Ann Coulter May Be Helping Gingrich by Attacking South Carolina

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Let me begin by putting my cards on the table. I adore Ann Coulter. After all, what’s not to love? She is beautiful, smart, funny, and conservative. She is always right about the left and she is usually right about the right. But her analysis of why Gingrich won South Carolina is not only wrong, it’s wrong to the point of placing her firmly in camp of those who are actually helping fuel the Newt surge.

On Sunday’s edition of “Fox and Friends” Coulter opened her diatribe against South Carolina by saying, “Apparently, South Carolina would rather have the emotional security of a snotty remark toward the president than to beat Obama in the fall.” She followed by accusing the “tea party crowd” of loving the name calling while ignoring Gingrich’s past. She ended with a flourish saying, “With Gingrich you throw out the baby and keep the bath water!”

The only baby being thrown out here is Mitt Romney. His moderate, rehearsed, milk toast, methodical answers in the debates sound like they were written in some political spin room by professional politicians who know how to turn a phrase but are clueless when it comes to turning out the base. Obama bamboozled the American electorate and we are in no mood for another slick politician who has perfect hair, the perfect answer to every question, and who happens to be the next establishment candidate in line.

If Ann Coulter thinks the presidential election of 2012 will be won by the dispassionate, robotic approach of Mitt Romney she is greatly mistaken. The American people are angry. We are tired of being lied to by the left and by their mouthpieces in most of the mainstream media. We are done with politicians who refuse to boldly speak the truth and then back it up with some genuine passion. We are through with small ideas and a middle of the road mentality that beats a hasty retreat every time one of the elite, ruling class says, “boo.”

I was present at the Fox News Republican debate in Myrtle Beach the Monday night before the South Carolina primary. I knew the election was turning when the crowd erupted with emotion at Gingrich’s impassioned exchange with Juan Williams. In a moment, Gingrich captured the rage of decent Americans who have had about all of the left wing grandstanding and moderate soft talk we can stand. He stood up and spoke out with clarity, not compromise, and just about every person in the house stood up with him. Maybe the response of the crowd wasn’t reasonable but it was real. It may not have been well thought out but it was felt throughout America.

There were clear winners and losers both coming out of and remaining in South Carolina. A clear loser that remains is Governor Nikki Haley. She gave Mitt Romney her endorsement, campaigned with him, and invested all of her political capital toward a Romney victory. For Romney to lose by over 12 points with many of those points representing tea party votes is an embarrassment for someone whose political fortune is clearly tied to the tea party movement.
The losers coming out of South Carolina include Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Ron Paul lost because he expected a third place finish in South Carolina and he finished fourth. Romney lost because his pathway to the nomination, which is being paved by the Republican establishment, ran headlong into the Tea Party. In her attacks on South Carolinians and their way of thinking Ann Coulter seems to forget that the historic take over of the House of Representatives by Republicans in 2010 was fueled by Tea Party Patriots and not by status quo Republicans.

The winners out of South Carolina are Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Gingrich raised 1 million dollars in the 12 hours following the primary. He turned an 18-point polling deficit in Florida into a 9-point plus advantage. Can he sustain it? It depends. Romney will now have to go on the attack. Can he rise to meet Newt’s passion in the debates or will he continue his platitudes in the face of Newt’s reasoned attacks against the left and passionate defense of American excpetionalism. I suspect that Newt’s attacks against the media will have a short shelf life if he pursues them to often.

Santorum is a winner coming out of South Carolina because he was able to post a strong third place showing. As long as he stays in the top three he will continue to raise enough money to soldier on. His conservative message of traditional, evangelical, family values paired with fiscal conservatism and a strong understanding of America’s role as a leader in the world will continue to resonate. And who knows, if he hangs in there in this crazy, unpredictable political climate the other candidates might take each other out giving Santorum a renewed chance of winning the nomination.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Who Won The CNN/Southern Republican Debate?

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Who Won The CNN/Southern Republican Debate? The truth is… It doesn’t matter. At this point in this epic back and forth, up and down, in and out fight for the Republican nomination it really doesn’t matter who won or lost the last debate. What matters is this one, simple, indisputable fact. Which of the final four can wake this country up from the nightmare that is the Obama Administration?

We already know more about these candidates than we have known about any candidate for president since 1980. They have been vetted, re-vetted, examined, dissected, and picked over to the point of insanity. The media, the press, the democrats, fellow Republicans, and average, everyday citizens have asked every conceivable question and raised very possible scenario that any president might face during his or her tenure in the White House. It’s time to turn off the grill and decide which of the candidates are ready to serve.

