{"id":1010,"date":"2013-04-03T16:05:52","date_gmt":"2013-04-03T16:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kriesi.at\/themes\/enfold\/?page_id=1010"},"modified":"2013-04-03T16:05:52","modified_gmt":"2013-04-03T16:05:52","slug":"blog-multi-author","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?page_id=1010","title":{"rendered":"Blog Multi Author"},"content":{"rendered":"<div  class='av-alb-blogposts template-blog  '  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Blog\" ><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4716 post-loop-1 post-parity-odd multi-big with-slider post-4716 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-current-events category-politics tag-border-security tag-green-house-bill tag-illegal-immigration tag-ira tag-trump\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4716\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: Why Can&#8217;t Conservatives See&#8230;?\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4716\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Why Can&#8217;t Conservatives See&#8230;?\">Why Can&#8217;t Conservatives See&#8230;?<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-07-12T22:19:38+00:00\" >July 12, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=41\" rel=\"tag\">Politics<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-3285\" style=\"border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 10px; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; margin: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"271\" height=\"118\" \/>This was a question on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quora.com\/Why-are-so-many-American-people-unable-to-see-what-Trump-is\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quora.com<\/a>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why are so many Americans unable to see what Trump is?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s my response&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Anytime you\u2019re talking with someone who spends more time mocking the intelligence of their opponent then they do actually proving they have a point, you\u2019re usually talking to someone who doesn\u2019t have something to say as much as they\u2019ve got something to hide.<\/p>\n<p>While the Democrat party insisted that the border security was a problem that couldn\u2019t be solved, President Trump secured the border. What was a situation where hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants were streaming into our country, that no longer is happening (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cp8wd8938e8o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BBC<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>The Inflation Reduction Act was peddled as an economic boost, when, in fact, it was the largest climate investment in U.S. history, dedicating approximately $369 billion to limit greenhouse gas emissions (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanprogress.org\/article\/how-the-inflation-reduction-act-will-drive-global-climate-action\/)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">americanprogress.org<\/a>) It had promised a reduction in inflation which was at 2.25% when it passed. A year later, it was at 5.25% (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/markets-and-finance\/report\/the-inflation-reduction-act-year-review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">heritage.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, President Trump has successfully secured roughly $10 trillion in new domestic investment, onshoring jobs and revitalizing American manufacturing. And while critics want to question the substance of promises made by countries that agreed to invest only when threatened with increased tariffs, the fact is you have American financial interests being championed in the context of fair trade agreements and a positive return on investments &#8211; something the Democrat party can only talk about yet never really achieve apart from manipulating the numbers\u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>United Arab Emirates: $1.4 trillion committed over the next decade.<\/li>\n<li>Qatar: $1.2 trillion in bilateral economic exchange.\u2019Japan: $1 trillion in pledged investments.<\/li>\n<li>Saudi Arabia: $600 billion committed over a four-year period.<\/li>\n<li>South Korea: $450 billion committed to U.S. energy products. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/releases\/2026\/01\/365-wins-in-365-days-president-trumps-return-marks-new-era-of-success-prosperity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">whitehouse.gov<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your party has tried to kill Trump on four different occasions. You ignore results, you make excuses, your ideas don\u2019t work, and, more often than not, you are the very thing you claim to despise.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not Conservatives that are having a hard time &#8220;seeing&#8221; what\u2019s real. We\u2019re watching your world of nonsensical and unsustainable ideas revealed for what they are, as well as the pointless claim of victimhood your use to ensure you\u2019re never evaluated just accommodated.<\/p>\n<p>\u2026and we love the view!<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-07-12T22:19:38+00:00\" >2026-07-12 22:19:38<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-07-12 22:19:38<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>Why Can&#8217;t Conservatives See&#8230;?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4696 post-loop-2 post-parity-even multi-big with-slider post-4696 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-current-events category-discipleship category-muscular-christianity category-politics category-self-improvement tag-racism\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4696\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: Imaginary Sermon\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4696\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Imaginary Sermon\">Imaginary Sermon<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-30T21:44:51+00:00\" >June 30, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=22\" rel=\"tag\">Discipleship<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=27\" rel=\"tag\">Muscular Christianity<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=41\" rel=\"tag\">Politics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=28\" rel=\"tag\">Self-Improvement<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Brothers and sisters in Christ, greetings!<\/p>\n<p>I come before you today in the Name of Christ Who, with His death and Resurrection,\u00a0destroyed every social construct that would otherwise be used by sinful men to restrict the rights and opportunities that God gives to every man <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2776<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>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. <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2777<\/span><\/p>\n<p>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\u00a0on the Truth of Scripture which is what gives Divine Credence to our cause. <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2778<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here me.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>You Who Pass Judgment Do the Same Things<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If we do not call out these officers by name and instead condemn the entire law enforcement community &#8211;\u00a0 \u00a0if we do not address those individuals within the system who are corrupt and\u00a0instead\u00a0 indict the entire system&#8230; Are we not doing\u00a0the very thing that we accuse others of doing to us? <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2779<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Set Them an Example<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>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:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, <sup>2<\/sup> for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity <sup>3<\/sup> Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. <sup>4<\/sup> Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Prov 3:1-4)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Later in chapter 22, it says;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (Prov 22:1)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As believers, you bear the Name of Christ. As a\u00a0son 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. <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277a<\/span><\/p>\n<p>What is our reputation?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.blackboysreport.org\/2015-black-boys-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>41%<\/strong><\/a> of our young people drop out of High School<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/77-black-births-to-single-moms-49-for-hispanic-immigrants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>70%<\/strong><\/a> of our infants are born out of wedlock.<\/li>\n<li>Combine that with the fact that while we account for only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2018\/02\/22\/5-facts-about-blacks-in-the-u-s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>13%<\/strong><\/a> of our nation&#8217;s total citizenry,\u00a0 the population of our country&#8217;s prisons are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Incarceration_in_the_United_States#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Bureau,18%25%20of%20the%20female%20population.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>34%<\/strong><\/a> African American.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When a police officer kisses his wife good bye in the morning, there is an unspoken reality that he is seeing his\u00a0bride 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\u00a0notoriety drown out the voice of our hurting and the sound of our appeal? \u277b<\/p>\n<p>Jesus said you will know a tree by its fruit.\u00a0What sort of produce do our collective vineyards\u00a0yield?\u00a0Is it characterized by law abiding citizens or arrest records?\u00a0 Do we have more abortion clinics than nurseries? Does it boast a rich collection of\u00a0graduates or a large number of empty classrooms? Are we collectively setting an example that compliments our cause or does it distract from it?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>We Each Are Responsible<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>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 Floydm but it&#8217;s Racism that&#8217;s to blame for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattan-institute.org\/html\/50-years-blaming-everything-racism-10991.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>all the\u00a0adversity<\/strong><\/a> we contend with. <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277c<\/span><\/p>\n<p>But to what extent do our collective actions place us in the position we&#8217;re in? Are we victims of a biased infrastructure or are we merely victims of our own immoral decision making? <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277d<\/span> 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\u00a0of hating the one who enforces the law? <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277e <\/span><\/p>\n<p>We\u00a0burn\u00a0the flag\u00a0that elects a black man as president, we spurn\u00a0the 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.