Religious freedom serves as the backbone of a healthy society, because it ensures the upholding of morals. Meaning, morals come from somewhere, and that somewhere isn’t just mankind. What’s right and what’s wrong is decided by the Lord, and when a culture is allowed freedom of religion, Christianity is able to openly spread and influence the culture with a Biblical worldview.  The idea that we have personal rights and freedoms comes from God who has given us rights because we are made in His image. God blesses countries who acknowledge the Creator and allow citizens to worship Him. Thus, countries that live in line with Biblical morality are healthier and last longer.

When freedom of religion doesn’t exist, you end up with horrible tyrannical governments and systems such as communism or socialism. Abolishing religious freedom is often done to stifle Christianity, because Christians (and the truth of the gospel) are a hindrance to evil tyrants, power-hungry officials, and a populace desiring to live in its flesh.

Our nation is now experiencing what happens when a country slides from Biblical morals. People claim that somebody else’s freedom of religion shouldn’t interfere with their feelings. In other words, if someone’s beliefs lead them to pray in public, but that makes someone else feel offended, then prayer should be banned unless it’s done in the privacy of one’s home. A country that grows further from Biblical morality grows further from religious freedom, because the reason for religious freedom isn’t there anymore.

Confirmation of this is found in several court cases that have popped up recently, such as the case of Jack Philips, who has been taken to court multiple times for staying true to his beliefs and steadfastly refusing to use his talents to make cakes that would condone what he knew to be sinful behavior; a football coach fired for praying in public; and more recently, The Department of Fair Employment and Housing V. Cathy’s Creations.

A lesbian ‘couple’ walked into Cathy Miller’s bakery (called Tastries) and asked Cathy to create a cake for their same-sex ‘wedding.’ She declined and referred them to a different baker, after which legal action was taken against her by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

The action against Cathy was filed under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. Paul Jonna, a partner and Thomas Moore Society Special Counsel at LiMandri & Jonna LLP, said, “There’s a certain irony there, that a law intended to protect individuals from religious discrimination was used to discriminate against Cathy for her religious beliefs.”

Oddly enough, the sincerity of Cathy’s beliefs were actually brought into question. Anthony Mann, the opposing attorney, asked if Cathy tried to follow everything the Bible says. When she responded that she does her best, he asked if that included the Old Testament eating practices. Cathy is a bold Christian, as seen in her bakery’s decor and the music playing over the speakers in her shop.

Praise be to God that on October 21, 2022, the court decided in favor of religious freedom and Cathy’s right to uphold and practice her beliefs.

We should applaud Cathy’s bravery and her willingness to stand for Biblical truth instead of compromising — and then emulate her. We’re told in Matthew 5:14-16 that we are the light of the world, and because of this, we should let our light shine. In an ever-darkening world, this is incredibly important. Boldness is required of believers if we want to keep our religious freedom. The boldness to hold steadfast, even in the face of legal action – boldness that encourages us to stop just sitting around and talking about the loss of religious freedom, but instead to do something about it.

Looking over a list of Christian conferences coming up in 2023 I ran across one that states it is for: “LGBTQ+ Christians who have committed to celibacy as a personal call in their spiritual journeys.”

Here are some of the bios of the speakers:

“(Speaker A) identifies as cis/gay/queer and is the mom of a grown son from a 25-year mixed-orientation marriage.”

“(Speaker B, He/Him) is passionate about the intersection of faith, sexuality, and… facilitates conversations among Christian sexual and gender minorities.”

“(Rev. Speaker C, she/her) is…an outspoken advocate for youth ministry and social justice, (she/her) has worked as a youth leader, Children, Youth and Family Pastor, (has used) theatrical and improvisational elements in services but also to respond to God as a worship light and (has been)…a drag king, and occasional amateur DJ.”

“(Speaker D) was raised in a Christian home that was heavily involved in addiction recovery ministries. While leading in a large evangelical campus fellowship her first two years of college, (she) had a crisis of faith and ultimately joined a new group specifically created for Queer people of faith on campus. Attending (this same conference) in 2019 was a huge turning point for her, where she felt able to fully embrace her identity. She has gone through a long period of deconstructing her faith and continues to ponder the liberating potential of faith. She frames Jesus as her earliest example of what a revolutionary can look like.”

It goes on.

Where the Battle Fiercely Rages

This issue reminds me of the following quote:

“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity.  Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace to him, if he flinches at that one point.” — A follower of Martin Luther, 2 April 1526, quoted in Chronicles of the Schönberg-Cotta Family (New York, 1865), page 321.

The front-line of the battle in Evangelicalism today is that of sexual ethics: Marriage, divorce, remarriage, fornication, adultery, pornography, abortion, same-sex attraction, “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” “gender fluidity,” “non-binary,” “non-conforming,” transgender, and of course, the entire alphabet soup of titles and “preferred gender pronouns.”

In 2014, the liberal Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) published an article promoting the acceptance of “gay” as a category for Christians but offering the suggestion of celibacy for those who are not “married.” The United Methodist Church (UMC) also led with this path.

Christian colleges and university are also impacted by this movement. For instance, Calvin University (a school in Grand Rapids, MI that is connected to the Dutch Reformed tradition) has (in 2022) denounced premarital sex and defined marriage as between a man and a woman, however it still allows a support group for LGBTQ students on campus. In the 2020-21 academic year, the school allowed a bisexual student to be elected as student body president.

Matthew Vines, a self-identified “gay” man, and a Presbyterian authored the popular book God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships. Vines promotes celibacy outside of marriage but believes “gay Christians” have a theological case for same-sex marriage.

He has helped to shift the nature of the dialogue on this issue among Evangelicals. He says, “It’s a subtle but significant shift. (People are now) saying, ‘There’s nothing wrong with being gay in and of itself,’ and that is a big change.”

Moving the Goalpost

It is believed by many activists that the way to normalize all LGBTQIA+ issues is to take the path of least resistance with Evangelicals. If you claim to be celibate or “non-practicing,” then everyone drops their guard and chills out. Pragmatically, their theory seems to work. This approach has been repeatedly attempted in the more conservative Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) denomination, who so far has withstood the acceptance of those into positions of leadership who self-identify as “gay Christian,” “homosexual Christian,” or even “same-sex attracted Christian.” Even some Southern Baptists are moving in this direction. Some of their top seminary faculty have spoken at conferences that affirm the acceptance of “identity” as long as the individuals are non-practicing.

The Law of Identity

Many LGBTQIA+ advocates claim Jesus never taught on the matter, and they infer from this that He must have approved of such ideas. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus said, regarding sexuality:

“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So, they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt. 19:4-6, ESV).

The first law of formal logic is “The Law of Identity.” This very basic law asserts that “whatever a thing is, it is.” This kind of thesis also presents a “Classical Negation.” If something is true, the opposite is false (the Law of Non-Contradiction), and truth cannot in this sense be both true AND false (the Law of the Excluded Middle). So, when Jesus says there are two sexual categories of humans (male and female) in the original creation, He is describing a Universal Elimination all other possibilities.

