Previously we have featured a series of video excerpts, but, as promised, we are now pleased to present the entirety of Pastor Derek Buikema’s recent interview with Rod Dreher, senior editor at the American Conservative and author of The Benedict Option.

Mr. Dreher begins by stating that one purpose of a Christian is to transform the world with the truth of the gospel – but how can that be accomplished when so many people don’t know what the faith teaches and lack spiritual discipline?

Pastor Derek and Rod engage in an in-depth discussion of the Benedict Option, detailing what it is and what it is not. Rod promotes the need for a “strategic” (not cowardly) retreat from anti-Christian culture in order to prepare and be strengthened to endure the persecution we know we will face.

The conversation continues with encouragement for Christians and the Church to be politically engaged and willing to fight for religious liberty, and Rod and Pastor Derek examine the value of distinctly Christian communities and institutions, especially institutions of higher learning. Rod concludes the interview with a personal example concerning the appropriate expression of righteous anger.

Please watch and share on social media:

Our world has changed dramatically this year, but foundational truths – the supremacy and authority of Almighty God, the sufficiency of the atoning sacrifice of His Son, and the sanctity of all human life – remains unchanged.

The inspiring message of Rev. Franklin Graham’s speech at Illinois Family Institute’s 2019 Faith, Family, and Freedom Banquet is definitely worth revisiting. Now more than ever, all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ need to firmly put our trust in Him, stand in unity, and ROAR like lions!

Because of the COVID-19 lock-down mandates, we were not able to host our annual banquet fundraiser. “2020 The Terrible” has proven to be challenging in many ways. The Chinese virus, unconstitutional lock-down mandates, and a contentious/uncertain national election seem to have produced a domino effect that has caused donors to hold back, and donations have diminished significantly. So please, pray about how God wants to use you to help us raise the resources we need to fight the battles ahead in 2021.

Please watch this video and consider how God wants you to make your voice heard.

One of the many remarkable aspects of this time in America is that all the forces of oppression about which George Orwell warned in his novel 1984 are present and growing, and many of the oppressors can’t see it. Ironically, many of the oppressors view themselves as paragons of virtue when, in reality, they’re paragons of virtue-signaling, which constitutes a performative cloak of invisibility that conceals their totalitarianism.

In Orwell’s portentous novel, he describes four government ministries, one of which—the Ministry of Truth—“concerned itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts.” Orwell wrote,

‘Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.’ … All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory. ‘Reality control’, they called it: in Newspeak, ‘doublethink’.

While our news, entertainment, education, and fine arts are not institutionally linked to the government, they are ideologically bound together in an unholy alliance that seeks to indoctrinate society just as Big Brother does in 1984.

Today “progressives” are tearing down statues and renaming government schools to erase recognition of our Founding Fathers. Government schools are teaching the revisionist history of the 1619 Project and Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States.

Through falsified birth certificates and drivers’ licenses, the state colludes with mainstream news outlets, entertainment, and educational institutions to scrub history by identifying men and women as the sex they aren’t. Try looking for information on the actress Ellen Page. Within hours of Page’s recent announcement that she was no longer a woman, the disparate minions in the Ministry of Truth began scrubbing history, changing “Ellen” to “Elliot” and replacing all pronouns that refer to her with deceitful male pronouns.

Acts of hatred and deceit against the human person are now called “love” and “authenticity” by those practiced at the art of Newspeak.

Orwell wrote, “If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death.”

It’s happening now, and it is terrifying, indeed. Now we have intrusive Big Government—including government schools—in cahoots with Big Tech to control the past, the present, and the future. Social media has created algorithms and inconsistently applied “community standards” to suppress the dissemination of not only ideas but also news.

Orwell explains that in the government-mandated language of Newspeak, “Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.” When I worked at Deerfield High School, two English teachers, Michael Wolf and Jeff Berger-White, sent a letter to the local press which was signed by half the department in which they argued,

It is difficult for … people … to simultaneously hold conflicting opinions. But this difficulty should not prevent us from attempting to do so. The best work we do in our classrooms is to highlight how multiple understandings are true, and that the validity of one idea does not necessarily negate the validity of another.

I’m pretty sure they read 1984 but seemed to have missed the point.

In their letter, they acknowledged that “certain doctrine” that “may not allow diverse and conflicting views to coexist” still have a “cherished place” in their classrooms—unless those doctrine are “malicious.” Guess which views on sexuality the gods of government schools have declared malicious.

The vehicle for our rocketing trip deep down into our subterranean Orwellian dystopia is “trans”-cultism. The world we’ve entered is the anti-science Transtopia where, in Orwell’s words, “Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else.” The propellant that reality-denying “trans”-cultists and their fearful and/or foolish collaborators use is Newspeak.

Newspeak, like the speech rules leftists impose today, is intended to control thought:

It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all… a heretical thought… should be literally unthinkable. … This was done partly by the invention of new words, but chiefly by eliminating undesirable words and stripping such words as remained of unorthodox meanings. … [T]he special function of certain Newspeak words. … was not so much to express meanings as to destroy them.

In two now-famous quotes, Orwell illuminates the troubling views of tyrants about language:

“It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”

On December 8, 2020, the University of Michigan’s Information and Technology Services’ “Words Matter Task Force”—Ministry of Truth for short—issued its spanking new Newspeak lexicon. Acknowledging that “language is powerful,” the Ministers of Truthiness have published a document with banned words and “recommended” replacements along with a bewildering array of action steps to ensure widespread compliance. The banned list—which is “not exhaustive and will continue to grow”—are those words deemed by the Ministers of Truthiness (aka Thought Police) to “harm morale, and deliberately or inadvertently exclude people from feeling accepted” or “cause people to feel alienated.”

Here are a few of the alienating terms (left column) and their “recommended” Newspeakian replacements (right column):

I don’t know how fans of Masters of the Universe are going to feel about Primaries of the Universe.

This list reveals that the left is teaching people to be offended in order to maintain their cultural power through intersectional-identity grievance politics. My anecdotal experience with even leftists suggests virtually no one has been offended by most of these expressions as they are commonly used until the last five minutes of history. And the faux-offense now being asserted didn’t arise naturally. It had to be beaten into them by the hammer of tolerance wielded by far-left social justice warriors.

It also raises a question for leftists: If a word’s history is largely unknown and its current meaning is inoffensive, why eliminate it? Why not be thankful that the old ugly association has been supplanted by a new innocuous one?

If, on the other hand, we must commit to linguistic stasis, then shouldn’t we retain the historical meaning of, for example, pronouns?

And what if I’m offended by being commanded to use pronouns based on “gender identity” rather than on biological sex?  What if, because I’m deeply committed to science, reality, truth, and the First Amendment, I’m offended by attempts to socially coerce language compliance in the service of a political agenda?

Orwell wrote that “Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” Yep, that pretty much describes what 16+ years of secular education does to children.