<\/p>\n<p>If our platform is to have any credibility &#8211;\u00a0 if our indignation is to resonate as righteous &#8211;\u00a0 than we cannot be hypocritical in our accusations, we must set an example in our conduct and we must take responsibility for our actions.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Regardless of Race<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>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, &#8220;men&#8221; in that I&#8217;m referring to all humanity.<\/p>\n<p>We are not &#8220;white,&#8221; we are not &#8220;black&#8221; we are all God&#8217;s offspring <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277f\u00a0<\/span> 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.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2780<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>More Than An Authority<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>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.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2781<\/span><\/p>\n<p>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 &#8220;smart,&#8221; you have to be &#8220;wise.&#8221;\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2782<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And I am not suggesting that by being &#8220;wise,&#8221; you are therefore\u00a0restricted\u00a0from using deadly force. It&#8217;s not that you are\u00a0restricted as much as you are resolved to\u00a0kill only when it&#8217;s appropriate to do so. And yes, there are times when it&#8217;s appropriate to kill. <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2783<\/span> But there is also a time to heal and you must be able to make that distinction.<\/p>\n<p>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. <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2784<\/span><\/p>\n<p>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.<span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2785 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>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. <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277e <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>It&#8217;s Not Only the Law That You Are Breaking<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>And to those who murder, steal and destroy and excuse it as a reasonable reaction to &#8220;not being heard&#8221; or a &#8220;miscarriage of justice,&#8221; 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,\u00a0 it is not only the law that you are breaking, it is your God that you are offending &#8211; especially if you do your wanton acts insisting that you represent a godly disposition <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2786<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What Are We Doing?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>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:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biography.com\/activist\/rosa-parks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Rosa Parks<\/strong><\/a> 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.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biography.com\/activist\/james-meredith\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>James Meredith<\/strong><\/a> 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.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biography.com\/scientist\/percy-julian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Percy Julian<\/strong><\/a> 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.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biography.com\/law-figure\/barbara-jordan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Barbara Jordan<\/strong><\/a> grew up in a poor, black neighborhood in Houston, Texas and, despite the challenges of being an African American in\u00a0an area where Jim Crow laws was common, she was nevertheless\u00a0able to make history by being the first black female in congress to come from the deep south.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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\u00a0would&#8217;ve otherwise distracted from the injustices they sought to resolve and the result was dramatic\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2787.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Today, we are instructed to embrace an entirely different kind of\u00a0individual and and honor them in the same way we do the noble persons who carried the baton of the Civil Rights issue decades ago.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eagleobserver.com\/news\/2020\/jun\/17\/opinion-candace-owens-george-floyd-is-not-my\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>George Floyd<\/strong><\/a> had a criminal record that included five arrests and five years spent in prison for aggravated robbery.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/law2.umkc.edu\/faculty\/projects\/ftrials\/lapd\/kingarrests.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Rodney King<\/strong><\/a>, at the time of his arrest in 1991, had\u00a0been sentenced to two years in prison for robbing a convenience store armed with a tire iron.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/fact-check\/freddie-gray-rap-sheet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Freddie Gray<\/strong><\/a> had been arrested on multiple occasions for drug related crimes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>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\u00a0are seen as accusing others of being\u00a0unprincipled when\u00a0our champions\u00a0seemingly have no principles ourselves. <span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\">\u2468<\/span><\/p>\n<p>What are we doing?<\/p>\n<p>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 &#8211; 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 &#8220;Amen?&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Let Us Move Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Let us move forward, then, by\u00a0refusing to express our concerns in the context of labels, mobs and crowds. Let us avoid becoming the very thing we claim to despise by\u00a0 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\u00a0our cause be a\u00a0racially diverse venture that\u00a0battles true bigotry by holding up specific instances of\u00a0moral excellence responded to with an undeniably sinful bias- and not\u00a0the flawed campaigns\u00a0triggered\u00a0by legitimate arrests and prosecuted with even more criminal activity.<\/p>\n<p>That is how you effectively assert the\u00a0Truth 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.<\/p>\n<p>Lets&#8217; pray&#8230;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; height: auto; margin: auto; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 5pt; padding: 10px; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2776<\/span> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2777<\/span> When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Prov 29:2)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2778<\/span> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2779<\/span> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277a<\/span> I will say to the north, &#8216;Give them up!&#8217; and to the south, &#8216;Do not hold them back.&#8217; Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth\u2014 <em>everyone who is called by my name<\/em>, 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277b <\/span> 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 <sup>8<\/sup> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277c <\/span> He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves. (Job 34:11) When a man&#8217;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\u2019t need to compare yourself to anyone else. <sup>5<\/sup> For we are each responsible for our own conduct. (Gal 6:4-5 [NLT])<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277d <\/span> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277e <\/span> For the one in authority is God\u2019s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God\u2019s 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u277f <\/span>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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2780 <\/span>Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Jas 1:22)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2781 <\/span> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2782 <\/span> \u201cWho has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?\u201d 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2783 <\/span> a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, (Ecc 3:3)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2784 <\/span>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\u2014bringing 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2785 <\/span> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2786<\/span> 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)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">\u2787<\/span> For it is God\u2019s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (1 pet 2:15)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\">\u2468<\/span> \u201cDo 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)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1605164111265569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hodge Twins<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-30T21:44:51+00:00\" >2026-06-30 21:44:51<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-06-30 21:44:51<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>Imaginary Sermon<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4686 post-loop-3 post-parity-odd multi-big with-slider post-4686 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-apologetics category-current-events category-muscular-christianity category-politics tag-foxnews tag-legacy-media tag-president-trump\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4686\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: Copy \/ Paste\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4686\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: Copy \/ Paste\">Copy \/ Paste<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-21T13:15:21+00:00\" >June 21, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=35\" rel=\"tag\">Apologetics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=27\" rel=\"tag\">Muscular Christianity<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=41\" rel=\"tag\">Politics<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>You always want to be explain what you believe and why (1 Pet 3:15). You never want to be guilty of simply &#8220;copying and pasting&#8221; what someone else said and use that as the basis for your convictions.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a lot of that going on today. You&#8217;ll hear people rant about policies and personalities, yet when you look at what they use to justify their indignation, you&#8217;re met with what sounds like a script that they&#8217;ve just copied and pasted from their favorite news outlet.