thestream--2020-09-08--Does Insurance Cover Rioting and Looting Damage? Either Way, It’s Disastrous

Since the death of George Floyd in late May , violent riots and looting have broken out in many major cities , eventually overshadowing peaceful protests and calls for criminal justice reform .
From Portland to Chicago to Kenosha , rioters have smashed windows , lit fires , attacked government properties , assaulted people in the streets , and looted storefronts .
In Minneapolis alone , vandals have destroyed at least 1,500 properties , many of them minority-owned businesses , and caused billions of dollars in property damage .
Many people have been injured or killed during the chaos .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and destruction .
A recent Gallup poll found that 73 percent of the public thinks violent protest does more harm for black Americans than good .
This includes clear majorities of both white and black respondents .
And only 8 percent of Americans overall thought violent protest was justified .
However , many supporters have attempted to downplay , defend , and even support rioting .
A common argument is that looting is no big deal because businesses “ have insurance ” that will reimburse the costs of the destruction .
For example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ author of the book In Defense of Looting .
In a recent softball interview with NPR , she argued that looting is “ basically nonviolent ” because “ most stores are insured ; it ’ s just hurting insurance companies on some level .
It ’ s just money .
It ’ s just property .
It ’ s not actually hurting any people.
” Similarly , Black Lives Matter activist Ariel Atkins has argued that looting is a form of “ reparations.
” She says it isn ’ t actually harmful , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re going to get their money back.
” “ Property is insured and can be replaced , ” USA Today contributor and author Sally Kohn wrote .
“ Lives can not .
Check your priorities , America.
” These arguments rest on weak factual and logical footing .
As the Washington Examiner ’ s Beckett Adams wryly noted , “ It takes a toxic cocktail of ignorance and privilege to look at the smoldering ruins of a family-owned business and shrug it off with some quip about how an insurance company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are four reasons why the excuse that “ businesses have insurance ” doesn ’ t mitigate the harm of rioting .
1 .
Riots Take a Human Toll No Insurance Plan Can Account For Even if all the affected property was fully insured—and it wasn ’ t—rioting has taken a vast human toll as well .
Consider that at least 15 people were killed during the initial riots after Floyd ’ s death , and that more have died in the unrest since .
When arson and looting consume the streets , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossfire .
That ’ s why the Minneapolis police found a burnt corpse in a pawn shop days after arsonists had passed through .
Insurance might fund that property ’ s restoration , but it can ’ t bring a dead man back to life .
Nor can the existence of property insurance undo the trauma experienced by the many injured during the ransacking of stores .
In just one example of many , an elderly man was beaten severely by looters and left bleeding on the ground when he tried to defend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their community , understandably , traumatizes many individuals .
It causes them vast amounts of emotional pain and disrupts their lives immeasurably .
“ They went straight to OfficeMax , the Dollar Store , and every store over here that I go to , ” one disabled Minneapolis woman said through tears after rioters ravaged her community .
“ I have nowhere to go now .
I have no way to get [ to other stores ] because the buses aren ’ t running.
” Even the most generous , sweeping insurance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ erase all the human pain and suffering the riots have wrought on everyday Americans .
2 .
Not All Affected Small Businesses Have Insurance That Covers Rioting and Looting Damage Big companies like Walmart and Target generally have expensive , premium insurance plans .
But many of the mom-and-pop enterprises and small businesses targeted in the riots didn ’ t have expensive insurance plans .
In some cases , their more modest plans don ’ t cover damage from riots or don ’ t cover it in full .
“ Situations where there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , a lot of times people find they ’ re underinsured and don ’ t have enough coverage , ” Illinois Insurance Association Hotline President Janet Patrick told CBS Minnesota .
“ And so once the damage has been done , it ’ s too late .
You can ’ t buy more coverage.
” According to Insurance Journal , 75 percent of US businesses are under-insured .
And according to the New York Times , about 40 percent of small businesses have no insurance at all .
Moreover , even full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For example , the Star Tribune reports that in the Minneapolis area , demolition costs for properties destroyed in the riots are far exceeding what insurance will cover .
The newspaper found that “ Most policies limit reimbursement to $ 25,000 to $ 50,000 , but contractors have been submitting bids of $ 200,000 to $ 300,000 .
In many cases , the price of the work is not much lower than the actual value of the property.
” The contrast here is quite clear .
Sympathetic journalists , activists , and academics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covered by insurance , ” but they are completely out of touch with the reality of the situation many small businesses now face .
Even for those many businesses that do have insurance covering rioting damage , it ’ s still a massive burden to have your businesses destroyed .
Think about it like this : Just because you have health insurance , is it fine for me to punch you in the face ?
Or , alternatively , one wonders whether those defending rioting would be fine with having their house burned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurance .
There ’ s an enormous disruption that comes with having to pick up the pieces of an enterprise reduced to rubble .
As anyone who has actually filed an insurance claim can tell you , it requires extensive documentation and the navigation of aggravating , bureaucratic processes .
So , too , business owners miss out on sales and revenue during the interim — making an already difficult time even more difficult to navigate .
This means that even with insurance , many of the owners of the thousands of properties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will still be left in the lurch .
4 .
Insurance Rates Will Spike and Hurt the Impacted Communities ’ Economic Future Even if all businesses destroyed in the ongoing rioting and looting received massive payouts and were made financially whole , the destruction would still have harsh long-term effects on the impacted communities .
For one , future insurance rates would spike , driving up costs , decreasing economic opportunity , and raising prices .
It ’ s not hard to see why .
Insurance doesn ’ t magically make costs go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pool of policy-owners .
If , suddenly , communities see a massive spike in payouts due to rioting , insurance companies will charge them much more in the future because they know they ’ ll be insuring higher-risk properties .
“ If carriers are paying out claims for hundreds of millions in losses , they ’ re going to try and recoup , ” insurance broker Randle Frankel told the Los Angeles Times .
“ There will be repercussions .
Rates will go up.
” Small businesses will have a much harder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporations .
And the fallout will hit consumers , too .
“ In my experience , after every event like this , there will be price increases , ” Frankel said .
“ Rates have to go up.
” It is a sad comment on the state of financial education in this country that so many Americans are so ignorant about the basic nature of insurance .
But it is downright shameful that so many Americans are so economically uneducated that they think that any institution can magically nullify scarcity .
When you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the resources used to create it are gone , as are all the services it would have otherwise provided in the future .
That is an obvious , inescapable fact .
All that insurance policies , government programs , or any other institution can do is shift the burden of that loss ( often in unpredictable ways ) .
They can not make the loss disappear .
The takeaway here is clear .
Even when businesses are covered by insurance , communities still suffer from the destruction .
Riot sympathizers will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they want to downplay the harm that looting and vandalism impose on the innocent .
Brad Polumbo is a libertarian-conservative journalist and the Eugene S. Thorpe Writing Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education .

