March Gladness Now Underway; Go Vote for Me!

Because it is my first tournament, I am happy with my 8th seed. However, I think I got a bad pairing going up against Focus on the Family fave Whit.
March Gladness
Of what madness do I speak?

March Gladness!

The one and only Matthew Pierce describes it as “The Christian Culture Tournament” and yours truly is in the big dance. However, if I am going to keep on dancing, I need my supporters and readers (two separate groups judging from the comment section) to go help me rally against that poser Whit. (Scroll down to Region Three and look for the irascible bulldog.)
Even though I know it is rigged by illegal voting, I am starting my comeback with this buzzer beater.
Go Irascible Bulldogs!

Robert Morris: President Trump Talks to James Robison Two or Three Times Per Week

Gateway Church Apostolic elder James Robison has long been known as a Christian right mover and shaker. A persistent story I hear is that Ben Carson would only endorse Donald Trump if Trump first spoke to Robison. Even if untrue, the story highlights the reputation Robison has in Christian right political circles.
Gateway Church’s founding pastor Robert Morris added to that mystique earlier today by telling his congregation that Robison and Donald Trump talk “two or three times a week.” Morris said Robison has Trump’s “private cell phone” which he uses regularly. Watch:

Transcript

I really do want you to get the book, it’s one of the most amazing books I’ve every read, and has conversations of him speaking with people you know, well-known people, Muhammad Ali, President Reagan.
And if you don’t know, I talked last week about serving on the Advisory Council.
James, though, speaks with our President probably two or three times a week, and has his private cell number, and he picks it up even when he’s in a meeting. You know, ‘I’m meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, James, can I call you back?’ But–
So, I’m very very grateful for James Robison and for his influence.

I wonder what Robison does with his influence. I suppose this is intoxicating to those ministers who have Trump’s number, but with Trump routinely peddling falsehoods, ignoring Russian attacks on the Ukraine, and waging war on the press, I can’t see much evidence of Christian influence.

Phoenix University of Theology and the Federal Definition of a Diploma Mill

In December of 2016, I discovered that one of Donald Trump’s evangelical champions Lance Wallnau claimed a doctorate from Phoenix University of Theology. While uncertain at the time, I wondered if the school met the federal definition of a diploma mill. To find out for sure, I wrote the president of the school, Karen Drake, with some questions about their methods. Late last week, Drake replied. Here are her answers:

WT: I am very curious about your educational model. Are all of your credits given through life experience equivalence?
Drake: Many times when a student candidate with 20 or more years in full time ministry applies, we are able to assess the total amount of credit requirements through their lifelong learning experiences.
WT: Do you have faculty and classes that students must take and pass?
Drake: Our Graduates become our Professors, their books, material and teaching are used when students require additional credit hours to fulfill their desired degree program.
WT: If you offer classes, could you kindly point me to a list of programs that students must take in order to receive a degree.
Drake: Each degree program with Phoenix University of Theology International is tailored specifically for the education goals of the student and takes into consideration prior learning and experience; therefore, there are no set class requirements.
WT: Also, when students submit their life experiences, how do you check to make sure they have actually done what they say they’ve done.
Drake: The majority of our students come through referral from Alumnus who have known and worked with them in ministry for many years. Also, Every student candidate is required to submit a number of professional references and contact sources for prior learning and work experiences.

Even though Drake said the references are submitted, she didn’t say anyone at PUT actually follows up on all of them.
Drake also sent along a document which provides more details. You can get a custom tailored doctorate for only $5845. But make sure you want to do it, because you get no refund on the entire degree if you change your mind after 30 days.
PUT Cost for degrees
Now let’s examine the federal definition of a diploma mill:

‘‘(20) DIPLOMA MILL.—The term ‘diploma mill’ means an entity that—
‘‘(A)(i) offers, for a fee, degrees, diplomas, or certificates, that may be used to represent to the general public that the individual possessing such a degree, diploma, or certificate has completed a program of postsecondary education or training; and ‘‘(ii) requires such individual to complete little or no education or coursework to obtain such degree, diploma, or certificate; and
‘‘(B) lacks accreditation by an accrediting agency or association that is recognized as an accrediting agency or association of institutions of higher education (as such term is defined in section 102) by— ‘‘(i) the Secretary pursuant to subpart 2 of part H of title IV; or ‘‘(ii) a Federal agency, State government, or other organization or association that recognizes accrediting agencies or associations.

The criteria in (A) above are met. PUT charges a fee for a degree which is used to represent to the public that the degree is earned via the completion of a program. However, as spelled out in (A)(ii), the student completes little or no coursework and there are no set class requirements.
The criteria in (B) are also met. PUT is not accredited by any organization recognized by the Secretary of Education or any state or federal agency.
It is clear to me that the Phoenix University of Theology meets the federal definition of a diploma mill. Some of the biggest names in contemporary Christendom (e.g., Lance Wallnau, Jerry Boykin, David Barton, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, Darrell Scott) brag about doctoral degrees they didn’t earn.
 
More on Phoenix University of Theology:
Where in the World is Phoenix University of Theology?

Some Myths Refuse to Die: AFA and Ben Franklin's Prayer Request at the Constitutional Convention

The myth of a prayer meeting at the Constitutional Convention just refuses to die.
Earlier this week, the American Family Association’s Reason and Company show opined favorably on Melania Trump’s reading of the Lord’s Prayer. In the process, Abraham Hamilton III said starting at 40 seconds in that Franklin’s effort “led to a three day prayer meeting at the Constitutional Convention.” He added, “So we have a long history of recognizing the God of the Bible in our country.” Watch
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/205085355[/vimeo]
No. Franklin made a motion to have daily prayers but the Convention never acted on it and daily prayers were not held. In fact, Franklin later recorded that only three or four delegates thought prayers were needed. Even if Franklin’s request had been acted on favorably, it doesn’t follow that the delegates all prayed to the God of the Bible. Among the delegates, there was significant disagreement about God and the Bible. Some hardly believed, some scoffed at the Bible’s miracles while accepting the moral teachings of Jesus and still others were more orthodox.
For a detailed account of the Franklin proposal and how it grew to be an oft-repeated myth, see this article by Louis Sirico on the website of the Association of Legal Writing Directors. The last paragraph of his article is a fitting end to this post:

With respect to Franklin’s proposal, advocates have invoked it both as a solvent for specific disputes and as support for a general accommodationist policy. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the incompleteness of the historical record led many to accept the false history that Franklin had rescued the Constitutional Convention from collapse. Since then, although some writers have clung to that story, legitimate historians have endorsed an accurate story that most respected advocates have accepted and used to fashion their arguments. True history, then, has prevailed over false history. But false history continues to linger. In any event, the Franklin proposal demonstrates how history can prove a powerful force in effective advocacy. Whether accurate or mystical, stories of the past will continue to shape the present and the future.

In the case of the AFA and many religious right organization who use David Barton’s history, “false history continues to linger.”

 

Trump's Hiring Freeze Leads to Loss of Day Care for Military Families

Perhaps this is an oversight that will be corrected or perhaps Trump doesn’t mean what he said about taking care of our service members. We shall see.


Tweet and retweet this information. Perhaps Trump will correct this consequence of his executive order. If he doesn’t, then it will fly in the face of his pledges to take better care of military personnel.
For more information about this action, see this article at Military.com.