I have disabled the comment feature, but I intend to leave the static site available as a resource.

Your prayers are appreciated as I begin my two-year term of office on December 1, 2010. Thank you and may God bless you!

You are warmly invited to follow my political journey on facebook (click the pic), on twitter @RepBloom, or via my official legislative website: www.RepBloom.com

Your Brother in Christ,

Stephen Bloom

Bad news: No time for blogging as my campaign for the November 2 general election is on!

Please visit my campaign website.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support!

Please visit my campaign website www.StephenLBloom.com

Your prayers and support are much appreciated!

Since the government uses much of our tax money for immoral purposes, is it okay for Christians to shade the truth when it comes to paying taxes?

Aren’t we honoring God if we hide some of our income from the IRS?

It sounds appealing: Save money, honor God, and keep the fruits of our labor out of the greedy hands of government!

But sometimes our best human reasoning and self-justification just doesn’t measure up to God’s clear standards for our behavior. Sometimes, for our own good, we need to listen to God’s guidance, especially when God’s guidance is perfectly straightforward: Pay the taxes you owe!

The story is told in three of the four gospels. Jesus is approached by some religious people who think they know his character. They are sure he will advise against paying taxes to the corrupt Roman government. And they plan to use his opposition as a way to trap him with legal trouble and shut down his ministry. But Jesus surprises and amazes them by saying, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

It’s that simple. Jesus says to pay the government the taxes we owe!

Yet many Christians seem to struggle with honesty and full compliance when it comes to paying taxes. And some Christians continue to dance around the issue of taxes almost as if they believe there is an entirely separate standard of morality that applies, as if the distinction between lies and truth mysteriously evaporates in the realm of taxation.

So here’s the real deal: Lying about taxes is still lying. The book of Proverbs, at Chapter 21, verse 6, warns us, “A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.”

What are your thoughts on the morality of Christians paying taxes?

Today, a lawyer on staff at the State Bar of California (the state where Christian Lawyers of America is based) contacted me with the following important action update for anyone potentially scammed by the organization in question or other similar loan modification rip-offs:

The State Bar of California (the agency responsible regulating and disciplining attorneys admitted to the practice of law in California) has formed a Loan Modification Taskforce in order to deal specifically with attorney misconduct in loan modification cases.  If you believe you have been the victim of illegal or unethical behavior by an attorney in a loan modification matter, you have the right to file a complaint with the State Bar against that attorney.  If you choose to file a complaint, please do so as soon as possible because if you wait too long the State Bar may be barred from taking action against the attorney. 

The California State Bar’s website is www.calbar.ca.gov

You can get further information on how to file a complaint and download a complaint form here.

Just because a company uses the phrase “Christian Lawyers” in its name doesn’t mean it will reflect genuine Christian ethics and professionalism.

I’ve been getting research alerts on consumer complaints about a company called Christian Lawyers of America, Inc., a company that claims it “has the experience and the network to protect you legally against creditors, lenders and banks.”

Well, the Better Business Bureau of the Southland (California, where the company in question is based) gives Christian Lawyers of America, Inc., a resounding “F” grade, warning consumers:  ”We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices.”

Question: Have you been scammed by a lawyer who claims to be a Christian? 

Preamble: “WE, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”

Section 3: “All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences; no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship or to maintain any ministry against his consent; no human authority can, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship.”

Amen.

Question: Does your state constitution openly and reverently acknowledge God? 

Learn it, live it. More info and supporting Scripture are at Staying on Top of Conflict on the Peacemaker Ministries website.

Question: How do you resolve conflict?

Instead of getting tough on dealers, Arizona prosecutors are going after pealers.

It doesn’t ring true, but it is. Here’s the video report from Alliance Defense Fund:

ADF is representing the bellringing Bishop in an appeal hearing of his criminal conviction and, in a separate civil case, is challenging the application of local noise ordinances to church bells.

Question: Has the freedom of your church been threatened by overzealous government regulation?

As a Christian lawyer, I can’t avoid hearing about the legal problems confronting my fellow believers. People confide in me not only at the law office, but at almost every gathering I attend, even Sunday morning services in my own church. And too often, it turns out the only counsel they’ve been getting is the destructive advice of some secular-minded lawyer.

But you don’t have to stand back and let the people you serve wander alone in the rough and tumble legal arena. You have an amazing opportunity to fill the spiritual void with the healing power of God’s counsel (and believe me, the Bible offers plenty of positive, redemptive legal advice, some of which I humbly attempt to capture in my book, The Believer’s Guide to Legal Issues).

Based on my experience, here are the top legal issues facing the people in your church:

1) Divorce and family law

2) Bankruptcy and financial crisis

3) Injury and accidents

4) Employment and workplace problems

5) Criminal incidents

6) Tax problems

7) Elder law and estate planning

Healing, restoration, and forgiveness abound when people struggling with the weight of legal challenges discover the Bible’s rich, constructive (and often very much counter-cultural) advice. Give it to them!

Question: What legal issues confront the members of your church?