Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.
By Ken Blue
I have finished Rules for Radicals, and am going through it a second time to ensure I clearly understand it.
Alinsky is considered the founder of modern community organizing. He is noted for his 1971 book, Rules for Radicals. (The word “Rules” is misleading, but it follows the intent of the book. It is softer than any other synonym.)
Alinsky received much criticism, but also gained praise from many public figures. In the 1950’s, he began turning his attention to improving conditions in the African-American ghettos, beginning with Chicago and other trouble spots. (We can see how he helped Chicago.) His ideas were adapted in the 1960’s by some U.S. college students and other young counterculture-era organizers, who used them as part of their strategies for organizing on campus and beyond.
Alinsky was born in Chicago in 1909 to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. Whenever anyone asks of his religion, he always says—Jewish. At the same time, he was also an agnostic. He chose Jewish to help create animosity and hatred. By 1939, he became active in general community organizing, starting with the Back of the Yards and other poor areas on the Southside of Chicago. His early efforts were to turn scattered, voiceless discontent into a united protest. As a result of his efforts and success at helping slum communities, Alinsky spent the next 10 years repeating his organization work across the nation. By 1950 he turned his attention to the black ghettos of Chicago. (He used the poor and discontent to promote his agenda.) He traveled to California at the request of the San Francisco Bay Area Presbyterian Churches to help organize the black ghetto in Oakland. Hearing of his plans, the panic-stricken Oakland City Council promptly introduced a resolution banning him from the city.
He trained organizers and assisted in the founding of community organizations around the country.
In his book, Alinsky addressed the 1960’s generation of radicals, outlining his views on organizing for mass power. He says, what follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. (The interesting thing is, he purposefully avoids stating what the end view is. In fact, there is no end view.)
The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away. (That pretty well sums it up. Rob those who have, keep what you want and give the rest to those who riot, burn and steal for you.) One of the most important things in life is whether you’re right. If you don’t have that, if you think you’ve got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated. The greatest crimes in history have been perpetrated by such religious, political and racial fanatics, from the persecutions of the Inquisition on down to Communist purges and Nazi genocide. (The reason? They thought there was absolute truth. Organizers must never embrace any dogma held as true.)
[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Alinsky’s motto: Rob those who have, keep what you want and give the rest to those who riot, burn and steal for you.[/pullquote]
In Rules for Radicals he taught that the job of the organizer is to maneuver and bait the establishment so that it will publicly attack him as a “dangerous enemy.” According to Alinsky, the hysterical instant reaction of the establishment will not only validate the organizer’s credentials of competency but also ensure automatic popular invitation.
Rules for Radicals fell under two of his rules:
Rule 3. Wherever possible, go outside the experience of the enemy; and
Rule 4: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. (The reader should note this.)
Alinsky described his plans for 1972 to begin to organize the white middle class across the United States, and the necessity of that project. Saul Alinsky championed new ways to organize the poor and powerless that created a backyard revolution in cities across America. Among those influenced by Alinsky were, Ralph Nader, Cesar Chavez, Jesse Jackson and Hillary Rodham. Clinton wrote her senior thesis on Alinsky’s work, with Alinsky himself contributing his own time to help her. Although Rodham defended Alinsky’s intentions in her thesis, she was critical of his methods and dogmatism. (Years later when she became First Lady, the thesis was not made publicly available by the school based upon a White House request.)
President Barack Obama was influenced by Alinsky and followed in his footsteps as a Chicago-based community organizer. Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign was influenced by Alinsky’s teachings. Alinsky’s influence on Obama has been heavily emphasized. As with all conspiracy theories, the Alinsky-Obama link rests on a kernel of truth. For three years in the mid 80s, Obama worked for the Developing Communities Project, which was influenced by Alinsky’s work, and he wrote an essay that was collected in a book memorializing Alinsky.
Shortly before his death he had discussed life after death in Playboy:
ALINSKY: … if there is an afterlife, and I have anything to say about it, I will unreservedly choose to go to hell.
PLAYBOY: Why?
ALINSKY: Hell would be heaven for me. All my life I’ve been with the have-nots. Over here, if you’re a have-not, you’re short of dough. If you’re a have-not in hell, you’re short of virtue. Once I get into hell, I’ll start organizing the have-nots over there.
PLAYBOY: Why them?
ALINSKY: They’re my kind of people.
Alinsky’s playbook was was dedicated to the Devil and he concludes with the same theme. It was inspired in hell, and while there, he will have devils dancing around and jesting at what a fool he was. Also, He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh with scorn at him. He will be so busy, that he will not have time to think about organizing anyone. He will want water.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.