A New Identity

One of the churches the Apostle Paul founded in the middle of the first century had many of the same sexual problems that exist in America today. Rather than teaching them to see themselves as “Christian swindlers” “Christian adulterers,” or such, Paul emphasized their rebirth and new identity in Christ.

“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. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11, ESV, emphasis added).

Paul encouraged them to identify their past sins and struggles but to look forward, not back. You will never overcome a sin or habit that you believe you ARE. If something defines your very existence, you will never move past it because it controls you. You may be a male or female who struggles with same-sex attraction (or illicit heterosexual attraction), but rather than defining yourself by a temptation, you should not only abstain from sin, but pursue righteousness instead.

“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Rom. 6:6).

This issue of identity is not just a side issue. It is the dam that holds back the floodgates of immorality in the Church. If you ARE something other than God says He made you to be, that makes Him out to be a liar. That makes humans, not God, the arbiters and definers of sexuality. The original argument in the garden from that serpent was, “Hath God REALLY said?” That is the enemy’s same approach today. God did not make anyone “gay” or “transgender.” He made them male and female. Sin has made them all these other things by which they self-identify. The solution is the same one the Church has been preaching for 2,000 years: The gospel of Jesus Christ that forgives sin and changes sinners.

Written by Pastor Myles Holmes, REVIVE Church in Collinsville

All believers are called to pray at all times and in all situations.

We are to pray without ceasing.

Jesus taught us to pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth just as it is in Heaven.

The prophet Samuel said to the people of Israel, “…far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.”  1 Samuel 12:23

In Luke 18:1 Jesus told us we … “should always pray and never give up.” 

In Jeremiah 29:7, the people of God were told to pray to the Lord for the Babylonian city while they were in captivity…”for its welfare will determine your welfare.” 

American believers in Jesus have a great responsibility to pray, and fast and pray, as this nation was founded on Godly principles and is drifting far from those moorings.

God’s Word and God’s truth is being mocked, scorned, ignored and disobeyed in Washington, DC and in Springfield, IL. 

Truth lies fallen in the streets (Isaiah 55: 14). We now have leadership in our state and our nation who do not know what a baby is, do not know what gender is, do not know what a marriage means, do not know what a border or an economy is, and have absolutely no grounding in any semblance of reality or decency or morality, let alone truth. 

We must fervently pray for an awakening to truth, a revelation of conviction and repentance that can only come from a mighty sweeping of the Holy Spirit through our culture.

We must fervently pray for our churches and pastors to boldly rebuke the wickedness and the darkness and proclaim the good news of the Gospel and the light of God’s truth.

At the very moment that our culture, politicians and media are shouting their love and embrace of every kind of evil and debauchery is precisely the time the church is told to be silent about all these issues.

May God in His mercy deliver us from timid preachers and quiet pulpits.

We must fervently pray for families, and for marriages to demonstrate the grace and the goodness of God.

We must fervently pray for these elections on November 8, both for our state and our nation, that Americans would realize the absolute necessity of voting for individuals who represent Godly, moral, righteous values, who support life and liberty, the U.S. Constitution, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. 

Pray with me now.  

“Our Father in Heaven, God of history time and eternity, we come to You in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior.

We repent of our rebellion and wickedness and the mocking of your Word and Your Name.

We are ashamed of how far we have fallen from Your truth.

We turn from sin toward Your mercy. 

Your people ask You humbly for a mighty revival, a sweeping move of your Holy Spirit to bring millions to the foot of the Cross.

We ask for Your anointing to grant us boldness and courage to speak up and to speak out for Your truth and morality.

We pray for our children and grandchildren, that they might know Your mercy and Your power in this generation.

Grant that we might be found faithful to our calling and Your mandate on our lives to be ambassadors of your Good News.

We pray that whatever the future calls us to, we would be found honoring Your truth and Your Word, so that You always have a witness of Your power on this earth. 

May Christ be glorified in our lives, our work, our families, our ministry, and our voting.

In the Mighty Name of Christ we pray, Amen.”

Pray, Pray, and Pray Some More

• FOR STATEWIDE CANDIDATES: Regardless of political party affiliation, let us pray that God will work in the hearts and minds of each candidate running to represent the people of Illinois in Washington D.C., including: Tammy Duckworth and Kathy Salvi, and the following list of candidates for U.S. House of Representatives:
  • Jonathan Jackson and Eric Carlson in the first district;
  • Robin Kelly and Thomas Lynch in the second district;
  • Delia Ramirez and Justin Burau in the third district;
  • Chuy Garcia and James Falakos in the fourth district;
  • Mike Quigley and Tommy Hanson in the fifth district;
  • Sean Casten and Keith Pekau in the sixth district;
  • Raja Krishnamoorthi and Chris Dargis in the eighth district;
  • Jan Schakowsky and Max Rice in the ninth district;
  • Brad Schneider and Joseph Severino in the tenth district;
  • Bill Foster and Catalina Lauf in the eleventh district;
  • Chip Markel and Mike Bost in the twelfth district;
  • Nikki Budzinski and Regan Deering in the thirteenth district;
  • Lauren Underwood and Scott Gryder in the fourteenth district;
  • Paul Lange and Mary Miller in the fifteenth district;
  • Elizabeth Haderlein and Darin LaHood in the sixteenth district;
  • Eric Sorensen and Esther Joy King in the seventeenth district;

• In addition to those federal candidates, we of course want to pray for those who are running for statewide office. This includes praying for J.B. Pritzker and Juliana Stratton;  Darren Bailey and Stephanie Trussell and those who serve in their campaigns.

• There are also two seats up for the Illinois Supreme Court. Those two seats are located in the suburban counties outside of Cook County. In district two, please pray for Elizabeth Rochford and Mark Curran as they run for this seat. In district three, please pray for Mayr Kay O’Brien and Michael Burke.

• Finally, please pray for these statewide candidates and those contenders running for local offices near you:
  • Kwame Raoul and Thomas DeVore running for Attorney General
  • Michael Frerichs and Tom Demmer running for Treasurer
  • Alexi Giannoulias and Dan Brady running for Secretary of State
  • Susanna Mendoza and Shannon Teresi running for Comptroller
  • YOUR local State Senate Candidates
  • YOUR local State Representative Candidates
  • YOUR local Judicial Candidates
  • YOUR local County Board Members

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
~2 Samuel 22:2-4

Written by Patience Griswold

Pew Research recently released a report on an accelerating trend in the U.S. — adults who were raised in Christian homes and who formerly described themselves as Christian leaving the Christian faith and joining the growing number of religious “nones.” According to Pew, nearly a third of those raised Christian describe themselves as “nothing in particular” as adults. This trend is expected to continue in the next few decades. Combined with a decrease in “transference” — that is, children who were raised in Christian homes becoming Christians themselves — Pew’s research team predicts that between 2050 and 2070, the majority of Americans will not describe themselves as Christians.

