thestream--2020-12-14--Why Biden’s Plan to Help Make Housing Affordable Will Make It More Expensive

Because the 2020 election was largely a referendum on President Donald Trump , many of Joe Biden ’ s policy proposals have been overlooked until now .
The recent announcement of some of his cabinet picks shows that he is more establishment than revolutionary .
While it ’ s great that he is not stumping for communism , a review of his website shows that he is in favor of policies that have good intentions that will likely conclude with unintended harmful results .
One of the Biden Campaign ’ s main themes was “ Rebuild the Middle Class.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either due to their current income or the type of lifestyle they experienced when they grew up .
Typically middle class is considered a household with an annual income between $ 47,000 – $ 141,000 .
Studies show that the middle class is shrinking with most people moving upward .
Prior to COVID , household incomes were increasing after the GOP ’ s tax reforms .
But since March , many Americans are experiencing the worst financial period of their lives .
Biden wants the economy to recover and his plan to rebuild @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise taxes on businesses , raise taxes on individuals , and make labor more expensive for businesses .
These are not new ideas but one thing about Biden ’ s plan that is relatively new is that he is taking the position that housing is a human right .
“ Housing should be a right , not a privilege , ” the Biden website states .
“ Joe Biden will invest $ 640 billion over 10 years so every American has access to housing that is affordable , stable , safe and healthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and located near good schools and with a reasonable commute to their jobs… .
” One of Biden ’ s plans to make housing more affordable is that he will issue Section 8 vouchers to anyone who spends more than 30 percent of their income on rent .
The intention of this policy is that it will free up funds that renters can later use to save and one day use as a down payment for their own home .
One likely unintended result of this policy is that landlords will raise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the increase because the faceless taxpayer will pick up the difference .
Likewise , Biden also proposes to offer a permanent tax credit of $ 15,000 for anyone making a down payment on their mortgage .
This is intended to lower the bar so that more people can afford a mortgage .
This will also create an increased demand for homes to own and will help lead to the price of a house increasing .
In fact , home prices on average have been increasing every year since 2014 in part because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mortgage more affordable to millions , which has in turn already created high demand .
Biden ’ s plan assumes that if the supply of houses increases to meet rising demand , then prices should stabilize or even fall .
He wants to use $ 100 billion tax dollars to construct and upgrade affordable housing .
It will likely be private contractors that are politically connected who are awarded this work , with a large bureaucracy to oversee it .
A better way to expand the supply of low-income housing would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that requirement exempt from income taxes .
The IRS considers property developers who buy and improve land for sale to be property dealers and the profits from these sales are taxed as normal income with rates .
“ Here ’ s the rub : the federal income tax rules generally treat a land developer as a real estate ‘ dealer , ’ Bill Bischoff points out at Marketwatch .
“ As such , your profit from developing and selling the land is considered profit from selling ‘ inventory.
’ That means the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pre-development appreciation in the value of your land — will be high-taxed ordinary income rather than lower-taxed long-term capital gain.
” Because of this , an individual investor could be paying federal tax rates as high as 37 percent on their profits along with state and local taxes .
With a tax exemption , a developer could keep 100 percent of the profit they make while providing a product that benefits the poor .
This would almost certainly spark development .
Taxpayer dollars , meanwhile , are saved and the location and quality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improved because property developers tend to know their local markets better than a bureaucrat in Washington ever could .
Housing would also be constructed much faster when left to individuals in the free market .
When the federal government steps in with a plan to make something more accessible and affordable there is always a backfire .
For example , the cost of college tuition has exploded over the past three decades because of government guaranteed student loans .
When housing is declared to be a human right with the power of Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of someone ’ s rent with no questions asked , then the landlord is going to raise the rent because he can easily make more money .
As Steven Pearlstein writing for the Washington Post noticed a decade ago , a culture of subsidies inflates costs .
College , healthcare , and home ownership have all increased in price because when someone else is paying a portion of the cost , consumers are either unaware or don ’ t care about what the overall cost is .
The only thing they are paying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is coming out of their pockets .
With the old Washington establishment back in power at the White House , we ’ re going to be seeing more reincarnations of poor policies for at least the next four years , unfortunately .
The rich and connected will get richer and some people on the bottom will also benefit , but it will all be at the expense of the middle class and U.S. taxpayers .
Daniel Kowalski is an American businessman with interests in the USA and developing markets of Africa .

Because the 2020 election was largely a referendum on President Donald Trump, many of Joe Biden’s policy proposals have been overlooked until now. The recent announcement of some of his cabinet picks shows that he is more establishment than revolutionary. While it’s great that he is not stumping for communism, a review of his website shows that he is in favor of policies that have good intentions that will likely conclude with unintended harmful results.
Rebuilding the Middle Class
One of the Biden Campaign’s main themes was “Rebuild the Middle Class.” Most Americans consider themselves middle class, either due to their current income or the type of lifestyle they experienced when they grew up. Typically middle class is considered a household with an annual income between $47,000 – $141,000. Studies show that the middle class is shrinking with most people moving upward.
Prior to COVID, household incomes were increasing after the GOP’s tax reforms. But since March, many Americans are experiencing the worst financial period of their lives. Biden wants the economy to recover and his plan to rebuild the middle class includes policies that will raise taxes on businesses, raise taxes on individuals, and make labor more expensive for businesses.
These are not new ideas but one thing about Biden’s plan that is relatively new is that he is taking the position that housing is a human right.
“Housing should be a right, not a privilege,” the Biden website states. “Joe Biden will invest $640 billion over 10 years so every American has access to housing that is affordable, stable, safe and healthy, accessible, energy efficient and resilient, and located near good schools and with a reasonable commute to their jobs… .”
Investing in Communities Through Housing
One of Biden’s plans to make housing more affordable is that he will issue Section 8 vouchers to anyone who spends more than 30 percent of their income on rent. The intention of this policy is that it will free up funds that renters can later use to save and one day use as a down payment for their own home. One likely unintended result of this policy is that landlords will raise rents without the renter feeling the pain of the increase because the faceless taxpayer will pick up the difference.
When the federal government steps in with a plan to make something more accessible and affordable there is always a backfire.
Likewise, Biden also proposes to offer a permanent tax credit of $15,000 for anyone making a down payment on their mortgage. This is intended to lower the bar so that more people can afford a mortgage. This will also create an increased demand for homes to own and will help lead to the price of a house increasing. In fact, home prices on average have been increasing every year since 2014 in part because record low interest rates have made getting a mortgage more affordable to millions, which has in turn already created high demand.
Federal Dollars to Build Houses
Biden’s plan assumes that if the supply of houses increases to meet rising demand, then prices should stabilize or even fall. He wants to use $100 billion tax dollars to construct and upgrade affordable housing. It will likely be private contractors that are politically connected who are awarded this work, with a large bureaucracy to oversee it.
A better way to expand the supply of low-income housing would be to make all new construction that meets that requirement exempt from income taxes. The IRS considers property developers who buy and improve land for sale to be property dealers and the profits from these sales are taxed as normal income with rates.
“Here’s the rub: the federal income tax rules generally treat a land developer as a real estate ‘dealer,’ Bill Bischoff points out at Marketwatch. “As such, your profit from developing and selling the land is considered profit from selling ‘inventory.’ That means the entire profit — including the portion from any pre-development appreciation in the value of your land — will be high-taxed ordinary income rather than lower-taxed long-term capital gain.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Because of this, an individual investor could be paying federal tax rates as high as 37 percent on their profits along with state and local taxes.
With a tax exemption, a developer could keep 100 percent of the profit they make while providing a product that benefits the poor. This would almost certainly spark development.
Taxpayer dollars, meanwhile, are saved and the location and quality of the housing would most likely be improved because property developers tend to know their local markets better than a bureaucrat in Washington ever could. Housing would also be constructed much faster when left to individuals in the free market.
Government Backed Guarantees Raise Costs
When the federal government steps in with a plan to make something more accessible and affordable there is always a backfire. For example, the cost of college tuition has exploded over the past three decades because of government guaranteed student loans.
When housing is declared to be a human right with the power of Washington willing to step in and pay part of someone’s rent with no questions asked, then the landlord is going to raise the rent because he can easily make more money.
As Steven Pearlstein writing for the Washington Post noticed a decade ago, a culture of subsidies inflates costs. College, healthcare, and home ownership have all increased in price because when someone else is paying a portion of the cost, consumers are either unaware or don’t care about what the overall cost is. The only thing they are paying attention to is what amount of money is coming out of their pockets.
With the old Washington establishment back in power at the White House, we’re going to be seeing more reincarnations of poor policies for at least the next four years, unfortunately. The rich and connected will get richer and some people on the bottom will also benefit, but it will all be at the expense of the middle class and U.S. taxpayers.
Daniel Kowalski is an American businessman with interests in the USA and developing markets of Africa.
Originally published on FEE.org.


