I was hoping not to wade into the gutter with the critics of Douglas Wilson, who in IFI’s view is one of the most important truth-tellers on the corrupt American scene. But the calumny hurled at Wilson is so manifestly unjust that we cannot remain on the curb any longer.

For those who don’t know Douglas Wilson, he is a faithful, wise Christian, a theologian, and pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho with the increasingly rare gift for foreseeing where intellectual trends are leading both the church and the culture and for fearlessly warning against these trends. He is a brilliant writer with a gift for incisive metaphor and biting satire, which he has employed to critique, among other things, toxic feminism, toxic un-masculinity, unbiblical egalitarianism, the failure of churches to apply biblical church discipline, and “pomosexuality” (i.e., post-modern sexuality, including “trans”-cultism).

Wilson is semi-regularly attacked in an unholy effort to destroy him by false allegations, innuendo, lies of omission, and idiotic out-of-context memes. All of these tactics are aided and abetted by the poor reading skills of Americans, a stubborn refusal to do the hard work of closely and objectively examining sensationalistic allegations, and a faux-Victorian sensibility that sends some to the fainting couch following an encounter with toasty rhetoric (as opposed to church lady-approved milquetoasty rhetoric).

The most recent attack comes by way of that purveyor of wisdom and virtue: Vice Magazine—or as Wilson aptly calls it Vile Magazine. In an article titled, “Inside the Church That Preaches ‘Women Need to Be Led by a Firm Hand,’” feminist and opponent of theological orthodoxy, Sarah Stankorb, admits to interviewing only “12 former and current church members and Logos students.” Logos schools is the K-12 school founded by Christ Church.

For some perspective, Christ Church currently has 900 members. Logos school has 562 current students and 583 alumni. And the college affiliated with Christ Church, New Saint Andrews, currently has 196 undergraduate students and 40 graduate students, and has issued over 500 Bachelor of Arts degrees. Anyone could find a dozen disgruntled complainants from among well over 2,000 to gripe about any institution, pastor, or teacher.

Stankorb refers to the “communal ecosystem” in Moscow, Idaho composed of “the K-12 Logos School; a publishing house, Canon Press; an unaccredited pastoral ministry program, Greyfriars Hall; and a private college, New Saint Andrews.” Take note of the adjective/pejorative “unaccredited,” intended to tacitly discredit the pastoral ministry program. Leftists are all googly-eyed about “accreditation.”

I guess this makes Moscow, Idaho similar to the communal ecosystem found in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago where Stankorb would find the pre-K-12 University of Chicago Lab Schools; a publishing house, the University of Chicago Press; the accredited University of Chicago Divinity School; and a private university, the University of Chicago.

Maybe, just maybe, Christians want the freedom and ability to do some of the things leftists, who control public K-12 schools, most colleges and universities, and publishing companies, enjoy.

Stankorb tells the story of a woman called “Jean” who details her abusive marriage, implicating unnamed leaders of Trinity Reformed—a Christ Church plant—as facilitators of her abuse, none of whom were Doug Wilson.

“Jean,” whose real name is not used, alleges that since she divorced her husband and left Christ Church, her car has been vandalized multiple times and she’s been called “whore, b*tch, and c*nt,” online. None of the miscreants have been named. And neither Stankorb nor “Jean” provided any evidence that Doug Wilson or Christ Church leaders or parishioners were involved in any of these offensive acts.

The pseudonymous “Jean” also told Stankorb that an unnamed man in Christ Church “told her a man is allowed to rape his wife.” Again, not Wilson, and the article did not say that “Jean” shared this comment with Wilson who has made it clear that he abhors marital rape as does every other decent man.

Stankorb brings up two of Wilson-haters’ favorite stories, and she does what all Wilson-haters do: She gives astonishingly short shrift to very complicated stories several of whose central characters have lied (not Wilson) and subsequently admitted to lying (not Wilson). Stankorb likely assumed that very few readers would take the time necessary to research the stories in depth.

The Bible commands Christians to “judge with righteous judgment,” so here is a link to information provided by Wilson on these two controversies for those interested in seeing evidence before forming judgments.

And here’s a link to information provided by Wilson on other controversies ginned up by secular leftists and Christians who hate complementarianism and piquant rhetoric.

I must acknowledge that Stankorb is a skillful writer, and by “skillful,” I mean cunning. She writes in such a way as to be able to claim she was truthful, while tainting Wilson’s character through innuendo and critical omissions.

Stankorb, whose previous articles expose her personal animus toward theological orthodoxy, goes on to criticize Wilson indirectly by criticizing his father, the liberal townies’ feelings about Christ Church’s land purchases, Christ Church’s disciplinary policies and theological positions, and Logos School’s dress code and biblical beliefs on the nature and roles of men and women.

Another of the Wilson critics cited by Stankorb is Sarah Bader who identifies herself as a “cult fighting” “atheist” and “humanist.” As evidence of just how dishonest Bader is, she posted this quote on her Twitter feed implying it was about Wilson:

Let me be clear, strange grown men cannot go around bending near-pubescent girls over desks to spank them then be surprised when somebody brings up the obvious sexual element.

That quote was not written by Bader, and it was not about Wilson. It was written by another woman Stankorb cited, Kamilla Niska, on her Facebook page on September 29, 2021 at 8:12 a.m. And it wasn’t written about Wilson but about a former Logos teacher and current superintendent Matthew Whitling, whom Niska alleges spanked her to get his sexual jollies.

Those who aren’t members of the “Believe All Women,” club would need more than this allegation to condemn Whitling. Moreover, there is no allegation from Niska that Wilson had any knowledge of the alleged spankings.

One of Wilson’s essays that popped the eyes and twisted the knickers of some Christians was a rip-snorting critique of the morally repellent, heretical Lutheran “pastor” Nadia Bolz-Weber, the tatted up supporter of “ethically sourced” porn and  other forms of sexual deviance about whom I have written.

Three years ago, in a condescending effort to mock sexual purity by mocking “purity rings,” Bolz-Weber asked her disciples to send their rings to her, after which she melted them and had them sculpted into a statuette of a vagina, which she ceremoniously presented to feminist icon Gloria Steinem.

In analyzing this act, Wilson used the word that best describes the shockingly evil, obscene rebellion against God’s creation and moral order to which Christians have become desensitized:

Bolz-Weber most certainly does understand symbolism, and she also understands—just as well—the utter inability of conservative critics to read or understand what she is saying by that symbolism. Here we have two feminist women, created by God to be the image and glory of man, and in high rebellion against that glory one of them makes a symbolic idol out of purity rings, in order to celebrate impurity. …

So let me tell you what this symbolism really means. This is what they are saying. They are shamelessly declaring to the world that they are just a couple of c*nts.

Wilson was decidedly not calling any women “c*nts.” He was saying that’s what Bolz-Weber and Gloria Steinem are, in effect, calling themselves by their actions. To bowdlerize their work by prettifying the description would be to allow Christians to continue in their blithe indifference and inadequate responses to the gangrenous rot that now engulfs America’s children.

Some Wilson critics argue that using the “c” word in any context constitutes a violation of the biblical command that Christians are to be “above reproach.” But on what basis are they claiming his use of the “c” word in this context is a reproachable sin? Because they don’t like his use of it in this context or in any context?

I suspect some of these critics would find it a reproachable sin if Wilson called women fat or lazy cows as the prophet Amos does. I suspect some of these critics would find it a reproachable sin if Wilson were to talk about the unfaithful as whores who lust after lovers with genitals like donkeys whose “emissions” are like those of stallions as Ezekiel does. I suspect some of these critics would object to Wilson comparing—in contemporary language—the unfaithful to women who melt down gold and silver to sculpt into a male object with which to have sex as Ezekiel does.

Some of Wilson’s critics cherry-pick Scripture to condemn Wilson but ignore the part about exposing the unfruitful works of darkness. Do they agree with C.S. Lewis that Christians “must be trained to feel … disgust and hatred at those things which really are … disgusting and hateful”? (emphasis added)

Are those pastors who refuse to boldly condemn homoerotic acts and relationships, same-sex “marriage,” fornication, and cross-dressing guilty of reproachable sin? Are those pastors who refuse to boldly condemn public schools that introduce homosexuality and cross-sex impersonation to children guilty of reproachable sin? Are those pastors who say and do nothing while children in their congregations are “educated” in institutions that teach them that evil is good guilty of reproachable sin? Are pastors who use incorrect or socially constructed pronouns that embody lies guilty of reproachable sin?

A lesser but likely problem attendant to all this judgy-judging is that once Christians make repeated public indictments of a fellow Christian, pride can begin to creep in, providing an incentive to maintain their position even in the face of countervailing evidence. In fact, pride incentivizes tightly squeezing closed their eyes, plugging their ears, and stopping up the access and passage to remorse.

As the saying goes, this isn’t Wilson’s first rousing rodeo. He has been attacked before by both the evangelical right (of which I am a part) and the secular left. Some of the rage against him is now spilling over onto Illinois Family Institute. We are accused of inviting him to speak and promoting his work.