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s nothing wrong with citing a credible resource, but you want to make sure that it&#8217;s credible before you refer to it as conclusive.<\/p>\n<p>Fact is, it&#8217;s possible to be honest without telling the whole truth.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some will pose as outraged by a particular behavior, yet are suspiciously silent when that same behavior is exhibited in those they support.<\/li>\n<li>Others are critical of the accomplishments of those they disagree with, yet applaud those same accomplishments when done by those they admire.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s more than a double standard, because you have to have a standard to begin with in order for it to be duplicated.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re among those that define an &#8220;open mind&#8221; as someone who will say things like, &#8220;What&#8217;s true for you isn&#8217;t necessarily true for me,&#8221; you&#8217;ve declared yourself to be utterly meaningless, because, according to your own logic, a person can accuse you of being a liar and not be wrong.<\/p>\n<p>You want to &#8220;evaluate&#8221; all of the relevant facts based on their substance and relevance to the issue being discussed. You don&#8217;t want to simply &#8220;eliminate&#8221; those facts that are credible, yet contradict the conclusion that aligns with what you want to hear. However compelling an appeal for pity may sound, it&#8217;s revealed as a fool&#8217;s paradise when it&#8217;s determined that the pain they&#8217;re feeling is a result of them having shot themselves in the foot.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to be taken seriously, you want to be able to demonstrate the fact that you have evaluated the facts and not just eliminated the facts you don&#8217;t want to consider. You do that by being able to explain what you believe and why you believe it, and that&#8217;s not accomplished by simply &#8220;copying and pasting&#8221; from your preferred collection of resources.<\/p>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-21T13:15:21+00:00\" >2026-06-21 13:15:21<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-07-02 00:54:02<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>Copy \/ Paste<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4682 post-loop-4 post-parity-even multi-big with-slider post-4682 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-current-events category-discipleship category-muscular-christianity category-politics tag-discipline tag-education tag-illegal-immigration tag-law-enforcement tag-moral-courage tag-personal-responsibility\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4682\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: The Elimination of Tension\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4682\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: The Elimination of Tension\">The Elimination of Tension<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-20T12:22:44+00:00\" >June 20, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=22\" rel=\"tag\">Discipleship<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=27\" rel=\"tag\">Muscular Christianity<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=41\" rel=\"tag\">Politics<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Some in our society today want to define &#8220;love&#8221; as being the elimination of tension.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no confrontation, no correction&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;just affirmation.<\/p>\n<p>When you trace that line of reasoning to its inevitable conclusion, you have a situation where<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Law Enforcement (Rom 13:4-5)<\/li>\n<li>Discipline (Prov 15:10; Prov 25:28)<\/li>\n<li>Education (Prov 4:13; 18:15)<\/li>\n<li>Personal Responsibility (Rom 14:12; Gal 6:5)<\/li>\n<li>Moral Courage (Josh 1:9; Prov 28:1; 1 Cor 16:13)<\/li>\n<li>and a healthy Work Ethic (Prov 6:6; Matt 25:14-30)&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8230;are all regarded as detrimental.<\/p>\n<p>Even the concept of God&#8217;s Grace becomes toxic because of the way it implies that a person needs to be forgiven (Prov 14:9; 28:26; 30:12; Lk 18:11-12; 1 Jn 1:8).<\/p>\n<p>Love is often manifested as a person&#8217;s willingness to endure the tension that occurs when a commitment to another&#8217;s welfare is perceived as an assault on their happiness (Prov 27:6; Heb 12:2).<\/p>\n<p>That kind of love is rare, but it&#8217;s the only kind that is real (Prov 27:5).<\/p>\n<p>Everything else is a cowardly imitation posing as compassion (Prov 27:6; 29:5; Lk 22:47-48).<\/p>\n<div class=\"Fsg96\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-sfc-inited=\"2\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);\"><!--TgQPHd||[]--><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" data-bfc=\"\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwisxuarpZiVAxW64skDHbs0EhMQi4wTegoIAggACAEIDRAA\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);\">\n<div class=\"IQKZHf\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(0, 29, 53);\">\n<div class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAIIAAgBCA0QAQ\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(0, 29, 53);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-20T12:22:44+00:00\" >2026-06-20 12:22:44<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-06-21 12:30:43<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>The Elimination of Tension<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4660 post-loop-5 post-parity-odd multi-big with-slider post-4660 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized tag-illegal-immigration tag-love-your-enemy tag-love-your-neighbor tag-what-would-jesus-do\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4660\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy?  | Part IIII\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4660\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy?  | Part IIII\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy?  | Part IIII<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-19T10:14:44+00:00\" >June 19, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=1\" rel=\"tag\">Uncategorized<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>This is a post that happened on quora.com. The original question was, &#8220;Why would evangelicals support a person like Trump?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To my surprise, a former Southern Baptist preacher spoke up and regurgitated the same kind of rhetoric you would expect to hear from a Liberal, as far as voicing the perspective of an outraged victim being forced to tolerate the ignorance and cruelty of an administration that refuses to buckle beneath the weight of hypocrisy posing as compassion.<\/p>\n<p>What made it even more surprising is that he refused to answer my questions and instead chose to say I wasn&#8217;t worth talking to. Hardly the response you would expect from someone who claims to have the Substance of Scripture to back up his convictions.<\/p>\n<p>When you question someone&#8217;s relationship with Christ, you want to be able to point to something that represents an inconsistency with the whole of God&#8217;s Word, and not something that&#8217;s contrary to a verse that&#8217;s been taken out of context.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s what this Pastor does. If your starting point is a flawed premise, than it becomes easy to dismiss the truth as the result of ignorance and a lack of character.<\/p>\n<p>Most of his content is based on a resolve to believe that &#8220;loving your neighbor&#8221; means to make it easier for them to break the law. He constantly refers to the biblical mandate to love the &#8220;foreigner&#8221; and the &#8220;stranger,&#8221; while simultaneously overlooking the way in which God holds foreigners and strangers accountable to the laws of the land.<\/p>\n<p>This man is not unique, however. There are a lot of people in our society today who welcome the opportunity to be perceived as sophisticated and compassionate without it costing them anything. They don&#8217;t talk to the surviving family members of those who&#8217;ve been killed or raped by illegal immigrants, and they keep their doors locked while insisting that our country keeps its doors wide open. Their hypocrisy is exceeded only by their indifference.<\/p>\n<p>While asking the right questions is still an effective way of separating fact from fiction, it&#8217;s also important to recognize when Scripture is either being quoted out of context, or cited at the expense of other Scriptures that speak to the same issue. You see that same dynamic when Christ was tempted in the wilderness by Satan who was prolific in citing certain verses, but only according to the bits and pieces that suited his purpose.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the dialogue in its entirety. Watch how he avoids answering certain questions and they way he refrains from applying the whole of God&#8217;s Word and instead asserts a singular verse as a bottom line and intentionally omits other verses that need to be applied in order to process all of God&#8217;s Directions correctly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Question: Why do evangelicals support a person like Trump?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10pt; margin: auto;\">\n<div style=\"height: 290px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p><b>Pastor:<\/b> I\u2019m a lifelong Southern Baptist and former pastor, seminary trained, and the son of a CCC treasurer and Baptist church deacon growing up in north Mississippi. I think I\u2019m pretty qualified to answer this. Evangelical culture has developed over the years into this angry, cynical group, at least when it comes to politics and the media. Perfectly nice people become very rigid and angry whenever it comes to the \u201cculture war.\u201d There is a feeling of victimhood- evangelicals used to rule everything and be the group every politician and entertainer pandered to. A fast shift happened in the 70\u2019s when we became the minority (though not oppressed by any means). That generation is Trump\u2019s base, the ones who watched the shift happen and were so disgusted by it.<\/p>\n<p>Race- The importance can\u2019t be understated. Older white Evangelicals often feel victimized by affirmative action, black focused charities, talk of equity and equality, and love to quote crime stats in the black community. The perception is that tax dollars that they pay is used to make those black lives better only to have the recipients disrespect and destroy what\u2019s given to them. The well publicized riots, filthy rap music, and crime stats in black neighborhoods in practically every US city feeds the prejudice. Trump didn\u2019t say it explicitly, but when he rails against entitlement spending and threatens to send the National Guard in with guns to stop riots, we all know what he means.