The last debate before the South Carolina primary was the most informative of all the debates to date. Here are the primary points to ponder while on your way to the polls on Saturday:

  1. Do you believe that Mitt Romney, the architect of government run, government mandated healthcare can make the case for the repeal of Obamacare without being laughed off of the debate stage? Believe me, I get the fact that, as government monstrosities go, Romney care is dwarfed by Obamacare. You can make any comparison you want between what Governor Romney did in Massachusetts and President Obama did in Washington. But at the end of the debate the fact remains we have a Republican frontrunner who says he is a conservative who, when he had the chance to craft a healthcare plan for his state decided a government mandate is better than a free market solution. On Thursday night, Rick Santorum finally penetrated the shield Mitt Romney has somehow managed to raise around Romneycare. If a Republican can successfully hang Romney with Romneycare what do you think President Obama will do?
  2. Do you believe that a strong, constitutional government means babies can be aborted in one state while their lives are protected in another? Do you believe marriage can be defined by twenty-five states as being exclusively between a man and a woman and in 25 states as whatever the left can dream up? Are you ok with legalized prostitution, legalized drugs and a near isolationist foreign policy that will move America from the shinning city on a hill to the dark fortress behind the moat? Ron Paul’s libertarian world may sound like a utopia to his followers but to me it sounds like chaos and confusion on steroids. If abortion is the murder of an innocent, pre-born child who became a living being at the moment of conception and who is made in the image of the Creator then why would we allow it in any state? If abortion is legal in Maine and illegal in South Carolina do you think a young, scared, pregnant girl might get on a plane in South Carolina and fly to Maine to have an abortion? How about this? Let’s say you have two lesbians who get legally married in New York. Suppose one of the women is impregnated by artificial insemination and has a baby. Later, she decides to exit the homosexual lifestyle so she takes her biological baby and goes to South Carolina where same-sex marriage is illegal. Will the courts give the baby to the biological mother who now wants the child to be raised in a traditional home or will a lesbian in New York raise the child? If we legalize drugs do you think the addiction rates will go up or come down? How about the Taliban? Are they murderous dictators who like to cut the heads off of the people who challenge them or are they just misunderstood people who are defending their country? These are all questions you need to answer before you pick to a libertarian to be the standard bearer for the Republican Party.\
  3. Does Newt Gingrich have the discipline necessary to turn his big ideas into legislation that can be passed and implemented? Gingrich has been brilliant in the debates and on the stump. But at some point the candidate has to leave the stage and come down from the stump and actually govern. Big ideas have to implemented through a series of big decisions. Making big decisions requires discipline and the leadership to turn big decisions into policy requires focus. Does Newt Gingrich have the discipline necessary to turn his big ideas into big decisions that can become the laws that will restore our republic?
  4. Finally, can a good man who loves his family and has a mostly consistent record of sticking to and leading on conservative issues overcome his few areas of inconsistency and defeat President Obama? Rick Santorum’s strength may be his greatest weakness. He is truly a good guy and in a postmodern world that has abandoned truth and reason good guys often finish last. Is he tough enough to go toe to toe with President Obama and come out on top? Rick Santorum is one of the most vilified people on the planet and his tormentors are the radical leftists who hate everything he stands for and has fought for. It would take a miracle for him to be elected president in the current cultural and political atmosphere. But then again, we thought it would be a miracle if he won Iowa.

The debate this past Thursday night should be the last. We don’t need any more debates to help us understand the positions and the potential of the candidates. Five candidates that started the race are gone. Cain, Huntsman, Bachman, Perry, and Pawlenty have all been eliminated from the race by the process of endless examination. Now it’s crunch time for the four who are left standing. Let’s review it, think it through, pray over it and then make a decision. Our future depends on it.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Gettysburg, Evangelicals, and the South Carolina Primary

By Dr. Tony Beam.

There is a particularly poignant scene in the movie Gettysburg where Major General John Buford (played by Sam Elliott) stands just outside the town reflecting on the battle that he knows is about to take place. He is distraught over the fact that unless the Union troops can unite hold the high ground against the advancing Confederate forces they will play out a scenario he has seen before. General Buford says, “We will charge valiantly… and be butchered valiantly! And afterward men in tall hats with gold watch fobs will thump their chest and say what a brave charge it was. Devin, I’ve led a soldiers life, and I have never seen anything as brutally clear as this.”

History holds the rest of the story. Major General Buford refuses to accept the inevitable and he deploys his cavalry forces in a brilliant maneuver that gives Major General Reynolds time to reinforce Buford’s position and deny the Confederates the high ground in the coming battle. It is very likely this one decision to stay and fight when the odds demanded a retreat decided the outcome of the battle on day one at Gettysburg. And most historians agree that Gettysburg decided the outcome of the war.