Since the death of George Floyd in late May, violent riots and looting have broken out in many major cities, eventually overshadowing peaceful protests and calls for criminal justice reform. From Portland to Chicago to Kenosha, rioters have smashed windows, lit fires, attacked government properties, assaulted people in the streets, and looted storefronts.
In Minneapolis alone, vandals have destroyed at least 1,500 properties, many of them minority-owned businesses, and caused billions of dollars in property damage. Many people have been injured or killed during the chaos.
Thankfully, Americans overwhelmingly reject this violence and destruction. A recent Gallup poll found that 73 percent of the public thinks violent protest does more harm for black Americans than good. This includes clear majorities of both white and black respondents. And only 8 percent of Americans overall thought violent protest was justified.
However, many supporters have attempted to downplay, defend, and even support rioting. A common argument is that looting is no big deal because businesses “have insurance” that will reimburse the costs of the destruction.
For example, there’s Vicky Osterweil, author of the book In Defense of Looting. In a recent softball interview with NPR, she argued that looting is “basically nonviolent” because “most stores are insured; it’s just hurting insurance companies on some level. It’s just money. It’s just property. It’s not actually hurting any people.”
Similarly, Black Lives Matter activist Ariel Atkins has argued that looting is a form of “reparations.” She says it isn’t actually harmful, “because these businesses have insurance. They’re going to get their money back.”
BLM Chicago Leader on the looting of stores: “That is reparations…. anything they want to take, take it because these businesses have insurance…” pic.twitter.com/uB9GAGmkLu — ForAmerica (@ForAmerica) August 11, 2020
“Property is insured and can be replaced,” USA Today contributor and author Sally Kohn wrote. “Lives cannot. Check your priorities, America.”
Social media is littered with similar arguments:
It’s just stuff, Matt. That’s what insurance is for. The pearl-clutching over property in relation to human lives is a huge part of the problem – and one the media is very much guilty of parroting. — Rob Oberdorfer (@RobOberdorfer) August 29, 2020
Julie, not as horrible a scene as those small children witnessed as their unarmed father was shot at close range NUMEROUS times by police. They will be scarred for life. Businesses have property insurance. — Wash your hands, ya filthy animal. . . (@Annietiques) August 25, 2020
It’s just stuff, Matt. That’s what insurance is for. The pearl-clutching over property in relation to human lives is a huge part of the problem – and one the media is very much guilty of parroting. — Rob Oberdorfer (@RobOberdorfer) August 29, 2020
These arguments rest on weak factual and logical footing. As the Washington Examiner’s Beckett Adams wryly noted, “It takes a toxic cocktail of ignorance and privilege to look at the smoldering ruins of a family-owned business and shrug it off with some quip about how an insurance company will no doubt fix it.”
Here are four reasons why the excuse that “businesses have insurance” doesn’t mitigate the harm of rioting.
1. Riots Take a Human Toll No Insurance Plan Can Account For
Even if all the affected property was fully insured—and it wasn’t—rioting has taken a vast human toll as well.
Consider that at least 15 people were killed during the initial riots after Floyd’s death, and that more have died in the unrest since. When arson and looting consume the streets, people inevitably get hurt and caught in the crossfire. That’s why the Minneapolis police found a burnt corpse in a pawn shop days after arsonists had passed through.
Insurance might fund that property’s restoration, but it can’t bring a dead man back to life.
Nor can the existence of property insurance undo the trauma experienced by the many injured during the ransacking of stores. In just one example of many, an elderly man was beaten severely by looters and left bleeding on the ground when he tried to defend his store.
Elderly man defending store during Kenosha riots has jaw broken https://t.co/HUHKBpCiug pic.twitter.com/wA85Vvg3Gm — New York Post (@nypost) August 27, 2020
Moreover, the destruction of their community, understandably, traumatizes many individuals. It causes them vast amounts of emotional pain and disrupts their lives immeasurably.
“They went straight to OfficeMax, the Dollar Store, and every store over here that I go to,” one disabled Minneapolis woman said through tears after rioters ravaged her community. “I have nowhere to go now. I have no way to get [to other stores] because the buses aren’t running.”
MUST WATCH TV: If you’re still unclear what impact the rioting and violence is having on the most vulnerable among us, please listen to Stephanie, a disabled Minneapolis woman who offers her heart-wrenching experience after last night’s violence. Great work by @BenryNews pic.twitter.com/k73Q65Psvs — Tom Hauser (@thauserkstp) May 30, 2020
Even the most generous, sweeping insurance plans in the world couldn’t erase all the human pain and suffering the riots have wrought on everyday Americans.
2. Not All Affected Small Businesses Have Insurance That Covers Rioting and Looting Damage
Big companies like Walmart and Target generally have expensive, premium insurance plans. But many of the mom-and-pop enterprises and small businesses targeted in the riots didn’t have expensive insurance plans. In some cases, their more modest plans don’t cover damage from riots or don’t cover it in full.
“Situations where there’s a lot of devastation like this, a lot of times people find they’re underinsured and don’t have enough coverage,” Illinois Insurance Association Hotline President Janet Patrick told CBS Minnesota. “And so once the damage has been done, it’s too late. You can’t buy more coverage.”
According to Insurance Journal, 75 percent of US businesses are under-insured. And according to the New York Times, about 40 percent of small businesses have no insurance at all.
Moreover, even full insurance repayment is often not enough.
For example, the Star Tribune reports that in the Minneapolis area, demolition costs for properties destroyed in the riots are far exceeding what insurance will cover. The newspaper found that “Most policies limit reimbursement to $25,000 to $50,000, but contractors have been submitting bids of $200,000 to $300,000. In many cases, the price of the work is not much lower than the actual value of the property.”
Dozens of owners whose Twin Cities properties were severely damaged in the May riots have been stunned to discover that the money they would collect from their insurance company for demolition won’t come close to the actual costs of doing the job. https://t.co/eWg6iHodjD — Star Tribune (@StarTribune) August 31, 2020
The contrast here is quite clear. Sympathetic journalists, activists, and academics might dismiss property damage as all “covered by insurance,” but they are completely out of touch with the reality of the situation many small businesses now face.
3. Insurance Doesn’t Solve the Problem
Even for those many businesses that do have insurance covering rioting damage, it’s still a massive burden to have your businesses destroyed.
Think about it like this: Just because you have health insurance, is it fine for me to punch you in the face? Or, alternatively, one wonders whether those defending rioting would be fine with having their house burned down. After all, they have insurance.
There’s an enormous disruption that comes with having to pick up the pieces of an enterprise reduced to rubble. As anyone who has actually filed an insurance claim can tell you, it requires extensive documentation and the navigation of aggravating, bureaucratic processes. So, too, business owners miss out on sales and revenue during the interim — making an already difficult time even more difficult to navigate.
If you say “they have insurance, so what’s the problem?,” you’ve never had to deal with an insurance company. Or maybe you’re just callous.
Insurance companies make money by delaying and denying payments. Even full reimbursement is a pain. And reimbursement is often insufficient. https://t.co/eXXsD1hFjk — Nicholas Grossman (@NGrossman81) August 31, 2020
This means that even with insurance, many of the owners of the thousands of properties destroyed in the greater Twin Cities area will still be left in the lurch.
4. Insurance Rates Will Spike and Hurt the Impacted Communities’ Economic Future
Even if all businesses destroyed in the ongoing rioting and looting received massive payouts and were made financially whole, the destruction would still have harsh long-term effects on the impacted communities. For one, future insurance rates would spike, driving up costs, decreasing economic opportunity, and raising prices.
It’s not hard to see why. Insurance doesn’t magically make costs go away; it simply spreads them across a pool of policy-owners. If, suddenly, communities see a massive spike in payouts due to rioting, insurance companies will charge them much more in the future because they know they’ll be insuring higher-risk properties.
“If carriers are paying out claims for hundreds of millions in losses, they’re going to try and recoup,” insurance broker Randle Frankel told the Los Angeles Times. “There will be repercussions. Rates will go up.”
Small businesses will have a much harder time bearing these higher costs than big corporations. And the fallout will hit consumers, too.
“In my experience, after every event like this, there will be price increases,” Frankel said. “Rates have to go up.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
It is a sad comment on the state of financial education in this country that so many Americans are so ignorant about the basic nature of insurance. But it is downright shameful that so many Americans are so economically uneducated that they think that any institution can magically nullify scarcity.
When you burn down a building, the building and the resources used to create it are gone, as are all the services it would have otherwise provided in the future. That is an obvious, inescapable fact. All that insurance policies, government programs, or any other institution can do is shift the burden of that loss (often in unpredictable ways). They cannot make the loss disappear.
The takeaway here is clear. Even when businesses are covered by insurance, communities still suffer from the destruction. Riot sympathizers will have to find another politically-motivated talking point if they want to downplay the harm that looting and vandalism impose on the innocent.
Brad Polumbo is a libertarian-conservative journalist and the Eugene S. Thorpe Writing Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education.
Copyright 2020 FEE.org
Republished with permission


thestream--2020-09-08--On Dictionary.com’s ‘Biggest Update Ever’: Those Who Control the Language Control the Culture

Speaking of Orwell ’ s 1984 , a blogger noted that , “ By controlling the language , Big Brother controls the way that the people think .
With a limited vocabulary , the people are limited in how much they can think , as well as , what they think about.
” That ’ s why we should be concerned with Dictionary.com ’ s “ biggest update ever.
” Yes , in addition to the many new words added “ are the deeper revisions that document what drives us here at Dictionary.com : the ways language is constantly evolving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve updated address topics that touch all of us on the most personal levels : race and ethnicity , gender and sexuality , health and wellness.
” The revisions are intended to “ help eliminate heterosexual bias in language , ” and they were “ informed ” by the gay activist ( or , gay activist driven ) organizations GLAAD and the APA .
No wonder LGBTQ websites like Out.com are celebrating the changes .
What , then , were some of these major revisions ?
Goodbye “ Homosexuality ” — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is Wrong First , references to the words homosexual and homosexuality were removed from references within the dictionary .
Why ?
Dictionary.com wants “ to put people , not practices , first , and ensure our definitions reflect—and respect—how people use language.
” As for the “ homosexual ” and “ homosexuality , ” they “ originated as clinical language , and dictionaries have historically perceived such language as scientific and unbiased .
But homosexual and homosexuality are now associated with pathology , mental illness , and criminality , and so imply that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , diseased , or wrong.
” So , because there is nothing wrong with homosexual practice — thus says Dictionary.com !
— and because “ homosexuality ” implies that something is wrong , references to the word must be removed from definitions and descriptions .
Practically speaking , this means that “ gayness ” is now defined as “ ‘ gay or lesbian sexual orientation or behavior ’ compared to the outmoded gloss of ‘ homosexuality.
’ ” And in keeping with Dictionary.com ’ s new wokeness , reflected in capitalizing the B @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the website has also capitalized the P in Pride when it comes to gay pride .
This entry has a twofold definition : 1 ) recognition of LGBTQ identity , affirmation of equal rights , and celebration of visibility , dignity , and diversity in the LGBTQ community ( formerly referred to as Gay Pride ) ; 2 ) events or organizations that celebrate the LGBTQ community and its members ( often used attributively ) .
You can even sign up to receive “ LGBTQIA Language Updates Every Week ” !
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ keep up with the growing language of the LGBTQIA community , right in your inbox.
” ( Will we also be appraised of new letters being added to LGBTQIA ? )
To be sure I didn ’ t miss any of these exciting updates , I clicked on the link and signed up , after which I received an email allowing me to pick my preferences for future emails .
These included : Word of the Day ; Word Games & Quizzes ; LGBTQIA Language from Dictionary.com ; Synonym of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parent Portal ; Language Lovers ; In Other Words from Thesaurus.com .
So , the one and only lexical category that is specific to the culture is LGBTQIA Language .
No updates on any other specific subject are offered .
Nothing about animal or plant life .
Nothing about the environment .
Nothing about politics .
Nothing about sports .
Nothing about anything specific other than LGBTQIA Language .
( The Parental Portal is designed to help parents teach vocabulary to their kids . )
Talk about the hijacking of a dictionary by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beyond woke .
In 1984 , the Orwellian character named Syme was a philologist who specialized in Newspeak .
According to Syme , “ By 2050 , earlier , probably — all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared .
The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed .
Chaucer , Shakespeare , Milton , Byron — they ’ ll exist only in Newspeak versions , not merely changed into something different , but actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be.
” In addition , “ Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even the slogans will change .
How could you have a slogan like ‘ freedom is slavery ’ when the concept of freedom has been abolished ?
The whole climate of thought will be different .
In fact there will be no thought , as we understand it now .
Orthodoxy means not thinking — not needing to think .
Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.
” Orwell wrote his classic book in 1948 , meaning that he “ predicted ” this scenario almost 70 years ago .
Today , there is an increasing attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ articles like Rebecca Futo Kennedy ’ s “ We Condone It by Our Silence .
Confronting Classics ’ Complicity in White Supremacy.
” Who needs to rewrite the classics in Newspeak when they can simply be eliminated ?
( For a good response , see “ Are the Classics Complicit in White Supremacy ?
” ) Books are Banned and Acceptable Language is Defined : Refuse to Be Controlled We already have had to deal with the growing practice of banning the sale of books that confront PC positions , along with banning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recently , Amazon banned sales of the well-documented , fact-filled book The Health Hazards of Homosexuality while banning ads for the important new book Irreversible Damage : The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters . )
But that was not enough .
Now , we are told how to speak and how to think .
The implications of this are massive .
When I type in the phrase “ he who controls language ” on my browser , the following sentences come up : “ He who controls language controls the conversation ” ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the argument ” ; “ controls the debate ” ; “ controls the masses.
” My advice is simple : refuse to be controlled by LGBTQ activists and their allies .
Speak wisely .
Speak graciously .
But speak truthfully , without compromise .
If you don ’ t do that today , then come tomorrow , you won ’ t be able to speak the truth at all .
Dr. Michael Brown ( www.askdrbrown.org ) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program .
His latest book is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pass the Trump Test ?
Connect with him on Facebook , Twitter or YouTube .