“Guilty” as charged.

We have invited him to speak, and we promote his work because we believe he is one of the truly good guys in the cultural war between light and dark. And we have examined the allegations against him and found them false.

We have looked at the biblical consonance of his words, the soundness of his prognostications, the wisdom of his advice, and both sides of the allegations against him and believe he is more than worthy of support.

We at IFI are accustomed to attacks, generated ultimately by the father of lies whose goal is to marginalize and destroy truth-tellers. Satan delights in destroying the ability of Christians to expose the unfruitful works of darkness and preach the whole gospel, including the culturally inconvenient bits.

While some Christians may not like Wilson’s writing style, many others do. Both the content and style inspire and embolden them. What those who detest his style believe is not merely that Wilson should not write the way he does but that no Christian should. I’ve been told that no Christian should ever use “sarcasm” or “call names”–not even when discussing evil and those who promote it. Those Christians probably hate Juvenal and Jonathan Swift too.

For your edification and enjoyment, here are some YouTube videos of Pastor Doug Wilson at IFI events:

Should Christians Send Their Children to Public School?

Should Christians Use Transgender Pronouns?

What is a Christian Worldview?

How is Transgenderism Unbiblical?

‘Trans’ Identification & Creational Norms

Pastor Doug Wilson – Sanity as Insurrection

An Interview with Pastor Doug Wilson (2015)

Pastor Doug Wilson’s Keynote Remarks at the 2015 IFI Annual Banquet

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Smearing-of-Doug-Wilson.mp3

Yesterday the Facebook Overlords threw me in the Zuckerland Gulag for 30 days for violating their speech codes by posting this in the comments section of a friend’s Facebook page:

… some tr*nnies are able to create very convincing skin costumes (think “Buck Angel”), and it will be much easier for the next generation of tr*nnies who aren’t permitted to go through puberty to do so. But right now most men aren’t able to pass as women.

My comment was in response to a post about men who deceive others by masquerading as women.

My choice of the terms “tr*nnies” and “skin costumes” was intentional, but the reason for those choices was not to insult. My choices are motivated by a refusal to capitulate to the language rules of the “trans” cult. The left has absorbed the lessons of Saul Alinsky who wrote in Rules for Radicals that “He who controls the language controls the masses.” Many conservatives—far too many—are allowing themselves to be controlled.

There is nothing intrinsically insulting about the term “tranny.” In fact, it has a long history of use by “trans”-cultists. Wikipedia explains the history of the term:

Trans activists like Justin Vivian Bond and Kate Bornstein and drag queens such as Ru Paul and Lady Bunny, have advocated for use of the term. Bond said in 2014 that banning the word does not eliminate transphobia but rather “steal[s] a joyous and hard-won identity from those of us who are and have been perfectly comfortable, if not delighted to be trannies.” At the same time, RuPaul said “I love the word tranny”, and that the word was not being redefined by the transgender community, but only by “fringe people who are looking for story lines to strengthen their identity as victims.” Bornstein said the word was used in the 1960s and 1970s in Sydney, Australia by trans people as “a name for the identity they shared.” … Cristin Williams reviewed historic uses of the term and found the first published instance in 1983, originating among gay men, and expressed doubt that it originated many years prior to this. … In 2017, Facebook’s anti-hate speech algorithms started blocking posts containing tranny.

In order to both enhance their victim status and to erase from the public square any expressions of moral disapproval of cross-sex impersonation, the “trans” cult and its collaborators are attempting to control the language.

They seek to control our language in order to control culture by making it impossible to express ideas they detest. They seek both to ban words and to determine how terms are used. In Transtopia, pronouns no longer correspond to biological sex but to subjective feelings about one’s biological sex. Rather than referring to normal men and women as “men” and “women,” we’re expected to refer to them as “cismen” and “ciswomen.” Women are referred to as “bodies with vaginas” or “persons who menstruate.” And all that leftists need do to win compliance is whine that their feelings are hurt by language they hate, and abracadabra conservatives comply.

The term “transwoman” refers to a man who pretends to be a woman. Since the “trans” cult says “transwomen” are women, how long before they demand that people drop the “trans” from “transwomen”? If they claim their feelings are hurt by the term “transwoman,” if they claim “transwoman” is hateful and discriminatory, will conservatives comply with their Orwellian diktats? Will conservatives refer to cross-dressing men as “women”?

My guess is yes, and the end goal of eradicating all public recognition of sex differences will be that much closer.

It should be noted that Christians view “transphobia” and “homophobia” as insulting, bigoted, ignorant, intolerant pejoratives that make them feel uncomfortable. Does that matter to leftist sexual anarchists? Rhetorical question.

I use the term “skin costume” to accurately describe how chemically and surgically constructed bodily changes function. These so-called “treatments” are designed to conceal the sex of “trans”-cultists, making is easier for them to deceive others, including in private spaces. “Trans”-cultists are, in effect, creating skin costumes.

As we learned from the recent controversy involving Benet Academy, a prestigious Catholic-in-name-only private high school, the disciples of the ongoing sexual revolution not only want to make it impossible for conservative Americans to express their moral views of sexuality but they also want to make it impossible for Christians to train up their children in the way they should go.

Benet Academy rescinded a coaching offer to a woman when they found out she was a lesbian in a faux-marriage—a relationship that obviously violates both Catholic doctrine and Scripture—and then the school crumbled like a stale cookie when apostates and heretics squeezed them.

And public schools, where Christians continue to send their children to be “educated,” now introduce wicked leftist ideas about homosexuality and cross-sex impersonation starting in kindergarten. All dissenting ideas are banned because the left has successfully convinced Americans that such ideas make some students feel “unsafe.” Of course, whether they are unsafe or not depends on which moral claims are true.

One cannot rationally argue that moral opposition to homosexual acts and cross-sex impersonation is hateful or destructive unless it can be proven that God does not exist, that his will for humans and plan for history are not revealed in Scripture, or that Scripture is false. And those conclusions fall far outside the purview of public school teachers and politicians.

If God exists and if his perfect will for humans and plan for history are revealed in Scripture, then it is support for the “LGBTQ+” ideology that is destructive. Affirmation and dissemination of the false, socially constructed and imposed “LGBTQ+” ideology will result in not only temporal suffering but also in unimaginable, eternal suffering.

What the “LGBTQ+” community is trying to do with laws that require government schools to teach positively about disordered sexuality, with censorship of dissenting ideas, and with Orwellian language rules is to prevent Christian parents from training up their children in the way they should go. Expect to see increasing assaults on Christian private schools via laws and lawsuits. Next the “LGBTQ+” community will come after the accreditation of Christian colleges—both Catholic and Protestant. And then homeschooling will be in its sights.

Do not capitulate on even seemingly trivial issues. Don’t submit to the manipulative efforts of the “LGBTQ+” community and their collaborators to shame you into using their deceitful language. And don’t send your child to any institution that employs adults who hate or are ashamed of the gospel.  What the left wants is for your children to lose their religion.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Losing-Our-Religion.mp3

Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakes in Lakewood, Colorado since 1993, recently published his deeply moving story titled The Cost of My Faith in which he shares what he has experienced over the past nine years.

One afternoon in July 2012, David and Charlie visited Masterpiece Cakes and asked Jack to design a wedding cake for their upcoming “marriage.”

Jack told the two men, “Sorry, guys, I don’t do cakes for same-sex weddings.” He added, “I’ll sell you birthday cakes, shower cakes, cookies, or brownies. I just don’t do cakes for same-sex weddings.”

Twenty seven words, approximately twenty seconds.

This is how nearly ten years of legal challenges, death threats, obscene phone calls, and injustice began for Jack and Debbie Phillips and their family.

This is not the only part of the story that Jack so beautifully shares. This story is not ultimately about Jack’s courage but about God’s sovereign grace and work in the life of this family. Christians in America and around the world need to hear about Jack’s faith and courage.

So, what happened after this brief conversation in July 2012?

After six weeks, Jack received a letter from the Colorado Civil Rights Division charging him with sexual-orientation discrimination. Ten days later, Jack received a second notice citing a second charge. A few months later, he received a third letter stating that the charges were going to the Colorado Civil Rights Commission–a panel of seven unelected gubernatorial appointees. Think of a commission that Joseph Stalin would be proud of and that is what this one was like. The prosecutors and judges would be in the same camp. No Colorado official bothered to investigate the situation from Jack’s perspective.

The Colorado Civil Rights Division moved forward to prosecute Jack. Shortly after, on Dec. 6, 2013, a judge ruled that Jack did not have the freedom to choose the messages he would use his artistic talents to express.

On May 30, 2014, Jack’s case was decided by the commission. It was ruled that Jack had to make all requested cakes, even pornographic ones. If he refused, he had to file a report giving his reasons why. In addition, all of his staff, including his 80-year-old mother at the time, had to undergo mandatory “sensitivity training.”

This perversion of justice forced Jack to stop creating wedding cakes, which was the heart of his business and talent.