This trend is sobering because it shows that a growing number of people are living their lives without the hope of the gospel. While some of the decline in Christianity in the U.S. is likely due to a shift in cultural attitudes toward Christianity leading to fewer people describing themselves as Christians without holding strong convictions, the rise of “deconstruction” has seen a not insignificant number of young people who once expressed zeal for their faith now rejecting Christianity.

Pew’s prediction is that this shift won’t see its full effect until 30 to 50 years from now. However, their research and research from other groups show that America’s teens and young adults are already experiencing this shift. Atheism is more widespread among Generation Z than any previous generation in the U.S. Just over half of America’s teenagers are Christians, and a little less than half of adults in their 20s.

In an increasingly secular culture, young people are facing enormous pressures, and these pressures are often personal as holding to biblical teaching on things like sexuality, or even the idea that there is only one way to salvation, can quickly get a person labeled as a hateful bigot and socially ostracized. In addition, many Evangelicals of all age demographics are struggling to grasp basic teachings of the Christian faith. Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research release a “State of Theology” survey every two years and the most recent findings revealed that nearly half of Bible-believing Evangelicals say that God “learns and adapts to different circumstances” and 65 percent believe that people are born without original sin.

For many, deconstruction is not simply an issue of intellectual doubt. In fact, that may not be the driving force at all. Rather, it is a combination of an onslaught of social pressures and the lack of a thorough understanding of the basics of the Christian faith. Regardless of someone’s reason for deconstructing, whether it was a lack of sincerity in the first place, intellectual doubts, a weak grasp of biblical teaching, or an inability to face the pressure of an increasingly secular society, our hearts toward them should be one that deeply desires to see them reconciled to God because, through Christ, we have been reconciled.  

The rapid decline of Christianity in the U.S. means that for a growing number of people, especially young people, the idea that life has meaning and purpose is not assumed. This has implications that go beyond the individual. Throughout history, the idea that humans have innate value and dignity has been the exception, rather than the norm. Apart from the realization that humans are inherently valuable because they are created in the image of God, societies do not typically establish laws that reflect and uphold human dignity, especially for the most vulnerable.

So how do we respond to the rise in secularization, especially among the next generation? How do we equip today’s young people to be lights in a dark world?

First, as noted earlier, too many Christians are missing a basic grasp of key doctrines. Sincerity is not a replacement for substance. Young people will have their faith challenged and they need to understand what they believe and why.

Secondly, the next generation needs the local church. The Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation — we are part of a body, and body parts do not thrive, or for that matter survive, if they are unattached to the rest of the body. Older adults need to model what a lifestyle of discipleship looks like, and young people need to invest in community with other believers in order to learn from and imitate more mature believers.

Thirdly, it is vital for each of us to remember that love and compassion cannot exist without the truth. Many of the most significant pressures facing today’s young people are coming from movements that describe themselves as loving, compassionate, and accepting but are at odds with the truth. True compassion and love never affirm lies, and it is unloving to refuse to speak the truth out of fear of what others will think.

Finally, we must remember that we are called to faithfulness, no matter the circumstances. The gospel transforms lives, and transformed people transform communities and culture. We are called to live in a way that glorifies God, to proclaim the truth, and to trust him with the results.

The decline of Christianity in the U.S. should grieve us because it has real consequences for coming generations and reveals the number of people who are living their lives without the hope of the gospel.  As the rising generation faces the challenge of living in an increasingly secular culture, we must equip them to know, love, and live out the truth of God’s word.

This article was originally published at MFC.org.

“When you are drawing dashed lines you are making things up…
[evolutionary theories] are just false stories made-up to fit their narrative.”
~Dr. TimClarey

Dr. Tim Clarey of the Institute For Creation Research (ICR) holds a PhD in Geology from Western Michigan University, and two Master degrees pertaining to Geology and Hydroscience. Additionally, he worked as an Exploration Geologist for Chevron and Full Professor and Geosciences Chairman for Delta College.

In this lecture, Dr. Clarey draws upon Scripture and years of experience, using them to debunk evolutionary theories that pervade schools and public institutions.

Clarey begins by noting how scientists play with timelines like monopoly money, adding and taking millions of years without consequence. Earth dating is skewed with inaccurate methods, biased sampling, and an agenda to prove, he says. Currently scientists date the Earth between 232 and 66 million years old.

Dr. Clarey points out a little-known flaw with dating and publishing, stating “they pick the numbers they want…you have to conform to be published.”

This flaw manifested itself in 1999, when a fake bird-dinosaur was glued together, fooling the scientific community for six months. Passing x-rays and CT scans, the hoax was dated and dubbed a new species: Archeoraptor. Even National Geographic was fooled, publishing about the ‘missing link’ between birds and dinosaurs. Only when evidence of stolen fossils surfaced was the dinosaur revealed as faux.

“But rocks don’t lie, people do,” Dr. Clarey says as he emphasizes the empirical evidence. Focusing primarily on oil, ancestry, and fossil conditions Dr. Clarey finds, “there is no explanation…except the Earth is young.”

Dr. Clarey explains that oil is biodegradable, slowly breaking down over the years. On the surface, oil spoils within twenty years. Stored underground, however, crude oil is largely protected from the bacteria and chemical reactions breaking it down. Either way, though, oil cannot last millions of years.

Concerning ancestry, evolutionary theories rely heavily on ‘ghost lines’ and ‘missing links’. However they are exactly that: missing. The fossil record has no evidence of the ancestors that dinosaurs supposedly evolved out of. Even esteemed evolutionist Dr. David Weishampel admits, “No direct ancestors have been discovered for any dinosaur species…my list is an empty one.”

Making up ancestors has become a favorite pastime for evolutionists, and Dr. Clarey points out a few tricks. One method for ‘finding’ ancestors is making up a species. Dr. Clarey says if you took 60 people in a room, evolutionary scientists would find 6 different species. Then, they would use inaccurate dating measures to claim some species evolved out of others.

There are hundreds of differences within triceratops, T-Rex, and other dinosaurs. But their natural variations don’t warrant different species. Similarly, humans vary in skin color, skull shape, and behavior, but nevertheless they are the same species, and aren’t evolving, he says.

Another trick for making up a species is finding feathers. Evolutionary scientists claim feathered fossils are proof of an evolutionary process: birds evolving from scaly dinosaurs. While this idea is popular among the scientific community, it has been repeatedly debunked.

Dinosaurs naturally vary in shape, size, and behavior much like humans

First of all, it supposedly took millions of years for birds to evolve out of dinos. But bird fossils are found in the earliest layers, buried with or even beneath the dinosaurs they supposedly evolved from.

Secondly, the best evidence of dino/bird evolution are small feather-like structures found on fossils. However, leading paleontologist Dr. Stephen Brusatte says the feather-like structures are not related to feathers at all, but composed like hair. During multiple experiments, collagen (which is the primary protein in hair) was found to break down during fossilization, creating a feather-like appearance. Paleontologist Dr. Phil Bell of the University of New England says without question dinos had scaly skin and were not growing feathers.