Speaking of Orwell’s 1984, a blogger noted that, “By controlling the language, Big Brother controls the way that the people think. With a limited vocabulary, the people are limited in how much they can think, as well as, what they think about.”
That’s why we should be concerned with Dictionary.com’s “biggest update ever.”
Yes, in addition to the many new words added “are the deeper revisions that document what drives us here at Dictionary.com: the ways language is constantly evolving. A great many of these entries we’ve updated address topics that touch all of us on the most personal levels: race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, health and wellness.”
The revisions are intended to “help eliminate heterosexual bias in language,” and they were “informed” by the gay activist (or, gay activist driven) organizations GLAAD and the APA. No wonder LGBTQ websites like Out.com are celebrating the changes.
What, then, were some of these major revisions?
Goodbye “Homosexuality” — The “Clinical” Term Implies Something is Wrong
First, references to the words homosexual and homosexuality were removed from references within the dictionary. Why? Dictionary.com wants “to put people, not practices, first, and ensure our definitions reflect—and respect—how people use language.”
As for the “homosexual” and “homosexuality,” they “originated as clinical language, and dictionaries have historically perceived such language as scientific and unbiased. But homosexual and homosexuality are now associated with pathology, mental illness, and criminality, and so imply that being gay—a normal way of being—is sick, diseased, or wrong.”
So, because there is nothing wrong with homosexual practice — thus says Dictionary.com! — and because “homosexuality” implies that something is wrong, references to the word must be removed from definitions and descriptions.
My advice is simple: refuse to be controlled by LGBTQ activists and their allies.
Practically speaking, this means that “gayness” is now defined as “‘gay or lesbian sexual orientation or behavior’ compared to the outmoded gloss of ‘homosexuality.’”
And in keeping with Dictionary.com’s new wokeness, reflected in capitalizing the B in Black when it comes to race, the website has also capitalized the P in Pride when it comes to gay pride.
This entry has a twofold definition: 1) recognition of LGBTQ identity, affirmation of equal rights, and celebration of visibility, dignity, and diversity in the LGBTQ community (formerly referred to as Gay Pride); 2) events or organizations that celebrate the LGBTQ community and its members (often used attributively).
Dictionary.com Offering a Specific Newsletter for “LGBTQIA Language”
You can even sign up to receive “LGBTQIA Language Updates Every Week”! This way, you’ll be able to “keep up with the growing language of the LGBTQIA community, right in your inbox.” (Will we also be appraised of new letters being added to LGBTQIA?)
To be sure I didn’t miss any of these exciting updates, I clicked on the link and signed up, after which I received an email allowing me to pick my preferences for future emails. These included: Word of the Day; Word Games & Quizzes; LGBTQIA Language from Dictionary.com; Synonym of the Day from Thesaurus.com; Slang Decoder; Parent Portal; Language Lovers; In Other Words from Thesaurus.com.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
So, the one and only lexical category that is specific to the culture is LGBTQIA Language. No updates on any other specific subject are offered. Nothing about animal or plant life. Nothing about the environment. Nothing about politics. Nothing about sports. Nothing about anything specific other than LGBTQIA Language. (The Parental Portal is designed to help parents teach vocabulary to their kids.)
Talk about the hijacking of a dictionary by sexual and ideological activists. This is beyond woke.
Reminiscent of Orwellian “Newspeak”
In 1984, the Orwellian character named Syme was a philologist who specialized in Newspeak. According to Syme, “By 2050, earlier, probably — all real knowledge of Oldspeak will have disappeared. The whole literature of the past will have been destroyed. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Byron — they’ll exist only in Newspeak versions, not merely changed into something different, but actually changed into something contradictory of what they used to be.”
In addition, “Even the literature of the Party will change. Even the slogans will change. How could you have a slogan like ‘freedom is slavery’ when the concept of freedom has been abolished? The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking — not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.”
Orwell wrote his classic book in 1948, meaning that he “predicted” this scenario almost 70 years ago. Today, there is an increasing attack on studying the classics, reflected in articles like Rebecca Futo Kennedy’s “We Condone It by Our Silence. Confronting Classics’ Complicity in White Supremacy.” Who needs to rewrite the classics in Newspeak when they can simply be eliminated? (For a good response, see “Are the Classics Complicit in White Supremacy?”)
Books are Banned and Acceptable Language is Defined: Refuse to Be Controlled
We already have had to deal with the growing practice of banning the sale of books that confront PC positions, along with banning ads for such books. (Most recently, Amazon banned sales of the well-documented, fact-filled book The Health Hazards of Homosexuality while banning ads for the important new book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters.)
But that was not enough. Now, we are told how to speak and how to think. The implications of this are massive.
When I type in the phrase “he who controls language” on my browser, the following sentences come up: “He who controls language controls the conversation”; “controls thought”; “controls the argument”; “controls the debate”; “controls the masses.”
My advice is simple: refuse to be controlled by LGBTQ activists and their allies. Speak wisely. Speak graciously. But speak truthfully, without compromise.
If you don’t do that today, then come tomorrow, you won’t be able to speak the truth at all.
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--2020-09-08--Police Union Bosses Blame Local Prosecutors for ‘Night After Night of Rioting’

Two police union executives from different areas of the country told the Daily Caller News Foundation that some district attorneys in riot hotbeds are allowing unrest to continue through lenient policies and reduced charges .
Vice President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association ( SBA ) Vincent Vallelong and Vice President emeritus of the International Union of Police Associations ( IUPA ) Dennis Slocumb concurred in separate phone interviews with the DCNF that some DAs are doing more harm than good amid nationwide unrest .
Both claimed that local prosecutors are freeing individuals at alarming rates , reducing their charges and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seemingly never ending spells of rioting in some areas .
Riots and protests have occurred in cities across the country since the death of George Floyd , who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes , video shows .
Civil unrest surged in recent weeks following the police shooting of Jacob Blake , who was shot several times in the back after when police attempted to arrest him , video showed .
“ We can do our job if we ’ re allowed to , the problem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theirs , they ’ re dropping the charges on these people and making them lesser charges , ” Vallelong told the DCNF .
“ It creates exactly what you have in Portland , you have night after night of rioting that just doesn ’ t end.
” “ If you ’ re letting the leaders of these groups out — what they would call their captains or their generals — just to fight the next day , what ’ s the point of locking them up ?
Just let them run amuck through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the case , ” he continued .
Slocumb said , “ One of the things that ’ s occurring is we have district attorneys who no longer view themselves as prosecutors.
” “ If you don ’ t have prosecutors willing to prosecute , then the police can make all the arrests they want and it ’ s not going to matter , they ’ re going to walk right back out and do the same thing tomorrow , ” he continued .
The city of Portland marked its 100th day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Fox News , with unrest that police declared a riot .
Both Vallelong and Slocumb used the city as a reference point for a perceived lack of prosecutorial willingness .
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt , whose jurisdiction includes Portland , has said he would decline to bring charges against protesters for lesser offenses like interfering with police or ignored directives to clear the streets , according to KGW 8 .
Schmidt told the news source that his office was primarily focused on violent crimes and the city ’ s increase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prioritize public safety resources in Multnomah County by focusing on the violent crimes occurring at protests and in our community , including the recent and alarming increase in gun violence this summer , ” Schmidt told the local outlet .
Schmidt ’ s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF .
The federal government decided to step in on Wednesday with the Department of Justice deputizing Oregon State Patrol officers in order to bypass Schmidt ’ s charging decisions for federal charges , KGW 8 reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applauded the decision and said similar policies can be used to quell unrest throughout the nation .
“ One of the things in Oregon is that they have now deputized the state police as federal agents , so the arrests they make will bypass the district attorney in Portland and seek federal prosecution , ” Slocumb said .
“ What was just done , which I applaud the DOJ for , is they deputized the sheriffs in Portland , ” Vallelong said .
“ Now they took away the ability for the district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that won ’ t even try some of these cases , and now put it in the hands of the federal government , where now they can try these people .
So now , that district attorney has been neutered — that is the best thing that can happen across the board for this country right now.
” The two police union officials also took issue with some independent bail programs , like the Minnesota Freedom Fund ( MFF ) , that provide bail money for the potential release of inmates pending a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused in August of using their $ 35 million in funding to aid in the release of a suspect who allegedly fired a gun at police , a woman accused of murdering her friend and a sex offender with two prior convictions , according to Fox 9 .
According to Slocumb and Vallelong , organizations like MFF have contributed to the continuation of unrest .
“ It ’ s not helpful , ” Slocumb said .
“ It ’ s disheartening to arrest the same people over and over.
” Vallelong said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should lose their non-profit status if what it is they ’ re doing is aiding and abetting criminality.
” Slocumb told the DCNF that an effective way to curb these non-profit release programs is for DAs to advocate for raising bail further in order to persuade judges to make adjustments .
“ Somebody ’ s going to run out of money posting those bails if those bails are significant.
” The COVID-19 pandemic has led jails throughout the country to lower bail , release inmates early and decline to lock up offenders for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Policy initiative .
Washington County , Oregon , in April made efforts to halve the prison population by releasing inmates early for “ low-level ” offenses , the advocacy organization reported .
The Prison Policy Initiative has not indicated any such reformative changes in Multnomah County , Oregon , where Portland is located , but the county sheriff ’ s webpage indicated that those behind bars may be released two weeks early due to the virus .
Vallelong and Slocumb also proposed another measure to reduce civil unrest , suggesting officers should make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be anonymous once arrested .
“ They get in , do what they have to do , feel like a hero or feel like they took some sort of action and then they run and they cower to their little apartments or to their little online jobs and they don ’ t have to worry about anything else in life at that point , ” Vallelong said .
The SBA vice president said departments should compile data on these people and make efforts to release mugshots as frequently as possible to strip away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ All of these people should be put into a central database and if they all want to be Antifa , classify them as a Antifa , ” Vallelong said .
Slocumb largely agreed with Vallelong and said reducing anonymity may have an effect on criminals by exposing their behavior to family and friends .
“ If their friends and relatives see that they were out looting or committing acts of arson or attacking people on the street there would be social pressures on them to get their act together , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

