When Should Churches Be Silent?

In regard to the writer of the “Cherry Picking Scripture” letter on the editorial page May 27, I would voice my disagreement. I appreciate the fact that the writer may, in a sense, not object to Christians holding beliefs based on God’s word, but the view that one is “cherry picking” when he picks one sin to object to, when that sin is spoken of less in the Bible than other sins. Would he think, therefore, that if pedophilia or incestuous relationships were being forced upon us, demanding our acceptance of such, as homosexuality presently is, that churches should keep silent? There are more passages of Scripture dealing specifically with homosexuality, such as Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1 :24-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and 1 Timothy 1:9-10, than with the other two combined. There is no “cherry” on God’s cherry tree that is to be picked. Read More

Re. to: Cherry Picking Scripture

I appreciated the letter to editor the other day concerning the remarks on “homosexuality.” However, I was disappointed in that there was no mention of some specifics relative to “some local churches” in his critical remarks. He used a “blanket” approach to speak ill of “some local churches” and their accentuation of immoral behavior, but these same “local churches” seemed to have failed to accomplish other, more positive things in the community. Again, we are not told wherein some specific church (or churches) has failed. He remarked, “Instead of focusing on lending a helping hand to those in need, they choose to use divisive and destructive rhetoric that perpetuates hatred and animosity. Why is that?”
It is most unfortunate that in both of his critical remarks (above) he offers no illustrations. Evidently, he wanted to just throw a “blanket” over the issue and hope others would agree and say, “Yeah! That’s right! You are all hypocrites!” He would get much further in a conversation of this sort if he was specific in his concerns. Read More

May 27, 2015

By Tyler Harvey
Mo-Do Farm Bureau Manager

It is that time again for the planters to be rolling and the crops to be emerging. We have been very fortunate in the last few weeks to have optimal planting weather. As of Sunday, May 24, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) had Illinois at 97 percent corn planted compared to a five year average of 93 percent planted by this date. Soybeans, meanwhile, came in at 69 percent planted compared to the five year average of 57 planted by this date. Corn and soybeans are also above the five year average for emergence with corn at 87 percent and soybeans at 38.
With the lack of rain and the cooler temperatures lately, the percentages will not move up as fast as most would like. However, overall this year is on track with the crop season last year. Driving between Tuscola and Sullivan and looking at various crops, this crop year is off to a great start. NASS has an updated crop report come out every Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. I expect the numbers in Illinois for corn emerging, soybeans planted, and soybeans emerging to change a good amount in the following days especially if we can get a nice steady rain over the crops. Illinois is still ahead of our neighbors to the east, Indiana, in planting both corn and soybeans, and Illinois is ahead of Iowa in corn planting and right behind with soybean planting.
In other news, this last week has been very busy on a legislative front. Read More

Cherry Picking Scripture

There are a few scriptures in the Bible on homosexuality and hundreds on heterosexual relationships, marriage and behavior, yet some local churches strangely choose to cherry pick those scriptures that focus on homosexuals instead of the broader community of relationships within their own church. Why is that?
It seems bizarre that Jesus died on the cross so that a few people could turn that cross into a weapon against a few. Instead of using his life and sacrifice as a guide, they’ve turned their Bible into a sword. Instead of focusing on lending a helping hand to those in need, they choose to use divisive and destructive rhetoric that perpetuates hatred and animosity. Why is that? Read More

May 20, 2015

by Jerry Ginther
NP Columnist

Until recently I had never seen a mulberry bush, but just because I’d never seen one I hadn’t ruled out the possibility that they may exist. Having reasoned that they must truly exist, because a couple of children’s nursery rhymes specifically say “bush” instead of “tree”, I ventured to the internet to settle the conflict. There I found that in fact there is a variety called a bush. As a matter of fact, I found several varieties of mulberry trees and bushes. That said, I had one particular tree in mind. For several summer seasons in my early childhood, I spent quite a few days under a mulberry tree eating the berries. As I recall, they had to be fully, drop dead, ripe or they were a little sour to the taste. So, once one found a fully ripe one nothing else would do and you passed over any that were not fat and dark purple. Read More