(A Very) Thin Blue Line

God helps us if the only thing that keeps the USA from sinking into chaos is a Thin Blue Line. I am not taking a crack at the police here. A nation that does not fear God and cannot practice self-governance is as close to collapse as you can get and the police can't stop it. The only thing that holds us from total destruction is the mercy of God. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit writing His Law upon our hearts will transform this world. The transformation must come from within and that can only come through faith in Christ and establishing the law of liberty (James 2:12).

God’s Law or Humanistic Law: Which Do Prefer?

Current estimates on the number of Federal laws in America range anywhere between 15,000 and 50,000. Nobody knows for sure. It is said the average American breaks the law at least 3 times per day.

God's Law has only 10 Laws that are clear, easily understood, and reasonable.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2. Honor thy father and thy mother
3. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy
4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
5. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
6. Thou shalt not kill
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
10. Thou shalt not covet

In fact, Jesus summarized these 10 Laws into Two:

Matthew 22:36-40

𝐺𝑜𝑑'𝑠 𝐿𝑎𝑤 𝑣𝑠. 𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝐿𝑎𝑤 (𝐿𝑎𝑤𝑠 𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑈𝑝 𝐵𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡): 𝑊ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝐿𝑎𝑤 “𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑤?” 𝐴𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑚, “𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑡: 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑏𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓. 𝑂𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑡𝑠."

Sadly, the USA is transitioning from the rule of law to Public Policy. As this happens, more and more people will become snitches, tattletales, and general pain the asses as they seek to police others on whatever the current Public Policy happens to be.

Pre-election Idiocy

It’s amusing to watch each side poke fun at the other side’s candidate and then turn around and justify or ignore the idiocy, immorality, and corruption of their own.

A Reminder to the Remnant

Working to change individual and corporate sin without first addressing the root problem of original sin is like trying to purify the ocean by pouring fresh water into it. This is why the work and mission of the Church are absolutely vital. It is only through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ that the human heart is transformed from being “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) to being “a pure heart” (Psalm 51:1). This is why the work of the Church 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 for our nation to be changed. It is through worship and the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:17) that hearts will be transformed.

The Kingdom of God is not an abstract concept. His Kingdom comes and His will is done as individuals and then nations submit themselves to the Kingship of Jesus our Lord. Calling individuals and nations to this is the essential work of the Church.

On Socialism by Someone Who Knows

From a man who saw the reality and application of socialism from the inside of the Soviet Gulag... where it wasn't a comfortable theory discussed over a glass of wine...

𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑚

𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐻𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑. 𝐴 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑚, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡.

𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑚 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑, 𝐼 𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙-𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑆𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑐ℎ, 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑡 𝐴𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑚; 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ. 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑐ℎ'𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑡. 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠.

June 2nd: A Meditation on Loss, Divorce, Restoration, and Forgiveness

June 2nd used to be my favorite day of the year. Since getting divorced, this day brings feelings of sadness and regret. You see, it was on this day that I was first married back in 1984 and remained married for over thirty-one and a half years.

Don't get me wrong, I am happily married to Kelly. She is a beautiful, kind, loving, and supportive wife. She stood by me through the darkest days of my life, and I will forever be grateful to God for restoring me and giving me such a wonderful wife. She is God's blessing to me now, and I thank Him for her.

However, it isn't right to ignore the reality of a marriage that lasted over thirty-one years. It was a union that blessed me with four beautiful children and two lovely grandsons, a marriage that saw me through more than twenty-eight years of ministry, a marriage that was blessed. Because I was happy, the pain of its demise almost destroyed me. Those who know the harsh reality of the pain of loss, be it divorce, death, or whatever, know what I am talking about and will not judge me for the foolish things I did to escape this pain. "He who is without sin…"

Everything fell apart during what I see now as The Perfect Storm. And, just like the movie, three colossal forces collided with devastating effects. The first was our children were growing and leaving home. We dedicated our lives to them. They were all homeschooled from kindergarten through high school. As each of them grew and left home, it left a hole in me the size of the Grand Canyon.