Thankfully, Jack was not alone in standing for Jesus Christ. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has helped Jack throughout his legal battles. They have done a fantastic job in the face of tyranny.

It should be noted that Jack’s views were compared to those of Nazis and his actions to the actions of Nazis during World War II and the Holocaust. This is the kind of perverse reasoning, Christians are increasingly facing.

Jack appealed the ruling of the thugs on the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. His case went to the Court of Appeals where he lost. Then his appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court was rejected. After four years of this fight, his final chance for justice was an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. On July 22, 2016, Jack petitioned the court to hear the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. After nearly one year of waiting, the court agreed to hear the case. The court date was scheduled for December 5, 2017, after more than five years into Jack’s story.

And then amazingly on June 4, 2018, Jack checked the latest news on his case on the SCOTUS blog. He won in a 7-2 decision, with only Ginsburg and Sotomayor dissenting.

You might think this would be the end, but you would be wrong.

The next round of battle was led by Denver attorney, “Autumn” Scardina, a man who pretends to be a woman. Scardina requested a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside, celebrating his so-called transition. Jack and his team declined to make this cake.

On July 20, 2017, Scardina filed a charge with the Colorado Civil Rights Division. That meant that even after his historic victory, Jack enjoyed only about three weeks of “normalcy.”

Jack and ADF wisely went on the offensive in this round on August 13, 2018 and filed a federal lawsuit in the U. S. District Court. Masterpiece Cakeshop Inc v. Elenis charged the members of the commission, along with the state attorney general and governor, of unequal treatment in light of the fact that other bakers were allowed to refuse to make cakes with messages they could not support.

In the midst of this, on October 9, 2018, Jack learned he was going to be prosecuted a second time by the commission.

On January 4, 2019, Jack and his team won a legal victory against the state and its motion to block his federal lawsuit. And then much to his surprise, the state requested a settlement with Jack. Jack was now 2-2 after seven years of litigation.

But was this the end? Sadly, no.

On June 5, 2019, Mr. Scardina filed a new case in Colorado state district court seeking more than $100,000 dollars in penalties and damages against Jack for his refusal to make a cake. Masterpiece III is still in the works.

As of the printing of this book, the case was preparing to go to trial.

Jack is a humble but brave servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. I would encourage you to help him by purchasing a copy of his book and keeping him in your prayers. The fight is not over.

Written by Dr. David L. Goetsch

America is an increasingly divided nation. We divide ourselves according to race, gender, sexual identity, vaccination status, and other factors that force us to focus on how we are different. The concept is known as “identity politics” or “tribalism.” Politicians make matters worse by encouraging tribalism and portraying themselves as the champions of various identity groups. To say or do anything disapproved of by a given identity group is considered politically incorrect.

Politicians believe being politically correct is the way to keep tensions between tribes from escalating into conflict. When this, not surprisingly, doesn’t work politicians wring their hands and wonder what went wrong. What went wrong is that the answer to people in a diverse society living together in harmony is Biblical correctness not political correctness. Pointing Americans of all stripes to Jesus Christ is the only real and lasting solution to tribalism. The only identity that can bring diverse Americans together is to identify as children of the living God.

When God created the earth, he created just one race—the human race. All members of that race are equal in his eyes. This is the message in Acts 17:26 where we read:

“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth…”

Further, in the Greatest Commandment He admonished all of his children—people of all races, genders, ages, and socio-economic status—to love Him, and to love each other. Herein lies the only lasting solution to tribalism. We won’t be brought together by defunding the police, tearing down statues, or changing the National Anthem to “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers (although it’s a great song). This is because we don’t have an identity problem in America; we have a heart problem. Too many Americans have locked Christ out of their hearts and God’s children of all races, genders, and political persuasions are all suffering as a result.

As has already been stated, when Christ said we should love our neighbors as ourselves, He made no exceptions for color of skin or any of the other factors that divide Americans. He said love your neighbor—period. Showing other people the kind of love Christ spoke of in Matthew 22:39 may be the most difficult thing we, as Christians, are called on to do. After all, by “love” Christ meant putting the needs of others ahead of our own. For many of us, this is not something that comes naturally.

Christian love is not just an emotion; it requires action. It is the acting out in our daily lives of Christ’s admonition in the Greatest Commandment. When we display Christian love, we act in ways that show genuine obedience to Christ’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves. In showing Biblical love to our neighbors, we do not ask whether they can satisfy our needs or if they look, talk, dress, eat, or think like we do.

One of the hardest things to grasp as believers is this: we have not really given Christian love until we have given it to the unlovable; those who do not reciprocate in-kind. Biblical love requires that we love our neighbors because, regardless of their race, gender, socio-economic status, or national origin, Christ commands us to love them. There is a vast difference between tolerating other people because it is the politically-correct thing to do and loving them because it is the Christ-like thing to do.

Obeying Christ’s admonition to love our neighbors as ourselves can be a difficult challenge, even for the most committed Christians. It becomes even more difficult when the people we are called to love express their pent-up anger and frustration in destructive ways. However, loving the unlovable will help you make greater- inroads with diverse people than political correctness ever will. In Ephesians 4: 1-3 we are told to walk in a manner worthy of a follower of Christ and to treat others “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing one another in love…” Obeying the words of these verses will be more effective in promoting positive human relations than will the artificial, legalistic, ever-changing dictates of political correctness.

Even the angriest, most militant people will appreciate Christians who are genuinely compassionate, kind, and caring. They will also appreciate those who set positive examples of sincere acceptance between and among diverse people because they are part of God’s creation. People whose human interactions are guided by sincere Christian love can make diversity an asset for our country rather than a liability. It will take time and it won’t be easy, but Christ’s Word is the truth, and the truth eventually finds its way through the fog of human emotions.

John 16:33 reminds us that we should take courage because Christ has overcome the world. Because of Christ’s victory, His love applied consistently can heal the identity divide that is splitting our country. Political correctness seeks to do this through artifice, pressure, and coercion. Christian love, on the other hand, does this by changing hearts. Christians who exemplify the heart of Christ in their human relations will be better able to influence their neighbors of all races for good. Showing your neighbors true Christian love will do more to pull down the walls of suspicion and hate that divide the tribes in America than politically-correctness ever will. If you want to help heal the identity divide that is splitting our country, pray this simple prayer: “Lord, please heal our divided nation and let the healing begin with me.”

Dr. Goetsch is the author of Christian Women on the Job: Excelling at Work without Compromising Your Faith, Fidelis Books, an imprint of Post Hill Press and Christians on the Job: Winning at Work Without Compromising Your Faith, Salem Books, an imprint of Regnery Publishing, 2019. This article was originally published at david-goetsch.com.

Dr. Jason Valentine of Mobile, Alabama has stated that he will, effective Oct. 1, no longer treat patients unvaccinated for COVID 19.  The Web site, “THINK” attempts to examine the ethics of the good doctor and others who have made similar choices or have indicated they are weary of treating patients who have refused to get the vaccination.

The site’s title “THINK” is rather ironic, as it appears little thought has gone into their evaluation.  It is also revelatory of the deterioration of ethics in America and in the medical profession that such questions are even considered in the first place.  Drawing their ethical standards out of thin air they try to make the case that while denying treatment for patients because you are angry with their choices may be unethical, you only need dig a little deeper to concoct an ethic for such a denial.

Their argument is that a physician may choose which patient has a more reasonable expectation of a good outcome and then deny treatment for those who don’t make the cut.  The assumption made, without support, is that there are fixed number of available beds, medicine, personnel, etc., which forces doctors to ration care and therefore, it is may well be appropriate to refuse treatment for those they deem to be ill due to their own bad choices.  No mention is made of how these facilities might seek greater flexibility so as to handle increased patient-loads when emergencies occur.  The caveat that they should direct the patients to other sources of care does nothing to mitigate the obvious: they believe the unvaccinated are unworthy of care.

Now, we could launch into satire, pointing out that Dr. Valentine has provided a remedy to the nation’s skyrocketing medical costs.  If we have no ethical responsibility to provide treatment to those who have brought on their own medical issues through bad choices then we no longer need to treat smokers, drinkers, obese, drug users or those who refuse to exercise regularly.  People who participate in any sport or dangerous activities like hang gliding or mountain climbing should also expect no medical treatment when things go wrong.  Driving has certain inherent risks, so hospitals should no longer be required to treat accident victims.  After all, these people have made the choice to endanger their lives, so they should not burden care givers with their self-inflicted injuries!

It is not surprising that as America spurns God and Christ we see a progressive deterioration of our historic compassion and mercy.  Christianity is THE religion of mercy!  Scriptures are clear that the foundation of salvation itself is the mercy and grace of God.  In Christ’s self-sacrificing death on the cross, He manifested the epitome of mercy.  While we deserved the wrath of God for our wanton rejection of His Person, will and goodness, Christ stepped into our place, took the wrath upon Himself and bestows love and eternal life upon all who come to Him.  Scriptures note that God is merciful to those who deserve judgment, and He calls us to imitate Him.