Today, when I look at the South Carolina primary I feel like General Buford. I have led the life of a political observer and participant who cares deeply and believes fervently in the core values and traditions that have made America great. Nothing could be more brutally clear than the likely result of the Republican primary in this state. There are three principled men who are running as conservatives, one principled man running as a libertarian, and two principled men who are clearly moderate. Unless conservatives and I mean all conservatives including fiscal, moral, social, Tea Party, Reagan, etc, rally to one candidate the vote will be split and the way to the Republican nomination will be paved, by stubbornness and pride, for Romney.

We have seen it before. In fact, 2012 is eerily similar to 2008. In 2008 Mike Huckabee came from nowhere to win the Iowa caucus. His victory gave him a good chance to unite conservatives in South Carolina for a primary victory that would have sent him to Florida with the wind at his back and a good chance of winning the Republican nomination. But conservative Fred Thompson, who did poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire decided to make South Carolina his last stand. The conservative vote split four ways and John McCain used the momentum of a slim South Carolina win to propel him to the nomination.

Here we are again in 2012 trapped in a bizarre kind of Groundhog Day scenario where we keep repeating the same actions over and over. Rick Santorum comes out of nowhere and gets to within eight votes in Iowa of defeating the heavily favored, massively funded Romney. Michelle Bachman, one of the most conservative and honorable candidates decides to step aside. Rick Perry announces he is returning to Texas to reassess his campaign and a glimmer of hope begins to shine that maybe, just maybe conservatives have learned the lesson of 2008 and are ready in 2012 to unite around one candidate.

But Perry decides to stay in the race and soldiers on to South Carolina where he will siphon off conservative votes from Santorum and Gingrich. So here we are as conservatives about to make the same mistake of dividing our votes and handing the establishment candidate the nomination on a silver platter.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Just as Major General John Buford changed history by defying the odds and deploying his forces we can still defy the odds and rally around a true conservative candidate who can win. At a meeting in Texas this past weekend over 150 evangelical conservatives met, listened to speeches by representatives of the candidates, prayed, and after three ballots gave overwhelming support to Rick Santorum. Men and women like James Dobson, Gary Bauer, and Maggie Gallaher who have been on the front lines of the culture war for over thirty years decided to lay aside their differences and unite behind Santorum.

It couldn’t have been easy for these remarkable leaders to make such a bold choice. They must have known that not everyone would be pleased. They knew the risks of endorsement. They knew the odds were great that those who don’t agree would criticize them. But as they stood and surveyed the primary field of battle they refused to accept the inevitable outcome of a split conservative vote. They decided to unite and take a stand.

If evangelicals and conservatives in South Carolina will follow the courageous decision of our national leaders we can change history. Let’s unite behind one very good man… Rick Santorum. If we do we won’t have to look back and lament over what could have been a great victory for conservatism.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Why Rick Santorum Should Be President Of The United States

By Dr. Tony Beam.

“Game on.” Those two words, spoken by Rick Santorum as he addressed a room full of Iowa supporters on the night of his stunning come from behind near victory, shook the establishment Republicans right down to their socks. In a moment, the coronation of Mitt Romney as the undefeatable choice to unseat President Obama was put on hold. A premature victory pronouncement was snatched from mouth of the mainstream media as Iowans realized they didn’t have to bow to the inevitable. They really could make a choice and the choice they made was to turn their collective backs on the pundits and the political prognosticators and pick Rick.

For months, polls reflected a strong resonance with Santorum as a man, his morals and his message. So why couldn’t he slog his way out of single digits and into the top tier of the Republican field? Over and over the answer was “I like Santorum but he just can’t win.” Then Bob Vander Plaats decided to step out of the shadows of the evangelical community and endorse Santorum. Like some kind of political energizer bunny, Vander Plaat’s endorsement keeps going and going and going. It brought others off the bench and into the game, as people were encouraged to suit up and follow his example.

What began as “game on” for conservatives could quickly become “game over” if South Carolina repeats the mistake of 2008. For those who need a refresher course, Mike Huckabee came out of nowhere in Iowa winning a great victory. He lost in New Hampshire, setting up a must win situation for him in a state that was made for his conservative message and evangelical values. But there were at least four candidates on the ballot with conservative credentials and the conservative vote was split just enough to give John McCain the victory and ultimately, Barak Obama the keys the White House.

It’s beginning to feel like déjà vu all over again. The surge Santorum received in Iowa will likely be blunted by a Romney win in New Hampshire. Once again, South Carolina will decide whether the Republican Party will return to its roots in Reagan or if we will turn to another moderate who offers “pale pastels over bold colors.” If conservatives unite we can give the Tea Party patriots who stormed into Washington in 2010 a Chief Executive who will stand with them in their fight to reign in an out of control government.

