Category Archives: politics

by | November 9, 2016 · 10:38 am

Now What? (My Post-Election Thoughts)

It’s Over!

For practically a year and a half our nation has been focused on November 8th. First there was all the primary drama. Could Hillary hold off Bernie? Could 16 Republicans ever produce a candidate? From the very beginning it was clear this was going to be an election like no other.

Then came the general election campaign. Talk about twists and turns! To begin with, who would have thought we’d end up with two candidates so fatally flawed? How did either survive as long as they did with all the scandals each had to endure? Totally amazing.

But it’s over, now, praise the Lord! No more media spin; no more celebrities getting naked or offering sexual favors in return for voting for Hillary; no more talk of swing states and the electoral college; and no more talk of things that divide us.

Sorry, I was kidding about that last part.

What Is NOT Over

Sure, the election cycle is over for now, and Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. However, some of the very things that divided this nation during the election will still be sources of discontent in the future.

  • Immigration. Just this morning on my school bus I literally heard African-American teens talking with each other about their fear of being sent back to Africa. One of them said, “Well, if they don’t send us back, they’ll make us wanna go.” If blacks are talking about being sent back to Africa (which is ludicrous), imagine the what many Hispanics are discussing this morning!
  • Nationalism. Many are afraid of America becoming another Nazi Germany. Personally, I believe their fears have little basis in reality. However, there are certainly some who believe America should no longer be a “shining city on a hill.” They want America to cede her strength and position in the world to international authority. Because of this, tension between proud patriots and liberal leftists will remain high.
  • Gender revolution. The LGBTQetc community has enjoyed nearly 8 years of un-restrained success in pushing through their agenda of social change. Now that they’ve had their way for so long, how will a Republican White House, Senate, and Congress now secure the rights of Christian businesses and such without suffering the rainbow wrath?
  • Entitlements. If our national debt is ever going to be addressed, rampant entitlement spending must be brought under scrutiny. But, just like I heard four years ago on my school bus, I heard it again today, just about a different Republican, “He’s gonna take our food stamps away!” Well, if you don’t really need them, and if you’re just selling them, then they should be taken away. However, nobody wants to starve anyone, people! But continue that lie and there will always be tension.
  • Health Care. President Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act has been anything but, yet how do we now completely repeal something that completely destroyed everything, and now has so many low-income unhealthy hooked? One way or another, this is going to be a big struggle in the coming months.

Moving Forward

As I see it, this election has done two things: it has proved one thing, and offered another.

First, it has proven that an overwhelming amount of Americans are tired of corrupt government and want someone to do something about it.

The main reason Trump was elected – in my estimation – is that the majority of our people were tired of government going against the will of the people, never acknowledging it is WE who elected them, and it was time for an outsider to flush the system.

To be clear, our system of government does work, it’s just been clogged up and getting worse for a long while. There should be no “political class,” only elected Americans serving other Americans like our founding fathers intended. Trump was elected to get things “flowing” again.

Second, this election has offered the American church a reprieve, a short breather, a small window of opportunity in which to prepare for what will inevitably come in the future.

What concerned many in this country such as myself was the clear and present danger that Hillary Clinton posed toward our freedom of religion. Others have scoffed at my concerns, but they chose to ignore (or interpret differently) the overwhelming evidence of precedent. Looking at the way things have “progressed” in America over the last 8 years, it was easy to see the policy track a Clinton administration would take. In my estimation it would have taken only 5 short years until thousands of churches would have been forced to close their doors due to gender laws, and many pastors would have been forced to either curb their speech, or face fines or jail time. All I did was look at the natural progression of things.

But because Clinton was not elected, the American churches have been given an opportunity to start making adjustments: one example would be preparing for our tax-exempt status being removed. Let’s be honest, barring another great spiritual awakening in this country, the time will come when another president is elected who will find it politically expedient to punish a segment of society that refuses to accept and affirm the gender-bending, sexually-immoral agenda of many on the left. Like Joseph of old, we should be preparing now for the famine to come.

Keep Praying

Some of you made it very clear you were praying before this election. Well, whether you voted for Trump, or not, now is NOT the time to stop praying!

President Elect Trump is not a perfect man, as we know. So, pray that God will make him humble and dependent upon Him. Pray that he will select wise and godly counsel to surround him as he’s forced to make decisions that will affect us all, even the world.

Pray that civility will be restored to this broken and fractured nation.

But above all, pray Psalm 9:20… “Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men.”

