thestream--2020-07-07--Is Donald Trump a Spiritual Danger?

Is Donald Trump a Spiritual Danger?

It ’ s one thing when the leftwing media bashes Donald Trump , seeing him as a menace .
But how should we respond when 30 evangelicals write a book titled , The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump : 30 Evangelical Christians on Justice , Truth , and Moral Integrity ?
While working on my new book Evangelicals at the Crossroads : Will We Pass the Trump Test ?
, I familiarized myself with some of the most important , bestselling anti-Trump books .
These include : • Bob Woodward ’ s Fear : Trump in the White House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times bestseller .
• Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig ’ s A Very Stable Genius : Donald J. Trump ’ s Testing of America , which was also a No .
1 New York Times bestseller .
• Michael Wolf ’ s Fire and Fury : Inside the Trump White House , which was a No .
1 New York Times bestseller as well .
• Joshua Green ’ s Devil ’ s Bargain : Steve Bannon , Donald Trump , and the Nationalist Uprising , with an emphasis on the alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too was a No .
1 New York Times bestseller .
• David Frum ’ s Trumpocracy : The Corruption of the American Republic , which was a New York Times bestseller , although not No .
1 .
There was even The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump : 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President .
It was yet another New York Times bestseller .
I also devoted a chapter to Christianity Today ’ s call for Trump to be removed from office , written by senior editor Mark Galli @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major Christian calls for Trump ’ s removal , including one from the Bonhoeffer society .
So I am quite familiar with the arguments against Trump ’ s fitness for office , including concerns raised by evangelical Christians .
For the first time , though , a whole book has been compiled by evangelical Christians raising grave concerns about Trump .
The authors include respected professors , psychologists , psychiatrists , philosophers , historians , songwriters , lawyers , theologians , missions leaders and pastors , many of them highly respected in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authors are known for their left-leaning positions , it would be an error to dismiss them all out of hand .
The book is divided into three parts : 1 ) On Trump ; 2 ) On Evangelical Support of Trump ; and 3 ) On Theological , Historical , and Constitutional Issues Regarding Trump .
Authors like Prof. Stephen Haynes , a Bonhoeffer expert , argue that the evangelical embrace of Trump is similar to the Nazi embrace of Hitler .
Prof. George Yancey makes clear that he understands evangelical concerns about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But he writes , “ Trump can not fix what troubles Christians because at best , even if he is competent , he can only offer a political solution .
The issue is the culture .
What Trump can do is make the situation worse by turning the culture against us further.
” Psychologist Chris Thurman argues that Trump is a pathological liar ( and more ) .
Napp Nazzworth , former editor with the Christian Post who holds a Ph.D. in political science , penned a chapter titled , “ Race-Baiter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ What makes Trump particularly dangerous for evangelicals was the manner in which he campaigned for our vote .
He promised to be our protector and to make us successful by filling our pews .
Trump ’ s promises to evangelicals was similar to Satan ’ s offer to Jesus.
” Ronald Sider , an influential evangelical author who edited the collection , contributed an article critical of the president ’ s handling of COVID-19 , while other authors critiqued Trump ’ s pride , the reproach he has brought to Christianity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Scripture , just to give a sampling .
All of which leads us back to a simple question : Is Donald Trump a spiritual danger ?
Are They Right ?
The simple answer is : 1 ) Only if we put our trust in him rather than in the Lord ( see my recent article , “ Christ , Not Trump , is the Solid Rock on Which We Stand ” ) .
2 ) Only if we defend him when he is indefensible .
3 ) And only if we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followers of Jesus .
Otherwise , I do not believe he is a spiritual danger , either to the nation or to the Church .
After all , with the constant concerns we have heard about his alleged instability for the last four years , has he provoked an international war ?
Did his relocation of our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem spark a massive response in the Muslim world ?
Did he start a nuclear battle with North Korea ?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our Day .
As for him keeping his promises to evangelicals , has any president in recent history been as loyal to this constituency ?
Has any president stood up more for our freedoms ?
Has any president kept the door open to us the way Trump has ?
Has any president dared to take the public , pro-life stands he has taken , including speaking at the annual March for Life in D.C. ?
Has any president appointed as many quality judges to the federal courts ?
As for the predicted mental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( If you want to brand him “ crazy , ” then he ’ s as “ crazy ” today as the day he was elected . )
As for him asserting dictatorial powers over the nation , he has done no such thing , even during the current pandemic .
To be sure , to the extent we have looked to Trump as some kind of savior or defended him at every turn , we have tarnished our witness .
That , to me , is undeniable and something we must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Where They Don ’ t On the other hand , evangelical leaders have not sided with Trump in a cult-like , blindly loyal manner .
Just think of the backlash he received from leaders like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham when he pulled our troops out of Syria , thereby endangering our Kurdish allies .
The warning from some of these evangelical leaders was quite intense .
That ’ s why I am fully convinced that , should Trump abandon the values of his evangelical base , we would not stand with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his cult .
To be sure , some of the authors in the Spiritual Danger book are more nuanced in their critiques of Trump .
I do believe there ’ s much we can learn from some of their writings .
It would be a mistake to write all of them off or dismiss them entirely .
Evangelical support for Trump is a complicated issue , which is the whole reason I wrote Evangelicals at the Crossroads .
But in the end , as long as we keep the cross before the flag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president , showing our support when deserved and making known our displeasure when merited , he will not be a spiritual danger to us .
Trump certainly could be a spiritual danger , so I suggest we take these warnings seriously .
But Trump need not be a spiritual danger at all .
To the contrary , he could continue to prove a strong ally , though a totally unlikely one .
And come November , should the choice be between a vote for Donald Trump , Joe Biden , or an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , that will be an easy choice to make .
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 .

It’s one thing when the leftwing media bashes Donald Trump, seeing him as a menace. But how should we respond when 30 evangelicals write a book titled, The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump: 30 Evangelical Christians on Justice, Truth, and Moral Integrity?
While working on my new book Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test?, I familiarized myself with some of the most important, bestselling anti-Trump books. These include:
There was even The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President. It was yet another New York Times bestseller.
I also devoted a chapter to Christianity Today’s call for Trump to be removed from office, written by senior editor Mark Galli. I had chapters to two other major Christian calls for Trump’s removal, including one from the Bonhoeffer society.
So I am quite familiar with the arguments against Trump’s fitness for office, including concerns raised by evangelical Christians.
What’s Unique About This Book?
For the first time, though, a whole book has been compiled by evangelical Christians raising grave concerns about Trump.
The authors include respected professors, psychologists, psychiatrists, philosophers, historians, songwriters, lawyers, theologians, missions leaders and pastors, many of them highly respected in their fields. And while some of the authors are known for their left-leaning positions, it would be an error to dismiss them all out of hand.
The book is divided into three parts: 1) On Trump; 2) On Evangelical Support of Trump; and 3) On Theological, Historical, and Constitutional Issues Regarding Trump.
Authors like Prof. Stephen Haynes, a Bonhoeffer expert, argue that the evangelical embrace of Trump is similar to the Nazi embrace of Hitler.
Prof. George Yancey makes clear that he understands evangelical concerns about Trump fighting for our religious freedoms. But he writes, “Trump cannot fix what troubles Christians because at best, even if he is competent, he can only offer a political solution. The issue is the culture. What Trump can do is make the situation worse by turning the culture against us further.”
To be sure, to the extent we have looked to Trump as some kind of savior or defended him at every turn, we have tarnished our witness.
Psychologist Chris Thurman argues that Trump is a pathological liar (and more).
Napp Nazzworth, former editor with the Christian Post who holds a Ph.D. in political science, penned a chapter titled, “Race-Baiter, Misogynist, and Fool.” He argued, “What makes Trump particularly dangerous for evangelicals was the manner in which he campaigned for our vote. He promised to be our protector and to make us successful by filling our pews. Trump’s promises to evangelicals was similar to Satan’s offer to Jesus.”
Ronald Sider, an influential evangelical author who edited the collection, contributed an article critical of the president’s handling of COVID-19, while other authors critiqued Trump’s pride, the reproach he has brought to Christianity, and his immigration policies as compared to Scripture, just to give a sampling.
All of which leads us back to a simple question: Is Donald Trump a spiritual danger?
Are They Right?
The simple answer is: 1) Only if we put our trust in him rather than in the Lord (see my recent article, “Christ, Not Trump, is the Solid Rock on Which We Stand”). 2) Only if we defend him when he is indefensible. 3) And only if we are known more as Trump supporters than as followers of Jesus.
Otherwise, I do not believe he is a spiritual danger, either to the nation or to the Church.
After all, with the constant concerns we have heard about his alleged instability for the last four years, has he provoked an international war? Did his relocation of our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem spark a massive response in the Muslim world? Did he start a nuclear battle with North Korea?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
As for him keeping his promises to evangelicals, has any president in recent history been as loyal to this constituency? Has any president stood up more for our freedoms? Has any president kept the door open to us the way Trump has? Has any president dared to take the public, pro-life stands he has taken, including speaking at the annual March for Life in D.C.? Has any president appointed as many quality judges to the federal courts?
As for the predicted mental breakdowns, they have not happened yet. (If you want to brand him “crazy,” then he’s as “crazy” today as the day he was elected.)
As for him asserting dictatorial powers over the nation, he has done no such thing, even during the current pandemic.
To be sure, to the extent we have looked to Trump as some kind of savior or defended him at every turn, we have tarnished our witness. That, to me, is undeniable and something we must correct.
Where They Have a Point and Where They Don’t
On the other hand, evangelical leaders have not sided with Trump in a cult-like, blindly loyal manner. Just think of the backlash he received from leaders like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham when he pulled our troops out of Syria, thereby endangering our Kurdish allies. The warning from some of these evangelical leaders was quite intense.
That’s why I am fully convinced that, should Trump abandon the values of his evangelical base, we would not stand with him. We are not part of his cult.
As we keep the cross before the flag and are even-handed in our evaluation of the president, showing our support when deserved and making known our displeasure when merited, he will not be a spiritual danger to us.
To be sure, some of the authors in the Spiritual Danger book are more nuanced in their critiques of Trump. I do believe there’s much we can learn from some of their writings. It would be a mistake to write all of them off or dismiss them entirely. Evangelical support for Trump is a complicated issue, which is the whole reason I wrote Evangelicals at the Crossroads.
But in the end, as long as we keep the cross before the flag and are even-handed in our evaluation of the president, showing our support when deserved and making known our displeasure when merited, he will not be a spiritual danger to us.
Trump certainly could be a spiritual danger, so I suggest we take these warnings seriously. But Trump need not be a spiritual danger at all. To the contrary, he could continue to prove a strong ally, though a totally unlikely one.
And come November, should the choice be between a vote for Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or an unelectable third-party candidate, for many of us, that will be an easy choice to make.
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--2020-07-07--Ohio Town Announces It’s a ‘Sanctuary City’ for Historical Statues

The manager of a small town in Ohio has declared his municipality a “ sanctuary city ” for statues being toppled in other parts of the country .
A proclamation signed July 4 by Newton Falls City Manager David Lynch declares that monuments of the Founding Fathers and others will find safety in Newton Falls .
“ I , David M. Lynch , as City Manager for the City of Newton Falls do hereby proclaim that Newton Falls shall be known as a ‘ Statuary Sanctuary City ’ welcoming statues rejected by other cities across the United States and also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Abraham Lincoln , Thomas Jefferson , Ulysses S. Grant , Patrick Henry , Francis Scott Key , Theodore Roosevelt , and Christopher Columbus as represented by statues removed all across the United States , ” his proclamation reads .
Newton Falls , Ohio , is a town of about 4,500 people some 60 miles east of Cleveland .
In the six weeks since the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 , protesters have torn down or attempted to tear down statues of Confederate Gen. Robert E. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; and even Presidents Washington and Lincoln , among others .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
While acknowledging that the country is not perfect , the proclamation calls for respect for all that America has achieved to end injustices , such as slavery .
“ The great leaders of our country and Western civilization , though flawed in many ways , have risen to great achievement , such as the founding of our nation , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our national parks , the establishment of antitrust laws to protect our citizens from overaggressive monopolization of industry , and the discovery of the New World itself , ” the proclamation reads .
An online petition , dubbed “ No Sanctuary for Racist Statues , ” has since been launched to render Lynch ’ s proclamation “ null and void.
” Werner Lange , a resident of the town , launched a petition on MoveOn.org , saying , “ We resolutely reject the proposed denigration of our fair town into a mecca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ declare this shameful proclamation null and void .
We shall overcome .
”

The manager of a small town in Ohio has declared his municipality a “sanctuary city” for statues being toppled in other parts of the country.
A proclamation signed July 4 by Newton Falls City Manager David Lynch declares that monuments of the Founding Fathers and others will find safety in Newton Falls.
“I, David M. Lynch, as City Manager for the City of Newton Falls do hereby proclaim that Newton Falls shall be known as a ‘Statuary Sanctuary City’ welcoming statues rejected by other cities across the United States and also proclaiming a general amnesty for George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, Patrick Henry, Francis Scott Key, Theodore Roosevelt, and Christopher Columbus as represented by statues removed all across the United States,” his proclamation reads.
Newton Falls, Ohio, is a town of about 4,500 people some 60 miles east of Cleveland.
In the six weeks since the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25, protesters have torn down or attempted to tear down statues of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee; Grant, a Union general-turned-president; and even Presidents Washington and Lincoln, among others.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
While acknowledging that the country is not perfect, the proclamation calls for respect for all that America has achieved to end injustices, such as slavery.
“The great leaders of our country and Western civilization, though flawed in many ways, have risen to great achievement, such as the founding of our nation, the ending of slavery, establishment and protection of our national parks, the establishment of antitrust laws to protect our citizens from overaggressive monopolization of industry, and the discovery of the New World itself,” the proclamation reads.
An online petition, dubbed “No Sanctuary for Racist Statues,” has since been launched to render Lynch’s proclamation “null and void.”
Werner Lange, a resident of the town, launched a petition on MoveOn.org, saying, “We resolutely reject the proposed denigration of our fair town into a mecca for racists and their ilk, and declare this shameful proclamation null and void. We shall overcome.”
Copyright 2020 The Daily Signal


thestream--2020-07-07--Lawlessness and the Struggle for the Soul of America

The Democratic Party ( DNC ) has had decades to fulfill its promises to black Americans , but all it ’ s delivered is crime-ridden cities bereft of economic opportunity .
It ’ s time to shake things up , show the extent of DNC failure and expose BLM , Inc. for the fraud it is .
For weeks Americans have watched radical leftist anarchists and Antifa thugs engage in extreme violence and murder that will haunt many people for the rest of their lives .
Dozens of innocent civilians and police officers have been killed , hundreds of civilians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police officers were injured nationwide .
Hundreds of millions of dollars ’ worth of property was destroyed as businesses and communities in more than 42 states were devastated by arson , looting , and mayhem that activists quickly followed with a call to defund the police .
The supposed justification for the rioting was the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer , but in reality the rioters were just exploiting that cause for their own purposes .
Lost in all the lawlessness was the real life and memory of George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both of us asked ourselves the same question : where are the governors and mayors of these cities who took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States and keep residents safe from harm ?
Instead of upholding law and order — also known as doing their jobs — they turned a blind eye to the violence while praising the demonstrations that the radicals were using as cover .
Is there truly systemic racism and brutality in our police departments ?
Are cops killing blacks at disproportionately higher rates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think so based on the national outrage and calls for change by local , state and federal political leaders and cultural elites .
Surely , the 250 U.S. Fortune 100 corporations that have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Black Lives Matter and other organizations to stop racial injustices must have real evidence of such widespread racial injustice ?
You would think so … but they don ’ t .
For clarity , we took a look at The Washington Post database that documents suspects shot and killed by the police .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot and killed by the police in 2019 .
This occurred in a country of 328 million people , in a year during which police had approximately 30 million contacts with members of the public , and made approximately 10 million arrests — 600,000 of which were for violent crimes .
Of the 1,003 people killed by police last year , 405 were white , 250 were black , 163 were Hispanic , and 185 were recorded as other/unknown ethnicity .
Only 55 of those 1,003 individuals were unarmed — 25 white suspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspects , and five others .
In another category that often gets a lot of attention from activist groups screaming about racial injustice , 29 of those killed by police in 2019 possessed a toy gun — 14 of them were white , 6 were black , 4 were Hispanic , and 5 were of unknown ethnicity .
To be clear , whether they were armed , or unarmed , or in possession of a toy that looked like a real weapon , in every single category , blacks were not killed more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — 14 unarmed blacks killed out of 10 million arrests , which equates to a rate of 0.00014 percent — this is NOT evidence of systemic racism .
The Real Systemic Problem is in Democrat-Run Cities The real systemic and deadly reality is that black men and women are being slaughtered in cities and communities of color around the country in numbers that can only compare to war zones in Iraq or Syria — and every single one of those cities has been run by Democrats , in some cases for as long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 18 people were shot and killed within 24 hours , the deadliest day in the last 60 years .
Another 21 people were shot dead in St. Louis over a recent weekend , and 7 people were shot and killed in Brooklyn in a matter of 10 minutes .
Between 2015 and 2018 , Baltimore averaged 330 homicides per year in a city of 550,000 .
In 2019 , there were 348 murders , and 2020 is already on pace to be equally deadly .
Many of the mayors and police chiefs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their officers are representative of the communities they serve .
However , the second that a black man dies in police custody , left-leaning activists and politicians begin calling for sweeping reforms to combat the bogeyman of racial inequality , even when they know perfectly well that the death does not reflect a systemic problem .
If black lives truly mattered to liberals , they would be marching in Chicago , St. Louis , Baltimore , or any of the other cities with unacceptably high rates of violent crime and murder .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ glaring reality of mass black murders , because they are convinced it ’ s never going to change .
However , we would urge them to look at the renaissance that took place in New York City under former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani , which taught us many lessons — the most important of which was that no one wants to go to school or live or work or visit a place where they do not feel safe .
When Giuliani took over New York City in 1994 , it was the murder capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infested with filth and garbage , mothers put their babies to bed in bathtubs to protect them from random gunfire , and decent people lived in more or less constant fear .
Giuliani ’ s initial focus was not jobs , schools , or social welfare programs .
His primary focus was crime reduction , but for every percentage point we reduced violent crime and murder in the city , we saw corresponding increases in economic development , real estate values , and tourism , along with encouraging reductions in the welfare rolls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
At the end of Giuliani ’ s eight years in office , we achieved a 63 percent reduction in violent crime and a 70 percent reduction in murder .
In some of the most crime-infested areas of the city — many of which were communities of color — the murder rate dropped by close to 80 percent .
Thousands of black lives were saved during those years , and that trend continued when Michael Bloomberg was mayor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effective policies we had put in place .
So the question today is , why are so many Democrat-run cities still facing rampant poverty , violent crime , and murder ?
Is it intentional , or is it incompetence ?
Either way , young black men and women are being killed and nobody seems to be doing anything about it — nobody even seems to care .
America ’ s mayors and governors are coddling criminals , villainizing cops , and victimizing the thugs — and in the meantime , black lives are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive order implementing common-sense policing reforms , the Republican-controlled Senate drafted legislation that followed suit , and Democrats failed to engage .
The sad reality , however , is that until mayors and governors call out the thugs who are assaulting and attacking police officers , resisting arrest or interfering with an arrest , and committing acts of wanton violence and vandalism , the underlying problems in our cities will continue unabated .
If the Democrats get their way and diminish or defund the police , then the ones who suffer most will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ color where the violent crime and murder rates are already out of control .
The Democrat Party has destroyed communities of color all over the country , and it ’ s long past time for new leadership .
It ’ s time to give Republicans a chance — after all , what do we have to lose ?
Ken Blackwell is the former mayor of Cincinnati , Ohio .
Bernard Kerik is the former Commissioner of the New York Police Department .

The Democratic Party (DNC) has had decades to fulfill its promises to black Americans, but all it’s delivered is crime-ridden cities bereft of economic opportunity. It’s time to shake things up, show the extent of DNC failure and expose BLM, Inc. for the fraud it is.
For weeks Americans have watched radical leftist anarchists and Antifa thugs engage in extreme violence and murder that will haunt many people for the rest of their lives.
Dozens of innocent civilians and police officers have been killed, hundreds of civilians brutally beaten, and more than 700 police officers were injured nationwide. Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of property was destroyed as businesses and communities in more than 42 states were devastated by arson, looting, and mayhem that activists quickly followed with a call to defund the police.
The supposed justification for the rioting was the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, but in reality the rioters were just exploiting that cause for their own purposes.
Lost in all the lawlessness was the real life and memory of George Floyd.
With each passing day, both of us asked ourselves the same question: where are the governors and mayors of these cities who took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States and keep residents safe from harm? Instead of upholding law and order — also known as doing their jobs — they turned a blind eye to the violence while praising the demonstrations that the radicals were using as cover.
Systemic Racism and Brutality? There’s No Proof
Is there truly systemic racism and brutality in our police departments? Are cops killing blacks at disproportionately higher rates than whites? One would have to think so based on the national outrage and calls for change by local, state and federal political leaders and cultural elites. Surely, the 250 U.S. Fortune 100 corporations that have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Black Lives Matter and other organizations to stop racial injustices must have real evidence of such widespread racial injustice? You would think so … but they don’t.
For clarity, we took a look at The Washington Post database that documents suspects shot and killed by the police. The database indicates that 1,003 people were shot and killed by the police in 2019. This occurred in a country of 328 million people, in a year during which police had approximately 30 million contacts with members of the public, and made approximately 10 million arrests — 600,000 of which were for violent crimes.
Of the 1,003 people killed by police last year, 405 were white, 250 were black, 163 were Hispanic, and 185 were recorded as other/unknown ethnicity. Only 55 of those 1,003 individuals were unarmed — 25 white suspects, 14 black suspects, 11 Hispanic suspects, and five others.
In another category that often gets a lot of attention from activist groups screaming about racial injustice, 29 of those killed by police in 2019 possessed a toy gun — 14 of them were white, 6 were black, 4 were Hispanic, and 5 were of unknown ethnicity.
To be clear, whether they were armed, or unarmed, or in possession of a toy that looked like a real weapon, in every single category, blacks were not killed more often than whites. Given the numbers — 14 unarmed blacks killed out of 10 million arrests, which equates to a rate of 0.00014 percent — this is NOT evidence of systemic racism.
The Real Systemic Problem is in Democrat-Run Cities
The real systemic and deadly reality is that black men and women are being slaughtered in cities and communities of color around the country in numbers that can only compare to war zones in Iraq or Syria — and every single one of those cities has been run by Democrats, in some cases for as long as 40 years.
Recently in Chicago, 18 people were shot and killed within 24 hours, the deadliest day in the last 60 years. Another 21 people were shot dead in St. Louis over a recent weekend, and 7 people were shot and killed in Brooklyn in a matter of 10 minutes.
Between 2015 and 2018, Baltimore averaged 330 homicides per year in a city of 550,000. In 2019, there were 348 murders, and 2020 is already on pace to be equally deadly.
Many of the mayors and police chiefs in those cities are black, and their officers are representative of the communities they serve. However, the second that a black man dies in police custody, left-leaning activists and politicians begin calling for sweeping reforms to combat the bogeyman of racial inequality, even when they know perfectly well that the death does not reflect a systemic problem. If black lives truly mattered to liberals, they would be marching in Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, or any of the other cities with unacceptably high rates of violent crime and murder.
Leading by Example: Giuliani
There are many pundits and politicians ignoring the glaring reality of mass black murders, because they are convinced it’s never going to change. However, we would urge them to look at the renaissance that took place in New York City under former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, which taught us many lessons — the most important of which was that no one wants to go to school or live or work or visit a place where they do not feel safe.
When Giuliani took over New York City in 1994, it was the murder capital of the world. The streets were infested with filth and garbage, mothers put their babies to bed in bathtubs to protect them from random gunfire, and decent people lived in more or less constant fear.
Giuliani’s initial focus was not jobs, schools, or social welfare programs. His primary focus was crime reduction, but for every percentage point we reduced violent crime and murder in the city, we saw corresponding increases in economic development, real estate values, and tourism, along with encouraging reductions in the welfare rolls.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
At the end of Giuliani’s eight years in office, we achieved a 63 percent reduction in violent crime and a 70 percent reduction in murder. In some of the most crime-infested areas of the city — many of which were communities of color — the murder rate dropped by close to 80 percent. Thousands of black lives were saved during those years, and that trend continued when Michael Bloomberg was mayor because Bloomberg maintained many of the most effective policies we had put in place.
So the question today is, why are so many Democrat-run cities still facing rampant poverty, violent crime, and murder? Is it intentional, or is it incompetence? Either way, young black men and women are being killed and nobody seems to be doing anything about it — nobody even seems to care.
America’s mayors and governors are coddling criminals, villainizing cops, and victimizing the thugs — and in the meantime, black lives are being lost.
The Sad Reality
President Trump issued an executive order implementing common-sense policing reforms, the Republican-controlled Senate drafted legislation that followed suit, and Democrats failed to engage. The sad reality, however, is that until mayors and governors call out the thugs who are assaulting and attacking police officers, resisting arrest or interfering with an arrest, and committing acts of wanton violence and vandalism, the underlying problems in our cities will continue unabated. If the Democrats get their way and diminish or defund the police, then the ones who suffer most will be those who live in communities of color where the violent crime and murder rates are already out of control.
The Democrat Party has destroyed communities of color all over the country, and it’s long past time for new leadership. It’s time to give Republicans a chance — after all, what do we have to lose?
Ken Blackwell is the former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Bernard Kerik is the former Commissioner of the New York Police Department.


thestream--2020-07-08--Cancel the Liberal Cancel Culture, Say 130 Liberal Intellectuals in a Liberal Magazine

It ’ s weirdly old-fashioned .
Almost out of the fifties .
A distinguished collection of major American intellectuals speak up for free speech .
Mostly liberal intellectuals , too , and some of the biggest around .
Back in the fifties , liberal intellectuals made their mark by defending free speech when much of America didn ’ t like it .
They spoke out against McCarthyism and other attempts to restrict political speech .
They spoke up for artistic freedom .
The rest of America eventually came around .
Liberals insisted that America should permit even offensive speech in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the American Civil Liberties Union puts it , we don ’ t need a First Amendment to protect popular ideas .
“ History teaches that the first target of government repression is never the last .
If we do not come to the defense of the free speech rights of the most unpopular among us , even if their views are antithetical to the very freedom the First Amendment stands for , then no one ’ s liberty will be secure.
” But that was then .
This is now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my-way-or-the-highway cancel culture .
Those who disagree with progressive orthodoxy aren ’ t just wrong , they ’ re wicked and must be silenced .
And if possible publicly humiliated and unemployed .
Until now , their peers on the left haven ’ t made a peep .
They just peeped , in the liberal magazine Harper ’ s .
In a statement titled “ A Letter on Justice and Open Debate , ” about 130 of the biggest figures in the liberal and progressive world speak out for free speech .
Noam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radical critics .
Handmaid ’ s Tale author Margaret Atwood .
Feminist icon and hero Gloria Steinem .
Gay marriage advocate Jonathan Rauch and several of his Atlantic colleagues .
Malcolm Gladwell and a lot of his fellow New Yorker writers .
Vox ‘ s Matthew Yglesias .
Socialist patriarch Michael Walzer .
Jeet Heer , the national affairs correspondent of America ’ s leading leftist magazine , The Nation .
Pulitzer Prize-winner Steven Pinker .
New York Times columnist Bari Weiss .
Leading leftist feminists .
A whole raft of Harvard , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And most famous of all , J. K. Rowling .
And what do they say , in a little over 500 words ?
They speak in general terms and never say who exactly they ’ re speaking against .
They speak against “ a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity.
” As liberals , the signers stress the need to think again about racial matters and warn against Donald Trump and “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is clearly the hysterics of cancel culture .
Those people demand people they think have spoken wrongly be punished quickly and severely .
The people who run our institutions , trying to save their backsides , do what they ask .
The signers give some general examples .
“ Editors are fired for running controversial pieces ; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity ; journalists are barred from writing on certain topics ; professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class ; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes.
” The Letter ends stating the classic liberal attitude to public discussion .
“ We uphold the value of robust and even caustic counter-speech from all quarters .
… The restriction of debate , whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society , invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation .
The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure , argument , and persuasion , not by trying to silence or wish them away.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than denunciation .
Conversation , not contempt .
Freedom , not force .
The attempt to convince , not to condemn and compel .
Classic liberalism in defense of civilization , in which people thrown together in one nation try to form the best society they can , by talking and thinking together .
As the founding fathers did in creating this nation , in one of the most astonishing developments in the world ’ s political history .
And the cancel culture left hates it .
Hardcore progressivism despises it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ might be right , that others must be listened to .
I won ’ t repeat some of the progressive reaction to “ A Letter on Justice and Open Debate.
” It ’ s too boring and tedious and predictable to bother with .
The leftist writer Fredrik deBoer sees this .
He believes that “ the current political uprising has a chance at being an enormously positive development.
” But he ’ s not pretending it ’ s classical liberalism .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Our Day .
Writing on his own website , he demands the progressives “ end the charade ” and admit they reject free speech .
“ Of course Yelling Woke Twitter hates free speech !
Of course social justice liberals would prevent expression they disagree with if they could !
How could any honest person observe our political discourse for any length of time and come to any other conclusion ?
” “ Literally everyone quietly knows , ” he says , that “ the dominant majority of progressive people simply don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free speech anymore.
” But at least a lot of leading liberals do , and have finally said so .
The woke will look pretty damn silly trying to cancel Noam Chomsky and Gloria Steinem .
We can only hope they ’ ll try .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekly column for the English Catholic Herald .
He is finishing a book on death and dying to be published by Sophia Institute Press .

It’s weirdly old-fashioned. Almost out of the fifties. A distinguished collection of major American intellectuals speak up for free speech. Mostly liberal intellectuals, too, and some of the biggest around.
Back in the fifties, liberal intellectuals made their mark by defending free speech when much of America didn’t like it. They spoke out against McCarthyism and other attempts to restrict political speech. They spoke up for artistic freedom. The rest of America eventually came around.
Liberals insisted that America should permit even offensive speech in order to protect everyone’s speech. As the American Civil Liberties Union puts it, we don’t need a First Amendment to protect popular ideas. “History teaches that the first target of government repression is never the last. If we do not come to the defense of the free speech rights of the most unpopular among us, even if their views are antithetical to the very freedom the First Amendment stands for, then no one’s liberty will be secure.”
But that was then. This is now, with much of the left committed to my-way-or-the-highway cancel culture. Those who disagree with progressive orthodoxy aren’t just wrong, they’re wicked and must be silenced. And if possible publicly humiliated and unemployed.
Until now, their peers on the left haven’t made a peep.
Big Figures
They just peeped, in the liberal magazine Harper’s. In a statement titled “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate,” about 130 of the biggest figures in the liberal and progressive world speak out for free speech. Noam Chomsky, dean of America’s radical critics. Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood. Feminist icon and hero Gloria Steinem. Gay marriage advocate Jonathan Rauch and several of his Atlantic colleagues. Malcolm Gladwell and a lot of his fellow New Yorker writers. Vox’s Matthew Yglesias.
Socialist patriarch Michael Walzer. Jeet Heer, the national affairs correspondent of America’s leading leftist magazine, The Nation. Pulitzer Prize-winner Steven Pinker. New York Times columnist Bari Weiss. Leading leftist feminists. A whole raft of Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Stanford professors. And most famous of all, J. K. Rowling.
And what do they say, in a little over 500 words? They speak in general terms and never say who exactly they’re speaking against. They speak against “a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity.” As liberals, the signers stress the need to think again about racial matters and warn against Donald Trump and “the radical right.”
Cancel Culture Hysterics
But their unnamed target is clearly the hysterics of cancel culture. Those people demand people they think have spoken wrongly be punished quickly and severely. The people who run our institutions, trying to save their backsides, do what they ask.
The signers give some general examples. “Editors are fired for running controversial pieces; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity; journalists are barred from writing on certain topics; professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study; and the heads of organizations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes.”
“Literally everyone quietly knows,” he says, that “the dominant majority of progressive people simply don’t believe in the value of free speech anymore.”
The Letter ends stating the classic liberal attitude to public discussion. “We uphold the value of robust and even caustic counter-speech from all quarters. … The restriction of debate, whether by a repressive government or an intolerant society, invariably hurts those who lack power and makes everyone less capable of democratic participation. The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away.”
Reason above reaction. Dialogue and debate rather than denunciation. Conversation, not contempt. Freedom, not force. The attempt to convince, not to condemn and compel. Classic liberalism in defense of civilization, in which people thrown together in one nation try to form the best society they can, by talking and thinking together. As the founding fathers did in creating this nation, in one of the most astonishing developments in the world’s political history.
The Cancel Culture Hates It
And the cancel culture left hates it. Hardcore progressivism despises it. They hate the idea that someone else might be right, that others must be listened to. I won’t repeat some of the progressive reaction to “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate.” It’s too boring and tedious and predictable to bother with.
The leftist writer Fredrik deBoer sees this. He believes that “the current political uprising has a chance at being an enormously positive development.” But he’s not pretending it’s classical liberalism.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Writing on his own website, he demands the progressives “end the charade” and admit they reject free speech. “Of course Yelling Woke Twitter hates free speech! Of course social justice liberals would prevent expression they disagree with if they could! How could any honest person observe our political discourse for any length of time and come to any other conclusion?”
“Literally everyone quietly knows,” he says, that “the dominant majority of progressive people simply don’t believe in the value of free speech anymore.”
But at least a lot of leading liberals do, and have finally said so. The woke will look pretty damn silly trying to cancel Noam Chomsky and Gloria Steinem. We can only hope they’ll try.
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 and a weekly column for the English Catholic Herald. He is finishing a book on death and dying to be published by Sophia Institute Press.


thestream--2020-07-08--If America is So Racist, Why are There So Many Race Hoaxes?

As I wrote nearly three years ago : “ Perhaps the second greatest libel — and certainly the most widespread — is that America is a racist country that oppresses its minorities and women .
We can call it the American Libel.
” ( The greatest libel was the infamous blood libel , the fabricated charge spread in Europe for hundreds of years by Christian anti-Semites that Jews kill Christian children to use their blood to bake matzos — unleavened bread — for Passover . )
But if America is so racist , why are there so many race hoaxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a swastika painted on a door , or a noose hanging from a tree to taunt blacks , it turns out to be either a false alarm or , more frequently , a hoax .
No .
1 : The Duke lacrosse team ( 2006 ) : Three white members of the Duke University lacrosse team were falsely accused by Crystal Mangum , a black student at North Carolina Central University , with having raped her .
The charges were all fabricated , but the American media and Duke University faculty rushed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three lacrosse players and Duke University itself as racist .
No .
2 : UC San Diego library noose ( 2010 ) : “ Student apologizes for noose in UC San Diego library ” ( Los Angeles Times ) .
A “ minority student ” was responsible for placing the noose in the university library .
Previously , the Associated Press had reported , “ Anger boiled over on the University of California San Diego campus today , where students took over the chancellor ’ s office to protest the hanging of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
3 : Truck at Oakland ’ s Corporation Yard ( 2014 ) : “ A reported ‘ noose ’ tied to the back of a city truck in August , which stirred already simmering racial tensions at Oakland ’ s Corporation Yard , was not an intended act of racial harassment , a city-commissioned report has found ” ( Mercury News ) .
No .
4 : University of Delaware ( 2015 ) : “ ‘ Nooses ’ Found Hanging on University of Delaware Campus Were Lanterns ” ( NBC ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ We are both saddened and disturbed that this deplorable act has taken place on our campus.
” No .
5 : The LSU noose ( 2015 ) : It was widely reported that a noose was sighted at Louisiana State University leading to protests against racism there .
It was later reported , “ LSU said a picture of what appeared to be a noose hanging from a campus tree Thursday was not what it appeared to be ” ( WBRZ ) .
No .
6 : University at Albany ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court has upheld the University at Albany ’ s expulsion of a woman who along with two friends falsely claimed to be the victim of a racially motivated attack on a CDTA bus in January 2016 ” ( Times-Union ) .
The three black women had attacked a white woman and then claimed they had been racially attacked .
No .
7 : Bowling Green State University ( 2016 ) : “ Bowling Green police say student lied about politically driven attack ” ( ABC ) .
“ The day after the 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Bowling Green State University — about 90 miles west of Oberlin — said that she was attacked by white Trump supporters , who threw rocks at her .
Police concluded that she had fabricated the story ” ( City Journal ) .
No .
8 : Dreadlock cutting hoax ( 2019 ) : “ A black student at a Christian school in Virginia who accused three white sixth grade boys of cutting her dreadlocks and calling her ugly now says she was lying about the attack ” ( NBC ) .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) : In one of the most notorious hoaxes , actor Jussie Smollett claimed he was attacked by white racists in Chicago on a freezing night .
The story was a hoax .
The “ noose ” was a rope his two co-conspirators had purchased for staging the “ attack.
” No .
10 : Oakland ’ s Lake Merritt ( 2020 ) : After the city of Oakland launched a hate crime investigation regarding a noose hanging from park trees , Victor Anari Sengbe , a black man , tweeted : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this guy climbed the tree and put up the rope for a swing months ago , folks used it to exercise … IT ’ S NOT A NOOSE.
” Nevertheless , Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf then tweeted , “ Intentions do not matter .
We will not tolerate symbols of hate in our city .
The nooses found at Lake Merritt will be investigated as hate crimes.
” No .
11 : NASCAR ( 2020 ) : A “ noose ” was found in the Talladega , Alabama , racetrack garage assigned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigators determined it to be one of several such ropes placed sometime the year before in Talladega garages as door pulls , long before that garage was ever assigned to Wallace .
But Wallace continued to maintain it was , in fact , a noose .
No .
12 : University of La Verne ( 2020 ) : “ Racist Threats and Attacks that Rattled a California University Campus Were Faked , Police Say ” ( Newsweek ) .
There is not enough space in a column to cite all the hoaxes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Interested readers can also look up : a hoax perpetrated by Fynn Arthur , a black student at Goucher College in 2018 ; Samantha Wells , a black student activist , who was responsible for a racist threat she left on her own car at St. Olaf College in 2017 ; and the hoax perpetrated by three black Oberlin students , Jonathan Aladin , Endia Lawrence and Cecelia Whettstone , who claimed racial profiling at Gibson ’ s Bakery , which , after serving Oberlin for over 100 years , was nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Here ’ s why this is so important .
If there were a lot of racism , there would be no need for hoaxes .
No Jew in Germany in the 1930s made up an anti-Semitic hoax .
No Jewish shop owner ever made up a charge that a Nazi hurled a rock through his store window .
The reason ?
None was needed .
Nazi hatred against Jews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have to be faked .
To convince people that America is racist , you have to fake it .
Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist .
His latest book , published by Regnery in May 2019 , is The Rational Bible , a commentary on the book of Genesis .
His film , “ No Safe Spaces , ” came to theaters fall 2019 .
He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com .

As I wrote nearly three years ago: “Perhaps the second greatest libel — and certainly the most widespread — is that America is a racist country that oppresses its minorities and women. We can call it the American Libel.” (The greatest libel was the infamous blood libel, the fabricated charge spread in Europe for hundreds of years by Christian anti-Semites that Jews kill Christian children to use their blood to bake matzos — unleavened bread — for Passover.)
But if America is so racist, why are there so many race hoaxes? Virtually every time we read about a swastika painted on a door, or a noose hanging from a tree to taunt blacks, it turns out to be either a false alarm or, more frequently, a hoax.
Examples of Race Hoaxes
Here are a dozen examples:
No. 1: The Duke lacrosse team (2006): Three white members of the Duke University lacrosse team were falsely accused by Crystal Mangum, a black student at North Carolina Central University, with having raped her. The charges were all fabricated, but the American media and Duke University faculty rushed to judgment and devoted months to smearing the three lacrosse players and Duke University itself as racist.
No. 2: UC San Diego library noose (2010): “Student apologizes for noose in UC San Diego library” (Los Angeles Times). A “minority student” was responsible for placing the noose in the university library. Previously, the Associated Press had reported, “Anger boiled over on the University of California San Diego campus today, where students took over the chancellor’s office to protest the hanging of a noose in a campus library.”
No. 3: Truck at Oakland’s Corporation Yard (2014): “A reported ‘noose’ tied to the back of a city truck in August, which stirred already simmering racial tensions at Oakland’s Corporation Yard, was not an intended act of racial harassment, a city-commissioned report has found” (Mercury News).
No. 4: University of Delaware (2015): “‘Nooses’ Found Hanging on University of Delaware Campus Were Lanterns” (NBC).
University President Nancy Targett had earlier announced, “We are both saddened and disturbed that this deplorable act has taken place on our campus.”
No. 5: The LSU noose (2015): It was widely reported that a noose was sighted at Louisiana State University leading to protests against racism there. It was later reported, “LSU said a picture of what appeared to be a noose hanging from a campus tree Thursday was not what it appeared to be” (WBRZ).
No. 6: University at Albany (2016): “A state appeals court has upheld the University at Albany’s expulsion of a woman who along with two friends falsely claimed to be the victim of a racially motivated attack on a CDTA bus in January 2016” (Times-Union). The three black women had attacked a white woman and then claimed they had been racially attacked.
No. 7: Bowling Green State University (2016): “Bowling Green police say student lied about politically driven attack” (ABC).
“The day after the 2016 election, Eleesha Long, a student at Bowling Green State University — about 90 miles west of Oberlin — said that she was attacked by white Trump supporters, who threw rocks at her. Police concluded that she had fabricated the story” (City Journal).
No. 8: Dreadlock cutting hoax (2019): “A black student at a Christian school in Virginia who accused three white sixth grade boys of cutting her dreadlocks and calling her ugly now says she was lying about the attack” (NBC).
No. 9: Jussie Smollett (2019): In one of the most notorious hoaxes, actor Jussie Smollett claimed he was attacked by white racists in Chicago on a freezing night. The story was a hoax. The “noose” was a rope his two co-conspirators had purchased for staging the “attack.”
No. 10: Oakland’s Lake Merritt (2020): After the city of Oakland launched a hate crime investigation regarding a noose hanging from park trees, Victor Anari Sengbe, a black man, tweeted: “It’s not a noose, this guy climbed the tree and put up the rope for a swing months ago, folks used it to exercise … IT’S NOT A NOOSE.”
Nevertheless, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf then tweeted, “Intentions do not matter. We will not tolerate symbols of hate in our city. The nooses found at Lake Merritt will be investigated as hate crimes.”
No. 11: NASCAR (2020): A “noose” was found in the Talladega, Alabama, racetrack garage assigned to black NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. FBI investigators determined it to be one of several such ropes placed sometime the year before in Talladega garages as door pulls, long before that garage was ever assigned to Wallace. But Wallace continued to maintain it was, in fact, a noose.
No. 12: University of La Verne (2020): “Racist Threats and Attacks that Rattled a California University Campus Were Faked, Police Say” (Newsweek).
Faking Racism
There is not enough space in a column to cite all the hoaxes and mistaken charges of racism in recent decades. Interested readers can also look up: a hoax perpetrated by Fynn Arthur, a black student at Goucher College in 2018; Samantha Wells, a black student activist, who was responsible for a racist threat she left on her own car at St. Olaf College in 2017; and the hoax perpetrated by three black Oberlin students, Jonathan Aladin, Endia Lawrence and Cecelia Whettstone, who claimed racial profiling at Gibson’s Bakery, which, after serving Oberlin for over 100 years, was nearly put out of business by the false claims.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Here’s why this is so important. If there were a lot of racism, there would be no need for hoaxes. No Jew in Germany in the 1930s made up an anti-Semitic hoax. No Jewish shop owner ever made up a charge that a Nazi hurled a rock through his store window. The reason? None was needed. Nazi hatred against Jews was real. It didn’t have to be faked. To convince people that America is racist, you have to fake it.
Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. His latest book, published by Regnery in May 2019, is The Rational Bible, a commentary on the book of Genesis. His film, “No Safe Spaces,” came to theaters fall 2019. He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CREATORS.COM


thestream--2020-07-08--Military Photo of the Day: The USS Roosevelt

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt conducts an exercise with the SPS Santa Maria off the coast of Rota @ @ @ @ @ 25 , 2020 .
Thank you to Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Austin Collins for capturing @ @ @ @ @ The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral @ @ @ @ @

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt conducts an exercise with the SPS Santa Maria off the coast of Rota, Spain, on June 25, 2020.
Thank you to Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Austin Collins for capturing this image.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.


thestream--2020-07-08--‘Woke’ Whites Want to Make their Own Race the Suffering Savior, Then Worship It: Part I

I ’ ve written on this here before .
Anti-Racism is a new , post-Christian religion .
And it ’ s being imposed on us with persecutory force by the combined weight of Caesar , Mammon , and Sodom .
Violent mobs of its zealots now gather to threaten its critics .
Police will not protect them .
You must recite this new faith ’ s Shahada , its formula of conversion , using exactly the right words , with no alteration .
You must breathe the trademarked name of the Marxist cult “ Black Lives Matter.
” Don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or you ’ ll get accused in our new witch-trials , and hunted as a heretic .
“ Woke ” Is the New “ Saved ” This new cult apes the structure and psychology of Christianity .
In fact , it lives parasitically by colonizing the consciences and sentiments of people formed by a Christian culture who lack supernatural faith .
For my full-length , academic analysis of that ( attention pointy-heads ! )
see this piece .
More briefly , I wrote 18 months ago : By listening to professors , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the world is deeply wrong .
Permeated by evil .
Its evil is inequality .
And that evil has an author : straight white males .
Realizing the depth and extent of this all-pervading evil comes as a kind of conversion .
One wakes up .
Then one is “ woke.
” That ’ s SJW-speak for “ saved.
” Hence the first moment of faith .
“ I once was lost but now am found./ Was blind but now I see.
” This creed offers salvation even to the worst of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ price is steep : a life of self-denial and penance .
But for those who walk this path , rewards await .
You can attain justification .
Not by your own efforts — but by the righteousness that suffering , innocent victims ( non-straights , non-whites , non-males ) can impute to you .
As an “ ally ” of the less privileged , you earn the same right to despise the mass of oppressors .
And feminists will date you , for whatever that ’ s worth .
But something crucial was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ puzzle yawned with a huge gap at its center .
The power of Christianity comes of course from the person of Christ .
It was only His death and subsequent resurrection that energized the apostles to walk off and convert the world .
To spread the Gospel from Rome ’ s teeming cities to the mountains of Ethiopia , from the valleys of India to the steppes of Central Asia , in just a few centuries .
Millions willingly joined themselves to the Mystical Body of Christ .
Now , not every religion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sacrificed himself .
The Quran , for instance , jeers at the very idea .
While Islam claims to venerate Jesus , it echoes the fables of ancient Gnostic Christians , who claimed that Jesus was never crucified .
God supplied an imposter .
And of course Muhammad was never a suffering servant ( apart from a few years of public disfavor in Mecca ) .
He died a triumphant warlord , surrounded by captured wives and slaves .
But Wokeism isn ’ t trying to evangelize ex-Muslims .
Nor to take power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proselytize “ cultural Christians ” like Richard Dawkins and liberal Christians like the pope .
It wants the West , and its fat , happy institutions , flush with global influence and cash .
Those are the hosts it wants to parasitize and colonize .
So the Woke cult needs a Christ .
Or least a Christ-figure .
If you ’ ve read Flannery O ’ Connor ’ s Wise Blood , ( and you should , before it ’ s banned ) , you ’ ll remember this .
The apostate Christian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mummified primate from a museum .
He trots it out in the public square as “ the new Jesus ” for his new church .
( That was O ’ Connor ’ s stab at Darwinist materialism , I think , and perhaps at cosmic “ evolution ” guru Teilhard de Chardin . )
The Woke church must do better .
It needs something vast and strong to take on the sins of the world , be “ counted as sin , ” rejected and despised .
And then to actually , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of world salvation .
Only then then can it rise again , by virtue of its purity and world-transcending goodness .
Only then can they save themselves from the evil their creed identified , the “ total depravity ” it sees pervading the earth .
After this great thing has been condemned and killed , and then by its own efforts risen again to convert the world , they can feel safe actually worshiping it like a god .
And incorporating themselves among its members , so they can be deified too .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
The Woke church has chosen as its sacrificed , dead , and resurrected God … the white race itself , and the West ’ s historic institutions .
Tomorrow I ’ ll go into why and how I know this .
And of course , what Christians of every race can do to reject this conjured-up Antichrist .
John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream , and author or co-author of ten books , including The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism .

I’ve written on this here before. Anti-Racism is a new, post-Christian religion. And it’s being imposed on us with persecutory force by the combined weight of Caesar, Mammon, and Sodom. Violent mobs of its zealots now gather to threaten its critics. Police will not protect them.
You must recite this new faith’s Shahada, its formula of conversion, using exactly the right words, with no alteration. You must breathe the trademarked name of the Marxist cult “Black Lives Matter.” Don’t add or subtract any words, or you’ll get accused in our new witch-trials, and hunted as a heretic.
“Woke” Is the New “Saved”
This new cult apes the structure and psychology of Christianity. In fact, it lives parasitically by colonizing the consciences and sentiments of people formed by a Christian culture who lack supernatural faith. For my full-length, academic analysis of that (attention pointy-heads!) see this piece. More briefly, I wrote 18 months ago:
By listening to professors, or following peer pressure, a student discovers that the world is deeply wrong. Permeated by evil. Its evil is inequality. And that evil has an author: straight white males. Realizing the depth and extent of this all-pervading evil comes as a kind of conversion. One wakes up. Then one is “woke.” That’s SJW-speak for “saved.” Hence the first moment of faith. “I once was lost but now am found./ Was blind but now I see.” … This creed offers salvation even to the worst of sinners, straight white males. The price is steep: a life of self-denial and penance. But for those who walk this path, rewards await. You can attain justification. Not by your own efforts — but by the righteousness that suffering, innocent victims (non-straights, non-whites, non-males) can impute to you. As an “ally” of the less privileged, you earn the same right to despise the mass of oppressors. And feminists will date you, for whatever that’s worth.
No Redemption without a Redeemer
But something crucial was missing from my analyses. The jigsaw puzzle yawned with a huge gap at its center. The power of Christianity comes of course from the person of Christ. It was only His death and subsequent resurrection that energized the apostles to walk off and convert the world. To spread the Gospel from Rome’s teeming cities to the mountains of Ethiopia, from the valleys of India to the steppes of Central Asia, in just a few centuries. Millions willingly joined themselves to the Mystical Body of Christ.
You must recite this new faith’s Shahada, its formula of conversion: “Black Lives Matter.”
Now, not every religion has at its center a figure who sacrificed himself. The Quran, for instance, jeers at the very idea. While Islam claims to venerate Jesus, it echoes the fables of ancient Gnostic Christians, who claimed that Jesus was never crucified. God supplied an imposter. And of course Muhammad was never a suffering servant (apart from a few years of public disfavor in Mecca). He died a triumphant warlord, surrounded by captured wives and slaves.
But Wokeism isn’t trying to evangelize ex-Muslims. Nor to take power in long-Muslim countries. It wants to proselytize “cultural Christians” like Richard Dawkins and liberal Christians like the pope. It wants the West, and its fat, happy institutions, flush with global influence and cash. Those are the hosts it wants to parasitize and colonize.
Needed: A New Christ
So the Woke cult needs a Christ. Or least a Christ-figure. If you’ve read Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, (and you should, before it’s banned), you’ll remember this. The apostate Christian and would-be post-Christian prophet Hazel Motes steals a mummified primate from a museum. He trots it out in the public square as “the new Jesus” for his new church. (That was O’Connor’s stab at Darwinist materialism, I think, and perhaps at cosmic “evolution” guru Teilhard de Chardin.)
The Woke church must do better. It needs something vast and strong to take on the sins of the world, be “counted as sin,” rejected and despised. And then to actually, violently sacrifice itself, for the sake of world salvation. Only then then can it rise again, by virtue of its purity and world-transcending goodness.
Only then can they save themselves from the evil their creed identified, the “total depravity” it sees pervading the earth. After this great thing has been condemned and killed, and then by its own efforts risen again to convert the world, they can feel safe actually worshiping it like a god. And incorporating themselves among its members, so they can be deified too.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The Woke church has chosen as its sacrificed, dead, and resurrected God … the white race itself, and the West’s historic institutions.
Tomorrow I’ll go into why and how I know this. And of course, what Christians of every race can do to reject this conjured-up Antichrist.
Part II of this analysis is here.
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.


thestream--2020-07-08--Joe Biden Wants to ‘Transform’ America. Why Transform What You Love … And Transform It Into What?

On July 4th weekend , Joe Biden declared that he wants to “ transform ” America.
” We won ’ t just rebuild this nation — we will transform it , ” he declared .
So the questions for Biden become very simple : Transform it into what ?
And why transform something you claim to love ?
Think of a young woman , vivacious , outgoing , career-minded and on the go .
She starts dating a new guy .
He says he loves her .
But then he puts her down .
Puts down her family .
Puts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cut away from her life things that make her who she is .
God .
Her career .
Her friends .
Her way of doing things .
Despite everybody ’ s thinking she ’ s the bee ’ s knees , and everyone wanting to hang with her , he shrugs , “ She ’ s not that great.
” He ’ s transforming her into something unrecognizable .
Like a fatal virus that destroys her virtues by destroying who she is .
The signs of abuse are as clear as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead in New York nursing homes .
What do you tell this woman ?
“ He doesn ’ t love you !
He ’ s toxic.
” “ But I love her , ” he insists , snapping at you for even daring to question his devotion .
You buying it ?
Or are you buying her a plane ticket home ?
What Does Transform Mean ?
That ’ s the “ love ” we face in this next election .
Joe Biden wants to transform America .
Not build up , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to assume he has no idea what he ’ s saying , let ’ s say for the sake of argument he does mean it .
What is the definition of “ transform ” ?
“ To change in form or structure.
” So Joe Biden , what about America ’ s form do you want to change ?
Our form of government ?
Do you want to transform us away from a democratic republic ?
We know Biden supporter Rep. Ilhan Omar wants to “ dismantle ” our “ economic system ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said so Tuesday .
Is this what you ’ re talking about ?
After all , transforming something takes a lot of dismantling and demo .
Structure ?
So Joe , what about our structure do you want to transform ?
The three equal branches of government ?
Eliminate the balance of power ?
The Electoral College ?
Put all the power in the hands of New York , Los Angeles and Chicago ?
( Three cities that have been run into the ground by Democratic politicians ? )
Leave the rest of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indentured servants ?
More fundamentally , do you want to eliminate the structure that puts power in the hands of the people and puts binders on the tentacles of government ?
Do you believe , like Obama , that the Bill of Rights has it wrong by focusing on “ negative ” rights ?
Those like the government “ shall make no law ” abridging the freedom of religion or the freedom of speech or the freedom to bear arms ?
Do you instead want to fundamentally unleash government power ?
The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Control what we say ?
Seize our weapons ?
Our structure comes from our Constitution .
Is that what you want done away with ?
Does He Want to Change Our Character ?
The secondary definition of “ transform ” is “ change in condition , nature or character.
” What about our condition does Joe plan to transform ?
Our condition as the world ’ s greatest economy ?
World ’ s greatest military ?
World ’ s leader in scientific development ?
Our condition as the world ’ s beacon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down her torch ?
Our nature welcomes immigrants of all creeds , colors and religions and economic status to our shores .
The hungry , the poor , the huddled masses yearning to breathe free .
Does Joe want to change the ability to breathe free ?
What about our nature to be most charitable nation on earth , the first to lend a helping hand when disaster strikes around the world ?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
We are the strongest nation on earth .
We could have ruled the world .
As Colin Powell famously said , “ We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundreds years … and put wonderful young men and women at risk , many of whom have lost their lives , and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury them in.
” Who else in history has done that ?
The American character is summarized in a couple sentences : “ We hold these truths to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are created equal , that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights , that among these are Life , Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
” We ’ ve already fixed the “ all men ” to mean “ all humankind.
” So what ’ s left to transform ?
What ’ s more , we added to our national character a new American proverb : Judge others “ not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
” On Friday , President Trump spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidents : That great nation ’ s motto is E Pluribus Unum : “ From the Many One.
” Our character , our unity , is being directly challenged by Joe Biden and the left .
They stand ready — in their words — to dismantle and transform .
It ’ s time for the Many to stand as One and say , “ Not on our watch.
” Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author , with @ JZmirak , of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And if you aren ’ t already , please follow The Stream at @ Streamdotorg .

On July 4th weekend, Joe Biden declared that he wants to “transform” America. “We won’t just rebuild this nation — we will transform it,” he declared. So the questions for Biden become very simple: Transform it into what? And why transform something you claim to love?
Transform What You Love
Think of a young woman, vivacious, outgoing, career-minded and on the go. She starts dating a new guy. He says he loves her. But then he puts her down. Puts down her family. Puts down her past. He starts trying to cut away from her life things that make her who she is. God. Her career. Her friends. Her way of doing things.
Despite everybody’s thinking she’s the bee’s knees, and everyone wanting to hang with her, he shrugs, “She’s not that great.” He’s transforming her into something unrecognizable. Like a fatal virus that destroys her virtues by destroying who she is. The signs of abuse are as clear as the burn marks on Minneapolis buildings or the dead in New York nursing homes.
What do you tell this woman? “He doesn’t love you! He’s toxic.”
“But I love her,” he insists, snapping at you for even daring to question his devotion.
You buying it? Or are you buying her a plane ticket home?
What Does Transform Mean?
That’s the “love” we face in this next election.
Joe Biden wants to transform America. Not build up, but transform. Although it’s reasonable to assume he has no idea what he’s saying, let’s say for the sake of argument he does mean it.
What is the definition of “transform”? “To change in form or structure.”
So Joe Biden, what about America’s form do you want to change? Our form of government? Do you want to transform us away from a democratic republic? We know Biden supporter Rep. Ilhan Omar wants to “dismantle” our “economic system” and our “political system.” She said so Tuesday. Is this what you’re talking about? After all, transforming something takes a lot of dismantling and demo.
Structure? So Joe, what about our structure do you want to transform? The three equal branches of government? Eliminate the balance of power? The Electoral College? Put all the power in the hands of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago? (Three cities that have been run into the ground by Democratic politicians?) Leave the rest of the nation to be nothing more than indentured servants?
More fundamentally, do you want to eliminate the structure that puts power in the hands of the people and puts binders on the tentacles of government? Do you believe, like Obama, that the Bill of Rights has it wrong by focusing on “negative” rights? Those like the government “shall make no law” abridging the freedom of religion or the freedom of speech or the freedom to bear arms? Do you instead want to fundamentally unleash government power? The government shall … ? Dictate how we worship? Control what we say? Seize our weapons?
Our structure comes from our Constitution. Is that what you want done away with?
Does He Want to Change Our Character?
The secondary definition of “transform” is “change in condition, nature or character.”
What about our condition does Joe plan to transform? Our condition as the world’s greatest economy? World’s greatest military? World’s leader in scientific development? Our condition as the world’s beacon of freedom? Should Lady Liberty set down her torch?
Our nature welcomes immigrants of all creeds, colors and religions and economic status to our shores. The hungry, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Does Joe want to change the ability to breathe free? What about our nature to be most charitable nation on earth, the first to lend a helping hand when disaster strikes around the world?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Transform America’s character? We are the strongest nation on earth. We could have ruled the world. As Colin Powell famously said, “We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundreds years … and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whom have lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury them in.” Who else in history has done that?
The American character is summarized in a couple sentences: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We’ve already fixed the “all men” to mean “all humankind.” So what’s left to transform?
What’s more, we added to our national character a new American proverb: Judge others “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
We Won’t Halt Human Progress
On Friday, President Trump spoke in the shadow of our four greatest presidents:
No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America. And no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation.
That great nation’s motto is E Pluribus Unum: “From the Many One.”
Our character, our unity, is being directly challenged by Joe Biden and the left. They stand ready — in their words — to dismantle and transform.
It’s time for the Many to stand as One and say, “Not on our watch.”
Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author, with @JZmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl. And if you aren’t already, please follow The Stream at @Streamdotorg.


thestream--2020-07-08--This Is Why the Official BLM Statement Is So Disturbing

Dating back to 2016 , I have been urging Christian conservatives and other people of conscience to distinguish between the important affirmation that black lives do matter and the BLM movement .
The statement that “ black lives matter ” should be shouted loudly and clearly .
Since through much of our history , black Americans have felt that their lives did not matter to white Americans .
As for the BLM movement , it should be exposed for what it is .
As I tweeted on July 6 : Here ’ s what we know about the BLM movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeper into their “ What We Believe ” statement .
When you start to connect the dots , you ’ ll understand why I described BLM as “ dangerous ” and “ anti-Christian.
” In fact , at the end of this article , I ’ ll connect the BLM movement with the J word — as in Jezebel .
( Do I have your attention ? )
BLM was founded by three black women : Patrisse Cullors , Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi .
The first two identify as queer and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speaking of Cullors , a website celebrating “ lesbians who tech ” states that “ When Patrisse was 16-years-old she came out as queer and moved out of her home in the Valley.
” The official BLM site describes Garza as a “ queer Black woman.
” She states that “ we must view this epidemic through a lens of race , gender , sexual orientation , and gender identity.
” That ’ s why a June 21 , 2020 article on ABC News declared that “ From the start , the founders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LGBTQ voices at the center of the conversation .
The movement was founded by three Black women , Alicia Garza , Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi , two of whom identify as queer.
” Fighting Not Just White Privilege But Also Heterosexual Privilege On a certain level , reading through the official BLM statement , being queer is as much of an issue for the movement as being black .
Accordingly , there are multiple references to “ trans , ” as highlighted here : “ We make space for transgender brothers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk , especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.
” Even more forthrightly , the statement reads , “ We foster a queer‐affirming network .
When we gather , we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking , or rather , the belief that all in the world are heterosexual ( unless s/he or they disclose otherwise ) .
” Please Support The Stream @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Thus , the only references to heterosexuality are negative , as in “ cisgender privilege ” and “ heteronormative thinking , ” meaning the assumption that heterosexuality is the norm .
So , BLM is not just fighting against white privilege but also heterosexual privilege .
Make no mistake about it .
That ’ s why the statement also goes out of its way to include people of “ actual or perceived sexual identity , gender identity , gender expression.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But there ’ s more , and this has often been missed in commentary on BLM beliefs .
There are references to “ mothers ” and “ parents ” in their statement .
But not one single reference to fathers .
Not one .
( Contrast this with the multiple references to queer and trans and gender identity , etc . )
Mentions of “ men ” or the idea of a male-led household are only found in totally negative contexts .
Specifically , “ We build a space that affirms Black women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and environments in which men are centered ” ( my emphasis ) .
Oh , those terrible , evil men .
And this : “ We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children .
We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work ‘ double shifts ’ so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work ” ( again , my emphasis ) .
Yes , that oppressive , husband-wife , male-female union .
That outdated , outmoded patriarchal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( And note the assumption that if something is “ patriarchal ” it is unfair to women .
A truly fair relationship would have the husband home with the kids while the wife is out doing “ public justice work.
” ) This is the language of radical feminism in unabashed , undisguised form .
This too is part of the queer , trans-affirming spirit .
The third founder , Opal Tometi , is also described as “ a student of liberation theology.
” And there is now the widely circulated quote from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are trained Marxists.
” What about the connection between liberation theology and Marxism , especially in this context ?
Prof. Anthony Bradley , himself black , has pointed out that “ Black Liberation Is Marxist Liberation.
” So , without question , the official BLM movement is Marxist-based , queer-affirming , trans-activist , traditional-marriage degrading , radical-feminist promoting and more .
In a certain sense , it is fatherless as well .
That ’ s why I said that “ the BLM organization is dangerous , anti-Christian , and should be avoided.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Cullors is on record saying that their goal is to remove Trump from office .
She said , “ Trump not only needs to not be in office in November , but he should resign now .
Trump needs to be out of office .
He is not fit for office .
And so , what we are going to push for is a move to get Trump out.
” And this leads me to one last important point .
When you connect all the dots , the spirit of the official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is thus in direct conflict with the Alpha Male Trump .
For more on this , watch here .
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 .

Dating back to 2016, I have been urging Christian conservatives and other people of conscience to distinguish between the important affirmation that black lives do matter and the BLM movement.
The statement that “black lives matter” should be shouted loudly and clearly. Since through much of our history, black Americans have felt that their lives did not matter to white Americans.
As for the BLM movement, it should be exposed for what it is. As I tweeted on July 6:
BLACK LIVES MATTER!
EVERY BLACK LIFE MATTERS!
ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER!
BLACK LIVES DO MATTER!
GOD HIMSELF AFFIRMS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER!
And the BLM organization is dangerous, anti-Christian, and should be avoided.
Have I made myself clear? — Dr. Michael L. Brown (@DrMichaelLBrown) July 7, 2020
Here’s what we know about the BLM movement, especially when we dig a little deeper into their “What We Believe” statement.
When you start to connect the dots, you’ll understand why I described BLM as “dangerous” and “anti-Christian.” In fact, at the end of this article, I’ll connect the BLM movement with the J word — as in Jezebel. (Do I have your attention?)
Meet the Founders
BLM was founded by three black women: Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.
The first two identify as queer and the third as “a transnational feminist.”
Speaking of Cullors, a website celebrating “lesbians who tech” states that “When Patrisse was 16-years-old she came out as queer and moved out of her home in the Valley.”
Being queer is as much of an issue for the movement as being black.
The official BLM site describes Garza as a “queer Black woman.” She states that “we must view this epidemic through a lens of race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”
That’s why a June 21, 2020 article on ABC News declared that “From the start, the founders of Black Lives Matter have always put LGBTQ voices at the center of the conversation. The movement was founded by three Black women, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, two of whom identify as queer.”
Fighting Not Just White Privilege But Also Heterosexual Privilege
On a certain level, reading through the official BLM statement, being queer is as much of an issue for the movement as being black.
Accordingly, there are multiple references to “trans,” as highlighted here: “We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead. We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.”
Even more forthrightly, the statement reads, “We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Thus, the only references to heterosexuality are negative, as in “cisgender privilege” and “heteronormative thinking,” meaning the assumption that heterosexuality is the norm.
So, BLM is not just fighting against white privilege but also heterosexual privilege. Make no mistake about it.
That’s why the statement also goes out of its way to include people of “actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression.” The leaders have made themselves abundantly clear.
But there’s more, and this has often been missed in commentary on BLM beliefs.
BLM Degrades Traditional Marriage and Ignores Fatherhood
There are references to “mothers” and “parents” in their statement. But not one single reference to fathers. Not one. (Contrast this with the multiple references to queer and trans and gender identity, etc.)
Mentions of “men” or the idea of a male-led household are only found in totally negative contexts.
Specifically, “We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered” (my emphasis). Oh, those terrible, evil men.
And this: “We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work ‘double shifts’ so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work” (again, my emphasis).
Yes, that oppressive, husband-wife, male-female union. That outdated, outmoded patriarchal dinosaur. It must be dismantled. (And note the assumption that if something is “patriarchal” it is unfair to women. A truly fair relationship would have the husband home with the kids while the wife is out doing “public justice work.”)
This is the language of radical feminism in unabashed, undisguised form. This too is part of the queer, trans-affirming spirit.
A Marxist-Based, Queer-Affirming, Trans-Activist, Traditional-Marriage Degrading, Radical-Feminist Promoting, Fatherless, Jezebelic Movement
The third founder, Opal Tometi, is also described as “a student of liberation theology.” And there is now the widely circulated quote from Cullors. Apparently she and Garza “are trained Marxists.”
What about the connection between liberation theology and Marxism, especially in this context? Prof. Anthony Bradley, himself black, has pointed out that “Black Liberation Is Marxist Liberation.”
There is now the widely circulated quote from Cullors that she and Garza “are trained Marxists.”
So, without question, the official BLM movement is Marxist-based, queer-affirming, trans-activist, traditional-marriage degrading, radical-feminist promoting and more. In a certain sense, it is fatherless as well.
That’s why I said that “the BLM organization is dangerous, anti-Christian, and should be avoided.”
Now, let’s also remember that Cullors is on record saying that their goal is to remove Trump from office. She said, “Trump not only needs to not be in office in November, but he should resign now. Trump needs to be out of office. He is not fit for office. And so, what we are going to push for is a move to get Trump out.”
And this leads me to one last important point. When you connect all the dots, the spirit of the official BLM movement is downright Jezebelic. It is thus in direct conflict with the Alpha Male Trump. For more on this, watch here.
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.