A Name, A Person and a Choice

nametagThe vocabulary of today’s Liberal is framed in the context of Labels, Mobs and Crowds.

Referring to individuals in the context of their nationality or their religious creed is not inappropriate, but it can become a problem when personal responsibility is intentionally put aside in favor of the assumed “goodness” of the group you’re placed in. At that point, depending on how your opinions line up with the Liberal mantra, either your mistakes are excused as involuntary reactions to a flawed system and you are a victim or, should you embrace the notion that a person is to be held accountable for their actions regardless of their environment, you are cast as a villain and a merchant of fear and hate.

It’s a brilliant strategy in that the individual is never really considered. Rather, it’s the label that has been fixed on to your person and it’s that label that can now be moved around and positioned as a legitimate reason to destroy any institution or ideal that differs from the Progressive mindset.

Take Racism, for example.

Your ethnicity is your argument. Your label is your cause. Whatever it is that constitutes an unmet expectation in your life is blamed on a broken system and an unjust legal paradigm. Your diploma, your SAT scores, your work ethic, your morality – none of that is considered apart from the way it can reinforce the legitimacy of your crowd and the desperation represented by your label.

From a Biblical standpoint, you’ve got all kinds of Truth to reinforce the idea of personal responsibility. 2 Thess 3:10 quotes Paul as saying that if you don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s not whether your family or your community works, it’s whether or not you’re working. The most substantial Truth, however, would be the fact that come Judgment Day, it is your actions being weighed and not someone else’s (see 1 Cor 3:13 [2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27]).

And it works the other way too.

There are those who lack for nothing, yet are critical of wealth because they’ve never had a job and all they needed to in order to get what they wanted was to simply manipulate the authority figures who provided for them. Hence, all wealthy people are processed, not as creative hard-workers who’ve succeeded according to their industry and ambition, but as a like minded mob who extorted profit from the employee or the customer that was willing to be deceived.

In order to see the world for what it truly is, you have to get beyond Labels, Mobs and Crowds and instead see it in the context of a Name, a Person and a Choice.

Again, Collectives are not necessarily sinister. We are Americans, we can embrace our membership in different organizations such as the military or sports teams that drive you to become more than what you might otherwise be. But however you might be categorized in the context of a nationality, an ethnicity or a particular talent – that group identity can never suffice as a replacement for personal responsibility.

If you claim to be a victim based on your “crowd,” or you would demonize an individual because of the “label” you’re determined to fasten on to them as a comprehensive caption, there is no point to be made unless you can validate your platform in the context of a Name, a Person and a Choice. In other words, your innocence or someone else’s guilt is not defined according to the uniform they wear or the color of your skin. Rather, it is the character and the actions of the individual that is considered first and foremost. Only after their behavior and / or your choices can be validated as something that is beyond reproach are you justified in indicting the system that would otherwise be the focus.

Anytime you hear someone accuse another of a hate crime, or you hear an individual demonize an entire segment of society, challenge them with a Name, a Person and a Choice. And remind them that there’s a word that describes what they’re doing when they assume someone to be either guilty or virtuous based on the Label, Mob or Crowd that they use to justify their perspective…

Racism.

Did They Practice?

snareI taught for five years at the Armed Forces School of Music. You can provide a student with the instrument, the curriculum, the encouragement and every resource and facility they could possibly need or want…

But did they practice?

Today’s Socialist / Activist wants to insist that every student is a studio quality musician. They believe that if the government provides a Concert Grand Marimba or Yamaha kit, the sounds coming from those two mediums is going to be exceptional.

But that’s not the case, because the hardharger in question doesn’t know the difference between the Musser Grip or Matched Grip and couldn’t tell you what it is to prep and kick a big band.

They didn’t practice.

So, the government takes another step and adjusts the definition and the standard of a “studio musician.” Now you don’t have to worry about the metronome or the key you’re in. Just hit something and you’re going to be applauded.

Still doesn’t sound good. They didn’t practice.

So then they say the audience needs to adjust their musical sensibilities and criticizes anyone who doesn’t give a standing ovation for what amounts to a performance that is fundamentally lacking. Excellence is demonized and anyone who has worked and prepared is categorized as corrupt and guilty of having somehow exploited others in order to get to a place where they can deliver a quality performance.

And then it gets even worse.

That Socialist now comes back to you and me and insist that we change the way we grade and the way we teach. They introduce an “approved” curriculum in the name of “equality” and “compassion.”

But what if they don’t practice?

Here’s what happens…

You have a paradigm in place now that processes everyone according to their “group identity.” However they practiced doesn’t really matter – it’s not what an individual strives to achieve or fails to do. Rather, all absolutes are now dictated by the Socialist – they “achieve” equality by changing the Standard by which excellence is gauged.

And, inevitably, that Standard includes Truth and even God Himself.