<\/p>\n<p>Sexual ethics- Not that Republicans particularly do a lot here, but it is certainly Democrats who push for gay rights, abortion access, and before that loosening of decency standards in the entertainment world. Trump played into that disgust with promises to outlaw abortion and comments against the rest.<\/p>\n<p>Capitalism- Americans who grew up during the Cold War associate communism\/ socialism with atheist USSR and capitalism with Christian USA. The logic is faulty, but it has persisted. Trump\u2019s acts of deregulation satisfied that bias, as did his promise to abolish the ACA. The latter was a double whammy- it was the signature achievement of his black predecessor and benefited black and poor people more than the white working class (at least as the voters saw it).<\/p>\n<p>Identity politics-For many Evangelicals in the south, Republican = Christian. So even if the candidate doesn\u2019t exhibit Christian morals or even effective leadership, he\u2019s still \u201cour guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Distrust of the educational system- Mostly because evolution was taught, shady preachers were able to bias evangelicals against higher education and those trained by it. This quickly trickled down to the public school system as well, leading to many evangelical families choosing to private school or homeschool their kids so they\u2019d learn from a curriculum friendly to literal interpretation of the Bible. Many evangelicals now won\u2019t believe anything that comes out of academia unless it\u2019s carefully curated to affirm their biases (PraegerU, Fox News, etc). So issues like climate change, CRT, progressive economics, psychology, vaccines, and others are all looked at as a power grab by dirty Democrat politicians. Trump rallied against them all and gained the love of the ignorant.<\/p>\n<p>So to summarize, Trump knew white Evangelical culture very well and said everything they wanted to hear in exactly the way they themselves said it. He truly was their guy, the representation of how they actually think. I\u2019m still an evangelical in matters of Scripture and the fundamental beliefs of Christianity, but I\u2019m strongly opposed to the caustic and ignorant nature that has set in when it comes to society and politics.<br \/>\nUpdate: Thanks for all the love and the upvotes. It\u2019s nearly at 1000 after 8 months, by far my most popular Quora post. I\u2019ve loved the reactions and conversations in the comments as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>So, I read his response and my first thought is, &#8220;If you&#8217;re going to say that you&#8217;re a Pastor, why are you not citing Scripture to back up your comments?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Right behind that would be the way that he&#8217;s trying to categorize anyone who supports Trump as being ignorant, hostile, racist, and legalistic. It sounds like a reasonable argument, maybe, until you contemplate the way a person who doesn&#8217;t have a valid point will often position themselves as victims of an ignorant and angry mob. That way they don&#8217;t have to explain why their ideas don&#8217;t work, and why don&#8217;t need to take responsibility for their actions.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, he&#8217;s making his argument according to a tactic, rather than a topic.<\/p>\n<p>So, here&#8217;s what I said&#8230;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10pt; margin: auto;\">\n<div style=\"height: 290px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p><b>Bruce<\/b> (the Pastor&#8217;s initial comments are in italics, my response is in plain text):<\/p>\n<p><i>I\u2019m a lifelong Southern Baptist and former pastor, seminary trained, and the son of a CCC treasurer and Baptist church deacon growing up in north Mississippi. I think I\u2019m pretty qualified to answer this.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Sounds like it. But I\u2019ve reached a place where the moment someone references himself as a pastor, I\u2019m expecting him to reinforce his comments with Scripture, and that doesn\u2019t seem to be the case here. So, while you may have a point, if you\u2019re not going to cite the Bible as the foundation upon which you base your comments, I feel like I\u2019m listening to an opinion more so than a bottom line.<\/p>\n<p><i>That generation is Trump\u2019s base, the ones who watched the shift happen and were so disgusted by it.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m an ordained pastor, born again, and a nine year veteran of the USMC. I voted for Trump, not because I was \u201cdisgusted,\u201d but because his policies line up with Scripture more so than any other candidate, certainly more so that Kamala Harris (Gen 1:27 [Transgender]; 2 Thess 3:10 [Socialism]; Lev 20:13; Rom 1:27 [Homosexuality]; Is 45:4, 13 [You don\u2019t have to be a believer to justify my vote]).<\/p>\n<p><i>Race- The importance can\u2019t be understated. Older white Evangelicals often feel victimized by affirmative action, black focused charities, talk of equity and equality, and love to quote crime stats in the black community.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Your ethnicity is not a factor. Your work ethic, your character, your resume, and your willingness to take responsibility for your actions, on the other hand, is paramount (Prov 21:25; 26:13\u201314; Matt 25:14\u201330; 2 Thess 3:10).<\/p>\n<p><i>Sexual ethics- Not that Republicans particularly do a lot here, but it is certainly Democrats who push for gay rights, abortion access, and before that loosening of decency standards in the entertainment world. Trump played into that disgust with promises to outlaw abortion and comments against the rest.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t justify driving on the wrong side of the road by saying you have the \u201cright\u201d to be happy. In that context, that\u2019s not a \u201cright,\u201d that\u2019s a \u201cdemand.\u201d What you\u2019re demanding is that you be allowed to redefine marriage and decide who lives and dies. Homosexuality isn\u2019t healthy, and abortion is murder. No to both! That\u2019s not \u201cdisgust,\u201d that\u2019s reason.<\/p>\n<p><i>Many evangelicals now won\u2019t believe anything that comes out of academia unless it\u2019s carefully curated to affirm their biases (PraegerU, Fox News, etc). So issues like climate change, CRT, progressive economics, psychology, vaccines, and others are all looked at as a power grab by dirty Democrat politicians. Trump rallied against them all and gained the love of the ignorant.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Critical Race Theory, Progressive Economics (Socialism), Psychology (Transgender, Safe Space, etc), Vaccines\u2026are often \u201ctaught\u201d as bottom lines. I\u2019m not \u201cbiased\u201d by being aware that there\u2019s a very compelling school of thought that challenges the substance of every one of those issues, as far as the way they\u2019re presented in academia. That\u2019s not being judgmental or ignorant, that\u2019s being reasonable. If you\u2019ve got a point, let\u2019s hear it, but don\u2019t try to assert the idea that because you\u2019re uncomfortable, you\u2019re automatically a priority. You have to be able to present proof and not just the voices of the professors who are telling you what you want to hear while simultaneously ignoring common sense, and the general reality of the human experience.<\/p>\n<p><i>So to summarize, Trump knew white Evangelical culture very well and said everything they wanted to hear in exactly the way they themselves said it. He truly was their guy, the representation of how they actually think. I\u2019m still an evangelical in matters of Scripture and the fundamental beliefs of Christianity, but I\u2019m strongly opposed to the caustic and ignorant nature that has set in when it comes to society and politics.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>I voted for President Trump because I wanted our borders to be secure. You\u2019re not a \u201cforeigner\u201d or a \u201cstranger\u201d when you come here illegally. You\u2019re not being \u201cmerciful\u201d or \u201cChristlike,\u201d when you refuse to obey the law, let alone enforce it (Rom 13:1\u20135).<\/p>\n<p>I voted for President Trump because I disagree with a Federal endorsement of abortion, I don\u2019t agree with men competing in women\u2019s sports, I fully support the elimination of Iran\u2019s nuclear capability, their ability to sponsor international terror, and the way in which they can hold the entire world hostage in the context of energy, and then using those profits to further expand their terrorist activity. As far as I\u2019m concerned, the only people who would consider my rationale as \u201ccaustic\u201d and \u201cignorant\u201d are those that don\u2019t like their tables turned over (Matt 21:12).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>So, I&#8217;m referencing Scripture, I&#8217;m providing a logical rebuttal, and explaining what I believe and why.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what he said&#8230;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10pt; margin: auto;\">\n<div style=\"height: 290px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p><strong>Pastor:<\/strong> I\u2019m going to suggest getting out of your Fox News echo chamber and learn a little bit about the actual rationale and reasoning behind much of what you\u2019re against lest you lead your congregation into further spiritual darkness and destructive anger.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to hear me quote Scripture, here goes:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Love your neighbor as yourself. &#8211; It is the greatest commandment (along with love God). The story of the Good Samaritan teaches 2 things: 1 &#8211; my neighbor is whoever has needs and I can help.<\/li>\n<li>righteousness isn\u2019t about which group you are in, but rather what you do and why you do it. Every group that Trump spews hate at is my neighbor and yours too.<\/li>\n<li>He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. &#8211; I don\u2019t see anything about green cards or citizenship papers here. This list is repeated numerous times in Scripture, including in the Prophets as they explained why God destroyed Israel and let them be taken captive. Kindness to others is the single biggest mark of a Godly heart. The current GOP is categorically against all of this, and it\u2019s followers delight in news articles of ICE agents arresting and even shooting immigrants, separating families to put them in cages, cutting SNAP benefits that poor families depend on (many would meet the Biblical definition of widows\/orphan), and raising costs so that families can\u2019t afford necessities.