5 Comments

Filed under America, politics, the future, wisdom

Tagged as , , , ,

by | October 28, 2016 · 12:47 pm

Rejoice or Mourn, but Don’t Settle

Proverbs 29:2

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

‘Ocracies

It would seem like never before in the history of man has it been possible for atheists and all those antagonistic to Christianity, the Bible, faith, or whatever, to have their voices be heard. Of course, I may be wrong and even over-exaggerating a little, but thanks to the media and easy access to the internet, angry voices condemning leaders with morals are screaming from every direction.

This proverb should not be interpreted as saying, “Christians should be in authority everywhere!” No, the idea is more along the lines of promoting wise leadership, honest leadership, or simply men and women with integrity and moral fortitude. Yet, even when and if true Christians were to assume authority, very few would have any thoughts of promoting a “theocracy.” But listen to the atheists and you’d think that the “righteous” would start hanging unbelievers tomorrow, if they could.

The fact is that at it’s founding, when the most Christians (including deists) where in authority in America, that is when they founded a constitutional republic, NOT a theocracy.

Righteous Rule

When the righteous rule, the people rejoice. Why is that? Could it be that the people are treated fairly? The righteous wouldn’t take more than they need in taxes. The righteous wouldn’t lie about issues in order to get elected. The righteous would be responsible with resources. The righteous wouldn’t seek office to obtain power, but to serve others. The righteous wouldn’t compromise his beliefs, but he would work together with his fellow man in search of the common good.

Sadly, many in our society mourn when the righteous are considered for leadership. Many recoil at the thought of a man or woman with integrity, faith, and morals. They see these potential leaders as threats – not to freedom, but to unrestrained behavior.

Wicked Rule

Why do the people mourn when the wicked rule? Because the wicked think only of themselves; they care nothing about the people under their authority.

Do we have wicked leaders, or are our leaders righteous, looking out for all of us? Do those in authority serve, or do they accumulate power in order to manipulate the masses? The answer will be different and vary in intensity wherever you go, but this much is true: there are far fewer righteous leaders than wicked ones.

The Undecided

But then there are those who can’t decide whether to rejoice or mourn. They have been treated so poorly for so long that they have come to accept wicked leadership as the norm.

If you think otherwise, just consider the following defense of President Obama by L.Z. Granderson on CNN:

“Now with president Obama, it is true, he should have been more forthright with how the Affordable Care Act was going to impact the country. But with that being said, all Americans know politicians lie. The question is: which lies can you live with? And time and time again Americans have said, “We can deal with the lies that President Obama tells us, because we believe in his heart – he has the best interests for the American people. Every president’s gonna lie to you. Every politician is gonna lie to you. The question is: which lies can you live with?” – Source

Sounds more like when the wicked rule, the people give up caring. God help us.

Leave a comment

Filed under America, current events, politics, wisdom

Tagged as , , ,

by | October 20, 2016 · 1:51 pm

Time Machine Radio

Would you like to step into a time machine? You CAN!

All you have to do is click on the link below and listen to a recording of the radio broadcast for this coming Sunday, October 23.

Yes, step into the time machine and listen to me preach on the radio in the future!

Click on my handsome picture below (it includes the link), and listen to what I had/have to say about the upcoming biblical response to the upcoming (in the future) election.

I still wear a suit on Sunday morning - because I want to :-)

I still wear a suit on Sunday morning – most of the time – because I want to 🙂

Leave a comment

Filed under politics, Prayer

Tagged as , , , ,

by | October 11, 2016 · 11:51 am

An Impromptu Invocaton

Last night (Monday night) I went to a political fundraiser, which was also a campaign kickoff meeting. It was for a local mayoral candidate and current Chattanooga City Councilman, Larry Grohn. I went because I was invited by a Facebook friend whom I wanted to meet in person, and also because I wanted to hear what the candidate had to say.

Here in my city we are fortunate to have some good leadership. No matter what political party, most of the people in leadership are decent people with the good of our city at heart. Are they perfect? No. But none are Clinton or Trump, either (thank God!). Nevertheless, I wanted to hear good reasons why I should vote for Mr. Grohn, not for the incumbent.

Upon entering the meeting hall downtown I was greeted by the candidate’s wife. Once I told her who I was and why I was there, she said to me, “The person you need to be speaking to is my husband…let me introduce you to him.” She did, and that led to a very interesting conversation which must have lasted around 5 minutes. Thankfully, some of my questions were answered.

After speaking with Councilman Grohn, I went to the food bar and filled my little paper plate with chicken nuggets, celery, a few little tomatoes, and a cookie. After that I got my glass of unsweetened iced tea, found a seat at a table, and began a nice theological/political conversation with some very intelligent college students.