Aside from oil and ancestry, evolutionary theory cannot explain fossil conditions. To begin with, it is evident that sudden burials and floods have occurred. Fossils of land-based dinosaurs are almost always mixed with fossils of marine life, and both show signs of being ‘frozen in time’. Fossils of dinosaurs are being found in the midst of fights, building nests, or even casually eating. Evolutionists can’t explain why marine fossils are being found inland. Their only solution is adding a couple million years to the earth’s age.

In 2005, evolutionists were shaken by the discovery of dinosaur flesh when soft-tissue, blood, and collagen were found in a T-Rex fossil (which was supposedly 68 million years old). Since then, scientists have discovered hearts, livers, retinae, scales, blood vessels–and more–in dinosaurs supposedly 145-200 million years old! However, blood vessels die quickly and collagen (the toughest protein in the body) only lasts for a maximum of thousands of years.

Dr. Clarey says evidence for Young Earth Creationism is everywhere: The existence of oil, the ancestry of dinosaurs, and the fossil conditions all point towards a young earth. At the same time Dr. Clarey says this evidence is being covered up, as “they won’t teach you this in school…there is no good evidence for these things other than the Earth is young.”

For the last 40 years, with rare exception, I have been teaching in (and leading) ministry schools on a weekly basis, having the joy and privilege of pouring into the next generation of leaders.

I now spend 5 days a month in Texas, teaching three days at a school in Dallas and two days at a school in Fort Worth. This week, after speaking about the church and LGBTQ+ issues and people, one of the deans made a striking comment to me: “The church’s silence has hurt these people.”

She was absolutely right.

I devoted the class this past Monday to the subject of the church’s calling to make a positive impact on society, to function as salt and light.

On Tuesday, I spoke about our calling to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community with compassion while resisting the agenda with courage.

And on Wednesday, I took questions from the students, about 600 in number and coming from more than 40 different nations.

Unfortunately, I was not able to respond to all the students, since so many had important and relevant questions to ask. So I stuck around for a few minutes afterwards, interacting with them one on one.

A young woman said to me, “I came out of the very things you have been describing. I was gender-fluid, omni-sexual, and polyamorous.”

When I asked her age, she said she was 18. That is the world we live in today.

An older man said to me with pain in his voice, “Please pray for my daughter. She now identifies as a man. She has changed her name, she is taking hormones, and she had her breasts removed.”

He told me she was 23 years-old and had the mastectomy at the age of 21. Can you imagine how this father feels?

With his wife, he welcomed their precious daughter into the world, probably bouncing her on his knees and singing songs to her when she was a baby, only to see her make these tragic, self-destructive choices.

She was once their precious little girl, perhaps wearing cute frilly dresses for fun. Now she has mutilated her body and identifies as a man.

I encouraged him to watch the In His Image documentary that I had the privilege of hosting for American Family Studios. It gives hope to family members praying for their struggling ones, as well as hope to the struggler. And he gave me a piece of paper with her name on it, asking again for my prayers.

As I walked back to my on-campus apartment, one of the school deans wanted to talk with me. She thanked me for addressing these subjects, since they are so relevant to the students.

And then she said those words that were so striking: “The church’s silence has hurt these people.”

Just a few minutes earlier, I had polled the student body, which, to repeat, is from more than 40 nations. I asked them how many of them had a friend or loved one who identified as somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. The vast majority raised their hands.

And during the Q&A time, they asked many relevant questions.

How should they relate to a trans co-worker who now goes by a new name? What do they say about people who are biologically intersex? How can our churches hold to biblical values and still be safe spaces for those who identify as LGBTQ+? How can we be compassionate without compromise?

One of the students used to work in a Christian school. She explained that a little girl in the school was being raised by two lesbians. One day, the girl was talking to another girl about her two mothers.

She asked her schoolmate, “Do you think they are going to hell?”

The other girl said, “Yes,” and the teacher backed her position.

Was this the right thing to do? If so, how does this affect the little girl? What does it say to her two mothers? Or should a Christian school not even allow a student to attend unless the family is in order? Or is this the opposite of being Christlike?

Virtually every time I have spoken on the LGBTQ+ subject and fielded questions, there is a long line of people waiting to speak with me, many of them crying as they wait.

Should they attend their son’s same-sex wedding?

Their daughter wants hormone therapy to prepare to transition, threatening suicide if she cannot get the shots. What should they do?

A husband and father of four has left the family for another man. Is there any hope he will return?

Should a family allow their daughter and her girlfriend to stay at the house during the Christmas holidays? If so, must they stay in separate rooms?

What should a dad say to his 15-year-old son, a committed Christian, who is struggling with same-sex attractions?

This is just the tiniest sampling of the kinds of questions I hear – and I have been hearing such questions for many years now.

For pastors and Christian leaders not to address these issues is to hurt the people they love. And if they themselves do not feel equipped to address these issues and help their people, it is incumbent on them to find others who can. The resources are available, as are the speakers and the counselors. They just need to be sought out or invited.

The young generation in particular needs guidance. They have been bombarded for years by anti-God, anti-biblical voices and values. They are confused. They are grieved. They are hurting. They are seeking. They are looking for clarity with compassion and for guidance with grace. Who will give them what they need?

This is where pastors and Christian leaders must come alongside and help, equipping the parents and grandparents too. To fail to speak, whatever the reason, is to fail to serve the Lord and to fail to serve the flock.

I appeal to each of you: please don’t hurt your people by your silence.

Let me also be a resource to you in the most practical, hands-on way.

Just take a minute and download the brand new AskDrBrown Ministries app on Apple and Android and explore the resources there. In fact, if you scroll down on the app to “Consider This,” you’ll find two helpful, animated videos, “Can You Be Gay and Christian?” and “Why Don’t More Pastors Speak Out?”

Or just search through our articles and videos by subject. We are here to help!

Let’s stand strong together and make a difference for the Lord.

Let’s help those who are hurting.

There is no excuse for silence.

This article was originally published at AskDrBrown.org.

Now that the Dobbs decision has shifted the abortion debate to the state-by-state battle, both the pro-life and pro-choice movements have galvanized for this new arena. Pro-life states moved quickly to pass state-level abortion bans (at least thirteen states have done so already), while pro-abortion forces have endeavored to solidify or even expand abortion access in their states.

However, one pro-choice politician is not content to merely ensure that babies can be legally dismembered in his state. California Governor Gavin Newsom has openly invited residents of pro-life states to travel to California to have the dirty deed done—and used Scripture to prove he’s right.

California had already been preparing for the downfall of Roe several months before it finally fell. But now, in the post-Roe world, Newsom and his colleagues have been working tirelessly to ensure that their state is a “sanctuary” for abortion—fighting with money, legislation, and inter-state collaboration.

• Not only did the state dedicate $200 million toward increasing abortion access, but also prohibited insurance companies from charging co-pays, essentially making abortions free.

• Having already passed a dozen bills to increase abortion access, the state is now gunning for an amendment to the California constitution that would cement unlimited abortion access into the state constitution itself.