<\/li>\n<li>You seem to have defined certain people as your enemy- Iran, illegal immigrants, probably most black and brown people too- so here\u2019s the last one- But I tell you love your enemies, do good to those who hurt you. &#8211; This is easily the most radical of Jesus\u2019 teachings and the most difficult to obey. When you support a politician who denigrates all Mexicans as rapists and murders, calls Haiti a shithole country, and publicly threatens to obliterate Iran, a nation of over 100 million people, you are failing at loving your enemy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>I could say a lot more, and would be willing to have a conversation with you if you\u2019d care to PM your contact info. Your response has a lot of the marks of the warped thinking that is so common in evangelical circles as we have isolated ourselves from the world and bought into a caricature of the Democrat party along with being selective about our moral commitments. Any pastor who continues to support Trump has some major spiritual blindness. I hope you can start working through some of the cultural baggage that has you thinking this way and \u201cbe transformed by the renewing of your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>So, rather than attempt to engage me according to the logic that I reinforce with Scripture, he asserts the idea that I&#8217;m just watching Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>He doesn&#8217;t acknowledge the difference between a neighbor and an intruder. Jesus uses the illustration of how anyone who doesn&#8217;t enter the sheep pen using the gate, but instead enters by some other way is a thief and a robber (Jn 10:1). He&#8217;s talking about Himself as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/commentaries\/matthew-henry-complete\/john\/10.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">door<\/a> by which a person is able to enter into the Kingdom of God. He&#8217;s communicating a spiritual truth using a common sense reality that everyone can understand: People who want help, knock. People who want trouble, break in.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the same problem that was referenced in Part II. Loving your neighbor, at the very least, means that you are working to promote their welfare. You&#8217;re not doing that by enabling them to ignore the law, or by categorizing those who disobey those in authority as mere &#8220;strangers&#8221; (Lev 24:17-32; Rom 13:3-4).<\/p>\n<p>I emphasize the fact that it&#8217;s not your ethnicity, it&#8217;s your character that matters. I state my support for Trump is based on his policies which line up with biblical Absolutes and common sense perspectives, and he says I need stop leading my congregation into &#8220;further darkness and destructive anger.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mind you, I&#8217;m ordained, but I&#8217;m not preaching to a congregation every Sunday. My ordination happened when I was a Youth Pastor. I currently lead a Bible Study for adults, but his indictment is toxic, given the fact that he&#8217;s accusing me of being a false prophet.<\/p>\n<p>He goes as far as to say that I&#8217;m a racist because I maintain that border security is important and the rule of law is both fair, healthy, and biblical (Rom 13:1-5).<\/p>\n<p>So, I respond&#8230;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10pt; margin: auto;\">\n<div style=\"height: 290px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p><b>Bruce<\/b> (the Pastor&#8217;s initial comments are in italics, my response is in plain text):<\/p>\n<p><em>Love your neighbor as yourself. &#8211; It is the greatest commandment (along with love God). The story of the Good Samaritan teaches 2 things: 1 &#8211; my neighbor is whoever has needs and I can help. 2 &#8211; righteousness isn\u2019t about which group you are in, but rather what you do and why you do it. Every group that Trump spews hate at is my neighbor and yours too.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Imagine you\u2019re the Good Samaritan. But instead of coming on the scene AFTER the thieves have beaten and robbed their victim, you come on the scene AS the thieves are beating and robbing their victim.<\/p>\n<p>Who\u2019s your neighbor in that scenario?<\/p>\n<p>How are you going to stop those thieves and not be accused of \u201chating\u201d them? And how do you plan on doing it? Given your disdain for ICE, what\u2019s your plan? (Rom 13:1\u20135)<\/p>\n<p><i>He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re not talking about \u201cforeigners,\u201d though, are we? We\u2019re talking about people who not only broke the law by coming here illegally, but did so with a criminal record. According to Immigration Law, due process is <a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1227&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">immediate deportation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Who\u2019s the sinner? The person who broke the law by coming here illegally, or the person who\u2019s enforcing immigration law?<\/p>\n<p><i>Kindness to others is the single biggest mark of a Godly heart.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>No, obedience is the single biggest mark of a Godly heart (Jn 13:34\u201335).<\/p>\n<p><i>But I tell you love your enemies, do good to those who hurt you.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Pastor, I would encourage you to read Ecc 7:16\u201318.<\/p>\n<p>When Jesus overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the Temple, was He \u201cloving\u201d them at that point?<\/p>\n<p>Did David love Goliath?<\/p>\n<p>Did Samuel \u201clove\u201d King Agag?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a difference between loving your enemy and enabling them. Failing to stop them, however that needs to occur, is to be complicit in their wrongdoing. In that moment, what you want to position as piety is actually rebellion.<\/p>\n<p>The same God that commanded us to love our enemy is the same God that commanded Israel to defeat the Canaanites in the Conquest of the Promised Land. He also made a point of leaving some nations in tact in order to ensure those among the Hebrews who had yet to experience combat would have a chance to learn (Jud 3:1\u20132).<\/p>\n<p>God is not being inconsistent (Num 23:19). When He commanded us to love our enemy, He wasn\u2019t commanding us to be an accomplice. And that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019re doing when you fail to stop them, or discipline them, or arrest them. You mention widows. How about the widows who lost their husbands at the hand of an illegal immigrant who wasn\u2019t supposed to be here to begin with (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/keywords\/victims-immigration-crime-engagement-voice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) | Homeland Security<\/a>)?<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cforeigner,\u201d as he\u2019s referenced in Scripture, is a person who has chosen to live among the Israelites and abide by their rules. Their race, their gender &#8211; all of that is superfluous. It\u2019s their conduct that is to be evaluated. I\u2019ve referenced Rom 13:1\u20135 more than once and you don\u2019t seem to want to acknowledge that. As a result, you remain content believing that the rule of law is no rule at all. That\u2019s not consistent with common sense, let alone the whole of God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>By using the illustration of the Good Samaritan, I&#8217;m demonstrating that you can&#8217;t rightfully categorize everyone as your &#8220;neighbor,&#8221; given the reality of sin, which often manifests itself in criminal behavior. That&#8217;s not being hateful, that&#8217;s being discerning (Jn 7:24).<\/p>\n<p>I point out that by failing to make the distinction between someone who is breaking the law and someone who merely needs help is to be complicit in whatever wrongdoing is being accomplished (Lev 19:17; Rom 1:32; Jas 4:17). In other words, you&#8217;re watching someone break into your neighbor&#8217;s house, yet you insist that the thief is merely a guest.<\/p>\n<p>This Pastor insists that the authority that wields the sword is the enemy, despite what it says in Romans 13:4, that you are to obey those authorities that God has instituted.<\/p>\n<p>I point out that &#8220;love&#8221; is often manifested in the context of discipline and even lethal force in that, you&#8217;re not only promoting the welfare of your enemy by holding them accountable to a standard that prevents them from harming themselves and others, but also in the way you protect those you love by destroying those who constitute lethal threats (Ex 22:2; Rom 13:4; Acts 23:23-24).<\/p>\n<p>And this is what he said&#8230;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10pt; margin: auto;\">\n<div style=\"height: 290px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p><strong>Pastor: <\/strong>That\u2019s some pretty twisted up thinking there. Not so much the Scriptures but in the assumptions about certain people and in the convenient \/ abusive way you\u2019ve defined certain terms like \u201cforeigner.\u201dI also see some straight racism in the comment about all illegals immigrants having criminal records which simply isn\u2019t true, yet another of Trump\u2019s lies to justify the abuse of non-white immigrants.<\/p>\n<p>Agreed, the rule of love does not require total pacifism. I never said it did. It does, however, require seeking the good of the one you love. Immigration policy is complicated and well beyond this topic, but our system is broken. No Democrat, not Biden or Harris or any other, wants open borders. Neither do I. But out of love for my neighbor, I don\u2019t support squads of untrained thugs dragging every resident out of an apartment building at night because there are a few illegal immigrants living among the citizens. There is a nuanced position on this that preserves kindness and patience while also protecting society from the abuse of criminals.<\/p>\n<p>So again, I\u2019m going to challenge you to step outside of your Trump loving echo chamber and weigh the words and actions of our leadership against Scripture without stacking the deck for them just because they promise to keep all the people you are scared of away. Godly people do not live in fear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Now, I&#8217;m getting frustrated&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m a &#8220;racist&#8221; because I agree that you shouldn&#8217;t attempt to enter this country illegally.<\/p>\n<p>He refuses to make the distinction between immigrants and illegal immigrants.<\/p>\n<p>He refers to ICE Agents as &#8220;untrained thugs.&#8221; I don&#8217;t even bother with that, simply because no one was complaining about a lack of training or abusive tactics when this was happening during the Obama Administration, despite the fact that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/5SHXYklOyt0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tom Holman<\/a> was in charge back then as he is now. Tactics and techniques haven&#8217;t changed. What has changed is the resolve to demonize those who enforce immigration law as means to undermine the President.<\/p>\n<p>And again, you&#8217;re not loving &#8220;loving your neighbor&#8221; by enabling them to break the law, or by pretending that the rule of law is nonexistent. That&#8217;s not love, that&#8217;s neglect.