thestream--2020-11-01--A True Three-Dimensional Approach to Life

The Institute for Faith , Work , and Economics recently looked at seven truths that can help us understand the theological terminology of humans being made in the “ Image of God.
” This naturally leads us to ask , “ So what ?
” How should being made in the Image of God change how we act and interact with others ?
How We Treat Other Image-Bearers We ought to treat everyone with dignity because even though all of us are fallen , not one of us is “ ordinary.
” The dignity of being Image-bearers is present in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the Fall into sin .
For instance , Genesis 9:5-6 says , “ Whoever sheds man ’ s blood by man his blood shall be shed , for in the Image of God He made man.
” ( NASB ) It is important to observe that the seriousness of murder is that it attacks one who is in God ’ s Image .
To attack a person is to attack God through his Image-bearer .
Another passage talks about the tongue saying “ with it we bless our Lord and Father and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been made in the likeness of God.
” ( James 3:9 , NASB ) C.S .
Lewis lived out the idea that “ there are no ordinary people ” by writing personal handwritten notes to everyone who wrote to him , as well as giving away all his royalties , honorariums and half his meager salary .
How do we affirm the dignity of the people around us ?
We may not choose to give as Lewis did , but his spirit of generosity and his regard for every single person is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We Understand Ourselves as Image-Bearers If we understand that we ourselves are also Image-bearers , that will radically transform our lives and our worldview .
First , we will be filled with gratitude for God ’ s mercy .
As a result of the Fall , we have pursued ignorance , unrighteousness and unholiness .
As a result , each person has lost a significant aspect of the Image of God .
Yet God ’ s plan of redemption leads to a renewing of what we have lost .
The apostle Paul says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me the very least of all saints this grace was given ” ( NASB ) .
In 1 Timothy 1:15-16 ( NASB ) , Paul calls himself the “ foremost ” of sinners but immediately notes “ yet for this reason I found mercy.
” Certainly , it is right to take an extended time for self-examination , confession and repentance , but one should never do so without eventually coming back to God ’ s grace and one ’ s own dignity in the Image of God .
The Holy Spirit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to respond to God , though this requires effort and patience .
However , Christians should not try to seek in God what he has created them to find in others .
Just as he has made us for an intimate relationship with him , he has made us for an intimate relationship with others .
One without the other will lead to a lack of fulfillment and fullness that God wants for each person .
Similarly , Christians should know their gifts and have an appropriate outlet for them , in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God has given them .
Responding to God , others and creation are aspects of each person ’ s humanity .
To go against one ’ s nature is like running up against a wall .
Chances are that one will do more damage to one ’ s self than to the wall .
God has made people in a certain way , and when they operate according to specifications and guidelines , they run freely and well .
To do otherwise is like putting water in a gas tank with the expectation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Christian should pursue intimacy with God and with others in the body of Christ , the church .
Believers should seek wise counsel on how they can better use their gifts in the church and in the world .
If they do these things , they will sense integration , wholeness and meaning in their lives .
Clearly , God created every human being with inherent dignity and worth as his Image-bearer .
Even after the Fall , every individual continues to reflect the Creator , making it an affront against God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to another human being .
Yet the Fall has twisted and obscured each person ’ s relationship to God , each other and creation , and this is what makes God ’ s plan of redemption so necessary for the restoration of the entire creation .
Christians must understand what it means to be made in the Image of God and the implications that the Fall and God ’ s redemptive plan have in their lives .
As they experience God ’ s renewing power , they will treat others with greater dignity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s grace , reach their potential and become more Christ-like .
Art Lindsley , Ph.D. , is Vice President of Theological Initiatives at the Institute for Faith , Work & Economics .
He served as co-editor and contributing author to IFWE ’ s Counting the Cost : Christian Perspectives on Capitalism and For the Least of These : A Biblical Answer to Poverty .
An esteemed author and teacher , Dr. Lindsley is co-founder of Reformed Theological Seminary ’ s Washington , D.C. , campus .
Originally published at the Institute for @ @ @ @ @ @

The Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics recently looked at seven truths that can help us understand the theological terminology of humans being made in the “Image of God.” This naturally leads us to ask, “So what?”
How should being made in the Image of God change how we act and interact with others?
How We Treat Other Image-Bearers
We ought to treat everyone with dignity because even though all of us are fallen, not one of us is “ordinary.” The dignity of being Image-bearers is present in mankind not only in creation but also after the Fall into sin. For instance, Genesis 9:5-6 says, “Whoever sheds man’s blood by man his blood shall be shed, for in the Image of God He made man.” (NASB) It is important to observe that the seriousness of murder is that it attacks one who is in God’s Image.
To attack a person is to attack God through his Image-bearer. Another passage talks about the tongue saying “with it we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.” (James 3:9, NASB)
Clearly, God created every human being with inherent dignity and worth as his Image-bearer.
C.S. Lewis lived out the idea that “there are no ordinary people” by writing personal handwritten notes to everyone who wrote to him, as well as giving away all his royalties, honorariums and half his meager salary.
How do we affirm the dignity of the people around us? We may not choose to give as Lewis did, but his spirit of generosity and his regard for every single person is a model for valuing people.
How We Understand Ourselves as Image-Bearers
If we understand that we ourselves are also Image-bearers, that will radically transform our lives and our worldview. First, we will be filled with gratitude for God’s mercy. As a result of the Fall, we have pursued ignorance, unrighteousness and unholiness. As a result, each person has lost a significant aspect of the Image of God. Yet God’s plan of redemption leads to a renewing of what we have lost.
The apostle Paul says of himself in Ephesians 3:8, “to me the very least of all saints this grace was given” (NASB). In 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NASB), Paul calls himself the “foremost” of sinners but immediately notes “yet for this reason I found mercy.” Certainly, it is right to take an extended time for self-examination, confession and repentance, but one should never do so without eventually coming back to God’s grace and one’s own dignity in the Image of God.
Experience God-Given Energy and Creativity
The Holy Spirit can restore the Christian’s ability to respond to God, though this requires effort and patience. However, Christians should not try to seek in God what he has created them to find in others. Just as he has made us for an intimate relationship with him, he has made us for an intimate relationship with others. One without the other will lead to a lack of fulfillment and fullness that God wants for each person.
Similarly, Christians should know their gifts and have an appropriate outlet for them, in order to experience the energy and creativity that God has given them. Responding to God, others and creation are aspects of each person’s humanity.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
To go against one’s nature is like running up against a wall. Chances are that one will do more damage to one’s self than to the wall. God has made people in a certain way, and when they operate according to specifications and guidelines, they run freely and well. To do otherwise is like putting water in a gas tank with the expectation that the car will run normally.
A Christian should pursue intimacy with God and with others in the body of Christ, the church. Believers should seek wise counsel on how they can better use their gifts in the church and in the world. If they do these things, they will sense integration, wholeness and meaning in their lives.
A Three-Dimensional, Integrated Life
Clearly, God created every human being with inherent dignity and worth as his Image-bearer. Even after the Fall, every individual continues to reflect the Creator, making it an affront against God to attack, belittle or show disrespect to another human being.
Yet the Fall has twisted and obscured each person’s relationship to God, each other and creation, and this is what makes God’s plan of redemption so necessary for the restoration of the entire creation. Christians must understand what it means to be made in the Image of God and the implications that the Fall and God’s redemptive plan have in their lives.
As they experience God’s renewing power, they will treat others with greater dignity, have a better understanding of God’s grace, reach their potential and become more Christ-like.
Art Lindsley, Ph.D., is Vice President of Theological Initiatives at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. He served as co-editor and contributing author to IFWE’s Counting the Cost: Christian Perspectives on Capitalism and For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty. An esteemed author and teacher, Dr. Lindsley is co-founder of Reformed Theological Seminary’s Washington, D.C., campus.
Originally published at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics.