In this country, the issue is rarely whether or not you have “opportunity.” Saying college is impossible is not true. I can testify in that my father went to prison my senior year in High School – there was no money for higher education. But I was able to complete my degree while serving in the USMC. It’s not whether or not you “can,” as much as it’s about whether or not you “will.” And that doesn’t mean it’s easy, but to twist what’s difficult into a form of systemic oppression is to adopt a disposition that is as cowardly as it is nonsensical especially when every systemic criteria you would point to as being responsible for an individual’s situation is inevitably revealed as an emotionally packaged strategy to distract from the one question that Socialists in this country will not tolerate…

Did they practice?

Everything You Know…

graduationEverything you know about the world is based on what you’ve been told.

Interviews, video clips, testimonies, photos, statistics, polls – the information is as accessible as it is abundant, but…

Your boots have never touched the ground, you weren’t in the squad car nor were you on the scene. I don’t know the players personally, you’re not a doctor nor a biologist, we’re not collecting the data…

We’re simply consumers assuming that the information we’re getting is both credible and comprehensive.

The problem is that the information we’re processing isn’t always packaged in a way that is complete. And in that way, it’s not honest and can lead to convictions that, however passionately they may be held, they are nevertheless flawed (Prov 19:2).

But it’s not the responsibility of the media to ensure an accurate perspective on the world.

It’s ours.

I’ve decided there are three things you have to do in order to guarantee an accurate assessment of the world:

  • Pop the Hood
  • Keep Your Balance
  • Kick the Tires

Pop the Hood (1 Jn 4:1)- if a physician tells you that you have a terminal disease, among the first things you’re going to do is get a second opinion. If you’re “hearing a noise” in your engine, you pop the hood and you investigate things for yourself. You become your own reporter so that your outlook is based on more than a knee jerk reaction to a headline that is designed to both inform and to sell advertising space. Remember: Every news outlet is biased at least to the extent that they’re determining what it is that constitutes a headline. “If it bleeds, it leads.”

Keep Your Balance – rarely are you going to encounter a media segment that is a complete falsehood. There’s an element of truth to most of what you hear pertaining to the current events that are being reported. But you have to listen to more than just your preferred source of information so you’re hearing both sides of the story (Ecc 7:16-18). Apart from a “balanced” intake of information, you become biased according to the implied philosophies being communicated by the journalistic pool that you unwittingly default to every time you want to know what’s going on.

Kick the Tires – Christ said that you’ll know a tree by its fruit (Lk 6:44). In other words, if something is true, it’s going to reveal itself as such at some point. Trust is something that has to be earned and if you find yourself constantly disappointed by a resource that proves to be consistently flawed in the way it reports the news, then you want to keep that in mind when they present themselves yet again as a noble commentator on a particular topic.

So, what does all this mean? How does it translate to some action items that improve the overall situation both for yourself and your neighbor?

Be able to explain what you believe and why (1 Pet 3:15).

Be able to explain why you think the way that you do. Your feelings are important but they have to be companions to your logic and not replacements. Take the time to investigate the nuts and bolts of your reasoning so you don’t sound like you’re just regurgitating a random sound byte. Whether it’s Black Lives Matter, COVID-19 or the administration of the President…

  • Look, don’t just watch
  • Study, don’t just read
  • Think – don’t just feel

And don’t neglect one of the most productive disciplines you can ever engage and that’s the practice of laying your world at the feet of Christ Himself. There’s a difference between being smart and being wise and it all stems from the extent to which you’re either looking at things from the ground or in the air. However stark things may appear, there’s another Perspective that is far more capable and is seeing things from a viewpoint that encompasses literally everything both now and in the future. It’s one of the advantages of being both Sovereign and Omnipotent. Hitch your mental wagon to everything He offers and not only will you be able to confidently cast off those things that are bogus, but your sense of calm and confidence will be dramatically improved as well.

Everything you know about the world is based on what you’ve been told. It can be a toxic lullaby in the way it dulls your senses and cheats your mind.

But you have options. Use them. Be informed and not just opinionated and vet your convictions through the Filter that is 100% correct, 100% of the time. In that moment, what you know goes beyond what you’ve been told…

…it’s now based on what you know to be true.

An Imaginary Sermon Preached by a Famous Civil Rights Leader

❶ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:28)

❷ When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Prov 29:2)

❸ Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Prov 16:32)

❹ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. (Rom 2:1)

❺ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. (Is 43:6-7 [emphasis added])

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (Jn 14:20)

❻  In the same way, let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:16)

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8)

❼  He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves. (Job 34:11)

When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord. (Prov 19:3)

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. (Gal 6:4-5 [NLT])

❽ Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? (Prov 6:27-28)

❾ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Rom 13:4)

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them. (Eph 5:11)

❿ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (col 1:16)

➀ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Jas 1:22)

➁  Do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? (Prov 25:8)

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecc 5:2)

➂  “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:16)

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (Jas 1:19)

➃  a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, (Ecc 3:3)

➄ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. (Prov 28:15)

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Pet 2:1-3)

➅ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. (Ps 51:3-4)

➆ You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Ex 20:7)

➇ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (1 pet 2:15)

⑨ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matt 7:1-2)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, greetings!