Under an article about the University of Michigan’s Ministry of Truth on the College Fix website, one waggish fellow left this perfect response to the banned words list:

Every member of the Words Matter Task Force has sold his or her ideals down the river. This black-and-white thinking only ever leads to blacklists, and shunning people off the reservation while the crazies enjoy a crippled picnic. To be thrown under the bus for being the low man on the social-justice totem pole is to be grandfathered into the ever-growing community of gypped guys and gals, excluded when the masters change the rules of polite society into one of a dummy society where every utterance is weighed for a privileged account. Even asking for a sanity check of these lunatic brown-baggers puts you at risk of being professionally, if not personally, disabled. They may start by cracking the whip rhetorically, but their rhetoric inevitably leads to insane physical realities sooner or later.

In short, kiss my grits, sweetie.

Remember this list next time you see the leftist American Library Association’s annual umbrage-fest called Banned Books Week. Leftists ban not only books, but also words.

Orwell said something else “progressives” will hate:

Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting.

Listen to this article read by Laurie: 

When the Israelites finally came to the end of their desert wanderings following their exodus from Egypt, they faced the task of dividing the Promised Land among the various tribes. This division, as we read in Joshua 19, was according to families.

In other words, the family you belonged to determined your place in the land. It decided where you lived. That, of course, would then have an impact on various other aspects of your life. Simply put, to a large degree, your family determined your direction.

What was true in a practical sense for the Israelites is true for families even today in a spiritual sense. The direction of our children is largely defined by our direction as parents.

I don’t mean that God never intervenes and allows a child of lost parents to be saved and live a fruitful life. I also don’t mean that God’s grace, mercy, and love are limited by the faults and failures of saved parents. God has the right and the ability to intervene miraculously and pluck children from even the worst circumstances and create something beautiful in their lives.

But even so, I think we can acknowledge it to be true that the overall spiritual condition and direction of parents generally has a significant impact on the lives of their children and the direction they follow.

This isn’t by accident. God gave parents the responsibility to bring their children up in His ways. When parents use their influence well, it can have a profoundly positive impact on their children (spiritually and otherwise). That’s the way God intended it. Unfortunately, the reverse is true as well—when parents neglect or abuse their influence, the results can be tragic.

This truth ought to inspire in us a desire to walk closely with God so our children can see and learn from our example. Am I living in such a way that I would want my children to learn from and copy what they see in me? Am I providing them the daily example they need to see firsthand what a genuine Christian life looks like? Will they one day be able to look back at the legacy I leave behind to gain inspiration or instruction on how to live their own lives in a way that’s pleasing to God?

These are weighty questions.

Here’s another we could all ask ourselves: If my children grow up and never progress beyond my current level of spiritual maturity, would I be satisfied with that?

Put another way, if my children never outgrow my example, is that good enough?

(To be honest, I think there’s a sense in which our answer to that question should always be “no,” but I also think there are different kinds of “no.” A clear, emphatic “no” brought on by our realization that we’re not even close to where we ought to be spiritually is very different than a humble “no” given by a mature child of God who is very attuned to their daily shortcomings. We should always want more for our children, but an objective observer would discern a clear difference between these two scenarios.)

I definitely want my children to progress beyond where I am today. I’m aware that my example to them hasn’t been all that it should be, and that’s a convicting realization.

Now, the truth is, by God’s grace, our children may indeed go beyond us spiritually. But we don’t really have a right to expect that.

The good news, however, is that our spiritual life isn’t static. We don’t freeze in place when our children are born, never to take another spiritual step forward. Where I am today isn’t where I was when my first child was born, and where I am today isn’t where I hope to be five years from now.

I take comfort from Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ . . .”

God has begun a good work in me, and I’m confident He’ll continue that work. Am I satisfied with where I am today? No. Am I a perfect example to my children of a vibrant Christian life? Absolutely not. God and I have more work to do together.

But even this growth—if it’s really happening—can be part of my example to my children. They can see that the Christian life isn’t someplace we park and stay—it’s a lifelong journey with the Savior.

That itself is a good example and a positive legacy.

By God’s grace, let’s press on in our walk with Him. And let’s seek to be a good example to our children—of growth, progress, and daily fellowship with God.

As this year draws to a close, please join the staff of IFI as we cry out to our Heavenly Father for His forgiveness and mercy toward our country.

Our nation has never before been so divided. Hostility, violence, and hatred simmers beneath the surface of everyday life. Love and concern for our neighbors and the least among us has grown cold. Corruption, dishonesty, and self-centeredness abound unfettered in our government halls. The lives of children – little ones who are blessings from God – are violently ended for the sake of convenience. Sexual deviancy is celebrated. Up is down. Fear abounds.

Yet, God’s Word tells us that His love and mercies are new every day, enduring forever. (Psalm 136) He invites us to cast all of our cares, our worries, and our burdens upon Him. (1 Peter 5:7)

God is so good! He urges us to take our eyes off the problems that surround and threaten to overwhelm us and instead put our trust in Him. He is our loving Father and we, His beloved children, are called to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Furthermore, our Creator has not left us defenseless. He has given us a powerful weapon – prayer – to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4) and He assures us that our prayers are powerful and effective! (James 5:16) Oh Lord, remind us to utilize this divine weapon daily and often!

The Lord hates dishonesty. He hates liars and corruption; he hates dishonest scales and those who shed innocent blood. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Almighty God sees everything – nothing escapes His eyes. Make no mistake, all will give an account. It is important that we pray for those who engage in sinful behavior. Through our prayer, the Hand of God might turn evildoers from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to Himself. (Acts 26:18)

Through His prophet, Jeremiah, the Lord instructed the Israelite exiles to pray for Babylon. Surely this sounded odd to those captives to pray for their captors, but God had a divine purpose. In Jeremiah 29:7 the prophet reveals the wisdom of God’s command, “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” As we remember that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, let us pray for our modern-day Babylon.

Almighty Heavenly Father, we praise Your Holy Name. We humble ourselves before You and confess our sins. Please bring our sins to mind, Lord, so that we can confess them, repent and receive Your promise of forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)

Father, nothing escapes Your eyes. You have exposed a small portion of the corruption, deceit and fraud that have taken place in this recent election.  Lord, we pray You will continue to expose such fruitless deeds of darkness. (Ephesians 5:11) Guard us from the schemes of the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

We pray for Your protection over President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, their legal team, the courageous men and women who have signed affidavits and publicly exposed their identities, and for the families of all these individuals. Please place a hedge of protection around them, Lord.

We ask that these legal challenges and cases would be expedited and presented in the courtrooms of honest judges who fear You and despise dishonesty. Lord, expose corruption and bring to justice those who desire to circumvent the will of the people. May fraudulent votes be rejected, only legal votes counted, and justice be done.

Teach us to overcome our enemies, Lord. You have already given us authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome the power of the enemy. Thank you, Father, for Your promise that nothing will harm us. (Luke 10:19)

We pray with confidence in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen

Written by Toby J. Sumpter

Introduction
What many pastors and Christians are twisting Romans 13 and 1 Pet. 2 to mean is laughable, I mean, literally. That’s what God does with kings and nations that use their power to plot against God and His anointed (and that includes His people and their freedom). God laughs (Ps. 2:4). So Christians should laugh too.