<\/p>\n<p>So, I fire back&#8230;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; height: 300px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10pt; margin: auto;\">\n<div style=\"height: 290px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p><strong>Bruce: <\/strong>At one point the President had pictures of illegals who had criminal records that had been apprehended displayed on the <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/us\/snplus\/crime\/2025\/04\/28\/white-house-lawn-mug-shots\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">White House lawn<\/a>. That\u2019s not all illegals, is it? Racism is neither biblical nor anything other than heinous. I\u2019m not being racist, I\u2019m being fair. And as far as untrained thugs\u2026a nuanced position\u2026Why is it that Tom Holman gets the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/news\/releases\/ero-ead-thomas-homan-receives-2015-presidential-rank-award\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Presidential Rank Award<\/a> under Barack Obama and then gets demonized once he\u2019s serving under Trump?<\/p>\n<p>As far as ICE Agents storming an apartment \u201cjust because there are a few illegal immigrants living among the citizens.\u201d They\u2019re not \u201ca few illegal immigrants,\u201d are they? They\u2019re illegal immigrants with criminal records that were knowingly released by the prior administration that now have to deported (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsgac.senate.gov\/media\/reps\/over-600-illegal-immigrants-with-prior-criminal-convictions-released-into-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Over 600 Illegal Immigrants with Prior Criminal Convictions Released into the U.S. &#8211; Committee on Homeland Security &amp; Governmental Affairs<\/a>). What is your \u201cnuanced\u201d approach? And how do you think your \u201cnuanced\u201d approach would resonate in the minds of the surviving family members who have been murdered and \/ or raped by an illegal immigrant?<\/p>\n<p>You want to dismiss me as being Racist. You\u2019ve implied that I have a flawed approach to Scripture, and that the only reason I maintain my perspective is because I\u2019m secretly afraid of people who look different than me.<\/p>\n<p>I asked you a question about the Good Samaritan scenario, and you didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n<p>I asked you who was sinning: The person who comes here illegally, or the person enforcing border security? You didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n<p>Have you ever travelled outside the country? Do you have any clue as to the kind of justice that you would exacted upon you if you tried to cross the border illegally? Do you not listen to the comments made by Barack Obama who insisted that anyone with a criminal record who comes here illegally needs to be deported? And in the same <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/clip\/white-house-event\/user-clip-obamas-immigration-speech\/4516399\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">speech<\/a> said anyone who crosses the border illegally, with or without a criminal record, will be caught and deported. He deported more illegals than any other President in history. Where was your indignation at that point?<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cBut out of love for my neighbor, I\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>But they\u2019re not <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">your<\/span> neighbor, are they? Compassion is easy when it costs you nothing, and being hypocritical is even easier when you\u2019re not responsible.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll leave you with this, Pastor: You\u2019re not making things better. You take verses out of context and use them to support the idea that \u201cloving your enemy\u201d effectively replaces confrontation, criticism, and conviction. You place yourself on the bench, and then criticize those who are still on the field, protecting you and your disregard for Rom 13:1\u20135.<\/p>\n<p>You may not like President Trump, but he\u2019s delivering on everything he promised to do. As far as a I can tell, you see justice as abuse. You favor the villain over the victim, and you justify your nonsensical perspective on a resolve to believe that loving your enemy equates to enabling them.<\/p>\n<p>The good news is that I\u2019m using your thoughts in a Bible Study tonite and I\u2019ll shoot you the outline\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Did you catch that question I asked that he didn&#8217;t answer? &#8220;Who was sinning: The person who comes here illegally, or the person enforcing border security?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re building to a succinct collection of bottom lines that we&#8217;ll look at in just a minute.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s his last comment&#8230;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 90%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; height: 165px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10pt; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;\">\n<div style=\"height: 150px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p>Wow, the confidence of complete isolation from facts is stunning.If you can\u2019t separate kindness and cruelty from abstract policy, you aren\u2019t worth talking to.<\/p>\n<p>If you can call anything Trump had done this year \u201csuccess,\u201d you are too misinformed to participate in an adult conversation.<\/p>\n<p>As for not responding to certain things you said, I\u2019ll simply say that some thoughts are worth putting mental energy into, and some simply aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Recap<\/h3>\n<div style=\"width: 320px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 10pt; float: right; margin: 10px; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; font-size: 9pt; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"width: 320px; height: auto; padding: 10px; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;\">Jesus Criticized Both Jews &amp; Gentiles<\/div>\n<div style=\"height: 300px; width: 320px; padding: 10px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p>Some want to try and qualify the extent of Christ&#8217;s rebukes only to the Israelites and use that idea to suggest that any criticism of anyone other than those in the church is to fall short of Christ&#8217;s example.<\/p>\n<p>But that&#8217;s not the case.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, it is true that Christ&#8217;s first priority was the &#8220;lost sheep of Israel.&#8221; (Matt 15:21-28) But Jesus referred to the sinful flaws of the Gentiles on more than one occasion.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Don&#8217;t enter into a covenant with them<\/span> &#8211; from the very beginning, God was explicit in telling the Hebrews not to interact with the sinful influence of the Gentiles (Exodus 34:12; Deuteronomy 7:1\u20138; Joshua 23:11\u201313; Ezra 10:1\u20135).<br \/>\n\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Treat them like a Gentile<\/span> &#8211; after following the steps Jesus outlined when it came to warning and rebuking a person who sins, but doesn&#8217;t want to take responsibility for their actions,\u00a0 He says to treat them like a Gentile (Matt 18:17).<br \/>\n\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Do not even the Gentiles do that?<\/span> Here Jesus is pointing out that you don&#8217;t simply reciprocate how others treat you. Rather, you are to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you. Otherwise, you&#8217;re no different than the Gentiles (Matt 5:47). Again, you&#8217;re not loving your enemy by encouraging them to break the law or making it easier for them to sin.<br \/>\n\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Bad Leadership<\/span> &#8211; To truly lead, you need to adopt the perspective of a servant leader (Mk 10:45). Otherwise, you risk lording it over your subordinates like the Gentiles do (Matt 20:25-29)<br \/>\n\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Gentiles are a problem<\/span> &#8211; Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Gentiles (Lk 21:20-24)<\/p>\n<p>and yet&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Elisha heals a Gentile<\/span> &#8211; God used Elisha to heal Namaan of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-19)<br \/>\n\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Hope for the Gentiles<\/span> &#8211; There are several OT passages that reference how people from all nations will seek the Lord (Isaiah 2:1\u20135, 42:1\u20134; Zechariah 8:20\u201323)<br \/>\n\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Great is your faith<\/span> &#8211; Jesus heals the Centurion&#8217;s servant and publicly praises him for his faith. Jesus also praised the faith of a Canaanite woman for her faith (Matt 8:9-12; 15:28; Lk 7:5-9).<br \/>\n\u2022 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Begin in Jerusalem and then to all nations<\/span> &#8211; The Great Commission was to start in Jerusalem and then to spread to the Gentile in every nation (Is 49:6; Matt 5:15-16; 28:19-20; Lk 24:46-49; Acts 1:8).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Talking to this Pastor, and anyone who thinks like him, can be exasperating. You enumerate facts, you cite the laws that apply, you refer to specific Scriptures and, in their mind, they can dismiss every bit of it simply by saying, &#8220;&#8230;you aren&#8217;t worth talking to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>What they really mean is that they don&#8217;t want to talk to you because of your capacity to reveal their logic as being fundamentally flawed.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a recap&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It&#8217;s not &#8220;hate&#8221; to rightfully identify illegal \/ sinful behavior (Lk 17:3; Rom 13:4-5).<\/li>\n<li>You&#8217;re not being Christlike by ignoring fraud (Prov 6:12-19; 11:1).<\/li>\n<li>Foreigners and strangers are biblically commanded to obey the law (Lev 24:17-22)<\/li>\n<li>You are not &#8220;loving your neighbor&#8221; by encouraging them to ignore those laws that apply to them (Rom 13:3-4).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Conclusion: What Did Jesus Do?<\/h3>\n<p>While the latter part of the discussion focused primarily on illegal immigrants, this Pastor was addressing everything from Race to Capitalism to Education, insisting that every criticism coming from a Conservative mindset was uninformed, racist, and inconsistent with the Bible in general.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What would Jesus do?&#8221; is often cited by Liberals and like minded Christians who want to insist that any kind of evaluation is rooted in prejudice and is therefore both irrelevant and immoral.<\/p>\n<p>But the real question is &#8220;What <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">did<\/span> Jesus do?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Like what was referenced in Part I, He judged, He criticized, He got angry, He called out hypocrisy and sin. That side of Jesus is largely ignored by people who want to pretend that there are no Standards, only situations, and there are no Principles, only preferences.<\/p>\n<p>You love your enemy by promoting their welfare, which is ultimately manifested in the way you direct them to Christ. You don&#8217;t do that by enabling their wrongdoing or dismissing their sinful behavior. Grace means nothing without first acknowledging yourself as someone who needs to be forgiven. If there is no standard, then there is no sin. If there is no sin, there&#8217;s no need for grace.<\/p>\n<p>What did Jesus do?