Social Issues – Page 5 – Muscular Christianity

Trump and McCain

I was a part of the ceremony that marked a historic event in Marine Corps history – the promotion of Sergeant Major Kellogg, making him the second Sergeant Major in the entire 200 plus year history of the Corps to have earned that honor.

Here’s the thing: Whatever respect is merited by the actions of those who have done amazing things in the heat of battle (Kellogg grabbed a live grenade that was thrown into his squad, shoved it into the mud and covered it with his body), they are still human and have the capacity to be difficult and even…

Wrong.

For example: Imagine you’re running for President and among your donors is a wealthy business type who you value as a supporter. You lose the nomination. Years later that same donor runs for President and you respond by…

Publicly insulting him and anyone that would vote for him.

Normally, you would be rightfully condemned as a hypocrite and someone whose lack of loyalty borders on heinous. Even your intellect might be called into question given your outrageous deficiency in discretion.

But you don’t have to worry about that because the larger players in the main stream media despise your donor and are more than willing to present you to the public as someone whose war record grants him immunity from any criticism let alone indictment.

So, not only do you get a pass, your foul attitude is forever labeled “righteous indignation.”

Your name is John McCain. Your actions in Vietnam were heroic and revealed a character beyond reproach. Several decades later, your name is still John McCain, but your actions coupled with your voting record are neither heroic let alone ethical given the constituents you represent as a state Senator.

The wealthy business type is Trump. He’s constantly maligned for talking about McCain’s poor showing at the USNA as well as minimizing the events leading up to his imprisonment. These comments, of course, being inspired by McCain’s willingness to throw Trump under the bus in a way that would normally be thought of as unethical if not unconscionable. But McCain is never characterized that way. It makes you wonder if John McCain was so antagonistic towards Trump, where was that disdain when Trump was writing him a check?

Here’s my point: Don’t be surprised if you betray someone and they respond by minimizing the very thing you would otherwise use to make your lack of character appear noble. Trump may not have impressed you with his choice of words, but don’t ever forget that at the first test of honor McCain publicly betrayed Trump before the whole world and a heroic war record doesn’t compensate for a shameful display of selfishness and cowardice.

A Righteous Hatred

I Don’t Hate Anybody

“Hate” is one of those words that have attached to it something vile – something you never want to be guilty of because of the way it ultimately translates to something cruel and violent. That being the case, it makes sense for a “good” Christian to resolve not to “hate” anyone or anything. After all, it says in the Bible not to “hate,” right?

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Lev 19:17-19)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 Jn 3:15)

If that was the sum total of all that Scripture had to say about “hate,” it would be a slam dunk.

Don’t hate.

Period.

I tell you that God hates sin just as a father hates a rattlesnake that threatens the safety and life of his child. God loathes evil and diabolic forces that would pull people down to a godless eternity just as a mother hates a venomous spider that is found playing on the soft, warm flesh of her little baby.

Billy Graham

But There’s More

But that’s not all the Bible has to say. As a matter of fact, the Bible seemingly encourages hatred in some ways. For example, King David says this in Psalm 139:

They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. (Ps 139: 20-22)

This is a man after God’s own heart and he’s writing this as one who’s inspired by the Holy Spirit.

And there’s more:

God hates certain things. He hates hypocrisy and lies:

¹⁶ These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; ¹⁷ do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord. (Zec 8:16-17)

He hates idolaters:

“Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house. I will no longer love them; all their leaders are rebellious.” (Hos 9:15)

“Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary” elaborates on this by saying…

God hates religiosity (Isa 1:14 ; Amos 5:21), hypocrisy and lies (Zec 8:17), wrongdoing (Isa 61:8); divorce (Mal 2:16), violence (Mal 2:16), idolatrous practices (Hosea 9:15), and the way the prophets are treated ( Jer 44:4 ). The theology underlying God’s hatred rests upon two essential qualities of God: holiness and justice. As a divine being with standards, God hates anything that despises, detests, or disregards those standards.

It then goes on to say that God’s people are to mirror God’s attitude towards evil…

We are to hate evildoers (Psalm 26:5), idolaters (Psalm 31:6), the false way (Psalm 119:104), falsehood (Psalm 119:163 ), and anything that is evil (Psalm 97:10; Prov 8:13; Amos 5:15).

So How Does This Work?

So, how does this work? On one hand, we’re not supposed to “hate,” but then it looks as though there are times where hatred is more than justified and even directed towards people by God Himself.

How do you make sense of all this?

The bottom line is whether you’re fighting evil or you’re doing evil.

In 1 John 3:15, the context revolves around the way in which Cain killed his brother. Cain hated Abel – not because Abel was doing anything wrong. Cain despised his brother because he was jealous and unwilling to admit the fact that his sacrifices were leftovers and not his best effort. He was selfish, greedy and willing to give full vent to his hatred by murdering his own kin.

That’s the hatred that God’s referring to when he says, “You’re not to hate your brother.” In that moment you are doing evil.

But when you are fighting evil, there is such a thing as a “righteous hatred” in that you are aggressively opposing those things that represent injustice, false teaching, lies and anything that is truly wicked. That’s what David is referring to in Psalm 139 and that kind of disdain is more than justified.

Hell is Not a Filing Cabinet

You’ve got remember that hell isn’t a filing cabinet in that it’s not a furnace for records and paperwork. There are people in hell (Heb 9:27; Rev 20:12-15). Their actions are not divorced from who they are and, apart from their having accepted the arrangement that God engineered by symbolically punishing the sin of all mankind through the death and resurrection of His Son, they are going to suffer the punishment for everything that God was otherwise willing to forgive.