• The state has also joined with its Pacific neighbors Oregon and Washington in a “Multi-State Commitment to Reproductive Freedom,” proclaiming their joint resolve to “defend access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion and contraceptives.”

However, securing his state as a safe space for slaughter was apparently just Newsom’s first step. Last month, he used $100,000 from his re-election campaign fund to set up billboards in seven pro-life states—Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, and South Dakota. These billboards chastised the stance of these “anti-freedom” states, with statements like “Texas doesn’t own your body. You do.” They also reassured residents that “California is ready to help,” inviting them to visit the state’s new abortion access website abortion.ca.gov, which provides information on how to find and pay for an abortion in California as well as warnings about the “fake clinics” known as crisis pregnancy centers.

It’s eyebrow-raising enough, why Newsom’s re-election campaign—for the California governorship—is erecting signs in South Carolina. But what’s especially stunning is the message he chose to put on the Mississippi version of his propaganda. “Need an abortion? California is ready to help. Learn more at abortion.ca.gov,” announces the advertisement, in big white and yellow all-caps. This is plastered above a message in smaller italics: “‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.’ -Mark 12:31.” Apparently, Newsom thinks that by proliferating abortion, he’s obeying the commandments of God.

No doubt aimed at the conservative Bible-belt culture in Mississippi, Governor Newsom’s reference to Scripture has garnered a visceral reaction from the Christian community.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, expressed her shock at Newsom’s appropriation of Scripture toward such evil ends: “This makes me sick . . . Simply no words for how twisted this is.”

California Pastor John MacArthur (Grace Community Church) issued an open letter to the governor, criticizing his “reprehensible act of gross blasphemy, quoting the very words of Jesus from Mark 12:31 as if you could somehow twist His meaning and arrogate His name in favor of butchering unborn infants.” As MacArthur characterized it, “You used the name and the words of Christ to promote the credo of Molech (Leviticus 20:1–5). It would be hard to imagine a greater sacrilege.”

Fellow California pastor Don Adam (Mid-Cities Baptist Church) concurred, expressing his fear for Governor Newsom—”that he would take the Holy Scripture completely out of context and use it to make people feel good that they can be a ‘neighbor’ to women who want an abortion.” As Adam sees it, “It’s dangerous for him, but also for women who are in crisis mode. When they see the Bible quoted, they may think that this is OK.”

And California Family Council president Jonathan Keller put his thoughts this way: “The idea that you would actually use the words of Jesus as a justification and enticement that abortion is a way of loving your neighbor . . . honestly, it’s something that I don’t think you could be more blasphemous if you were trying.”

The Left usually hates the Word of God, because the Word of God usually refutes their agenda and exposes their motives. This is why the Left has been on a century-long campaign to remove the Bible and biblical teaching from both the public square and private life. However, when the Left can find a way to twist the Word of God to support their agenda, they somehow become fine with playing the Bible-card. It seems that “separation of church and state” magically just doesn’t apply—that is, if the state is butchering the Word of God to justify butchering those made in His image.  

The Scriptures are blunt in their warning that in the “Last Days” perilous times will come and one characteristic of those days will be weak and heretical preaching.  Paul wrote that people will not be willing to listen to the Truth, so they will gather to themselves teachers who will “tickle their ears.”  It appears that there is nothing more offensive to Americans today than to tell someone they are wrong, and that is precisely the kind of thing biblical preaching does!

“Respectable preaching,” on the other hand, makes people feel good about themselves.

We know that people tend to protect others in their profession. Doctors don’t like to expose doctors who are using questionable methods, and preachers generally hesitate to point out the errors of other preachers. But God has no such sensitivities and neither did Paul. They named those who failed to uphold sound doctrine; and while we do not have the credentials the Apostle Paul had, we have the command to, “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Eph. 5:11).

Paul also ordered Timothy (and thus all preachers) to, “Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching,” (II Tim. 4:2).  “Respectable” preaching leaves the shell of the church intact while gutting it of all that is transformative and eternal.

Heretics and false teachers have always been with us, but they appear to be more successful now than ever in fooling the crowds and at times even believers.  Sadly, there are few voices pointing out the dangers.

The Bible warns so clearly and strongly of these things that one would think the number led astray would be few. But turn on your TV any Sunday and see the vast numbers sitting under the “preaching” of the false teachers and it is staggering! There are literally millions hearing unbiblical and ungodly words from so-called “Preachers of the Gospel,” while the true Gospel is difficult to find. One man, who has made it his life’s work to expose the errors of contemporary preaching, claims that well over 90 percent of TV preaching is heretical!

To you pastors: as a pastor myself for thirty years I understand the desire to have people appreciate your ministry. I don’t imagine there is a pastor living whose goal is to preach to a small crowd! Thus, the temptation is real to fudge the Gospel, to soften the edges, to speak the “positives” more loudly and often than the “negatives.” To “give the people what they want.” But we must remember Christ’s own warning that those who love Him and His word can expect to be hated and scorned. In seeking to please people we run the very real risk of displeasing Jesus Christ! Paul wrote that “if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (Gal. 1:10).

“Respectable preaching” declares man to be fine just the way he is, and there is no redemption in that!

Do you desire that men speak well of you? Recall Luke 6:26, “woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” We all appreciate kind words from our congregation, but do not let their approval or disapproval effect your faithfulness to Christ.  Charles Spurgeon called respectability, “the bane of the church,” and so it is.  Seeking to proclaim a word that the spiritually lost will appreciate is a dangerous business.

The “seeker friendly” model is inherently flawed.  If they are genuinely seeking, they will find (Christ’s own words). If they are not seeking, nothing will convince them! You and I have no ability whatever through our methodology to soften the hard heart or open the blinded eyes of those who reject Christ. To draw them in with an attractive message with the plan to give them the Gospel once they are in is as deceptive as the “bait and switch” car dealer. To believe that we can, by utilizing the “right methods” accomplish something the simple Gospel and the Holy Spirit cannot do is to consider ourselves wiser than God Himself!

A very well know Christian leader a few years ago commented that there is no one who won’t come to Christ if we just give them the Gospel correctly. This casts dispersions on Christ Himself who was crucified for His testimony! It is a grievous error! Recall the Lord’s own words, “wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt. 7:13, 14).  The number who hear and appreciate our preaching is unimportant. Our task as pastors is to proclaim the Truth and feed the flock faithfully. That’s it! Leave the numbers to Christ and wait patiently for His praise at His throne!

To the Christian I write a word of warning and encouragement: The world we live in is wealthier than at any time in human history making pleasure available in ways never before known. Yet the world remains at war with God, worships pleasure and rejects anything it deems unpleasant. There is nothing inherently wrong with pleasure, of course. In fact, the Bible tells us that in God’s “presence is fullness of joy; At His right hand are pleasures forevermore!” (Ps. 16;11).