I come before you today in the Name of Christ Who, with His death and Resurrection, destroyed every social construct that would otherwise be used by sinful men to restrict the rights and opportunities that God gives to every man ❶.

We are here today to consider the tragic death of George Floyd and to determine if his death is the result of a wicked mindset manifested in the actions of ones entrusted with the role of keeping the peace. ❷

We, as a culture, have been conditioned to project any one of a number of assumptions on to scenarios such as these and believe that it is all part of the insidious sin of Racism our ancestors had to endure for centuries. But I come to you in the Name of Christ today to remind you that we become the very thing we claim to despise if we first do not mediate on the Truth of Scripture which is what gives Divine Credence to our cause. ❸

Here me.

You Who Pass Judgment Do the Same Things

If we do not call out these officers by name and instead condemn the entire law enforcement community –   if we do not address those individuals within the system who are corrupt and instead  indict the entire system…

Are we not doing the very thing that we accuse others of doing to us? ❹

Set Them an Example

Moreover, when we take the stand in the court of public opinion, how does our testimony resonate in the minds of the jury? It says in Proverbs 3:1-4:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Prov 3:1-4)

Later in chapter 22, it says;

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (Prov 22:1)

As believers, you bear the Name of Christ. As a son and as a daughter you bear the name of your forefathers and of your immediate family. It is because of this Truth, that your reputation is so important because your actions reflect, not only on yourself, but also on those whose name you bear. ❺

What is our reputation?

41% of our young people drop out of High School, 70% of our infants are born out of wedlock. Combine that with the fact that while we account for only 13% of our nation’s total citizenry,  the population of our country’s prisons are 34% African American.

When a police officer kisses his wife good bye in the morning, there is an unspoken reality that he is seeing his bride for the last time given the risks he takes to serve and protect. Does our reputation put him at ease or does it put him on his guard?

Is our reputation such where the words we speak are immediately embraced as the legitimate concerns that they are or does our notoriety drown out the voice of our hurting and the sound of our appeal? ❻

Jesus said you will know a tree by its fruit. What sort of produce do our collective vineyards yield? Is it characterized by law abiding citizens or arrest records?  Do we have more abortion clinics than nurseries? Does it boast a rich collection of graduates or a large number of empty classrooms?

Are we collectively setting an example that compliments our cause or does it distract from it?

We Each Are Responsible

We accuse our own within the law enforcement community of being corrupt, we assault the character of anyone who dares to suggest that our bad reputation is deserved, we complain that the system is rigged, that our image is distorted and even now, we prepare to protest the newest appearance of Police Brutality because we believe that it was not only Racism that caused the death of George Floyd but it’s Racism that’s to blame for all the adversity we contend with. ❼

But to what extent do our collective actions place us in the position we’re in? Are we victims of a biased infrastructure or are we merely victims of our own immoral decision making? ❽

We complain that the police project on to every one of us the trouble and the harm they have suffered at the hands of our brethren. But should not a portion of our indignation be directed to those of us who are lawless instead of hating the one who enforces the law? ❾

We burn the flag that elects a black man as president, we spurn the anthem that destroyed slavery, we denounce the system that gives us free education and all the while it is our fathers who are leaving, it is our grades that are lacking and it is our own that we are killing.

If our platform is to have any credibility –  if our indignation is to resonate as righteous –  than we cannot be hypocritical in our accusations, we must set an example in our conduct and we must take responsibility for our actions.

Regardless of Race

And it is here where I would pause and remind you that at this point I do not speak only to those who are gathered in this sanctuary, but to all men regardless of race.

We stifle the resolution we seek by referring to men as either black or white. And ladies, I beseech you to hear me include you when I say, “men” in that I’m referring to all humanity.

We are not “white,” we are not “black” we are all God’s offspring ❿  and we are all therefore obligated to not only hold the Bible we own with our hands, but to obey the God it proclaims with our whole heart. ➀

More Than An Authority

As an officer of the law, you are tasked with keeping the peace and assuming all suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Even those whose records are tarnished with past mistakes, the Bible rebukes those who make false assumptions. ➁ Your badge must be more than an authority, it must also be an example. And however you are maligned and even threatened, your response must go beyond being merely “smart,” you have to be “wise.” ➂

And I am not suggesting that by being “wise,” you are therefore restricted from using deadly force. It’s not that you are restricted as much as you are resolved to kill only when it’s appropriate to do so.