The next storm developed when we brought my Aunt down from Vermont and ultimately moved her into the renovated garage attached to our home. While the rest of my family wanted to put her in a nursing home, we decided to take her in. My Aunt begged me to help her, and so we did. I am proud of how my family stepped up and sacrificed so that my Aunt could enjoy the remaining years of her life surrounded by loved ones.

The last storm came as an accusation that we stole from my Aunt. The Probate Court is a corrupt system run by incompetent elected officials who can destroy lives indiscriminately. I could write a book, and perhaps someday I will, about the ordeal we went through. It would have been better to be accused of a crime than be dragged through the Probate system. At least in criminal court, you benefit from being presumed innocent, having an appointed impartial judge, and having a trial by a jury of your peers. Of course, we weren’t accused of a crime because none was committed. Instead, we were dragged through the ridiculous and corrupt buffoonery of a Probate court, a kangaroo court that made a decision against us based on conjecture, prejudice, and hearsay. Worst of all, the judge ignored my Aunt's wishes and denied her rights. My Aunt stood by our side during that terrible time and was deeply grieved by the false accusations of misguided relatives.

I didn't do so well during the Storm. I made foolish decisions to medicate the pain. I take responsibility for my actions and repent for the bad choices I made. He sought me out and found me as He talks about in Luke 15 in the parable of the 100th sheep.

For those of you who know and love me, I want you to know I am doing well and know that my life is right with Him. He is restoring to me the years the locusts have eaten. I have asked and received forgiveness from those I hurt. In His infinite kindness and steadfast love, my ex-wife and I have forgiven one another and remain friends to this day. She even continues to work for me at the YellowJacket Expert and does an excellent job for which I pay her well.

So, instead of grieving this day, I will celebrate the past blessing God gave me and the new ones He is bestowing upon me now. I choose to give thanks for the thirty-one and a half successful years and leave the rest in His loving hands. To God be the Glory.

The Constitutional Covenant

Remember this document? Government officials of all levels swear to uphold and protect it when they take office. It's the contract/covenant between the governed and those that govern. No one has the right or authority to violate the Constitution, both Federal and State. When they do, they are breaking the Law and the faith of the American People. And remember, the Federal government can only do what the Constitution allows them to do. Anything more is treason against the People.

The Consequences. of Taxing 501(c)3 “Churches”

Most "churches" in the USA destroyed the separation between Church and State by voluntarily filing with the State to become corporations created by the State. Because of the separation of Church and State, the Church is already non-taxable. Once a Church becomes a corporation, it now is a taxable entity created by the State. This newly formed taxable corporation then needs to apply for not-for-profit status under the 501(c)3 code of the IRS. And, yes, these not-for-profit corporations adopt a business model of operation offering their "services" in exchange for money. By the way, if you argue these not-for-profit corporations should pay taxes (essentially eliminating the 501(c)3 tax exemption line in the tax code), then you need to argue that all not-for-profit corporations should pay taxes as well.

As a side note, a “church” that registers with the State to become a corporation and later receives 501(c)3 status under the tax code is, by the nature of being a 501(c)3 corporation, limited to do only the certain functions listed in their By-laws. As 501(c)3 corporations, they also are forbidden from contributing to political campaigns, officially influence elections or legislation, and may only do a limited amount of lobbying. Finally, 501(c)3 corporations are open to public scrutiny, which the public can obtain copies of any non-for-profit’s tax returns, and can find out salaries and other expenditures.

So, if you argue for the taxation of these “churches”, you are saying you want these “churches” to do whatever they want for profit, have the ability, not only to contribute to political campaigns and speak about legislation, but have the right to do extensive lobbying, and have the right to be secretive about their finances, financial activities, salaries, and expenditures.

I’m not sure too many people are comfortable with “churches” having this much power, particularly in the political realm.