For the time being it is good to remember that pleasure makes a delightful servant but a cruel master! And, if we fail to understand the enslaving nature of pleasure, we will certainly become bound by it and suffer its consequences. Do not allow pleasure to become your god and reject the pastor and the church that substitute a pleasant experience for the strong proclamation of God’s word!

If you are truly a follower of Christ: this world is not, nor can it be, home to you! Stop trying to make it so. You are a pilgrim. The world is merely the “front porch” of home and not your permanent dwelling, so order your life accordingly! By this I mean that you see yourself as living “behind enemy lines.” This present world has a temporary interloper as its king, Satan, who is the “Prince of the power of the air,” and the “Ruler of this world,” (John 12:31).  He is vicious, and “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” (I Pet. 5:8)

Sadly, many of the churches led by false teachers are large and appear to offer so much to families. It is enticing to be part of something “big” where there are wonderful programs for every member of your family. But make sure that you are not being fooled by the largeness of the church. So often these churches have found ways to cover their worldly message and methods with a “veneer” of Christianity to entice a crowd, but what they proclaim is not the Gospel. Better to be in a small church were disciples are being made than in a large church that betrays the truth.

Wherever God builds something Satan builds his own imitation next door and it tends to look like God’s work and is often “bigger and better.” Have your eyes open! Inform yourself on biblical truth so that you are not deceived. God’s word is “living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword,” (meaning it convicts!) and it is a “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” (Heb. 4:12). It will expose what needs to change your heart and life if you are willing to let it! A church and “gospel” that leave you as you are, are false!

All around you there are small churches led by humble men whose only desire is to proclaim God’s word faithfully. To discount the value of those little churches is to forget God’s perspective, “Who has despised the day of small thing?” (Zech. 4:10). And don’t overlook the two mites given by the poor widow in Mark’s Gospel, of whom Christ said she “has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury.” God’s accounting methods are different from ours. It may be that the valuable personal and spiritual accountability that small churches provide is one reason many Christians avoid them! Don’t be among those who “sacrifice the eternal on the altar of the immediate!”

Numerous surveys of pastors in America have found a tragic malaise among pastors; and I would suggest that part of their discouragement is the shallowness of millions of America’s professing Christians who prioritize fancy “programs” or music they like over the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. These faithful men prepare for tens of hours to deliver the life-giving “meat” of the word, but few appear interested in hearing it.

My son is a member of a relatively small church in rural Will County and several families from a southwest Chicago suburban mega-church recently joined his church. Their explanation for the switch was that the preaching of the word was not a staple of the mega-church! They were just hungry to hear God’s word preached!  “Where there is no (word from God) the people perish.” (Prov. 29:18).

Their words were music to my ears, and I expect to my son’s pastor’s ears as well.

If you are the pastor of a small church, or for that matter, any size church, and you find yourself discouraged by what you are witnessing in America and in your own church, I want you to know that you are not alone. First, God is faithful and rewards our faithfulness, not our “success.” Also, there are many other Christians who are behind you in prayer and thought. In fact, the Lord has provided us the opportunity to begin a ministry to support pastors, missionaries, and other full-time Christian servants and their families who are on the front line of the spiritual war raging in America.

I have pastored thirty years in three churches. My wife, Toni, and I have been married over 39 years and have seven children and seventeen grandchildren. I think I have a pretty good idea of what you encounter on a daily basis. Our ministry is only in its beginning phase, but one thing we are doing is providing a connection between fulltime Christian workers and the many ministries, (retreat centers, cabins, camps, and resorts as well as counseling centers) that are available to you as a pastor. Across the nation there are people who want you to know that they are behind you and support you and passionately desire to help you by providing a place either without charge or at a low cost to allow you to get away to be refreshed. We are “Parkwood Ministry Connections,” and you can contact me by phone or e-mail for a conversation and prayer, or for more information.  We are here to encourage you!

One of the most astonishing and disturbing trends in evangelicalism over the last few years is the significant number of leaders and organizations that have succumbed to the pressure of the “Woke” mob to join them in their attacks upon the so-called “White” culture and traditional Christianity.  Evidence of “Wokeness” in organizations such as the Gospel Coalition, the SBC, and others, is troubling. Dr. Voddie Baucham, in his powerful book, Fault Lines, highlights the dangers to the church inherent in such actions.

The errors in this are not difficult to discern!  The Leftists are not clandestine with their motives and objectives.  We have clarity, and it ought to disturb every Christian that groups and organizations formally known for the Gospel have been badly distracted.

Setting aside the Left’s criticisms of Christians and America for the moment, (which at times and in some ways may be correct), one need only look at their proffered solutions to recognize that they are not of the same spirit as the Church and despise the Gospel of Christ.   It is impossible to be at peace with organizations such as BLM, and the CRT “Woke” crowd and to also be at peace with Jesus Christ or to obey His command to “Preach the Gospel!”

One need only consider how the movement deals with their own members’ faux pas to understand that they know nothing of grace.  They are consumed by hatred, bent on destruction, and are filled with irreconcilable animosity.  They provide no pathway to peace.  If they decide you are the enemy, you are forever the enemy.  Mercy and forgiveness are unknown to them; but James states, “judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy, “ (James 2:13, NKJV).

Add to their lack of mercy the destruction they unleashed upon American cities following the death of George Floyd and it is clear that they are not people of good will.  BLM, Antifa, and other radicals did billions of dollars of damage to property in numerous cities and dozens were slain.  On the other hand, God calls His people to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves;” and we are also commanded to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

How can harmony or cooperation exist between the Body of Christ and such wickedness?  How can anyone who knows and has experienced God’s grace and forgiveness desire to join hands with a movement which despises God’s goodness?  Have these leaders forgotten the admonition of Scripture which states that “friendship with the world is enmity with God?”  Christ noted tersely that those who denied Him He would deny before His Father.

What is especially troubling about these evangelical leaders climbing aboard the “Woke” wagon is that it is quite impossible for them to be unaware of the stark contrast between Scripture and “Wokeness.”  To this writer it recalls James’s blunt retort,

“…you adulterers and adulteresses!  Do you not know that friendship with world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4).

The message of the Gospel breaths God’s grace. From before the foundation of the world He provided that the very course of history would tell the story of His mercy and forgiveness.  For those who at one time hated Him and rejected His rule yet turned to Him in repentance and faith He offers not only forgiveness but full reconciliation and a close personal relationship!

Yet the “Woke” BLM, CRT crowd not only fails to offer a pathway to forgiveness and reconciliation they actively and publicly reject making such an offer.  Their way is that of total and abject surrender by and subjugation of all of those they deem to be offenders.

Students of church history will remember that in the early twentieth century unbelievers took control of many American Christian organizations, seminaries, colleges, and denominations.  They did so by taking advantage of Christians who lived by the love principle of First Corinthians thirteen, “believing the best” about others and giving them the benefit of the doubt.  Those unbelievers veiled their real objectives behind confusing rhetoric while actively rejecting and undermining historic Christian doctrines.