And yes, there are times when it’s appropriate to kill. ➃ But there is also a time to heal and you must be able to make that distinction.

Should it be determined that you are using your position to lord it over those who are obligated to obey, you are identified in Scripture as a wicked oppressor and a false teacher and there is a special kind of destruction awaiting you on Judgement Day. ➄

To those who are breaking the law, in whatever capacity, know this: You are not just violating a human regulation, you are breaking a Divine Directive. If you commit murder, if you steal, you not only incur the righteous wrath of of the law, you also sin against God.➅ Just like the Police Officer who has to answer to a Higher Standard than his immediate supervisor, you also have to answer to a Higher Law. And should your behavior be revealed as violent and disrespectful when you are apprehended, you do nothing but add to your guilt both in the sight of your jurors as well as in the sight of your King. ❾

It’s Not Only the Law That You Are Breaking

And to those who murder, steal and destroy and excuse it as a reasonable reaction to “not being heard” or a “miscarriage of justice,” let me remind you that the moment you break the law, you are no longer a protester or an activist, you are a criminal and, again,  it is not only the law that you are breaking, it is your God that you are offending – especially if you do your wanton acts insisting that you represent a godly disposition ➆.

What Are We Doing?

In the sixties, a number of extraordinary people emerged who had labored beneath the weight of racial prejudice and went on to accomplish some amazing things:

  • Rosa Parks was a soft spoken black woman whose refusal to surrender her seat because of her race would inspire the Montgomery Bus Boycott and lead to her being honored with the Medal of Freedom in 1996.
  • James Meredith was a nine year veteran of the United States Air Force who would go on to become the first black American to attend the University of Mississippi despite the riots his enrollment inspired which would be dispersed only with the intervention of Federal Troops.
  • Percy Julian is one of the most influential chemists in American history despite his not being able to attend High School and had to study abroad in order to secure his doctorate because of his color.
  • Barbara Jordan grew up in a poor, black neighborhood in Houston, Texas and, despite the challenges of being an African American in an area where Jim Crow laws was common, she was nevertheless able to make history by being the first black female in congress to come from the deep south.

These are among the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. They inspired change, in part, by presenting an argument that reeked of moral and professional excellence. By living and performing in a manner that was beyond reproach, they were able to silence the criticisms that would’ve otherwise distracted from the injustices they sought to resolve and the result was dramatic ➇.

Today, we are instructed to embrace an entirely different kind of individual and and honor them in the same way we do the noble persons who carried the baton of the Civil Rights issue decades ago.

  • George Floyd had a criminal record that included five arrests and five years spent in prison for aggravated robbery.
  • Rodney King, at the time of his arrest in 1991, had been sentenced to two years in prison for robbing a convenience store armed with a tire iron.
  • Freddie Gray had been arrested on multiple occasions for drug related crimes.

In each case, you have a person that had a criminal record and was resisting arrest when they were initially apprehended. Now, rather than being able to prosecute our cause in the context of moral courage and professional excellence, we are seen as accusing others of being unprincipled when our champions seemingly have no principles ourselves. ⑨

What are we doing?

If we would answer that question with a response that included successful appeals for justice and productive conversations that yielded positive results, we need to cease all attempts to qualify an event by asking whether or not it involved a black man or a white man and instead ask whether or not it involved a good man – be they the one being arrested or the one that is making the arrest. And if Christ really did die and come back to life, than the definition of a good man is a godly man, can I get an “Amen?”

Let Us Move Forward

Let us move forward, then, by refusing to express our concerns in the context of labels, mobs and crowds. Let us avoid becoming the very thing we claim to despise by  by directing our questions to the individuals involved and not the institutions they represent. Let us labor to be living manifestations of the moral excellence we would demand in others. Let us move beyond race and instead look at one another as fellow soldiers battling our eternal enemy as a unified force, sanctified by the blood of Christ and empowered by His Holy Spirit. And let our cause be a racially diverse venture that battles true bigotry by holding up specific instances of moral excellence responded to with an undeniably sinful bias- and not the flawed campaigns triggered by legitimate arrests and prosecuted with even more criminal activity.

That is how you effectively assert the Truth of your God, that is how you lead by example and that is how you effect true and enduring change.

Let us move forward and let us pray now for both the Strength and the Wisdom to do just that.

Lets’ pray…

Think of the Children

emblemI’m watching my country burn.

I’m seeing whole cities voting to redefine the very definition of law and order.

I’m watching my nation collapse beneath the weight of bankruptcy.

I’m being told that the traditional image of my  Savior is a form of White Supremacy.

And what’s bizarre is that we are being told to welcome these changes in the name of compassion and justice.

We need to “think of the children.”

Strategic Packaging

When I say, “think of the children,” I’m referring to the way militant perspectives are being intentionally packaged as platforms that cannot be contested without falling into the trap of being labeled “Racist” or worse.