Rick Santorum should be president for three basic but important reasons. First, his policies are sound. His economic recovery plan includes a reduction of federal non-defense discretionary spending to 2008 levels by enacting across the board spending cuts. He has called for and pledged to sign into law the repeal of ObamaCare and to replace it with market based healthcare innovation and competitive, market based solutions that will leave healthcare choices where they belong…. between doctors and their patients. Santorum has called for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution and a capping of government spending to 18% of GDP. Just this past week the debt to GDP ratio crossed 100%. Without these bold economic moves within a very few years America will be reduced from a world economic leader to a third world economic shell.

Santorum has proposed reforming Social Security and putting it on a path to sustainability by a host of measures including moving back the retirement age for younger workers, offering voluntary alternatives for retirement funding, and making sure Social Security payroll taxes are dedicated to Social Security. His plan to restore America’s place as the undisputed leader in manufacturing includes reducing the corporate income tax on manufacturers from 35% to 0%. The tax on repatriated taxable corporate income will drop from 35% to 0% for companies that invest those repatriated funds in domestic business expansion.

Rick Santorum has promised to secure the border, enforce immigration laws, support states that are trying to deal with illegal immigration, and to make sure those who hire illegal workers are punished. He would defund Planned Parenthood while supporting adoption programs and defend the Defense of Marriage Act and a constitutional amendment to protect marriage as an institution that is solely between a man and a woman.

On foreign policy Santorum has promised to stand by Israel, stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and to restore the role of American leadership and respect in the world.

The second reason to support Santorum is the stability of his personal life. His commitment to his wife and family as a husband and father reveals a man of character who is willing to keep his word. You can’t be pro-family when your family is in disarray. Show me a man who is willing to lead in the home and I will show you a man who is a leader in the world.

Finally, Santorum deserves our support because of his passion for God. He has had his faith tested in the crucible of personal trial and in the pressure cooker of public attacks against him because of his strong stands on moral issues. His personal relationship with Jesus Christ has in the past and continues in the present to sustain and strengthen him. The book of James says, “Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2).

All of the candidates for the Republican nomination have their strengths. But only one can be the standard-bearer of true conservatism. As Gary Bauer said in his endorsement of Santorum the next Ronald Reagan has been right in front of us. We need to unite behind him and lift him to victory.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Five Things We Can Know For Sure In 2012

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Very few things in our world today are certain. For example, planes and trains run off schedule more than they run on schedule. Appliances break down after the warranty has expired. Clothes come into and then go out of fashion (but if you hold on to your clothes long enough, you will be in style again). Many times, the check isn’t in the mail and our job, which we think we will have until retirement, changes or we get laid off. Change is inevitable and the future is very hard to predict.

As we leave 2011, which has been called by some “the year of fear” and we enter 2012, we face quite a few unstable situations, which make 2012 very difficult to predict. We stand on the very brink of war with Iran. The unrest in the Middle East continues to grow as Israel and the Palestinians contend for the same ground. North Korea has stormed onto the international radar screen once again through the death of Kim Jung Il. Here at home, we face the prospects of an unstable economy, the possibility of more terrorist attacks, and many face fears concerning the security of their jobs. In the midst of all this uncertainty, is there anything we can be sure of in 2012? I believe there are at least five things we can know for sure:

  1. God’s Word is true and powerful. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” What other influence could accomplish so much? God’s Word is “God breathed,” which means every word is completely dependable and will accomplish its purpose. Paul told Timothy God’s Word would make him complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. God’s Word is still completing and equipping everyone today who will dig into its truth and live by its teaching.
  2. God’s will is sure. Psalm 33:11 says, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” Whatever happens in 2012, we can be confident that the promises of God will always remain. No matter what circumstances we face we need to remember that God “causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
  3. God’s ways will always lead to a blessing. Deuteronomy 11:13-15 says, “And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.” If we walk in the ways God has set forth, we will be blessed. We may not see “instant blessings” but over the course of our lives, living according to God’s principles will bring the fruit of joy and security, even in the middle of trying times.
  4. God’s world in winding down. Many of the situations we see in our world today are the result of the times in which we live. In what is known as His Olivet Discourse, Jesus said, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end” Matthew 24:6. As we get closer to the Second Coming of Christ, we can expect the world to become unstable. But Jesus told us not to be afraid because these things must come to pass. They are the signs which remind us time is not circular, but linear. We are headed toward the culmination of time at the Second Coming of Christ.
  5. God’s window of opportunity is now. God’s Word has a sense of urgency about it. Everything God calls us to do; He calls us to do while we have the opportunity. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “For He says, in an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation.” Each new day is a new opportunity for us to make a difference in this world. What will you do with your window of opportunity today?

