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What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

Independent Fundamental Baptist preaching in Roanoke, VA.

preached by Pastor Billy Goolesby, Rome Baptist Temple in Rome, GA - March meeting of the Tri-State Independent Baptist Preachers Fellowship ...

Preaching from the Pulpit of the Salem Baptist Church, Cincinnati, OH Pastor Phillip Blackwell Sunday Morning March 5, 2017 Title: The Preeminence of Christ ...

preached by Pastor Tim McCulley, Philadelphia Baptist Church in Calhoun, GA - March meeting of the Tri-State Independent Baptist Preachers Fellowship ...

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." - Matthew 5:4 KJV.

Dear Friends,In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus says, “You have heard it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”This passage in Scripture comes to mind in reflecting on the tragic incident that occurred yesterday in Alexandria, Va., in which a murderous gunman attempted to kill members of Congress and their aides on a baseball field, wounding six. It’s important to ponder and take heed of this vital teaching of Christ in the volatile times in which we live.Christ is teaching us that when we harbor malicious thoughts about other people in our hearts, they can easily fester into physical action, like angry outbursts and violence. This is why Jesus says that we must go well beyond the avoidance of outright killing. We have to get at the root of the problem, which starts in our hearts. We must root out every thought and attitude that causes us to hate others. (In these polarized times, we must insist on the true definition of “hate,” which is “intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury.” Therefore, disagreeing with certain lifestyles and public policies is, by definition, not “hate.”)This is an important lesson for all of us who are involved in public policy and government. When it comes to politics, most of us have passionate viewpoints, which lead to passionate disagreements, which is very fitting in a free democracy such as ours that requires open and free debate in order to function. However, we must never let our passionate viewpoints turn into anger, as Christ said. As we have witnessed time and time again in our country, anger can lead to vindictiveness towards others, which can lead to violence and murder. Christ has perfect understanding of this dangerous fallibility that is present in every human heart, and therefore warns against it in the strongest terms.May all of our most passionate views always be rooted in love for our fellow man, never anger. Thank you for your prayers and for your continued support of� FRC� and� the� family.Sincerely,Dan Hart Managing Editor for Publications Family Research� Council� FRC ArticlesThe Bigotry of Bernie Sanders – Travis WeberTrump’s Rule on the HHS Contraceptive Mandate Ensures Religious Freedom for All – Travis WeberSanders’ Religious Test Goes Against Founders’ Vision – Tony PerkinsBern Victim: Christians Need Not Apply – Patrina MosleyThis Pill Could Reverse a Third of Abortions – Arina GrossuPresident Trump Names Abstinence Education Leader to Top Post at HHS Department – Tony PerkinsCommunity Health Care Centers Offer Full Spectrum of Primary Care, Unlike Planned Parenthood – FRCAn Open Letter to Bernie Sanders from a Vermont Pastor – Tim CountsFRC Summer Reading List – Dan HartTestimony in Opposition to H. 1190 and S. 62 – Peter SpriggWe’re Better Together – Dan HartStanding for Christ – Travis WeberEven Liberal Feminists Can’t Resist Committed Love and Marriage – Chris GacekGiving to Caesar and to God – Peter Sprigg� Religious LibertyReligious Liberty in the Public SquareBernie Sanders’s Religious Test for Christians in Public Office – Emma Green, The AtlanticPolicy at Michigan College Results in Arrests for Handing Out Constitution – Alliance Defending FreedomTrump Administration Considering Rule That Would Help Little Sisters of the Poor – Rachel del Guidice, The Daily SignalThe Campus Speech Police Come to Fresno State – Jake Curtis, National ReviewTown Stands up to Atheist Bullies, Refuses to Remove Cross – ToddStarnes.comBernie Sanders Doesn’t Think Christians Are Fit For Public Office – John Daniel Davidson, The FederalistSchool: Students May Not Pray or Mention Jesus – ToddStarnes.comThis Farmer Won’t Host Same-Sex Weddings at His Orchard. Now a City Has Banned Him From Its Farmers Market. – Fred Lucas, The Daily SignalInternational Religious FreedomPetition calls for repeal of ‘totalitarian’ bill allowing children to be taken from Christian homes – Lianne Laurence, LifeSiteNewsIreland's abortion law violates human rights, UN rules – Kenza Bryan, IndependentPublic board orders Christian school to stop reading ‘offensive’ Bible passages – Dorothy Cummings McLean, LifeSiteNewsMilitary Religious FreedomSupreme Court refuses to review case of Christian Marine who claims she was discharged over Bible verse – Samuel Smith, The Christian Post� LifeAbortionDaughter’s thank you note to her parents who chose life as teens goes viral – Nancy Flanders, Live ActionMore abortions, more money, less real support for women – Samantha Gobba, WORLDHarvard Law Journal: Unborn Babies are Constitutional Persons – The StreamIsrael’s modern-day midwives offer solutions, not abortion – Jay Hobbs, The StreamMost Pro-Life Laws are Based on Sound Science – Michael J. New, National ReviewWhy We Kill Disabled Kids: For the Same Reason Cain Killed Abel – John Zmirak, The StreamDelaware legalizes abortion through all nine months – Samantha Gobba, WORLDAdoptionChristians who reject transgenderism banned from adoption, working with children in Illinois – Doug Mainwaring, LifeSiteNewsStreamlining adoption the goal of bipartisan working group – David Meade, Lexington Herald