By using verbiage designed to illicit an emotional response and positioning their argument as something coming from the mindset of a victim, crucial criteria is replaced with passionate appeals and legitimate topics become effective tactics to advance an agenda that is pure evil.

To disagree is to be insensitive to the downtrodden and the innocent…

You need to “think of the children.”

Debating Like Christ

It’s almost impossible to effectively converse with someone who’s cloaked themselves in an argument that’s built more on what one “feels” as opposed to what one “thinks.” Experts will tell you that you have to let your subject lament and rage in the aftermath of a traumatic event before you can expect them to talk and reason. Normally, this is a healthy approach. But it can be an effective tactic in the hands of someone who’s agenda is not recovery or reconciliation as much as it destruction and rebellion.

In that kind of situation, you can’t afford to “answer a fool according to his folly (Prov 26:5).” In other words, you can’t allow the trajectory of the conversation to be dictated according to the traps and snares represented by loaded questions and scripted responses. Instead, you have to be like Christ in the way He responded to the Pharisees who were attempting to trap Him in His own words.

15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax[a] to Caesar or not?”

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. (Matt 22:15-22)

Notice how Christ avoided the trap that was being set for Him by responding with a question of His Own. By putting the burden of proof back on the shoulders of the Pharisees, they were compelled to concede their true motives as well as the deficiency in their argument.

It’s a brilliant tactic and one that is absolutely necessary in today’s marketplace of ideas in order to prevent nonsensical and truly wicked falsehoods to appear logical and even noble.

Tear Them Down

Shaun King is an activist that recently made headlines by insisting that all images of Christ need to come down because they are representative of White Supremacy.

He argues that Jesus was not at all like the traditional European rendering of Christ – that it’s yet another tactic being used by White Supremacists to oppress people of color.

The problem with King’s rationale is that he makes no distinction between the image of Christ and the gospel of Christ. Most don’t equate the way in which the apostles or the Messiah are portrayed in stained glass windows as authentic portraits as much as their are icons that remind us of who and what we are in Christ. The resulting conclusion from King’s argument doesn’t translate to a reevaluation of  a Symbol as much as it’s the dismissal of a Creed.

However the image of Christ is rendered, it’s a reverence for the Strength and Purity of God that has to be maintained. And not just in a distant, theological manner where scripted verses are interjected into the conversation for the sake of sounding spiritual, but in a practical way where every kind of disease and every kind of injustice is handled and solved in the context of Real Wisdom.

But how do you handle King’s indignation? How do you respond to someone who’s insistent that Christianity is racist, that “white evangelicals” constitute a threat to our democracy and the safety of all non-white demographics?

You have to argue like Christ.

What Does the Bible Really Say?

Just because you’re holding a Bible doesn’t mean you believe it let alone obey it. Between the years of 1915 and 1922, the Second Klu Klux Klan required their membership to be Christian. Furthermore, even if you have some semblance of a relationship with Christ, you’re still more than capable of subscribing to a distortion of God’s Word just like Jerry Falwell in 1958 who preached a sermon criticizing a recent Supreme Court ruling that outlawed public school segregation.

Critics seize upon situations like what’s represented by the Klan and the Moral Majority as proof that the Christian religion is fundamentally racist and therefore cruel. To subscribe to such a creed requires a disdainful lack of compassion and demonstrates something that cannot be logically embraced by a civilized society.

And you can’t expect your argument to be made by simply asking, “What does the Bible say?”

Some critics will be able to point to passages that can be seamlessly taken out of context and used to support a mindset that is outrageously wicked. A great example of how quoting the Bible does not necessarily equate to an accurate application of it can be seen in Matthew 4 when Satan attempted to get Christ to make some concessions in three different ways – one of which was presented as a direct quote from the book of Psalms taken out of context.

The question isn’t, “What does the Bible say?” as much as it’s, “What does the Bible really say?”

At that point, you’re in a position to pose some questions in response to the accusations you’re looking to dismantle. Here are some examples:

Does the Bible not support slavery? What was the punishment for kidnapping in the Old Testament? (Ex 21:16)
How could Abolitionists base their argument against the slave trade on the Bible if Scripture supported it?
The Bible specifically references making slaves out of foreigners in the book of Exodus. That proves God endorses slavery. The slavery referred to in the Old Testament was not the kind of dynamic where persons were reduced to the status of a human appliance. It was work that you were assigned to do in order to either pay off a debt (Lev 25:39), repay what you had stolen (Ex 22:3) or as option to the war and judgment reserved for those who enthusiastically rebelled against God and declared war on His people. (Dt 20:10-11)
The Klu Klux Klan were Christians Can you claim to be a Christian without actually behaving like one (Matt 7:21)?
Our Founding Fathers were Racists and therefore any government coming from that kind of a depraved mind is going to be fundamentally flawed and needs to be discarded. Do we evaluate The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution according to the characters flaws of its authors or according to the substance of the documents themselves (2 Tim 3:16-17)?