thestream--2020-11-01--Do Not Take Your Foot Off the Pedal of Prayer

All over America , there is a great outpouring of prayer for the nation and for the elections .
Believers are gathering together online and in corporate settings , fasting and praying for God ’ s intervention .
“ We need you , God , ” they cry out with one voice .
“ Have mercy on our land !
Don ’ t abandon us , Lord !
Help , Father !
” Even in other countries , believers are fasting and praying for America right now .
We stand at a pivotal time in our history , and as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goes .
But the worst thing we could do is stop praying on November 4 ( if , in fact , we have a result by then ) .
Desperate prayer will be needed just as much the day after the elections as the day before the elections .
Desperate prayer will be needed in the months ( and even years ) following the elections just as much as in the months ( and years ) leading up to the elections .
Unless , of course , you think that there is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afflict us .
Or that getting ( or keeping ) the right person in the White House will be some kind of cure all .
Or that gaining ( or regaining ) the Senate or the House will stop the riots and unite the factions and quiet the unrest ( and remove COVID too ! )
.
Do I believe that one candidate and one party has better policies for the nation ?
Absolutely .
But our problems are too deep for a political solution , and that ’ s why we must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the elections , I never pray for a specific candidate or party to win .
Instead , I cast my vote and then I pray for God ’ s best , not pretending to know the mind of the Lord .
He has purposes and plans in mind that are infinitely above ours .
He is looking at eternal implications and considering multi-generational outcomes .
Perhaps what looks like the worst result in the short term will produce the best result in the long term .
That ’ s why I pray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done rather than praying for the election of the candidates for whom I vote .
This is also what I recommend to others , since , in this way , we can all pray together in unity : “ Father , Your will be done !
” Otherwise , depending on our differing political convictions , one group will be praying for the election of Candidate A while the other group will be praying for the election of Candidate B .
In effect , we will be praying , “ Our will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His will , not ours .
That being said , it would be a massive strategic mistake to let up in the intensity of our praying once the elections are settled .
Only God Can Heal Our Wounds Think about it for a moment .
Although I voted for Trump in 2016 and will vote for him on Tuesday , I must ask myself : Is America more divided today than it was four years ago ?
Are we in more national upheaval ?
More shaking ?
More in danger of tearing apart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obvious .
So , even with the man many of us voted for in the White House , and even with the many positive things that Trump has done for the nation — and I truly believe there are many — America is a mess .
Barring divine intervention , four more years of Trump will only lead to more polarizing and more upheaval , including the deepening radicalization of the left .
( Again , I say this as someone who believes Trump is a far better alternative to Biden . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially if he keeps his campaign promises and implements the Democratic Platform ?
The resentment of the right ( and even resistance from the right ) will only intensify .
The pushback against increasing government overreach will be intense , as will be the reaction to the continued loss of our liberties .
Either way , no matter who wins the election , the polarizing will increase .
The anger will rise .
The factions will deepen .
And the extremes will become more extreme .
That ’ s why we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it comes to desperate , sustained , fervent prayer .
Only God can heal our wounds .
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 .

All over America, there is a great outpouring of prayer for the nation and for the elections. Believers are gathering together online and in corporate settings, fasting and praying for God’s intervention. “We need you, God,” they cry out with one voice. “Have mercy on our land! Don’t abandon us, Lord! Help, Father!”
Even in other countries, believers are fasting and praying for America right now. We stand at a pivotal time in our history, and as America goes, much of the world goes.
But the worst thing we could do is stop praying on November 4 (if, in fact, we have a result by then).
We Can’t Stop Praying November 4
Desperate prayer will be needed just as much the day after the elections as the day before the elections.
Desperate prayer will be needed in the months (and even years) following the elections just as much as in the months (and years) leading up to the elections.
Unless, of course, you think that there is a political solution to the many maladies that afflict us. Or that getting (or keeping) the right person in the White House will be some kind of cure all. Or that gaining (or regaining) the Senate or the House will stop the riots and unite the factions and quiet the unrest (and remove COVID too!).
Do I believe that one candidate and one party has better policies for the nation? Absolutely. But our problems are too deep for a political solution, and that’s why we must continue to pray.
Praying for God’s Best
When it comes to the elections, I never pray for a specific candidate or party to win. Instead, I cast my vote and then I pray for God’s best, not pretending to know the mind of the Lord. He has purposes and plans in mind that are infinitely above ours. He is looking at eternal implications and considering multi-generational outcomes. Perhaps what looks like the worst result in the short term will produce the best result in the long term.
That’s why I pray for God’s will to be done rather than praying for the election of the candidates for whom I vote. This is also what I recommend to others, since, in this way, we can all pray together in unity: “Father, Your will be done!”
Otherwise, depending on our differing political convictions, one group will be praying for the election of Candidate A while the other group will be praying for the election of Candidate B. In effect, we will be praying, “Our will be done!”
Best to pray for His will, not ours.
That being said, it would be a massive strategic mistake to let up in the intensity of our praying once the elections are settled.
Only God Can Heal Our Wounds
Think about it for a moment.
Although I voted for Trump in 2016 and will vote for him on Tuesday, I must ask myself: Is America more divided today than it was four years ago? Are we in more national upheaval? More shaking? More in danger of tearing apart at the seams? The answers are obvious.
So, even with the man many of us voted for in the White House, and even with the many positive things that Trump has done for the nation — and I truly believe there are many — America is a mess.
Barring divine intervention, four more years of Trump will only lead to more polarizing and more upheaval, including the deepening radicalization of the left. (Again, I say this as someone who believes Trump is a far better alternative to Biden.)
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
And what if Joe Biden is elected, especially if he keeps his campaign promises and implements the Democratic Platform? The resentment of the right (and even resistance from the right) will only intensify. The pushback against increasing government overreach will be intense, as will be the reaction to the continued loss of our liberties.
Either way, no matter who wins the election, the polarizing will increase. The anger will rise. The factions will deepen. And the extremes will become more extreme.
That’s why we need to keep the pedal to the metal when it comes to desperate, sustained, fervent prayer. Only God can heal our wounds.
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--2020-11-01--There are Aliens Among Us