In fact, He stated that those who refuse to show mercy will themselves receive no mercy.  James 2:13 states, “judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.” NIV.   And “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy,” Matt. 5:7.  Mercy, by definition, is giving relief to those who through their own failures have brought disaster upon themselves!

Most Americans hold medical professionals in high regard for a reason.  We have believed that they enter such careers understanding the personal sacrifice which attends the work and are therefore worthy of praise.  If Dr. Valentine’s attitude is characteristic of most in the medical field today, then it may be that they are not so noble after-all and are unworthy of the high regard generally accorded the profession.

I would certainly hope that such a conclusion is unwarranted!

Benet Academy, a prestigious and expensive private high school that identifies as Catholic, has just capitulated to the cacophonous voices of apostates and heretics in its midst.

The drama began several days ago when the school located in the affluent Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois rescinded an offer to Amanda Kammes to be the head coach of the girls’ lacrosse team. They rescinded the offer after learning that Kammes, who is a 2001 graduate of Benet, is legally married to a woman, which means she flouts the beliefs of the Catholic Church.

Following a protest and petition signed by over 3,000 woke Benet “parents, students, alumni, and friends” who oppose the Catholic school’s effort to uphold Catholic teaching, the spineless, principle-free board of directors offered lesbian Kammes the job and she accepted. With Catholic friends like that, Benet doesn’t need atheist enemies.

True Catholics should pull their kids out of school immediately. Anyone who affirms beliefs that the Catholic Church views as false and disordered and anyone who engages in and affirms acts that God abhors should not be a staff member in a Catholic school. Same goes for Protestant private schools. Adults who affirm homoerotic acts or who believe that the union of two people of the same sex can be a marriage cannot train up children in the way they should go. At Benet, tuition and fees per student are about $14,000 per year. Parents are paying $14,000 per year per student to send their children to a Catholic school that has no respect for Catholic doctrine.

What are Christians today willing to sacrifice for Christ and his kingdom? Will they sacrifice sports or arts opportunities for their kids by sending them to Christian schools that adhere to Scripture but don’t have the means to offer those opportunities? Will they sacrifice the prestige of having “Benet” on their child’s college application? Will they sacrifice anything?

Assistant coach Colleen Savell was “horrified” when she learned that Benet had rescinded the offer to Kammes in order to uphold Catholic beliefs. Savell had been looking forward to a winning season under the leadership of Kammes, who just left her position at another Catholic high school–Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Illinois–after less than a year.

Nothing more aptly demonstrates the priorities of the current Benet leadership than subordinating the clear teaching of the Bible and the Catholic Church to success on the lacrosse field.

At least as offensive and ignorant was this statement by Savell about the appearance of a rainbow during the protest:

If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.

God’s sign that he would not again destroy all mankind for our wickedness is a sign to Savell that a Catholic school should affirm wickedness. Savell should be given the boot along with Kammes.

Homosexual Benet alumnus Tim Jacklich, who announced his homosexual identity during his senior year at Benet five years ago and has been an active participant in the protest against Benet’s fleeting attempt to uphold Catholic orthodoxy, said this about his late grandmother Sheila Jacklich who worked as a teacher and dean at Benet for thirty years:

A number of Benet administrators have a phrase they use to guide them, where they ask, “what would Sheila do?” And we have an answer for them. She would not do this.

Jacklich doesn’t even pretend that the word of God matters.

Jacklich also said,

One of our chief concerns is for the LGBT students who currently study at Benet, who, through this action by their administration, get the message that they are not valuable and not respected by their school.

Jacklich wrongly presumes that valuing and respecting humans as humans requires Christians to value, respect, and affirm all that fallen humans believe, desire, do, and identify as. Such a presumption has no basis in Catholic doctrine or Scripture. God loves us despite hating much of what we fallen humans desire, think, and do.

All humans sin and, inconveniently for Jacklich, Kammes, Savell and all their fellow non-Catholics, Jesus calls all who want to follow him to repent. To be clear, there is a distinction between sinning and affirming sin as non-sin. Kammes and Jacklich affirm that homoerotic acts are not sinful, and, therefore, they are not Catholic.

Jacklich responded to the school’s initial statement explaining why Kammes’ job offer was initially rescinded:

The institution released a statement that they aim to employ people who reflect their Catholic values. We were shocked that love and acceptance and inclusion were not some of those values.

Jacklich was shocked, shocked to find there was Catholicism going on there at Benet.

Inclusivity is not some sort of absolute virtue. Whether a person should be welcomed into a community or not depends on the nature of the community and the nature of the beliefs and volitional acts affirmed by the person seeking inclusion in a community.

And biblical love does not entail affirmation of sin. Quite the contrary. Biblical love requires first knowing what is true, and that is revealed in God’s word—not on the Human Rights Campaign’s website.

St. Paul writes to the church in Corinth about the sin being tolerated in the church at that time:

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (1 Cor. 5:11)

Doesn’t sound very inclusive, accepting, or loving by man’s contemporary standards, now does it?

Radio host Dan Proft shared on his Facebook page this excerpt from an exceptional letter written by a Benet parent to its board of directors:

The crisis surrounding Benet’s decision not to hire Amanda Kammes as the school’s girls’ lacrosse coach is an existential one for Benet Academy. There is no pain-free way through this crisis. If the school stands firm by its decision, there will be parents who will not send their children to Benet and donors who will not give to the school. And if Benet reverses itself there will be parents who do not send their children to Benet and donors who will not give to the school. There are costs either way.

But the crisis is more than financial. It is an existential crisis concerning Benet’s identity as a Catholic and Benedictine institution. If Benet caves into the demands of those seeking to hire Ms. Kammes, Benet will have lost its Catholic identity. It will no longer be able to claim that it is authentically Catholic, that it seeks to share the truth of the faith and the joy of the Gospel in everything it does. A person who publicly lives outside the moral teaching of the Church on matters of human sexuality and marriage cannot model for students the truth and virtues that Benet seeks to instill in its students.

Moreover, if it hires Ms. Kammes there will be no limiting principle to this going forward. The school will have no basis for refusing to hire anyone in the future who dissents from the Church on grave matters of moral teaching. There will be no principled way it can refuse to hire a qualified teacher or coach who works weekends as a clinic escort for women seeking abortions at Planned Parenthood.

In addition, in the near future, Benet will hear calls for the school to instruct its students in ways of thinking about profound moral questions involving sexuality and other matters that contradict what the Church holds and has always held to be true. The same arguments now heard—about a lack of compassion, about a failure to respect the consciences of others—will be heard again, only now in demanding curricular changes. And when that happens the example of hiring Ms. Kammes will be put forward as normative— “See, we can make changes and still remain Catholic.” But then the “Catholicism” that Benet portrays will be an empty shell. Benet will still have the decorative ornamentation of Catholicism, but not the substance of the faith.

Benet Academy should probably now revise this part of its mission statement:

The mission of Benet Academy, as a Catholic, Benedictine, college preparatory high school, is to provide a disciplined educational environment that fosters the on-going religious, intellectual and social development of its students.

Benet Academy will have achieved its mission if graduating seniors leave the Academy having nurtured their Catholic faith through religious instruction and opportunities for prayer and reflection [and] having learned to incorporate the principles of Christian morality into all aspects of their daily lives.

Catholic parents should remove their children pronto, and Catholic donors should fund only truly Catholic schools.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Benet-Academy-Losing-Christian-Identity.mp3

Many Christians and non-Christians misunderstand the relationship between morality and religion. Many mistakenly believe that morality is the same thing as religion and, therefore, mistakenly believe that they should not advocate for policies that reflect their moral beliefs. But morals and religion are not the same, and basing our decisions on public policies, laws, or elections on beliefs that derive from religious convictions does not constitute an unconstitutional establishment of a state religion.

All laws reflect or embody someone’s morality. The moral beliefs of people who hold theistic worldviews are no less valid in the public square than the moral beliefs of those who hold atheistic worldviews—which, of course, are faith-based also. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment was intended to prevent the establishment of a state religion, not to prevent religious beliefs from informing political decisions.

People from diverse faith traditions or no faith could all arrive at the same position on a particular public policy. For example, although Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Baptists, and atheists may all oppose abortion because they value human life, the reasons for that valuation of life differ. If there is a secular purpose for the law (e.g., to protect incipient human life), then voting for it does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

The sources of the various parties’ desires to protect incipient life are not the concern of the government. It would be not only absurd but also unethical for the government to try to ascertain the motives and beliefs behind anyone’s opposition to abortion and even more unethical for the government to assert that only those who have no religious faith may vote on abortion laws. Such an assertion would most assuredly violate the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

The religion clauses of the First Amendment were intended to protect religion from the intrusive power of the state, not the reverse. The Establishment Clause states that “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion.” That does not mean religious convictions are prohibited from informing political values and decisions. To expect or demand that political decisions be divorced from personal religious beliefs is an untenable, unconscionable breach of the intent of the First Amendment which also includes the oft-neglected Free Exercise Clause which states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

Legal theorist Michael Perry explains:

“[F]orcing religious arguments to be restated in other terms asks a citizen to ‘bracket’ religious convictions from the rest of her personality, essentially demanding that she split off a part of her self … to bracket [religious convictions] would be to bracket—indeed, to annihilate—herself. And doing that would preclude her—the particular person she is—from engaging in moral discourse with other members of society.”