Holding on to these five principles will give us stability in the changing world of 2012. I remember when I was growing up, watching the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade was a highlight of our family’s Thanksgiving holiday. During my college years, I finally took advantage of an opportunity to go to New York and see the parade in person. I was amazed at how many people it took to hold the giant balloons (which are always the main attraction of the parade) in their proper place. The wind would tear at the balloons, threatening to cause the people holding the ropes to lose their grip. If several of the rope holders lost their grip, the balloons would be at the mercy of the wind and would crash into the buildings on either side of the street.

It is likely we will all face the winds of change in 2012. But if we will hold tightly to these five principles we will find ourselves able to stay on course. May God give us the grace, strength, and wisdom to follow Him and serve Him this and every year.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Obama Administration Encourages “Phantom Voting” in South Carolina

By Dr. Tony Beam.
Friday’s decision by the Obama Justice Department to strike down South Carolina’s voter ID law should surprise no one who has been following Attorney General Eric Holder’s idea of justice.  The South Carolina law is similar to laws passed in Texas, Rhode Island, Kansas, Tennessee and Wisconsin but so far the Justice Department’s interest has rested solely on Texas and South Carolina; the two states on the list that are among nine covered under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The Justice Department released a statement that said South Carolina’s law didn’t meet the burden under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez said, “Tens of thousands of minorities in South Carolina might not be able to cast ballots under South Carolina’s law because they don’t have the right photo ID.”

The response from South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson was swift and the to the point saying, “Nothing in this act stops people from voting.” He vowed to fight the Justice Department ruling in court. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley released a statement accusing the Obama Administration of engaging in partisan political politics. “The president and his bullish administration are fighting us every step of the way,” Haley said. “It is outrageous, and we plan to look at every possible option to get this terrible, clearly political decision overturned so we can protect the integrity of our electoral process and our 10th amendment right.”

Not surprisingly, the ACLU and the Rev. Jesse Jackson welcomed the decision. South Carolina ACLU executive director Victoria Middleton called the law “misguided” and said it, “represented a setback to voting rights in our state and we are pleased to see it stopped in its tracks.” Jackson announced plans to visit his hometown of Greenville this week to talk about how voter ID laws are like modern day poll taxes, targeting elderly people that can’t afford to get IDs and students. Jackson said, “We’re fighting wars for democracy overseas and we’re fighting democracy at home. What a contradiction.”

Someone should remind the Rev. Jackson that the United States is a constitutional republic, not a democracy and it might be a good thing for him to read the South Carolina law before making outrageously inflammatory and false statements about its contents. First, the law allows people without a proper ID to cast a provisional ballot and gives them a specified amount of time to return with a proper ID so their ballot will count.

Second, the law required the state to determine how many voters lack state-issued IDs so that the Election Commission could notify voters of the change in the law. Finally, the law authorized the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a free state photo identification card to all who need one. Free means no money required to obtain an ID and thus, the Rev. Jackson’s comparison to a poll tax is absurd.

The South Carolina Election Commission released a report claiming 240,000 active and inactive voters lacked a photo ID. However, South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles executive director Kevin Shwedo accused the South Carolina Election Commission of purposely cooking the number of active and inactive voters who lacked driver’s licenses or ID cards for political purposes. Shwedo said the commission created, “artificially high numbers to excite the masses.”

The facts? Of the 240,000 cited by the commission 207,000 live in other states, have licenses with names that don’t match voter records or are dead. That leaves approximately 33,000 voters who would need an ID card to vote. Since the law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide a photo ID free of charge there is no way this law represents any burden, let alone an undue burden, on anyone.

Liberals, leftists and other assorted self-proclaimed progressives appear to like voter fraud. What other reasonable explanation could there be for their vehement opposition to reasonable voter ID laws? You can’t board an airplane, purchase a firearm, or buy alcohol without showing a photo ID. Why would we as a society view these actions as more in need of protection than the process of casting a ballot? The integrity of the election process must be maintained to protect the system from fraud and to promote confidence in the electorate that every vote counts…. but only once and only for the one casting the vote. “Phantom voters” can be eliminated but only if the Obama Administration Justice Department stops defending their phantom rights.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Gifts Under God’s Christmas Tree

By Dr. Tony Beam.

If God had a Christmas tree, what gifts would we find under His tree? We are all right in the middle of our preparations for Christmas day. For most of us, that means decorating and enjoying a Christmas tree, which will have many beautifully wrapped packages underneath.

But I wonder how many of us will pause on Christmas morning as we hand out those gifts to remember God’s greatest gift to the earth…. His Son, Jesus Christ. Will we remember that in Christ there are wonderful gifts to be unwrapped and applied to our lives?

I remember my son’s first Christmas. As a new parent, I waited with intense anticipation to see my son’s reaction when he opened his Christmas presents. I got so wrapped up in my desire to experience Christmas through a child’s eyes again that I forgot that my son was less than a year old! We had to help him open his Christmas presents by tearing some of the wrapping paper off the box. Once he finally managed to open his presents it became clear that he was more interested in the box and the colorful wrapping paper than the presents! And did he pause to thank me, the giver of the presents, for giving him a few minutes of joy? Nope. He just toddled off down the hall in search of his pacifier.

I think Christians often display the same lack of understanding today when it comes to the gifts God brings us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Sometimes we are prone to ignore both the gift and the giver. Just as pretty wrapping paper and colorful gift boxes are not the true gifts of Christmas, the real gifts of God are not the external things like material possessions, position, or power. The real gifts are eternal in duration and internal in location.

There are many gifts under God’s Christmas tree we could celebrate but I want to focus on three that I think will give us ample reason for celebration this season. First, there is the gift of justification. Justification is the divine verdict that says we have been set free from the penalty of sin. The great thing about justification is that it is a “one size fits all” gift. No matter how bad your sin or how hopeless your situation, when you repent and surrender your life to Christ you are immediately clothed in His righteousness. The sinless nature of Christ is applied to your life and the guilt and stain of sin is removed. And, God has a “no return” policy on justification. Once it is given and received it can never be returned and will never be rescinded.

The second gift is the gift of peace with God. When sin entered the world through rebellion in the Garden of Eden, it set up a barrier between us and God that could not be crossed from our side of the barrier. The death of Christ on the cross removed that barrier so that we could be peacefully reconciled to God. This is the peace the angels spoke of when the announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. The “peace on earth’ of the angels message is not a universal peace that covers the whole world but is rather an individual peace that describes the relationship between God and those who are in Christ. The book of James reminds us “friendship with the world is hostility toward God”(James 4:4). But all hostility is laid aside when we are transformed into friends of God through our relationship with Christ.

Another precious gift under God’s Christmas tree is the gift of access. As believers, we now have unlimited access to the very throne room of the universe. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Since sin brought enmity between us and God and enmity implies distance because of differences our access to God was cut off. But now Christ has replaced enmity with a close proximity to God.

Early last year, I experienced a good living illustration of the privileges of access. Christian Talk 660, the radio station where I broadcast Christian Worldview Today, sponsored a huge Christian concert at our local 16,000-seat arena. Since I am part of Christian Talk 660, I was given a special parking pass and an identification badge that associated me with the station. When I arrived at the concert traffic was backed up and there were several thousand people standing in line waiting for the doors to open. But my parking pass allowed me to bypass the traffic and park in a reserved VIP parking lot. By ID badge allowed me to walk right past several thousand people where they watched with envy as the security people opened the door for me and my wife. We had special access, not because of who we were but because of who we were associated with. The same is true for our access to God. Because we are associated with His Son through salvation we have unlimited access to God through prayer.

Where do we find these and many other wonderful gifts this Christmas? We find them under the tree…God’s Christmas tree. It isn’t an evergreen. It is an old rugged cross. It isn’t decorated with lights or tinsel. It is covered with the precious blood of God’s Son. Everyone who comes and believes will find God’s greatest gift, the gift of salvation, has their name on it.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Nikki Haley Endorses Mitt Romney – Is Her Tea Party Over?

By Dr. Tony Beam.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, the darling of the Tea Party that helped catapult her into the Governor’s mansion in 2010, has announced her endorsement of Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. She announced the endorsement on Fox and Friends Friday morning.“Today is the day that I’m throwing all of my support behind Mitt Romney for president,” Governor Haley said, speaking from South Carolina. She added, “Now more than ever, we need someone who has the leadership to deal with a broken Washington.”

Mitt Romney’s campaign responded to the endorsement by releasing an email saying, “It is an honor to have the endorsement of Governor Haley. As a successful businesswoman who entered public service so government could better serve the people, Governor Haley’s career-long efforts to reform government, make government more accountable to the taxpayers, and fight wasteful spending should be examples for leaders across the country. These conservative principles of smaller government are what I am fighting for in my campaign and will be the basis for restoring economic prosperity and fiscal health.”

This is not the first time Governor Haley has endorsed Romney. She served as Romney’s state co-chair for his presidential run in 2008. Romney came in fourth that year behind winner John McCain, runner-up Mike Huckabee, and third place finisher and Huckabee spoiler Fred Thompson.