In other words, sin is serious.

And part of what makes it so reprehensible is the way it corrodes a person’s perspective to the point where even when they know they’re driving on the wrong side of the road, they could care less. Those individuals tend to hurt both themselves and others through their example as well as their words. They are the evildoers referenced by David in Psalm 26:5. and they’re the rattlesnake and the spider referred to by Billy Graham (see above textbox).

What About Loving Your Enemy?

But what about loving your enemy?

While there is a logical way to reconcile what would otherwise be something contradictory, as far as the kind of hatred that’s condemned in Scripture and the “righteous hatred” that David talks about in the Psalms, there’s still what appears to be a disconnect in that situation where I’m pointing a gun at an aggressor, yet I’m simultaneously offering him a grilled cheese sandwich…?

Where’s the logic in that that?

There’s a difference between loving your enemy and enabling them. You are to extend every Christian charity to your enemy. Scripture is loaded with such admonitions. But Scripture is also clear on defending that which is right (Jer 22:3) and includes several examples of God not just tolerating the use of deadly force, but empowering it.

A person can qualify as your enemy without being a threat to you, your home or your family. In those instances, resisting the temptation to be argumentative or worse is noble, but God’s command requires you to go beyond civility and engage them with genuine kindness and love.

Love your enemy…

But should that same person step over that line that separates a belligerent person from a dangerous individual, you’re now interacting with them in the context of justice and a holy obligation to stand up for what is right. In other words, your disposition must now be based on, not just one verse, but the whole of God’s Word. From that perspective you have both a reasonable and Biblical basis for stopping them even if it means the use of deadly force.

Bottom Line

When you hear someone say, “I don’t hate anything or anybody,” you’re not necessarily hearing a noble sentiment in that, given the toxicity of sin and the way it destroys both in this life and the next, to not hate sin and those who promote it is to champion a casual regard for the very thing that God despises.

There is such a thing as a “righteous hatred,” but it’s the fact that it’s “righteous” that makes it appropriate. By being “righteous,” it’s based on a person’s godlessness and not a mere misstep. In addition, it’s exercised in the context of championing what is genuinely right and not a selfish agenda.

David says in Psalm 26:5:

I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. (Ps 26:5)

That is the bottom line. We despise evildoers and we do abhor the wicked. Not because they “get on our nerves,” but because they are agents of eternal destruction and genuine enemies of God.

That is a “righteous hatred.”

By Your Leave, Sir…

Ribbons and Medals

As an enlisted man, when you’re getting ready to pass a commissioned officer from the rear, you salute and say, “By your leave, sir.” He responds by saying, “Granted” and you continue on your way.

It’s an appropriate gesture of respect and it’s expected in the context of what is considered to be military protocol.

While you don’t salute military decorations on an officer’s chest, those ribbons and medals are also worthy of acknowledgement because of the way they reflect courage and character – at least in that moment where the act of bravery represented by that medal actually occurred.

But…

To assume that those same actions translate to an inability to be mistaken, flawed or even criminal is to assume that the valor needed to justify those ribbons on their chest is automatically present in every thought and activity from that moment on.

And that’s not a healthy assumption.

When you encounter a veteran, they’re worthy of your gratitude for their service. And when you meet a decorated veteran, they’re even more deserving because of they’re having risked their lives and made a sacrifice that justifies a salute and a “By your leave, sir.”

But however “proven” a person’s character may be – even in a combat scenario – to assume that they’re impervious to any kind of temptation or incapable of making a bad decision is to deny the fact that they’re human.

Combat Veterans

When I served, I enjoyed working for combat veterans. Having had to function in an environment where real bullets were whistling overheard, those individuals tended to lead in a manner that was devoid of any kind of drama or political correctness. It was solid, confident and even if you didn’t agree with it, you were more prone to trust their logic given the far greater tensions they had been confronted with in the past.

But I had one run in with a staff non commissioned officer that was a Vietnam War veteran and I wouldn’t have wanted him for a subordinate let alone a boss. He was impulsive, negative, condescending and – in my particular situation – he was wrong. But he wasn’t the kind of individual who would ever admit it, which made his bearing even more disdainful.

My uncle was a decorated WW II fighter pilot, having won the Silver Star as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross. Among the Flag Officers that would later be immortalized in various World War II films, there was one in particular that, while he appeared to be a noble and wise leader in the movies, my uncle had a much different perspective on him because of the way he foolishly put his sailors at risk.

Robert J. O’Neill, the Navy Seal who killed Osama Bin Laden, tweeted, “I wish the left wouldn’t use his uniform to make him a saint. He’s an operative with an agenda.” Similarly, Mark Geist, a Marine who fought at Benghazi tweeted, “Vindman is a disgrace to all who have served. Transcript of his previous closed door testimony he clearly admits to undermining the @POTUS foreign policy and now he has chairman Schiff advising him on how to answer questions.

Vindman Discredits His Service And Uniform With Partisan Testimony

And then there’s Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the officer who testified before the House Intelligence Committee as part of the Democrat’s attempt to remove Trump from office. Despite the fact that President Zelensky insisted there was nothing inappropriate about Trump’s conduct, House Democrats proceeded to manufacture a bogus scenario in order to justify impeachment proceedings. Part of their despicable theater was Lt. Col. Vindman, a decorated Army officer who used his ribbons to distract from the fact that his respect for protocol and the chain of command was as unprofessional as it was non-existent. So, while Vindman needs to be thanked for whatever wounds he was willing to endure that earned him the Purple Heart, his conduct and his motives demonstrated as part of the coup to remove his Commander in Chief show that a singular act of bravery doesn’t translate to a lifetime of valor.