To paraphrase Richard Neuhaus, that which is political is moral and that which is moral, for religious people, is religious. It is no less legitimate to have political decisions shaped by religion than by psychology, philosophy, scientism, or self-serving personal desire.

If allowing religious beliefs to shape political decisions represents a violation of the Establishment Clause and an inappropriate commingling of religion and government, then American history is rife with egregiously unconstitutional actions, for religious convictions have impelled some of our most significant social, political, and legal changes including the abolition of slavery, antiwar movements, opposition to capital punishment, and the passage of civil rights legislation.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is replete with references to his Christian faith which informed his belief about the inherent dignity, value, and rights of African Americans, a belief which he lost his life to see enshrined in law. He wrote what would now certainly generate howls of opposition:

How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.  To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.

“Progressives” have no objection to people of faith participating in the democratic process so long as their views comport with “progressive” positions. Liberals never cried foul when Quakers or Catholics opposed the Vietnam war because of their religious convictions, and liberals do not object that Catholic opposition to the death penalty represents a violation of the “separation of church and state”–a phrase not found in the Constitution.

I don’t recall any “progressives” objecting when Senator Rob Portman and former president Barack Obama cited their religious beliefs in defense of their radical shifts in position on homosexual faux-marriage. Portman said,

The overriding message of love and compassion that I take from the Bible, and certainly the Golden Rule, and the fact that I believe we are all created by our maker, that has all influenced me in terms of my change on this issue.

After his flip-flop—er, “evolution” on faux-marriage, Obama, like Portman, cited the Bible as his justification:

When we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know? Treat others the way you’d want to be treated.

In contrast, when conservative people of faith participate in the political process, citing their religion as the source of their judgments, suddenly the Establishment Clause has been violated.

Apparently neither Portman nor Obama think much about what the Bible says about sex, marriage, or repentance. And apparently, neither Portman nor Obama understand the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule does not require Christians to affirm all the desires, beliefs, and actions of all humans. It requires Christians to treat others as they—disciples of Christ—want to be treated as disciples of Christ.

And what should disciples of Christ desire? They should desire to follow God’s teaching more closely every day. They should desire to be willing to die to self and to take up their crosses daily. They should want their brothers and sisters in Christ to hold them accountable for their embrace of sin.

What the government must not do is impose laws exclusively religious in nature like Sharia laws. There should be no laws requiring the observance of any particular religion. No laws governing baptismal practices or Communion. No laws requiring prayer or circumcision. But, for example, people whose faith points to the worth of all people may legitimately work toward enacting laws that oppose capital punishment, euthanasia, or abortion. People whose religious beliefs include pacifism may legitimately work toward preventing or stopping military engagements.

No one is legally, constitutionally, ethically, or morally obligated to divorce their faith from their political decisions.

Richard Neuhaus argues persuasively in his book The Naked Public Square that a polity denuded of religion will be clothed soon enough in some other system that functions as religion by providing “normative ethics.” A democratic republic cannot exist without objective normative ethics that render legitimate the delimitation or circumscription of individual rights.

Historically, the sources of the absolute, transcendent, objective, universal truths that render legitimate our legal system have been “the institutions of religion that make claims of ultimate or transcendent meaning.”

Neuhaus argues that when religion is utterly privatized and eliminated as a “source of transcendence that gives legitimate and juridical direction and form, something else will necessarily fill the void, and that force will be the state.”

If the body politic claims there are no absolutes or delegitimizes religion as an arbiter of right and wrong, or good and evil, then the state will fill the vacuum, relativizing all values, and rendering this relativization absolute.

Lawmaking absent an understanding that there exist moral truths that are objective and universal would represent an illegitimate and hubristic arrogation of power.

What sense does outrage at human rights violations make if we assert there are no universal, transcendent, eternal, objective truths? And if we agree that these truths exist, that they transcend the subjective opinions of any particular individual, then what is their source other than a supernatural, eternal, transcendent being?

There are numerous factors that have resulted in a diminished valuation or recognition of the essential place of a belief in God as the source of transcendent truth in American society and politics, one of which is our remarkable cultural diversity. A healthy respect for the pluralism in America, however, need not and should not degenerate into what retired Campbell University law professor Lynn R. Buzzard describes as a “religion of secularism, excluding religion from participation in the pluralism.”

Princeton University law professor Robert George explains that our cultural degradation has, at least in part, resulted from an “orthodox secularism [that] stands for the strict absolute separation of not only church and state, but also faith and public life.”

Allowing religious institutions and ideas to inform our understanding of right and wrong, which is a necessary precursor to making legislative and juridical decisions, does not represent a violation of the Establishment Clause. Indeed, as Samuel Silver explains, “The government, as defined by the First Amendment and explained by its author James Madison, must remain neutral between various sects of religion, but it is not required to remain neutral between religion and irreligion.”

Prohibiting religiously derived understandings of right and wrong to shape political decisions, would, however, represent a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Buzzard writes that “Free Exercise will not be construed as merely creating a zone of non-governmental interference or the creation of an exemption from conscience-opposed activity, but the opportunity to be full partners in the pluralism of our day.”

To leftists, the idea of a separation of church and state no longer points to the importance of protecting religious freedom from the intrusive power of the state but instead refers to coercively eradicating theologically orthodox religious expression from the public square. Only secular or theologically heterodox worldviews, which are as shaped by myopic, dogmatic, unproved assumptions as secularists claim theologically orthodox religious worldviews are, will be tolerated in our pretend-tolerant society.

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Do-Christians-Regularly-Violate-the-Separation-of-Church-and-State.mp3

These last several weeks have been pretty tough for our nation. In addition to observing the 20 year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, we’ve seen flooding in Tennessee that left over twenty people dead and we’ve witnessed the devastating effects of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and parts of the northeast. We are devastated at the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan which resulted in the death of thirteen special heroes and countless Afghani allies. Friend, while our hearts grieve over these headlines, each one should be a reminder to pray.

There is a God on His throne who is not surprised.

When Jesus was about to be arrested and face an unfair trial that would ultimately lead to His death, He told Peter, James and John to pray. But the long day got the best of them and they fell asleep. During this crucial time in our Lord’s earthly ministry, His own disciples were asleep.

In Jonah, chapter 1, we see the Prophet Jonah on a boat in the middle of a storm. On deck the captain, crew, and others were terrified, but Jonah was fast asleep in an inner cabin far below. When the captain implored Jonah to “Arise, call upon your god!” Jonah was silent.

Friend, we are in a very interesting time in human history. People are afraid. The streets of our communities are in shambles. There is turmoil throughout the world. The Church of Jesus Christ cannot fall asleep or be silent. Vance Havner once said, “If the church would only be the church– if Christians would only be Christians– nothing could halt our onward march.”

This week, let’s choose to be a people of prayer and begin to turn this world upside down for the Glory of God!

Praise and Thank God

• Praise God that many parents and grandparents are choosing to get their children and grandchildren out of government schools. The number of families deciding to home school has spiked and enrollment in private Christian schools is up significantly.

• Praise God for our First Amendment rights to freely exercise our religious beliefs, our right to free speech, our right to peacefully assemble, and our right to petition the government when they move in the wrong direction. Pray for those First Amendment attorneys and the clients they represent who have filed lawsuits against unreasonable government over-reach and mandates under the guise of “health” or “protection.”

Public School Exit

• Please continue to pray for our Rescuing Our Children initiative to encourage an exodus from government indoctrination centers. Pastor Ceasar LeFlore, our field director for this project, is meeting with pastors throughout the City of Chicago and suburbs and has been getting favorable responses.

Abortion

• Thank God that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) refused to hear the Texas Heartbeat law that bans abortionists from dismembering living babies inside the womb once a heartbeat is heard, leaving the previous favorable court ruling intact. While this law is the bare minimum in regard to human decency, the courts have been blocking its enforcement since 2017. Praise God that five justices saw wisdom in leaving the law untouched. With a nation that appears to be growing colder and more blind to the horrific reality of abortion, pray that eyes would be opened to the abortion industry’s murderous barbaric practices.

• There are opportunities for faithful Christians to pray to Almighty God while silently witnessing for the sanctity of human life in Flossmoor, Chicago, Downers Grove and Aurora (to name 4 of the 10 Illinois locations). Please pray for this year’s campaign, which runs from Sept. 22  thru Oct. 30, and consider being one of the praying faithful during the 40 days.

• Pray that every leader in our nation would come to realize that these are real human babies in the womb who deserve protection.