Shortly before 7 pm, the time when the speaking part of this meeting was to begin, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Someone whispered in my ear, “Pastor Baker,” so I turned around.

“Pastor,” the candidate himself said, “would you be willing to give the invocation tonight?” I don’t know if I looked surprised, or not, but my eyebrows must have raised as I was asked this question. I mean, seriously, who was I that he should come to me and ask me to open up his campaign’s inaugural event with prayer? Yet, what was I supposed to do, say “no”?

“Sure,” I replied. “I’d be happy to.”

“Thank you, Pastor,” he then said. “We want to start things off right, you know?”

“Absolutely,” I said with a nod.

Next, as I stood up, from behind me came the campaign manager. He thanked me for being willing to give the invocation at such short notice, then proceeded to tell me the order in which I was to do what. Then he said, “Say whatever you want to say…if you want to say anything…then pray…it’s up to you, just say whatever you want. Thank you for doing this.”

Yes, I was asked to pray at a political event and was given complete freedom to say whatever I wanted to say. And they didn’t know me from the man in the moon! Unbelievable!

So, when the time came I walked up to the microphone set up in the meeting hall full of people and cameras and introduced myself. The next thing I did was remind everyone of how and why Benjamin Franklin called the continental congress to stop what they were doing and pray to the Almighty for His help. I then said (to paraphrase myself):

“We are just men and women, and none of us are perfect. And just like those men back then at the founding of our nation, we have our flaws, and we need help – we need outside Help. So, let us now call upon Almighty God.”

I then prayed, beginning with a quote from Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice…” I didn’t pray a prayer of blessing for the candidate, nor did I attempt to give the impression that my prayer was a form of support. Actually, the prayer that came out of me felt like it was not even me speaking, for it was full of authority and “otherness.” I felt like I was in the presence of the One who did not take sides, but was the One before whom all knees must bow. Therefore I said:

“If this man for whom these people have gathered here to honor be a righteous man…may all things done here tonight not be for our aggrandizement, but for Your glory…in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

Sunday night some dear folk at another church, Mt. Carmel Baptist, had me come forward, after I spoke, and laid hands on me and prayed. They prayed, among other things, that God’s hand of blessing would be upon me, and that His calling upon my life would be evident – a “man of God.” Then, last night, something about me caused a political candidate to trust a total stranger to give the opening invocation at such an important event.

That, my friends, was a God thing.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under America, God, politics, Prayer

Tagged as , , ,

by | October 10, 2016 · 4:26 pm

Jesus Memes and the Comma-Challenged

imageIn a recent Facebook post a friend of a friend posted a meme created by John Fugelsang, the actor, Huffington Post contributor, and former co-host of America’s Funniest Home Videos (1998-99). The meme was posted in an effort to show how that Jesus Christ, if He were politically active in today’s America, would more likely be a liberal Democrat than a conservative Republican.

Mr. Fugelsang uses his meme (if he was actually the one who created it) to state ten assertions regarding who Jesus was and what He believed. For ease of reading and future commentary by me, I’ve listed them below (punctuation intact).

According to John Fugelsang (and, by extension, the friend of a friend on Facebook) Jesus was a:

  1. Radical nonviolent revolutionary
  2. Who hung around with lepers hookers and crooks;
  3. Wasn’t American and never spoke English;
  4. Was anti-wealth anti-death penalty anti-public prayer (M 6:5);
  5. But was never anti-gay, never mentioned abortion or birth control,
  6. Never called the poor lazy,
  7. Never justified torture,
  8. Never fought for tax cuts for the wealthiest Nazarenes,
  9. Never asked a leper for a copay;
  10. And was a long-haired brown-skinned homeless community-organizing anit-slut-shaming Middle Eastern Jew.

Before I go any further, I must address Mr. Fugelsang’s punctuation. You see, I am not a grammar Nazi, nor am I a punctuation prodigy, but sometimes a point can better be made if one would pay attention to the proper use of commas. For example, without commas it could be inferred that Jesus hung around with the hooks and crooks which belonged to lepers. As for “anti-gay anti-death penalty anti-public prayer,” that simply makes my head hurt.

Now, to the ten assertions…

Radical nonviolent revolutionary.  First, how many radical non-violent revolutionaries are there? I guess they exist here and there, but are they really that common? I mean, once you put radical and revolutionary together, specifically with the qualifier of “liberal,” how many are not violent? Jeez! However, that’s only based upon my own observations, so I’m happy to be proven wrong.