Four Star Generals

General Kelly and General Mattis have impeccable military records. But recently they’ve been very critical of Trump and the MSM has been only too happy to celebrate them as legitimate reasons why you wouldn’t want to vote for him.

But here’s the thing:

Mattis doesn’t want Federal Troops to be deployed against Antifa. He’s denounced Trump as an enemy of “unity.”

Well, I disagree.

Antifa hides behind a noble sounding rhetoric, but in the end they, along with their Black Lives Matter counterparts, are not asking for unity or equality. Their actions demonstrate a desire for immunity and a commitment to destruction: Immune to the consequences of bad decisions and determined to destroy the very paradigm that gives them the right to protest. Furthermore, many of the areas where these thugs are allowed to flourish are run by Democratic leadership who seem willing to put their own constituents at risk both financially and physically all for the sake of making the White House look bad.

Kelly has been critical of the President for some time. But his bias is hard to ignore when you consider how at one point he said that anyone who favors Fox News is not an informed citizen. So, what does that imply, as far as those who favor the MSM? Furthermore, his indictments, according to White House Press Secretary Stephenie Grisham, seem “disingenuous,” given the fact that she was with in the room when he backed the President on issues that he now criticizes.

Bottom Line

Marine Corps Major General Jim Livingston, a Medal of Honor winner, recently joined 8 four star generals and a total of over 200 retired senior military officers to endorse Trump. Thing is, you have to “dig,” to find that information. The MSM is going to trumpet anything and anyone they can find to promote the idea that Trump is a fool and a fiend. Anything that supports something to the contrary is going to be demonized as either irrelevant or unreliable.

His accomplishments are rarely discussed. Rather, it’s his supposed lack of character and the attacks have been ruthless. The bias and the overall lack of integrity on the part of the media is rampant as evidenced by the recent article published by The Atlantic (and quickly reprinted in almost every major news publication) that claimed Trump referred to the buried American World War I soldiers in France as “suckers and losers.” Suspiciously validated by four “anonymous” sources, this claim has been refuted by no less than 20 Witnesses who were present at the time this comment was supposedly made – which was two years ago, by the way.

Ribbons and Medals are worthy of respect. But just because you’ve been decorated doesn’t mean you’ve been granted a status of immunity when it comes to succumbing to bad influences or the tendency to make bad choices all on your own. Furthermore, a decorated vet isn’t necessarily representative of every decorated serviceman when it comes to one’s mindset and perspective. However the press, or any institution for that matter, wants to imply that one combat veteran’s opinion is either symbolic or superior to any other serviceman’s outlook is to overlook:

the possibility of that person being flawed
the malicious manipulation represented by asserting a heroic act as means to validate a bogus perspective
the ignorant assumption made when believing that one man’s opinion is shared by everyone else who wears the same uniform

A salute, a grateful disposition and respect for a selfless act…absolutely! But to respond with a “By your leave, sir!” when confronted with a half truth, a hidden agenda or something immoral?

Absolutely not.

Kick the Tires

The following is a sermon I preached on September 29, 2020 at Faith Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. You can download the outline as well as the Listening Sheet by clicking here. The underlined words are the blanks you’ll see on the Listening Sheet.

I) Intro There are three sides to the topics we’re dealing with in our society today. There’s what’s wrong … …there’s what’s accurate and then there’s what’s True “Facts” are like pieces of a puzzle. However important and credible they may be, there are nevertheless fragments of a greater whole. The Truth is the fully assembled puzzle with all of the “facts” correctly configured. It’s the Truth that you need in order ensure that your convictions are fully vetted and informed. Otherwise, you’re basing your perspective on a solitary instrument as opposed to a full orchestra and you’ll never be able to hear or appreciate the music as it was intended to be heard. It’s for that reason you can’t afford to be merely smart, you have to be wise. You can’t allow yourself to be satisfied with your intellect alone, you have to make use of the Perspective God offers by “testing” what it is that lies before you.

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

You have to “kick the tires.”

II) What Does it Mean to be Wise? To be wise is to evaluate a situation correctly. In order to do that, you need as your starting point a Perfect Resource which is God Himself:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov 9:10)

By framing your thoughts according to what’s specified in God’s Word along with the Guidance that He promises (Ps 143:12), you’re now on track to do the right thing at the right time in the right way for all the right reasons (Matt 5:48). It’s not an especially mystical transaction. You pray for instruction and then you let God reveal His Preferences in the context of your circumstance and however else He might shape your mindset (Rom 8:6). There’s one thing, however, that you can do from a purely practical standpoint that Christ Himself demonstrated in the way He responded to some of His detractors… You have to ask the right questions.

III) Ask the Right Questions

A) When Contending with the Enemy

Throughout the gospels you see the Pharisees asking Him questions that would’ve revealed Him as a fraud had He not been everything He claimed to be. But rather than “answering a fool according to his folly (Prov 26:4),” He responded with the “right” question that compelled His opponents to acknowledge both their sinister intentions as well as the flawed logic that were attempting to assert as a philosophical given. Here’s an example:

²⁷They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. ²⁸“By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

²⁹Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

³¹They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³²But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

³³So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Mk 11:27-33)