• Pray that the agenda of Satan and his wicked disciples to kill pre-born babies in the womb and encourage immoral sexual activities to innocent young children in government schools would be exposed and stopped.

SCOTUS

• Despite SCOTUS’s refusal to hear the case in order to reverse the favorable ruling, the Biden Department of Justice is challenging the Texas Heartbeat Abortion Ban. Pray that they will not succeed. Pray instead that this law will be a strong precedent for other states, and that it would be used to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

• Pray that the agenda of Satan and his wicked disciples to kill pre-born babies in the womb; teach immoral sexual activities to innocent young children in government schools; and brainwash them with Marxist ideology leading to an increased hatred of America and escalating violence in our neighborhoods would be exposed and stopped. (Proverbs 6:16-19; Ephesians 5:11)

Each Other

• Pray that the Holy Spirit will prompt us, our family members, and our church family to stay rooted in God’s Holy Word, reading it daily so that we are fully equipped for what God calls us to do.

• Pray that the eyes of our hearts be enlightened, that we may know what is the hope to which He has called us to, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:18–20)

For Those in Authority

For the next several weeks, please pray for the political leaders listed below. Pray that they would seek God’s wisdom when they make decisions that affect the people they work for. Pray that God would turn their hearts to Himself. (Proverbs 21:1)

Of course, this includes praying for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker and Julia Stratton and those who serve in these administrations. Pray also for our two U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. In addition, please pray for the following officials:

• • U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet (D-Colorado)
  • U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee)
  • U.S. Representative Tom O’Halleran (D-Arizona)
  • U.S. Representative Jerry Carl (R-Alabama)
  • State Senator Christopher Belt (D-East St. Louis)
  • State Senator John Curran (R-Lemont)
  • State Representative Kelly M. Burke (D-Evergreen Park)
  • State Representative Tim Butler (R-Springfield)
  • YOUR local City/Village/Township Officials

...you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of,
knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood
you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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.
~2 Timothy 3:14-17

It is incredible how a failed theory—Marxism—continues to make inroads into the hearts and minds of millions of fellow Americans. A new poll out the other week found that for the first time, a majority of Democrats say they prefer socialism over capitalism. FoxBusiness.com (8/12/21) reports:

“A new Fox News poll showed that more Democrats favor socialism over capitalism, in a sharp reversal from just a year and a half ago. The poll…showed that 59% of registered Democratic voters who participated had a positive view of socialism, compared to just 49% who felt that way about capitalism.”

It’s possible in some cases that they are just simply mistaken about definitions—that they think capitalism means greed, whereas socialism means sharing.

No, capitalism means freedom to earn, whereas socialism means the government is free to steal from those who earn.

Everywhere around the world, we see the bitter fruit of Marxism. Everywhere his ideas have been put into practice, death, misery, loss of basic freedoms, and poverty follow. Can anybody name a square inch spot on the planet, anywhere, where Marxism has brought anything good? Certainly not in China, Russia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, etc.

And yet there are millions of Americans who have been brainwashed into thinking that Marxism is good, that it means compassionately sharing with others. No, it effectively means the government stealing from its citizens…for the sake of the ruling class to be enriched.

Here’s an example: Most Cubans live on $44 (U.S.) per month. In contrast, when Fidel Castro died in 2016, his net worth was estimated at $900 million. In America, wealth is created by providing value in voluntary exchanges, and there is no inherent limit on it. But in a Marxist setting like Castro’s Cuba, the government controls the economy, and it’s a zero sum game. Castro’s wealth was at the expense of the Cuban people.

Even Critical Race Theory, which is tearing many school boards apart, is merely repackaged Marxism, enforcing the never-ending Marxist principle of “oppressor” versus “oppressed.”

And all of this gets back to a miserable anti-Christian man in 19th century Germany—Karl Marx. I recently learned from Dr. Paul Kengor something I didn’t know about Marx—his favorite quote. It speaks volumes. Kengor is a bestselling author and a professor of history and political science at Grove City College. I’ve interviewed him many times.

In his latest book, The Devil and Karl Marx, Kengor points out that Marx loved the line that comes from the devil character, Mephistopheles, in Goethe’s Faust:

“Everything that exists deserves to perish.”

Dr. Kengor elaborates:

“Friends said Marx would chant this. He would recite this—‘Everything that exists deserves to perish. Everything that exists deserves to perish.’ This is a philosophy that’s about tearing down, burning the foundation, leveling the house, to where you have Marx standing there in the smoldering embers, saying, ‘Now we are ready to begin.’ So anybody that thinks that this is a philosophy that is just about helping one another or sharing the wealth or redistributing wealth, they do not understand Marx and Marxism.”

And what do we see in our streets today? Destruction, riots, tear it all down. Let’s build a new and supposedly better world.

Ironically, Marx couldn’t even feed his own family. Even when he received a windfall of cash, he selfishly spent it all on himself. Marx couldn’t balance his own checkbook, but he presumed to tell the rest of the world how to run their economies. And everywhere his ideas have been implemented, they’ve driven their economies right into the ground.

Some people may naively assume that you can have socialism without the violence. But that is not the case. As Marx stated: “Socialism cannot be brought into existence without revolution.”

And what has been the results of atheistic communism because of Marx? Kengor writes,

“A legacy of over one hundred million dead, not to mention the robbing of so many basic liberties and incalculable harm to so many souls has been nothing short of diabolical—truly a satanic scourge, a killing machine…It plagues us to this day.” (The Devil and Karl Marx, p. 402).

When there is no God to whom we must give an account, then the state can become god. That was certainly true in the minds of many a totalitarian dictator.

Why has America lasted all these years? For all the problems of America’s founding, the founders said our rights from God. The God factor is the key to America’s enduring success.

In contrast to Marx’s philosophy that everything should perish, Jesus said,

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

What a better approach to the world—and with infinitely better results all around the planet.

This article was originally published at JerryNewcombe.com.

In John, chapter 2, we read the account of Jesus entering the temple and being disgusted by what He saw. John 2:14 says, “In the temple He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.”

Jewish coins were the only valid currency in the Temple; Roman coins were not accepted. So, there had to be a “currency exchange,” so to speak, with an accompanying transaction fee. Changing money was a very profitable business which resulted in major fraud and corruption. It is no wonder Jesus turned over tables and made a whip of chords, saying, “Take these things away; do not make My Father’s house a house of trade.” (-John 2:16)

The money-changers made God’s house a place for thieves – a den of corruption.

Friend, what have you made of God’s house?

If we take an honest look at the numbers, many Christians today have made it an option. No longer is Church attendance a priority; it has turned into just another “activity” instead of a staple in our week.

If we are transparent with ourselves, we’ve made it into a place where we can have control and power. Countless churches have families and individuals who “control” the church (maybe because they give the most money or have been in the Church the longest). Over the years, these people have chased many pastors and other families away because those Christians threaten their “power.”

In fact, some churches today would vote Jesus out of their church and have a potluck afterward.

Let’s take this a step further. In the New Testament there is a different temple. First Corinthians 6 talks about our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit. What have we made of this house? Have we made it into half-hearted devotion to the Lord? Have we made it into a lukewarm walk with Christ? Have we made this special temple a place for King Self to rule, reign, and have His way? What have you made of this holy, special, set-apart temple?

Friend, when we choose to be lukewarm, we not only bear no fruit, we also surrender the territory to Satan. God has given us a task to be salt and light and to be His witnesses across the street, across the states and across the sea. The late preacher Adrian Rogers once said, “Life is too short, eternity is too long, souls are too precious, the Gospel is too wonderful— for us to sleep through it all.”

May we wake up, repent and take back what is rightfully God’s.

Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since
you yourselves are in the body also. ~Hebrews 13:3

Where are Christians suffering the most for their faith? Nigeria and China would be very good answers. In both countries, suffering for the sake of Christ is very real, although the suffering takes on different forms in each nation.

China, the largest country in the world in terms of population, is still dominated by a communist government that, since coming to power, has killed an estimated 60 million people (this estimate is likely on the low end). Numbers of this magnitude are almost impossible for us to grasp.

Praise the Lord that despite this almost unbelievable adversity, there are still many Christians in China. These believers choose to follow Christ, knowing full well that they will most likely suffer because of their faith.

One of many inspiring stories of courage and suffering is that of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China. This faithful congregation grew from 63 members in 2008 to approximately 500 members today.

In December 2018, the Chinese government started directly attacking this congregation. To date, more than 200 members of this church have been arrested, though most have been released. In 2019, church elder Qin Defu was sentenced to four years in criminal detention. Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in criminal detention. Beyond arrest, the government has also seized church and personal property. Many families have faced the cruel reality of eviction from their homes and even deportation from the city of Chengdu.

A recent update reported that Preacher Wu Wuqing and his family have been locked into their homes by government forces. Guards now surround their residences.

Nigeria is the largest country in Africa, with a population of almost 220 million. It is unique in that it is both one of the largest Christian and Muslim countries in the world.