Christians must develop the strength of character to confront their leaders if they are bending to the pressures of a woke and wicked culture.  This is not the time for forbearance, but for “fighting the good fight!”  Those who declare that these things are part of the gospel are preaching a false gospel, and must be abandoned.

Will we see a repeat of that fiasco in the 21^st Century?  We may if true believers do not respond biblically and soon.  For those of you who are paying attention, understand that the “Woke” movement is not about justice and peace.  And it is certainly not about the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

How completely antithetical to the mission of the Church!

As you’re probably aware, the term “Christian Nationalist” has been getting quite a bit of airtime in the last couple years. However, of the hundreds (yes, hundreds) of articles being written about the deadly threat that Christian Nationalism supposedly poses to the United States, most seem unconcerned about offering a strict definition.

Most of what our progressive thought-leaders seem to define as Christian Nationalism reduces to Christians simply being Christians: evangelizing, not putting their children in pagan government schools, and standing up to the senseless slaughter of millions of babies. As for that last point, let us be quick to recognize that progressives believe that your desire for the survival of unborn American citizens is a threat to our “Democracy.” Regardless, clear definitions of Christian Nationalism remain elusive from the mainstream media that would seek to frighten us with this threat (a threat apparently so pervasive and deadly that it requires constant coverage).

So, Christian Nationalism has again made an appearance in the news, this time on NBC, with something that gets us closer to a definition of whatever it is they’re so afraid of: a Christian Nationalist in the flesh, appearing for an interview—Pastor Douglas Wilson, pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, ID.

You may not have heard of the little town. Moscow is a small town in northern Idaho with a population of around 25,000. It is home to the University of Idaho and is just a few miles away from Washington State University. What little reputation Moscow has is mostly as a college town. And, as college towns tend to be, politically speaking, Moscow has historically been a deep blue dot on a very red map. However, the town’s appearance on NBC showed it to be anything but a bastion of progressivism: the segment sounded the alarm on (or at least attempted to) the town’s incipient Christian Nationalist takeover.

One stated goal of Pastor Wilson’s church, Christ Church, is to “make Moscow a Christian town.” This, of course, has non-Christians and Christians alike nervous about “theocracy” (though the fear, in many cases, is ecclesiocracy, not theocracy simpliciter) or Erastian governmental structures. In reality, Wilson is simply trying to realize the most basic of Christian confessions: Christ is Lord (Rom. 10:9). And so, Wilson, Christ Church, and the Christians in Moscow, have begun to live like that confession is true. Christ is Lord, so His lordship must be realized in every area of life: worship, family life, education, government, business, eating and drinking, and anything else under the sun. In other words, Christ Church has pointed out that the Gospel is a totalizing claim: there is nothing in this world exempted from Christ’s claims of lordship. He is King of kings, Lord of lords; all must bow the knee.

On the ground, this has resulted in an immensely fruitful ministry for Pastor Wilson and his church. Out of Pastor Wilson’s efforts has not only been born a thriving church community but also educational institutions, a Reformed denomination, and a publishing house. Each of these ventures has been fruitful in its own right, reaching countless Christians all around the world.

And this is what the progressives are afraid of. This is what NBC news wants you to be afraid of: Christians acting like serious and faithful Christians—building faithful institutions; seeking to make your town, county, and nation obedient to Christ; and, above all, building a culture that is centered around the right worship of God.

Congratulations—if you think any of those things sound like a good idea, the media says you’re a Christian Nationalist and represent a grave threat to America. Of course, this should produce nothing in us but the deepest joy. What a privilege to be castigated and vilified for holding fast to our Christian confession. And it should inspire you to be even more serious about your “Christian Nationalism”—we’re gaining on them and they’re getting nervous.

No matter how great the woke monster may seem, no matter how impenetrable the walls of American secularism appear, the Gospel truly is a potent weapon, the kind of weapon that makes God-haters tremble and try to dismiss it with a wave of their hand. So, as the old hymn says, “Shout on, pray on, we’re gaining ground! Glory hallelujah!”

A few years ago, I offered to help an organization I had worked with in the past. They were excited by my offer, since they had followed my work for years and agreed wholeheartedly with the positions I had taken. I had also made clear that I was not concerned about compensation. My goal was to help.

But nothing came of it, so I simply assumed it wasn’t God’s timing or plan.

It turns out there was more to the story.

As a colleague within the organization explained to me, a key decision maker told him that if they became publicly associated with me, then LGBTQ+ activists might target them for criticism and attack. And so, although they respected me and agreed with my position on these issues, appreciating the way I had handled the culture wars, they didn’t want a target on their backs.

When my colleague informed me about this, I replied, “If they don’t have a target on their backs, they’re doing something wrong.”

Really now, how can we affirm what God’s Word plainly says about homosexual practice, same-sex “marriage,” and transgender identity without being branded homophobes and haters and bigots and transphobes? How can we not have a target on our backs?

To be clear, we are called to be peacemakers, not troublemakers. And we should be known for our love, our compassion, our kindness, our longsuffering, our good works. Absolutely.

But you can be assured that if the world hated Jesus, it will hate us too.

The Lord said so Himself, quite clearly and emphatically: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:18–21)

The darkness will always hate the light and the world will always reject God’s Word.

That means that, as we let our line shine and preach the truth in love, we will be hated and reviled by many. Or do we somehow think we can be more Christlike than Christ? That we can be wiser than Jesus was? More loving than the Savior? Not quite!

And what is one reason that Jesus said we would be persecuted? He said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10, my emphasis)

When we live righteously and when we stand for righteousness, we will be opposed and vilified. Count on it.

Of course, we can bring unnecessary trouble on ourselves and bring reproach to the name of the Lord by our foul conduct – our hypocrisy or obnoxiousness or self-righteousness or immaturity or carnality or harshness.

When we suffer for our folly, that’s on us. It has nothing to do with the cause of Christ.

But, in today’s hyper-aggressive, LGBTQ+ activist society, you can be assured that for simply holding our ground as Bible-honoring, Jesus-loving believers, we will be attacked and criticized and slandered and maligned.

Consequently, if you are a leader in the Body, someone called to live out and proclaim divine truths about life and salvation and morality and family, you most certainly will have a target on your back.

If you speak up for the unborn, you will be targeted.

If you uphold marriage and family as God intended, you will be targeted.

If you engage in effective outreach to the lost, you will be targeted.

If you claim salvation is only through Jesus, you will be targeted.

If you resist LGBTQ+ activism in the schools, you will be targeted.

If you preach the Word of God, with brokenness and humility but without compromise or dilution, you will be targeted.

It is inevitable and it is unavoidable.

As summed up by Paul, writing to Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:10–12)

In short, if we’re not being persecuted or resisted or targeted on some level for our godly living and preaching in Jesus, then something is wrong.

Our Lord had a giant target on His back, as did His disciples. As He said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.” (Matthew 10:24–25)

So be it, Lord! By Your grace, we will not back down and we will not flinch.

This article was originally published at AskDrBrown.org.