Two police union executives from different areas of the country told the Daily Caller News Foundation that some district attorneys in riot hotbeds are allowing unrest to continue through lenient policies and reduced charges.
Vice President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) Vincent Vallelong and Vice President emeritus of the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) Dennis Slocumb concurred in separate phone interviews with the DCNF that some DAs are doing more harm than good amid nationwide unrest. Both claimed that local prosecutors are freeing individuals at alarming rates, reducing their charges and sending them back onto the street for seemingly never ending spells of rioting in some areas.
Riots and protests have occurred in cities across the country since the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, video shows. Civil unrest surged in recent weeks following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot several times in the back after when police attempted to arrest him, video showed.
“We can do our job if we’re allowed to, the problem is the district attorneys are not doing theirs, they’re dropping the charges on these people and making them lesser charges,” Vallelong told the DCNF. “It creates exactly what you have in Portland, you have night after night of rioting that just doesn’t end.”
“If you’re letting the leaders of these groups out — what they would call their captains or their generals — just to fight the next day, what’s the point of locking them up? Just let them run amuck through the streets and destroy everything if that’s the case,” he continued.
Slocumb said, “One of the things that’s occurring is we have district attorneys who no longer view themselves as prosecutors.”
“If you don’t have prosecutors willing to prosecute, then the police can make all the arrests they want and it’s not going to matter, they’re going to walk right back out and do the same thing tomorrow,” he continued.
The city of Portland marked its 100th day of protests and demonstrations Saturday, according to Fox News, with unrest that police declared a riot. Both Vallelong and Slocumb used the city as a reference point for a perceived lack of prosecutorial willingness.
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, whose jurisdiction includes Portland, has said he would decline to bring charges against protesters for lesser offenses like interfering with police or ignored directives to clear the streets, according to KGW 8. Schmidt told the news source that his office was primarily focused on violent crimes and the city’s increase in gun offenses.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
“We continue to prioritize public safety resources in Multnomah County by focusing on the violent crimes occurring at protests and in our community, including the recent and alarming increase in gun violence this summer,” Schmidt told the local outlet.
Schmidt’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
The federal government decided to step in on Wednesday with the Department of Justice deputizing Oregon State Patrol officers in order to bypass Schmidt’s charging decisions for federal charges, KGW 8 reported.
The pair of police union bosses applauded the decision and said similar policies can be used to quell unrest throughout the nation.
“One of the things in Oregon is that they have now deputized the state police as federal agents, so the arrests they make will bypass the district attorney in Portland and seek federal prosecution,” Slocumb said.
“What was just done, which I applaud the DOJ for, is they deputized the sheriffs in Portland,” Vallelong said. “Now they took away the ability for the district attorney, who is a far-left liberal that won’t even try some of these cases, and now put it in the hands of the federal government, where now they can try these people. So now, that district attorney has been neutered — that is the best thing that can happen across the board for this country right now.”
The two police union officials also took issue with some independent bail programs, like the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF), that provide bail money for the potential release of inmates pending a judge’s decision.
MFF was accused in August of using their $35 million in funding to aid in the release of a suspect who allegedly fired a gun at police, a woman accused of murdering her friend and a sex offender with two prior convictions, according to Fox 9.
According to Slocumb and Vallelong, organizations like MFF have contributed to the continuation of unrest.
“It’s not helpful,” Slocumb said. “It’s disheartening to arrest the same people over and over.”
Vallelong said the MFF “should be investigated and they should lose their non-profit status if what it is they’re doing is aiding and abetting criminality.”
Slocumb told the DCNF that an effective way to curb these non-profit release programs is for DAs to advocate for raising bail further in order to persuade judges to make adjustments.
“Somebody’s going to run out of money posting those bails if those bails are significant.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has led jails throughout the country to lower bail, release inmates early and decline to lock up offenders for minor crimes, according to the Prison Policy initiative. Washington County, Oregon, in April made efforts to halve the prison population by releasing inmates early for “low-level” offenses, the advocacy organization reported.
The Prison Policy Initiative has not indicated any such reformative changes in Multnomah County, Oregon, where Portland is located, but the county sheriff’s webpage indicated that those behind bars may be released two weeks early due to the virus.
Vallelong and Slocumb also proposed another measure to reduce civil unrest, suggesting officers should make an effort to not allow rioters to be anonymous once arrested.
“They get in, do what they have to do, feel like a hero or feel like they took some sort of action and then they run and they cower to their little apartments or to their little online jobs and they don’t have to worry about anything else in life at that point,” Vallelong said.
The SBA vice president said departments should compile data on these people and make efforts to release mugshots as frequently as possible to strip away anonymity in order to discourage violent behavior.
“All of these people should be put into a central database and if they all want to be Antifa, classify them as a Antifa,” Vallelong said.
Slocumb largely agreed with Vallelong and said reducing anonymity may have an effect on criminals by exposing their behavior to family and friends.
“If their friends and relatives see that they were out looting or committing acts of arson or attacking people on the street there would be social pressures on them to get their act together,” he said.
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--2020-09-08--When Elites Claim to Represent Blacks or Workers, They Mean ‘Using Sock Puppets’

I hope you had a leisurely , grateful Labor Day .
If you shopped or dined anywhere , I hope you thanked the people for working .
It ’ s a big accomplishment in American history that the labor unions won a fair place at the table .
That they became bulwarks of society — for a few critical decades , during the Cold War .
Since then , private sector unions have declined , partly thanks to Mafia-linked corruption .
The labor movement was hijacked by self-dealing government unions .
It was the AFL-CIO under Lane Kirkland that provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labor union Solidarity in Poland .
This after that country ’ s Communist government outlawed it .
No Communist party worth its salt could let workers choose which organization represented them .
Because they ’ d rarely have picked the Communists .
Nothing galled Marxists more than real workers organizations .
These rejected their Party ’ s claim to speak for the whole working class , all around the world .
What drove men like Kirkland to conduct their own foreign policy , and take on a superpower ?
The Cold War Inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s fascinating book , A Conservative History of the American Left to find out .
Every union in America by 1977 had fought its own Cold War against the Communist Party , USA , and its efforts to infiltrate labor unions .
Many unions that exist today had to fight off Communist puppet rivals .
Lane Kirkland , like former screen actor Ronald Reagan , was a veteran of that battle .
Authentically Christian members of the Civil Rights Movement had to fight a similar battle .
Some blacks rightly angered at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Communist front groups .
Those were set up by Soviet agents to divide and conquer America .
In the 1930s , the real needs and religious faith of black Americans took second place to Stalin ’ s line .
The Party told them to seek Marxist , black separatist states in the Deep South — under Moscow ’ s control .
So you had talented men like Paul Robeson , who let anger at racial segregation drive them to pen eulogies for men like Joseph Stalin .
Never mind that he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ famines .
Or run a state with millions of literal slave laborers .
Today we see the founders and leaders of Black Lives Matter proudly insist that they are “ trained Marxists.
” We watch angry white kids emerge from their mothers ’ basements in suburbs , to go start street fights and fires in inner city areas they ’ d never normally visit .
Some even shout the n-word at black cops or Trump supporters , and the c-word at women .
( They feel they ’ ve earned the right , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this over the weekend on Twitter : Of course , in one way the current violence is actually more galling than previous white-led race riots .
At least the thugs who terrorized black neighborhoods in the 1920s didn ’ t pretend that they spoke for blacks , and were doing this for their own good .
That ’ s some high-level gaslighting right there .
But there ’ s plenty of precedent for it among Marxist intellectuals , who were happy to have the secret police torture , imprison , and starve workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent .
As a blue collar kid on the maximum financial aid at Yale in the 1980s , I used to have fun with the Marxists I ran into .
I ’ d talk about how my mom grew up malnourished in the 1930s , one of 11 children in a Hell ’ s Kitchen tenement , of whom only 5 lived past age 4 .
At the same time , of course , the Ivy League Marxist ’ s grandpa was running Standard Oil , or clipping stock coupons for the sweatshop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d always point out to such people , “ I ’ m from the working class .
We have no interest in your crackpot materialist ideology .
We want free churches , safe neighborhoods , a strong America — and most of us would like to hang abortionists from lamp posts .
Go sell the Gulag somewhere else.
” None of them seemed moved by this .
Nor by the deep-seated hatred that Communism provoked amongst working people in America — much less in countries like Poland , Hungary , East Germany , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul Kengor documents in The Devil and Karl Marx ( I ’ ll be interviewing him soon for The Stream ) , Marxism was never about working people in the first place .
Except as a pretext .
Marx was an angry , destructive nihilist .
He hated the cosmos itself , the very order of life on earth .
He latched onto the suffering of working people in a difficult historical period , but only to use it .
The grievances of factory workers in 1848 were gasoline he could pour all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it afire .
Because , like Joker in the Batman movies , some men just want to watch the world burn .
The individual workers meant as much to Marx ( or subsequent Marxists ) as the dinosaurs whose bodies form fossil fuels .
We need to make common cause with Americans in the various communities which today ’ s trained Marxists pretend to represent .
We want police reform , which means better training and tactics .
We ’ d rather see zero suspects die in the course of getting arrested .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ achieve the very opposite .
It would put all the power in the hands of the Antifa thugs terrorizing neighborhoods — or of the citizens militias that would arise to stop them .
Due process would vanish .
Hundreds would die , and hundreds of thousands be scorched into poverty , in our nation ’ s poorest communities .
Not that the Marxists would care , safe in their suburbs .
If you want to break some eggs , you must claim to be making an omelet .
John Zmirak is a senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
”