However, the question that ought to be asked first is: “Was Jesus really a revolutionary?”  I don’t believe He was. For one thing, most revolutionaries are focused on bringing about change within a political system – Jesus’ purpose in coming had nothing to do with any political system. Then secondly, it is clear from Jesus’ own words that He did not come to change or do away with anything, only to fulfill it.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” – Matthew 5:17 KJV

[He] hung around with lepers, hookers, and crooks (punctuation added).  One of the biggest misconceptions about Jesus is that because He chose not to stone anyone for things like adultery (John 8:11) He must have had no problem with their actions. The problem with that assertion is that it totally avoids his command to “go and sin no more.” Yes, Jesus ate with the sinners, but that’s not to be construed that He “hung around” with them. Jesus came for a purpose, to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), not to condone their lifestyles and avoid confrontation. No, Jesus ate with sinners so that they might be saved!

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. – Mark 2:16-17 KJV

[He] wasn’t American and never spoke English.  Except for the most diehard KJV-only-ist, and one who might never have had even the most basic of history lessons, most would agree. This is pretty much a given. However, the assertion being made is that Jesus is thought of by conservatives as being pro-American and anti-everything else, and that is mostly untrue and unfair. Sure, there are some kooks who believe America is the New Jerusalem, but there are others out there, such as Louis Farrakhan, who believe aliens live in a spaceship and are circling Earth as we speak. Neither represents the majority, I hope.

Actually, the only think that we must be concerned with is whether or not our nation (whichever nation that is) is on the side of the Lord, for His Kingdom is not of this world.

When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?” – Joshua 5:13-14 NLT

[He] was anti-wealth anti-death penalty anti-public prayer (M 6:5).  Oh boy. May I break this down into sub points? I mean, really, commas would have been helpful.

  1. Anti-wealth. I’d really like to know where Fugalsang got this. My guess is that he got it from passages like Luke 12:15 or Matthew 6:19-21. In the first Jesus warns us to guard against greed, while the second advises us to store up treasure in heaven, not down here where it can corrupt and/or be stolen. Even more, Fugalsang may be thinking of how Jesus is described as one having no place to lay His head (Luke 9:58), or that passage where Jesus says it’s easier for a camel than a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle (Mark 10:25).However, the fact is that it wasn’t wealth that Jesus had a problem with; it was greed, envy, selfishness, and faith in one’s own money and not in God.

    The reason Jesus spent more time with the poor than the wealthy was because the wealthy more often had hard hearts (much like today). The rich tend to put their faith in their possessions and positions more than in God, so why would they respect the One who divested Himself of the riches of heaven and humbled Himself, even to the death of the Cross (Philippians 2:8)?You see, Jesus wasn’t anti-wealth; He was concerned only with what men do with it (Matthew 25) and the condition of their hearts: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). For crying out loud, the Church is forever in debt to Christians who used their wealth (while remaining wealthy) to feed, clothe, house, and instruct the poor of the world. It was even a rich woman in Thyatira named Lydia who used her wealth to house the early Church in her town (Acts 16:14-40).

  2. Anti-death penalty. Again, this must be one of those derivations from John 8:11, the passage where Jesus rescued a woman caught in the act of adultery. The only problem is that this passage does not assert that Jesus disagreed with the law, but rather opposite. Jesus gave every opportunity for her accusers to carry out the death penalty which was prescribed by law, but none of them were able to stand without hypocrisy. Jesus knew they were trying to set Him up, not to mention the fact that there was an un-mentioned man involved. Jesus took the opportunity to take the Law beyond where it could go on its own and showed mercy and grace.
  3. Anti-public prayer (M 6:5). Seriously? First, you don’t abbreviate the book of Matthew with a capital “M”. I mean, there are other books in the Bible that start with “M,” such as Mark, Malachi, and Micah. I guess since we’re talking about Jesus we’re supposed to know the one to which he was referring.Secondly, to use Matthew 6:5 as a basis for condemning public prayer is to admit one has little understanding of context. The context in this passage of Scripture was one which dealt with pride and hypocrisy. Jesus was addressing those who did good deeds and prayed verbose prayers all for the purpose of being seen and praised by men. That is why He said of the hypocrites, “They have their reward.”

So, what is the assertion being made with this point? That people should not be allowed to pray in public? That freedom of speech should not include two Christian school football teams being allowed to use a public address system to say a prayer before a game? – Yes that just happened.