thestream--2020-12-14--Dominion Machines in Michigan County Wide Open for Manipulation, Crucial Logs Missing, Forensic Audi

Dominion Machines in Michigan County Wide Open for Manipulation, Crucial Logs Missing, Forensic Audit Finds

Now we know why Michigan ’ s Democratic Attorney General fought to seal a forensic audit of Dominion voting machines .
The preliminary report , ordered released this morning by a Michigan judge , indicates the 16 Dominion machines examined in Antrim County were hopelessly compromised .
And that crucial security and adjudication logs were removed .
Antrim County is where thousands of votes were found to have mysteriously flipped from President Trump to Joe Biden .
Ramsland ’ s team found that the Dominion system “ is intentionally and purposefully designed with inherent errors to create systematic fraud and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , was their systematic fraud that influenced election results ?
You be the judge .
Force Errors That Force Adjudication , Which Allows for Manipulation One of the “ errors ” in the Dominion system is to generate ballot errors .
Those allow system users ( whether here or abroad ) to fix the election to their heart ’ s content .
As the audit reported : This incredibly suspicious error rate is far out of line with the error rate in previous elections .
It means nearly 70 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be manipulated .
Once a ballot was deemed to have an “ error , ” Dominion sent the ballot to “ adjudication , ” where it could easily be manipulated and turned into a vote for , well , whomever the person on the other end wants .
As the report put it : “ Adjudication files allow a computer operator to decide to whom to award those votes ( or to trash them.
” ) ” And do it anonymously .
Override options were also enabled “ thus allowing any operator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also found evidence a “ Ranked Choice Voting Algorithm ” was enabled .
This “ allows the user to apply a weighted numerical value to candidates and change the overall result.
” In other words , a vote for Biden can be given more value than a vote for Trump .
Dominion ’ s own manual shows how .
In fact , here ’ s a video demonstration done in Georgia showing just how easy it is to create votes .
This nice election supervisor does it in just about the time it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video .
What ?
The Adjudication Logs are Missing ?
!
?
!
So you can set the system to create errors , force the “ error ” ballots into adjudication , then have users fraudulently change the ballots to their liking .
Certainly we can look at the adjudication logs and get a better idea of what happened in Michigan .
Right ?
Wrong !
“ All adjudication logs entries for the 2020 election cycle are missing.
” You read that right .
Even though the “ computer system shows voted adjudication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ones for this disputed election are gone .
Vanished .
Erased .
How convenient .
“ Removal of these files violates state law and prevents a meaningful audit , even if the Secretary ( of State ) wanted to conduct an audit .
We must conclude that the 2020 election cycle records have been manually removed.
” ( Emphasis mine . )
Are you angry yet ?
Wait , there ’ s more .
And the Security Logs Too ?
Somebody is cleaning up the scene of their crime .
Security logs have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 , an unauthorized user unsuccessfully attempted to zero out election results .
This demonstrates additional tampering with data.
” Will Anybody Do Anything About It ?
So you have a system built for fraud , set to generate a massive number of errors that allowing corrupt parties easy access to fix nearly 70 % of the votes going through .
And you have security and adjudication logs that would provide a clearer understanding of what happened in the election removed , wiped away .
And you had Michigan ’ s Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mad to keep this forensic report from you .
But you ’ re the crazy one for thinking the election stinks to high heaven .
There ’ s much more to the report .
You can read the full report here , in all its technically detailed glory .
In fact , why not send it to your friends who insist the election of Joe Biden was on the level ?
Then imagine the scale of election credibility .
This was a forensic audit of Dominion machines in one Michigan county .
Dominion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , making the results in that state dubious .
But Dominion was also used in 28 states in the U.S. Presidential Election , including swing states Nevada , Arizona , Pennsylvania and Georgia .
States where Biden was credited with very narrow wins .
In Arizona , 200,000 votes were electronically adjudicated , without the GOP being able to look at a single one , according to Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward .
Biden “ won ” by less than 11,000 votes .
In Fulton County , Georgia alone , 106,000 out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Georgia ’ s Elections Director Richard Barron .
Biden “ won ” the state by less than 12,000 votes .
Will the stunning results of the forensic audit of Dominion Voting Systems in Antrim County , Michigan open any eyes ?
Will any of other jurisdictions who used the made-for-manipulation machines now take a second look ?
Will any law enforcement agency even bother to investigate who deleted the adjudication and security logs in Antrim County ?
Isn ’ t that a huge deal ?
Russia does a few Facebook posts in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal investigation .
Where ’ s the FBI today ?
How about the cyber-security people over at DHS ?
We know where the media is .
Today , electors in the 28 states that used Dominion systems are meeting to select a president .
If they do so without seriously considering what was found in Michigan , they do so with blinders on .
God help a nation that stumbles forward in darkness .
Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author , with @ JZmirak , of The Politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ follow him at @ StreamingAl .
And if you aren ’ t already , please follow The Stream at @ Streamdotorg .

Now we know why Michigan’s Democratic Attorney General fought to seal a forensic audit of Dominion voting machines.
The preliminary report, ordered released this morning by a Michigan judge, indicates the 16 Dominion machines examined in Antrim County were hopelessly compromised. And that crucial security and adjudication logs were removed. Antrim County is where thousands of votes were found to have mysteriously flipped from President Trump to Joe Biden.
Said Russel Ramsland, Jr., co-founder of Allied Security Operations Group:
Based on the preliminary results, we conclude that the errors are so significant that they call into question the integrity and legitimacy of the results in the Antrim County 2020 election to the point that the results are not certifiable. Because the same machines and software are used in 48 other counties in Michigan, this casts doubt on the integrity of the entire election in the state of Michigan.
Ramsland’s team found that the Dominion system “is intentionally and purposefully designed with inherent errors to create systematic fraud and influence election results.”
But the question is, was their systematic fraud that influenced election results? You be the judge.
Force Errors That Force Adjudication, Which Allows for Manipulation
One of the “errors” in the Dominion system is to generate ballot errors. Those allow system users (whether here or abroad) to fix the election to their heart’s content. As the audit reported:
The allowable election error rate established by the Federal Election Commission guidelines is of 1 in 250,000 ballots (.0008%). We observed an error rate of 68.05%. This demonstrated a significant and fatal error in security and election integrity.
This incredibly suspicious error rate is far out of line with the error rate in previous elections. It means nearly 70% of the ballots that went through the Dominion machines could be manipulated.
Once a ballot was deemed to have an “error,” Dominion sent the ballot to “adjudication,” where it could easily be manipulated and turned into a vote for, well, whomever the person on the other end wants. As the report put it:
The system intentionally generates an enormously high number of ballot errors. The electronic ballots are then transferred for adjudication. The intentional errors lead to bulk adjudication of ballots with no oversight, no transparency, and no audit trail. Ballots sent to adjudication can be altered by administrators, and adjudication files can be moved between different Results Tally and Reporting (RTR) terminals with no audit trail of which administrator actually adjudicates (i.e. votes) the ballot batch.
Put more simply:
“Adjudication files allow a computer operator to decide to whom to award those votes (or to trash them.”)” And do it anonymously.
Override options were also enabled “thus allowing any operator to change those votes.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The analysts also found evidence a “Ranked Choice Voting Algorithm” was enabled. This “allows the user to apply a weighted numerical value to candidates and change the overall result.” In other words, a vote for Biden can be given more value than a vote for Trump. Dominion’s own manual shows how.
In fact, here’s a video demonstration done in Georgia showing just how easy it is to create votes. This nice election supervisor does it in just about the time it takes to pull up a cute cat video.
https://twitter.com/KanekoaTheGreat/status/1336888454538428418?s=20
What? The Adjudication Logs are Missing?!?!
So you can set the system to create errors, force the “error” ballots into adjudication, then have users fraudulently change the ballots to their liking. Certainly we can look at the adjudication logs and get a better idea of what happened in Michigan. Right? Wrong! “All adjudication logs entries for the 2020 election cycle are missing.”
You read that right. Even though the “computer system shows voted adjudication logs for prior years,” the ones for this disputed election are gone. Vanished. Erased. How convenient.
“Removal of these files violates state law and prevents a meaningful audit, even if the Secretary (of State) wanted to conduct an audit. We must conclude that the 2020 election cycle records have been manually removed.” (Emphasis mine.)
Are you angry yet? Wait, there’s more.
And the Security Logs Too?
Somebody is cleaning up the scene of their crime. Security logs have also vanished.
Likewise, all server security logs prior to 11:03 pm on November 4, 2020 are missing. (Emphasis mine.) This means that all security logs for the day after the election, on election day, and prior to election day are gone. Security logs are very important to an audit trail, forensics, and for detecting advanced persistent threats and outside attacks, especially on systems with outdated system files. These logs would contain domain controls, authentication failures, error codes, times users logged on and off, network connections to file servers between file accesses, internet connections, times, and data transfers. Other server logs before November 4, 2020 are present; therefore, there is no reasonable explanation for the security logs to be missing.
That’s not all.
“On November 21, 2020, an unauthorized user unsuccessfully attempted to zero out election results. This demonstrates additional tampering with data.”
Will Anybody Do Anything About It?
So you have a system built for fraud, set to generate a massive number of errors that allowing corrupt parties easy access to fix nearly 70% of the votes going through. And you have security and adjudication logs that would provide a clearer understanding of what happened in the election removed, wiped away.
And you had Michigan’s Attorney General and Secretary of State fighting like mad to keep this forensic report from you.
But you’re the crazy one for thinking the election stinks to high heaven.
There’s much more to the report. You can read the full report here, in all its technically detailed glory. In fact, why not send it to your friends who insist the election of Joe Biden was on the level?
Then imagine the scale of election credibility. This was a forensic audit of Dominion machines in one Michigan county. Dominion machines were used in 48 Michigan counties, making the results in that state dubious. But Dominion was also used in 28 states in the U.S. Presidential Election, including swing states Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia. States where Biden was credited with very narrow wins.
In Arizona, 200,000 votes were electronically adjudicated, without the GOP being able to look at a single one, according to Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward. Biden “won” by less than 11,000 votes. In Fulton County, Georgia alone, 106,000 out of 113,130 mail-in ballots were adjudicated, according to Georgia’s Elections Director Richard Barron. Biden “won” the state by less than 12,000 votes.
Will the stunning results of the forensic audit of Dominion Voting Systems in Antrim County, Michigan open any eyes? Will any of other jurisdictions who used the made-for-manipulation machines now take a second look?
Will any law enforcement agency even bother to investigate who deleted the adjudication and security logs in Antrim County? Isn’t that a huge deal? Russia does a few Facebook posts in 2016 and we had a three year federal investigation. Where’s the FBI today? How about the cyber-security people over at DHS? We know where the media is.
Today, electors in the 28 states that used Dominion systems are meeting to select a president. If they do so without seriously considering what was found in Michigan, they do so with blinders on. God help a nation that stumbles forward in darkness.
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--2020-12-14--More Deaths Than Expected This Year — But Not Just From Coronavirus