Jesus had no formal training nor academic credentials. While that might be a legitimate cause for concern, John the Baptist didn’t have any formal training either. The fact that were willing to validate John as a prophet despite his non-existent resume (Jn 1:19) but not Jesus demonstrates that weren’t looking to validate Him as much as they were trying to discredit Him. But do you see how Christ countered their question with another question? Rather than allowing the flow of the dialogue to be dictated by a hidden agenda, Jesus responds with the “right” question in that it addressed the way the Pharisees were posing as concerned authorities when in fact they were hypocritical assailants. Ravi Zacharias once said, “When you question someone’s question, you compel them to open up about their own assumptions. Our assumptions must be examined.”¹ It’s the philosophical scaffolding that supports the question that qualifies it as something that is either looking to justify itself or transform itself into something that better accommodates the Truth. C.S. Lewis reinforces this by saying that “The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed.”² Consider the following:

Does the Bible endorse slavery?	What was the punishment in the Old Testament for kidnapping?
Does the Bible endorse slavery?	How could Abolitionists base their argument against the slave trade on the Bible if Scripture supported it?
Was every one of our Founding Fathers a born-again Christian?	Who did our Founders identify as the Source of our Freedom?
Don’t homosexuals have the right to be happy?	Do homosexuals have the right to redefine Moral Absolutes?
Shouldn’t we trust the news?	Shouldn’t we want the truth?
Aren’t all Christians hypocrites?	Are all church members genuine Christians?
Don’t I have the right to choose?	Does your baby have the right to live?
Is the Bible reliable?	Is the integrity of the Bible dependent on the accuracy of man or the Ability of God?
Why does God allow suffering?	Why did Jesus have to die?

You have to ask the right questions. And while the example of Christ and the above responses demonstrate the utility of the right questions being asked in the context of refuting a flawed premise, it’s also a dynamite way to ensure the quality of your own assumptions.

B) When Contending with Yourself

The movie, “Moneyball” is based on the book by the same title authored by Michael Lewis. It stars Brad Pitt and it tells the story of the manager of the Oakland A’s who, at one point, deployed a strategy when it came to recruiting new employers that represented a dramatic departure from convention. Instead of going after big ticket all-stars, they focused instead on players that could consistently get on base. Not home run hitters, just solid and consistent ball players that could get on first every time they got up to bat. The result was amazingly successful. That year the A’s turned in a winning season and were able to do it at a fraction of the cost that comparable teams were paying for a roster that was supposedly more talented. Satan is described in Scripture as both a snake and a lion. Put those two illustrations together and you have something that is as vicious as it is subtle. He’s not posing as a home run hitter. Rather, he’s just trying to get on first. And what happens over time is he keeps advancing runners and before you know it, he’s putting points on the board and you’re up to your neck in the kind of sin you never thought possible. Again, it comes back to asking the right questions and laboring to be truly wise as opposed to being merely smart.

1) Politics, Race and COVID-19

Volatile issues are sometimes labeled as “divisive” and therefore something to be avoided altogether in order to better foster a Christian sense of unity, peace and compassion (2 Tim 4:3). That’s one extreme. In the middle of the spectrum you have Scripture being applied in ways that resonate as “accurate,” but because the application consists of the Bible being deployed in a manner that is incomplete, the result falls short of true obedience (2 Tim 2:15). And then there’s the Truth where topics are being processed according to the whole of God’s Word and the resulting approach is profoundly positive (Rom 12:1-2). Think about it… In the absence of wisdom…

Unity becomes Corruption
Love becomes Neglect
Peace becomes Indifference
…and however you want to be perceived as compassionate, in the absence of wisdom you become an accomplice

So, how do you “stay in the zone?” How do you ensure that you’re being wise? Ask the right questions. Test the spirits. Kick the tires.

i) Politics

We’re commanded in Scripture to pray for our leaders that we may, “…live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Tim 2:1-3). That’s the goal. In order to pray intelligently, you need to be engaged just like the men of Issachar (1 Chron 12:32). And when it comes to supporting a particular candidate, you base your decision on the platform and not their personality. Should you find yourself distracted by what appears to a godlessness on the part of the one you may favor, remember King Cyrus . King Cyrus was the Persian King who God used to enact legislation that would give the Hebrews the opportunity to rebuild the Temple and the Wall. But look at what is said of Cyrus is the book of Isaiah:

who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, “Let it be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Let its foundations be laid.”’ (Is 44:28)

God calls King Cyrus, “my shepherd.” But in the very next chapter…

For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. ⁵I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me…(Is 45:5)

Would you have voted for King Cyrus?

King Cyrus didn’t know or acknowledge God. For an orthodox Jew, that must’ve been a hard pill to swallow given the fact that Cyrus was not only a Gentile, but he was an idolater. Yet, God referred to him as “my shepherd” and it was through Cyrus’ administration that the Hebrews were able to rebuild their capital city. The example of Cyrus demonstrates that a leader can be a heathen and still be worthy of your support because of the way their platform promotes and protects the work of God. So the question isn’t, “How can I support someone who doesn’t acknowledge God?” The question is, “Whose platform is most aligned with that which promotes and protects our nation’s spiritual wellbeing?” Or, another question which better accommodates the whole of Scripture as opposed to those passages that restrict God’s usage of individuals to those that honor would be, “Would you have voted for King Cyrus?”