I hope you had a leisurely, grateful Labor Day. If you shopped or dined anywhere, I hope you thanked the people for working. It’s a big accomplishment in American history that the labor unions won a fair place at the table. That they became bulwarks of society — for a few critical decades, during the Cold War. Since then, private sector unions have declined, partly thanks to Mafia-linked corruption. The labor movement was hijacked by self-dealing government unions.
It was the AFL-CIO under Lane Kirkland that provided much of the funds for the free labor union Solidarity in Poland. This after that country’s Communist government outlawed it. No Communist party worth its salt could let workers choose which organization represented them. Because they’d rarely have picked the Communists.
Nothing galled Marxists more than real workers organizations. These rejected their Party’s claim to speak for the whole working class, all around the world. What drove men like Kirkland to conduct their own foreign policy, and take on a superpower?
The Cold War Inside Every U.S. Labor Union
Read Dan Flynn’s fascinating book, A Conservative History of the American Left to find out. Every union in America by 1977 had fought its own Cold War against the Communist Party, USA, and its efforts to infiltrate labor unions. Many unions that exist today had to fight off Communist puppet rivals. Lane Kirkland, like former screen actor Ronald Reagan, was a veteran of that battle.
Authentically Christian members of the Civil Rights Movement had to fight a similar battle. Some blacks rightly angered at Jim Crow drifted into the glue traps of Communist front groups. Those were set up by Soviet agents to divide and conquer America.
In the 1930s, the real needs and religious faith of black Americans took second place to Stalin’s line. The Party told them to seek Marxist, black separatist states in the Deep South — under Moscow’s control. So you had talented men like Paul Robeson, who let anger at racial segregation drive them to pen eulogies for men like Joseph Stalin. Never mind that he’d murdered millions in ethnic purges and famines. Or run a state with millions of literal slave laborers.
If you want to break some eggs, you must claim to be making an omelet.
White Antifa Thugs Shouting the N-Word
Today we see the founders and leaders of Black Lives Matter proudly insist that they are “trained Marxists.” We watch angry white kids emerge from their mothers’ basements in suburbs, to go start street fights and fires in inner city areas they’d never normally visit. Some even shout the n-word at black cops or Trump supporters, and the c-word at women. (They feel they’ve earned the right, I guess.) I quipped about this over the weekend on Twitter:
When masked white rioters working for the Democrats destroy a black neighborhood that’s different from the Klan in the 1920s HOW again??? — John Zmirak (@JZmirak) September 7, 2020
Of course, in one way the current violence is actually more galling than previous white-led race riots. At least the thugs who terrorized black neighborhoods in the 1920s didn’t pretend that they spoke for blacks, and were doing this for their own good. That’s some high-level gaslighting right there. But there’s plenty of precedent for it among Marxist intellectuals, who were happy to have the secret police torture, imprison, and starve workers and peasants — whom they claimed to represent.
Ivy League Leninists
As a blue collar kid on the maximum financial aid at Yale in the 1980s, I used to have fun with the Marxists I ran into. I’d talk about how my mom grew up malnourished in the 1930s, one of 11 children in a Hell’s Kitchen tenement, of whom only 5 lived past age 4. At the same time, of course, the Ivy League Marxist’s grandpa was running Standard Oil, or clipping stock coupons for the sweatshop companies in his portfolio.
I’d always point out to such people, “I’m from the working class. We have no interest in your crackpot materialist ideology. We want free churches, safe neighborhoods, a strong America — and most of us would like to hang abortionists from lamp posts. Go sell the Gulag somewhere else.”
Karl Marx: Nihilist Vandal
None of them seemed moved by this. Nor by the deep-seated hatred that Communism provoked amongst working people in America — much less in countries like Poland, Hungary, East Germany, and Russia. You see, as Paul Kengor documents in The Devil and Karl Marx (I’ll be interviewing him soon for The Stream), Marxism was never about working people in the first place. Except as a pretext.
Marx was an angry, destructive nihilist. He hated the cosmos itself, the very order of life on earth. He latched onto the suffering of working people in a difficult historical period, but only to use it. The grievances of factory workers in 1848 were gasoline he could pour all over society, in order to set it afire. Because, like Joker in the Batman movies, some men just want to watch the world burn. The individual workers meant as much to Marx (or subsequent Marxists) as the dinosaurs whose bodies form fossil fuels.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
We need to make common cause with Americans in the various communities which today’s trained Marxists pretend to represent. We want police reform, which means better training and tactics. We’d rather see zero suspects die in the course of getting arrested. But defunding or disbanding police forces would achieve the very opposite. It would put all the power in the hands of the Antifa thugs terrorizing neighborhoods — or of the citizens militias that would arise to stop them. Due process would vanish. Hundreds would die, and hundreds of thousands be scorched into poverty, in our nation’s poorest communities.
Not that the Marxists would care, safe in their suburbs. If you want to break some eggs, you must claim to be making an omelet.
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--2020-09-08--Promise Keepers Ventures ‘Deeper’ With Encore Simulcast to Men Worldwide