Personally, I believe pastors and churches compromise their true calling to be the Body of Christ and destroy the separation of Church and State when they sought legitimacy from the State by becoming a Corporation with not-for-profit status. I pastored a church for over 12 years that did not register with the State and maintained separation of Church and State. I hope someday "churches" will stop acting like business and start acting like the Church.

Why Christians Don’t Think Biblically

I wonder how many Christians believe the Bible to the most important book ever written, yet haven't taken the time to read it, either in part or in whole, and also do not make the Bible part of their daily study. Is it any wonder most Christians do not think Biblically?

A Critical Thinker’s Guide to COVID-19 Fallacies

There is a LOT of lousy reasoning going on these days. I highly recommend taking the time to study, review, and sharpen your critical thinking skills; otherwise, you can easily fall prey to propaganda, bad arguments, and weak reasoning.

I offer this general Guide to help you hone your critical thinking skills. The following list isn't meant to be definitive. Knowing the names of the fallacies is not essential. What is vital is to sharpen your skills to recognize flawed arguments when you encounter them and not make them yourself.

A fallacy is an error in thinking and reasoning. It happens when we draw conclusions based upon false information, an unsound argument, or faulty premises. Never forget that everyone is trying to convince you of something, be it this post, the news, a conspiracy theory, a link, a YouTube video, a government official, the CDC, or those near and dear to you. There is something within us that wants to bring others around to our point of view. We are all, everyone, evangelists and proselytizers.

I'll try to focus on the primary fallacies I am encountering consistently during this time. There are more fallacies than are listed here, but they all share one common trait - lazy thinking. For fun, I'm going to make up my own names based upon current affairs.

So here goes:

#1. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒆𝒃𝒔" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

"You shouldn't watch or read XYZ because it has been debunked. I know it's been debunked because I have 15 links to websites and YouTube videos that prove it is propaganda. You do not need to check out the evidence for yourself because the length of my links proves its refutation."

Truth: You have a right to examine information for yourself and make your own determination whether XYZ is garbage or not.

#2. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈" 𝒐𝒓 "𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

"Shame on you for watching or reading or believing XYZ!" "Only stupid people believe that." "How could you be so gullible?" "I don't want to associate with you because you posted/believed/promoted XYZ."

Truth: Don't let people shame or bully you into closing your mind. Just because you are curious about XYZ and watch or read it, doesn't make you a bad person or mean you are going to believe it.

#3. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒆" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

This one is becoming more and more popular. There is something about this fallacy that has bite. It's a form of the shaming/bullying fallacy. No one wants to be thought of as stupid or gullible. The pressure to dismiss something or someone that has the label "conspiracy theory" is potent.

Truth: A theory is an attempt to explain all the facts. A theory is solid if it makes sense. If the facts do not support the idea, it is likely, the theory is not valid.

A conspiracy means "to breath together." It happens when two or more people make secret plans to do something harmful, unlawful, or illegal.

A conspiracy theory is an explanation of how a secret but influential organization is responsible for a circumstance or event.

A conspiracy theory can be conspiratorial and yet still be true. If it accounts for all or most of the facts, it might actually be true. Don’t let people convince you something is false because it has been categorized as a conspiracy theory.

#4. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

This is equally dangerous. For some, the more off-center something is, the more likely it is true.

Truth: Those of us who do not believe the mainstream narrative must be aware of our tendency to gravitate toward a theory just because it is not the official narrative.

#5. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

"You are not an expert so be quiet. Your job is to listen, obey, and be quiet.”

Truth: You have the right to question authorities even if they have a "Dr." before their name or a "Ph.D. after. You should not just doubt authority automatically. There is good reason to believe an authority on any given subject, but they still could be wrong. It’s okay to be skeptical of the experts especially if they have something to gain such as political power, prestige, or money. It is wise to be aware of authorities, especially governmental officials, who may have a conflict of interest such as ownership in a Pharmaceutical company that stands to profit on COVID-19.