<\/p>\n<p>He made grace attractive by first making it necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Your enemy is not always approachable. In war, you simply have to stop them. &#8220;Love&#8221; in that context is gauged more in the context of the life you are protecting rather than the life you are taking. A thief has to be subdued before he can be enlightened.<\/p>\n<p>But an enemy that can be influenced will not see grace as attractive until he first sees it as something necessary. His perception of his iniquity is hindered when you say it doesn&#8217;t exist, just like his hope to be forgiven can be discouraged when you insist it isn&#8217;t deserved.<\/p>\n<p>Loving your enemy, then, is to acknowledge the reality of his sin in a way that points them to Christ. You don&#8217;t enable their sin, you don&#8217;t ignore their crime. You address it in a way where God can reveal their sin, and then offer them the grace they now know they need.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 45%; margin-bottom: 15px; height: 100px; border: 1px solid #ccc; margin: auto; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; font-size: 9pt; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt;\">\n<div style=\"width: 100%; padding: 10px; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy?<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px; overflow-x: scroll; white-space: nowrap; overflow-y: hidden; width: 100%;\"><a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4633\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy: Part I<\/a> \u2022 <a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4641\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy: Part II<\/a> \u2022 <a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4660\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy: Part III<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-19T10:14:44+00:00\" >2026-06-19 10:14:44<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-07-02 00:50:16<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy?  | Part IIII<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/article><article class=\"post-entry post-entry-type-standard post-entry-4641 post-loop-6 post-parity-even post-entry-last multi-big with-slider post-4641 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-current-events category-discipleship category-muscular-christianity category-politics tag-compromise tag-loving-your-enemy tag-what-would-jesus-do\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" ><div class=\"big-preview multi-big\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4641\"  title=\"new_logo_rgb_blog\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"321\" src=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog-800x321.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-3285 avia-img-lazy-loading-3285 attachment-entry_with_sidebar size-entry_with_sidebar wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"blog-meta\"><a href='https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1' class='post-author-format-type'><span class='rounded-container'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt='Bruce Gust' src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=81&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g\" srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/49877675b70aa62f8ad47fa511479c66c653d92bb0afc749e532de13bb9cee7f?s=162&#038;d=blank&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-81 photo' height=\"81\" width=\"81\" \/><span class=\"iconfont\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue836' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix standard-content'><header class=\"entry-content-header\" aria-label=\"Post: What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy? | Part II\"><h2 class='post-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4641\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Permanent Link: What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy? | Part II\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy? | Part II<span class=\"post-format-icon minor-meta\"><\/span><\/a><\/h2><span class=\"post-meta-infos\"><time class=\"date-container minor-meta updated\"  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-18T19:54:43+00:00\" >June 18, 2026<\/time><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-categories minor-meta\">in <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=42\" rel=\"tag\">Current Events<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=22\" rel=\"tag\">Discipleship<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=27\" rel=\"tag\">Muscular Christianity<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?cat=41\" rel=\"tag\">Politics<\/a><\/span><span class=\"text-sep\">\/<\/span><span class=\"blog-author minor-meta\">by <span class=\"entry-author-link\"  itemprop=\"author\" ><span class=\"author\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?author=1\" rel=\"author\">Bruce Gust<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/header><div class=\"entry-content\"  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Neither Biblical nor Noble<\/h3>\n<p>This is Part 2 of a 3 part series where we&#8217;re looking at how you are to love your enemy.<\/p>\n<p>When you remain silent in the face of evil, you&#8217;re able to effectively insulate yourself from the attacks that come from those who want to silence anyone who would dare to point out their sinister actions and intent.<\/p>\n<p>However sinful it may be (Gal 2:11-21; Jas 4:17), it&#8217;s an alluring way to remain on the sidelines so as to avoid the real conflict that&#8217;s happening on the field and the opposition you would otherwise have to contend with.<\/p>\n<p>But when you look at Scripture as a whole, you are compelled to concede that remaining either silent or accommodating is neither biblical let alone noble.<\/p>\n<p>These days, Politics and Current Events tend to be processed according to two very different worldviews.<\/p>\n<p>One sees evil as something to be accommodated, the other sees it as something to be resisted.<\/p>\n<p>Those who see evil as something that needs to be accommodated need to position it as something to pity. You don&#8217;t have to get someone to agree with you if you can get them to feel sorry for you.<\/p>\n<p>You see that often in the Bible beginning in Genesis 3 when the serpent suggests to Eve that God is both afraid and resentful:<\/p>\n<p class=\"chapter-1\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"text Gen-3-1\">Now the serpent\u00a0was more crafty than any of the wild animals the\u00a0<span class=\"small-caps\">Lord<\/span>\u00a0God had made. He said to the woman, \u201cDid God really say, \u2018You must not eat from any tree in the garden\u2019?\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span id=\"en-NIV-58\" class=\"text Gen-3-2\"><sup class=\"versenum\">2\u00a0<\/sup>The woman said to the serpent, \u201cWe may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,<\/span>\u00a0<span id=\"en-NIV-59\" class=\"text Gen-3-3\"><sup class=\"versenum\">3\u00a0<\/sup>but God did say, \u2018You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span id=\"en-NIV-60\" class=\"text Gen-3-4\"><sup class=\"versenum\">4\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cYou will not certainly die,\u201d the serpent said to the woman.<\/span>\u00a0<span id=\"en-NIV-61\" class=\"text Gen-3-5\"><sup class=\"versenum\">5\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cFor God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.\u201d (Gen 3:1-5)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Satan begins by suggesting that God had denied Adam and Even the ability to eat from <em>any<\/em> tree, He asserts the idea that God is unnecessarily harsh, which, by default, makes Adam and Eve victims of an overbearing administration. Then in verse 5 he suggests that God is secretly intimidated at the thought of Adam and Eve becoming more than what they are right now.<\/p>\n<p>What was a generous provision is now seen as an unnecessary restriction imposed by a mindset characterized by fear and hate.<\/p>\n<h3>Poison Disguised as a Courtesy<\/h3>\n<p>However obvious it may be from a distance, it can be difficult to see up close because of the way compliance with an evil premise is often justified as an act of compassion.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aaron&#8217;s part in building the golden calf (Ex 32:22-23)<\/li>\n<li>Israel&#8217;s demand for a king (1 Sam 8:6-9)<\/li>\n<li>Saul disobeys God by sparing King Agag and the best of the livestock (1 Sam 15:7-10)<\/li>\n<li>King Herod&#8217;s request to the Magi to tell him where Jesus was born (Matt 2:7-8, 13)<\/li>\n<li>Judas complaining about the perfume used to anoint Christ, saying that it should&#8217;ve been sold and the money given to the poor (Jn 12:1-8)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In each of the above scenarios, you have a situation where sin was concealed as a healthy and logical compromise. But what appeared to be rational and even noble, was a poison disguised as a courtesy.<\/p>\n<h3>The Right Questions<\/h3>\n<p>While discerning the difference between a legitimate request for mercy and a selfish demand for immunity is not always easy, you can gain some visibility into what&#8217;s actually the case by asking the <a href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=3413\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">right questions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Accusations can be denied, and facts can be disputed. But a simple question left insufficiently answered cannot be ignored. With the right question, you&#8217;re able to proceed directly to that place where there&#8217;s either an answer or an excuse, and that&#8217;s an important dynamic to have in place in order to prevent a lie from being embraced as the truth.<\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s political climate is frequently punctuated with soundbytes and snapshots that are presented as holistic perspectives on a particular issue. The result is a toxic environment where falsehoods are concealed behind cries for compassion and anything that has the capacity to reveal the truth is demonized as ignorant and tyrannical.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the following was circulated on Social Media as an attempt to accuse anyone who supports the current administration as being less than Christlike. However compelling it may appear to be on the surface, its flaws from both a biblical and logical perspective are revealed simply by asking the right questions.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll see the original post on the left with the &#8220;right questions&#8221; listed on the right.