It is estimated that, since 2015, over 12,000 Christians have been murdered simply because they are not Muslim. Many, many more have been displaced by violence as the Fulani Tribesmen invade rural villages and unleash a targeted genocide against Christians. This suffering is in addition to the great harm caused by another Muslim terrorist group, Boko Haram.

Recently more than 125 students from a Baptist school were kidnapped. In the following six days, at least thirty-three Christians were killed, four churches were burned, and hundreds of homes were also burned.

Again, it is very difficult for us to fully appreciate the atrocities that take place in China and Nigeria. Yet, the call of Scripture is to remember, to remember all our brothers and sisters in Christ, to remember we are part of the body of faithful believers all over the world.

It is important to keep these things in mind so we have the right perspective on what we, as Christians, face in our nation. It would be wrong to try to directly compare what American Christians face with what believers in China, Nigeria, or many other countries face. But, at the same time, it is also foolish to ignore the very many stories of harassment and even government-sanctioned persecution against faithful believers in the U.S.

While we shouldn’t exaggerate or directly compare the trials of faithful Christians in America with the suffering of those in China or Nigeria, we must not ignore or forget the stories of believers like Jack Phillips (Masterpiece Cakes), Barronelle Stutzman (Arlene’s Flowers), Aaron and Melissa Klein (Sweet Cakes by Melissa), Jim and Beth Walder (Timber Creek Bed and Breakfast), Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski (Brush and Nib Studios), and, no doubt, many others whose stories have not been as widely publicized.

As best we can, we must stand with faithful believers both in our nation and around the world. We need to pray, give, and learn more about what is happening, and then share that information with those who are unaware of the moral, spiritual, and legal attacks perpetrated against Christians in our nation.

We must keep a proper perspective and not be ignorant of these matters.

Please learn more by visiting these websites:

1] Persecution.com

2] chinapartnership.org/early-rain-covenant-church

3] acts29.com/nurturing-gospel-encouragement-in-suffering

4] The Crisis of Christian Persecution in Nigeria

5] adflegal.org

Shortly after Dallas Seminary was founded in the early 1920’s, it came to the point of bankruptcy and almost folded. On the morning it was to be foreclosed, the founders and leaders of the school met in the president’s office to pray that God would provide.

Harry Ironside was present at that prayer meeting. He boldly prayed, “Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are Thine. Please sell some of them and send us the money.”

Around the same time, a tall Texas cattle rancher walked into the seminary office, said to the secretary, “I just sold two carloads of cattle over in Fort Worth. I’ve been trying to make a business deal go through, but it just won’t work. I feel God wants me to give this money to the seminary. I don’t know if you need it or not, but here’s the check,” and handed it over.

The check was for the exact amount they needed. The seminary president looked at Harry Ironside and said, “Harry, God sold the cattle.“

Friend, let’s be honest: we don’t ask God for those bold, big prayers as much as we should. We pray for God to “watch over us and keep us safe” and ask Him to “bless this food for the nourishment of our bodies” and that we would have “traveling mercies.” That’s great and all, but we tend to stay there. When was the last time we were bold enough to ask God for something that only He can do?

In the book of Acts, King Herod arrested the Apostle Peter. Acts 12:5 says, “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

The word earnest means intense and serious. While Peter was in prison, the people of the Church were banging on the doors of Heaven until the hinges came off. At that moment, an angel woke Peter up in his prison cell. Peter’s chains fell off, and the angel walked him through a series of locked doors and sleeping guards. Peter was a free man.

What would it look like if the Church today was earnest in prayer and bold enough to ask God to shut down every single abortion clinic in this country? What would it look like if we fervently prayed for the salvation of every single cabinet member of the White House? What would it look like if we were bold enough to ask God to bring a revival among the lawmakers of Illinois?

E.M. Bounds once said, “The little estimate we put on prayer is evident from the little time we give to it.”

Friend, this month, let us be intentional in prayer. Let us be bold and not afraid to ask God to do something that only He has the power to do. After all, if and when it happens, it would be so big that only He can get the credit!

Praise and Thank God

• Praise God that we live in the freest nation in the world. Thank God for the faithful generations that went before us, who sacrificed more than we will ever know to keep and make America the exceptional place that compels people from all over the world to come to our republic.

• Praise God for our First Amendment rights to freely exercise our religious beliefs, our right to assemble, our right to free speech, our right to peaceably assemble, and our right to petition the government when they move in the wrong direction. May we utilize these freedoms for the spread of the Gospel and for His glory and honor.

Please Pray

• FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY: For the next several weeks, please pray for the political leaders listed below. Of course, this includes praying for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker and Julia Stratton and those who serve in these administrations.
  • U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin)
  • U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming)
  • U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)
  • U.S. Representative Alma Adams (D-North Carolina)
  • U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama)
  • State Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago)
  • State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro)
  • State Representative Dagmara Avelar (D-Bolingbrook)
  • State Representative Thomas Bennett (R-Pontiac)
  • YOUR local City/Village/Township Officials
    

Please Pray for the Sanctity of Life

• Pray that lawmakers in Washington D.C. would uphold the Hyde Amendment, which protects taxpayers from having our federal dollars used to fund abortion.

• Pray that lawmakers in Springfield would understand the importance of the Parental Notice of Abortion Act, and choose not to repeal this important safeguard.

• Pray that the medical and scientific communities would stop engaging in political shenanigans by redefining the terms “conception” and “pregnancy.” Human life begins when sperm fertilize an egg, and should be protected in law and in practice.

• Pray against those who are promoting the anti-Biblical message of population control. Human beings are the greatest resource this would will ever know, and we are not even close to overpopulation.

General Prayer Bullet Points:

• Pray that those who consider themselves followers of Jesus would repent for not following Him wholeheartedly. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

• Pray that Christ followers would fear God and expose evil. (Job 1:8; Ephesians 5:11)

• Pray for God’s forgiveness for the failures of pastors and church leaders to boldly speak the entire Truth of God in the public square. (Jeremiah 23:9-40)

• Pray that Christian leaders would teach, preach, and advocate for God’s people to turn back to Him and to seek Him with all their hearts. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

• Pray that pastors and church leaders would do whatever is within their power to recue the children in their churches from the wicked indoctrination taking place in government schools and help to provide them with solid Christ-centered education. (Matthew 18:6; Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10)

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would send a true revival, turning the children’s hearts back to the fathers and the father’s hearts back to the children; less God strikes the land with total destruction. (Malachi 4:6)

• Pray that the agenda of Satan and his wicked disciples to kill pre-born babies in the womb; teach immoral sexual activities to innocent young children in government schools; and brainwash them with Marxist ideology leading to an increased hatred of America and escalating violence in our neighborhoods WOULD CEASE because God’s people have repented. (Proverbs 6:16-19; 2 Chronicles 7:14)

• Pray for the president and defense officials to seek God’s wisdom and help as they evaluate how to respond to threats and instability in China, Russia, and the Middle East. (Psalm 68)

• Pray for God’s protection for our peacekeepers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers here and abroad who put their lives in harm’s way daily. (Matthew 5:9)

• Pray for righteous God-fearing leaders at all levels, including school board members, mayors, county officials, and federal officials all the way to the President’s Cabinet. (1 Timothy 2:2)

• Pray for wisdom, courage, and boldness for those working to root out corruption at the highest levels in government and within church denominations. Pray that Christians would install leaders who fear God, love righteousness, and will not give into the fear of man, even if it means standing alone for what’s right in alignment to God’s Word. (Isaiah 1:4)

• Pray that God would see our repentant hearts and tears and hear our cries for mercy. (Psalm 34:17)

• Because God speaks to mankind through His Word, pray that every Christ follower in your family and in your church would be convicted by the Spirit to strengthen their faith and their Christian worldview through daily Bible reading and prayer.

Whom do I have in heaven but You?
And with You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is good for me;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
So that I may tell of all Your works.
~Psalm 73:25-28

Written by Steve Bruns

It seems like every year I see more and more people who identify as Christians siding with the LGBTQ agenda.  This seems to be even more prevalent this month, considering that it’s “pride month,” with many who identify as Christians showing their pride in homosexuality.

As a Christian, I will never take pride in something the Bible clearly says God detests.

As a Christian, I believe that there is a war between good and evil, between God and Satan, and as a Christian, I will never turn my back on God and His Word to side with what the Bible says is a sin. In doing so, I’d be siding with Satan himself.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what I think is happening not only on a personal level with many who identify as Christians but also with an ever increasing number of our churches as well.

The Bible is very clear that homosexuality is a sin and that marriage is between a man and a woman. The unfortunate reality, though, is that many who consider themselves Christians deny or ignore this.

In Genesis 19, you’ll find the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, in which God destroys both cities as well as everyone living in them due to rampant homosexuality.

Jump ahead to Leviticus and you’ll find the following:

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:23)

“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13)

Some people will dismiss those verses, saying that it’s just Old Testament law, or claim they are no longer applicable. Yet in the sermon on the mount, Jesus says the following:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

Jump ahead a few more books in the New Testament and you’ll find that Paul says,

“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”  (Romans 1:26-27)

Jump ahead one more book in the New Testament and you’ll find this:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

If you are going to call yourself a Christian, how can you ignore what the Bible says?