An abnormal amount of Americans have died in 2020 , but more than a quarter of the additional deaths aren ’ t attributable to coronavirus , according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health data .
While coronavirus is to blame for the majority of excess 2020 U.S. deaths , other conditions such as diabetes , high blood pressure and pneumonia have all caused more deaths than expected , according to a New York Times analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) data .
But , some experts said increased deaths could still be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You end up having to choose between your prescription medications or buying groceries or keeping a roof over your head , ” Dr. Steven Woolf , director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University , told the Times .
More than 356,000 more people in the U.S. have died than normal , the Times reported .
The CDC determined expected death counts based on historical trends since 2013 .
Diabetes accounted for 15 % of excess deaths , the most outside of coronavirus , while Alzheimer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu , heart disease , strokes , sepsis and kidney failure represented the remaining excess deaths , according to The Times .
There is also some fear that the pandemic may cause future adverse health conditions .
“ A person who survived the pandemic may end up deteriorating over the next few years because of problems that happened during the pandemic , ” Woolf said , according to The Times .
Woolf co-authored an October study that supported the CDC data and showed significant excess deaths beyond coronavirus .
The U.S. has reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 300,000 coronavirus deaths since the outbreak of the virus in the spring , according to The COVID Tracking Project .
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency as the virus began spreading rapidly in March .
Meanwhile , the pandemic has caused U.S. mental health to decline .
Americans ’ mental health hit a 20-year low , according to a Gallup survey published Dec. 7 .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

An abnormal amount of Americans have died in 2020, but more than a quarter of the additional deaths aren’t attributable to coronavirus, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health data.
While coronavirus is to blame for the majority of excess 2020 U.S. deaths, other conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and pneumonia have all caused more deaths than expected, according to a New York Times analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. But, some experts said increased deaths could still be the indirect effect of coronavirus.
“You end up having to choose between your prescription medications or buying groceries or keeping a roof over your head,” Dr. Steven Woolf, director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, told the Times.
More than 356,000 more people in the U.S. have died than normal, the Times reported. The CDC determined expected death counts based on historical trends since 2013.
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Diabetes accounted for 15% of excess deaths, the most outside of coronavirus, while Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, pneumonia and flu, heart disease, strokes, sepsis and kidney failure represented the remaining excess deaths, according to The Times. There is also some fear that the pandemic may cause future adverse health conditions.
“A person who survived the pandemic may end up deteriorating over the next few years because of problems that happened during the pandemic,” Woolf said, according to The Times.
Woolf co-authored an October study that supported the CDC data and showed significant excess deaths beyond coronavirus.
The U.S. has reported more than 16 million coronavirus cases and nearly 300,000 coronavirus deaths since the outbreak of the virus in the spring, according to The COVID Tracking Project. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency as the virus began spreading rapidly in March.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has caused U.S. mental health to decline. Americans’ mental health hit a 20-year low, according to a Gallup survey published Dec. 7.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


thestream--2020-12-14--Nearly 40% of Americans Say States Should Mandate COVID-19 Vaccinations

Thirty-nine percent of Americans in a survey released Monday said states should mandate a potential coronavirus vaccination .
Roughly 40 % indicated they would take the immunization as soon as it is released to the public , and around 15 % said they aren ’ t planning on receiving the shot at all , according to an Ipsos poll .
Twenty-six percent of Republicans vowed to refuse the vaccine altogether , and 44 % of the respondents said they ’ d wait a while before they received the injection , the data showed .
A total of 91 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in vaccine distribution , 87 % said the same about first responders and 83 % would like to see the elderly among the first people to be given the immunization , according to Ipsos .
Roughly 16 % of respondents want vaccine priority for politicians and only 9 % would like to see athletes as the first to be immunized , the data showed .
Forty-four percent of Americans classified themselves as “ medium priority ” for the vaccine and another 36 % identified as “ low priority , ” according to Ipsos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 states , and health authorities are hopeful that distribution will begin on Monday , according to CNN .
The news follows Pfizer ’ s approval to administer its shot to those over the age of 16 , which signals authorization to distribute the immunization throughout the country , CNN reported .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

Thirty-nine percent of Americans in a survey released Monday said states should mandate a potential coronavirus vaccination.
Roughly 40% indicated they would take the immunization as soon as it is released to the public, and around 15% said they aren’t planning on receiving the shot at all, according to an Ipsos poll. Twenty-six percent of Republicans vowed to refuse the vaccine altogether, and 44% of the respondents said they’d wait a while before they received the injection, the data showed.
A total of 91% of Americans want healthcare workers to be prioritized in vaccine distribution, 87% said the same about first responders and 83% would like to see the elderly among the first people to be given the immunization, according to Ipsos. Roughly 16% of respondents want vaccine priority for politicians and only 9% would like to see athletes as the first to be immunized, the data showed.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Forty-four percent of Americans classified themselves as “medium priority” for the vaccine and another 36% identified as “low priority,” according to Ipsos.
Vaccines are en route to all 50 states, and health authorities are hopeful that distribution will begin on Monday, according to CNN. The news follows Pfizer’s approval to administer its shot to those over the age of 16, which signals authorization to distribute the immunization throughout the country, CNN reported.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


thestream--2020-12-14--Was Beth Moore Right to Sound the Alarm About Christian Nationalism?