But it’s also sad that many pastors and Christians have become so dull in their thinking, so biblically illiterate that they have virtually no clue how radically freedom-loving the Founding Fathers were and the Bible actually is. Well, they likely know the passages and stories that are meant to shock us into the fresh air of Christian liberty, but we’ve been marinating in the hot house of bad seminaries and worse preaching for so long, we wouldn’t know Christian liberty if she dumped a bunch of tea in the Boston Harbor while singing the Star-Spangled Banner.

Stand Fast
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1). God commands Christians to resist every form of slavery and tyranny. Why? Because Christ has set you free.

But many Christians think this freedom is almost nothing. They think it is freedom in their hearts, freedom to go to heaven when they die, freedom to have emotional orgasms on Sunday mornings during that one chord progression and all the hands go up. But that isn’t freedom. That’s like calling a kiddie sticker with a palm tree “Hawaii.” That’s like calling grape juice “wine.” Oh. Wait. Heh. Yeah…

But the Bible opens with God creating the universe, setting one tree in all of creation off limits, and firing the starting gun with enthusiasm. Go! The world belongs to men to rule, to enjoy, to glorify. Yes, sin has slowed us down and interrupted this mission, this dominion mandate, but it has never been set aside. Every man has a direct commission from God to explore the world, to invent, to discover, and in Christ we are sons of the King of the Universe. We don’t need no stinking permits. Building codes? Heh.

And somebody somewhere is hyperventilating, worried that I’m condoning shoddy work and irresponsibility, but I’m actually not. Working in this world as free men and women under the blessing of God is not irresponsible and must not be shoddy. It strives for excellence in every direction.

Neutered Bible Stories
One of the ways we have neutered Biblical freedom is by butchering Bible stories. Abraham lies his head off not once but twice to the “magistrates” in Canaan to protect his wife, and what does God do? God blesses his socks off. What do we do? We shake our heads condescendingly and make up moralistic myths about how God can even use liars like Abraham, weak in faith. Except the Bible says that Abraham was God’s friend and the father of all the faithful. The Bible says that when Abraham and Isaac and Jacob lied to tyrants and tricked their unfaithful superiors, God blessed them. Do we want that blessing?

Jacob gets the worst treatment of all, with our Bible translators playing along, twisting Scripture at the outset calling Jacob a “quiet” or “plain” man who dwelt in tents (Gen. 25:27), when the word is “perfect,” the same word used to describe Job, the righteous. But we just can’t bring ourselves to see in Jacob what God sees in Jacob, a faithful man, a man who wrestles with God and defies imperious men, hungry for blessing. There’s that blessing again. Do we want God to bless America like He blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Time would fail us to tell of Moses defying Pharaoh, of Gideon and Samson and the judges running black markets and underground operations, David’s mighty men like Robin Hood in the Cave of Adullam, Paul walking around the Roman Empire like he served the One who owns the world, and Jesus coming like He didn’t even care about Herod or the Pharisees or the High Priests.

For liberty Christ has set you free.  

If Jephthah Was American and the Church was the Tribe of Ephraim
What if you could start a government from scratch? OK, not from scratch, but almost from scratch? What if you had inherited 5,000 plus years of cautionary tales about tyrants, mobs, oligarchs, anarchy, and the slimy, sinful condition of every man’s fallen heart – and you could structure a new constitution? Well, that’s kind of what America was.

The American experiment, the US Constitution and our state constitutions, encrusted with many humanistic barnacles and much corrupt corrosion, was nevertheless established with a suspicious, steely eye staring directly at the tendency in man to corruption. They knew the truth of Lord Acton’s creed in their bones: “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” So they set about to establish a Republic, not a democracy, not a monarchy, not an aristocracy – “a Republic, if you can keep it,” Benjamin Franklin famously quipped. But not just any Republic, a Republic particularly skeptical, cynical, and leery of political power.

We often use the phrase “checks and balances,” but I’m not sure we realize how thoroughly the Founding Fathers thought of this. While the Bureaucratic Administrative State has become a massive, oozing cucumber-shaped tumor out the side of the Federal Head, the Constitution itself is a short, iron-clad document, primarily full of limiting features. Let us call them chains and locks and cinder block walls with barbed wire and broken glass scattered generously across the top.

While there would be an executive, he would only serve four year terms and can be over-ridden by the legislature and even kicked out of office. But the legislature is broken into two houses, one leaning more towards popular vote, giving the people an almost direct say every two years, the other, the senate, representing the states, standing for election every six years, but staggered every two years to slow the turnover of its members. And a judicial branch of courts meant to check all of those, and Ten Amendments, Ten Titanium Locks meant to keep the government in its cage. But the chains and locks of this mixed government run all the way down into the states, counties, cities, and people.

And the point of it all was to flatten all political power, to spread it out and tangle it up in as many different directions as possible, with multiple gates, multiple switchbacks and hairpin turns to slow everything down because not to put too fine a point on it: men do bad things with power. And then to put an exclamation point on all of it, the Constitution forbade all honorific, hierarchical titles. No lords. No political nobility. No political royalty. No magisterial class. We’re all just men made in the magisterial image of God.

In other words, our Founding Fathers wanted to establish a nation of limited government where everyone participated, not democratically, not like a giant mob, but covenantally, feudally, federally, with multiple, overlapping jurisdictions and responsibilities, overlaid loyalties, mixed and sometimes competing as a way to spread out the temptations to power, with kinks in the hose every six feet.

In other words, we the people, we the families, we the cities, we the churches, we the counties, we the businesses, we the states, we the free associations and denominations, we the representatives, we the civil servants are all magistrates in America, or else we have no magistrates. When someone is elected to be the chairman of the school board, nobody starts citing Romans 13 if he starts getting snippy at meetings. We tell him to cool it or we give him the boot. America was set up as a complex and intricate system of interweaving boards and chairmen, and maybe that will be our undoing, but America was designed to try keep everyone from getting uppity.

Romans 13 in America
Romans 13 in America means honoring our Fathers who set up that system, that vast system of checks and padlocks, our Fathers who forbade us, the people and our representatives, from allowing power to accumulate in the hands of one man, one branch of government, or one class of people. You cannot cite Romans 13 divorced from the actual form of government established by our constitution. You cannot cite Romans 13 divorced from what our Fathers commanded us to do and that was to keep our freedom.

Citing Romans 13 in its Roman Empire context and applying it straight across to the American project is like citing instructions to slaves to submit to their masters and applying it straight across to employees. Everyone understands (or should understand) that there are analogous lessons and principles in play, but they must be applied differently to a situation where chattel slavery has been abolished. And it makes absolutely no sense to tell an employee with an abusive boss that now she can apply what Peter says about abusive slave masters. Well, yes, there is application there, but it’s not like she’s trapped and has to lay down and take it.