#6. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

I've heard people say they unfriend anyone who even mentions a conspiracy theory. It reminds me of when I was a child. When someone was saying something we didn't like we would cover our ears and yell "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" so we couldn't hear them. Are people so afraid of a controversial point of view that even hearing it will somehow contaminate them? My experience is that secure people are not afraid or intimidated by opposing points of view.

Truth: Keep an open mind. If someone advances an idea that rubs you the wrong way, investigate it for yourself. Even argue against it. Perhaps you might change someone's mind or change your mind. Narrow and close-mindedness accomplishes nothing.

#7. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 '𝑿𝒀𝒁'" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

This one scares me. I see a growing paranoia, even hostility against those who think differently. It is a form of "guilt by association" fallacy. I've been tacitly blamed for harassment of health care workers because I do not accept the official narrative. Some hint that because I ask questions or criticize, I am responsible for others getting sick. Some believe the blood of a COVID-19 victim is on your head if you disagree or question the status quo.

There are wackos out there. I doubt a Facebook post or several of them tips the scales of instability toward immoral behavior.

Truth: Each individual is responsible for his or her actions.

#8. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝑰 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕-𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕, 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

Be careful of fact-checking websites. Several I've been on lately do not impress me. Not only does the analysis appear biased, the articles often use links to other websites as "supporting evidence." I did find some helpful source documents, but that was about it.

Truth: Just because it is on a fact-checking site, does not make it true or definitively refute XYZ.

#9. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝑵𝒂𝒎𝒆-𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈" 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

This one is an oldie but goodie. It is a variation of the "shaming/bullying" fallacy and the "it's a conspiracy theory, it's wrong" fallacy. It's one of the easiest to recognize, but I'm amazed by how influential it is. As soon as someone resorts to name-calling, you can be sure there is a fallacy.

Truth: I think of the quote from Socrates whenever someone starts calling me names, "When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser."

#10. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 "𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕," 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒚:

Can anyone say, straw man? This fallacy happens when someone rewords what you are saying into something you did not say. You say, "I question whether shutting businesses down is the best way to handle this epidemic," and they criticize you as saying, "You don't care about anyone but yourself and you don't care if people die." Don't let people get away with this.

Truth: Do unto others… don’t distort someone’s argument just to make someone else look foolish. But also be aware when this is being done to you.

Non-Essential Business or The Church Victorious?

I just learned that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker proclaimed Illinois churches will be closed for a year, or longer. How impressive, church and governmental leaders have accomplished in a few weeks of COVID-19, what the Caesars, Communists, Fascists, Tyrants, and haters of Christianity have been trying to do for millennia - shut down the Church.

How quickly church leaders have acquiesced and even admitted, through passivity, the verdict of the State of just how irrelevant they really are. In direct violation of the Scripture’s command to not neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), pastors have shown just how “non-essential” the American Church is by closing their doors for who knows how long. We can go to Walmart, Cosco, Homedepot, but heaven (or should I say "hell") forbid people to gather for worship.

“But we fear COVID-19”, you say. Can anyone point me to a Bible verse that proclaims that we are supposed to live in fear of anything? Where does it say that God will protect us except against COVID-19? Even more, where does it say that we should fear anything but God?

I would argue that it is times of crisis like this that the Church, Christians, and especially pastors are the most relevant to society. I poked fun at pastors by rewriting the mandate given in James 5:14

𝐼𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑘? 𝐿𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙, 𝑡𝑒𝑥𝑡, 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠 ℎ𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑.

The actual verse says,

𝐼𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑘? 𝐿𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑.

It is a command for elders to be present with a sick person to pray for them in person, even touching them to anoint them with oil. I wonder how many people lay ill or dying alone during this crisis that needs or needed this kind of pastor and this kind of prayer.

Are you a non-essential pastor? Are you an irrelevant Christian? Does it matter to you whether your Church is closed or not? You have to answer that question for yourself.