Update : On August 1 , more than 750,000 men across all 50 U.S. states and 84 nations participated in the Promise Keepers simulcast .
An encore simulcast has been slated for September 11 .
This story was originally published on July 23 .
“ Society is now in cataclysmic trouble , ” said Dr. Tony Evans in a phone interview .
“ This relaunch is absolutely needed because of the role that God has called men to play for the well-being of society.
” In the 1990s , Promise Keepers worship events in sports stadiums drew millions of men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prominence .
Since then , Evans , author of the only verse-by-verse biblical commentary written by an African American and longtime Dallas pastor , has spoken at venues worldwide .
Under new leadership , Promise Keepers ( PK ) is back after floundering in recent years .
Longtime men ’ s minister Ken Harrison came on as CEO in 2017 , with his friend Judge Vance Day soon installed as president .
The two have worked for years to relaunch PK in summer 2020 , now a virtual event slated for next weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we have to fight for the things God is giving us , ” said Day in a phone interview .
“ He gave the promised land to ancient Israel .
But it took them years of fighting to even get halfway to subduing it .
“ He gives us authority , but he expects us to take the territory.
” Harrison , a former Los Angeles police officer who now leads a nonprofit financial services firm , brings an outsider ’ s view to the men ’ s ministry .
He never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The message will be : ‘ Let ’ s get busy , guys , ’ ” he said .
“ Complacency has seeped into the church .
Some essentially say : ‘ Be a good little boy , sit in your pew , and don ’ t create any problems.
’ “ God wants men who create problems , then make solutions to issues that are destroying his people and the nation.
” Diverse speakers including Evans , Mark Batterson , Miles McPherson , author Bob Goff , James Robison , and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PK in 2020 .
“ God said in Ezekiel 22:30 that he looked for a man so he didn ’ t have to curse the land , ” said Evans .
“ Our land is unraveling at warp speed .
One major reason is men are not operating in their biblical roles.
” After two years of preparing for 80,000 men to converge on AT & T Stadium , it was a blow for public health concerns to shift it to virtual .
Harrison recalls how they would not relent for months .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of counselors , ” he said .
“ Early on , I even put out a video that said : ‘ If we ’ re the only ones at that stadium come July 31 , then I guess it ’ ll be just us and Michael W. Smith praising the Lord.
’ ” Interaction with the Texas Governor ’ s office led them to change plans .
“ The state was not going to allow us to hold this live event due to the COVID-19 virus , ” said Day .
“ Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Over the last six weeks , we ’ ve had to shift in order to produce six hours of amazing content.
” The leaders see a relevant lesson for all men .
“ We both had to eat some humble pie on that one , to be honest , ” said Harrison .
“ Sometimes being strong and macho means saying , ‘ I was wrong .
And I ’ m sorry.
’ Then doing it a different way.
” Protests against race-based injustice have made those issues a top priority to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PK events kept race discussions surface-level , Evans noted this event will go “ deeper than hugs ” in approaching these issues .
“ Recent events with the killing of George Floyd and its aftermath have forced a different and higher level of discussion , ” said Evans .
“ We need to return to a biblical definition of reconciliation .
That starts with a biblical understanding of our identity in Christ — how it supersedes race , without negating racial identity.
” In recent weeks , Evans has sought to educate evangelicals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video on systemic racism .
“ There is a lack of understanding , ” he said .
“ If we will return to a biblical worldview on these topics , we as Christians wouldn ’ t be in endless cultural discussions and confusion.
” He has lately recounted an incident that marked his early radio ministry , which took years to take off .
“ Station managers told me that a black speaker would offend too many of their listeners , ” said Evans .
“ What I faced was an issue of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to no interest in trying to draw in African American listeners.
” Only a top radio host ’ s recommendation finally landed him on a few stations .
“ James Dobson wrote a letter to stations , encouraging them to consider our broadcast , ” said Evans .
“ That ’ s a role white Christians can play , to leverage their influence for just reasons.
” At PK 2020 , his talk will discuss men ’ s role in healing society .
“ Whether men en masse begin to operate with righteousness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is what matters most , ” said Evans .
Only one week away , hundreds of churches nationwide — and even globally — are currently listed as host sites for the PK simulcast .
“ Getting men together at an event is critical because it helps them to form relationships , ” said Day .
“ The Great Commission is not about saving souls , it ’ s about making disciples .
In these tumultuous days , we believe churches will step into that role in a greater way.
” The six-hour experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events noted only in passing .
“ What we say on protecting lives in the womb will be hard-hitting , but not finger pointing , ” said Harrison .
“ Statistics tell us that at least 55 percent of women who have abortions say they did so because the man abandoned them .
“ We ’ re going to be clear about what God ’ s Word says on the sanctity of life and the responsibility of a man.
” That message goes hand-in-hand with discussing current justice issues , noted Evans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people believe you ’ re just being political , ” he said .
“ When we ’ re comprehensive in addressing issues of human dignity , it will not be viewed as partisan.
” He has seen firsthand how Promise Keepers has changed men , including when more than one million Christians united in 1997 on the National Mall .
“ Men are critical for the family , for the church , and for righteousness and justice to flourish in society , ” said Evans .
“ This event will reignite them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God created them to be.
” Register now for the free online event , and learn more in the video below .
Stream contributor Josh M. Shepherd covers culture , faith , and public policy issues for media outlets including The Federalist .
Find him on Twitter and follow The Stream @ Streamdotorg .

Update: On August 1, more than 750,000 men across all 50 U.S. states and 84 nations participated in the Promise Keepers simulcast. An encore simulcast has been slated for September 11. This story was originally published on July 23.
“Society is now in cataclysmic trouble,” said Dr. Tony Evans in a phone interview. “This relaunch is absolutely needed because of the role that God has called men to play for the well-being of society.”
In the 1990s, Promise Keepers worship events in sports stadiums drew millions of men — and brought Evans’ voice to prominence. Since then, Evans, author of the only verse-by-verse biblical commentary written by an African American and longtime Dallas pastor, has spoken at venues worldwide.
Under new leadership, Promise Keepers (PK) is back after floundering in recent years. Longtime men’s minister Ken Harrison came on as CEO in 2017, with his friend Judge Vance Day soon installed as president.
The two have worked for years to relaunch PK in summer 2020, now a virtual event slated for next weekend.
“Sometimes we as men forget that we have to fight for the things God is giving us,” said Day in a phone interview. “He gave the promised land to ancient Israel. But it took them years of fighting to even get halfway to subduing it.
“God wants men who create problems, then make solutions to issues that are destroying his people.” – Ken Harrison
“He gives us authority, but he expects us to take the territory.”
Harrison, a former Los Angeles police officer who now leads a nonprofit financial services firm, brings an outsider’s view to the men’s ministry. He never participated in past PK events.
“The message will be: ‘Let’s get busy, guys,’” he said. “Complacency has seeped into the church. Some essentially say: ‘Be a good little boy, sit in your pew, and don’t create any problems.’
“God wants men who create problems, then make solutions to issues that are destroying his people and the nation.”
COVID-19 Forces Stadium Event Online
Diverse speakers including Evans, Mark Batterson, Miles McPherson, author Bob Goff, James Robison, and others are united in seeing the need for PK in 2020.
“God said in Ezekiel 22:30 that he looked for a man so he didn’t have to curse the land,” said Evans. “Our land is unraveling at warp speed. One major reason is men are not operating in their biblical roles.”
After two years of preparing for 80,000 men to converge on AT&T Stadium, it was a blow for public health concerns to shift it to virtual.
Harrison recalls how they would not relent for months.
“There is wisdom in an abundance of counselors,” he said. “Early on, I even put out a video that said: ‘If we’re the only ones at that stadium come July 31, then I guess it’ll be just us and Michael W. Smith praising the Lord.’”
Interaction with the Texas Governor’s office led them to change plans.
“The state was not going to allow us to hold this live event due to the COVID-19 virus,” said Day. “Our board saw that sooner than we did. Over the last six weeks, we’ve had to shift in order to produce six hours of amazing content.”
The leaders see a relevant lesson for all men. “We both had to eat some humble pie on that one, to be honest,” said Harrison. “Sometimes being strong and macho means saying, ‘I was wrong. And I’m sorry.’ Then doing it a different way.”
Discussing Race Issues At ‘Higher Level’
Protests against race-based injustice have made those issues a top priority to address.
Touching on past criticisms that PK events kept race discussions surface-level, Evans noted this event will go “deeper than hugs” in approaching these issues.
“Recent events with the killing of George Floyd and its aftermath have forced a different and higher level of discussion,” said Evans.
“We need to return to a biblical definition of reconciliation. That starts with a biblical understanding of our identity in Christ — how it supersedes race, without negating racial identity.”
In recent weeks, Evans has sought to educate evangelicals on complex issues including with a short video on systemic racism.
“There is a lack of understanding,” he said. “If we will return to a biblical worldview on these topics, we as Christians wouldn’t be in endless cultural discussions and confusion.”
He has lately recounted an incident that marked his early radio ministry, which took years to take off.
“Whether men en masse begin to operate with righteousness and justice in spheres of influence is what matters most.” – Tony Evans
“Station managers told me that a black speaker would offend too many of their listeners,” said Evans. “What I faced was an issue of structural racism. There was very little to no interest in trying to draw in African American listeners.”
Only a top radio host’s recommendation finally landed him on a few stations. “James Dobson wrote a letter to stations, encouraging them to consider our broadcast,” said Evans. “That’s a role white Christians can play, to leverage their influence for just reasons.”
At PK 2020, his talk will discuss men’s role in healing society. “Whether men en masse begin to operate with righteousness and justice in their spheres of influence is what matters most,” said Evans.
Becoming ‘Kingdom Men’
Only one week away, hundreds of churches nationwide — and even globally — are currently listed as host sites for the PK simulcast.
“Getting men together at an event is critical because it helps them to form relationships,” said Day. “The Great Commission is not about saving souls, it’s about making disciples. In these tumultuous days, we believe churches will step into that role in a greater way.”
The six-hour experience will touch on issues that past PK events noted only in passing. “What we say on protecting lives in the womb will be hard-hitting, but not finger pointing,” said Harrison. “Statistics tell us that at least 55 percent of women who have abortions say they did so because the man abandoned them.
“We’re going to be clear about what God’s Word says on the sanctity of life and the responsibility of a man.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
That message goes hand-in-hand with discussing current justice issues, noted Evans. “It is when you bifurcate it that people believe you’re just being political,” he said. “When we’re comprehensive in addressing issues of human dignity, it will not be viewed as partisan.”
He has seen firsthand how Promise Keepers has changed men, including when more than one million Christians united in 1997 on the National Mall.
“Men are critical for the family, for the church, and for righteousness and justice to flourish in society,” said Evans. “This event will reignite them to become the kind of kingdom men God created them to be.”
Register now for the free online event, and learn more in the video below.
Stream contributor Josh M. Shepherd covers culture, faith, and public policy issues for media outlets including The Federalist. Find him on Twitter and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.
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thestream--2020-09-09--Election 2020: Biden is ‘a Different Guy,’ Trump to Blame for NY COVID and Kamala is Proud of an Acc

Election 2020: Biden is ‘a Different Guy,’ Trump to Blame for NY COVID and Kamala is Proud of an Accused Sexual Assaulter