Likewise, when Christianity has permeated a culture to such an extent that the founders of a nation do everything they can think of to pile bricks on the tendency of magistrates to abuse their power, you cannot appeal to Romans 13 and tut-tut American Christians that Paul wrote that during Nero’s reign. Right, but America is not the Roman Empire, and it is nothing resembling Christian in the slightest to passively let such an empire develop. And there is no necessary contradiction between humbly recognizing God’s just judgment in the loss of our freedom on the one hand and fighting to keep and retain and gain true Christian freedom on the other. The Midianites were God’s judgment on Israel for her idolatry, and it was still faithful to join up with Gideon.

Other nations with different civil polities have to do a slightly different calculus, applying the principles of Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 to their political circumstances. But in general, Paul would urge all of us to honor legitimate authority and that if we can get freedom from tyranny we should go for it. When American Christians defy stupid mask rules, ignore inane health and safety regulations, and generally live like free men and women, especially in their own homes and businesses and places of worship, they honor the fathers who established this nation, they obey Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2, and they honor the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who set us free that we might be free indeed.

Conclusion
One final word on this notion of radical freedom that must be underlined multiple times: this freedom must not be used for the flesh. This freedom is not for smoking pot, getting drunk (or very tipsy), or messing around with your girlfriend or the secretary at work. This freedom is not for looking at pornography. This freedom is not for feeding any hint of wrath or vengeance in your heart or on social media or blowing up at your family or the lady with the potty mouth in the checkout aisle who wants to know why you’re not wearing your woke burka.

This freedom is for obedience to Christ. This freedom is for taking dominion and ruling the world under God’s blessing for the good of our families and neighbors. This freedom is for proclaiming the death and resurrection of Jesus for the freedom and salvation of the world. This freedom is for obeying lawful and godly authority.

The freedom of Christ is full of love, joy, and peace. This freedom is full of forgiveness and mercy, even for enemies and tyrants, praying and hoping for their salvation and repentance. It is precisely because of this peace and joy and grace that it will not voluntarily relinquish its responsibilities. We must obey God rather than man. And when we do that, we must take responsibility for the fallout. We must count the cost. But there is immense blessing for those who are hungry for it.

This article was originally posted at TobyJSumpter.com

Since diversity re-education is all the rage these days (and if Harris and her shadowy, confused puppet win the election will only get worse), I thought it might be helpful to publish the letter I emailed to Deerfield High School’s principal in about 2007 when I dropped out of an ongoing divisive diversity workshop due to the intolerance, close-mindedness, bigotry, and dishonesty of my un-collegial colleagues.

Here’s my lightly revised letter:

There’s gold in them thar hills–I mean, I have good news about the diversity group. I am so out of there. My time is better spent working for equity, balance, religious freedom, and parental rights as a parent rather than as participant in a diversity group. 

I am incensed at the rhetorical manipulation that took place in the meeting. For a faculty member to imply or state that somehow it is illegitimate or inappropriate for me to challenge the use of the word “safety” is itself, inappropriate. Liberals have co-opted the word “safety” precisely for its political efficacy (i.e., “safety” carries more gravitas and urgency than does “comfort”). After co-opting and redefining the word “safety,” liberals then criticize others for challenging its linguistic accuracy as well as the reality of their assertions regarding “safety.” 

I do not, in any rational way, make homosexual students unsafe. If they know my moral views—which I do not discuss with students—they may feel uncomfortable. But uncomfortable does not mean unsafe no matter what someone may “feel.” Sometimes feelings are not based on reality, and sometimes “bad” feelings are actually good things.

Then one administrator [a lesbian] said that she doesn’t like that I said she “was not legitimate.” I did not say that, nor do I think that. I said I believe homosexual acts are not morally legitimate. But I guess those are her “feelings,” so to hell with truth or reality. Actually, I had earlier said that we should value the dignity and worth of all people, which does not necessitate valuing, celebrating, or affirming homosexuality.

And we expect kids to negotiate this terrain when we can’t make it through a one-hour conversation without one administrator making things up and a faculty member attempting to prohibit me from dissenting.

Even the most fundamental aspects of debate are now controlled by liberal ideology.  That is, feelings have assumed some privileged polemical position that renders challenges to them unethical.

Feelings, in reality, have no inherent analytical value, although a society increasingly unable to think analytically, finds feelings increasingly persuasive (Read Neil Postman’s book Amusing Ourselves to Death). Feelings are neither the arbiters nor signifiers of right or wrong. They tell us precisely nothing about morality. If we can’t even agree on the relative value of subjective feelings, then dialogue, discussion, or debate is a meaningless exercise in futility.  

The arrogance of educators asserting, as our liberal faculty members do, that it is their job to compel kids to negotiate difficult conversations and their job to challenge the morals of students about arguably the single most controversial issue in society is astonishing. I don’t understand why the administration cannot see the intractable, irreconcilable nature of addressing this at school. Conservative beliefs will always be viewed as discriminatory, hurtful beliefs that make others “unsafe.” Liberal beliefs will always denigrate the deeply held beliefs of conservatives and–in my view–encourage destructive choices, and violate religious and parental rights.

And the assertion by the administration that the school must address this because “kids are growing up in a different world” is nonsense. Perhaps you live in some parallel universe, but I inhabit the very same world with the very same diversity issues and the very same communication challenges as my children. And when they get out in the real world, they will choose to negotiate this problematic terrain in the very same ways we adults do: some will avoid the topic in all contexts, most will avoid it except with those who share their views, and some will choose to become active on one side or the other for one reason or another.   

How dare the school compel adolescents who may be struggling with academics, peer pressure, drugs, alcohol, athletics, or family dysfunction to confront this issue that they will not be compelled to address publicly as adults. No one in the administration ever seems to entertain the possibility that this grand social experiment may indeed lead to greater division and greater stress for students—not less. I not only suspect it will exacerbate disunity, I’m certain of it. 

The administration and liberal faculty members are selective, however, in the issues and aspects of issues that they feel obliged to compel students to confront. They say the school must address homosexuality because it’s “in the world” but that homosexual kids can’t hear that many believe homosexual acts are immoral, because they will feel bad. Well, that’s the real world too. Some people will find our beliefs wrong, our behaviors immoral, our desires misdirected, and our feelings disordered.  

Our mission as educators should be much more humble, modest, and circumscribed. It is not our job to fix every problem in the world. It is not our job to expose students to every phenomenon that exists in the world. It is not our job to take our political or moral views into the classroom. It is not our job to compel others to view the world through the lens of our choosing. It is not our job to lead kids in areas for which we were not hired or try to mold our area of expertise into one that comports with our ideology. But the issue at hand is even more complex because we can’t even agree on what the problem is, let alone fix it.

The implication that the presence of bad feelings, or shame, or “lack of safety” proves that an injustice has been done is fallacious. Any time a government, society, school, or parent asserts that some behavior or impulse is wrong, those who choose that behavior or have that impulse feel bad. We don’t automatically condemn the judgment of those who assert moral principles.  

We abdicate our right to lead if we abdicate our responsibility to make judgments about right conduct. But now that some have arrived at the moral judgment that homosexuality is moral, everyone else is expected to refrain from expressing an opposing judgment so as not to make anyone feel bad.  