There is no service, no group, or no individual more essential than the Body of Christ. Tell me, what is of greater importance than:

Salvation
Prayer
Anointing with Oil
Baptism
Communion
Corporate Worship
The Preaching of the Word
The Teaching of God’s Word
Marrying People in the Lord
Burying People in the Lord?

We are coming to a time when Christians may have to decide what we really believe. Are we vital or “non-essential”? Each one must decide for him or her self.

I am not pastoring a church at this time in my life. I know that if I were or if God called me back into pastoral ministry, I would defy any governmental mandates commanding me not to do what God has called the Church to do. I wouldn’t command you to come. That’s between you and God, but I would be prepared to lead worship, preach the word, pray, and administer the sacraments.

If the government continues to mandate the closing of churches, would you stand and say like Peter in Acts 5:29, “𝑊𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑛.”? There may come a time, no, there will come a time when Christians will, once again, be put to the test. If you cannot answer that question with a resounding “yes and amen”, then you have just become part of a non-essential business.

Cognitive Dissonance: From the NOD (Norman’s Orthodox Dictionary)

Cognitive Dissonance - the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes.

Example:

COVID-19
Protecting the vulnerable is more important than protecting personal liberty.

ABORTION
Protecting personal liberty is more important than protecting the vulnerable.

Conspiracy Theory: From the NOD (Norman's Orthodox Dictionary)

Definition:

Conspiracy Theory -

1. An ad hominem applied to anyone a person wants to discredit without having to give a reason why

2. Any opinion that is contrary to what a person already believes to be true

3. What people call something they haven’t researched for themselves

4. Applied to all opinions contrary to what the government says during the COVID-19 crisis

5. For Liberals: everything reported on FOX

6. For Conservatives: everything reported on CNN

7. A justification given for governmental or societal censorship

Presumed Guilty

In a free society, individuals must be presumed innocent until proven guilty while at the same time, those in government must be presumed guilty until proven innocent. This is the only way to challenge the corrupting influence of political power.

I’m Going with My Gut

“𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 ‘𝑔𝑢𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔’ 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑝 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.” 𝐷𝑟. 𝐵𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑜

Have you ever had the feeling that something is wrong? I have that feeling right now in my gut. I even feel it in my bones. Am I the only one?

I am told by everybody; the government, the experts, the media, friends and neighbors, and even those close to me, that I’m wrong, that I am overreacting, that I see conspiracies where there are none. But try as I may, I can’t shake this feeling that there’s a whole lot of bullshit going on.

I learned to trust my intuition long ago. I regret every time I ignored it. And I see how it was spot on in the past, even when everyone around me told me I was wrong. I don’t doubt there is a virus, but try as I may, I just can't swallow the official narrative.

Is it just me or does this feel a lot like 911? I remember watching the Twin Towers fall. I was just as horrified as the next guy. But when that other building collapsed that wasn’t struck by any commercial airliner, my bullshit detector went nuts.

From that day forward, a series of events took place that deeply disturbed me. Besides the countless inconsistencies in the official 911 narrative that event became a justification to go to war with Afganistan and Iraq. It prompted a xenophobic hatred of Muslims, the justification of the TSA, the genesis of the Patriot Act, justified torture, the enforcement of “free speech zones” and a host of other erosions of our liberty, all in the name of keeping us safe. If you haven't noticed, the United States is vastly different after 911 and, I fear, it will be even worse after this mess if we aren’t vigilant.

Yes, to me, what is happening right now feels disturbingly similar to 911, except it is happening on a worldwide scale. Just like 911, we are now at war, but the enemy isn’t a radical terrorist, it is an invisible virus. And this virus can unknowingly turn me into a potentially lethal weapon. Or it can turn you into that weapon. Or perhaps that person over there is an enemy carrier. It's creepy how people interact with one another nowadays. I watch people react to one another as if everyone, including themselves, is a potential sex offender.