There are Aliens Among Us

This is not an attempt to mimic “ check-out line ” magazines that just try to grab attention .
This is an attempt to a biblical approach to an obvious tension among Christians regarding their civic duties .
We live with this tension because we have two homelands .
We are born from above yet assigned to live and die on this earth : “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ !
By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
If we only think of our eternal homeland , we will neglect our earthly duties .
If we only think of our earthly existence , we will be conformed to our culture ’ s norms , susceptible to all the fears and frustrations that come with being cut off from home .
We will either be legitimately accused of being so heavenly-minded we are of no earthly good , or of being so worldly that we are hypocrites .
“ Beloved , I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wage war against the soul ” ( 1 Peter 2:11 NRSV ) .
Aliens have a special kind of freedom .
The apostle Peter expressed it in what seems to be a paradoxical phrase : “ As God ’ s slaves , live as free people… ” ( 1 Peter 2:16 HCSB ) .
Since the original fall of humanity into sin , we have been captives to fear and frustration .
The only freedom possible is submitting to be slaves to the One who is sovereign love .
When He is responsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are freed from self-preservation , self-exaltation , and fear .
Nothing is stronger than He , and love motivates everything He does .
His purpose is to restore us to true humanity as originally designed .
It is an honor to be His slave .
The only other option is being a slave to sin .
Peter goes on to explain the nature of this alien freedom : “ Honor everyone .
Love the family of believers .
Fear God .
Honor the emperor ” ( 1 Peter 2:17 NRSV ) .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the image of God and worth the redemption price of the Son , we eliminate prejudice , racism , and injustice .
As we love the family of believers , we embrace the purpose of God to bless the world through His family of priests .
As we fear God , we respond to Him as the final authority and last word in our lives .
As we honor the emperor , we accept God ’ s use of civil authority to order society , and we submit to participate in it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was one emperor of Rome .
In our day we live in a democratic republic where the people being governed have a role to play in who establishes order and how it is done .
We honor this process by lawfully participating in it with diligence .
The same root word for honor is used for our attitude toward everyone and toward the emperor .
We don ’ t have to approve of what everyone or the emperor does in order to honor .
We do have to see them as God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authority is God ’ s established way of ordering society .
It remains .
We must constantly work to establish laws that reflect the values of God ’ s kingdom .
Personalities are not as important as policies .
Being aliens who are enjoying a freedom that is other-worldly , we are faithful to embrace our earthly assignments seriously .
We are slaves to God who has made us His sons .
We can leave the earth a better place than we found it .
Aliens who are aware and awake make good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will be going home .
Dudley Hall is a Senior Contributor to The Stream .
He is the founder and President of Kerygma Ventures , a sought-after speaker , an engaging preacher , an effective consultant , and a trusted spiritual father .
Dudley has authored several books including Grace Works , Incense & Thunder , Glad to be Left Behind , Men In Their Own Skin , Orphans No More , When Hard Times Come , Follow Me and his latest , a children ’ s book laced with gospel truth @ @ @ @ @ @

This is not an attempt to mimic “check-out line” magazines that just try to grab attention. This is an attempt to a biblical approach to an obvious tension among Christians regarding their civic duties. We live with this tension because we have two homelands. We are born from above yet assigned to live and die on this earth: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3 NRSV).
If we only think of our eternal homeland, we will neglect our earthly duties. If we only think of our earthly existence, we will be conformed to our culture’s norms, susceptible to all the fears and frustrations that come with being cut off from home. We will either be legitimately accused of being so heavenly-minded we are of no earthly good, or of being so worldly that we are hypocrites.
“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11 NRSV).
As God’s Slaves, Live as Free People
Aliens have a special kind of freedom. The apostle Peter expressed it in what seems to be a paradoxical phrase: “As God’s slaves, live as free people…” (1 Peter 2:16 HCSB). Since the original fall of humanity into sin, we have been captives to fear and frustration. The only freedom possible is submitting to be slaves to the One who is sovereign love. When He is responsible for our provision and protection, we are freed from self-preservation, self-exaltation, and fear. Nothing is stronger than He, and love motivates everything He does. His purpose is to restore us to true humanity as originally designed. It is an honor to be His slave. The only other option is being a slave to sin.
Alien Freedom
Peter goes on to explain the nature of this alien freedom: “Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:17 NRSV). As we respect all people as being created in the image of God and worth the redemption price of the Son, we eliminate prejudice, racism, and injustice. As we love the family of believers, we embrace the purpose of God to bless the world through His family of priests. As we fear God, we respond to Him as the final authority and last word in our lives. As we honor the emperor, we accept God’s use of civil authority to order society, and we submit to participate in it.
A Role to Play
When Peter wrote his letter, there was one emperor of Rome. In our day we live in a democratic republic where the people being governed have a role to play in who establishes order and how it is done. We honor this process by lawfully participating in it with diligence.
The same root word for honor is used for our attitude toward everyone and toward the emperor. We don’t have to approve of what everyone or the emperor does in order to honor. We do have to see them as God values them. Emperors change. Civil authority is God’s established way of ordering society. It remains. We must constantly work to establish laws that reflect the values of God’s kingdom. Personalities are not as important as policies.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Being aliens who are enjoying a freedom that is other-worldly, we are faithful to embrace our earthly assignments seriously. We are slaves to God who has made us His sons. We can leave the earth a better place than we found it. Aliens who are aware and awake make good citizens of the earth for we know we will be going home.
Dudley Hall is a Senior Contributor to The Stream. He is the founder and President of Kerygma Ventures, a sought-after speaker, an engaging preacher, an effective consultant, and a trusted spiritual father. Dudley has authored several books including Grace Works, Incense & Thunder, Glad to be Left Behind, Men In Their Own Skin, Orphans No More, When Hard Times Come, Follow Me and his latest, a children’s book laced with gospel truth: Shorty the Substitute Ram.


thestream--2020-11-01--Is God Really Pro-Life? Getting the Biblical Argument Right