It ’ s now 55 days until America decides its fate .
Between Liberty and lockdown , prosperity and progressivism , a reborn America or a retread of Venezuela .
Now that we ’ ve passed Labor Day , the 2020 campaign is getting in full swing .
Or in Biden ’ s case , a check swing .
ABC News carried a new favorite story of the mainstream media , that Russia is spreading “ misinformation ” about the deterioration of Joe Biden ‘ s mental facilities .
In other words , don ’ t believe your lyin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that picture of Marty McFly ’ s family in Back to the Future .
But don ’ t believe your own eyes .
It ’ s a Russkie illusion .
If we can ’ t believe our own eyes , how about Joe Biden ’ s White House stenographer ?
Mike McCormick worked at the White House 15 years , including six years for Biden himself .
He had to listen more closely to Biden than anyone on earth .
Word for word .
He ’ s now gone on the record to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy he was even in 2017 .
“ He doesn ’ t have the energy , he doesn ’ t have the pace of his speaking , ” McCormick told the Washington Free Beacon .
“ He ’ s a different guy.
” McCormick , who would transcribe Biden speeches as delivered , said the old Biden would regularly go off script .
“ He ’ d just make a big joke out of it , and go straight from the hip , ” said McCormick .
“ And notice , he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read that [ DNC speech ] verbatim .
… it ’ s not Joe Biden anymore.
” Perhaps it ’ s George Orwell .
Joe Biden at his little weekend barbecue hit Trump for how he ’ s getting the economy going again post COVID .
Said Joe : “ The way he ’ s reopening is causing us to shut down.
” Opening the country is closing the country .
Blame It on the Bossa Nova ?
Speaking of COVID , New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has a doozy .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID Outbreak in New York … that ’ s a fact.
” The whole civilized world is impacted by this virus from China , yet somehow Donald Trump personally introduced it into his former home state .
He convinced New York City ’ s mayor and health officials to tell residents to gather en masse for Chinese New Year .
He then used a Jedi mind trick to force Cuomo himself to put sick COVID patients into nursing homes , killing 11,000 elderly .
Andrew , keep making up lies like that and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on CNN prime time .
VP candidate Kamala Harris over the weekend met with Jacob Blake , Jr. and his family .
According to Blake ’ s lawyer , Harris said she was proud of Blake .
Megyn Kelly wasn ’ t impressed .
She tweeted : “ PROUD of him ?
He ’ s accused of breaking into a sleeping woman ’ s house , sexually assaulting her , humiliating her & later returning to harass her .
Then the cops she called for help say he resisted arrest , assaulted them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a word for his victim , Senator ?
” Interesting poll from the Miami Herald : “ Two-thirds of all respondents [ in Miami-Dade , Florida ] who chose to conduct their interviews in Spanish support Trump.
” How do you say “ Uh-oh , ” in Spanish ?
Even CNN admitted last week Biden is having trouble with Hispanics in Florida .
On the plus side , he has not yet said Hispanics who don ’ t support him “ aren ’ t really Hispanics.
” President Trump ’ s push @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer ’ s riots , has helped him gain significant ground in the polls against Joe Biden .
Joe ’ s trying to catch up on the issue .
In a new interview Joe Biden again denied that he wants to cut funding to police , despite being on tape talking about shifting money from police .
Said Joe , “ The only person calling to defund the police is Donald Trump.
” Did you ever hear Trump say that ?
Maybe we couldn ’ t hear him over all of Biden ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police.
” Finally , Democrats and their media partners can ’ t help but downplay the violence from BLM and Antifa .
Last week , Washington Post released and trumpeted an analysis : 93 % of protests this summer were peaceful .
Imagine this old Washington Post Theater Review : “ Last night ’ s production of Our American Cousin at Ford ’ s Theater was 93 % peaceful .
Indeed , the audience was treated to a surprise appearance by famed acting heartthrob John Wilkes Booth , who after a bold leap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interjected into the British comedy a line from Shakespeare ’ s Julius Caesar , ‘ Sic Semper Tyrannis.
’ President Lincoln left the theater shortly thereafter.
” 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 .

It’s now 55 days until America decides its fate. Between Liberty and lockdown, prosperity and progressivism, a reborn America or a retread of Venezuela.
Now that we’ve passed Labor Day, the 2020 campaign is getting in full swing. Or in Biden’s case, a check swing.
Joe Biden is “Not Joe Biden Anymore”
ABC News carried a new favorite story of the mainstream media, that Russia is spreading “misinformation” about the deterioration of Joe Biden‘s mental faculties. In other words, don’t believe your lyin’ eyes. Sure, he looks like that picture of Marty McFly’s family in Back to the Future. But don’t believe your own eyes. It’s a Russkie illusion.
If we can’t believe our own eyes, how about Joe Biden’s White House stenographer? Mike McCormick worked at the White House 15 years, including six years for Biden himself. He had to listen more closely to Biden than anyone on earth. Word for word. He’s now gone on the record to say Joe’s not the same guy he was even in 2017. “He doesn’t have the energy, he doesn’t have the pace of his speaking,” McCormick told the Washington Free Beacon. “He’s a different guy.”
McCormick, who would transcribe Biden speeches as delivered, said the old Biden would regularly go off script. “He’d just make a big joke out of it, and go straight from the hip,” said McCormick. “And notice, he’s not doing that anymore. He read that [DNC speech] verbatim. … it’s not Joe Biden anymore.”
Perhaps it’s George Orwell. Joe Biden at his little weekend barbecue hit Trump for how he’s getting the economy going again post COVID. Said Joe: “The way he’s reopening is causing us to shut down.”
Joe Biden: "The way he's reopening is causing us to shut down." pic.twitter.com/M4ikVwKTKF — The Hill (@thehill) September 8, 2020
Opening the country is closing the country.
Blame It on the Bossa Nova?
Speaking of COVID, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has a doozy. He said Tuesday that “Donald Trump caused the COVID Outbreak in New York … that’s a fact.”
The whole civilized world is impacted by this virus from China, yet somehow Donald Trump personally introduced it into his former home state. He convinced New York City’s mayor and health officials to tell residents to gather en masse for Chinese New Year. He then used a Jedi mind trick to force Cuomo himself to put sick COVID patients into nursing homes, killing 11,000 elderly.
Andrew, keep making up lies like that and you’ll be joining your brother on CNN prime time.
Kelly Rips Kamala
VP candidate Kamala Harris over the weekend met with Jacob Blake, Jr. and his family. According to Blake’s lawyer, Harris said she was proud of Blake.
Megyn Kelly wasn’t impressed. She tweeted: “PROUD of him? He’s accused of breaking into a sleeping woman’s house, sexually assaulting her, humiliating her & later returning to harass her. Then the cops she called for help say he resisted arrest, assaulted them & went for his knife. How about a word for his victim, Senator?”
PROUD of him? He’s accused of breaking into a sleeping woman’s house, sexually assaulting her, humiliating her & later returning to harass her. Then the cops she called for help say he resisted arrest, assaulted them & went for his knife. How about a word for his victim, Senator? https://t.co/IryYbPAuf6 — Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) September 8, 2020
Trump Campaigns in Florida
Donald Trump campaigned in South Florida Tuesday.
Interesting poll from the Miami Herald: “Two-thirds of all respondents [in Miami-Dade, Florida] who chose to conduct their interviews in Spanish support Trump.” How do you say “Uh-oh,” in Spanish?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Even CNN admitted last week Biden is having trouble with Hispanics in Florida. On the plus side, he has not yet said Hispanics who don’t support him “aren’t really Hispanics.”
93% Peaceful
President Trump’s push for Law and Order, amid this summer’s riots, has helped him gain significant ground in the polls against Joe Biden. Joe’s trying to catch up on the issue. In a new interview Joe Biden again denied that he wants to cut funding to police, despite being on tape talking about shifting money from police.
Said Joe, “The only person calling to defund the police is Donald Trump.” Did you ever hear Trump say that? Maybe we couldn’t hear him over all of Biden’s BLM supporters shouting “Defund the Police.”
Finally, Democrats and their media partners can’t help but downplay the violence from BLM and Antifa. Last week, Washington Post released and trumpeted an analysis: 93% of protests this summer were peaceful.
Imagine this old Washington Post Theater Review: “Last night’s production of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater was 93% peaceful. Indeed, the audience was treated to a surprise appearance by famed acting heartthrob John Wilkes Booth, who after a bold leap from the President’s box unexpectedly interjected into the British comedy a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis.’ President Lincoln left the theater shortly thereafter.”
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--2020-09-09--Can Christians Be Engaged In Politics And Reject Partisanship?

An attorney and minister based in Atlanta , Georgia , Justin Giboney has long counseled fellow believers looking to enter politics .
Most have affiliated with the Democratic Party .
“ We ’ ve been clear about our differences with the secular progressive viewpoint , ” said Giboney , the president of The And Campaign , in a phone interview .
“ As a pro-life organization , we have very strongly gone against the Democratic Party ’ s stance on abortion.
” So how does he as a pro-lifer operate in liberal circles ?
“ To me , a party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a part of our identity , ” he said .
“ We are calling Christians to critique whichever party from within.
” He is not alone in upholding unpopular truths during an election year , including many in the other major party .
Christina Marie Bennett , co-chair of Pro-Life Voices for Trump , told me her extended family and many friends vocally disagree with her political stance .
“ I ’ ve had people say negative things about me , making judgments and accusations , ” she said in a phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It does hurt sometimes — but I ’ m not being persecuted .
When people preach the gospel in certain foreign countries , they have to deal with physical harassment and worse.
” Despite differing ways of prioritizing policy issues , both of these leading Christian voices say how people discuss politics matters more than party labels .
“ When we ’ re not willing to admit that there ’ s any flaws on our side of the conversation , then we have no credibility , ” said Giboney .
“ Everybody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honest.
” “ It takes a spirit of self-examination rather than a posture of self-righteousness.
” These two leaders are not first and foremost political commentators .
Their passion lies in helping vulnerable people and strengthening the church .
Giboney ’ s group rose to prominence in recent months for their Churches Helping Churches initiative .
It has assisted congregations at risk of closing due to COVID-related fallout .
“ We brought together a really strong group of diverse Christians , ” he said .
“ So far we ’ ve raised $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ located in low-income areas.
” According to The And Campaign , more than 220 churches have received grants .
As to Bennett , several impactful phone calls have punctuated her work-from-home routine in recent months .
Prior to her current position at the Family Institute of Connecticut , she worked at a local center helping women facing unplanned pregnancies .
“ Even while not working at the pregnancy center anymore , I ’ m still able to help out , ” she said .
“ As I ’ ve been home , several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were considering abortion .
In each case , I connected them to a life-affirming center where they received an ultrasound .
Lives are being saved !
” She says her most important current role is being a foster mom .
“ Some people have fears and stigma about foster parenting , ” said Bennett .
“ But it ’ s a joy , and I hope through my story more will be willing to do it .
Giboney , a father of three sons , agrees action is essential to faith .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re doing , and we ’ re also going to act , ” he said .
“ We ’ re about both , because with Christianity those go together.
” After watching the major political conventions , Giboney heard rhetoric on both sides that concerned him .
“ Today , we ’ ve allowed our political affiliations to become religious in nature , ” he said .
“ Our parties frame the issues for us , and we just go along with it.
” The And Campaign derives its name from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ticked off several ways the group has challenged the Democratic Party .
These include rejecting its liberal stances on sexual ethics , the Equality Act , and religious freedom .
“ People want to protect their golden calves , ” said Giboney , often criticized by far-left voices .
“ All through the Bible , when people do what God has called them to do , they run into folks who want the status quo to stay the same.
” Bennett responded to whether the Republican Party has prioritized justice issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There could and should be more emphasis on criminal justice reform , ” she said .
“ But it ’ s happening , and we have to pay attention to the people who are speaking out.
” She noted RNC messages from Alice Johnson , a prison reform advocate whose previous conviction was pardoned by President Trump , along with Senator Tim Scott , R-S.C .
In his impassioned speech , Scott noted his police reform bill has not advanced due to liberal obstruction .
Coming on board with Pro-Life Voices for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear that she would not demean political opponents .
“ I don ’ t get involved with mocking or demonizing people , which includes Biden or Senator Harris , ” she said .
“ I ’ ll talk about their policies and extremism on abortion .
But I also try to build a bridge and respect people.
” Giboney put a finer point on the dangers of partisanship without civility .
“ Partisan ideologies are made with human hands , so we know they ’ re broken , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brokenness , then that ’ s a problem.
” His new co-authored book Compassion ( & ) Conviction offers practical , biblical ideas for political engagement .
It ’ s been praised even by Christian conservatives .
“ There ’ s an exercise I challenge people to do , ” he said .
“ List six things on your side of the aisle that need to be done better.
” Bennett believes healthy dialogue begins with the motives one assigns to other people .
“ A pro-life person may look at a liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t care about babies dying in the womb.
’ And maybe that ’ s true.
’ “ But maybe they do care , and they just don ’ t see it in the same way , ” she added .
“ They may not understand fetal development .
Maybe they haven ’ t had a revelation on the violence inherent with abortion.
” Keep Relationships , Principles At the Forefront With four major debates slated for the coming weeks , partisan clashes will abound .
Bennett urges people of faith not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Sometimes I do feel misunderstood , even by family members who ’ ve said harsh things , ” she said .
“ But I am very grateful to God that I ’ m part of a family where they are able to separate the love they have for me with the way they feel about my politics .
And I try to understand why they vote the way that they do.
” As candidates highlight their differences , bipartisan matters like criminal justice are often forgotten late in election cycles .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has again united unlikely bipartisan partners for a new Prayer & Action Initiative .
“ These issues may not be in the headlines , ” said Giboney .
“ As Christians , we still need to keep working to make things better , whether it ’ s criminal justice or police reform.
” He noted that followers of Christ hold to common truths that transcend party affiliation .
“ In the midst of partisan agendas , we follow the same Christ , ” he said .
“ Our common ground is based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our neighbor , and the Great Commission.
” Stream contributor Josh M. Shepherd covers culture , faith , and public policy issues for media outlets including The Federalist .
Find him on Twitter and follow The Stream @ Streamdotorg .

An attorney and minister based in Atlanta, Georgia, Justin Giboney has long counseled fellow believers looking to enter politics. Most have affiliated with the Democratic Party.
“We’ve been clear about our differences with the secular progressive viewpoint,” said Giboney, the president of The And Campaign, in a phone interview. “As a pro-life organization, we have very strongly gone against the Democratic Party’s stance on abortion.”
So how does he as a pro-lifer operate in liberal circles? “To me, a party is a tool that we use rather than a part of our identity,” he said. “We are calling Christians to critique whichever party from within.”
It Hurts Sometimes
He is not alone in upholding unpopular truths during an election year, including many in the other major party. Christina Marie Bennett, co-chair of Pro-Life Voices for Trump, told me her extended family and many friends vocally disagree with her political stance.
“I don’t get involved with mocking or demonizing political opponents… I try to build a bridge and respect people.” – Christina Marie Bennett
“I’ve had people say negative things about me, making judgments and accusations,” she said in a phone interview from her home in Connecticut. “It does hurt sometimes — but I’m not being persecuted. When people preach the gospel in certain foreign countries, they have to deal with physical harassment and worse.”
Despite differing ways of prioritizing policy issues, both of these leading Christian voices say how people discuss politics matters more than party labels.
“When we’re not willing to admit that there’s any flaws on our side of the conversation, then we have no credibility,” said Giboney. “Everybody knows you’re not being intellectually honest.”
“It takes a spirit of self-examination rather than a posture of self-righteousness.”
Personal, Practical Outreach Over Politics
These two leaders are not first and foremost political commentators. Their passion lies in helping vulnerable people and strengthening the church.
Giboney’s group rose to prominence in recent months for their Churches Helping Churches initiative. It has assisted congregations at risk of closing due to COVID-related fallout.
“We brought together a really strong group of diverse Christians,” he said. “So far we’ve raised $1.3 million dollars for churches, mostly located in low-income areas.” According to The And Campaign, more than 220 churches have received grants.
As to Bennett, several impactful phone calls have punctuated her work-from-home routine in recent months. Prior to her current position at the Family Institute of Connecticut, she worked at a local center helping women facing unplanned pregnancies.
“Even while not working at the pregnancy center anymore, I’m still able to help out,” she said. “As I’ve been home, several friends have referred to me women who were considering abortion. In each case, I connected them to a life-affirming center where they received an ultrasound. Lives are being saved!”
She says her most important current role is being a foster mom. “Some people have fears and stigma about foster parenting,” said Bennett. “But it’s a joy, and I hope through my story more will be willing to do it.
Giboney, a father of three sons, agrees action is essential to faith.
“Prayer is a big part of what we’re doing, and we’re also going to act,” he said. “We’re about both, because with Christianity those go together.”
Speaking Truth to Both Parties
After watching the major political conventions, Giboney heard rhetoric on both sides that concerned him. “Today, we’ve allowed our political affiliations to become religious in nature,” he said. “Our parties frame the issues for us, and we just go along with it.”
The And Campaign derives its name from their stand for justice and moral order. He ticked off several ways the group has challenged the Democratic Party. These include rejecting its liberal stances on sexual ethics, the Equality Act, and religious freedom.
“People want to protect their golden calves,” said Giboney, often criticized by far-left voices. “All through the Bible, when people do what God has called them to do, they run into folks who want the status quo to stay the same.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Bennett responded to whether the Republican Party has prioritized justice issues that especially impact communities of color. “There could and should be more emphasis on criminal justice reform,” she said. “But it’s happening, and we have to pay attention to the people who are speaking out.”
She noted RNC messages from Alice Johnson, a prison reform advocate whose previous conviction was pardoned by President Trump, along with Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C. In his impassioned speech, Scott noted his police reform bill has not advanced due to liberal obstruction.
Critique Policies to Elevate the Debate
Coming on board with Pro-Life Voices for Trump, Bennett said she made it clear that she would not demean political opponents. “I don’t get involved with mocking or demonizing people, which includes Biden or Senator Harris,” she said. “I’ll talk about their policies and extremism on abortion. But I also try to build a bridge and respect people.”
Giboney put a finer point on the dangers of partisanship without civility. “Partisan ideologies are made with human hands, so we know they’re broken,” he said. “If we can’t see that brokenness, then that’s a problem.”
His new co-authored book Compassion (&) Conviction offers practical, biblical ideas for political engagement. It’s been praised even by Christian conservatives.
“There’s an exercise I challenge people to do,” he said. “List six things on your side of the aisle that need to be done better.”
Bennett believes healthy dialogue begins with the motives one assigns to other people. “A pro-life person may look at a liberal and think: ‘Oh, you don’t care about babies dying in the womb.’ And maybe that’s true.’
“But maybe they do care, and they just don’t see it in the same way,” she added. “They may not understand fetal development. Maybe they haven’t had a revelation on the violence inherent with abortion.”
Keep Relationships, Principles At the Forefront
With four major debates slated for the coming weeks, partisan clashes will abound. Bennett urges people of faith not to lose relationships over political differences. “Sometimes I do feel misunderstood, even by family members who’ve said harsh things,” she said.
“Our common ground is based on the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbor, and the Great Commission.” – Justin Giboney
“But I am very grateful to God that I’m part of a family where they are able to separate the love they have for me with the way they feel about my politics. And I try to understand why they vote the way that they do.”
As candidates highlight their differences, bipartisan matters like criminal justice are often forgotten late in election cycles.
To elevate needed reforms, The And Campaign has again united unlikely bipartisan partners for a new Prayer & Action Justice Initiative. “These issues may not be in the headlines,” said Giboney. “As Christians, we still need to keep working to make things better, whether it’s criminal justice or police reform.”
He noted that followers of Christ hold to common truths that transcend party affiliation. “In the midst of partisan agendas, we follow the same Christ,” he said. “Our common ground is based on the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbor, and the Great Commission.”
Stream contributor Josh M. Shepherd covers culture, faith, and public policy issues for media outlets including The Federalist. Find him on Twitter and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.