One thing is clear, we are at war, so governments tell us! And if it is true that “war is the health of the state” as Randolf Bourne once wrote, then one terrifying side effect of the virus is that governments all over the world, including our own, are becoming very healthy.

I’m sorry, but if you do not fear powerful government, then I doubt we will agree on anything that is happening right now. My faith in Christ is giving me great comfort because I know that my citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven with Christ as my King. I wouldn't give a wooden nickel for what the US government has devolved into and I don't trust them as far as I can throw them.

Perhaps some will think my appeal to intuition is lame, but I’m sticking by it. Something is seriously amiss.

Para Carlos

Mi amigo Carlos Unda me hizo una pregunta:

"Una pregunta y es seria. Porque la Biblia fue escrita hace cientos de años en un lugar que ni conosco en una lengua que ni entiendo y porque necesito que otros seres humanos me la traduzcan, me la expliquen y me la interpreten, seria mas fácil para dios mandarnos la biblia ya traducida y en forma directa sin intermediarios? Bueno eso es lo que yo pienso con todo respeto."

Es una pregunta justa y excelente. Gracias por preguntarme. Todavía estoy aprendiendo español, así que perdone mis errores gramaticales.

De hecho la Biblia fue escrita hace miles de años y muchos lugares no conocemos. Es muy difícil entender las linguas de la Biblia original pero no es imposible. Podemos comunicar en español porque me tomé el tiempo para aprenderlo. He aprendido y estudiado Hebreo y Griego para entender la Biblia mejor. Pero hay muchas herramientas disponible para estudiar la Biblia con ti mismo. Puedes comprobar las traducciones por ti mismo para ver si son precisas o no si quieres. También puedes comparar muchas traducciones en español para tener una idea del significado original Ambos es trabajo pero es posible pero vale la pena.

Pero en mi opinion no es necesario tener otros para te la interpreten. Aquí está la principal diferencia entre los protestantes y los católicos. Hay un dicho para los protestantes, Solo Scriptura. En otras palabras no necesitamos la Papa o la tradición de la iglesia para leer, entender o interpretar la Biblia. Otros pueden ayudarnos pero tenemos la derecha conocer la Biblia sin intermediarios.

Además, en muchas denominaciones protestantes la gente puede cuestionar a sus pastores y destituirlos de sus cargos si el pastor enseña doctrinas que no son bíblicas y que son obviamente un error. Es muy parecido con el gobierno civil. Tenemos el derecho de remover a los tiranos de sus cargos e incluso derrocar al gobierno si es necesario.

No sé exactamente por qué Dios escribió la biblia de la manera en que lo hizo pero tengo ideas de mi mismo. En esencia la Biblia es una historia de amor. En última instancia es un relato de cómo Dios hizo un camino para salvar a la humanidad perdida convirtiéndose él mismo en un ser humano en Jesucristo y tomando nuestro pecado sobre sí mismo para que podamos convertirnos en los hijos e hijas de Dios. Es una historia de un Hombre inocente siendo castigado en lugar de personas culpables.

Tel vez la pregunta real es no sería más fácil para Dios revelarse directamente a todos las personas todo el tiempo? Por qué usar un libro?

En mi opinión, eso nos quitaría la capacidad y el derecho a elegir. ¿Quién quiere ser forzado a creer en Dios? Hay suficiente evidencia de Dios, pero también está oculta. Se necesita fe. Dios se revelará a cualquiera que lo busque, pero se mostrará en formas que aún tienen fe. ¿Sé que Dios existe al 100% y que la Biblia es verdadera? Lo sé porque si el Dios Trino de la Biblia no existe, nada tiene sentido. Quitar el Dios como se reveló en la Biblia y no hay base para la ciencia, la razón o la moral.

Con respeto, esa es mi respuesta.

The Heart and Nature of Human Government apart from God, a quote from George Orwell's 1984 (3.3.14, O'Brien)

"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from all the oligarchies of the past, in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were- cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives. They pretended, perhaps they even believed, that they had seized power unwillingly and for a limited time, and that just round the corner there lay a paradise where human beings would be free and equal. We are not like that. We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?”