 

Conclusion

We do need to “think of the children.” But not in the way in which those who are holding a literal and figurative match to a tank of philosophical gasoline want that phrase to be processed. Instead, we need to hear it as an admonishment to be prepared like it says it 1 Peter 3:15  – to be ready to explain what you believe and why so that when those who are getting ready to subscribe to a lie, they have in you a Resource that’s talking them down off the ledge and pointing them to a Truth that’s as beneficial as it is Profound.  In that way, you’re “thinking of the children” by championing the Truth that guarantees them a healthy future as opposed to humanistic disaster.

A Bible Study

book_title_pageRecently, I thought it might be beneficial to take a look at a recent post I had put together that featured a quote from John Adams. It went on to assert four basic ideas that you’re hearing circulated either directly or indirectly in the press, as far as the mindset and philosophical justification for the violence and take over of both Seattle and Minneapolis as a response to the death of George Floyd.
Here’s what I came up with:
 
Question #1) Among those who served in the First Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention were a large number of slave owners. That being the case, anything they produced is therefore racist and needs to be dismissed.
 
Answer: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are not gauged according to the character flaws of the individuals who created them. Rather they are evaluated according to the substance of the documents themselves.
 
Bear in mind also that the paradigms you would discredit are the very frameworks that give you the rights you are exercising in this very moment.
 
From a biblical standpoint, we revere the Bible as the Word of God not because it was written by a number of individuals, some of whom were murderers and bigots. It’s the Divine Substance of God’s Word that qualifies it as worthy of attention (2 Tim 3:16-17)
 
Question #2) Within the ranks of those who profess to be followers of Christ are individuals who are bigots in the context of both race and gender. This therefore defines Christianity as a cruel and racist doctrine that needs to be eliminated from the public square.
 
Answer: Unless the abuses committed by those who call themselves Christians can be validated by the whole of Scripture, you are looking at a distortion of Christianity and not an expression of it.
 
Just because someone quotes Scripture doesn’t mean that they abide by it. Satan provides a great example of that in Matthew 4 when he attempted to get Christ to make some concessions by quoting Ps 91:11-12 out of context. Furthermore, a believer’s credibility is established by both knowing the Word of God and correctly applying it (Ps 119:9, 11; 2 Tim 2:15). One without the other inevitably leads to a form of evil that is either intentional or oblivious, but either way it’s toxic.
 
Question #3) Law Enforcement is littered with authority figures who abuse the power associated with their badge to murder and demean minorities. Subsequently the legal system as it exists right now needs to be abolished.
 
Answer: Isolated instances of police brutality are not representative of all those who are sworn to serve and protect any more than isolated instances of crimes committed by minorities are representative of all people of color.
 
You don’t evaluate a system according to the way it’s abused. Paul was constantly reaching out to the different churches admonishing them to be aware of how certain individuals would try to infiltrate their ranks and cause problems. In that regard, it wasn’t the church that was the problem, it was the individuals within the church (Rom 16:17).
 
Question #4) The opportunities of Capitalism exist only for those who have the means to get an education and secure a marketable skill. Prosperity is therefore exclusive to privileged Caucasians and in that regard, it needs to be replaced with something more fair and attainable.
 
Answer: Capitalism is a staircase, not an escalator. Prosperity requires effort and wise decision making. If those two dynamics are not in place, then you’re trying to build a fire with things that don’t burn and your problem isn’t with a system as much as it’s your strategy.
 
The Bible command both hard work (Prov 6:6) and wisdom (Prov 23:19). Just because you’re going the speed limit, doesn’t mean you’re going in the right direction any more than running fast means you’re accomplishing anything if you’re running in circles…
 
…and that’s assuming you’re running at all.
 
41% of minorities drop out of High School. Even if the first two years of college can be made available for free, those opportunities are a moot point without a diploma. You can succeed without an education, but not without a marketable skill (Prov 22:29; 28:19).
 
Finally, to apologize for something you haven’t done is to answer a fool according to his folly (Prov 26:4). However some would be drawn to the idea of conceding the truth in order to facilitate a more civil discussion is neither wise nor Christlike:
 
“Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.” (Prov 28:23)
 
We are commanded to love one another (Jn 13:34-25). But we’re also commanded to rebuke evil (Eph 5:11). If we fail to do so, we’ve twisted Christ’s love into a dynamic that agitates the wound as opposed to one that stops the bleeding.
 