P.S. To write in another name on the ballot or to abstain from the voting process entirely is to withdraw your support of “King Cyrus” and insist that unless God provides the kind of leader that’s consistent with your expectations than God’s Activity goes unnoticed and both the wall and the Temple remain in ruins.

ii) Black Lives Matter

God evaluates individuals according to their character and not their uniform or their ethnicity (Dt 24:16; Ez 18:20; 1 Cor 3:13). To project the character flaws of a select few on to an entire institution or people group is the very definition of Racism, yet this is the approach represented whenever you hear the term, “Police Brutality” or “White Supremacy.” From that standpoint, those who use those terms are the very thing they claim to despise and theirs is an agenda of Destruction and Deception rather than Direction. You can see this illustrated in the way the Israelites were commanded to treat the “foreigner” in the Old Testament. These “foreigners” were inevitably a part of people group that were among Israel’s enemies. It would’ve been both logical and perhaps even appropriate to assume that these people according to the vile gods they worshipped and the murderous acts they committed against the Israelites. But commanded the Hebrews to love the foreigner who had agreed to live among the Jews peacefully rather than raise their hand against both Israel and her God. (Ex 22:21; Dt 20:10-15). And what’s significant about this is that some of these foreigners would go on to occupy prominent positions in Israel’s army, leadership and even a part of Christ’s lineage (Uriah [2 Sam 11], Caleb [Num 32:12 {Gen 15:19}], Ruth [Ruth 4:13-22; Matt 1:5]). This demonstrates conclusively that individuals are gauged according to their merits and not the flaws of their lineage or whatever label society would fix upon them. Whatever injustices have been committed, they need to be evaluated first in terms of the individuals involved and their personal history before evaluating a system either according to the way it’s abused or as a veil to conceal the moral failings of the individual being considered. So, the question isn’t “Do black lives matter?” The question is, “Do you evaluate a person according to their skin or their character?”

iii) COVID-19

The Corona Virus is a very real sickness that can be lethal. Statistically, however, the chances of a person dying from Covid-19 are comparable to dying in an automobile accident. Proverbs 21:16 says,

Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead. (Prov 21:16)

To throw caution to the wind is not responsible, but anything taken to the extreme is never wise (Ecc 7:16-18). So the question isn’t, “Do we trade the economy for the elderly?” as much as it’s, “At what point does ‘caution’ become destructive?”

IV) Conclusion

Let’s review some of the verses that we looked at today: We just concluded that anything take to the extreme is never wise:

Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself? ¹⁷Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool—why die before your time? ¹⁸It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. (Ecc 7:16-18)

In other words, you want to be prudent. In Proverbs 8:12, it says:

I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. (Prov 8:12)

Prudence is a companion of wisdom and wisdom is…

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov 9:10)

Whether you’re talking about being prudent or avoiding extremes, it all comes down to being wise. And true wisdom is based first and foremost on the Perspective that comes from God. However obvious a particular issue may be, it’s always good to “kick the tires” and test those things that would appear to be givens by asking the right questions. It’s in the context of those questions that you’re able to discover the assumptions that may be lurking behind those dispositions and it’s there where you can ensure that you’re not being merely smart… …but you’re being truly wise.

Test the spirits.

Ask the right questions.

Kick the tires.

Why I’m Going to Vote for Trump and Why I Think You Should Too (Consider the Source)

For the last four years, the Democrat Party and the Main Stream Media (MSM) has been focused dedicated exclusively to destroying President Trump.

Some would argue that they get plenty of help from Trump himself in the way he Tweets and the way he communicates in general.

But there’s a point where you have to consider the source before you allow the incessant din of negative press to influence your perspective and, more importantly, your vote.

Trump’s Lies

Trump’s detractors have a bad habit of hijacking certain words in the English language and use their implied meaning to distract from the true purpose behind the use of those terms.

For example…

Lie – something that Trump has said that the Left doesn’t agree with and can’t effectively refute
Fascism – that time frame when a Democrat neither occupies the Oval Office nor the majority
Hatemonger – a personality that doesn’t cower in the face of bad press
Mysoginist – government official who refuses to force employers to financially support a female’s sexual lifestyle
Racist – person who sees an individual as someone who’s responsible for their actions
American Nationalism – the mindset that believes it’s appropriate to protect and promote those things that make America unique and special

Taken together you have a literary pool from which to draw from that, when combined with intentionally incomplete information, you can sound compelling yet not be entirely accurate. And while your content may be ethical as far as it not being technically false, it is nevertheless toxic because of it being presented as a completed puzzle rather than a mere puzzle piece.

Journalists are the smartest people in the room, so smart that they can’t possibly expected to just report the news. Thus, the grant themselves license to package it and analyze it with an intelligence only they seem to possess. They profess to believe in the power of facts, but what they really believe in is their power to proclaim facts. Facts exist to be bent to their will to further their narrative.¹

You see this illustrated in the 2017 article published by the New York Times entitled, “Trump’s Lies.” I supposedly detailed over 100 lies that Trump had supposedly told during his first 100 days in office. But with minimal digging, you can see for yourself that the Times is not reporting falsehoods as much as they are identifying things they don’t agree with and referring to them as “lies.” Click here to see for yourself.

Losers and Suckers

In addition, you have situations like the story that was recently printed in, “The Atlantic” entitled, “Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’.” Within an hour, most of the major news publications were reprinting the story of how President Trump referred to the soldiers buried in France who lost their lives at the Battle of Belleau Wood. Those who despise Trump were only too happy to throw their two cents in and repeat the diatribe that, more often than not, is more sensation than it is substance.

The article itself is based on a very flimsy journalistic foundation. Jeffrey Goldberg, the author of the article, claims that Trump’s comments were verified by four “anonymous” sources. However dubious that sounds, it is nevertheless perceived as a substantive testimony and all the world is justified in perceiving Trump as a vulgar fiend.

But is it true?

Since the article was published, no less than 20 individuals who were present at the time the alleged comments were made have insisted that Trump did no such thing. Goldberg himself as admitted that some of what was asserted in the article may be false.

But to what extent do you hear what amounts to both a retraction as well as a body of evidence that compelling labels Goldberg’s accusations as bogus? And is it circulated with the same kind of enthusiasm as the original indictment?