But was never anti-gay, never mentioned abortion or birth control.  The whole “anti-gay” thing has been argued over and over and much has been devoted to it, yet liberals will only hear what they want to hear; therefore, I will devote very little time to it in this essay. However, saying that because Jesus never mentioned abortion or birth control means these are non-issues and would have been no concern to Him is ludicrous. It would be just as easy to say that governments shouldn’t restrict unnecessary use of antibiotics because Jesus never mentioned Penicillin.

Let’s save some time and get straight to the big theological issue in the room: Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity, the Word of God made flesh, Emmanuel (“God with us” – Matt. 1:23). What was said about homosexuality in the Old Testament are actually the same position Jesus took, for He and the Father are One (John 1:1-2, 14; 17:11).  The only difference is that Jesus came to show that the strict requirements of the Law could only cause men to realize their own sinfulness in the light of Holy God, not save them. Jesus came to show God was merciful and wanted to graciously save men through putting their faith in Jesus. If you divest Jesus from His divinity then all you have is a crazy man who thought He was God and died for nothing.

As for birth control (speaking of contraception), there is no mention of it in the Bible, most likely because it was commonly understood that children were a gift from God (Gen. 4:1; 33:5) and the man with a “full quiver” was blessed (Psalm 127:5). With regard to abortion, it is God who gives life and considers us persons even before we are born (Psalm 139:13-14; Jeremiah 1:5), so I believe Jesus would have viewed elective abortion as murder. After all, it was Jesus’ own cousin, John the Baptist, who “leaped” in his mother’s womb when (Luke 1:41) when she greeted the pregnant Mary.

[He] never called the poor lazy. No, I don’t think He did. However, the Bible (the Word of God – See John 1) does say the following:

  • By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Genesis 3:19 ESV
  • For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. – 2 Thessalonians 3:10 KJV

[He] never justified torture. That’s probably true – can’t argue with that. Of course, Jesus wasn’t a military leader who’s task it was to protect the lives of millions of his fellow citizens, either. Actually, Jesus was the One who gave His life so that others might live. Yet, He also said to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16). We will all have to answer to God for our actions.

[He] never fought for tax cuts for the wealthiest Nazarenes.  This is actually correct! Jesus never did fight for tax cuts for the wealthy. However, it is equally true that Jesus never fought to reduce taxes, either – even for the poor. In Matthew 22:17-21 Jesus made it perfectly clear that we are to pay taxes when taxes are due, and that even goes for the least of us. He said, “Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Later, speaking to average Christians, the Apostle Paul wrote:

And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.  – Romans 13:6-7 HCSB

[He] never asked a leper for a copay.  No, I don’t guess He ever did that, either; He just healed them. The last time I checked, neither Republicans nor Democrats are God (even though some think they are) and somebody has to pay somebody for adequate medical services (therefore, refer back to Romans 13:6-7…not just the rich should pay).

And finally, [Jesus] was a long-haired, brown-skinned, homeless, community-organizing, anti-slut-shaming middle eastern Jew.  Well, at least Mr. Fugelsang got the brown-skinned, homeless (technically speaking), anti-slut-shaming middle eastern Jew parts right. The rest, along with the usual lack of commas, he stereotypically got wrong.

Nazarenes (sometimes called Nazarites) were from Nazareth; Nazarites were those who took a vow not to cut their hair, drink wine, etc. Jesus never took a Nazarite vow. But, then again, Mr. Fugalsang is not a Bible scholar, only a political comedian who writes for the Huffpo and creates comma-challenged memes.

3 Comments

Filed under Abortion, America, Apologetics, Bible Study, Jesus, politics

Tagged as , , , ,

by | October 4, 2016 · 11:35 pm

In Honor of the Tim Kaine’s Statement Regarding Roe v. Wade

Tonight I laboriously watched the entire debate between VP hopefuls, Tim Kaine (D) and Mike Pence (R). I was so glad when it was over.

A friend on Facebook tagged me in a post and asked me what I learned from the debate, so I responded with:

“Nothing much, other than one candidate admitted he had a personal relationship with Christ, while the other obeys his church, sorta. Oh, and that Hillary Clinton had nothing to do with anything while she was in charge, but when she stays in Washington she’ll not do what she’s already been not doing, or something like that.”

As expected, both men tried to land well-rehearsed blows against the other’s boss, the majority of which were launched in rapid-fire repeat mode from the Democrat. As usual, the Republican tried to keep it nice, which never, ever pays off in the end.

But my most memorable moment came near to the end when Tim Kaine tried to respond to the truth that the Democrat party, including Clinton and himself, support the continued practice of partial birth abortion. Shortly after he started to pontificate over women’s rights, not the rights of the unborn, he said…

“We have some young people in the audience who weren’t even born when Roe [versus Wade] was decided, and this is pretty important.” Vice Presidential candidate, Sen. Tim Kaine (D)

I couldn’t help but laugh… with a laugh only a righteous indignation could produce. Then I shouted out:

“And there are millions more who were NEVER born because Roe was decided!”