Polyamorists feel bad, “unsafe” and stigmatized due to societal disapproval of polyamory. Are we now expected to refrain from asserting that polyamory is wrong? Would you like your child exposed to an idea that you find profoundly immoral, just because a phenomenon exists, or because some feel bad when you assert it’s wrong, or because some want to coerce society into approval?

I also feel frustrated with the hypocrisy of colleagues who declare repeatedly how deeply they value diverse voices. Last year, I had a private conversation with a colleague in which I respectfully expressed my concern over what appeared to be a lack of balance on the topic of homosexuality in the school. I suggested that since he was teaching The Laramie Project, perhaps he could bring in an essay articulating an opposing view. Well, he shared my wrong-thoughts with other faculty members–an act for which he later apologized to me when he saw what his sharing caused.  

His sharing of my wrong-thoughts—which were that there should be ideological balance when addressing this controversial issue—prompted three colleagues in paroxysms of rage to send a letter to the local press and then demand the English Department chair have a meeting in which the three—all men by the way—could gang up on me in a man-splaining struggle session. … Oh, and guess what: one of those teachers is also in this diversity group. 

A school administrator at the time told me that actively addressing controversial issues related to sexuality is necessary in public schools in order to teach children “how to negotiate difficult conversations.” Who said that’s the role of government employees in public schools hired to teach English, social studies, world languages, calculus, or physics to other people’s minor children? What is their expertise in the fields of morality, ethics, ontology, epistemology, psychology, endocrinology, neuroscience, and conflict resolution—all of which are central to discussions on homosexuality and “trans” cultism? And if that is a responsibility of government employees, why are we letting people who are manifestly unfit for such a task, as demonstrated by their eager willingness to censor dissenting voices, take charge of it?

Listen to this article read by Laurie:

https://staging.illinoisfamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/audio_Drop-Out-of-Diversity-Re-education-Struggle-Sessions-While-You-Can.mp3

With our nation on a razor’s edge, the days are getting shorter — and darker.

In fact, the winter solstice is coming in a couple of weeks on Dec. 21, marking the shortest day on the calendar and thus the darkest time of the year.

More than ever, it’s better to look to the heavenly light of Bethlehem instead of, say, the gaslight emanating from the pixels of a profoundly corrupt media.

A random sampling of news every day can inflict whiplash. Conservative outlets report, in detail, numerous documented allegations of vote fraud that should invalidate Joe Biden’s reported victory in most of the battleground states.

During the same news cycle, the major networks and papers like The Washington Post and The New York Times assure us over and over that there is “no evidence.” Because the evidence is piling up, some have taken to adding an adjective, saying there’s no evidence of “systemic fraud.”

In other words, don’t believe your lying eyes. Their intention is to ensure that even if compelling evidence is revealed, the sheer weight of nonstop propaganda will frighten legislators and judges to head for the tall grass and decline to do their duty — even the U.S. Supreme Court.

More than ever, we need to pray that truth will prevail, that justice will be done and that God will have undeserved mercy upon us and our troubled country.

On the bright side, the dark days of December are a perfect time to celebrate the Lord arriving in the form of a baby 2,000 years ago as the greatest gift to humanity ever given. Jesus brought light, life and love and the promise of eternal salvation to a very dark world.

It’s why we celebrate by putting up Christmas lights, giving gifts and singing carols.

The most significant event in history evokes different feelings depending on one’s heart condition. In 1868, Phillips Brooks wrote the lyrics of a beloved carol that resound to this day.

The last two lines of the first verse indicate that not everyone would be happy that the Lord would engage His creation so personally:

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in the dark street shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

Fears? Yes. If Christ is Who He says He is, then those who reject Him are choosing misery over hope, consciously or not. They brush away evidence of God’s love, relegating stories of redemption to delusion, coincidence or even ultimate self-interest.

Theologian A.W. Tozer challenged the idea of God as an absentee creator, a “Blind Watchmaker,” as prominent atheist Richard Dawkins titled his 1986 book:

Be assured that God did not create life and toss it from Him like some petulant artist disappointed with His work. All life is in Him and out of Him, flowing from Him and returning to Him again, a moving indivisible sea of which He is the fountainhead.

It may sound a lot like The Force in “Star Wars,” but the difference is stark. There is no “dark side” in God, Who is indivisible, omnipotent and all loving. We’ll never know this side of eternity why evil exists. Or why God’s love is so deep that He sent His only Son to die on our behalf. But nothing should stop us from being grateful for the gift of life itself and all that sustains it.

For Christ is born of Mary,
And fathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God, the King,
And peace to men on earth.

The reason for the season speaks to all people, even unbelievers. The beauty of Christmas transcends doubts and calms hearts. It’s hard to be callous toward Salvation Army bellringers tending their red kettles or to shut off one’s heart upon hearing the melodies of carols that pierce the soul and offer hope. Timeless, classic movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life” can elicit tears from even the crustiest viewers.

How silently, how silently,
The wondrous Gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

In our culture, we’re told, over and over, that meekness is weakness; that looking out for No. 1 is the smartest way to live and that only fools bend their knee to an invisible God. But God-inspired goodness and truth are the most disarming forces on Earth.

In 1994, Mother Teresa spoke at a prayer breakfast, flanked by President Bill and Hillary Clinton and Vice President Al and Tipper Gore.  The two couples sat stone-faced as she proposed a “culture of life” and called abortion evil. At one point, Mr. Clinton’s hand was shaking nervously, apparently in reaction to the spiritual strength in this tiny, fearless woman.

Whatever happens with the election, we need to keep our eyes on the God Who promises not only salvation and mercy but courage to face the future and act accordingly.

Robert Knight is a contributor to The Washington Times, where this article was originally published. His website is roberthknight.com. 

A troubling and unbiblical notion has infected the church in America. Christians falsely believe that the Bible teaches that Christians should always and in every context speak “nicely,” and by “nicely” they mean in ways that listeners don’t find objectionable. Too many Christians falsely believe that they are prohibited from being angry; or from using sarcasm, satire, or other strong language; or that they are prohibited from saying anything that offends people. By adopting this unbiblical notion, Christians are voluntarily relinquishing one of our most powerful persuasive tools: rhetoric. We have relinquished the very tool that enables us to expose the unfruitful deeds of darkness that so poison the American cultural landscape, robbing children of their innocence, modesty, and rights.

Thankfully, we have Pastor Douglas Wilson to offer the church a much-needed corrective. Through his bold, incisive, piquant, and often hilarious truth-telling, he not only exposes the folly and wickedness of the sexual revolution, but also teaches us how we may and should do likewise.

Please watch and share!

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Most Christians understand that we are to be a grateful people. This attitude is especially easy to have on beautiful sunny days, when liberty abounds and the elections go our way, when we hit our stride at work, or when we are in good physical health. But even in times of challenge, sorrow, and trial, the Apostle Paul tells us to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be make known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

Living here in America at this time in history, we certainly have our share of challenges. It would be easy to become anxious. Yet we have so much to be grateful for and, especially in this season of Thanksgiving, we would do well to give God thanks and praise for what He is doing, what He has done, and what we believe He will do in the months and years to come.