Not a whisper and a big, fat, “No!”

What You’ve Been Told

Most of what we know about the world is based on what we’ve been told. Moreover, it’s not just what we’ve been told as much as it’s what we choose to hear. If you’re inclined to think of humanity as its own absolute, the Democrat party specializes in labels, mobs and crowds to justify the condemnation of whole systems in order to vindicate the individual and thereby awarding them a default nobility and an assumed morality. It’s not so much that God is dead as much as it’s God is gone and His Perspective is replaced with a person’s “right to be happy.” However obvious or appropriate that might sound, it’s not a person’s right to be happy as much as it’s a person having the authority to redefine that which is good and that which is evil.

Theology, for the sake of this conversation, is the application of Scripture as the “words” of God. No editing and no ignoring of certain passages so as to better accommodate cultural preferences. Sociology, in this case, is referring to the Bible deployed only when it agrees with a societal belief and only those sections that can be sufficiently twisted. “Absolutes” are replaced with generic references to love and unity and sin is dismissed as a legalistic term that carries with it no real consequence and therefore no real need for redemption.

Theology vs Sociology

On the other hand, if you’re convinced that the only qualified individual who can effectively lead our country in a way that promotes and protects Biblical Absolutes is one that can quote Scripture and abstain from anything even remotely crass, you will find yourself at an impasse when pondering all that Trump has done to preserve and apply our spiritual heritage and compare that to the self absorbed fiend the media would have you believe him to be.

At Some Point…

At some point you have to think with your mind and not your feelings. You can’t read with your ears nor can you substitute sound bites for substance.

You have to consider the source.

Whether you’re listening to a journalist, an activist or a self proclaimed political commentator, you have to process what they’re saying recognizing that some would believe they can speak something into existence simply because they want it to be real. Facts, however accurate they may be, are nevertheless pieces of a much larger whole and regardless of the name of the resource or the number of letters after the expert being cited, you have to consider the source and be ready to think for yourself rather than allowing others to do your thinking for you.

Journalism is an honorable vocation provided it’s journalism and not activism. And even citing Scripture as the premise upon which you want to build your perspective is healthy provided it’s theology and not sociology (see sidebar). So, however passionate or credible the voice may be, you have to consider the source. Only then are you guaranteed accurate perspectives, practical solutions and…

…a qualified leader.

You have to consider the source.

1. “Unmasked”, L. Brent Bozell III, Tim Graham, Humanix Books, West Palm Beach, FL, 2019, p1

Why I’m Going to Vote for Donald Trump and Why You Should Too (Labels, Mobs and Crowds)

Too much attention is being given to labels, mobs and crowds. You have a name, you are a person and you have a choice.

You cannot claim to be a victim of a flawed system if a close inspection of your personal history reveals that you’re not oppressed by your government’s unjust policies as much as you’re suppressed by your own bad decisions.

And you will never be able to improve your situation nor realize your God-given potential as long as you define yourself according to a label, a mob or a crowd.

You have a name, you are a person and you have a choice.

I’m Not, I Don’t, I Can’t, I Won’t

Every political paradigm in this country can be boiled down to one of two camps. One says, “I’m not, I don’t, I can’t and I won’t.” The other says, “I am, I can, I will and I do.”

These are not marketing campaigns, these are philosophical foundations that shape policy and define culture.

Let me show you what I mean.

On one hand, I am defined by however a particular institution has labeled me. If I’m white, I’m a problem. If I’m a minority, I’m a victim. If I’m wealthy, I’m corrupt. If I’m a homosexual, I’m rejected. If I’m a Christian and a Caucasian, I’m a white evangelical. I am an anonymous member of a collective where everything about who I am – my triumphs, my failures, my future and my potential – are all limited and defined according to the group that I am identified with.

I’m not, I don’t, I can’t and I won’t.

And the only way in which I can rise above my dilemma is to empower my government with more authority and enable them to give me what I am supposedly powerless to earn on my own.

I Am, I Can, I Will, I do

On the other hand, I have enormous potential because of the way I have been designed. Regardless of my circumstance or however any organization would attempt to define me, both my future and my ability are based on a Divine Truth as opposed to a legal mechanism or a cultural obstacle.

I am, I can, I will and I do.

This is the idea that the Declaration of Independence took to King George in 1776. The colonists weren’t merely complaining. Rather, they were proclaiming that “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In other words, the individual is not defined by their ethnicity or their economic station. No one person is superior to another and their ability to pursue whatever goal he perceives as worthy of his best effort is a God given right and not a systemic privilege.

I am, I can, I will and I do.

An Eternal Given

This is what makes America both unique and exceptional. What gives our political philosophy its substance is the way in which it appeals to the Supreme Judge of the world for it’s validity and a firm reliance on Divine Providence for its protection. And with that credibility and endurance comes a set of Divine Tools that when properly deployed translates to personal and national prosperity.

Because the American Ideal is based on an eternal Given, it’s not the personalities of the leaders we install as much as it’s the platform they champion and the extent to which it resonates with the Paradigm that focuses on the Divine Worth of the individual as opposed to the idea that humanity is its own absolute.

Those who advocate an America in need of a better system are ultimately telling you that you’re not, you don’t, you can’t and you won’t. The system is to blame and the system is the answer and all you need to do is agree.

But the country that you love and the Truth that she is based on says that you have a name and you created to make a difference and not just an appearance. You are a person molded in the image of your Creator to thrive alongside your fellow man and you have a choice…

You can quit and accept the idea that you’re a failure apart from a new system, a new god and an old lie.