LeaderBioethicsBasic bioethics: How Christians should think about bioethics – Joe Carter, Ethics & Religious Liberty CommissionDoctor: Insurance companies are denying treatment and pushing assisted suicide on patients – Cassy Fiano, Live Action NewsOregon Senate votes to allow dementia patients to be starved to death – Claire Chretien, LifeSiteNewsCanadian nurse forced out for refusing to participate in euthanasia – Pete Baklinski, LifeSiteNewsObamacareStates scramble to prevent ObamaCare exodus – Rachel Roubein and Nathaniel Weixel, The HillFate of Planned Parenthood funding tied to Senate moderates – Jennifer Haberkorn, PoliticoYes, Obamacare Really Does Disadvantage Disabled Americans – Christopher Jacobs, The Federalist� FamilyEconomics/EducationNew Poll Shows What College Students Really Think About Safe Spaces – Katrina Willis, The Daily SignalWhat Happens at Home Doesn’t Stay There: It Goes to School – Nicholas Zill, Family StudiesTax Reform for Working-Class Families – Josh McCabe, National ReviewMarriageMaintaining Your Marriage During the Parenting Years – Arlene Pellicane, Focus on the Family5 Memorable quotes that taught me how to be a better father – Michael Rennier, AleteiaA Vow Worth Keeping: A Review of Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give – Alysse ElHage, Family StudiesMillennials Are Looking for Parental Guidance on Love – Kat Talalas, Family StudiesWhat It Feels Like To Be A Man Struggling With Infertility – Aaron Gleason, The FederalistThe global culture each child needs – Patrick F. Fagan, MercatornetFaith/Character/CultureHow Christians Should Engage in Culture – Rob Schwarzwalder, The StreamAuthentic community: How online substitutes damage our empathy – Jonathan C. Edwards, Ethics & Religious Liberty CommissionGal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Manages The Tough Task Of Winsomely Portraying Virtue – Gracy Olmstead, The FederalistThe Bible Got It Right: Why Going to Church Keeps You Alive Longer – Lorie Johnson, CBN NewsKathy Griffin and the Vanishing of Argument – Bp. Robert Barron, National Catholic RegisterBernie Sanders and the Danger of Theological Ignorance – Rob Schwarzwalder, The StreamHuman SexualityStudy: Less sex education leads to less sex – Kiley Crossland, WORLD4 biblical truths to help fight sexual temptation – Casey B. Hough, Ethics & Religious Liberty CommissionSame-Sex Attraction and Therapy: It’s Time to Let People Choose – Arther Goldberg, Public DiscourseHuman TraffickingCambodia’s Child Sex Industry Is Dwindling—And They Have Christians to Thank – Kate Shellnutt In Phnom Penh, Christianity TodayPornographyHow Porn Dehumanizes Women Through Sexual Objectification – Fight the New Drug

Temple Baptist Church - 6-4-2017Ephesians 5:25-33Introduction:� A.� � Hebrews 10:25-27 are possibly the most quoted verses concerning church attendance� and has been normally been preached as a negative.� 1.� Hebrews 10:25 says,� “As the manner of some is.”� The word� manner� means a custom or habitual practice.� There are so many people who professed to be saved that have no desire to be faithful to the local church.� 2.� We have a good nucleus� here at Temple.� I want to encourage the “as the manner of some is” this morning to get in.� I also want to encourage the faithful to stay in. Many of the unfaithful were once faithful.� � � B.� There has been a great forsaking� of the assembling in the past few decades� with many in America unchurched.� 1.� Our nation if following the same path� as England and Europe: the path of godlessness which always leads to ungodliness.� 2.� The faithful few that make up� the nucleus of the local church have become fewer in number, especially Sunday and Wednesday night crowds.� Few want any time of “extra” services such as revival meetings or mission conferences.C.� Psalms 84:10 is in direct contrast� to the end time professing Christian.� Psalms 84:1-10� How� amiable� (no love of church)� are� thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! � (2)� My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD� (no longing for church): my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God� (no desire for God). � (3)� Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,� even� thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. � (4)� Blessed� are� they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee� (no blessing or praising the Lord). Selah. � (5)� Blessed� is� the man whose strength� is� in thee; in whose heart� are� the ways� of them.� � (6)� � Who� passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. � (7)� They go from strength to strength,� every one of them� in Zion appeareth before God. � (8)� O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. � (9)� Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. � (10)� For a day in thy courts� is� better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God� (no love of service in the church), than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.D.� With some, it is a salvation problem.� 1.� In the Bible,� when people got saved, they assembled!� I thank God that, when we got saved, Barbara and I “got in!”� We have been faithful to church for over 40 years!� 2.� With others,� it is the problem of worldliness.� These have the love of Ephesus, the deadness of Sardis, and the apathy of Laodicea.� As Demas forsook Paul, having loved this present world, people of our day forsake the church.E.� With many, it is a leaving your “first love” problem.� This morning,� I want to encourage you to love your church!� � Make it a major part of your life.� What a privilege it is to come to church!� What a blessing to be able to come to church!� What a benefit to be able to come to church!Why should you love the Church:1.� It Is The Place That God Loves - Ephesians 5:25� � Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.