In this fifth excerpt from Pastor Derek Buikema’s interview with Dr. Carl Trueman for Illinois Family Institute, Dr. Trueman touches on a serious problem with contemporary preaching that reflects both a “consumerist” mindset and the ideology of “expressive individualism.”

“We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.” So declared the U.S. Supreme Court in Zorach v. Clauson (1952).

In an earlier decision, Rector of the Holy Trinity v. United States (1892), the U.S. Supreme Court said: “[Americans are] a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation.”

The Trinity decision then went into great detail about the early colonial charters (mostly Christian). Finally, the Supreme Court concluded: “These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.”

But fast forward to today. Recent assessments declare or imply that the church in America is dying. One headline (Citizen Free Press.com, 9/23/2022) described it this way: “Axios begins countdown to death of Christianity.”

Axios comments on the findings of the Pew Research Center: “Depending on whether this trend slows, stops or speeds up, Pew projects the number of Christians of all ages will shrink from 64% to between 54% and 35% of all Americans by 2070.”

These stories on the alleged death of the American church keep popping up. And I have often talked on the radio with Dr. Byron Johnson of Baylor University about them. He’s a professor of social sciences, and notes over and over that these stories give the wrong impression.

Johnson, who used to teach at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, co-wrote an article about the “Nones.” The Nones simply refers to people who would be categorized by the pollsters as having no religious affiliation.

The Pew study mentioned above, for example, declares that, given the present trends, by 2070,”’Nones’ would rise from the current 30% to 34%-52% of the U.S.”

But what Johnson and his co-authors, including the late Dr. Rodney Stark, argue is that many of the “Nones” might not be as irreligious as they would seem.

Here’s what Johnson and Stark et al. noted: “[M]any individuals who report no religious affiliation or check ’none‘ on surveys (as well as atheists and agnostics) display a wide variety of religious and spiritual practices and beliefs. Many attend religious services, pray, meditate, believe in God or a higher power, have religious experiences, and believe in heaven, hell, and miracles.”

It seems almost as if the “Nones” should perhaps be called instead “the Sometimes.” And if from the Windy City, I suppose they could be called “the Chicago Sometimes.”

Johnson and company continue: “Even though a growing proportion of people in the U.S. appear to be reporting no religious affiliation on surveys, there are many measurement-related, conceptual, and methodological reasons to question the assumption that these people are not religious, and scholars need to look more closely at the actual practices and beliefs of so-called nones.”

Johnson and his coauthors also take other pollsters to task for being sloppy in their terminology: “[U]se of phrases like religious none, no religion, and not religious to describe this group of individuals is inappropriate, inaccurate, and misleading since they may simply be institutionally unaffiliated or indeed affiliated but not with any of the list of categories provided.”

They conclude that more research is needed before definitive statements are pronounced: “More focused research is needed before we will fully understand who the nones are, and whether religion is actually declining in the U.S., as well as around the world.”

As Glenn T. Stanton explains in his book, The Myth of the Dying Church (2019): “The apparent shrinking of Christianity is both true and false. True in that nominal and weak ‘Christian-in-name-only’ folks are identifying as Christians less and less. But there is no indication whatsoever that serious faith is shrinking any.”

Stanton adds, “So is Christianity shrinking? Not if you’re talking about the biblically faithful congregations that call their people to genuine Christian discipleship. Only…the mainline churches…are free falling as if they have a millstone tied to their necks.”

“So the real story is,” notes Stanton, “this is a sheep and goats being divided thing. A clarifying of faith, rather than shrinking of faith.”

In John Calvin’s Commentary on Isaiah 9:7, he provides an excellent reminder for Christians of all ages that we are truly on the winning side: “Though the kingdom of Christ is in such a condition that it appears as if it were about to perish at every moment, yet God not only protects and defends it, but also extends its boundaries far and wide, and then preserves and carries it forward in uninterrupted progression to eternity.”

Dr. Byron Johnson told me: “Here’s a bit of advice: the secular media will continue to push out the narrative that religion is dying…why not focus on the hundreds and thousands of peer-reviewed studies that show the power of faith to transform?” That sounds like a great topic for a future column.

This article was originally published at JerryNewcombe.com.

Christians must keep in mind that God is sovereign. The destiny of our nation is not ultimately in our power to control. That said, we live in a country that we the people govern, and so we have the privilege, right, and obligation to govern wisely.

Unfortunately, at times there is little difference between candidates when it comes to voting to fund wicked organizations like Planned Parenthood. However, as the policies and agenda of the Democrat Party become increasingly demonic, the choice between parties becomes clearer, and each election becomes more significant.

It is hard to fathom that Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, something that Democrats are now fighting hard to overturn. It was Clinton who supported “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which admittedly was not the best policy, but it was preferable to what we have now.

With 40 days to the midterm 2022 elections, it is time for all Christians to be aware, engaged, and in prayer. It is not hyperbole to say that the outcome of the elections could be a matter of life and death, freedom vs. tyranny.

If things do not change, the SAFE-T Act (AKA Criminal Protection Act) will take effect in Illinois on January 1, 2023. If passed, this wicked legislation—which some Democrats are now saying needs to be “clarified”—will be a significant boon to the criminal class in Illinois. Other states are reeling because of similar policies that have only incentivized crime.

If Democrats have their way, young children will be given guidance and care to “change their gender” without parents have any say.

If Democrats have their way, the FBI will continue to be used to watch parents who show up at school board meetings, to target with overwhelming force and presence those who stand against abortion, and to promote the foolish idea that white Christians are the greatest threat to our nation.

The number forty is biblically significant. The rain during the great deluge of Noah lasted for forty days and forty nights (Gen. 7:4, 12, 17). As the flood waters started to subside, Noah waited another forty days before opening the widow of the ark and sending out a raven (Gen. 8:6). The children of Israel ate manna for forty years (Ex. 16:35). Moses went into the midst of the cloud on Mt. Sinai for forty days and nights (Ex. 24:18). The spies sent out by Moses were on a forty-day mission (Num. 13:25). After this forty-day mission, God’s people spent forty years in the wilderness because of their rebellion (Num. 14:33-34). Significantly, our Lord was tested in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights (Matt. 4:2).

Take ACTION: We face in Illinois and across the nation a time of testing leading up to the November 8 election. My plea is that we take this time very seriously, treating it as a time of spiritual battle and pleading for God’s mercy. This needs to be a time of prayer, action, and encouraging others. Let’s not fail in this time of opportunity and testing.

The fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 made this pledge:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” 

While the November 8 election is not as significant as this time in our nation’s history, it is appropriate to consider how serious the hour is and to make every effort to see the name of our Lord Jesus Christ honored and freedom and decency promoted. Will you commit to this?

In his interview with Dr. Carl Trueman for Illinois Family Institute, Pastor Derek Buikema asked how Christians may be inadvertently capitulating to “expressive individualism.”

Dr. Trueman, author of two critically important books in the past two years (The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self  and its more concise companion book, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked a Revolution) shares two specific ways that may surprise many Christians.

Please watch and share the short video below with your family and like-minded friends: