thestream--2020-12-06--The Great Reset of Our Souls

The Great Reset of Our Souls

I ’ ve tried .
I promise you I ’ ve tried to understand them .
I ’ ve read social media posts of friends I disagree with .
I ’ ve listened to perspectives wildly different than mine .
I ’ ve made an honest effort to avoid creating echo chambers in my life … for better or for worse .
After all my self-perceived open-mindedness , I still can not bring myself to buy into the current global narrative being written .
Take , for example , the Pioneers of Change virtual call this past month .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global activists advocating for “ The Great Reset ” tackled the topic of “ How to Build Resilience and Trust Post-Pandemic.
” There ’ s nothing inherently wrong with bringing great minds into a room to discuss a topic as relevant as this one .
We can even give them some benefit of the doubt as to their motives .
Still , the title alone begs the question : Trust in what ?
Reading directly from the website , it would appear that the World Economic Forum touts a united humanity as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescued from forces that would bring it to the brink of extinction .
This includes pandemics , climate change , social injustices and the like .
In bringing the global community together as one for the greater good , our world will “ reset.
” It will alleviate , and perhaps even cure — the ills that plague us .
I ’ m assuming that for this to work , the caveat is total buy-in .
Like every person on the planet buy-in .
Analyzing their proposals from a biblical worldview , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here are three : 1 ) humanity can band together and save itself 2 ) destructive forces at work are outside of us , rather than within us ( greed , hate , malice , idolatry of all kinds and sexual immorality , to name a few ) and 3 ) advancements in science , technology and globalism are the answer to the challenges facing our rapidly-changing world .
The assumptions seem to omit God as part of the conversation .
Yet they still promise a better future founded on utopian ideals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will the initiatives actually usher in a dystopia that tracks our private lives while consolidating power into the hands of an elite few ?
Sure , the World Economic Forum ’ s “ Great Reset ” may have some plausible ideas that truly help humanity .
However , it would never be a replacement for the eternal reset my soul needed — only found through salvation in Jesus Christ .
He has forever wrecked me to ever look at this world or its man-made institutions to save me from the plight of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ un-see ” the Truth of who Jesus is , my need for Him , as well as the triumph of his incarnation , death and resurrection .
This is available to all .
These truths have not only reset my soul , but they have entirely reformed my worldview .
As a believer in Jesus Christ , not only am I reset , but I am also reborn of the Holy Spirit .
I ’ m redirected away from sin and into holiness .
I am repurposed to live for God-glorification and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forever family of God .
I stand with the Apostle Peter , affirming that “ according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells ” ( 2 Peter 3:13 ) .
Therefore , I do not seek utopia in the here and now .
Sinful man who erases God from the narrative can not achieve this goal .
History has already proven this .
In fact , under this scenario , man ’ s efforts become nothing more than self-righteousness disguised as altruism .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jews came to Jesus in the dark of night , Jesus wasted no time in telling him that “ unless one is born again he can not see the kingdom of God ” ( John 3:3 ) .
He quickly followed these words inviting all of us into our greatest reset for all of eternity : “ For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son , that whoever believes in him should not perish , but have everlasting life ” ( John 3:16 ) .
Through salvation in Jesus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walk by a new and living way , contrary to what is possible within ourselves or by our own power .
We were a slave to sin , but we are now made free ( Romans 8:2 ) .
We have been given a new spirit — God ’ s spirit ( John 3:6 ) — that brings us into restored fellowship with our Creator , empowered and equipped for every good work ( Ephesians 2:10 ) .
Salvation in Jesus Christ is our ultimate security , the foundation of an inexplicable confidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the god of this age ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 ) .
And herein lies the disconnect of me not understanding them and them not understanding me .
I don ’ t fear what they fear .
In light of the Truth , I can ’ t .
Assured of eternal life , believers need not fear death .
We are freed to live fearless !
Our paradigm is forever changed from temporal to eternal and from corruptible to incorruptible .
Anchored by this hope , our minds have been reset “ on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things that are on earth ” ( Colossians 3:2 ) .
This is an even greater reset than the one being talked about by global activists .
It is a radical call to live as if we have already died .
“ For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God ” ( Colossians 3:3 ) .
It is here in the Great Reset of our souls that we are able to say : “ To live is Christ and to die is gain ” ( Philippians 1:21 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Christ who is your life appears , then you also will appear with him in glory ” ( Colossians 3:4 ) .
We , who once were on a path of eternal separation from God , now will appear with him in glory .
Seen in that light , I can think of no greater reset .
Annemarie McLean is a four-girl mom , freelance writer , and co-founder of Brave & Beautiful , a ministry focused on challenging young women to live purpose-driven lives full of courage and character , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a journalism degree from Oral Roberts University , with graduate work in organizational leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University .

I’ve tried. I promise you I’ve tried to understand them. I’ve read social media posts of friends I disagree with. I’ve listened to perspectives wildly different than mine. I’ve made an honest effort to avoid creating echo chambers in my life … for better or for worse.
After all my self-perceived open-mindedness, I still cannot bring myself to buy into the current global narrative being written. Take, for example, the Pioneers of Change virtual call this past month. It’s where a select group of global activists advocating for “The Great Reset” tackled the topic of “How to Build Resilience and Trust Post-Pandemic.”
There’s nothing inherently wrong with bringing great minds into a room to discuss a topic as relevant as this one. We can even give them some benefit of the doubt as to their motives. Still, the title alone begs the question: Trust in what?
The Great Reset
Reading directly from the website, it would appear that the World Economic Forum touts a united humanity as the means by which the planet will be rescued from forces that would bring it to the brink of extinction. This includes pandemics, climate change, social injustices and the like. In bringing the global community together as one for the greater good, our world will “reset.” It will alleviate, and perhaps even cure — the ills that plague us. I’m assuming that for this to work, the requirement is total buy-in. Like every person on the planet buy-in.
Analyzing their proposals from a biblical worldview, there are a few obvious assumptions being made. Here are three: 1) humanity can band together and save itself; 2) destructive forces at work are outside of us, rather than within us (greed, hate, malice, idolatry of all kinds and sexual immorality, to name a few); and 3) advancements in science, technology and globalism are the answer to the challenges facing our rapidly-changing world.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The assumptions seem to omit God as part of the conversation. Yet they still promise a better future founded on utopian ideals. Can they deliver? Or will their initiatives actually usher in a dystopia that tracks our private lives while consolidating power into the hands of an elite few?
What Really Helps Humanity
Sure, the World Economic Forum’s “Great Reset” may have some plausible ideas that truly help humanity. However, it would never be a replacement for the eternal reset my soul needed — only found through salvation in Jesus Christ. He has forever wrecked me to ever look at this world or its man-made institutions to save me from the plight of its fallen state.
I cannot “un-see” the Truth of who Jesus is, my need for Him, as well as the triumph of his incarnation, death and resurrection. This is available to all. These truths have not only reset my soul, but they have entirely reformed my worldview.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, not only am I reset, but I am also reborn of the Holy Spirit. I’m redirected away from sin and into holiness. I am repurposed to live for God-glorification and not self-gratification and I am renamed into the forever family of God. I stand with the Apostle Peter, affirming that “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
Therefore, I do not seek utopia in the here and now. Sinful man who erases God from the narrative cannot achieve this goal. History has already proven this. In fact, under this scenario, man’s efforts become nothing more than self-righteousness disguised as altruism.
Salvation: God’s Cornerstone of Humanity’s Great Reset
When Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews came to Jesus in the dark of night, Jesus wasted no time in telling him that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). He quickly followed these words inviting all of us into our greatest reset for all of eternity: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Through salvation in Jesus Christ, we are completely reset to walk by a new and living way, contrary to what is possible within ourselves or by our own power. We were a slave to sin, but we are now made free (Romans 8:2). We have been given a new spirit — God’s spirit (John 3:6) — that brings us into restored fellowship with our Creator, empowered and equipped for every good work (Ephesians 2:10).
Salvation in Jesus Christ is our ultimate security, the foundation of an inexplicable confidence to those whose minds are still blinded by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4). And herein lies the disconnect of me not understanding them and them not understanding me. I don’t fear what they fear. In light of the Truth, I can’t.
Freed to Live Fearless
Assured of eternal life, believers need not fear death. We are freed to live fearless! Our paradigm is forever changed from temporal to eternal and from corruptible to incorruptible.
Anchored by this hope, our minds have been reset “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2). This is an even greater reset than the one being talked about by global activists. It is a radical call to live as if we have already died. “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).
It is here in the Great Reset of our souls that we are able to say: “To live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Christ becomes our life. “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). We, who once were on a path of eternal separation from God, now will appear with him in glory. Seen in that light, I can think of no greater reset.
Annemarie McLean is a four-girl mom, freelance writer, and co-founder of Brave & Beautiful, a ministry focused on challenging young women to live purpose-driven lives full of courage and character, while developing Christ-centered inner beauty. Annemarie holds a journalism degree from Oral Roberts University, with graduate work in organizational leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University.


thestream--2020-12-06--CS Lewis on Facing a Pandemic, or, How to Live Knowing We Will Die

You don ’ t expect an apologist to write much about dying and death .
That ’ s for the evangelist trying to close the sale .
But the great apologist C. S. Lewis wrote surprisingly often about the death that awaits us all .
Lewis wrote so much about death because he believed so strongly in the reality of Heaven and Hell , and wanted his readers to get to the first and not the second .
Our final end is the real point of almost all his writing .
The pandemic may make us think about a little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usually do .
And therefore about how we should live to be prepared for it .
Here ’ s where Lewis is so helpful .
He saw clearly how the end of life tells us how to live .
From This Life to the Next This is the key to Lewis ’ s writing on the subject : He believed Heaven to be more real than this world .
In it we see the full , complete , perfect reality .
There we become who we truly are , the people God created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And in Hell , we become as unreal as a creature God created can be .
Simply put : Following Jesus and living as He tells us to makes us more real , more heavenly .
Saying no to Him and doing what we want to makes us less real , and less heavenly .
Here ’ s a brief outline of Lewis ’ s insights .
Lewis made his famous “ argument from desire ” to argue for the reality of Heaven .
Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hunger : well , there is such a thing as food .
A duckling wants to swim : well , there is such a thing as water .
Men feel sexual desire : well , there is such a thing as sex .
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy , the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world .
If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it , that does not prove that the universe is a fraud .
Probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , but only to arouse it , to suggest the real thing .
That desire for the real thing to be found in another world sets how we should live in this less real world .
Here , sinners that we are , we tend to see the unreal as the real .
We must keep looking for the real .
That is , even if we don ’ t know it , looking for Jesus .
I must take care , on the one hand , never to despise , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and on the other , never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy , or echo , or mirage .
I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country , which I shall not find till after death ; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside ; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same .
God offers Himself to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making us perfect now , if we let Him .
But it will hurt .
That is why He warned people to “ count the cost ” before becoming Christians .
“ Make no mistake , ” He says , “ if you let me , I will make you perfect .
The moment you put yourself in My hands , that is what you are in for .
Nothing less , or other , than that .
You have free will , and if you choose , you can push Me away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Me away , understand that I am going to see this job through .
Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life , whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death , whatever it costs Me , I will never rest , nor let you rest , until you are literally perfect — until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you , as He said He was well pleased with me .
This I can do and will do .
But I will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and kind as He is , Jesus keeps pushing us hard , because He wants us to be something good beyond our imagining .
This Helper who will , in the long run , be satisfied with nothing less than absolute perfection , will also be delighted with the first feeble , stumbling effort you make tomorrow to do the simplest duty .
As a great Christian writer ( George MacDonald ) pointed out , every father is pleased at the baby ’ s first attempt to walk : no father would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , free , manly walk in a grown-up son .
In the same way , he said , “ God is easy to please , but hard to satisfy.
” … He meant what He said .
Those who put themselves in His hands will become perfect , as He is perfect — perfect in love , wisdom , joy , beauty , and immortality .
The change will not be completed in this life , for death is an important part of the treatment .
Life gives us choice after choice after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in one direction or the other .
Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you , the part of you that chooses , into something a little different than it was before .
And taking your life as a whole , with all your innumerable choices , all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature : either into a creature that is in harmony with God , and with other creatures , and with itself , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a state of war and hatred with God , and with its fellow creatures , and with itself .
To be the one kind of creature is heaven : that is , it is joy and peace and knowledge and power .
To be the other means madness , horror , idiocy , rage , impotence , and eternal loneliness .
Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state of the other .
Jesus gives us our freedom to reject Him , though he does everything He can to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Scottish writer George Macdonald saying : Never fear .
There are only two kinds of people in the end : those who say to God , “ Thy will be done , ” and those to whom God says , in the end , “ Thy will be done.
” All that are in Hell , choose it .
Without that self-choice there could be no Hell .
No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it .
Those who seek find .
To those who knock it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised about losing your life to gain it .
We win by giving everything to Him .
Give up your self , and you will find your real self .
Lose your life and you will save it .
Submit to death , death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end : submit with every fibre of your being , and you will find eternal life .
Keep back nothing .
Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died will ever be raised from the dead .
Look for yourself , and you will find in the long run only hatred , loneliness , despair , rage , ruin , and decay .
But look for Christ and you will find Him , and with Him everything else thrown in .
The quotes in this article are taken from Mere Christianity ( 1-4 , 7 ) ; the sermon “ The Weight of Glory ” in the book of the same title ( 5 ) ; The Great Divorce ( 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
The quotes are taken from the site Hour of Our Death , which David Mills edits .
David Mills is a senior editor of The Stream .
After teaching writing in a seminary , he has been editor of Touchstone and the executive editor of First Things .
He edits the site Hour of Our Death and writes the monthly “ Last Things ” column for the New Oxford Review .

You don’t expect an apologist to write much about dying and death. That’s for the evangelist trying to close the sale. But the great apologist C. S. Lewis wrote surprisingly often about the death that awaits us all.
Lewis wrote so much about death because he believed so strongly in the reality of Heaven and Hell, and wanted his readers to get to the first and not the second. Our final end is the real point of almost all his writing.
The pandemic may make us think about a little more about our inevitable death than we usually do. And therefore about how we should live to be prepared for it. Here’s where Lewis is so helpful. He saw clearly how the end of life tells us how to live.
From This Life to the Next
This is the key to Lewis’s writing on the subject: He believed Heaven to be more real than this world. In it we see the full, complete, perfect reality. There we become who we truly are, the people God created us and redeemed us to be. And in Hell, we become as unreal as a creature God created can be.
Simply put: Following Jesus and living as He tells us to makes us more real, more heavenly. Saying no to Him and doing what we want to makes us less real, and less heavenly. Here’s a brief outline of Lewis’s insights.
Lewis on Moving Towards Heaven
Lewis made his famous “argument from desire” to argue for the reality of Heaven.
Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.
For C.S. Lewis’s insights into how to live as Christians even when we may die soon, and unexpectedly, see C.S. Lewis Knows How to Deal With Disaster.
That desire for the real thing to be found in another world sets how we should live in this less real world. Here, sinners that we are, we tend to see the unreal as the real. We must keep looking for the real. That is, even if we don’t know it, looking for Jesus.
I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.
God offers Himself to us in this world. He starts making us perfect now, if we let Him. But it will hurt.
That is why He warned people to “count the cost” before becoming Christians. “Make no mistake,” He says, “if you let me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect — until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said He was well pleased with me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.”
As perfectly patient and kind as He is, Jesus keeps pushing us hard, because He wants us to be something good beyond our imagining.
This Helper who will, in the long run, be satisfied with nothing less than absolute perfection, will also be delighted with the first feeble, stumbling effort you make tomorrow to do the simplest duty. As a great Christian writer (George MacDonald) pointed out, every father is pleased at the baby’s first attempt to walk: no father would be satisfied with anything less than a firm, free, manly walk in a grown-up son.
In the same way, he said, “God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy.” … He meant what He said. Those who put themselves in His hands will become perfect, as He is perfect — perfect in love, wisdom, joy, beauty, and immortality. The change will not be completed in this life, for death is an important part of the treatment.
Life gives us choice after choice after choice, and every choice points us in one direction or the other.
Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state of the other.
Jesus gives us our freedom to reject Him, though he does everything He can to draw us to Himself. Lewis quotes the Scottish writer George Macdonald saying:
Never fear. There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.
But Jesus meant what he promised about losing your life to gain it. We win by giving everything to Him.
Give up your self, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life.
Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.
The quotes in this article are taken from Mere Christianity (1-4, 7); the sermon “The Weight of Glory” in the book of the same title (5); The Great Divorce (6); The Screwtape Letters (sidebar).
David Mills is a senior editor of The Stream. After teaching writing in a seminary, he has been editor of Touchstone and the executive editor of First Things. He edits the site Hour of Our Death and writes the monthly “Last Things” column for the New Oxford Review.


thestream--2020-12-06--Maintaining a Biblical View on Material Things This Christmas

To what extent would you say that the material aspects of Christmas factor into your celebration ?
in 2017 , Americans spent between $ 906 and $ 983 on Christmas gifts , up from an average of somewhere between $ 752 and $ 929 the year before , depending on the survey .
UPS reports record numbers of shipments to be made in the weeks prior to Christmas .
Over the course of 17 days , the package delivery company is expected to deliver 750 million packages .
( That also says a lot about the annual increase in online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prove true , material goods will play a large role in our holidays .
Many point to capitalism as the cause of this increasingly materialistic attitude toward Christmas .
As Christians , how do we reconcile the tangible effects of capitalism on a season marking one of the most impactful events of all history ?
Is capitalism to blame for increased materialism ?
From century-old debates between Keynes and Hayek to Thomas Piketty ’ s more recent criticism , capitalism is disparaged for drawing our hearts to worship objects , the creation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greed .
On the other hand , it can be argued that we can credit capitalism for the prosperity we ’ ve experienced over the last few centuries .
How can both of these legacies be true ?
Every system in this broken world can be tainted by greed .
What matters are the institutions and rules under which people operate , because those affect the behavior of individual people .
In this regard , capitalism encourages service to others and finding better ways to use our scarce resources .
On the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those at the top by encouraging cronyism and theft .
The horrific effects of evil manifested in central-planning systems in the mid-twentieth century reveal the scope of the greed that is possible .
If capitalism isn ’ t to blame , what is ?
We are told that where our treasure is , there our heart will be also ( Matt .
6:19-24 ) .
Thus , we need to look to Jesus for our treasure .
This doesn ’ t nullify the value of material goods .
Rather , it reminds us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I like how Justin Earley puts it in his article for Relevant magazine : God created for us a material world ( one that he called good ! )
through which we can learn more about him .
Former Stream Managing Editor Jonathan Witt writes in Counting the Cost : Christian Perspectives on Capitalism that Christians need to embody this balanced , biblical perspective on material things : Capitalism needs the theological soil from which it sprang — a Judeo-Christian understanding that recognizes human agency and responsibility , that values human dignity and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both human evil and the creative power of humans made in the image of the creator — who is the ultimate ground of the good , the true , and the beautiful .
That vision tells us that we are called to be creative , to pursue excellence , and to serve as good stewards of a good creation , not to junk it up with cheap and tacky ephemera or to seek for significance through unbridled consumption .
It also tutors us to recognize that the material realm is neither inherently evil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in turn , helps us avoid two destructive extremes : on the one hand , old-style socialism ’ s disdain for material beauty , and on the other , the hedonism of consumerism .
Another important perspective on material things is the concept of living wholeheartedly for God .
A few years ago , Dr. Scott Redd , president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington , D.C. , came to speak to the IFWE team .
He reminded us about the importance of the shema ( Deut .
6:4-5 ) to our understanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls us to a covenant with a God who desires first our hearts .
This pattern of taking God ’ s name into our hearts , expressing it through our selves , and displaying it with our strength in all that have and all that we do is repeated throughout the Old Testament and echoed in the New Testament , too .
Scott Redd went on to write about the shema and what it means for our perspective on wealth and our possessions .
IFWE published his research in the booklet , Wholehearted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commandment and Personal Wealth .
Redd writes about viewing wealth and possessions through the lens of wholehearted devotion to Christ : In Matthew 6:19-21 , Jesus encourages his audience to be singular in their service to the Lord and the heavenly treasures that await those who are citizens of his kingdom .
At this point in the Sermon on the Mount , he is describing the radical discipleship that marks the lives of his followers .
Like the Israelites receiving the terms of the covenant from Moses , Jesus ’ followers are to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their energies are devoted merely to amassing wealth , then their love of the Lord is called into question .
It is hard not to hear echoes of the Shema in the saying , “ For where your treasure is , there your heart will be also ” ( Matt .
6:21 ) .
Those who are wholeheartedly committed to Christ ’ s Lordship will not divide their affections between God and money , but even their wealth will be subordinated to his purposes .
We need to continually call to mind that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for which our things have been given to us .
Hugh Whelchel writes that God ’ s purpose can be found in creation : Shalom is not ultimately found under a Christmas tree , but in a stable .
Material things are a reflection of the abundance God desires for us , but they are not God .
Capitalism is not the problem , but our sinful hearts .
And that ’ s why we need Christmas .
Anne Bradley , Ph.D. , is the George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for American Studies .
She also serves as the Vice President of Economic Initiatives at the Institute for Faith , Work & Economics .
This article is republished with permission from the Institute for Faith , Work & Economics .
IFWE is a Christian research organization committed to advancing biblical and economic principles that help individuals find fulfillment in their work and contribute to a free and flourishing society .
Click here to subscribe to the free IFWE Daily Blog .

To what extent would you say that the material aspects of Christmas factor into your celebration?
in 2017, Americans spent between $906 and $983 on Christmas gifts, up from an average of somewhere between $752 and $929 the year before, depending on the survey. UPS reports record numbers of shipments to be made in the weeks prior to Christmas. Over the course of 17 days, the package delivery company is expected to deliver 750 million packages. (That also says a lot about the annual increase in online shopping!)
If the recent trends prove true, material goods will play a large role in our holidays. Many point to capitalism as the cause of this increasingly materialistic attitude toward Christmas.
As Christians, how do we reconcile the tangible effects of capitalism on a season marking one of the most impactful events of all history?
Capitalism and Consumerism: A Dual Legacy
Is capitalism to blame for increased materialism?
From century-old debates between Keynes and Hayek to Thomas Piketty’s more recent criticism, capitalism is disparaged for drawing our hearts to worship objects, the creation of our hands, and to succumb to greed.
On the other hand, it can be argued that we can credit capitalism for the prosperity we’ve experienced over the last few centuries.
How can both of these legacies be true?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Every system in this broken world can be tainted by greed. What matters are the institutions and rules under which people operate, because those affect the behavior of individual people.
In this regard, capitalism encourages service to others and finding better ways to use our scarce resources. On the other hand, centralized economies institutionalize greed of those at the top by encouraging cronyism and theft.
The horrific effects of evil manifested in central-planning systems in the mid-twentieth century reveal the scope of the greed that is possible.
If capitalism isn’t to blame, what is?
A Balanced, Biblical Perspective on Material Things
We are told that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matt. 6:19-24). Thus, we need to look to Jesus for our treasure.
This doesn’t nullify the value of material goods. Rather, it reminds us of the primacy of heavenly things.
I like how Justin Earley puts it in his article for Relevant magazine:
In God’s created order, things are the stuff through which we experience, understand and come to know Him in His fullness. Not in spite of them, but through them! God is our rock. Jesus is bread and water. God is my shield and portion. If we’re not well acquainted with the material world, then we certainly won’t be well acquainted with Him — because God is always comparing Himself to things.
God created for us a material world (one that he called good!) through which we can learn more about him.
Former Stream Managing Editor Jonathan Witt writes in Counting the Cost: Christian Perspectives on Capitalism that Christians need to embody this balanced, biblical perspective on material things:
Capitalism needs the theological soil from which it sprang — a Judeo-Christian understanding that recognizes human agency and responsibility, that values human dignity and human freedom, that takes account of both human evil and the creative power of humans made in the image of the creator — who is the ultimate ground of the good, the true, and the beautiful. That vision tells us that we are called to be creative, to pursue excellence, and to serve as good stewards of a good creation, not to junk it up with cheap and tacky ephemera or to seek for significance through unbridled consumption. It also tutors us to recognize that the material realm is neither inherently evil nor the greatest good. This, in turn, helps us avoid two destructive extremes: on the one hand, old-style socialism’s disdain for material beauty, and on the other, the hedonism of consumerism.
Loving God Wholeheartedly With Our Material Things
Another important perspective on material things is the concept of living wholeheartedly for God.
A few years ago, Dr. Scott Redd, president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., came to speak to the IFWE team. He reminded us about the importance of the shema (Deut. 6:4-5) to our understanding of scripture. In Deuteronomy, Moses calls us to a covenant with a God who desires first our hearts.
We need to continually call to mind that loving God wholeheartedly means knowing the purpose for which our things have been given to us.
This pattern of taking God’s name into our hearts, expressing it through our selves, and displaying it with our strength in all that have and all that we do is repeated throughout the Old Testament and echoed in the New Testament, too.
Scott Redd went on to write about the shema and what it means for our perspective on wealth and our possessions. IFWE published his research in the booklet, Wholehearted: A Biblical Look at the Greatest Commandment and Personal Wealth. Redd writes about viewing wealth and possessions through the lens of wholehearted devotion to Christ:
In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus encourages his audience to be singular in their service to the Lord and the heavenly treasures that await those who are citizens of his kingdom. At this point in the Sermon on the Mount, he is describing the radical discipleship that marks the lives of his followers. Like the Israelites receiving the terms of the covenant from Moses, Jesus’ followers are to be singular in their devotion. If their energies are devoted merely to amassing wealth, then their love of the Lord is called into question. It is hard not to hear echoes of the Shema in the saying, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Those who are wholeheartedly committed to Christ’s Lordship will not divide their affections between God and money, but even their wealth will be subordinated to his purposes.
We need to continually call to mind that loving God wholeheartedly means knowing the purpose for which our things have been given to us. Hugh Whelchel writes that God’s purpose can be found in creation:
At IFWE we believe the “why” of our work, both paid and unpaid, is to bring about biblical flourishing (shalom) in the world. That is God’s design and desire for his creation.
Shalom is not ultimately found under a Christmas tree, but in a stable. Material things are a reflection of the abundance God desires for us, but they are not God. Capitalism is not the problem, but our sinful hearts. And that’s why we need Christmas.
Anne Bradley, Ph.D., is the George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and the academic director at The Fund for American Studies. She also serves as the Vice President of Economic Initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics.
This article is republished with permission from the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. IFWE is a Christian research organization committed to advancing biblical and economic principles that help individuals find fulfillment in their work and contribute to a free and flourishing society. Click here to subscribe to the free IFWE Daily Blog.


thestream--2020-12-06--Christians in Africa and India Remind Us Not to Get Sissified in America

There is no question that our most essential freedoms are under attack here in America .
And there is no question that elements on the left want to silence the Church .
There is also no question that many believers in America have already suffered some levels of persecution .
Some have been defamed , or lost jobs , or been put out of educational programs , or even gone to jail .
But let ’ s not have that pity party quite yet .
Believers around the world are going through persecution for the gospel on a whole another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last Thursday I received an urgent email from an American friend serving as a missionary and educator in Nigeria .
She wrote : “ A Christian worker , a friend of my host , has just been attacked by Fulani Herdsman and has suffered grave injuries from a cutlass .
He has lost a lot of blood .
Please pray .
Thank you.
” Some hours later we received the “ good ” news : “ Thank you for your prayers .
His wife reports that our brother is alive and currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his head and is missing fingers .
May God steady his heart , protect his faith and heal his body.
” This was a positive outcome : only deep gashes to the head and missing fingers .
As for denying this couple denying faith as a result of this barbaric attack ?
Not a chance .
A few days earlier , this same friend had texted me about another Christian who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists demanding a ransom .
More than a dozen had been kidnapped not long in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not killed on the spot .
Thankfully , this Christian was ransomed and his life spared , but this is the norm in the region in which these Christians live .
Every day could be your last .
But this is just a tiny snapshot of the horrors with which these Nigerian believers live .
As reported in August , “ Nigeria is becoming the ‘ biggest killing ground of Christians in the world ’ due to attacks by Boko Haram and Fulani militants , says a leading charity .
“ International @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50,000 and 70,000 Christians have been killed in the last decade in the West African nation , the most populous on the continent.
” Many would also argue that the government is either complicit or , at the least , looking the other way .
In September , reports of atrocities came from Ethiopia , as an “ Ethiopian Christian leader called for an international inquiry into the slaying of hundreds of Christians , including pregnant women , children and whole families , in ongoing Oromo Muslim extremist attacks in the parts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , south-east and east of Addis Ababa , since the end of June .
According to reports , more than 500 were killed.
” How many of us even knew this was taking place ?
Last week , a dear Indian friend sent me graphic photos and video footage of Christians in Orissa , India , being beaten for their faith .
Seven years ago , Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to free India of Christianity and Islam by 2021 , promising to restore “ Hindu glory.
” That continues to be one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be said publicly .
Back in 1999 , in the midst of a wave of brutal persecution in Orissa , missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned to death by Hindu radicals while sleeping in their car at night .
( Staines had been working with lepers and impoverished tribal groups since 1965 . )
I was in India shortly after that tragic event , one that shocked the conscience of the nation , and I had the sacred privilege of ministering to pastors from Orissa on that trip , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India .
To a person , both men and women renewed their resolve to go back and serve their people , whether by life or by death .
To them , this was Christianity 101 .
Jesus is worthy living for and dying for .
Christians in Orissa also suffered horrific persecution in 2007-2008 , and once again , I had the privilege of ministering to some of their leaders at that time .
Not only did I see sickening footage of the beatings and the killings that were taking place but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been beaten and threatened .
I also met the wife and daughter of a martyred pastor .
In front of his wife , he was beaten and then beheaded with an axe .
Yet both mother and daughter were resolved in their desire to continue to share their faith with their people .
Overcoming With the Blood of the Lamb This is what I have encountered on trip after trip to India , once asking a gathering of pastors and church planters how many of them had suffered physical violence for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their hands , almost with a shrug .
No big deal to be beaten for Jesus .
As for my American friend serving in Nigeria , as an older , single woman , she left her career behind in America and now works with the poorest of the poor , especially in Muslim villages , helping train their teachers to provide the most basic education for the children .
And she does it openly as a Christian .
Before the COVID shutdown , things got so dangerous that the local Christian leaders insisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a season .
Since then , she was counting the days for Nigeria to reopen for travel , literally getting on the first possible flight to be back with her adopted family and friends .
She too reminds us what it means to be a courageous Christian .
Revelation 12:11 tells us that , as Satan rages against God ’ s people here on the earth , they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb , by the word of their testimony , and by not loving their lives to the point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , overcome with that spirit of courageous faith .
Our brothers and sisters around the world , beaten and tortured and killed , are urging us to stand up and be strong .
Dr. Michael Brown ( www.askdrbrown.org ) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program .
His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads : Will We Pass the Trump Test ?
Connect with him on Facebook , Twitter or YouTube .

There is no question that our most essential freedoms are under attack here in America. And there is no question that elements on the left want to silence the Church. There is also no question that many believers in America have already suffered some levels of persecution. Some have been defamed, or lost jobs, or been put out of educational programs, or even gone to jail.
But let’s not have that pity party quite yet. Believers around the world are going through persecution for the gospel on a whole other level. May their courage inspire us.
An Urgent Appeal from Nigeria
Last Thursday I received an urgent email from an American friend serving as a missionary and educator in Nigeria. She wrote: “A Christian worker, a friend of my host, has just been attacked by Fulani Herdsman and has suffered grave injuries from a cutlass. He has lost a lot of blood. Please pray. Thank you.”
Some hours later we received the “good” news: “Thank you for your prayers. His wife reports that our brother is alive and currently stable. He has deep gashes to his head and is missing fingers. May God steady his heart, protect his faith and heal his body.”
This was a positive outcome: only deep gashes to the head and missing fingers.
As for this couple denying faith as a result of this barbaric attack? Not a chance.
A few days earlier, this same friend had texted me about another Christian who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists demanding a ransom. More than a dozen had been kidnapped not long in the previous weeks, but at least they were not killed on the spot. Thankfully, this Christian was ransomed and his life spared, but this is the norm in the region in which these Christians live. Every day could be your last.
Horrors in Africa
But this is just a tiny snapshot of the horrors with which these Nigerian believers live. As reported in August:
Nigeria is becoming the ‘biggest killing ground of Christians in the world’ due to attacks by Boko Haram and Fulani militants, says a leading charity. International Christian Concern (ICC) estimates between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians have been killed in the last decade in the West African nation, the most populous on the continent.
Many would also argue that the government is either complicit or, at the least, looking the other way.
In September, reports of atrocities came from Ethiopia, as an “Ethiopian Christian leader called for an international inquiry into the slaying of hundreds of Christians, including pregnant women, children and whole families, in ongoing Oromo Muslim extremist attacks in the parts of the Oromia regional state, extending south, south-east and east of Addis Ababa, since the end of June. According to reports, more than 500 were killed.”
How many of us even knew this was taking place?
Persecution in India
Last week, a dear Indian friend sent me graphic photos and video footage of Christians in Orissa, India, being beaten for their faith.
Seven years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to free India of Christianity and Islam by 2021, promising to restore “Hindu glory.” That continues to be one of his goals, regardless of what might be said publicly.
Back in 1999, in the midst of a wave of brutal persecution in Orissa, missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned to death by Hindu radicals while sleeping in their car at night. (Staines had been working with lepers and impoverished tribal groups since 1965.)
I was in India shortly after that tragic event, one that shocked the conscience of the nation, and I had the sacred privilege of ministering to pastors from Orissa on that trip, one of 27 I have made to India. To a person, both men and women renewed their resolve to go back and serve their people, whether by life or by death.
To them, this was Christianity 101. Jesus is worthy living for and dying for.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Christians in Orissa also suffered horrific persecution in 2007-2008, and once again, I had the privilege of ministering to some of their leaders at that time.
Not only did I see sickening footage of the beatings and the killings that were taking place but I also spoke with some of those who had been beaten and threatened. I also met the wife and daughter of a martyred pastor. In front of his wife, he was beaten and then beheaded with an axe.
Yet both mother and daughter were resolved in their desire to continue to share their faith with their people.
Overcoming With the Blood of the Lamb
This is what I have encountered on trip after trip to India, once asking a gathering of pastors and church planters how many of them had suffered physical violence for their faith. About three-quarters of them raised their hands, almost with a shrug. No big deal to be beaten for Jesus.
As for my American friend serving in Nigeria, as an older, single woman, she left her career behind in America and now works with the poorest of the poor, especially in Muslim villages, helping train their teachers to provide the most basic education for the children. And she does it openly as a Christian.
Before the COVID shutdown, things got so dangerous that the local Christian leaders insisted she go back to the States for a season. Since then, she was counting the days for Nigeria to reopen for travel, literally getting on the first possible flight to be back with her adopted family and friends. She too reminds us what it means to be a courageous Christian.
Revelation 12:11 tells us that, as Satan rages against God’s people here on the earth, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by not loving their lives to the point of death.
May we, too, overcome with that spirit of courageous faith. Our brothers and sisters around the world, beaten and tortured and killed, are urging us to stand up and be strong.
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test? Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.


thestream--2020-12-06--Von Spakovsky: How to Make Sure the 2020 Election Never Happens Again

To see what ’ s wrong with our election system , just look at all the claims and allegations being made in the litigation filed by the Trump campaign and other organizations contesting the outcome of the presidential election .
Regardless of what happens with that challenge , state legislatures should take note of the underlying problems , which have existed for years , and finally do something about them — before we have our next set of state and federal elections .
The Heritage Foundation has an Election Fraud Database that provides a sampling of proven fraud cases from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many vulnerabilities in the election process that can be — and are — exploited by those willing to game the system .
It is everything from non-citizens registering and voting , to vote-buying and submission of fraudulent absentee ballots , to individuals voting more than once because they are registered multiple times in the same state or are registered and voting in two different states ( like former Democratic congressional candidate Wendy Rosen was caught doing in Maryland and Florida ) .
Anyone who doubts this type of activity can make a difference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened this past summer in Patterson , N.J. , where a new municipal election was ordered and four locals were charged with absentee ballot fraud .
Or the 9th District congressional race in North Carolina that was overturned in 2018 due to absentee ballot fraud and illegal vote harvesting by a political consultant and six of his staffers , all of whom were criminally charged .
But it is not just intentional misconduct .
It ’ s also the errors , mistakes , and incompetence of sloppy , inefficient systems that exacerbate all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials not doing something as basic as checking the addresses of newly registered voters with county tax records to ensure they are really residential addresses where someone lives , as opposed to a vacant lot or a mall or a UPS store .
Or modifying their registration software to detect multiple registrations by the same individual with only slight variations in his or her name , such as using a full middle name in one registration but only the first initial of that person ’ s middle name in a second registration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you registered twice without election officials noticing , which will then allow you to vote twice with little chance of detection .
Steps That Need to Be Taken There are a whole series of steps that need to be taken by state legislators to fix these problems , and they should act in the upcoming legislative sessions that will start in many states in January 2021 .
It should be the states , not Congress , that address these issues , since the states are primarily responsible under our Constitution for administering elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run into opposition , and left-wing advocacy groups will sue to try to stop any reforms that would fix these problems and make it harder to cheat .
States just need to be prepared to defend their reforms in court , the way states that have implemented voter ID laws have , usually successfully .
In fact , that is the first reform states need : requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote not just in-person as in Georgia and Indiana , but also for absentee ballots , as is the law in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ID at no charge for the tiny percentage of the residents of their states who don ’ t already have one .
And states need to modify their driver ’ s licenses , which are the default national ID card used by the average American every day for many different purposes besides voting , to conspicuously note whether the individual is a citizen or not .
Unfortunately , it is easy for a non-citizen , legal or illegal , to register and vote with little chance of being caught , because states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to change .
States should require proof of citizenship to register to vote .
They should also use available Department of Homeland Security records to check the citizenship of registered voters .
For those of us who ’ ve been called for jury duty , you may recall that you had to swear under oath that you are a U.S. citizen .
Yet very few states require state courts to notify election and law enforcement officials when individuals called for jury duty using voter registration lists are excused because they are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also use state voter registration lists to find jurors for federal cases .
Yet they also don ’ t notify states when those called for jury duty are excused for not being U.S. citizens .
This should have been changed years ago .
Absentee ballots are the only ballots voted outside the supervision of election officials and outside the observation of poll watchers , making them particularly susceptible to fraud , forgery , theft , and numerous other problems we ’ ve seen surface in this year ’ s election .
For that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be limited to individuals who have a valid reason , such as being disabled or out of town on Election Day , to vote absentee .
They should require witness signatures or notarization and the signatures of voters on both absentee ballot request forms , and the absentee ballots themselves should be compared to the signature of the voter on file before they are accepted .
With all of the disputes over absentee ballots received after Election Day , the deadline in every state for receipt of a completed absentee ballot should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many weeks prior to Election Day to obtain and vote via absentee ballot .
There is simply no reason to have a deadline past that day .
Additionally , vote-harvesting should be banned in every state .
You are just asking for trouble if you give candidates , campaign staffers , party activists , and political consultants the ability to pick up and handle the ballots of voters – including subjecting voters to coercion and intimidation .
Absentee ballots should only go to voters who request them — there should be no automatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters .
Why ?
Because as this and past elections have shown , state voter registration lists are in terrible shape , filled with voters who have moved , died , or otherwise become ineligible .
That is because many states are not taking the most basic steps to keep their lists accurate and up-to-date .
They need to be comparing their voter-registration lists with other states ; using available state , federal , and commercial databases such as credit agencies , tax records , driver ’ s licenses , and public assistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records , and deaths listed by the Social Security Administration and other government agencies .
These fixes are just a start .
There are many others to add to this list , including more vigorous investigations and prosecutions of fraud by election and law enforcement officials who all too often don ’ t want to know about these problems or don ’ t take them seriously .
We have razor-thin elections all the time in this country at the federal , state and local levels .
As the Supreme Court and many others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carter/Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform , fraud can make the difference in a close election .
And so can errors and slip-ups by election officials .
That is why state officials all over the country need to concentrate on addressing all of these vulnerabilities and problems and finally do something about them .
Hans A. von Spakovsky is a Senior Legal Fellow and Manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation and a former election official .
He is the co-author of “ Who ’ s Counting ?
How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Risk ” and “ Obama ’ s Enforcer : Eric Holder ’ s Justice Department .
”

To see what’s wrong with our election system, just look at all the claims and allegations being made in the litigation filed by the Trump campaign and other organizations contesting the outcome of the presidential election. Regardless of what happens with that challenge, state legislatures should take note of the underlying problems, which have existed for years, and finally do something about them — before we have our next set of state and federal elections.
The Heritage Foundation has an Election Fraud Database that provides a sampling of proven fraud cases from across the country. It highlights the many vulnerabilities in the election process that can be — and are — exploited by those willing to game the system. It is everything from non-citizens registering and voting, to vote-buying and submission of fraudulent absentee ballots, to individuals voting more than once because they are registered multiple times in the same state or are registered and voting in two different states (like former Democratic congressional candidate Wendy Rosen was caught doing in Maryland and Florida).
Anyone who doubts this type of activity can make a difference in an election should look at what happened this past summer in Patterson, N.J., where a new municipal election was ordered and four locals were charged with absentee ballot fraud. Or the 9th District congressional race in North Carolina that was overturned in 2018 due to absentee ballot fraud and illegal vote harvesting by a political consultant and six of his staffers, all of whom were criminally charged.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
But it is not just intentional misconduct. It’s also the errors, mistakes, and incompetence of sloppy, inefficient systems that exacerbate all of these problems. Like state election officials not doing something as basic as checking the addresses of newly registered voters with county tax records to ensure they are really residential addresses where someone lives, as opposed to a vacant lot or a mall or a UPS store.
Or modifying their registration software to detect multiple registrations by the same individual with only slight variations in his or her name, such as using a full middle name in one registration but only the first initial of that person’s middle name in a second registration. In many states, that will get you registered twice without election officials noticing, which will then allow you to vote twice with little chance of detection.
Steps That Need to Be Taken
There are a whole series of steps that need to be taken by state legislators to fix these problems, and they should act in the upcoming legislative sessions that will start in many states in January 2021. It should be the states, not Congress, that address these issues, since the states are primarily responsible under our Constitution for administering elections.
There is no doubt they will run into opposition, and left-wing advocacy groups will sue to try to stop any reforms that would fix these problems and make it harder to cheat. States just need to be prepared to defend their reforms in court, the way states that have implemented voter ID laws have, usually successfully.
In fact, that is the first reform states need: requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote not just in-person as in Georgia and Indiana, but also for absentee ballots, as is the law in Kansas and Alabama. That includes providing an ID at no charge for the tiny percentage of the residents of their states who don’t already have one. And states need to modify their driver’s licenses, which are the default national ID card used by the average American every day for many different purposes besides voting, to conspicuously note whether the individual is a citizen or not.
Easy for Non-Citizens to Vote
Unfortunately, it is easy for a non-citizen, legal or illegal, to register and vote with little chance of being caught, because states don’t verify citizenship. That needs to change. States should require proof of citizenship to register to vote. They should also use available Department of Homeland Security records to check the citizenship of registered voters.
For those of us who’ve been called for jury duty, you may recall that you had to swear under oath that you are a U.S. citizen. Yet very few states require state courts to notify election and law enforcement officials when individuals called for jury duty using voter registration lists are excused because they are not U.S. citizens. Furthermore, federal courts also use state voter registration lists to find jurors for federal cases. Yet they also don’t notify states when those called for jury duty are excused for not being U.S. citizens. This should have been changed years ago.
Absentee Ballots
Absentee ballots are the only ballots voted outside the supervision of election officials and outside the observation of poll watchers, making them particularly susceptible to fraud, forgery, theft, and numerous other problems we’ve seen surface in this year’s election. For that reason, the use of absentee ballots should be limited to individuals who have a valid reason, such as being disabled or out of town on Election Day, to vote absentee. They should require witness signatures or notarization and the signatures of voters on both absentee ballot request forms, and the absentee ballots themselves should be compared to the signature of the voter on file before they are accepted.
With all of the disputes over absentee ballots received after Election Day, the deadline in every state for receipt of a completed absentee ballot should be Election Day itself. Voters have many weeks prior to Election Day to obtain and vote via absentee ballot. There is simply no reason to have a deadline past that day. Additionally, vote-harvesting should be banned in every state. You are just asking for trouble if you give candidates, campaign staffers, party activists, and political consultants the ability to pick up and handle the ballots of voters – including subjecting voters to coercion and intimidation.
Absentee ballots should only go to voters who request them — there should be no automatic mailing of such ballots to all registered voters. Why? Because as this and past elections have shown, state voter registration lists are in terrible shape, filled with voters who have moved, died, or otherwise become ineligible. That is because many states are not taking the most basic steps to keep their lists accurate and up-to-date. They need to be comparing their voter-registration lists with other states; using available state, federal, and commercial databases such as credit agencies, tax records, driver’s licenses, and public assistance filings; Department of Homeland Security alien records, and deaths listed by the Social Security Administration and other government agencies.
Just a Start
These fixes are just a start. There are many others to add to this list, including more vigorous investigations and prosecutions of fraud by election and law enforcement officials who all too often don’t want to know about these problems or don’t take them seriously.
We have razor-thin elections all the time in this country at the federal, state and local levels. As the Supreme Court and many others have pointed out, including the bipartisan Carter/Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform, fraud can make the difference in a close election. And so can errors and slip-ups by election officials. That is why state officials all over the country need to concentrate on addressing all of these vulnerabilities and problems and finally do something about them.
Hans A. von Spakovsky is a Senior Legal Fellow and Manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation and a former election official. He is the co-author of “Who’s Counting? How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk” and “Obama’s Enforcer: Eric Holder’s Justice Department.”
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


thestream--2020-12-07--We Can’t Control COVID (Or Much of Anything Else)

In early March , the University of California San Francisco held a panel discussion of infectious disease specialists on a new virus that had , at that point , killed 41 Americans .
These experts not only estimated that 60 to 70 percent of America ’ s population would eventually contract the virus , but that our best attempts to contain it , either through lockdowns or contact tracing , would be , in their words , “ basically futile.
” Today , nine months later , the predictions of this particular panel of experts have turned out like most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things , wrong on others .
It ’ s not clear just how effective all of the quarantining , lock-downing , social distancing , and masking have been in reducing the number of infections , or why , despite more data , our assumptions about COVID-19 remain largely unchanged .
And , of course , we ’ ve yet to reckon with the economic , educational , and mental health consequences of the policy paths we ’ ve chosen .
What is clear , more clear than ever in fact , is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from as Westerners and Americans .
Catastrophes like COVID always reveal worldview .
To borrow a phrase philosopher Craig Gay uses in his book The Way of the ( Modern ) World , we are “ practical atheists.
” A subtle , operational-level form of secularism , practical atheism is not necessarily to believe that God does not exist .
Rather , it ’ s to live as if God does not exist .
Professor Gay identifies two features of a culture operating from a deeply engrained practical atheism .
First , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is no Higher Power determining the course of human events or judging the morality of our actions , the world is a place for us to make and remake according to our wishes .
Grand leaps in science , medicine , and technology only deepen the faith we put in ourselves .
At the heart of our illusions of control is the assumption that the world is totally understandable .
We actually believe , Professor Gay says , not only that we can “ comprehend reality in its totality , ” but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it stable and predictable.
” In other words , we will ultimately make the world “ work for us.
” That ’ s a really attractive proposition , of course .
However , what happens when we face something beyond our understanding , something that is an existential threat to the “ convenient fiction ” of our control ?
Like a global pandemic ?
The answer can be seen in how so many U.S. governors approached last week ’ s Thanksgiving holiday : travel restrictions and curfews , bans on indoor gatherings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for everyone , not just those at higher risk .
The governor of my home state of Colorado said that gathering with family for Thanksgiving was like “ putting a loaded pistol to Grandma ’ s head.
” How quickly we went from the “ we acknowledge we can ’ t control this ” of the UCSF panel of experts to the “ we absolutely can and will control this ” of elected officials .
The shift from “ most of us are going to get sick but let ’ s care for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone must avoid getting sick at all costs ” is a significant one .
Now , if anyone contracts COVID , it ’ s not because it ’ s a novel virus we don ’ t understand , but because someone failed .
Practical atheists want control .
When control is lost , someone is to blame .
An Opportunity for the Church This brings up another characteristic of “ practical atheism ” that Professor Gay rightly identifies : anxiety .
Anxiety is the inevitable reaction when we realize just how out-of-our-control this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our shoulders — which now bear the weight of the world without God — really are .
It ’ s here that we see how much “ practical atheism ” has permeated the Church .
Even for Christians who worship God on Sundays , it ’ s hard not to give in to promises that our doctors , or our politicians , or our favorite celebrity preachers , or our organic vitamin regimen , or our purity rings will fix the world , or at least allow us to control all the scary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too , are tempted to look for someone ( or someones ) to blame for all that seems out of control with our world , whether a global pandemic or election results .
That ’ s why this moment is such an incredible opportunity for the Church .
It will reveal our worldview , too .
A Christian vision allows us to fully acknowledge our human limitations to understand everything , much less control everything .
And yet , in this self-awareness , we are anxious for nothing , because we know there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand but oversees the world He created and loves .
John Stonestreet serves as president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview .
He ’ s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture , theology , worldview , education and apologetics .
Originally published on BreakPoint.org .
Republished with permission of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview .

In early March, the University of California San Francisco held a panel discussion of infectious disease specialists on a new virus that had, at that point, killed 41 Americans. These experts not only estimated that 60 to 70 percent of America’s population would eventually contract the virus, but that our best attempts to contain it, either through lockdowns or contact tracing, would be, in their words, “basically futile.”
Nine Months Later
Today, nine months later, the predictions of this particular panel of experts have turned out like most other COVID-19 predictions: right on some things, wrong on others. It’s not clear just how effective all of the quarantining, lock-downing, social distancing, and masking have been in reducing the number of infections, or why, despite more data, our assumptions about COVID-19 remain largely unchanged. And, of course, we’ve yet to reckon with the economic, educational, and mental health consequences of the policy paths we’ve chosen.
A Worldview Revealed
What is clear, more clear than ever in fact, is the base set of assumptions we now operate from as Westerners and Americans. Catastrophes like COVID always reveal worldview. To borrow a phrase philosopher Craig Gay uses in his book The Way of the (Modern) World, we are “practical atheists.” A subtle, operational-level form of secularism, practical atheism is not necessarily to believe that God does not exist. Rather, it’s to live as if God does not exist.
Professor Gay identifies two features of a culture operating from a deeply engrained practical atheism. First, there is an illusion of control. If there is no Higher Power determining the course of human events or judging the morality of our actions, the world is a place for us to make and remake according to our wishes. Grand leaps in science, medicine, and technology only deepen the faith we put in ourselves.
At the heart of our illusions of control is the assumption that the world is totally understandable. We actually believe, Professor Gay says, not only that we can “comprehend reality in its totality,” but that “we are capable of rendering it stable and predictable.” In other words, we will ultimately make the world “work for us.”
Practical Atheists Want Control
That’s a really attractive proposition, of course. However, what happens when we face something beyond our understanding, something that is an existential threat to the “convenient fiction” of our control? Like a global pandemic? The answer can be seen in how so many U.S. governors approached last week’s Thanksgiving holiday: travel restrictions and curfews, bans on indoor gatherings, shaming even the idea of family gatherings for everyone, not just those at higher risk. The governor of my home state of Colorado said that gathering with family for Thanksgiving was like “putting a loaded pistol to Grandma’s head.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
How quickly we went from the “we acknowledge we can’t control this” of the UCSF panel of experts to the “we absolutely can and will control this” of elected officials. The shift from “most of us are going to get sick but let’s care for and protect the vulnerable” to “everyone must avoid getting sick at all costs” is a significant one. Now, if anyone contracts COVID, it’s not because it’s a novel virus we don’t understand, but because someone failed. Practical atheists want control. When control is lost, someone is to blame.
An Opportunity for the Church
This brings up another characteristic of “practical atheism” that Professor Gay rightly identifies: anxiety. Anxiety is the inevitable reaction when we realize just how out-of-our-control this fallen world is, and how fragile our shoulders — which now bear the weight of the world without God — really are.
It’s here that we see how much “practical atheism” has permeated the Church. Even for Christians who worship God on Sundays, it’s hard not to give in to promises that our doctors, or our politicians, or our favorite celebrity preachers, or our organic vitamin regimen, or our purity rings will fix the world, or at least allow us to control all the scary stuff in it. And, we too, are tempted to look for someone (or someones) to blame for all that seems out of control with our world, whether a global pandemic or election results.
That’s why this moment is such an incredible opportunity for the Church. It will reveal our worldview, too. A Christian vision allows us to fully acknowledge our human limitations to understand everything, much less control everything. And yet, in this self-awareness, we are anxious for nothing, because we know there is a God who not only does understand but oversees the world He created and loves.
John Stonestreet serves as president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He’s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education and apologetics.
Originally published on BreakPoint.org. Republished with permission of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview.


thestream--2020-12-07--The People Have Spoken, But Biden’s Not Listening

The People may have spoken , but half the country is still trying to figure out what they said .
One thing is certain .
We now live in two countries .
Not since the Civil War have Americans been so polarized around competing visions of what the nation should be .
As Darrell West of the left-leaning Brookings Institution warns , “ societal tensions have metastasized into a dangerous tribalism that seriously threatens U.S. democracy.
” And given the uncertainty of our recent Election , it ’ s doubtful that a bridging of these divisions will happen anytime soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amounts to a “ progressive ” agenda calling for unfettered abortion , expanded LGBT rights , activist courts , a socialist-leaning economy , expanded government , a reduced military and a globalist foreign policy .
The other half voted to try and corral these aims and return the nation to the vision of its Founders as memorialized in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights , a government of limited powers and a more conventional moral compass .
Such polarized visions can not long co-exist .
One will prevail at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Administration , if elected , has already signaled its intent to reverse most , if not all , of the Trump Administration ’ s Executive Orders , starting with the transgender military ban .
One source has reported that Biden has named Shawn Skelly , a man living as a woman , to review the entire Department of Defense .
For Education Secretary , Biden is considering past NEA president , Lily Eskelsen Garcia , as the front runner to replace Betsy DeVos , a proponent of school choice .
The fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a failed and damaging experiment ” does not bode well .
Biden has also pledged to champion the Blueprint for Positive Change 2020 , a document produced by the radical Human Rights Campaign .
If implemented , the Blueprint would require the State Department to “ include a non-binary gender marker and modernize existing requirements for updating gender markers on United States ’ passports.
” Biden purportedly further plans to require that the Department of Education ensure that “ non-discrimination policies and science-based curriculum are not undermined by religious exemption to accreditation standards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Christian institutions — would be forced to embrace a LGBTQ worldview or face non-accreditation .
As Archbishop Charles Chaput has observed : “ Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant , then it tries to silence good.
” Of course , such measures would face Constitutional scrutiny in a newly conservative Court .
Regardless , a Biden Administration would bring sea changes .
For organizations like Protect Our Kids , all this will make our job more difficult and needful at the same time .
The corruption of our public-school educated children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Along with Comprehensive Sexuality Education , children will be expected to accept that America is “ systemically racist ” through Critical Race Theory indoctrination and its related curriculums .
Teachers unions will become further emboldened in advancing their anti-Western worldview .
The values of conservative parents will increasingly be viewed by school officials as a form of “ spiritual abuse.
” Removing children from public schools will become more challenging due to the complete lack of government support for school choice .
All of this makes calling attention to , and rolling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children even more urgent .
Protect Our Kids is but one of a number of groups , most very small of stature , dedicated to stemming the tide of evil against the most vulnerable and fragile members of our society .
Marshalled against us is a vast and powerful army of public and private organizations , groups like SIECUS , Advocates for Youth , Planned Parenthood , Answer , and others .
It ’ s a David versus Goliath story , with the fate of our children in the balance .
Given the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few should be sitting out .
The people may have spoken , but there ’ s a voice that ’ s still far too quiet … parents of school-aged children .
The great civil rights champion , Martin Luther King , Jr. , is reported to have said , “ Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
” Our children ’ s lives matter !
Mark R. Schneider is founder & president of Protect our Kids .
Originally published at Protect Our Kids .
Reprinted with @ @

The People may have spoken, but half the country is still trying to figure out what they said. One thing is certain. We now live in two countries. Not since the Civil War have Americans been so polarized around competing visions of what the nation should be.
As Darrell West of the left-leaning Brookings Institution warns, “societal tensions have metastasized into a dangerous tribalism that seriously threatens U.S. democracy.” And given the uncertainty of our recent Election, it’s doubtful that a bridging of these divisions will happen anytime soon.
Polarized Visions
Half the nation voted for what amounts to a “progressive” agenda calling for unfettered abortion, expanded LGBT rights, activist courts, a socialist-leaning economy, expanded government, a reduced military and a globalist foreign policy.
The other half voted to try return the nation to the vision of its Founders as memorialized in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights: a government of limited powers and a more conventional moral compass.
Such polarized visions cannot long co-exist. One will prevail at the expense of the other.
Reading the Signals
A Biden-Harris Administration, if elected, has already signaled its intent to reverse most, if not all, of the Trump administration’s executive orders, starting with the transgender military ban. One source has reported that Biden has named Shawn Skelly, a man living as a woman, to review the entire Department of Defense.
For Education Secretary, Biden is considering past NEA president, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, as the front runner to replace Betsy DeVos, a proponent of school choice. The fact that Garcia has called charter schools “a failed and damaging experiment” does not bode well.
Biden has also pledged to champion the Blueprint for Positive Change 2020, a document produced by the radical Human Rights Campaign. If implemented, the Blueprint would require the State Department to “include a non-binary gender marker and modernize existing requirements for updating gender markers on United States’ passports.”
Biden purportedly further plans to require that the Department of Education ensure that “non-discrimination policies and science-based curriculum are not undermined by religious exemption to accreditation standards,” meaning schools with conservative values — Christian institutions — would be forced to embrace a LGBTQ worldview or face non-accreditation.
As Archbishop Charles Chaput has observed: “Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant, then it tries to silence good.” Of course, such measures would face Constitutional scrutiny in a newly conservative Court. Regardless, a Biden Administration would bring sea changes.
Even More Urgent
For organizations like Protect Our Kids, all this will make our job more difficult and needful at the same time. The corruption of our public-school educated children will increase in both intensity and breadth. Along with Comprehensive Sexuality Education, children will be expected to accept that America is “systemically racist” through Critical Race Theory indoctrination and its related curriculums.
Teachers unions will become further emboldened in advancing their anti-Western worldview. The values of conservative parents will increasingly be viewed by school officials as a form of “spiritual abuse.” Removing children from public schools will become more challenging due to the complete lack of government support for school choice.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
All of this makes calling attention to, and rolling back, the indoctrination of public school-aged children even more urgent. Protect Our Kids is but one of a number of groups, most very small of stature, dedicated to stemming the tide of evil against the most vulnerable and fragile members of our society.
Marshalled against us is a vast and powerful army of public and private organizations, groups like SIECUS, Advocates for Youth, Planned Parenthood, Answer, and others. It’s a David versus Goliath story, with the fate of our children in the balance. Given the stakes, it’s a battle few should be sitting out.
The people may have spoken, but there’s a voice that’s still far too quiet … parents of school-aged children. The great civil rights champion, Martin Luther King, Jr., is reported to have said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Our children’s lives matter!
Mark R. Schneider is founder & president of Protect our Kids. Originally published at Protect Our Kids. Reprinted with permission.


thestream--2020-12-07--Military Photo of the Day: Remembering Our Heroes of WWII

The forward magazine of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Shaw explodes during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor on December @ @ @ @ @ this National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day , we honor the American heroes who died in @ @ @ @ @ honorably served our country during World War II .
Because of you , we are @ @

The forward magazine of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Shaw explodes during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
On this National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the American heroes who died in the attack and all who honorably served our country during World War II. Because of you, we are free.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.


thestream--2020-12-07--Biden, Did You Know?

Biden, Did You Know?

One of the Christmas songs that never leaves me dry-eyed is “ Mary , Did You Know ?
” The music is simple but beautiful , and wonderful artists have covered the song , from Carrie Underwood to countless gospel groups and a cappella choirs .
( The original lyrics are by Mark Lowry , the music by Buddy Greene . )
Its sentiment is simple and human , in the voice of a believer who ’ s staggered and stunned , as we should be , by the Incarnation ’ s mystery .
The speaker is asking Jesus ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions , pointing to Jesus ’ miracles , His redemptive mission , and finally to His divinity .
Now , I know many Christians who find this song annoying , who even call it heretical .
That ’ s because Scripture itself tells us the answer to all these questions : Yes , Mary knew .
The Angel Gabriel told her .
But it ’ s not as simple as that .
How deep an understanding did the angel impart to her ?
She knew she was carrying the Messiah .
Was she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex awareness of Jesus ’ incarnate nature ?
Did the angel give her knowledge of His passion and resurrection ?
Scripture doesn ’ t answer that , though some Church traditions suggest that the answer is affirmative .
Even if we grant that , the speaker of the song might not realize it , so it ’ s perfectly legitimate for him as a simple believer to ask the Mother of God about this mystery .
And a full , comprehensive answer won ’ t be given us on this side of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ song , and just content yourself with the idea that at the end , Our Blessed Mother looks up at the speaker and mildly answers , “ Yes.
” All that is by way of apologizing to people who love this song as I do .
Because I just appropriated it to write a satirical song about the 2020 Election Steal .
Don ’ t tell me I ’ m being irreverent .
J.S .
Bach himself would use the same melody for sacred and for secular occasions .
In fact , do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O Sacred Head Surrounded ” ?
Bach employed it in the St. Matthew Passion ( and recast it as a kind of triumphal victory march , in his Christmas Oratorio . )
It took its original melody from a German secular love song .
Biden , Did You Know ?
Biden , did you know that the Democrats would give ballots to illegals ?
Biden , did you know that the Democrats wiped the servers past retrieval ?
Did you know that the Democrats could magically turn the tide ?
That you wouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you your landslide ?
Biden , did you know ?
( Did you know ? )
Biden , did you know ?
Biden , did you know ?
( Biden , did you know ? )
Biden , did you know ?
( Biden , did you know ? )
Biden , did you know ?
The dead would vote , the fake would vote , then they ’ d all vote again !
The pipes would break , the lights would fail , that was your real campaign !
Biden , did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not permit your failure ?
Biden , did you know that the Democrats got help from Venezuela ?
Did you know that the Democrats could pull off such a sham ?
That the party which propped you up is the Greatest Scam ?
Biden , did you know ?
( Biden , did you know ? )
Biden , did you know ?
( Biden , did you know ? )
Biden , did you know ?
( Biden , did you know ? )
And here is the real song : A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a senior editor at The Stream , and author or co-author of ten books , including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism .
He is co-author with Jason Jones of “ God , Guns , & the Government .
”

One of the Christmas songs that never leaves me dry-eyed is “Mary, Did You Know?” The music is simple but beautiful, and wonderful artists have covered the song, from Carrie Underwood to countless gospel groups and a cappella choirs. (The original lyrics are by Mark Lowry, the music by Buddy Greene.)
Its sentiment is simple and human, in the voice of a believer who’s staggered and stunned, as we should be, by the Incarnation’s mystery.
The speaker is asking Jesus’ mother Mary, a series of wonder-struck questions, pointing to Jesus’ miracles, His redemptive mission, and finally to His divinity.
Is the Song Heretical?
Now, I know many Christians who find this song annoying, who even call it heretical. That’s because Scripture itself tells us the answer to all these questions: Yes, Mary knew. The Angel Gabriel told her. But it’s not as simple as that. How deep an understanding did the angel impart to her? She knew she was carrying the Messiah. Was she granted by the angel a full, complex awareness of Jesus’ incarnate nature? Did the angel give her knowledge of His passion and resurrection? Scripture doesn’t answer that, though some Church traditions suggest that the answer is affirmative.
Even if we grant that, the speaker of the song might not realize it, so it’s perfectly legitimate for him as a simple believer to ask the Mother of God about this mystery. And a full, comprehensive answer won’t be given us on this side of the grave.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
So stop bashing this lovely song, and just content yourself with the idea that at the end, Our Blessed Mother looks up at the speaker and mildly answers, “Yes.”
All that is by way of apologizing to people who love this song as I do. Because I just appropriated it to write a satirical song about the 2020 Election Steal. Don’t tell me I’m being irreverent. J.S. Bach himself would use the same melody for sacred and for secular occasions. In fact, do you know the great Lenten hymn “O Sacred Head Surrounded”? Bach employed it in the St. Matthew Passion (and recast it as a kind of triumphal victory march, in his Christmas Oratorio.) It took its original melody from a German secular love song.
Biden, Did You Know?
Biden, did you know that the Democrats would give ballots to illegals?
Biden, did you know that the Democrats wiped the servers past retrieval?
Did you know that the Democrats could magically turn the tide?
That you wouldn’t need any voters to land you your landslide?
Biden, did you know? (Did you know?)
Biden, did you know?
Biden, did you know? (Biden, did you know?)
Biden, did you know? (Biden, did you know?)
Biden, did you know?
The dead would vote, the fake would vote, then they’d all vote again!
The pipes would break, the lights would fail, that was your real campaign!
Biden, did you know that the Soros folks would not permit your failure?
Biden, did you know that the Democrats got help from Venezuela?
Did you know that the Democrats could pull off such a sham?
That the party which propped you up is the Greatest Scam?
Biden, did you know? (Biden, did you know?)
Biden, did you know? (Biden, did you know?)
Biden, did you know? (Biden, did you know?)
The Original
And here is the real song:
A blessed Advent to all.
John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream, and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”