. (BPI). Located in Williamsburg, VA, Kingsmill Resort includes 422 rooms; six restaurants; a 17,000-square-foot conference center; full-service spa and fitness center; marina; and 15-court tennis center. The resort is also widely known for its three award-winning championship golf courses and its executive nine-hole course. Located outside of Grand Canyon National Park, The Grand Hotel and the Grand Canyon includes 121 rooms; one restaurant; one bar; fitness center; one gift shop. The Grand Hotel was acquired in December 2012 and offers a luxurious rustic experience for travelers visiting the Grand Canyon.

Entertainment and Sports Ventures

The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the owner of entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's second largest presenter of live music and entertainment events after Live Nation. The AEG is the subject of a lawsuit regarding the death of Michael Jackson, filed by the singer's mother, Katherine Jackson. On September 18, 2012, Anschutz announced he was putting AEG up for sale. None of the bids came close to Anschutz' asking price, however, and on March 14 he took AEG off the market.

Sports Investments

The SportsBusiness Journal named Anschutz the 5th most influential person in sports business in 2012 in its annual survey of the "50 Most Influential People in Sports Business." Anschutz owns stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings and venues including the Staples Center and O2 Arena. AEG is the world's largest owner of sports teams, sports events, and sports

Philip Anschutz's Contributions to MLS and Philanthropy

League Soccer as well as multiple teams, including the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, D.C. United, and the New York / New Jersey Metro Stars. He owns a stake in the StubHub Center, the stadium for MLS teams LA Galaxy and Chivas. For some time, while MLS was struggling, Anschutz owned six MLS franchises and experienced significant financial losses. For this reason, Anschutz has been called the man who saved MLS. Anschutz has since sold his stake in the Chicago, New York, and D.C. MLS teams.

The Anschutz Foundation

As one of the world's wealthy billionaires, Philip Anschutz has been making a name for himself in the philanthropic community. He was listed as #123 on the Forbes list of billionaires in March 2010, with a net worth of $6 billion. The Anschutz Foundation, founded in 1964, supports a broad variety of community service, cultural and arts groups, as well as health facilities and initiatives – all of which make up the vast majority of the Foundation's annual giving. It also provides grants to several public policy think tanks – which account for approximately 1.5% – 2.0% of the Foundation's grants. Philip Anschutz and his wife Nancy have contributed over $100,000,000 to the new medical, dental, nursing, and pharmacy campus of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, which is now named the Anschutz Medical Campus in their honor. The land came from the recently-closed Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, but millions and millions were needed for the construction of new medical laboratory buildings and a new University Hospital on the land.

Support for Conservative and Christian Organizations

Anschutz has funded a number of conservative and Christian organizations including the following: The Foundation for a Better Life, organization founded in 2000 to promote "positive behavioral values;" it is neither anti-gay nor right-wing and has no political agenda; the Foundation communicates its message through television, outdoor advertising, theater, radio, and the Internet; Institute for American Values, which campaigns against same-sex marriage. The Institute has received three grants to date for a total of $17,500 over the lifetime of the Foundation; Colorado for Family Values, the organization behind Colorado's anti-same-sex-marriage constitutional amendment, Amendment 2, approved by the voters in 1992 and later overturned by the US Supreme Court; Enough Is Enough, whose President and CEO is Donna Rice Hughes, the major figure in the sex scandal that ended the 1987 campaign of Gary Hart, in the Democratic presidential primary. The organization claims that it is "Lighting the way to protect children and families from the dangers of illegal Internet pornography and sexual predators."

In recognition of their philanthropic efforts, Phil and Nancy Anschutz were named the winners of the 2009 William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership.