…or you can stand.

And say, “I am, I can, I will and I do.”

A Twitter Account and a Headline

My choice for President is not based on a Twitter account or a headline. My choice is based on the platform that says I am more than a label. My vote will be cast in favor of the man whose record includes actions and not just words – results and not just meetings. I’m going for the candidate who focuses on the individual and does not get distracted by the mob. I will cast my ballot in favor of the man who I have gauged according to my own research and not the incessant din of journalists and critics. I will support the platform that sees me as a person created in the image of my Creator and not the victim of a system but as the sum total of my decisions.

I will vote for Donald J. Trump because I have a name, I am a person and I have a choice…

…and I am, I can, I will and I do!

It’s Not Just the Mask…

It’s not just the mask…

Of the fatalities that have been reported by the CDC that have been categorized as COVID-19 deaths, only 6% are exclusively due to ARDS. Every other fatality had, on average, two other diseases the deceased was contending with at the time of their death. You don’t hear those dynamics communicated in the “dealth tolls.” All you hear is a message that implies you are either at risk or you’re a liability – and unless you hide your face and shut it down, you may get sick and die.

The WHO recently conceded that 80% of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic.

You have a better chance of dying in a car wreck than you do from COVID-19 and don’t forget that as of April, it was estimated that 50% of Americans had already contracted COVID-19 and had recovered from it.

That doesn’t mean you dismiss any death or any sickness as inconsequential. Nor does it mean that you don’t wear a mask, although the kind of mask you wear makes a big difference.

What it does mean is that you don’t dismiss concerns about the economy as inconsequential or the fact that lives are being disrupted and, in some cases, ruined.

And just as a quick aside, the “economy” is often referenced as some kind of dark and selfish institution that cannot compare to the loss of life. But that’s not the real economy. The real economy is people being able to pay their mortgage and put food on the table. The real economy is bankruptcy and failing businesses and unemployment. Without the real economy, there is no healthcare, there is no research and there is no resolution. If you’ve not lost your job and haven’t had to default to credit cards in order to pay your mortgage, be glad. But at the same time be sensitive to those who are on the brink of not being able to pay for groceries. If this crisis is going to be resolved, the remedy will have to apply to every area where damage has been done and that includes more than just respirators.

Some have accused those who would see life return to normal as being guilty of a disposition that would, “…trade the elderly for the economy.” If that logic were sound and we would limit any activity that poses a comparable amount of risk, then we could just as easily say that anytime we’re getting into a car with our family we are sacrificing the lives or our children for a quick mode of transportation.

I’m not minimizing the reality of COVID-19 any more than I would sneer at an automobile accident. And I’m not discouraging masks anymore than I would balk at wearing a seat belt.

But here’s the thing…

We don’t treat other sicknesses or comparable risk laden activities with the same kind of restrictions.

Why?

This isn’t just about wellness or being responsible. There are other agendas baked into this crisis that are emphasizing masks and social distancing for reasons that have nothing to do with medical science. Couple that with the obvious way in which things are being communicated and the way in which treatments which have proven effective are not just dismissed, but demonized…

It’s not just the mask…

Comorbidities

Comorbidities is defined as: “…the presence of one or more additional conditions often co-occurring (that is, concomitant or concurrent with) with a primary condition.” In other words, at the time of death, was the deceased contending with more than one lethal medical condition?

Recently, the CDC published an update to their COVID-19 statistisc which said:

Table 3 shows the types of health conditions and contributing causes mentioned in conjunction with deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death. The number of deaths with each condition or cause is shown for all deaths and by age groups.

The statement that caused a stir was the part that said, “For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned.”

In other words, in 94% of the fatalities, the cause of death was something other than COVID-19. The Coronavirus was present, but it was not necessarily the cause of death. Rather, it was something akin to someone dying of a heart attack, but because they also had the Coronavirus, they were documented as a COVID-19 fatality.

The same statement goes on to say that, “For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.” So, for those who are being documented as COVID-19 deaths, not only was it not the sole cause of death, in many of the cases there was more than one “morbidity.” On the average, they were contending with three potentially lethal conditions.

But regardless of how they died, they were documented as a COVID-19 death.

In 94% of the cases, COVID-19 was present, but it wasn’t the deal breaker.

Pause for effect…

This is incredibly significant, but what’s even more disconcerting is this:

Google Search for “CDC 6%”

When you click on that link you get any one of a number of websites that rush to maintain the idea that COVID-19 must be perceived as a lethal disease and that any other perspective is inevitably revealed as the result of overly simplistic thinking.

Take for example this article from Vox entitled, “Covid-19 Death Skepticism, Explained by a Cognitive Scientist.” In the article, those who read the recent CDC publication and walked away thinking that the death toll numbers have been exaggerated were not taking into consideration the way in which COVID-19, though not being the actual cause of death, is still a contributing factor in that it exacerbated the effects of the lethal disease that was already in place.

But that’s not really the point, is it?

No, the media hasn’t lied, but they haven’t been telling the whole truth. COVID-19 is lethal by itself only in rare situations. It proves to be genuinely problematic only in those scenarios where you already have one or two more terminal conditions.

Since March of this year, we’ve been treated to a non-stop parade of headlines and statistics that imply you are at risk of contracting a deadly virus, regardless of your health. The fact that you have a better chance of dying in a car wreck or the fact that there are treatments that have proven effective are consistently drowned out by the perpetual publishing of “death tolls” and “new cases.”

This is the message and the situation that justifies masks and the limitation, if not the obliteration, of businesses all over the country because it’s a pandemic and we need to be “working together.”