Nikki Haley Endorses Mitt Romney

Governor Romney is certainly counting on Governor Haley’s endorsement to give him a boost heading into South Carolina. But though coveted, Haley’s endorsement may not be the igniter the Romney campaign hopes. According to a recent poll conducted by Winthrop University, Haley’s overall approval rating, which was stratospheric right after her election, has dropped to 34 percent. Among Republicans, Haley has dropped from a 69 percent approval just three months ago to a slim majority at 52%. Almost 22 percent of Republicans now disapprove of her performance.

Governor Haley’s endorsement is sure to raise the eyebrows of Tea Party supporters who fueled Haley’s meteoric rise from obscurity to the Republican nomination in 2010. Haley was polling a distant fourth when national Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin rode into town and endorsed her for governor. Haley shot to the top of the pack and never looked back as Tea Party supporters flocked to her side.

The question is how can someone who owes her political success to the Tea Party endorse the Republican establishment candidate for president? Maybe she is simply following the example of Palin who turned her back on the Tea Party opponent in the 2010 Arizona Republican Senatorial primary to endorse John McCain, another favorite of the Republican establishment. I guess the acorn really doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Haley said Romney “is not a creature of Washington.” That may be true but it raises the question, “What kind of creature is Romney.” A chameleon comes to mind since Romney, more than any other politician I can think of, seems to be able to take on whatever political position that may be needed for the moment. Running against Ted Kennedy in 1994, Romney declared his support for abortion and same-sex marriage. As governor of Massachusetts, he helped usher in a state mandated healthcare system that became a model for Obamacare. He now says his plan was crafted for Massachusetts only and if elected president he would immediately grant waivers of exemption to every state including South Carolina. One must consider the irony that Massachusetts could gain an exemption from Obamacare and still have a mandated healthcare system devised by the person who grants them immunity from the national version.

With Haley’s endorsement, Romney can now boast at least three Tea Party leaders who have hitched their wagon to his strange brand of conservatism. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell have also endorsed Romney for president.

Maybe there’s something in the tea.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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President Obama: The Channeler In Chief

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Channeling broke into pop culture in the early 90’s when Shirley McClain went Out On A Limb. Who knew it would make a comeback in the later part of the first decade of the twenty-first century when President Obama decided to begin channeling former presidents. It was during the presidential campaign of 2008 that the president decided he would channel President Lincoln by claiming to be a unifying leader cut from the mold of the great Civil War president. Then during his inauguration address when President Obama wanted to bury the hatchet and lay to rest one of the most acrimonious campaigns of the last one hundred years he channeled Lincoln saying, “We are not enemies, but friends … Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”

At the halfway point of his first (and hopefully only) term, comparisons began flying between President Obama and JFK. Channeling President Kennedy proved to be more of a challenge since Kennedy’s marquee phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you … ask what you can do for your country,” has little in common with President Obama’s insatiable appetite for bigger, bloated, more powerful and much more intrusive government.

Then came the Time magazine cover that almost turned me inside out. My first encounter with the cover sent two elderly ladies and one nervous mom with her young son scurrying out of the newsstand when I literally screamed at the sight of a photo shopped Reagan with his arm around a smiling Obama. It was like seeing Frodo Baggins in a full embrace with Sauron.

The latest attempt of President Obama to channel a former president came last week when the President travelled to Osawatomie, Kanas to try to connect with former President Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s “New Nationalism” speech debuted in April of 1910. By that time, Roosevelt had long abandoned any appearance of conservatism in favor of big government progressivism. Two years after delivering the speech, Roosevelt left the Republican Party to form the Bull Moose Party. He was soundly defeated in his attempt to regain the presidency but his candidacy led to the disastrous election of the ultra progressive Woodrow Wilson.

During the speech, Roosevelt said, “We should permit fortunes to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community.” He went on to propose a “Federal Bureau of Corporations” to oversee the profit taking by big business. It seems President Obama was channeling President Roosevelt while Roosevelt was channeling Stalin. It’s enough to make a medium give up their crystal ball.

During the speech, President Obama reiterated his declaration of all out class warfare by repeatedly talking about what is fair. Ladies and gentlemen I submit that when a big government proponent starts talking about what is fair you can bet the farm that fairness means someone losing his or her farm so someone without a farm can have one. At one point, the President said,

“There is a certain crowd in Washington who, for the last few decades, have said let’s respond to this economic challenge with the same old tune. The market will take care of everything, they tell us. If we just cut more regulations and cut more taxes … our economy will grow stronger. Now, it’s a simple theory. But here’s the problem.  It doesn’t work. It has never worked.”