Go back to Romans, and you will read,

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

If you ignore God’s word in the Bible, and instead side with the sinful ways of the world today, whatever they may be, are you not going against Romans 12:2?

I fully understand that the Bible teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves and I absolutely agree with that. However ,if we are going to follow this, should we not also follow a biblical definition of love?

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)

If you are going to love someone with a Biblical definition of love, you cannot rejoice in their sin. You cannot “celebrate pride.” I am not saying you should hate anyone who practices homosexuality, as we shouldn’t hate any human being. However, we shouldn’t rejoice or take pride in their sin, just as we shouldn’t rejoice or take pride in theft, adultery, or any other sin. None of those are being promoted as normal, unlike what we see with the LGBTQ issues.

Ultimately, if you are going to believe in God and be a Christian, part of that is the hope of someday going to Heaven through our faith in Christ. In the book of Matthew, you’ll find the parable of “The Narrow and Wide Gates.” Those verses say the following;

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

In other words, not everyone who calls himself a Christian will get into heaven. That is why it’s important to try to follow all of God’s Word and not conform to the wicked ways of the world, as mentioned earlier. If you do you risk that, Jesus says,

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:22-23)

In today’s world, the Democratic Party and other left-wing activists present themselves as social justice warriors as they engage in a constant push of this perverse agenda. It floods our newsfeeds on social media, perverting the minds of our children by pushing the LGBTQ agenda in classrooms, TV shows, and movies. We hear of men pretending to be women and unfairly competing against women in otherwise all-female sporting events. We even have churches teaching their members to ignore God’s word and to celebrate what God Himself is clearly against. All this is being done in the name of social justice, making the following come to mind:

“Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” (2 Corinthians 14-15)

I’m a firm believer that we as Christians, as well as our churches, need to speak out against this. By remaining silent while the constant push of the LBGTQ agenda is the only voice that is heard, we are helping it to be normalized within a generation. I am done being silent.

“….As for me and my house, we will serve the lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

By all means, share this post if you agree.

Final thought: unfortunately, many will have issues with what I’ve said and will likely try to use it against me or insult me as a result of it. They do that to try to silence those whom they disagree with. That is almost always the case anytime you disagree with those on the Left. However I have zero issue with this, as Jesus spoke of it as well:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

Steve Bruns is Christian husband, father, village trustee, and a thoughtful gardener. He and his family live in the southern suburbs of Chicago.

Our culture can’t seem to agree on what masculinity should look like, nor what it means to be a “real man.” Some promote the concept of “toxic masculinity” while others strongly condemn it. Who is right? Do men have a problem?

As always, the Bible gives us some answers.

Before we get to that, let’s acknowledge one point. Although I don’t like the term “toxic masculinity,” we need to recognize that sin perverts everything it touches. That includes masculinity. There are definitions and manifestations of masculinity in our culture today that are perverted by sin, yet some men unfortunately hold onto them. Whether it’s defining manhood based on sexual conquest, brute force, or an unquenchable lust for power, perversions of what it means to be a true man exist in our culture.

But acknowledging that basic truth doesn’t mean that all definitions or forms of masculinity are “toxic” or that we need a wholesale rejection of all traditional ideas of what it means to be a true man. What it does mean is that we need to make sure our ideas of manhood are aligned with the Bible rather than our culture.

So what does the Bible tell us and show us about being a true man?

Let’s first take a quick step back to the issue of sin and observe that any definition of masculinity that tries to encompass behavior or attitudes that the Bible would label as sinful can’t be right. Thus, pride, arrogance, selfishness, lack of self-control, a quick temper—these aren’t part of Biblical masculinity. Those are perversions. Jesus wasn’t an arrogant jerk or a macho chest-thumper—and we shouldn’t be either.

But let’s also acknowledge that God made men and women differently and there’s nothing intrinsically wrong or toxic about either true masculinity or femininity.

As we look at the Bible, we can learn both from the instructions and examples we see in its pages. Here are some qualities that I believe are important for a true man to display in his life.

Boldness

Jesus—our ultimate example—was bold. He wasn’t afraid to speak the truth to those in positions of power and influence. We would do well to follow his example. A true man needs to be willing to stand up for what’s right whether it’s easy or not. Besides Jesus, I’m also reminded of the examples of the Apostle Paul, David, Daniel, Elijah, and others who stood strong in the face of opposition in order to do what was right.

Boldness, however, should never become a cover for rudeness or a lack of love. We should speak the truth in love, as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:15, and our speech should always be with grace, as he instructs in Colossians 4:6. There are times we need to allow humility and love for others to smooth the rough edges off our boldness.

Loving

A man’s display of love may look different than a woman’s, and that’s fine. But the definition of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 applies to all believers, both men and women. There may not be one universal way to display love, but there are some universal things that love is and is not. True manliness isn’t at odds with love and all the qualities it contains.

Let’s also remember that displays of the more tender emotions aren’t incompatible with true manliness either. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus, and we can certainly imagine strong emotions as He lamented over Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37. The Psalms, many of them written by David—a real man if ever there was one—express plenty of emotion. Real men can be tender, compassionate, and yes, even emotional.

There are times, of course, that we need to put emotions aside and take care of the task at hand. But suppressing our emotions or our more tender side doesn’t need to be our constant condition. 

Self-Sacrificing

Once again we can turn to Jesus as our ultimate example. As the perfect display of self-sacrifice, He gave His life to pay for the sins of the world even though not a single one of us deserved it. In addition, Jesus pointed out to His disciples that he came to serve others, not for others to serve Him (Matthew 20:28). That’s our model.

True manliness isn’t about looking out for Number One. It’s not about getting our own way in a dog-eat-dog world. Instead, we should be looking out for the needs of others.

Faithful

A true man should be faithful. This should encompass everything from faithfulness to God, to faithfulness to his wife, to faithfulness to his own word and commitments. A man who can’t be trusted due to a lack of integrity and faithfulness isn’t practicing Biblical manhood. In fact, he may be violating some of the most basic principles of manliness by leaving those around him vulnerable and unprotected due to his unreliability.

Surrendered

Jesus came to do the will of His Father (John 6:38). He wasn’t here to advance His own agenda. In the same way, those of us who seek to be real men in the truest sense should be surrendered to the will of God. Our aim shouldn’t be to live for our own glory or advancement, but for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.

Living for something greater than ourselves is something that I think most of us aspire to. That’s why we love the stories of heroic soldiers who give everything to defend home and country or protect their fellow soldiers. God gives us that opportunity to live for something bigger by calling us into His service.

Many More

We’ve only scratched the surface here, of course. There are many other qualities we could discuss: integrity, honesty, diligence, perseverance—the list could go on and on.

God wants real men to serve Him. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t require us to become weaklings who leave masculinity behind. The Bible is full of stories of real men who did amazing things by the power of God. We can aspire to the same. But we’ll do best when we put aside what our culture says about masculinity—positive or negative—and embrace God’s vision for what it means to be a man.

Was Noah a successful preacher?

According to 2 Peter 2:5, Noah was a preacher of righteousness. God, in His mercy and perfect judgment, saved only eight people from the cataclysm of the flood.

If we measure success by how many were saved from the judgment of the flood, we might say Noah was a failure. But if we measure success by God’s standard – faithfulness – then Noah was a successful preacher.

Of course, we want God to bless our witness in terms of lives changed, wicked bills defeated, and good bills passed and signed into law. However, we must consider that more and more, the days in which we live resemble the times of Noah. In the face of discouragement in terms of so few listening or caring, we must not back down. We must continue to be a faithful witness.

Consider the last legislative session. Several very wicked bills were passed, and yet, praise the Lord, a few have been held up, at least to this point. We should be thankful that parental notification for abortion has not been overturned. We can also give thanks that the bill granting even more power to bureaucrats over schools did not pass and we are grateful that 16,818 witness slips against this bill were filed. However, both bills could come up again during the fall veto session.

Despite the discouragements, this is no time to cease praying and attempting to bring a faithful witness.

Let me suggest several things that will encourage you to be a more vigilant citizen in our corrupt state.

First, consider registering an account with the Illinois General Assembly website so you can more easily fill out witness slips and track all the witness slips you have filed.

Related to this, I have found the LegiScan website to be useful for tracking legislation.

Consider setting up an account and learning how to use this helpful tool.

Second, put the contact information for your elected officials in your cell phone. This will facilitate reaching out to them by email or phone.

Third, print out a listing of your officials to remind and encourage you to be in prayer for them.

Fourth, consider sending your elected officials a handwritten card or maybe even an evangelistic book or copy of the Bible.

Fifth, if God directs you to stay in Illinois, you must embrace a missionary attitude. This should be the case wherever we live, but it is especially true for life in Illinois.

God has called you to faithfulness! Continue to be a faithful witness of God’s Law and His Gospel.