By Ken Blue
We have often heard the naive believer say, “Every promise in the Book is mine!” However, those dear souls display more zeal than knowledge, when it comes to the Book. If every promise is yours, to whom do the curses belong? We will show some of the promises in Scripture that have been “hijacked” by Christians and claimed them for themselves. They handle the Word of God deceitfully by doing this.
The believer needs to have strong faith in the Word of God. But it must not be misinterpreted or misapplied. Right division and the true context is the only way to keep from handling the Word of God deceitfully. There is such a thing as interpretation and application; both can be done recklessly.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.
ByKenBlue
We live in a day when pastors pick a verse from anywhere, and make it say anything they like. This is seen when one conveniently overlooks certain things in the verse and chooses only those that support his agenda.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of musical instruments. Why is that? You know the answer. I dare you to.
Let us consider some Biblical instruments we are called upon to use to praise God:
These are a few Biblical instruments found in Scripture. Yet you will not find them in Baptist churches. Perhaps if we added them, those churches that sound like funeral homes could be revived. Why aren’t they used? The answer is because the pastors are cowards. They fear their members and the wrath of fellow pastors. Come on Pastor, don’t be a chicken. Many Baptist churches dare not use anything other than the piano or organ, and then wonder why the music sounds like a Catholic Monastery. Biblical instruments fall into three categories; wind, stringed and percussion. I dare you!
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.
By Ken Blue
Several years ago I wrote a book called, Baptist Brider Bologna. I had no idea just how thick the bologna was until a fellow pastor called my attention to a Baptist Bride webpage. It contained the article below. We could title it “The Switch and Bait Game.”
Briders believe they have the only correct doctrine, and therefore, only those who embrace it are Christians. You may be saved and in the family of God, but if you are not of their cut, you are not in the bride. You will notice that they make the word Christian synonymous with a Baptist Brider. Then they say if you don’t accept their Baptist teaching, you are not a Christian.
What all that means is, if you aren’t baptized by someone, who was baptized by someone, who was baptized by John the Baptist, you are not a Christian. If you are not a member of a Baptist Bride Church, you are not a Christian. If you do not have closed communion, you are not a Christian. If you fellowship with anyone who is not a Brider, you are not a Christian. If you use any Bible except the King James Bible, you are not a Christian. If you don’t believe in eternal security, you are not a Christian. If you are baptized by anyone except a Brider Pastor, you are not a Christian. If you are not faithful to all the Baptist Church services, you are not a Christian. If you don’t tithe, you are not a Christian. If you don’t go soul winning, you are not a Christian. If you disagree with the pastor, you are not a Christian. And, if the sign on your church doesn’t say Baptist, you probably aren’t a Christian. We say “nuts” to all this!
[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Baptist Briders believe they have the only correct doctrine[/pullquote]
What these birds have done is set up a series of personal standards and doctrines, they think early believers believed and practiced. Then they teach that these original believers constituted the Baptist Bride Church, whose members lived by those standards. Adherence to their Baptist teachings identified them as Christians. Therefore, if you do not accept their Baptist Bride doctrines and behavior, you are not a Christian. It’s that simple, boys and girls.
Posted by JTR on 7/01/2010
“While some Baptists understand the absurdity of making a distinction between church history and Baptist history many would still refer to non-Baptist believers as Christians. I don’t believe that you can be a Christian without being a Baptist. I did not say you can’t be saved without being a Baptist and that would be absurd because you cannot become a Baptist until being baptized after salvation. The question must be asked, “What is a Christian?” A Christian is not just one that trusts Christ as their Savior. A Christian is one who is a follower of Christ – including AFTER salvation. May I say that one who gets saved and then backslides or never grows in the Lord is not a Christian. They may have trusted in Christ but they are not following Christ in their life. To be a Christian is to follow the ways and teachings of Christ. How could a believer be a Christian without being a member of the institution of the local church which He started? How could a saved Methodist be a Christian with their infant baptism? How could a Pentecostal believer be a Christian with their speaking in tongues? How could a Church of Christ member be called a Christian when they are trusting in baptism for salvation? How could a Presbyterian believer be a Christian when they don’t believe in eternal security and practice sprinkling? Being a Christian is more than believing in Christ and going to a church that historically believes in Christ instead of other gods. As Spurgeon said, ‘We believe that the Baptists are the original Christians.’ As Baptists we don’t treat the polity of new testament churches as optional suggestions and we don’t add to our practices the contradictory writings and creeds of men. If Jesus were physically on earth today he would be a member of a Baptist church because a (true) Baptist church is a practical copy and an actual descendant of the church that Christ started during His earthly ministry. Don’t be ashamed my brethren, only Baptists are Christians.”
(Emphasis is mine. I am not ashamed to be a Baptist; I am ashamed of some Baptist!)
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.