I figured that was important, too.

So, in honor of Sen. Tim Kaine’s eloquent attempt to educate the young people who were so fortunate to have survived their mother’s womb, I offer the following… Just listen.

The Sound of BB’s

4 Comments

Filed under Abortion, politics

Tagged as , , ,

by | September 16, 2016 · 11:29 am

Another Sitter Strikes Again

Tripping While Scrolling

Have you ever experienced it? It’s that moment when you about break a finger when you see something as you’re scrolling through recent news articles.

It’s that wait-a-moment! moment when you stop scrolling down on your smartphone and try to quickly go back up and find the story you think you saw, but it took a second to register in your mind.

Well, this morning during a break between school bus routes I came across one of those scrolling moments. I was scrolling down through recent news stories, reading the headlines, and then said, “Wait a minute!” I had to go back and read further.

Solidarity for Sitters

I don’t see how, but maybe you are unaware of all the hullabaloo surrounding people who choose to sit during the singing of the National Anthem or recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. If so, then maybe you didn’t hear what State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat, recently did.

According to an article in The Blaze and the local news from which it got the story, Sen. Nasheed refused to stand during the pledge to the American flag out of her desire to stand (ironically) in solidarity with a certain football player which shall remain nameless.

According to reports, she said:

“I decided to not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance today to stand in solidarity with the cause of injustice that Colin Kaepernick has shined a bright light upon. I am not anti-America, and in fact, it is because I love this country that I take this stand… I am doing so not because of past transgressions by America, but to call attention to current injustices here in this state and country.”

Current Injustices

The following are the list of injustices Sen. Nasheed says America is currently guilty of, and thereby deserves to be protested.

• The injustice of police brutality — the refusal to mandate police body cameras;

• The injustice of poverty — the underfunding of our public schools;

• The injustice of voter suppression — passing Voter ID laws;

• The injustice of not having health care — not expanding Medicaid;

• The injustice of unlivable wages — refusing to raise minimum wage and the right-to-work attack on labor;

• The injustice of unequal pay for women;

• The injustice of mass incarceration; and

• The injustice of economic disparity.

May I just address each one of the injustices mentioned in light of my recent trip to Zimbabwe? Thank you.

• The injustice of police brutality — the refusal to mandate police body cameras;

I’m sorry, but I’m sick and tired of this “police brutality” business. With few exceptions, the police in this country are angels compared to the police in so many other places. Brutality? Maybe she should visit the Sudan or Iraq. Why not compare our supposed brutality to that of the cops in Iran? Ever been to an eastern European jail?

You will actually stay seated during the pledge because of the refusal to mandate police body cameras, and you call that brutality? Seriously?

• The injustice of poverty — the underfunding of our public schools;

The injustice of poverty? Underfunding our public schools? Seriously, how is being poor an injustice when the poor in this country are infinitely more wealthy than the majority of people in Zimbabwe? And did you know that in many other places school is not free?

So, our poor are actually wealthy, they get free education, and it all comes from the government – yet it’s unjust. Right. And how much more funding do we need to give these schools, huh? How many more billions?

• The injustice of voter suppression — passing Voter ID laws;

So, it’s injustice – as opposed to being just and lawful – to require that a person placing a vote in an election actually show proof he/she is a legal citizen of this country? Do you even understand the definition of “justice”?

If people in other countries will stand in line…lines that are being bombed and shot at…just so they can have one chance at placing their vote…you think it’s unjust to require that people here acquire an ID? How spoiled are the people you represent?

• The injustice of not having health care — not expanding Medicaid;

I’m sorry, but didn’t your president pass his signature legislation called the Affordable Care Act? Is that not working for you?

And you talk about not having health care… Have you ever been to a village where children are literally dying because of sinus infections, all because they can’t afford to buy medicine that we can get over the counter here? And you call our health care unjust?

• The injustice of unlivable wages — refusing to raise minimum wage and the right-to-work attack on labor;

Honestly, you’re complaining about how much money people are not making, yet they are making money – they have jobs. Ever been to a country like Zimbabwe where the unemployment is near 90%? You won’t stand for the pledge to the flag of a country, even though that country offers unemployment benefits, housing, healthcare, food stamps, schooling, day care, pre-natal care, cell phones, and even internet to those who don’t even want to work? How’s that unjust??? Except maybe for the taxpayer.