Like you, I am grateful to know and trust the One who holds the future! This knowledge is vital because, in a year that has been incredibly tumultuous, we could easily be overwhelmed with anxiety and stress. The Smith family has dubbed this year “2020 the Terrible.” And indeed, it has been terrible in so many ways. At the same time, we firmly believe that God can turn even the most terrible situation on its head and use it to advance His perfect will.

Of course, it isn’t easy to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks” — yet we are told that “this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We certainly are not to approve of everything, and thus this does not mean we give thanks for every event that occurs in our lives or all that happens to us. However, in the midst of every circumstance, knowing God has allowed it all for our good, we are grateful, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

Giving thanks is being grateful for who God is in the midst of everything. Our focus should be on God and who He is, not on what we think we deserve. The entitlement mentality is reflected in our nation now more than ever. But God is good, and we are sinful. We deserve judgment, but we receive much mercy. When we truly realize who we are and what we deserve in contrast to who God is and what He has given us, we cannot help but be grateful in the midst of whatever circumstance that we face.

Some Background on Thanksgiving

When the pilgrims arrived in November of 1620, they brought with them the biblical doctrine of giving thanks. They gave thanks to God in the midst of difficulties (banishment, jail, persecution and loss of material possessions, storms at sea, and being blown off course to Cape Cod.) They gave thanks to God in the midst of death when half their company died the first winter. They gave thanks to God in the midst of drought (in 1623) and especially thanked God when it rained “gentle showers.”

They also gave thanks to God during their three day harvest festival, probably in the month of October, 1621, which is the origin of our modern Thanksgiving holiday. The 51 surviving Pilgrims were joined by 90 Native Americans for this three-day feast. They ate seafood, fowl and native wild turkey along with venison. Only four adult women had survived to host a dinner of 140.

In October 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving to be Thursday, the 26th of November that year. The proclamation declared, in part, that Americans should observe a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”

Washington was dedicated to showing thanks–to Divine Providence, to his wife Martha, to his troops, to the Continental Congress, and to his fellow countrymen.  We assign many positive character traits to him, including unflinching integrity, bold and decisive leadership, undying loyalty, and humility. But perhaps chief among his admirable traits was his spirit of thankfulness, which included giving credit to those who deserved credit.  (Read and/or print the entire proclamation HERE.)

The origin of giving God thanks in the midst of difficulty is rooted in the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast, described in Leviticus 23:34, took place for a week in October, and involved feasting and giving thanks to God for His provision though mixed with suffering  (See also Deut. 16:14-15). It has also been called the Feast of Ingathering (or harvest), the Feast of thanksgiving, and the pilgrim feast (due to the wandering of the Israelites). It was a celebration of joy mixed with suffering and the abundance of water in the midst of drought.

In the 19th century, Henry Morton Dexter wrote this poem about the first Thanksgiving:

We had gathered in our harvests, and stored the yellow grain,
For God had sent the sunshine, and sent the plenteous rain;
Our barley-land and corn-land, Had yielded up their store,
And the fear and dread of famine, oppressed our homes no more. 

As the chosen tribes of Israel, in the far years of old,
When the summer fruits were garnered, and before the winter’s cold,
Kept their festal week with gladness, with songs and choral lays,
So we kept our first Thanksgiving in the hazy autumn days.

These are things Christians would do well to remember today as we give thanks to God Almighty for His goodness, mercy and love to us! We urge you to continue to pray fervently for our state and nation this Thanksgiving weekend. Pray that Christians will be confident and strong in the Lord, taking heart, waiting for Him—and thankful for His presence with us, which is enough of a reason to offer Him thanks each and every day of our lives.

Devote yourselves to prayer,
keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving…
~Colossians 4:2

November 11th marked the 400th anniversary of the signing of the Mayflower Compact. In the words of History.com, the Mayflower Compact was “the first document to establish self-government in the New World.”

Do you think the Pilgrims knew how significant that moment was? Of course not. Fully appreciating that moment would have been impossible for them because they didn’t know what the future held. How could they have known they were creating the first document of self-government in what would become a centuries-long tradition?

Whether they felt particularly noble or significant as they wrote and signed the Compact, I don’t know. Perhaps they did, or perhaps they didn’t. Perhaps they were simply meeting the need of the moment. They could envision chaos if they didn’t take the necessary steps to prevent it, so they took action. They didn’t have the benefit of hindsight to see the significance of their actions and the place they were filling in history.

Could it be that some of us are filling a similar place in history without realizing it?

We live in a moment of great change in our culture. For those of us who call ourselves Bible-believing Christians, many of the changes are concerning and troubling. As a father of young children, I feel some trepidation when I consider the kind of world my children are growing up in. What challenges—even persecutions—might they face in their lifetimes?

The truth is, I don’t know. But what I do know is that our culture desperately needs parents who are willing to do what it takes to raise the next generation of Christ-followers. And that’s what I meant when I asked a moment ago if some of us are filling a radically important place in history without realizing it.

If our nation is to have a voice of truth in the future, someone needs to raise the children who can grow up to be those voices. Someone needs to teach, train, disciple, and equip those voices. If we fail to do so, I fear the future of our country will be even darker than it is now.

Just as the Pilgrims saw necessity, so do we. We see trouble on the horizon if we fail to meet this desperate need of the moment.

Also like the Pilgrims, our efforts may not feel particularly historic or heroic in the moment. We are, after all, just doing what needs to be done, often in the most mundane and ordinary of ways.

But also like the Pilgrims, our efforts may very well reverberate down through history. None of us as parents knows what our children will become. Could one of my children—or yours—be the next great evangelist who wins thousands to Christ? Or the William Wilberforce of our age who leads the fight to finally rid our nation of a great moral evil? Or a business titan who donates vast sums to the cause of Christ? Any of these are possible. I don’t know what my kids will become, and neither do you. Someone is raising the next generation of leaders and truth-tellers. Why not you and me?

And the fact is, even if my children don’t grow up to change the world on their own, our nation desperately needs an army of young people who grow up to be the godly, decent, ordinary, hardworking foot soldiers for the cause of Christ scattered throughout neighborhoods, factories, offices, and communities all across America.

The Mayflower Compact begins with the stirring words, “In the name of God, Amen.” Establishing a government was a good and godly task. It could be done in the name of God.

And so lastly, like the Pilgrims, raising our children to be the godly leaders and citizens of tomorrow is an endeavor we can undertake “in the name of God.” This is holy work. It’s vital work. It’s God-mandated and God-blessed work.

Let’s apply ourselves to this work with diligence. I know we won’t be perfect. We’ll fail at times. But with God’s help, let’s strive to raise a generation of young people who can go into the future prepared and equipped to be leaders, truth-tellers, and most of all, Christ-followers in a culture that has lost its way.

In the name of God, Amen.

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I recently wrote about the value of asking ourselves during challenging times the question “What is true about God right now?”

With all that’s going on in our nation these days, perhaps now would be a good time to reflect on that question in the context of current events.

Here are ten things that are true about God no matter what’s going on in the world around us.