It’s obviously time for the President to change the channel. The tax cuts put in place by President Kennedy in the early 60’s and by President Reagan in the early 80’s gave us the longest stretch of growth and prosperity in our history. Lower taxes and reduced government involvement in the private sector have always worked and they always will.

President Obama is counting on envy and greed to provide the fuel for a class warfare that will divide the country and cause good, decent Americans to want a third party to take from those who have something they think they deserve and simply give it to them in order to satisfy some false feeling of fairness. This approach flies in the face of the four virtues our Founders believed were necessary for a people to be able to defend liberty. Those virtues are self-reliance, courage, knowledge of the rights of citizenship, and a strong sense of public and private moderation. President Obama would replace these virtues with the vices of envy, greed, timidity and the right of government to stifle creativity and shackle the free market.

The election of 2012 will decide the fate of our nation. Will we re-elect a “Channeler in Chief” or will we change the channel and elect a Commander-in-Chief who will get us back on track?


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Living With Thanksgiving

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Believe it or not, not everyone is looking forward to Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law was in the Department of Motor Vehicles the other day and she overheard someone say they wished they had to work on Thanksgiving so they could avoid having to spend time with their in-laws.

Why do some people have such a negative feeling about such a positive holiday? It would seem there are plenty of people who go through life looking only at the disappointments or the painful experiences refusing to see the blessings that surround many of life’s challenges. I don’t know who to attribute the following witticism to but I agree with its underlying philosophy. “As you travel down life’s pathway, may this ever be your goal…keep you eye on the donut, and not on the hole.”

The first Thanksgiving took place in the midst of some of the worst trials imaginable for those who braved the crossing of the Atlantic to begin a new life in the new world. One hundred and two pilgrims landed at Plymouth in December of 1620. Less than six months later only fifty-five were still alive. Their chances of survival rested fully upon the fruit of the fall harvest. When that harvest was fully gathered Edward Winslow wrote these words, “…. although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” There in the middle of devastating circumstances with their very lives hanging on the quality of the harvest that small band of believers was able to praise God for what they believed were His abundant blessings.

Over 250 years later, Abraham Lincoln sat down in the middle of what could be described as the darkest period of American History and declared a day of Thanksgiving. America was being torn apart by a bloody civil war and yet Lincoln spoke of “gracious gifts of the most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless, remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people.”

Those first adventurers we call pilgrims and the sixteenth President of the United States, though separated by time and circumstance, shared a common bond. They realized that true thanksgiving is not a day, a season, or a temporary thought. It is an attitude of the heart.

King David understood this principle when he wrote Psalm 103. David begins by exalting the name of the Lord and by encouraging himself to remember who God is and what He has done. “Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits.” The key to an attitude of thanksgiving that transcends the season is our ability to remember the blessing of our God.

  • Those blessings are personal, for David emphasizes the fact we must respond to God in a personal way. We must personally bless the Lord as we remember His goodness. Jesus understood this principle well for John’s Gospel records that before Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish to feed the five thousand, He lifted his eyes toward heaven and gave thanks for what He had in His hand. I am afraid if I hand been holding nothing but a few loaves and a few small fish I would have been too focused on my lack of supply to be thankful for what God had already supplied. When our praise becomes personal it does so because we are consumed with an attitude of thanksgiving for what we have rather than focusing on what we need.
  • Those blessings are profound, in that they are blessings that proceed from the soul. Being thankful for our blessings should proceed from the very fiber of our being. It isn’t the mere material and temporary blessings that David is speaking about but rather the eternal blessings that flow from God who is eternal.
  • Those blessings are perpetual, because the blessings flow to us even when we forget to offer thanks. Hosea 13:6 could serve as a summation of the history of how we treat the blessings of God. It says, “As they had pasture, they became satisfied, and being satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore they forgot Me.”

Everywhere I turn this Thanksgiving season I hear fear expressed in one form or another. Fear over the economy, job security, the possibility of a terrorist attack, and just a feeling of helplessness as national and international events seem to be spiraling out of control. But we must not give in to that spirit of fear. Paul reminded believers in Rome, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father!”

Fear binds us to the enemy. It places us in bondage so that we are blinded to the blessings of a loving Father. We are not orphans who have been left to wander in the wilderness of fear and confusion but rather, we are adopted children of the king who are able to cry to that king as our Father.

Here in America, it could be said that we have found pasture in the biblical sense. Even in the face of uncertainly we can still say that we are blessed above all nations with unmatched prosperity and liberty. This week, as we sit around a bountiful table surrounded by the blessings of God, let us not forget all His benefits. If fear comes to the door let us send faith to answer and no one will be there.


You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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