� � (Jesus Christ died for the Church!� He gave His life for that which He loves.� Truly, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”� When you get saved, you should love what God loves!)2.� It Is The Place Of Worship - Psalms 5:7� � � But as for me, I will come� into� thy house in the multitude of thy mercy:� and� in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.� � (You can and should worship anywhere but the church house is a special place.� It was a place built to worship in.� You can come here and sing as loud as you please; you can say “Amen” or shout “Glory to God;” you can give your tithe and offerings scripturally in God's house.� What a blessing!)3.� It Is The Place Of Preaching And Teach God's Word - 1 Timothy 3:15 � But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.� � (You probably know it by now but I love this blessed old King James Bible that I hold in my hand.� We can read it at home; We can study it at home; but here in the house of the Lord, men of God preach like they know what they are preaching about!� I rejoice with the Apostle Paul when the Bible is heralded and the preacher lifts up his voice like a trumpet!)4.� It Is The Place Where God's People Gather - Psalms 55:14� � We took sweet counsel together,� and� walked unto the house of God in company.(The greatest people on earth are there!� When I got saved I fell in love with a lot of things that please God but one of the greatest of all was the people of God.� No, they are not perfect but they are my brothers and sisters in Christ!� We are all in the Body of Christ which is the Family of God and we love you!)5 It Is The Place Where Sinners Are Both Sought And Loved - Luke 14:23� � And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel� them� to come in, that my house may be filled.Matthew 9:10� � And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.� � (I love to see sinners come to the church house and be privileged to sit under the power of the Word of God and have an opportunity to hear the gospel and give their hearts and lives to Christ.� The to watch the Lord gloriously change their lives for His glory.)6.� It Is God's Instrument For World Evangelism - 1 Thessalonians 1:6-8� � And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:� So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.� For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God–ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.� � (I love to give an offering to missions!� We can help support precious families as they cover the globe preaching the same gospel that we preach.� Missionaries are the greatest people in the world!� There is no greater calling than that.� Carrying the Word of God to a world that needs Jesus Christ and we can help go by giving!� We can go on organized visitation where we can personally witness to the Lost and occasionally see one get saved!)7.� It Was There That I Heard The True Gospel Preached And Was Gloriously and Eternally Saved – Luke 18:10, 13-14� � Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican …� And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as� his� eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.� I tell you, this man went down to his house justified� rather� than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.� � (If it weren't for the local church, this pastor would still be lost in my sin.� I got saved on a Sunday night in an independent Baptist Church.� Thank God for Bob Lamb!� God laid it upon his heart to come to Madisonville, Ky and start a church under an old gospel tent!� Barbara and I were saved because of it!� Ask me why I love the local church!!)8.� It Is A Place Of Comfort And Spiritual Joy - Psalms 122:1� I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.� � (The church is a refuge; a stronghold; a place of peace and tranquility; a place where we come and enjoy the things of God.� It is a place of comfort to the troubled and a source of joy to those who are hurting.� It is in the church that you will find encouragement and help.� It is in the church that you will find that you never walk alone.)9.� It Is An Encouragement Filling Station - 2 Timothy 4:2� � Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.� � (We can get filled up at church.� We can go to put something into the service and also to get something out of it.� If you do not get a blessing, then it was because you were not blessable!� I know blessable is not a word but I can make one up if I wanna!� If you want a blessing, you will get one.� If you do not want a blessing, don't blame it on anyone or anything but yourself.� You get out of a church service what you put into it.)10.� It Is Just A Little Bit Of Heaven On Earth - Psalms 84:1-12� � How amiable� are� thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!� My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.� Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.� Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.� Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.� Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.� They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.� O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.� Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.� For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.� For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.� O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.� � (If you don't like church, don't go to heaven!� A lot of people have imagined a heaven that is not the heaven of this Bible.� There will be praising and singing; there will be worship like we have never experienced; it is a prepared place for a prepared people!� You won't like it there because church is a little bit of heaven on earth!)