Not only is this is not a problem that justifies an entire population cowering in a corner, hiding behind a mask and avoiding any kind of activity that involves normal, human interaction in the context of a crowd. The real problem is that the media has been ethical only to the point of saying how many people have died. They haven’t made any attempt to quality the condition of the individuals who passed away, thus giving the impression that healthy people are at risk and the continued shut down of our nation is therefore justified.

Here’s what I think..

There are areas in our country that are seeing this virus affect their population in a way that requires hospitalization. Assist them, pray for them but don’t use them as situations that represent the nation as a whole.
Those who are risk need to take the necessary precautions and quarantine themselves, avoid crowds, wear a mask and take responsibility for their health.
Those who are not at risk need to get busy repairing the damage that’s been done by those who have maintained from the very beginning that normalcy is a liability. Go back to school, open your doors, take the mask off and move forward.
If you’re among those that are still convinced there’s reason to be concerned and you don’t want to give up your mask or your ability to work from home – provided you still have a job – I respect your concern, but I will ask that you respect my evaluation of the statistics and, again, remember that it’s not healthy people that are having a problem.
For those who are in decision making positions and fret over the possibility of opening things up and then someone contracting the virus and dying, ask everyone in your charge to sign a release that represents a willingness to assume responsibility for their health and not hold you or anyone else liable.

According to the CDC, of the 161,392 fatalities reported, only 9,683 actually died from COVID. Compare that to the fact in 2017, 20,000 people died from the Flu and we have a vaccine for that! If that’s the case, COVID-19 is less of a problem than the Flu and the content that’s being published in the media in an effort to better qualify CDC’s recent report isn’t being distributed for the sake of clarity…

It’s damage control.

Bottom line: COVID-19 is not a morbidity in and of itself. In 94% of the cases, it’s a comorbidity and while it’s appropriate to be sensitive to those who have one or more terminal conditions that can be worsened by COVID-19, being sensitive is not the same thing as being disengaged.

The Guy in the Middle

Saul Alinsky once said, “Never let a crisis go to waste.”

What he’s referring to is illustrated in the graphic on the right.

What you have is a legitimate problem that needs to be solved – a crisis that needs to be addressed. Among those who are being looked to for an answer you have three types of authorities that are motivated by three very different criteria.

Now, tt might be somewhat surprising that on the left you have a hammer and the caption, “Destruction.” Granted, there are volatile types in this category, as far as demonstrations and looting. But it’s also the well meaning individual who insists on “doing” without “thinking” that often makes a bad situation even worse.

Destruction.

On the right, you’ve got “Direction.” It’s there where you have a balanced approach that acknowledges risk without ignoring the remedy. It’s usually a hard call to make in that not every “i” is dotted, nor is every “t” crossed. There will be critics, there’s a chance that it will fail, but it nevertheless resonates as a decision that can be defended with a substantial amount of reason. And the one thing that will always be the case with this particular approach is that it comes from a leader as opposed to a manager. And that leader will often be known for appealing to a Higher Power for the wisdom they require (see Jas 1:5).

Direction.

The guy in the middle, however, is the one you want to watch out for. This is the one that Alinski wanted to encourage with his aforementioned comment.

They are calculated. They’re not interested in a solution as much as they’re focused on exploiting the willingness of a group of people to accept an idea due to the anxiety and the confusion that characterizes a particular situation. The “idea” is intentionally communicated using words that stress compassion for the hurting and justice for the discarded. But embedded within their platform is a collection of tactics and compromises designed to advance a sinister agenda. So, what might appear to be a solution to a problem is actually an opportunity to establish some realities that would not otherwise be accepted.

Deception.

Some of the word’s most heinous tyrants were able to achieve their goals by being the “guy in the middle.” They presented themselves as a visionary that was capable of solving the problem at hand, but with that solution came a new establishment that would be recognized as evil only after the fact.

Adolf Hitler, Vladamir Lenin, Mao Zedong.

Granted, not everyone who chooses to manipulate a problem for their own selfish gain is a tyrant, but it is nevertheless an approach based on a lie and anyone who opts for this approach is hiding something and for that reason cannot be trusted let alone empowered.

The Guy in the Middle.

Know who he is and know that regardless of how he sounds, he’s always got something else in mind.

You Are What You Eat

You are what you eat.

If you’re trying to trim down and build a leaner and more muscular physique, you have to be mindful of what you’re putting into your body.

Imagine you’re at a fast food restaurant and you’re getting ready to order what you believe to be a more healthy alternative to the “gut-bomb” that you would’ve otherwise gravitated to. But before you place your order, you do a quick inspection of the calories represented by the “healthier” option you’re getting ready to eat by looking it up online. To your surprise and dismay, you find out that a “small” order of fries is 320 calories all by itself. In other words, with this one meal you’re getting ready to purchase, you’re downing almost half of the calories you’ve allotted for yourself that day.

“Validation” requires more than just a quality “presentation.” You have to pop the hood on what you’re getting ready to consume, especially if it could lead to a bad habit that you’re not even aware of.

The same thing applies to the way you process yourself and the world around you.

Paul says, in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22:

Test everything. Hold on to what is good. Avoid every kind of evil. (1 Thess 5:21-22)

Convictions can be easily influenced with bad personal experiences and incomplete information. Just like holding that small order of fries up to the light of a reputable calorie counter, you want to hold up whatever it is that you’re considering to the Light of Truth and and remember that the bottom line is not defined by the way in which some of the facts are being manipulated, rather it’s how ALL the facts are being evaluated.

Test everything because…

…”you are what you eat.”