Sword, Famine, and Pestilence

The way I see it, we have three main fears circulating in the United States and throughout the entire world right now; the fear of tyranny, the fear of a collapsed economy, and the fear of COVID-19. For many people, these fears overlap one another.

Generally speaking, I think the heart of most disagreements lies in emphasis. Those who fear tyranny are more likely to downplay the seriousness of the virus. Those who fear the illness support more government control and are willing to put off economic worries, at least for now. And those who’s businesses are going under or are feeling real hunger pains are ready to take more health risks to stay alive. Who is right? I think each of these concerns has validity.

What bothers me is how Christians are responding to this present crisis. I’m writing this as a Christian to Christians. If you do not share my faith, you might as well stop reading. It will have little value to you unless you are curious about the present-day failure of modern Christians and the Church. If you are a Christian, I implore you to set your pride aside and heed what follows.

Whether it’s tyranny, the destruction of the economy, or COVID-19, it all adds up to one thing - God is trying to get our attention. When you read the Bible, you discover time after time, God acting in and through disasters. In fact, God even says He is the Author of calamity. He says in Isaiah 45:7:

𝐼 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠; 𝐼 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙-𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑦; 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑟𝑑, 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠.

You can’t read the Bible long before you see, there is more behind disasters and difficulties than just random natural acts. God uses things to call sinful people back to Him.

Jeremiah 14:12 speaks specifically about God using tyranny, a collapsed economy, and COVID-19. He said to His people:

𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑠𝑡, 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑐𝑟𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑, 𝑏𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒.”

The sword is tyranny. Famine is the sign of economic collapse, and pestilence is a fatal epidemic disease such as COVID-19. The context is about Christians in the Old Testament who paid lip service to God, but their hearts were far from Him. They participated in the sins of the culture with no fear of God or His retribution.

If this verse isn’t a wake-up call, I don’t know what is. I implore my brothers and sisters in Christ to take these words seriously. Let’s stop arguing and use our time and energy for something far more profitable - prayer and preaching the gospel. The world is in crisis, and we are fighting about who is right and who is wrong? About whether Donald Trump is the Messiah or the Devil? Whether we should wear a mask or not?

A while ago, I put out a plea for Christians to pray. I even made a simple outline on how to pray during this time. I don’t know why, but I got more responses about memes on tyranny than on my call to prayer. I admit, I get distracted too, but isn’t it time we put our pride away and get serious? It doesn’t matter if a call to prayer comes from someone you don’t like or someone you disagree with. Let’s put away our differences and unite in Christ. Let’s call our nation and our world to Jesus Christ. Let’s use our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to proclaim the only Way that will save this lost and dying world. That Way is faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His Law.

We Are All Homeschoolers Now

April 24, 2020

I have been ranting against unprecedented government intrusion into our lives for some time now. I just realized this morning that there is an unexpected blessing that is happening because of this epidemic. We now have a nation, perhaps even a whole world, of homeschoolers!

We homeschooled our four children right from the start and saw them through to high school graduation. Those who know little about homeschooling think that the kids are only taught by mom and dad. This simply isn’t true. Most homeschoolers utilize a variety of means to educate their children. Homeschoolers use online courses, tutors, and even participate in cooperative learning events for teaching academic disciplines. Much like what is happening right now for students who used to go to school.

Wise homeschooling parents think beyond the “desk”. Besides reading, writing, and arithmetic, homeschoolers utilize every opportunity to not only educate but prepare children for life. Something as simple as going to the grocery store becomes a lesson in economics and nutrition. Car repair can be a class in auto mechanics. And what better chemistry lab is there than baking? I hope parents stuck at home with the family utilize the wisdom of the homeschool world.

How ironic homeschooling is now the mandated form of education over nationalized public education!

Modern Day Pastors

April 21, 2020