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Temple Baptist Church - 4-30-20172 Thessalonians 3:13Introduction:A.� By way of introduction,� I want to take a short look at another verse of Scripture.� Paul, when writing to a young pastor—Timothy—said, “This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.”� (2 Timothy 1:15)� B.� Asia Minor was originally called Asia.� As the great Apostle Paul planted churches in this area, they soon began to apostatize.� Churches like Thessalonica, who continued to “hold the lines,” no doubt felt the pressure to let up also.� � Paul understood the possibility� of this great church getting spiritually weary in the work of the Lord.� C.� We, in the Bible Belt,� also feel the same pressure.� Whereas good churches were the norm in the South, today they are an anomaly.� � Good churches have become like “hen's teeth,” scarce.� � The clear majority of Protestant churches in our area are long gone along with most of the SBC ones.� Independent Baptist churches are also giving in to the peer pressure of worldliness and the push for “numbers.”D.� Though I hate this for our families, community, and nation—there is nothing that I can do to change them.� Paul's concern was more for the church at Thessalonica than for the churches of Asia that were already gone.� My concern is more for Temple Baptist Church!E.� We often sing the little chorus� “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus.”� One of the verses says, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.”� To stand fast in these last perilous times, we must be willing to stand alone if necessary.� � Discouragement and peer pressure are the enemies of well doing.� � Years ago, at a preacher's fellowship, a friend of mine preached on the subject of “Nobody Gives A Rip!”� He has been out of the ministry for years!� I have news for him and you: there are still good churches and good people that care.� You and I are not alone in this thing.F.� Our verse uses the phrase� “be not be weary in well doing.”1.� “Well doing”� indicates a desire.� I believe that the church at Thessalonica had a burning desire to do well.� True Christians and good churches have a desire to be obedient to the Word of God as the love of Christ constrains them.2.� “In well doing”� indicates more than just an acknowledgement of what “well doing” consists of.� The church at Thessalonica was certainly doing well.� Well doing is well doing!� (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)3.� “Weary in well doing”� shows the spiritual attrition that takes place over a long period of time.� When writing to the church at Ephesus, John indicted them with having “left their first love.”� This is not something that takes place in an instance of time but over an extended period.4.� “Brethren, be not”� brings the plea down to an individual church over which the pastor and flock have control.� Thessalonica could not control the churches of Asia but could control their own church.G.� The phrase “well doing”� is found six times and these references in the New Testament.1.� Well doing takes patient continuance.� � Romans 2:7� To them who by� patient continuance in well doing� seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:� � (Patient continuance!� Stay with the Bible; stay with the stuff; stay with patience.� Our reward is eternal, not temporal.)2 Corinthians 4:17-18� For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding� and� eternal weight of glory; � (18)� While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen� are� temporal; but the things which are not seen� are� eternal.2.� Well doing silences the critical tongues of the unsaved.� � 1 Peter 2:15� For so is the will of God, that with� well doing ye may put to silence� the ignorance of foolish men:� (Do not quit doing well because of what people say about you.� I have found that most people know what right is and know that you are doing right.� This makes them uncomfortable when around you.� The world must see Christ in us as were are epistles, written of God and read of men.)1 Peter 2:12� Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by� your� good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.3.� Well doing can bring about persecution in the will of God.� � 1 Peter 3:17� For� it is� better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.� � (Though none of us like persecution, it is a reality in the life of all of God's children.)Matthew 5:10-12� Blessed� are� they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. � (11)� Blessed are ye, when� men� shall revile you, and persecuteyou,� and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. � (12)� Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great� is� your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.4.� Well doing has a reward.� � Galatians 6:9� And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.� � (Temple, you are doing a great work.� You love God; you love the Bible; your love your pastor; you love each other; you love and support missionaries; you have been a lighthouse on the side of the road for the past 30 years.� You have not wavered; you have not faltered; you have not quit!)Isaiah 40:29-31� He giveth power to the faint; and to� them that have� no might he increaseth strength. � (30)� Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: � (31)� But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew� their� strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;� and� they shall walk, and not faint.5.� Well doing places the child of God in the protective realm of God's faithfulness.� � 1 Peter 4:19� Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls� to him� in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.� � (I had rather be in the will of God in the jungles of Africa than out of the will of God in Laurens, SC!)Proverbs 21:31� The horse� is� prepared against the day of battle: but safety� is� of the LORD.