What we’re facing right now as a nation requires the actions documented in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (prayer and humility). But it also requires the discernment referenced in 1 Chron 12:32:
 
“from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do…”
 
…and 2 Timothy 2:15:
 
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)
 
Failing to apply the Word of God to the whole of life, including politics and current events, is to ignore the all-inclusive dynamic that is repeatedly referenced in Scripture (Dt 29:9; Prov 4:23; 2 Cor 9:8; Col 3:17). It’s what keeps our lives on track and it’s what will put out the fires that are consuming our cities.
 
Bring it!

Unbridled by Morality and Religion

adamsConsider the words of John Adams…

…We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

He wasn’t wrong.

The logic of those who have set up a “Cop Free Zone” in Seattle as well as those who have stolen flat screen TVs, physically assaulted white, female business owners and murdered police officers is this:

1) Among those who served in the First Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention were a large number of slave owners. That being the case, anything they produced is therefore racist and needs to be dismissed.

2) Within the ranks of those who profess to be followers of Christ are individuals who are bigots in the context of both race and gender. This therefore defines Christianity as a cruel and racist doctrine that needs to be eliminated from the public square.

3) Law Enforcement is littered with authority figures who abuse the power associated with their badge to murder and demean minorities. Subsequently the legal system as it exists right now needs to be abolished.

4) The opportunities of Capitalism exist only for those who have the means to get an education and secure a marketable skill. Prosperity is therefore exclusive to privileged Caucasians and in that regard, it needs to be replaced with something more fair and attainable.

In short, the philosophical and spiritual foundations upon which this country is built are lies and only a show of force will bring about the change that is needed.

First of all, you can be accurate without being right and if your cause is to have any validity, it has to be based on a comprehensive evaluation of all the facts as opposed to a misleading manipulation of some of the facts.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are not gauged according to the character flaws of the individuals who created them. Rather they are evaluated according to the substance of the documents themselves.

Bear in mind also that the paradigms you would discredit are the very frameworks that give you the rights you are exercising in this very moment.

Unless the abuses committed by those who call themselves Christians can be validated by the whole of Scripture, you are looking at a distortion of Christianity and not an expression of it.
Isolated instances of police brutality are not representative of all those who are sworn to serve and protect any more than isolated instances of crimes committed by minorities are representative of all people of color.
Capitalism is a staircase, not an escalator. Prosperity requires effort and wise decision making. If those two dynamics are not in place, then you’re trying to build a fire with things that don’t burn and your problem isn’t with a system as much as it’s your strategy.

Our nation is built on a Judeo-Christian framework which is defined according to the cross and the empty tomb. The institutions that proceed from that framework are therefore characterized by freedom, equality and love. While there may be individuals within those institutions that fall short of those ideals, it is those individuals that need to corrected and not the institutions themselves.

Those that are encouraging violence and being violent themselves are not responding to a crisis as much as they are creating a crisis they wish to blame on the offices and the officials they seek to displace. It is a destructive tactic built on a flawed rationale that is fundamentally evil.

If the Truth is to be effectively championed, one must be able to identify the lie embedded in a fact the same way Christ identified the sins embedded in the verses as they were distorted by Satan.

The criminal element that has invaded Seattle’s capital is not driven by a concern for Civil Rights. They are merely exploiting a tragic event in order to establish themselves as their own authority. They are the ones referred to by Adams as those that are, “…unbridled by morality and Religion” and they will lose not just because their barricades will be overwhelmed, but because the substance of their cause will be be revealed for what it truly is.

Being Wise and Not Just Aware

COVID-19-Card-3Here’s my problem…

It’s a common tactic for a guilty party to assault the character of a person who’s asking some direct questions they don’t want to answer. The idea is to distract people from what’s inside the box by getting them to focus on the packaging. (Mk 9:38-39).

At this point, I’m not interested in “facts”- the packaging –  as much as I’m interested in “truth.”

What’s inside the box?

And it all boils down to some basic questions – questions that are often buried beneath a new round of statistics that seem to be designed to intimidate rather than inform.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

#1) Where did the virus come from?

Was it a natural phenomenon that originated in the wet markets of China or was it manufactured in a lab? If it was manufactured, why?

#2) Who benefits from this virus?

Is there money to be made from vaccines? Can it be politicized in way that benefits a particular political party? Is there room for corruption and has that impacted the way this virus has been presented to the public?

#3) How many COVID-19 deaths are fatalities that were actually caused by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome?

In order to die because of the virus, you have to choke on your own fluids (ARDS). Many fatalities are being documented as Coronavirus fatalities when the cause of death was pre-existing health conditions. Why? Every day we hear about the “death toll.” How can that number be ethically published if it’s not a true reflection of what the virus is doing?

#4) Is your immune system being strengthened or weakened by withdrawing from society?

Is remaining in your home or wearing a mask every time you go out in public helping you or hurting you in the long run?