Again, a minimum wage that’s not high enough? I’ve seen people selling WORMS on the side of the road for pennies, and you complain about people not being paid enough to work at McDonald’s? Unbelievable.

• The injustice of unequal pay for women;

This is a load of absolute baloney and you dagdum know it. Please, somebody show me jobs where women get paid less just because they’re women.

• The injustice of mass incarceration; and

I suppose letting drug dealers, rapists, muggers, etc. back out on the street just because of their skin color would be the best choice?

• The injustice of economic disparity.

I’m sorry, Senator, but you are actually serving in the wrong country and under that wrong Constitution. Here in America we have a form of government that is supposed to reward hard work and ingenuity, not punish it by spreading the wealth around and making everything “fair.” I think you’d be more happy under a dictatorship or Communism. That is what you really want, right?

Please forgive me for going on a rant, but I’m just tired of all the stupidity these days. I had to say something.

8 Comments

Filed under America, politics

Tagged as , , , ,

by | August 14, 2016 · 7:32 am

Moving Into November

This guest post was written by Susan Irene Fox. Her blog is appropriately called Susan Irene Fox. If nothing else, go to the about page on her blog and read her story of coming to faith in Jesus…good stuff! You’ll be impressed with Susan’s openness and sincere desire for Christ.

Okay, I watched both conventions: the RNC and DNC streaming live into my living room.

image

I heard the speeches, saw the videos, watched the family members, the protests, the name-calling, and the calls to action. And while I’m concerned for our country, I’m mainly concerned for those of us who call ourselves, “Christians.” If we’re Christians, then we must follow Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah, right?

Jesus said “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” He said these were the two most important commandments. Ah, but he also commanded us to love one another, to love our enemies and to obey all these commands.

Often we are at odds with each other over these commands, preferring to moralize at each other over who belongs in God’s kingdom.

“We believe in grace but not enough to do any serious damage to the walls that separate us from others.” Jud Wilhite

In his book, Generous Justice, Tim Keller explains this division:

“In Western society, these sets of concerns have often been split off from one another. Each of America’s two main political parties has built its platform on one of these sets of ethical prescriptions to the near exclusion of the other. Conservatism stresses the importance of personal morality, of traditional sexual mores and hard work, and feels that liberal charges of racism and social injustice are overblown. On the other hand, liberalism stresses social justice, and considers conservative emphasis on moral virtue to be prudish and psychologically harmful. Each side, of course, thinks the other side is smug and self-righteous.”

And consider what Jud Wilhite said in his book, Uncensored Truth

“We believe in grace but not enough to do any serious damage to the walls that separate us from others. But when your eyes have been opened to see [the] thousands of people the religious world has considered too far gone [to] actually experience transformation through faith in Jesus, you can’t help but be forever marked. God’s grace is beyond my small-minded boundaries and categories. His love … consistently amazes me. His mercy – astounding.”

How do we do unify? How do we stop the infighting? How do we rise above the constant swirl of hate, lying and division that suck us down the drain accusation and blame?

  1. Resist from watching or listening to talking head rants.
  2. Refrain from responding to or repeating social media rants, sarcastic comments and cartoons.
  3. Abstain from posting your own rants, sarcastic comments and cartoons that violate Matthew 5:21-22.
  4. Pray for our leaders whether we voted for them, intend to vote for them or not.
  5. Wear the label, “Follower of Jesus” above any other label.

 The glory you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one; I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one so the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:22-24)

Generous Justice, © 2010 Timothy Keller, Riverhead Books, Penguin Group, NY, NY

Uncensored Truth, © 2010 Jud Wilhite

9 Comments

Filed under politics

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | August 5, 2016 · 4:18 am

The President Is a Feminist. He Said It, Not Me

Glamour

The President of the United States wrote a lengthy and heart-felt essay for Glamour magazine. In it he…

wait…

Vintage Obama, per the Glamour essay.

Vintage Obama, per the Glamour essay.

Stop and think about what I just wrote, OK? The leader of the free world, arguably the most powerful man on Earth (arguably), just wrote a lengthy essay specifically for Glamour. Is there nothing about that very thought that turns your stomach, or am I the only one who feels that way?

Anyway, President Barack H. Obama wrote a lengthy, heart-felt essay for a women’s magazine…

wait…

I mean, handbags…holographic fingernails…makeup…”weed” tampons (I’m not joking)…outfit ideas…Kris Jenner’s closet…and not to mention dating and sex advice…and this is the one place the President choses to submit an essay? I just don’t get it.