#1: He’s Still in Control

Psalm 97:1: “The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

No matter the outcome of an election, God is still on His throne and will never be voted out or removed from office!

#2: Jesus is Still the Same

Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

We don’t know how long it will be before Jesus returns, but whether He comes today or a hundred years from now—and no matter what happens in the meantime—Jesus is still the same and always will be.

#3: His Word is Still True

John 17:17b: “Thy Word is truth.”

We can still turn to Scripture for help, hope, and wisdom even in the midst of a culture that has lost its way. Our society may not be able to agree on the truth, politicians may stretch the truth, schools might not teach the truth, but we can still find the Truth in the Word of God!

#4: He Still Loves His Children

Romans 8:38-39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If none of those things can separate us from the love of God, I don’t think elections or worldwide pandemic can do it either!

#5: Jesus Still Saves

Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

That was true when Paul wrote it, and it’s true today. God is still at work in the world to bring lost sinners to Christ.

#6: Jesus Has Overcome the World

John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus foretold it two thousand years ago: in the world, we’ll have trouble. But His encouragement can still give hope today: He has overcome the world!

#7: He Still Has a Plan for You

Psalm 37:23: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”

In times of upheaval, it’s good to know that God still orders our steps. His plans for us aren’t thrown off track based on the changing circumstances around us.

#8: He’s Still Working All Things Together for Good

Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

All things? That’s what Paul said! That’s a big promise that I have a hard time getting my head around, but we can believe by faith that it’s true.

#9: He’s Still Working to Sanctify His People

Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ . . .”

Our problems aren’t just “out there” in the world—we still have the problem of our own sin nature right inside us. Thankfully, God is still at work sanctifying His people and conforming us to the image of Christ. That’s great news!

#10: He Will Never Leave Us

Hebrews 13:5b: “for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

God is always with His people. What a promise! In good times and bad, in times of plenty and times of poverty, in times of peace and times of chaos, in times of sickness and times of health, in times of joy and times of sorrow, in times of peace and times of conflict, He is always there. Always.

There may be plenty of things to be concerned about in our world, but let’s not forget that we have hope beyond this world. Take a few moments to reflect on what is true about God today, and let Him encourage and strengthen your heart!

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We have been blessed with many liberties here in America, many of them unknown throughout human history. And we should diligently guard those liberties. It would be a terrible tragedy if we lost them, especially for the generations that will follow. Few things are as precious as our freedoms.

At the same time, as followers of Jesus, it’s easy for us to lose our perspective because of those very liberties and freedoms. It’s easy for us to become dependent on the government. Or to put our trust in a worldly system. Or to believe that human limitations can put limitations on God. Perish the thought.

With this in mind, we do well to think back to the situation of the first century church, living in the Roman Empire and subject to the Roman emperor, meaning men like Caligula (37-41 AD) and Nero (54-68).

According to one history website, “Caligula was Rome’s most tyrannical emperor. His reign from 37-41 AD is filled with murder and debauchery, to levels even his infamous nephew Nero could not reach. The great-great grandson of Julius Caesar certainly left his mark by his possible madness and definitely horrific acts.”

Another website states, “Historical accounts of Caligula may vary, but nearly all historians agreed on one dark fact: this deranged emperor placed very little value on human life. In one twisted story, Caligula was supposedly meant to sacrifice a bull to the gods by hitting it over the head with a huge mallet. At the last minute, Caligula had an even worse idea—he turned and struck the priest instead.”

This was the leader of the empire.

As for Nero, where do we start? According to the historian Tacitus,

“. . . to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. . . . . Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they were Christians; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on the charge of burning the city, as of ‘hating the human race.’” (Yet, these early Christians were called “haters.”)

Tacitus continues:

“In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to, and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights.”

Picture this happening in your city to your friends and family members.

Yet it was during the reigns of Caligula and Nero, among others, that the early church thrived. It was during these times of intense, unspeakable cruelty and persecution, that the gospel message flourished and grew.

And it was while the demented, murderous Nero was emperor that Paul wrote these words: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).

Of course, Paul did not call for unqualified submission to governing authorities, as in cases where the authorities command you to do evil. Accordingly, if you were a Christian living in Hitler’s Germany and were commanded to turn in any Jews you knew, the right thing would be disobedience – disobedience to man but obedience to God. We always submit to the highest authority.

But that’s now what I want to focus on. Instead, I want to draw our attention to the attitude of believers under a dictatorial regime. You cannot vote. You cannot take legal action against the government. You cannot protest (unless you want to be killed in the process). You cannot change “the system.” Such matters are out of your hands.

But you can do something much more powerful. You can spread the gospel. You can advance God’s countercultural, spiritual kingdom. You can liberate people’s hearts and minds. You can bring healing and redemption. You can be an agent of eternal change. You can challenge the system from the ground up.

And that’s what these early believers did, turning their world upside down.

The ultimate battle is a spiritual battle, and that battle can be waged regardless of what kind of government we’re under.

In fact, it is often during the hardest times that the church grows the most. Just look at the explosive growth of the Church in Communist China over the last 70-80 years. Or consider the church in Muslim Iran, which is growing as rapidly as any church in the world.

The church often does much better under persecution than under prosperity.

That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that the most precious, devoted Christians I have met in the world are Christians under persecution. Conversely, it doesn’t surprise that, quite often, the most complacent Christians I’ve met have been Christians in the midst of abundant prosperity.

That’s why the church became much more compromised and worldly once Constantine Christianized the Roman Empire. With the good came the bad. Governmental backing now produced a foreign mixture, as the Church became an appendage of a still-worldly empire.

Freedom and prosperity are gifts that can be easily abused.

It’s true, of course, that at different times in history (including recently), radical Islam has virtually wiped out entire Christian populations in some parts of the world. And it’s true that no one in their right mind would want to bequeath brutal persecution and mass killing on the generations to come.

To repeat: we must guard the freedoms and liberties God has given us here in America.

But let’s also be realistic. Just as Donald Trump is not Jesus, Joe Biden is not the devil. Neither is he Nero.

Biden may support gay “marriage” and transgender activism, but  Nero “castrated a boy named Sporus to make him womanlike, and then married him in a traditional ceremony, which included a bridal veil and a dowry, according to the Roman historian and biographer Suetonius (circa A.D. 69).”

And I do not believe for a moment that Biden would call for Christians to be set on fire and burned alive to illuminate the night. Please! (And for the record, we still do not officially know who our next president will be.)

So, while we work hard to preserve our freedoms and push back against those who seek to take them from us, we must never put our trust in the arm of flesh.

Paul’s counsel was simple: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Here in America, we should get involved in the political system as much as we are called to and have the opportunity to do so.

But our trust is placed elsewhere. The invisible kingdom is advancing, and no power in heaven or on earth can stop it.

Peter and Paul and a host of other first century Christians, all killed for their faith, would add their hearty Amen.

This article was originally published at AskDr.Brown.org.

As a boy, I remember “watching” the epic chess battle between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer. It was aired on channel 13, the PBS station in New York, and a bell would ring, announcing the latest move. This, in turn, would be posted on the screen, after which the experts would debate the reason for the move.