A mere five years ago, Air Force officer Kristin Goodwin could have been discharged from the military for engaging in a homosexual relationship or a same-sex marriage.Yet last month, it was announced that Col. Goodwin has been nominated for promotion to brigadier general—and to be the next commandant of cadets at the U. S. Air Force Academy. Goodwin is a 1993 Academy graduate who openly identifies as homosexual and will be moving to Colorado Springs with her same-sex spouse and two children they are raising together. Her promotion and appointment, however, must be confirmed by the Senate.When the news broke publicly in the Colorado Springs Independent, Mikey Weinstein, founder of the ironically titled “Military Religious Freedom Foundation,” could hardly contain his glee that “the Air Force has chosen a gay female officer to be its next USAFA Commandant!” However, Weinstein also groused, “Should not USAFA and Senior Air Force leadership be touting this action as an historic milestone of jovian magnitude as well?”Christians, however, may have legitimate concerns about what Goodwin’s appointment will mean for the future of religious liberty at the Academy. Since the repeal of the 1993 law against homosexuality in the military, the Air Force has seen incidents in which airmen have been punished for espousing the biblical view of human sexuality and marriage. Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk was relieved of duty by a commander who identifies as homosexual at Lackland Air Force Base for defending marriage as the union of one man and one woman (although after the intervention of pro-family groups, he received a commendation instead).At the Air Force Academy itself, a cadet was recently ordered to erase a Bible verse written on a whiteboard that was provided to cadets in their dorms to write personal messages. Although Weinstein insisted that the words of the New Testament created a “hostile environment” for non-Christians, the flap merely encouraged more cadets to exercise their freedom of speech and religion by posting Bible verses on the whiteboards, and brought members of Congress down on the Academy for engaging in “viewpoint discrimination.” Can we expect more such discrimination under Goodwin’s leadership?A few days after her appointment, however, the website God and Country (devoted to “Military Religious Freedom and Christian Service”) raised a different question:BGen(S) Kristin Goodwin, soon� to be the newest� Commandant of Cadets at the US Air Force Academy,� commissioned into the Air Force with the Academy Class of 1993.The policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was instated in February of 1994. Anyone who entered the military prior to that date answered a question about homosexuality during the enlistment process. Those who answered in the affirmative were refused enlistment.How was Col Goodwin — an open homosexual — able to enter the Air Force?The author acknowledges that many may see this as a non-issue in the post-DADT military. But he does raise a question unique to Goodwin serving as commandant of cadets at the Academy—namely, the Academy’s honor code.The code declares, “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does.” God and Country notes that “cadets practically venerate the Honor Code (in spirit, if not in deed).”The article speculates, “No doubt someone will work a hypothetical story into an early Philosophy class”:It could make for a fascinating� thought experiment.Is it “wrong” to lie to enter the US military — or the Air Force, whose first core value is “integrity”?� Is it wrong to “live a lie” as� a cadet under the Honor Code?What if you eventually become a leader, a General, or the Commandant of Cadets — now charged with enforcing that standard of integrity and honor?This was too much for Mikey Weinstein. He filed a 14-page complaint with the Air Force Inspector General, charging the Air Force officer he believes to be responsible for the God and Country website with several violations, such as “Disrespect Toward a Superior Commissioned Officer” and “Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman.” (The author did not seem alarmed—noting that this is the 9th time Weinstein has filed such a complaint, to no effect.)If anything, however, the God and Country post may have understated the concerns raised by Goodwin’s appointment to a position enforcing the Academy’s Honor Code.That’s because the author seems to have fallen prey to the nearly universal misunderstanding of the difference between the 1993 law enacted by Congress and the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy proposed by President Bill Clinton.During his 1992 presidential campaign, Bill Clinton had stated his intention to lift the long-standing ban on military service of those who identify as homosexual. Within days of his inauguration in January 1993, he announced moves to make good on that promise.This triggered a firestorm of criticism, both from Congress and within the military. By the time his six-month deadline for drafting an executive order arrived, it was clear that Congress would not tolerate a complete removal of the policy against homosexuality.So in July 1993, President Clinton proposed a compromise policy colloquially referred to as “don’t ask don’t tell.” As usually described by the media, “DADT” meant that the military