Where have all the men of this country gone to? Where the heck are they going? What was the purpose of this lengthy, heart-felt essay?

President Obama took the time to submit a lengthy, heart-felt essay explaining how he, the President, is a feminist.

Gag.  Me.  With.  A.  Spoon.

What Women Want?

Besides earning brownie points with all his Hollywood BFF’s, Obama made it clear his feminism has set the standard for what all girls should expect out of a man…a world leader…a petty dictator…and all fathers.

“Michelle and I have raised our daughters to speak up when they see a double standard or feel unfairly judged based on their gender or race—or when they notice that happening to someone else. It’s important for them to see role models out in the world who climb to the highest levels of whatever field they choose. And yes, it’s important that their dad is a feminist, because now that’s what they expect of all men.” – President Barack Obama

God in heaven help us. Whatever happened to “where the men were men and the women were glad of it“?

A Few Points

First, however you want to define it, the most important thing for a daughter is to have a godly, consistent, faithful, wife-cherishing provider who will charge hell with a water pistol in order to protect his little girl. She doesn’t need a mom-jean-wearing pansy who’s just “one of the girls.” Daughters need a father who’s a man, a real man, and not ashamed of it.

Secondly, I certainly hope the women of the future wise up, because if a feminist is all they expect out of a man, there are going to be a whole lot of disappointed females looking for love in all the wrong places.

Third, the biblical model for manliness is one of ultimate self-sacrifice and total, unwavering faithfulness. It is one that sets the highest standard for unconditional love and respect. Mr. Obama, if you really, really cared for your daughters and all the women of the world you would point them toward God’s design for men and women, not Gloria Steinbeck’s.

Now, I think it’s time for a Clint Eastwood movie.

2 Comments

Filed under America, current events, General Observations, Parenting, politics

Tagged as , , , ,

by | July 7, 2016 · 12:48 pm

Brethren, Pray for Us!

This Morning

image

C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

This morning (July 7) I picked up my cell phone and made use of a little app, the digital version of Charles Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening devotional.

The entry for this morning was based on the words from 1 Thessalonians 5:25, “Brethren, pray for us.”

The impact of this short morning devotional was twofold. First, it comforted me with the knowledge that someone else gets it, and that someone out there is encouraging people to pray. But secondly, and even more importantly, the items for which Spurgeon encourages prayer stood out as areas in which this preacher struggles – and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Please take moment and read this, if it’s not already part of your daily devotional material. I added spaces for readability, but note the parts I made bold.

“THIS one morning in the year we reserved to refresh the reader’s memory upon the subject of prayer for ministers, and we do most earnestly implore every Christian household to grant the fervent request of the text first uttered by an apostle and now repeated by us. Brethren, our work is Solemnly momentous, involving weal or woe to thousands; we treat with souls for God on eternal business, and our word is either a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. A very heavy responsibility rests upon us, and it will be no small mercy if at the last we be found clear of the blood of all men.

As officers in Christ’s army, we are the especial mark of the enmity of men and devils; they watch for our halting, and labour to take us by the heels. Our sacred calling involves us in temptations from which you are exempt, above all it too often draws us away from our personal enjoyment of truth into a ministerial and official consideration of it. We meet with many knotty cases, and our wits are at a non plus; we observe very sad backslidings, and our hearts are wounded; we see millions perishing, and our spirits sink. We wish to profit you by our preaching; we desire to be blest to your children; we long to be useful both to saints and sinners; therefore, dear friends, intercede for us with our God.

Miserable men are we if we miss the aid of your prayers, but happy are we if we live in your supplications. You do not look to us but to our Master for spiritual blessings, and yet how many times has He given those blessings through His ministers; ask then, again and again, that we may be the earthen vessels into which the Lord may put the treasure of the gospel. We, the whole company of missionaries, ministers, city missionaries, and students, do in the name of Jesus beseech you, ‘BRETHREN, PRAY FOR US!'”  – C. H. Spurgeon

Pray for Me

If you have a pastor – and I hope you do – please pray from him. Pray for your teachers, your ministers, and your missionaries; they all need it.

As much as ministers like to portray themselves as “just one of the people,” or “just like you,” there is a difference. The difference is not in quality, but in responsibility. Ministers are no “better” than the people they serve in the name of the Lord, but they are certainly more in danger of spiritual (even physical) attack. We have a real Enemy, and we ARE at war.

So, please, pray for your spiritual leaders.

But if, for some reason, you have no one else to pray for, PLEASE pray for me! 

3 Comments

Filed under Christian Living, community, ministry, politics

Tagged as , , ,