Sometimes, they would be utterly baffled. Why would Fischer do this? It makes no sense. What was Spassky thinking?

Then, after playing out a number of potential scenarios, sometimes a dozen or more moves ahead, they would realize the strategy. It was absolute genius.

When it come to the Lord, the one who inhabits eternity and who sees the end from the beginning (see Isaiah 57:15 and 46:10), He is always an infinite set of moves ahead. That should give us comfort and faith in the midst of the current crisis. (Make no mistake about it. No matter what side you’re on, we’re in the midst of a national crisis.)

Think about it.

The greatest crime ever committed by human beings was to crucify the Son of God. Yet that was the act God used to make salvation available to the world. And without the crucifixion, there would be no resurrection. Who saw this coming in advance? Only the Lord Himself.

The book of Genesis tells us how the sons of Jacob (also known as Israel) sold their younger brother Joseph into slavery in Egypt. They did it out of malice, plain and simple. They knew they would never see him again. They got rid of him for good.

Joseph then ended up in a dungeon in Egypt, falsely accused of a crime he never committed while serving as a slave. But it was there, in the dungeon, that he accurately interpreted the dreams of two fellow-inmates.

Sometime later, this resulted in Joseph being brought before Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, to interpret his dreams. And this, in turn, led to him becoming Pharaoh’s right-hand man. (Literally, he went from the dungeon to the throne.)

As a result of his position and the wisdom God gave him, Joseph ended up saving the region from famine, also saving the lives of his own brothers and their families.

Years later, when they were afraid he would retaliate against them, he said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). God used your bad plan to accomplish His great plan.

In point of fact, what the brothers did to Joseph was downright evil, also causing their aged father years of mourning and grief. Yet God used this to save countless thousands of lives.

John 11 tells us when Jesus was informed that His good friend Lazarus was sick, He waited a few days before going to see him. Why? The Lord wanted him to die so He could resurrect Him from the dead. This would bring greater glory to God.

Had the Lord simply healed Lazarus by speaking a word the moment He learned Lazarus was sick, people would not have realized that Jesus Himself was the resurrection and the life (see John 11:24-25). And the event would not even be recorded in Scripture.

The worst-case scenario led to the best case scenario, which is often how God works.  That’s just who He is. Have you seen this happen in your own life as well?

In the last century, there was no greater horror than the horror of the Holocaust, the most devastating attack on the Jewish people in history. Yet it is out of the ashes of the Holocaust that the modern State of Israel was born. And, from a natural point of view, without the horrific evil of the Holocaust, it is unlikely that there would have been enough support in the United Nations to recognize a Jewish state.

This, of course, does not minimize the ghastly loss of life. It simply reminds us that God brings good out of evil and light out of darkness. That is who He is.

What does this have to do with the elections?

Let’s say that there is massive corruption taking place in the presidential elections. Let’s say the pollsters were intentionally biased. Let’s say that Big Tech and Big Money really are working against Trump.

Then the mess we are in right now, one which puts us precariously near an all-out war on the streets, will lead to the exposure of corruption on a level we have never seen before. Let the light shine brightly! Let the darkness be exposed!

Conversely, if the corruption and darkness are being grossly exaggerated, the light will expose our gullibility, our willingness to believe almost anything, our propensity to be blinded by our biases. And for Christian Trump supporters who proclaimed him uniquely chosen by God and therefore called to a second term, the light would expose the degree to which we were seduced by a partisan political spirit.

I personally hope that the seemingly impossible happens, that Trump is proven to be the rightfully reelected president, and that the prophecies about him prove true.

But what if a Biden-Harris presidency was needed to reveal the dangerous radicality of the left, leading to greater spiritual desperation in the Church, leading to a spiritual awakening in the society? What if the worst-case scenario for tens of millions of conservative voters resulted in the transforming of even more millions of hearts in the years ahead?

I shared some of my thoughts on this on a Facebook livestream if you’d like to hear more about the spiritual side of things. For the moment, though, I encourage you to put your faith in God to work out His best purposes in the midst of chaos and crisis.

Hysteria and frenzy are not fruits of the Spirit. Faith and peace are.

And so, while I am deeply concerned about the state of our nation and know that many lives are at stake, I have a great sense of anticipation as well.

The ultimate Grandmaster has a plan.

This article was originally published at AskDrBrown.org.

As I write these words, there are still a few days to go before the election; by the time you read them, it will be history.

Regardless of the outcome, there are going to be some Americans who are elated, some who are in despair, and some who are just glad it’s all over. Likewise, there will be some who believe America is on the right track, some who believe we’re headed straight toward ruin, and some who will say “let’s wait and see.”

There have been a lot of intense feelings on both sides this year.

As Christians, there are two truths we need to remember when it comes to politics (not just two, of course, but two I want to touch on today).

First, we need to recognize that in a nation like America, our government is a stewardship. Involvement in selecting our leaders, impacting policy, and so on, is our right as citizens, and as such, we should exercise wisdom in these matters and treat them as the stewardship they are. We may not all be called to run for office, but we can all do something.

The second truth is that, even as we recognize and accept our role as stewards, we should never transfer our trust from God to our elected leaders, however much we might believe in them. Psalm 118:8 is clear: “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe it’s important to have godly leaders, and I wish we had more of them. I don’t say we should abandon politics and simply sit back and “trust God” to work things out. Involvement in the process is a stewardship as I mentioned a moment ago.

But is it really right that we should go to bed on election night feeling that all is right with the world because our chosen candidate won, or feeling hopeless because our candidate lost? Where is our trust?

God is in control either way. Nothing takes Him by surprise. And the outcome of history is no less in His hands simply because one election does or doesn’t go the way we prefer.

This isn’t a call to apathy, passivity, or withdrawal. It’s a call to recognize that God is bigger than any one election, any one leader, any one nation, or any one moment in history.

As I mentioned at the start of this article, I’m writing these words before election day. I don’t know the outcome yet. But here’s my encouragement to you: if your chosen candidate wins, realize that he’s just a man and isn’t our savior—politically or otherwise. And if your chosen candidate loses, remember that God is still in control and isn’t any less so today than yesterday.

Yes, elections have consequences—some perhaps more than others. That’s why we should be involved.

But it’s never right to put more hope in a man than in God.

And so I ask again, where is our trust? Our confidence? Our hope?

If we despair, feeling that all is lost when a certain candidate loses, can we really say our hope is in God? If we’re elated and feel that the weighty problems of the world are as good as solved because a certain candidate wins, are we trusting God—or man?

Regardless of the outcome of this—or any other—election, I want to encourage all of us to keep our eyes on God. Our ultimate hope always rests in Him, never in man.

And the truth is, the challenges our nation faces are beyond the ability of any man to solve. The drift of our country away from God won’t be fixed by new legislation or different policy, important as those things may be. We need revival and awakening—and that can only come from the hand of God.

And so whether your preferred candidate wins or loses, let’s focus our attention on the truth of Psalm 97:1: “The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad.”

No matter who wins, God is still on His throne, and we have cause to rejoice.

The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
~Psalm 24:1

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