would no longer inquire about the sexual orientation of service members (“don’t ask”), and therefore people with same-sex attractions could serve as long as they did not publicly identify themselves as homosexual (“don’t tell”).However, Congress did not simply accept President Clinton’s proposed compromise. Instead, they continued to debate the issue, and ultimately enacted a statutory “Policy concerning homosexuality in the armed forces,” 10 U.S.C 654, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. President Clinton signed this into law on November 30, 1993.The new law (which Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness retroactively dubbed the “Military Personnel Eligibility Act of 1993”) did not reflect the relatively laissez-faire attitude toward homosexuality that is usually associated with “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Instead, it explicitly restated the principles behind the existing policy of exclusion, declaring:“The prohibition against homosexual conduct is a longstanding element of military law that continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service.”and“The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”The law also declared flatly that “A member of the armed forces shall be separated from the armed forces” [emphasis added] if it was found:(1) That the member has engaged in, attempted to engage in, or solicited another to engage in a homosexual act or acts . . .(2) That the member has stated that he or she is a homosexual or bisexual, or words to that effect . . .(3) That the member has married or attempted to marry a person known to be of the same biological sex.However, Department of Defense regulations announced in December 1993 and codified in February 1994 bore more resemblance to the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy proposed in July than they did to the actual law enacted by Congress and signed by the president in November.For example, the regulations stated, “Sexual orientation is considered a personal and private matter, and homosexual orientation is not a bar to service entry or continued service unless manifested by homosexual conduct.” The law, however, says that “persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk.”Note that “sexual orientation” is an umbrella term that, depending on the context, can refer to any one, or a combination, of three separate things—a person’s sexual attractions, their sexual conduct, and their self-identification.By the time the 1993 law was repealed in December 2010 (and the repeal took effect in September 2011), the popular concept of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” had evolved to where people thought “you can be gay in the military”—in both attractions and behavior—as long as you were not “out of the closet” with your self-identification.However, in 1993, the proposed DADT “compromise” allowed a focus on both self-identification and conduct. For example, a July 1993 newspaper article described it this way:Conduct is the key. Even people who have admitted being gay have a chance, under the language of the policy, to stay in the military if they can prove they are celibate, have always been celibate and will remain celibate.The actual law enacted by Congress, however, made clear that all three elements of a “homosexual orientation”—attractions, conduct, and self-identification—remained problematic for the military. The statement, “The presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity [emphasis added] or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk,” addresses sexual attractions. And both the conduct (“the member has engaged in . . . a homosexual act”) and the self-identification (“the member has stated that he or she is a homosexual”) remained grounds for separation from military service. This was the state of the law until September 2011.In light of this, it should be clear that the issue involving Goodwin’s integrity is not just limited to how she may or may not have answered a question in 1993 or 1994. Whether she complied with federal law regarding eligibility for military service relates to both her sexual conduct and her sexual attractions at any point up until September 2011.To be specific—if anyone at any point during Goodwin’s accession into the military and the repeal of the 1993 law in 2011, engaged in a homosexual act, they would have been in violation of the law (both the 1993 law and possibly the law against sodomy in the Uniform Code of Military Justice) and subject to separation from the military. If, during that time, a person experienced same-sex sexual attractions, it could be interpreted as “a propensity . . . to engage in homosexual acts.”In my research on Goodwin’s career, I have not found any published evidence that she violated the law. Weinstein, citing a source he says spoke with Goodwin, declared in his complaint that Goodwin “relates that she did not become aware of her sexual orientation until well after DADT went into effect.”However, there is nothing to prevent members of the Senate from raising these questions, as well as questions about her commitment to freedom of speech and religion for cadets. They may be crucial to determining whether she is suitable for promotion, or fit to command the Air Force Academy—and, as God and Country pointed out, to oversee its honor code.