#5) The medical advice we’re being given is justified only if you’re focused on a handful of heavily populated areas in the US. Why?

Over half of the counties in America have not had a single COVID-19 death, yet we’re all being advised according to the some of most unhealthy and crowded areas in our country. Why?

Regardless of how we move forward, these are some of the basic questions that need to be answered. The fact that those answers are not being volunteered let alone published is bothersome, especially when the only news you ever hear is what justifies yet another wave of panic and more justification for greater government intervention.

Dr Fauci and whoever else with comparable credentials, you have the floor…

 

SQL Injection

injectionSQL is pronounced “SEE-quel.” It’s an acronym for “Structure Query Language” and it’s the syntax that’s used to interact with a SQL Database which is very common in the world of web design.

Years ago, something called “SQL Injection” became a problem because of the way it could be used to destroy whole databases. The way that it works is this:

Imagine you’re logging into a website. You’re going to enter your email address and your password, but instead of just entering your email address, you include a series of characters that tell the database to delete a bunch of information.  In other words, you’re including some SQL code along with your credentials that can erase an entire system.

There are safeguards in place to prevent that from happening, but when this practice was first introduced, it took a lot of organizations by surprise and a great deal of damage was done.

What makes it so lethal is the way that a sinister user can submit something that’s accurate – a valid email address and password – and simply include something toxic. On the surface, it’s not especially discernible and because what’s being submitted has the look and feel of something credible, a poison is introduced into the system that would otherwise be refused.

Life is like that sometimes.

You find yourself allowing things into your existence that are positively ruinous, but because it’s packaged as something innocent and even noble, it’s corrosive effect is willingly embraced.

In order to avoid such scenarios, you have to be discerning – you have to be able to distinguish the difference between what’s accurate and what’s true.

“Statistics”

“Experts”

“Compassion”

“Justice”

“Fear”

“Hate”

You’ve heard every one of those terms. And while they represent legitimate entities, sometimes they’re used as valid login credentials that have attached to them some SQL that’s designed to destroy your database.

SQL Injection.

So, how do you avoid it?

Pop the hood. Look inside those numbers. Just because someone has some credentials, does’t mean they’re unbiased. You don’t need to be suspicious or guarded, but you do need to be wise. God Himself says the same thing in 1 John:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 Jn 4:4)

Don’t let somebody just login to your life. “Test the spirits” and guard against the SQL Injection that sinister characters would use to manipulate and even destroy your livelihood, your health, your family, your nation and even your soul.

Go get ’em!

Are We Being Protected or Controlled?

doctorGovernor Cuomo at one point said he needed 50,000 extra hospital beds!

President Trump responded by sending a Navy ship called, “Comfort” to help with the overflow – non-Covid19 patients. That ship has 1,000 beds and the most they had on that ship was…

…20 people.

Right now, the virus has claimed the lives of 61,000 people.

Or has it?

How many of those people died because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome? That is how a person dies if the cause of death is the Coronavirus, or the Flu or Pneumonia. the lungs fill up with fluid and the person can’t breathe. There are rumors out there that say the mortality rate is being inflated for the sake of profit and intimidation.

There are people who are dying as a result of pre-existing medial conditions. But because they were also contending with the Coronavirus at the time of their passing, their death is reported as Coronavirus mortality.

Every time you hear about a new “outbreak,” bear in mind that there’s a 98% chance of recovery. So, the question isn’t “How many people are infected?” The question is, “How many will require hospitalization?”

Bu that isn’t the way things are being presented. And if you go off script, you’re demonized as an uncaring fiend.

But then, that’s the way a lot of conservative positions are handled.

But recently, things have become more disconcerting.

Two doctors from California recently held a press conference and enumerated some of the statistics that are publicly available in terms of how the mortality rate of the COVID-19 is less than that of influenza. They elaborated on the harm that’s done by isolating yourself because in doing so you’re diminishing your body’s ability to build up necessary immunities.

It was a solid, common sense and well documented presentation that had the backing and support of multiple medical professionals.

Their video has been taken down from youtube…

Now, I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on. There is another side to this Coronavirus anomaly that is not only being brushed aside, it’s being silenced.

That is not “protection,” that is “control.”

The numbers no longer justify fear or panic. In addition, there is irrevocable harm being done to our country, not only in the destruction of a citizen’s ability to provide for themselves, but also in the context of increased abuses and suicides.

The fact that anything that deviates from statistics and perspectives that foster fear, masks, panic and gloves is being shut down is not only a violation of the right to free speech, it’s a nonsensical dismissal of the fact that this virus is not as lethal as other diseases that we accept as a part of our daily lives.

There is more to this than what’s being reported and today, by virtue of the way in which youtube removed a video espousing a valid collection of concerns and questions, the sinister elements who are exploiting this crisis showed their hand….

Are we being protected…

…or are we being controlled?