This past Sunday morning , Beth Moore tweeted , “ I do not believe these are days for mincing words .
I ’ m 63 1/2 years old & I have never seen anything in these United States of America I found more astonishingly seductive & dangerous to the saints of God than Trumpism .
This Christian nationalism is not of God .
Move back from it.
” Was she right in raising these concerns ?
Before we can respond , let ’ s put aside the question of whether you are a Beth Moore fan or not .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faithful teacher of the Word .
To others , she has become “ soft.
” That is not the issue here .
The issue is the substance of her words .
What does Christian Nationalism Mean ?
We also need to define what is meant by “ Christian nationalism ” ( although we can not say with certainty this is exactly what Moore meant ) .
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you love and appreciate America ?
No .
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you are patriotic and serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe Trump was better for America than Biden ?
No .
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe there was electoral fraud and are doing your best to fight for a free and fair election ?
No .
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe that America must protect our religious liberties ?
No .
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe that God raised up America for special purposes in order to bless and help the world ?
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you confuse loyalty to your country with loyalty to the kingdom of God .
You are a Christian nationalist if you wrap the gospel in an American flag .
You are a Christian nationalist if you “ merge Christian and American identities ” ( as stated here ; readers might have differences with other statements on this site ) .
As defined by Pastor Jeremie Beller , “ Christian nationalism is the intertwining of the Kingdom of God with the kingdoms of men .
In the American context , it is often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Kingdom of God .
… The marriage between patriotism and righteousness further blurs the line between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world.
” To be sure , much of the attack against “ Christian nationalism ” comes from left-leaning thinkers , as can be seen in some critiques of the concept .
For example , according to Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry , authors of Taking America Back for God : Christian Nationalism in the United States , “ Christian nationalism merely uses the Bible to impose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they are true followers of Christ in a country that is founded on Christian principles , adherents of Christian nationalism can brand their political opponents as both ungodly and un-American .
“ By playing the role of an oppressed minority , Christian nationalism adds moral strength to its position while hiding the truth that its ideology is aging out and driving young people away through its intolerance.
” But putting aside these critiques , which we are often reacting against when stating our positions , is there substance to Beth Moore ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Not the Cause of Christ In my view , the answer is absolutely yes .
Many Christian conservatives today are equating the fate of America with the fate of God ’ s kingdom , making one party ( obviously , the Republican Party ) into God ’ s party and the other party ( obviously , the Democratic Party ) into Satan ’ s party .
That ’ s why , on Saturday , prayer rallies for election integrity were scheduled together with “ Jericho Marches ” in key , swing-state cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of patriotism .
This was not just a public demonstration against perceived injustices .
This was not just a show of support for Donald Trump .
This was about the kingdom of God advancing .
The two have become merged as one .
That ’ s why a “ peaceful protest and prayer march [ that ] took place in Washington , DC Saturday where participants rallied for America ’ s election system to be free from fraud and corruption ” was called , “ Let the Church ROAR.
” That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the elections were contested ) meant a victory for Jesus .
( All the more is this true now that there is a widespread perception that the election was stolen . )
And that ’ s why I tweeted , “ As a Trump voter , I must say candidly that it is very troubling to see many American Christians far more mobilized for Trump than they have ever been mobilized for Jesus.
” The problem is that the differences between being Christians who love America and Christian nationalists are often subtle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( such as being pro-life ) .
Many sincere believers would also ask , “ Should we just stand back and let our country be destroyed ?
Should we let democracy be crushed forever ?
Should we simply hand over our nation to corrupt leaders ?
Should we not stand up and fight for what is right ?
” Certainly not .
We should fight for what is right and against what is wrong .
But the cause of Trump is not the cause of Christ , nor is the battle for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God .
Do Not Equate America With God ’ s Kingdom America , like every other nation on the planet , is part of the world system ( or , in New Testament terms , part of “ the world ” ) .
It is not the kingdom of God , nor is it a special manifestation of the kingdom of God .
In fact , God ’ s kingdom values are often diametrically opposed to the values of our country .
We have aborted more than 60 million babies since 1973 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and exporting of pornography .
Our murder rates are off the charts , as are our rates for teen drug use , teen promiscuity , and teen suicide .
Much of our history has been marked by racial injustice , and we have as many radical elements on the right as we do on the left .
And we have pushed LGBTQ extremism on other countries at the risk of them losing our financial support .
Need I say more ?
To equate America with God ’ s kingdom or to merge the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a terrible and dangerous mistake .
And that is the error of Christian nationalism .
The irony of all this is that if we would be kingdom-minded people first and foremost , we would bring the most blessing to America .
If we would look at America as our mission field rather than our spiritual refuge , we would help our nation fulfill whatever plans the Lord has for us .
And if we would exalt Jesus infinitely more than any political leader , we would best serve our country ( and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , gone soft ?
Is she becoming politically liberal ?
Those are not the questions I am asking here .
Is she right to warn about the dangerous rise of Christian nationalism in our country today ?
I say absolutely yes .
( For the record , she also warned against falling into “ Bidenism.
” ) 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 ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or YouTube .

This past Sunday morning, Beth Moore tweeted, “I do not believe these are days for mincing words. I’m 63 1/2 years old & I have never seen anything in these United States of America I found more astonishingly seductive & dangerous to the saints of God than Trumpism. This Christian nationalism is not of God. Move back from it.” Was she right in raising these concerns?
Before we can respond, let’s put aside the question of whether you are a Beth Moore fan or not. To some, she is a beloved and faithful teacher of the Word. To others, she has become “soft.” That is not the issue here. The issue is the substance of her words.
What does Christian Nationalism Mean?
We also need to define what is meant by “Christian nationalism” (although we cannot say with certainty this is exactly what Moore meant).
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you love and appreciate America? No.
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you are patriotic and serve in the military? No.
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe Trump was better for America than Biden? No.
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe there was electoral fraud and are doing your best to fight for a free and fair election? No.
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe that America must protect our religious liberties? No.
Are you a Christian nationalist simply because you believe that God raised up America for special purposes in order to bless and help the world? No.
But you are a Christian nationalist if you confuse loyalty to your country with loyalty to the kingdom of God.
You are a Christian nationalist if you wrap the gospel in an American flag.
You are a Christian nationalist if you “merge Christian and American identities” (as stated here; readers might have differences with other statements on this site).
As defined by Pastor Jeremie Beller, “Christian nationalism is the intertwining of the Kingdom of God with the kingdoms of men. In the American context, it is often displayed by describing America through language reserved for the Kingdom of God. … The marriage between patriotism and righteousness further blurs the line between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world.”
The Attack Against Christian Nationalism
To be sure, much of the attack against “Christian nationalism” comes from left-leaning thinkers, as can be seen in some critiques of the concept.
For example, according to Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry, authors of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States, “Christian nationalism merely uses the Bible to impose its conservative political agenda. By asserting that they are true followers of Christ in a country that is founded on Christian principles, adherents of Christian nationalism can brand their political opponents as both ungodly and un-American.
“By playing the role of an oppressed minority, Christian nationalism adds moral strength to its position while hiding the truth that its ideology is aging out and driving young people away through its intolerance.”
But putting aside these critiques, which we are often reacting against when stating our positions, is there substance to Beth Moore’s tweet?
The Cause of Trump is Not the Cause of Christ
In my view, the answer is absolutely yes. Many Christian conservatives today are equating the fate of America with the fate of God’s kingdom, making one party (obviously, the Republican Party) into God’s party and the other party (obviously, the Democratic Party) into Satan’s party.
That’s why, on Saturday, prayer rallies for election integrity were scheduled together with “Jericho Marches” in key, swing-state cities.
This was not simply a display of patriotism. This was not just a public demonstration against perceived injustices. This was not just a show of support for Donald Trump. This was about the kingdom of God advancing. The two have become merged as one.
That’s why a “peaceful protest and prayer march [that] took place in Washington, DC Saturday where participants rallied for America’s election system to be free from fraud and corruption” was called, “Let the Church ROAR.”
That’s why a victory for Trump (even before the elections were contested) meant a victory for Jesus. (All the more is this true now that there is a widespread perception that the election was stolen.)
And that’s why I tweeted, “As a Trump voter, I must say candidly that it is very troubling to see many American Christians far more mobilized for Trump than they have ever been mobilized for Jesus.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The problem is that the differences between being Christians who love America and Christian nationalists are often subtle, since we have many shared values (such as being pro-life).
Many sincere believers would also ask, “Should we just stand back and let our country be destroyed? Should we let democracy be crushed forever? Should we simply hand over our nation to corrupt leaders? Should we not stand up and fight for what is right?”
Certainly not. We should fight for what is right and against what is wrong.
But the cause of Trump is not the cause of Christ, nor is the battle for the Senate a battle for the kingdom of God.
Do Not Equate America With God’s Kingdom
America, like every other nation on the planet, is part of the world system (or, in New Testament terms, part of “the world”). It is not the kingdom of God, nor is it a special manifestation of the kingdom of God. In fact, God’s kingdom values are often diametrically opposed to the values of our country.
Let’s be real, my friends.
We have aborted more than 60 million babies since 1973. We lead the world in the making and exporting of pornography. Our murder rates are off the charts, as are our rates for teen drug use, teen promiscuity, and teen suicide. Much of our history has been marked by racial injustice, and we have as many radical elements on the right as we do on the left. And we have pushed LGBTQ extremism on other countries at the risk of them losing our financial support.
Need I say more?
To equate America with God’s kingdom or to merge the cross with the flag is to make a terrible and dangerous mistake. And that is the error of Christian nationalism.
The irony of all this is that if we would be kingdom-minded people first and foremost, we would bring the most blessing to America. If we would look at America as our mission field rather than our spiritual refuge, we would help our nation fulfill whatever plans the Lord has for us. And if we would exalt Jesus infinitely more than any political leader, we would best serve our country (and our leaders).
Has Beth Moore, then, gone soft? Is she becoming politically liberal? Those are not the questions I am asking here.
Is she right to warn about the dangerous rise of Christian nationalism in our country today? I say absolutely yes. (For the record, she also warned against falling into “Bidenism.”)
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test? Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.


thestream--2020-12-15--Why Not Put All Kids on Puberty Blockers, Trans Activist Asks. Do You Have a Good Answer?

If this weren ’ t 2020 , you might think the following report came from The Babylon Bee .
As it stands , it ’ s almost par for the course .
The Blaze reports : A popular transgender activist recently called for all children to be put on puberty blockers until they are able to decide which gender they want to be .
Lauren McNamara , known by followers as “ Zinnia Jones , ” argued earlier this month that children should be legally able to consent to the administration of puberty blockers since they already de facto consent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” that come naturally through puberty .
“ If children can ’ t consent to puberty blockers which pause any permanent changes even with the relevant professional evaluation , how can they consent to the permanent and irreversible changes that come with their own puberty with no professional evaluation whatsoever ?
” she wrote on Twitter .
The YouTuber went on to argue that “ an inability to offer informed consent or understand the long-term consequences is actually an argument for putting every single cis and trans person on puberty blockers until they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a court case in the U.K. involving Keira Bell , a 23-year-old biological female who sued the British National Health Service ’ s gender-identity youth clinic for prescribing her puberty blockers when she was 16 years old .
Bell , who since regrets becoming a male , argued that the clinic did not do enough to “ challenge ” her decision to transition .
Judges ruled in the lawsuit that “ it is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.
” But Why Not ?
Get Your Arguments Ready A related Progressive suggestion which I have read rests on similar logic .
Namely , that teen pregnancy is such a problem , and such an undue burden to just one half of the population , that we ought to give temporary , reversible vasectomies to all males as babies , then allow them to proactively reverse them once they decide to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal is exactly the same .
Take a moment to register your outrage and disgust .
Then you ’ ll be tempted to scoff at this whole thing .
To write such ideas off as crackpot proposals that nobody will take seriously .
It ’ s a Trial Balloon .
Can We Shoot It Down ?
Don ’ t do that .
That ’ s how we lose .
The cultural left and the incredibly rich , powerful LGBT machine are counting on you to do that .
To wave off the really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranks , instead of seeing them for what they are : Trial balloons .
Remember that 20 years ago , same-sex marriage was waved off as pie in the sky .
Five years ago , no one would have dreamed of letting male rapists “ identify ” as women so they could move to women ’ s prisons — and rape again .
Two years ago , no one would have imagined that countries would make it illegal to “ deadname ” people who claim a new gender .
So let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today ’ s outrageous trial balloon is tomorrow ’ s well-funded lawsuit , and next week ’ s Supreme Court case .
Maybe next month ’ s law .
Not Just For Snarky Sex Weirdos At first blush , “ Zinnia Jones ” seems to be making a clever counter-argument .
We don ’ t think children mature enough to consent to transgender assaults on their bodies .
So why consider them mature enough to undergo puberty either ?
Such logic isn ’ t just what snarky sex weirdos post on Twitter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that persuaded Justice Neal Gorsuch in the infamous Bostock case .
Before him , Justice Anthony Kennedy followed such logic in Planned Parenthood v. Casey .
We need to understand exactly what ’ s wrong with such arguments .
Because they are everywhere in our culture , and will eventually dismantle absolutely everything .
That ’ s because they emerge from fundamental philosophical errors .
If you put the wrong premises at the basis of your system of law or morals , you ’ ll keep on getting garbage results like this one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-consistent , and utterly insane .
But do we know how to explain , in non-religious terms , just why and how they ’ re crazy ?
That ’ s more of a challenge .
It ’ s what I ’ m here for .
To give you the deep background of such foundational mistakes , wrong choices , and ( frankly ) diabolical confusions .
So before Republican appointees to the Supreme Court buy into its sophistry and make it into constitutional law , what exactly is wrong with “ Zinnia Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a teenager ’ s immaturity on the one hand , and the stakes of the decision on the other , make it equally wrong to trust such a person ’ s judgment either way , when it comes to the onset of puberty ?
So instead of preventing all young teens from postponing puberty , we should insist that all of them do so ?
At least until they are old enough to decide which sex they wish to be .
Again , set aside your instant , easy dismissal of such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have cut off their genitals and are obsessed with normalizing transgenderism will soon be throwing their money behind precisely this proposal , or something much like it .
We ’ d better have our arguments all lined up before school boards , Ivy League “ sexperts , ” and federal judges start jamming this idea down our — or our kids ’ — throats .
Let Nature Take Its Course ?
The best argument , which seems obvious to us , is that young people naturally experience puberty , and so it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course with massively dosing children with dangerous hormones that frustrate nature .
Another is that the percentage of young people who will actually wish to “ transition ” from their natural sex to the opposite sex is tiny .
It ’ s absurd to impose medical treatments on all , for the sake of an infinitesimal minority whose gender confusion will likely resolve itself , as studies have shown .
Both arguments are correct .
And both will fail .
How do I know that ?
Because they already have , on issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why : • Too few people regard “ nature ” as having any normative power at all .
Death is perfectly natural , they ’ ll say , but we do our best to fight it off .
Racial prejudice , homophobia , and other unpleasant social phenomena seem to arise naturally in most societies .
That doesn ’ t mean we accept them .
• Likewise , male dominance seems universal in every society above the hunter-gatherer level of which we have any historical record .
But we aren ’ t supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
We fight against nature all the time , on behalf of human aspirations which liberal ethics consider important .
It ’ s natural for pregnant women to give birth , but we have an entire abortion industry in place to help women escape that .
• Indeed , the argument from nature completely vitiates the entire transgender movement .
If we followed nature , we ’ d insist that people with sexual confusion were mentally ill , and ought to strive to change their emotional delusions—instead of carving and dosing their bodies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it follow that we should privilege the best interests of 99.99999 % of the population , who never experience transgender confusion , over those who do .
Isn ’ t that a matter of abandoning the most vulnerable , for the crass convenience of the rest of society ?
( Don ’ t try to applying this liberal argument to unborn children with Down Syndrome—the unborn have no rights at all , or else Point 2 above is endangered . )
Can ’ t you see the arguments above finding their way into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imposed across the country ?
Similar sophistry helped invent the rights of abortion and same sex marriage .
Similar arguments led first elites , then millions of parents , to put American girls on hormonal birth control in their early teenage years .
Why does it lose ?
Because the modern worldview of Scientism — not science itself , but the ideology attached to it — rejects the notion of teleology in nature .
Things happen in nature for causes , but not for reasons .
We don ’ t have brains so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so we can see .
We happened , by sheer biological accident , to develop brains , and thought happened to happen .
Our biological ancestors by accidental mutation developed complex eyes , and suddenly they could see .
Such mutations as proved adaptive helped the fittest to survive .
Everything about us , from our minds to our reproductive systems , is just an accident — happy or unhappy .
So we have no reason not to tinker with these mechanisms , if we choose .
( To understand why such Scientism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Intelligent Design movement .
If you ’ re deeply interested , read Edward Feser ’ s brilliant defense of teleology within nature , Aristotle ’ s Revenge . )
Darwinism Only Cuts One Way Try countering by pointing out the obvious — that transgenderism , homosexuality , and mass presumptive sterilization of young people — aren ’ t adaptive .
They don ’ t help people achieve the Darwinian goal of successful reproduction .
Then you might think you ’ d won the argument , on sheerly “ scientific ” grounds .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this point secular progressives reveal that they ’ re actually mystics .
For all the Darwin they spout , all the ways in which they pretend that we ’ re just trousered apes , they ’ ve stolen from Christianity one key tenet .
Namely , that human beings are somehow , for some reason , special .
Not that human life is sacred , or attuned to some higher purpose .
No , but we ’ re somehow special anyway , such that our transient temptations and perverse desires ought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not apes , but angels ( albeit fallen , willful , depraved ones ) .
Biologists who saw a group of animals that gnawed off their own genitals , practiced exclusive homosexuality , or killed a high percentage of their healthy young , might conclude that it had been poisoned by some environmental toxin .
Or undermined by a weird mutation .
They ’ d predict that animal group ’ s doom .
Zookeepers trying to preserve that species once endangered might try to frustrate its strange , self-defeating behavior .
Or else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as hopeless .
But when humans engage in such perverse , self-destructive behavior ?
Then good , obedient moderns trot out Christian notions of freedom , self-determination , and the moral importance of protecting vulnerable minorities — though none of their Darwinian premises support any of these beliefs .
Wokeness is not some purely secular phenomenon , as historian Tom Holland showed in his masterwork Dominion .
( See my three-part interview with Holland for The Stream . )
It ’ s a post-Christian heresy .
Indeed , Wokeness is the religion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior editor at The Stream , and author or co-author of ten books , including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism .
He is co-author with Jason Jones of “ God , Guns , & the Government .
”

If this weren’t 2020, you might think the following report came from The Babylon Bee. As it stands, it’s almost par for the course. The Blaze reports:
A popular transgender activist recently called for all children to be put on puberty blockers until they are able to decide which gender they want to be. Lauren McNamara, known by followers as “Zinnia Jones,” argued earlier this month that children should be legally able to consent to the administration of puberty blockers since they already de facto consent to the “permanent and irreversible changes” that come naturally through puberty. “If children can’t consent to puberty blockers which pause any permanent changes even with the relevant professional evaluation, how can they consent to the permanent and irreversible changes that come with their own puberty with no professional evaluation whatsoever?” she wrote on Twitter. The YouTuber went on to argue that “an inability to offer informed consent or understand the long-term consequences is actually an argument for putting every single cis and trans person on puberty blockers until they acquire that ability.” Her comments followed a court case in the U.K. involving Keira Bell, a 23-year-old biological female who sued the British National Health Service’s gender-identity youth clinic for prescribing her puberty blockers when she was 16 years old. Bell, who since regrets becoming a male, argued that the clinic did not do enough to “challenge” her decision to transition. Judges ruled in the lawsuit that “it is highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or under would be competent to give consent to the administration of puberty blockers” and “it is doubtful that a child aged 14 or 15 could understand and weigh the long-term risks and consequences of the administration of puberty blockers.”
But Why Not? Get Your Arguments Ready
A related Progressive suggestion which I have read rests on similar logic. Namely, that teen pregnancy is such a problem, and such an undue burden to just one half of the population, that we ought to give temporary, reversible vasectomies to all males as babies, then allow them to proactively reverse them once they decide to father children. The logic of each proposal is exactly the same.
Take a moment to register your outrage and disgust. Then you’ll be tempted to scoff at this whole thing. To write such ideas off as crackpot proposals that nobody will take seriously.
It’s a Trial Balloon. Can We Shoot It Down?
Don’t do that. That’s how we lose. The cultural left and the incredibly rich, powerful LGBT machine are counting on you to do that. To wave off the really crazy ideas that emerge from their fevered ranks, instead of seeing them for what they are: Trial balloons. Remember that 20 years ago, same-sex marriage was waved off as pie in the sky. Five years ago, no one would have dreamed of letting male rapists “identify” as women so they could move to women’s prisons — and rape again. Two years ago, no one would have imagined that countries would make it illegal to “deadname” people who claim a new gender.
Biologists who saw a group of animals that gnawed off their own genitals, practiced exclusive homosexuality, or killed a high percentage of their healthy young, might conclude that it had been poisoned by some environmental toxin.
So let’s not be smug, shall we? Today’s outrageous trial balloon is tomorrow’s well-funded lawsuit, and next week’s Supreme Court case. Maybe next month’s law.
Not Just For Snarky Sex Weirdos
At first blush, “Zinnia Jones” seems to be making a clever counter-argument. We don’t think children mature enough to consent to transgender assaults on their bodies. So why consider them mature enough to undergo puberty either? Such logic isn’t just what snarky sex weirdos post on Twitter. It’s the kind of argument that persuaded Justice Neal Gorsuch in the infamous Bostock case. Before him, Justice Anthony Kennedy followed such logic in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. We need to understand exactly what’s wrong with such arguments. Because they are everywhere in our culture, and will eventually dismantle absolutely everything.
That’s because they emerge from fundamental philosophical errors. If you put the wrong premises at the basis of your system of law or morals, you’ll keep on getting garbage results like this one. They’re tightly argued, self-consistent, and utterly insane. But do we know how to explain, in non-religious terms, just why and how they’re crazy? That’s more of a challenge.
It’s what I’m here for. To give you the deep background of such foundational mistakes, wrong choices, and (frankly) diabolical confusions.
Puberty: A Preventable Disease?
So before Republican appointees to the Supreme Court buy into its sophistry and make it into constitutional law, what exactly is wrong with “Zinnia Jones’s” argument? Namely, that a teenager’s immaturity on the one hand, and the stakes of the decision on the other, make it equally wrong to trust such a person’s judgment either way, when it comes to the onset of puberty? So instead of preventing all young teens from postponing puberty, we should insist that all of them do so? At least until they are old enough to decide which sex they wish to be.
Again, set aside your instant, easy dismissal of such an idea. Depraved male billionaires who have cut off their genitals and are obsessed with normalizing transgenderism will soon be throwing their money behind precisely this proposal, or something much like it. We’d better have our arguments all lined up before school boards, Ivy League “sexperts,” and federal judges start jamming this idea down our — or our kids’ — throats.
Let Nature Take Its Course?
The best argument, which seems obvious to us, is that young people naturally experience puberty, and so it is absurd to equate letting nature take its course with massively dosing children with dangerous hormones that frustrate nature. Another is that the percentage of young people who will actually wish to “transition” from their natural sex to the opposite sex is tiny. It’s absurd to impose medical treatments on all, for the sake of an infinitesimal minority whose gender confusion will likely resolve itself, as studies have shown.
Both arguments are correct. And both will fail. How do I know that? Because they already have, on issue after issue. Here are the reasons why:
Too few people regard “nature” as having any normative power at all. Death is perfectly natural, they’ll say, but we do our best to fight it off. Racial prejudice, homophobia, and other unpleasant social phenomena seem to arise naturally in most societies. That doesn’t mean we accept them. Likewise, male dominance seems universal in every society above the hunter-gatherer level of which we have any historical record. But we aren’t supposed to just accept that, are we? We fight against nature all the time, on behalf of human aspirations which liberal ethics consider important. It’s natural for pregnant women to give birth, but we have an entire abortion industry in place to help women escape that. Indeed, the argument from nature completely vitiates the entire transgender movement. If we followed nature, we’d insist that people with sexual confusion were mentally ill, and ought to strive to change their emotional delusions—instead of carving and dosing their bodies to match them. Nor does it follow that we should privilege the best interests of 99.99999% of the population, who never experience transgender confusion, over those who do. Isn’t that a matter of abandoning the most vulnerable, for the crass convenience of the rest of society? (Don’t try to applying this liberal argument to unborn children with Down Syndrome—the unborn have no rights at all, or else Point 2 above is endangered.)
Nature Loses Every Argument
Can’t you see the arguments above finding their way into a Supreme Court decision, then getting imposed across the country? Similar sophistry helped invent the rights of abortion and same sex marriage. Similar arguments led first elites, then millions of parents, to put American girls on hormonal birth control in their early teenage years.
Nature loses, every time.
Why does it lose? Because the modern worldview of Scientism — not science itself, but the ideology attached to it — rejects the notion of teleology in nature. Things happen in nature for causes, but not for reasons. We don’t have brains so that we can think, or eyes so we can see. We happened, by sheer biological accident, to develop brains, and thought happened to happen. Our biological ancestors by accidental mutation developed complex eyes, and suddenly they could see.
Such mutations as proved adaptive helped the fittest to survive. Everything about us, from our minds to our reproductive systems, is just an accident — happy or unhappy. So we have no reason not to tinker with these mechanisms, if we choose. (To understand why such Scientism is wrong, study the arguments of the Intelligent Design movement. If you’re deeply interested, read Edward Feser’s brilliant defense of teleology within nature, Aristotle’s Revenge.)
Darwinism Only Cuts One Way
Try countering by pointing out the obvious — that transgenderism, homosexuality, and mass presumptive sterilization of young people — aren’t adaptive. They don’t help people achieve the Darwinian goal of successful reproduction. Then you might think you’d won the argument, on sheerly “scientific” grounds.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
But you haven’t. Because at this point secular progressives reveal that they’re actually mystics. For all the Darwin they spout, all the ways in which they pretend that we’re just trousered apes, they’ve stolen from Christianity one key tenet. Namely, that human beings are somehow, for some reason, special. Not that human life is sacred, or attuned to some higher purpose. No, but we’re somehow special anyway, such that our transient temptations and perverse desires ought to prevail over nature. We’re not apes, but angels (albeit fallen, willful, depraved ones).
Biologists who saw a group of animals that gnawed off their own genitals, practiced exclusive homosexuality, or killed a high percentage of their healthy young, might conclude that it had been poisoned by some environmental toxin. Or undermined by a weird mutation. They’d predict that animal group’s doom. Zookeepers trying to preserve that species once endangered might try to frustrate its strange, self-defeating behavior. Or else they’d sadly write it off as hopeless.
The Post-Christian Cult of Wokeness
But when humans engage in such perverse, self-destructive behavior? Then good, obedient moderns trot out Christian notions of freedom, self-determination, and the moral importance of protecting vulnerable minorities — though none of their Darwinian premises support any of these beliefs.
Wokeness is not some purely secular phenomenon, as historian Tom Holland showed in his masterwork Dominion. (See my three-part interview with Holland for The Stream.) It’s a post-Christian heresy. Indeed, Wokeness is the religion of the Antichrist.
John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream, and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”


thestream--2020-12-15--The President’s Appointees Do Most of the Work, and Joe Biden’s Will Be Bad

With all the attention that we pay to the presidential election , a key point often gets lost in the static .
We cast a vote for a president , but we actually elect an administration .
The vast majority of decisions made by the executive branch are not made by the president .
They are made by agencies that are led by and staffed at the top levels by political appointees .
The real work that affects regular people is done by the political appointees .
And Joe Biden ’ s appointees will be bad .
Trump appointees advanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection of life and religious liberty .
In protecting life , they blocked public funding for abortion and cut Planned Parenthood ’ s Tax Funding by up to $ 60 Million .
They permitted states to defund Planned Parenthood of Title X Funds and Medicaid Funds , stopped funding abortion overseas ( the Mexico City Policy ) , and defunded the pro-abortion UN Fund for Population Activities .
The president ’ s appointees clarified that abortion is not a civil right under the Affordable Care Act and ended taxpayer funding for experimentation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defunding the UNFPA , they opposed pro-abortion advocacy at the United Nations .
In protecting religious liberty , the appointees entered into settlements and issued new rules limiting the HHS Mandate .
They also established the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Office for Civil Rights at HHS to enforce federal religious liberty laws .
This office took action against California for violating conscience protections .
But this will change , and change radically , with President Biden ’ s appointees .
Last week , Joe Biden announced that he would nominate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new head of Health and Human Services .
This is a catastrophic decision .
Becerra has been an abortion extremist for many years .
He has no regard for religious liberty .
His record on abortion is so terrible that it belies the line that no politician is “ pro-abortion.
” Becerra has never seen an abortion that he would oppose .
A walk through his record as a member of Congress from 1993 to 2017 is horrifying .
Here are some of the pro-life measures that he voted against : • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act • Limitations on taxpayer funding for abortion , including the Hyde Amendment • The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act ( which would ban the interstate transport of a pregnant minor to obtain an abortion ) • Bans on abortions based on race or sex • The Partial-Birth/Late Term Abortion Ban • Prohibition of Chemically Induced Abortion Amendment • The Child Custody Protection Act ( which would ban the interstate transport of a minor for an abortion in order to evade parental involvement laws ) • Bans on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal funding for fetal tissue research When Becerra became the Attorney General of California , he expanded his anti-life and anti-freedom activities .
He : • defended a state law that would have forced pregnancy centers to advertise and refer for abortion ( losing , fortunately , in the Supreme Court ) • defended a state law that required religious institutions to pay for abortions through their health insurance plans • refused to enforce conscience protection laws , which led to the current HHS administration to threaten legal action against the state • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oppose religious exemptions to the HHS mandate – a case that is currently before the Supreme Court • pursued criminal charges against pro-life journalists who exposed Planned Parenthood ’ s illegal sale of tissue from aborted babies .
There are lots of other reasons to oppose this nomination , but his record on life and religious liberty should alone disqualify him from running the agency dedicated to health and human services .
They demonstrate a distorted view of “ health ” and a dangerous view of “ human services.
” The Future Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like this to head HHS is beyond appalling .
That agency has jurisdiction over a vast amount of activities that involve the lives of unborn children and the religious liberty of those who oppose killing them .
It can also promote dangerous and false gender ideology .
One can only imagine the kind of subordinate officials that he will appoint to his agency , and the policies they will promote .
We already knew that we were facing a hostile new administration , and that we would be fighting for our causes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nomination of Xavier Becerra makes clear beyond any doubt that a Biden-Harris administration will be the steadfast enemy of the causes of human life and religious liberty .
Edward Mechmann is director of public policy for the Archdiocese of New York .
Before coming to the archdiocese , he worked as a state and federal prosecutor .
He ’ s written an introduction to Catholic social teaching called God , Society and the Human Person .
The Human Life Review gave him its “ great defender of life ” award in 2018 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ When a Liberal Plays God .
This article is a version of one that appeared on blog Stepping Out of the Boat and is used with permission .

With all the attention that we pay to the presidential election, a key point often gets lost in the static. We cast a vote for a president, but we actually elect an administration.
The vast majority of decisions made by the executive branch are not made by the president. They are made by agencies that are led by and staffed at the top levels by political appointees. The real work that affects regular people is done by the political appointees.
And Joe Biden’s appointees will be bad.
Trump’s Appointees
Trump appointees advanced policies that were very favorable for the protection of life and religious liberty. In protecting life, they blocked public funding for abortion and cut Planned Parenthood’s Tax Funding by up to $60 Million. They permitted states to defund Planned Parenthood of Title X Funds and Medicaid Funds, stopped funding abortion overseas (the Mexico City Policy), and defunded the pro-abortion U.N. Fund for Population Activities.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
The president’s appointees clarified that abortion is not a civil right under the Affordable Care Act and ended taxpayer funding for experimentation with the remains of aborted babies. Besides defunding the UNFPA, they opposed pro-abortion advocacy at the United Nations.
In protecting religious liberty, the appointees entered into settlements and issued new rules limiting the HHS Mandate. They also established the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Office for Civil Rights at HHS to enforce federal religious liberty laws. This office took action against California for violating conscience protections.
But this will change, and change radically, with President Biden’s appointees.
An Appalling Nomination
Last week, Joe Biden announced that he would nominate California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be the new head of Health and Human Services. This is a catastrophic decision.
Becerra has been an abortion extremist for many years. He has no regard for religious liberty.
His record on abortion is so terrible that it belies the line that no politician is “pro-abortion.” Becerra has never seen an abortion that he would oppose.
A walk through his record as a member of Congress from 1993 to 2017 is horrifying. Here are some of the pro-life measures that he voted against:
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
Limitations on taxpayer funding for abortion, including the Hyde Amendment.
The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (which would ban the interstate transport of a pregnant minor to obtain an abortion).
Bans on abortions based on race or sex.
The Partial-Birth/Late Term Abortion Ban.
Prohibition of Chemically Induced Abortion Amendment.
The Child Custody Protection Act (which would ban the interstate transport of a minor for an abortion in order to evade parental involvement laws).
Bans on abortions at military hospitals.
Bans on federal funding for fetal tissue research.
Anti-Life and Anti-Freedom
When Becerra became the Attorney General of California, he expanded his anti-life and anti-freedom activities. He:
Defended a state law that would have forced pregnancy centers to advertise and refer for abortion (losing, fortunately, in the Supreme Court).
Defended a state law that required religious institutions to pay for abortions through their health insurance plans.
Refused to enforce conscience protection laws, which led to the current HHS administration to threaten legal action against the state.
Joined with other state attorneys general to oppose religious exemptions to the HHS mandate — a case that is currently before the Supreme Court.
Pursued criminal charges against pro-life journalists who exposed Planned Parenthood’s illegal sale of tissue from aborted babies.
There are lots of other reasons to oppose this nomination, but his record on life and religious liberty should alone disqualify him from running the agency dedicated to health and human services. They demonstrate a distorted view of “health” and a dangerous view of “human services.”
The Future Will Be a Battle
To appoint a person like this to head HHS is beyond appalling. That agency has jurisdiction over a vast amount of activities that involve the lives of unborn children and the religious liberty of those who oppose killing them. It can also promote dangerous and false gender ideology. One can only imagine the kind of subordinate officials that he will appoint to his agency, and the policies they will promote.
We already knew that we were facing a hostile new administration, and that we would be fighting for our causes on many fronts. Joe Biden’s nomination of Xavier Becerra makes clear beyond any doubt that a Biden-Harris administration will be the steadfast enemy of the causes of human life and religious liberty.
Edward Mechmann is director of public policy for the Archdiocese of New York. Before coming to the archdiocese, he worked as a state and federal prosecutor. He’s written an introduction to Catholic social teaching called God, Society and the Human Person. The Human Life Review gave him its “great defender of life” award in 2018. His first article for The Stream was When a Liberal Plays God. This article is a version of one that appeared on blog Stepping Out of the Boat and is used with permission.


thestream--2020-12-15--Military Photo of the Day: Basic Combat Training Graduation

Soldiers wearing the U.S. Army ’ s new green service uniforms salute during the playing of the National Anthem on @ @ @ @ @ at basic combat training graduation at Fort Sill in Oklahoma .
Congratulations , warriors !
@ @ @ @ @ .

Soldiers wearing the U.S. Army’s new green service uniforms salute during the playing of the National Anthem on November 16, 2020, at basic combat training graduation at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.
Congratulations, warriors! Thank you for your service.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.


thestream--2020-12-15--Healing the Relationships Broken by 2020

I ’ m ready to make a prediction about the 2020 election .
I realize it ’ s a bit late , though I am comforted by the fact I can not be more off than the polls were .
For the record , this isn ’ t a prediction about whether or not President Trump will concede or succeed in returning to the Oval Office , or even about what will happen in the very important Georgia Senate run-offs .
No , this is a prediction I thought about making months ago , but I couldn ’ t quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But now , I ’ m ready to predict that many people are going to regret how they talked about and treated others over the last year or more .
How Many Alliances and Friendships Have Been Affected ?
Christians , especially , will regret how this election has ended deep and important alliances and even friendships .
We are going to regret things we posted and tweeted .
We are going to regret ways in which we questioned motives or even character .
We are going to regret placing so much weight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certainly matter , but not nearly as much as it felt like at the time .
It ’ s not just the election .
Disagreements over mask mandates , lockdown orders , and other aspects of pandemic frustration have broken up families , churches , and friendships .
I predict there will be a good bit of self-reckoning in the future , looking back at words we allowed ourselves , and wondering , “ Was it really worth all that ?
” Don ’ t get me wrong : All of these issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mattered greatly .
I don ’ t think there are “ two sides ” to most of them , at least not two sides that are rational , measured or moral .
There are , however , image bearers on both sides .
In most cases , there are image bearers with whom God has ordained us to “ do life , ” or by whom God has blessed our lives for years .
Many Thanksgiving meals were ruined this year , and we can ’ t just blame overreaching governors .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Emails and phone calls from long-time listeners and even friends demanding I agree with them … or else .
Of course , instances of “ How dare you !
” and “ Shame on you !
” are always part of this gig , but they have dramatically increased in volume and frequency , and have come from surprising corners .
This was a crucially important election , and this was a charge we took seriously .
Each week for three months prior to it , the Colson Center held a national prayer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We did our best to help Christians be informed , not only on the presidential and congressional elections , but also about the very important local and state elections and state ballot initiatives .
Chuck Colson often observed that politics is downstream from culture .
That ’ s almost always true , but most outside observers would have to admit that today , politics has taken over the lion ’ s share of our culture .
In a sense , that ’ s still a “ downstream ” reality , because so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out over recent decades .
Nature might abhor a vacuum , but political forces love it .
As other aspects of culture , especially our pre-political relationships and local institutions , have drawn back , the noise of political ultimatums ride the tide of big tech right into more and more of our lives .
Too Many of Us Have Been Ruthless With People Fr .
Robert Sirico once said that Christians should be ruthless with ideas but gentle with people .
Too many Americans , but especially too many Christians , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is this a way of shortcutting our task of truth-telling and persuading , it ’ s wrong .
A second prediction is that we are going to miss , and even need , many of the relationships we lost .
Christian friendships , as C. S. Lewis describes in his masterful book The Four Loves , are among God ’ s greatest gifts to His people this side of eternity , and even beyond .
“ To the Ancients , ” Lewis wrote , “ Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life and the school of virtue.
” But of course , a time is coming , and coming soon , when Christians who spent the last few years shooting at each other will find themselves , once again , side by side in the cultural foxholes .
Many of us used the word “ reprieve ” to describe the 2016 election .
That was the right word ; it was never a solution .
By all accounts , although there may be some additional buffering courtesy of a remade judiciary , that reprieve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The incoming administration has promised to revoke the Mexico City Policy , which forbids U.S. foreign aid for organizations that promote abortion , and the recent appointment of Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services indicates there ’ s not really an interest in “ coming together ” and “ moving forward ” with those of us not in lock-step on abortion and sexual issues .
Not to mention , during the campaign , Joe Biden promised to continue the fight against the Little Sisters of the Poor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three times so that they don ’ t have to pay for birth control .
And he ’ s promised to repeal the Hyde Amendment , which bars federal funding for abortion .
Will Christians be ready to face these challenges ?
And , even putting those challenges aside for just a moment ( because a moment may be all we have ) , the Body of Christ predates and will long outlive any election cycle .
How are we going to humbly obey Christ ’ s command to encourage one another towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders to family members , when we can ’ t stand each other ?
Jesus ’ instruction , even before we appeal to the throne of God for help , is this : “ First go and be reconciled to your brother.
” John Stonestreet serves as president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview .
He ’ s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture , theology , worldview , education and apologetics .

I’m ready to make a prediction about the 2020 election. I realize it’s a bit late, though I am comforted by the fact I cannot be more off than the polls were. For the record, this isn’t a prediction about whether or not President Trump will concede or succeed in returning to the Oval Office, or even about what will happen in the very important Georgia Senate run-offs.
No, this is a prediction I thought about making months ago, but I couldn’t quite figure out how to articulate it. But now, I’m ready to predict that many people are going to regret how they talked about and treated others over the last year or more.
How Many Alliances and Friendships Have Been Affected?
Christians, especially, will regret how this election has ended deep and important alliances and even friendships. We are going to regret things we posted and tweeted. We are going to regret ways in which we questioned motives or even character. We are going to regret placing so much weight on a set of political outcomes that certainly matter, but not nearly as much as it felt like at the time.
It’s not just the election. Disagreements over mask mandates, lockdown orders, and other aspects of pandemic frustration have broken up families, churches, and friendships. I predict there will be a good bit of self-reckoning in the future, looking back at words we allowed ourselves, and wondering, “Was it really worth all that?”
How are we going to humbly obey Christ’s command to encourage one another towards love and good works, from thought leaders to family members, when we can’t stand each other?
Don’t get me wrong: All of these issues at the center of our fighting have mattered greatly. I don’t think there are “two sides” to most of them, at least not two sides that are rational, measured or moral. There are, however, image bearers on both sides. In most cases, there are image bearers with whom God has ordained us to “do life,” or by whom God has blessed our lives for years. Many Thanksgiving meals were ruined this year, and we can’t just blame overreaching governors.
“Shame on You!”
I’ve experienced the fracturing myself. Emails and phone calls from long-time listeners and even friends demanding I agree with them … or else. Of course, instances of “How dare you!” and “Shame on you!” are always part of this gig, but they have dramatically increased in volume and frequency, and have come from surprising corners.
This was a crucially important election, and this was a charge we took seriously. Each week for three months prior to it, the Colson Center held a national prayer webinar for the Church and our country. We did our best to help Christians be informed, not only on the presidential and congressional elections, but also about the very important local and state elections and state ballot initiatives.
Chuck Colson often observed that politics is downstream from culture. That’s almost always true, but most outside observers would have to admit that today, politics has taken over the lion’s share of our culture. In a sense, that’s still a “downstream” reality, because so much of the larger culture has thinned out over recent decades. Nature might abhor a vacuum, but political forces love it. As other aspects of culture, especially our pre-political relationships and local institutions, have drawn back, the noise of political ultimatums ride the tide of big tech right into more and more of our lives.
Too Many of Us Have Been Ruthless With People
Fr. Robert Sirico once said that Christians should be ruthless with ideas but gentle with people. Too many Americans, but especially too many Christians, have been ruthless with people. Not only is this a way of shortcutting our task of truth-telling and persuading, it’s wrong.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
A second prediction is that we are going to miss, and even need, many of the relationships we lost. Christian friendships, as C. S. Lewis describes in his masterful book The Four Loves, are among God’s greatest gifts to His people this side of eternity, and even beyond. “To the Ancients,” Lewis wrote, “Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue.”
But of course, a time is coming, and coming soon, when Christians who spent the last few years shooting at each other will find themselves, once again, side by side in the cultural foxholes. Many of us used the word “reprieve” to describe the 2016 election. That was the right word; it was never a solution. By all accounts, although there may be some additional buffering courtesy of a remade judiciary, that reprieve is over.
Go and Be Reconciled
The incoming administration has promised to revoke the Mexico City Policy, which forbids U.S. foreign aid for organizations that promote abortion, and the recent appointment of Xavier Becerra to lead the Department of Health and Human Services indicates there’s not really an interest in “coming together” and “moving forward” with those of us not in lock-step on abortion and sexual issues. Not to mention, during the campaign, Joe Biden promised to continue the fight against the Little Sisters of the Poor, who have been to the Supreme Court three times so that they don’t have to pay for birth control. And he’s promised to repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funding for abortion.
Jesus’ instruction, even before we appeal to the throne of God for help, is this: “First go and be reconciled to your brother.”
Will Christians be ready to face these challenges? And, even putting those challenges aside for just a moment (because a moment may be all we have), the Body of Christ predates and will long outlive any election cycle. How are we going to humbly obey Christ’s command to encourage one another towards love and good works, from thought leaders to family members, when we can’t stand each other?
Jesus’ instruction, even before we appeal to the throne of God for help, is this: “First go and be reconciled to your brother.”
John Stonestreet serves as president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He’s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education and apologetics.