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 85%; margin: auto; border-collapse: separate; background-color: #fff; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; border-radius: 10pt;\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #000; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; width: 50%;\">post<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #000; text-align: center; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; font-weight: bold; color: #ffffff;\">the right questions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<div style=\"width: 99%; padding: 10px; height: 150px; overflow-y: scroll;\">\n<p>Through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/02\/establishment-of-the-white-house-faith-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">White House Office of Faith<\/a>, the Trump administration has racked up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/releases\/2025\/09\/president-trumps-top-100-victories-for-people-of-faith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">several significant accomplishments<\/a> on behalf of America&#8217;s faith based community which include:<\/p>\n<p>Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias &#8211; In 2023, the Biden Administration labeled people of faith as domestic terror threats for opposing abortion and transgender ideologies. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ib4nO4umj6o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paulette Harlow<\/a>, a 75 year old grandmother confined to a wheel chair was arrested for &#8220;obstructing&#8221; an Abortion Clinic and sentenced to 2 years in prison. This was typical of the Biden DOJ. The Trump Administration, through the &#8220;White House Office of Faith&#8221; pardoned Harlow as well as several others who were imprisoned for their &#8220;terrorist&#8221; activities.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Veterans Affairs rescinded a Biden-era speech code that censored the sermons of military chaplains &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/firstliberty.org\/cases\/chaplain-russell-rusty-trubey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Russell Trubey<\/a> was a chaplain in a Pennsylvania VA medical center for 10 years. After delivering a sermon at the center\u2019s chapel on Romans 1, police approached him alleging complaints were reported about the content of his message. He was removed from his duties and reassigned to stock shelves in the hospital. The Trump Administration <a href=\"https:\/\/firstliberty.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Trubey-VA-Letter-4.2.25.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rescinded<\/a> that action and reinforced the fact that chaplains can preach in accordance with their faith without fear of persecution.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/05\/establishment-of-the-religious-liberty-commission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/cbs4local.com\/news\/nation-world\/christian-trade-schools-heavily-penalized-under-biden-administration-report-finds-american-principles-project-director-of-policy-jon-schweppe-grand-canyon-university-and-liberty-university\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Compelling statistics<\/a> reveal a disproportionate bias against Christian universities during the Biden era. Outrageous fines that were, in some instances, the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gcu.edu\/gcu-news\/u-s-department-of-education-rescinds-record-fine-with-prejudice-against-grand-canyon-university\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">largest dollar amounts in history<\/a>, were levied against faith based colleges for identical infractions committed by secular institutions that were not punished to the same extent. This anomaly was seen, not just in academia, but in a number of instances pertaining to funding and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4548643\/biden-irs-discrimination-christian-groups-doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tax exempt status<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For a complete listing of the Trump Administration&#8217;s accomplishments in the context of faith based initiatives, click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/releases\/2025\/09\/president-trumps-top-100-victories-for-people-of-faith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>You can\u2019t spend Sunday morning in church praising Jesus, talking about love, compassion, mercy, humility, honesty, and caring for the vulnerable, then spend Sunday afternoon defending an administration that does the exact opposite.<\/td>\n<td>Are you being being like Christ by insisting that everyone who is breaking into your neighbor&#8217;s house is only doing so because they&#8217;re hungry? And how are you not being hypocritical if you&#8217;re telling your nethat they should leave its doors open when yours are locked and you&#8217;ve got a security system in place?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>And before someone says, \u201cBut I\u2019m a Republican,\u201d let me remind you of something: God doesn\u2019t serve political parties. Jesus didn\u2019t die for Democrats. Jesus didn\u2019t die for Republicans. He didn\u2019t wear a red hat or a blue one. He didn\u2019t tell people to pick a team and hate the other side. He called people to love their neighbor, care for the poor, welcome the stranger, seek truth, show mercy, and hold the powerful accountable. You can\u2019t praise the Good Samaritan while cheering policies that target immigrants and asylum seekers.<\/td>\n<td>Is it against the law to enter this country illegally?<\/p>\n<p>How were the &#8220;foreigners&#8221; and &#8220;strangers&#8221; in Scripture treated when they broke the law? (Lev 24:17-22)<\/p>\n<p>Loving your enemy, at the very least, means that you are working to promote their welfare. How are you doing that by enabling their illegal behavior?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>You can\u2019t celebrate \u201clove thy neighbor\u201d while mocking the poor, cutting assistance for struggling families, and treating human suffering like a political talking point. You can\u2019t talk about protecting children while separating families, demonizing entire communities, and creating fear as a governing strategy.<\/td>\n<td>How am I &#8220;loving my neighbor&#8221; by ignoring fraud?<\/p>\n<p>Why are you blaming law enforcement for separating families when it was the parents who put their families in that position to begin with?<\/p>\n<p>Is it not common for guilty people to be afraid of being caught (Rom 13:3-4)?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jesus fed the hungry. He didn\u2019t ask for their paperwork first. Jesus healed the sick. He didn\u2019t check their political party. Jesus stood with the marginalized. He didn\u2019t use them as campaign props. Jesus challenged the powerful. He didn\u2019t worship them. This administration has normalized cruelty, retaliation, greed, vengeance, dishonesty, scapegoating, and the constant division of Americans against one another. It attacks journalists, demonizes opponents, mocks compassion as weakness, treats empathy as a flaw, and encourages people to view fellow Americans as enemies rather than neighbors.<\/td>\n<td>How would you expect someone who&#8217;s guilty of fraud and deceit to react when they&#8217;re revealed for who and what they are?<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s the purpose of division according to 1 Corinthians 11:19?<\/p>\n<p>Which party is it that refers to its opponents as <a href=\"https:\/\/katv.com\/news\/nation-world\/michigan-dem-party-leader-claims-trump-supporters-are-nazis-we-dont-owe-you-respect-bill-swift-lenawee-county-elon-musk-donald-trump-white-house-detroit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nazis<\/a>?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Ask yourself honestly: are those the values being demonstrated? Or are we seeing anger, fear, revenge, hostility, insults, loyalty tests, culture wars, and endless outrage? You don\u2019t have to be a Democrat to see it. You don\u2019t have to be liberal to see it. You just have to compare what Jesus taught with what this administration celebrates.<\/td>\n<td>Does love delight in evil? And is it not evil to ignore the rule of law (Rom 13:4)?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-bottom-left-radius: 10pt;\">If your politics require you to ignore cruelty, excuse corruption, justify lies, or abandon compassion, then politics has become your religion and your politician has become your idol. God doesn\u2019t have a political team. Jesus doesn\u2019t wear a campaign hat.<\/td>\n<td style=\"bottom-bottom-right-radius: 10pt;\">What does the Bible say about a fool&#8217;s reaction to discipline (Prov 15:7, 10)?<\/p>\n<p>If truth is whatever an individual wants to believe, then how else would they react to correction if not by labeling it as cruel, corrupt, and lacking in compassion?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>And no politician is important enough to place above the values you claim to believe in every Sunday morning.<\/td>\n<td>Why would I not support a politician who enforces the rule of law, deploys a foreign policy that&#8217;s characterized by actions and not just words, and calls out falsehoods when he sees them?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div style=\"width: 45%; margin-bottom: 15px; height: 100px; border: 1px solid #ccc; margin: auto; box-shadow: 5px 5px 3px #ccc; font-size: 9pt; text-align: center; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; margin-top: 25px;\">\n<div style=\"width: 100%; padding: 10px; border-top-left-radius: 10pt; border-top-right-radius: 10pt; background-color: #000000; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy?<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px; overflow-x: scroll; white-space: nowrap; overflow-y: hidden; width: 100%;\"><a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4633\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy: Part I<\/a> \u2022 <a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4641\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy: Part II<\/a> \u2022 <a style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #000; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;\" href=\"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4660\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy: Part III<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><div class='post_delimiter'><\/div><\/div><div class=\"post_author_timeline\"><\/div><span class='hidden'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/new_logo_rgb_blog.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='height'>324<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='width'>800<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"publisher\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Organization\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='logo' itemscope itemtype='https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span itemprop='url'>https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/mc_logo_plain-300x138.jpg<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><span itemprop='name'>Bruce Gust<\/span><\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"datePublished\" datetime=\"2026-06-18T19:54:43+00:00\" >2026-06-18 19:54:43<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"dateModified\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/dateModified\" >2026-06-25 19:01:04<\/span><span class='av-structured-data'  itemprop=\"mainEntityOfPage\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/mainEntityOfPage\" ><span itemprop='name'>What Does it Mean to Love Your Enemy? 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