Other Business Ventures

• Forest Oil
• Pacific Energy Group
• Regal Entertainment Group, the largest movie theater chain in the world, with approximately 6,000 screens. Anschutz owns more than half of the company, which is a collection of former bankrupt chains.
• Union Pacific Railroad (Anschutz is the company's largest shareholder, with a 6% stake.)
• Clarity Media Group, a Denver-based Publishing Group which includes:
  • The San Francisco Examiner (purchased in 2004)
  • The Washington Examiner, which was spun off from a number of D.C. area suburban dailies.
  • The Baltimore Examiner, which launched in April 2006 and was shut down in early 2009. (Anschutz has trademarked the name "Examiner" in more than sixty cities.)
  • Examiner.com, a hyper-local web portal where citizen journalists write on local topics, from news to blog-like stories.
  • The Weekly Standard (purchased in 2009)
  • The Gazette, the second-largest newspaper in Colorado with a daily circulation of 74,172. (purchased November 30, 2012)
• The Oil & Gas Asset Clearinghouse, which is an auction company designed for the Oil & Gas Business
• NRC Broadcasting, which owns a string of radio stations in Colorado.
• The Anschutz Investment Company purchased LightEdge Solutions in February 2008. LightEdge is a business-to-business hosted services provider focused on Wide-Area-Networking, Voice-over-IP, Hosted Microsoft applications (Exchange, OCS, SharePoint), hosted servers/storage collocation cage and rackspace and Business Continuity Services.
• On June 17, 2009, The Washington Examiner confirmed that the Examiner's parent company Clarity Media Group has purchased the Weekly Standard.
• It was announced September 15, 2011 that Anschutz would be acquiring all assets of Oklahoma Publishing Company

Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Power Complex

The purpose of building the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind power complex in Carbon County, Wyoming, comprises up to 1,000 wind turbines with up to 3,000 megawatts of capacity. It will be sited on 229,077 acres, about half federal, about half privately owned by an affiliate, and a smattering of state lands. According to the federal Bureau of Land Management, which on July 2, 2012, announced completion of the project's final Environmental Impact Statement, "Chokecherry and Sierra Madre are two distinct sites approximately five miles apart which are both being analyzed together. When combined, they comprise the largest commercial wind generation facility proposed in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world." Construction is expected to start in 2013, and cost an estimated $4 billion-$6 billion."

Political and Christian Activism

Often identified as "Christian billionaire Phil Anschutz", he is a Republican donor who supported George W. Bush's administration. He has been an active patron of a number of religious and conservative causes: Helped fund Colorado's 1992 Amendment 2, a ballot initiative designed to overturn local and state laws that prohibit discrimination against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation but was invalidated by Romer v. Evans after it passed. Contributed $70,000 in 2003 to the Discovery Institute, to specifically support the work of telecom guru George Gilder but not matters related to intelligent design. That fact was validated by Discovery President Bruce Chapman in a letter-to-the-editor to the Rocky Mountain News, "Anschutz never gave that program a nickel."

The Discovery Institute is a think tank based in Seattle, Washington that also promotes intelligent design and criticizes evolution. Supported the Parents Television Council, a group that protests against television indecency. Financed and distributed films with Christian themes, such as Amazing Grace and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, for mass audiences through his two film production companies and ownership of much of the Regal, Edwards and United Artists theater chains. Financed The Foundation for a Better Life. In 2009 Anschutz purchased the conservative American opinion magazine The Weekly Standard from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Philip Anschutz and fellow board members of the American Petroleum Institute in Washington are credited by Bush's energy secretary for the Oval Office decision in 2001 to stand with the 95-0 vote in the U.S. Senate four years earlier against bringing ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to the floor for consideration. The primary reason cited was the crippling economic effects of the treaty. Financed the 2010 pro-charter school film, Waiting for Superman. Financed the 2012 pro-parent trigger film, Won't Back Down.

The Christian Perspective on Kindness and Prayer

And to what end? From the Christian perspective, is this not akin to shining the brass on the Titanic of the soul? Don’t hearts need to change from the inside first as a result of Him and His Spirit or does practicing random acts of Kindness fit the bill?

The Role of Prayer in Ministry

Hi Shawn, in the context of your message this evening, why do you bother to ask for people to pray for your ministry? I mean if God doesn’t bless what is the point? I feel that you are painting with too broad a brush. There are tares and also there is wheat. Yes, the apostles died as martyrs for their faith but also people were healed, set free from demonic influences, etc.

The Parable of the Talents

The parable of the talents refutes your thesis on riches. It’s how a person uses what God gives them, not the getting of it. PC thought says all should have the same; this is against the Kingdom of God. Producers produce which pulls others up. This dynamic doesn’t work in reverse.

God Bless you brother, may God use you mightily.