It doesn ’ t matter how you feel about abortion .
It doesn ’ t matter how I feel .
It doesn ’ t even matter how your pastor or priest feels .
The only thing that matters is how God feels .
If God is pro-choice then the discussion is over .
Right ?
GOD is the issue .
So , is God pro-choice ?
Let ’ s start with the source of the current controversy : Roe V. Wade .
The majority opinion of the Supreme Court in this landmark case stated the justices did not know if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” or not .
Therefore , they concluded they could not mandate the fetus be entitled to full protection under the Constitution .
This vague , philosophical distinction the Court invented between the fetus being “ human ” and being a “ person ” borders on foolishness , but that was their stated rationale for the decision .
Since the highest court of the land stated in writing it did not know whether or not the fetus is a person , we must look elsewhere for clarity on the matter .
Of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moral authority is the Bible , not nine attorneys dressed in black robes who can ’ t even agree amongst themselves .
What Does God Say About Abortion ?
In light of that , what does God say in the Bible about abortion ?
Have you ever dug deeply to find out ?
Many Christians , in an attempt to provide evidence that God considers abortion wrong , quote Psalms 139:13-16 .
Verses 13-14 say , “ For you formed my inward parts ; you wove me in my mother ’ s womb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for I am wonderfully and fearfully made….
” ( NASB ) It is a beautifully poetic and inspiring passage that gives us hope , but unfortunately those verses never clearly state at what point in the process I became a person .
Look at it closely .
All it says is that God wove me in the womb , not that I was a person or even fully human in the womb .
So that does not provide unquestionable clarity .
There are other passages , however , that clearly reveal God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes a little more work to get there , but if you really want to understand God ’ s opinion it ’ s worth the effort .
Let ’ s start by looking at three verses : Luke 1:41a “ When Elizabeth heard Mary ’ s greeting , the baby leaped in her womb … ” ( NAS ) Luke 2:12 “ ‘ This will be a sign for you : you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
’ ” ( NAS ) Luke 18:15a “ And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him [ Jesus ] so that he would touch them.
” ( NAS ) What do all three of these verses have in common ?
They all use the exact same Greek word brephos to describe a baby .
The first brephos is still in the womb .
( Luke 1:41 ) The second brephos is a newborn .
( Luke 2:12 ) The third brephos describes infants in general .
( Luke 18:15 ) God , in His Word , makes no distinction between babies in the womb and babies outside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the baby in the womb the same as the baby outside the womb .
The language is crystal clear .
Therefore , if God is okay with killing a brephos in the womb , then it logically follows that God is okay with killing any brephos , including those outside the womb .
Of course , that clearly violates the sixth commandment , “ Thou shalt not murder.
” Conversely , if God considers it murder to kill a six-month old post-birth brephos then it necessarily follows that He considers it murder to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Again , God makes no distinction .
In Scripture a brephos is a brephos is a brephos .
In this case , segregated personhood ( real or imagined ) is irrelevant to the outcome .
Either God loves every brephos or He doesn ’ t .
Would you agree ?
Although I regard this as sufficient information on which to make an informed decision about God ’ s view of abortion , let ’ s keep going .
Open your Bible to Luke 1:39-44 .
It ’ s the story of when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What does the text say ?
“ …when the sound of your greeting reached my ears , the baby [ brephos ] leaped in my womb for joy.
” ( NAS ) Did you catch that ?
The Bible indicates that a brephos still in the womb leaped for “ joy.
” In other words , the fetus felt and expressed joy .
In what world does a non-person feel and express joy ?
If you still remain unconvinced , let ’ s go back to Luke 1:15 .
This verse occurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the angel informing Zacharias that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son ( John the Baptist ) : “ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord ; and he will drink no wine or liquor , and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother ’ s womb.
” ( NAS ) A brephos in the womb was filled with the Holy Spirit .
Every other instance of the phrase , “ filled with the Holy Spirit , ” in Scripture always denotes a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only reasonable conclusion , based on the evidence in Scripture , is that God considers the fetus ( brephos ) in Elizabeth ’ s womb to be a person .
You get the point .
God does not distinguish between a fetus ( brephos ) in the womb and a baby ( brephos ) outside the womb .
God made sure to let us know that babies in the womb are persons because they can feel emotion and express personality traits thereby making them persons in the most basic sense of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us know that a fetus can be “ filled with the Holy Spirit , ” again implying personhood .
So , is it possible to be pro-choice and a Christian ?
I am not the Judge .
I ’ ll leave that between you and your Creator .
It really doesn ’ t matter how I feel .
You ’ re answerable to Him , and Him alone —not me .
My goal is simply to give you the best information I can .
However , the critical question is , do you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe the God of the Bible is pro-choice ?
Are you sure ?
Or to put it another way , do you think it makes God happy when a doctor rips the arms and legs off a ( brephos ) fetus He created in His image ?
God loves the brephos and mother alike ; He created both in His image .
That ’ s why both possess infinite and innate value in His eyes .
And God ’ s opinion is the only one that matters .
Brad Bright is a speaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Issue .

It doesn’t matter how you feel about abortion. It doesn’t matter how I feel. It doesn’t even matter how your pastor or priest feels. The only thing that matters is how God feels. If God is pro-choice then the discussion is over. Right? GOD is the issue.
Is God Pro-Choice?
So, is God pro-choice? Let’s start with the source of the current controversy: Roe V. Wade. The majority opinion of the Supreme Court in this landmark case stated the justices did not know if the fetus was an actual “person” or not. Therefore, they concluded they could not mandate the fetus be entitled to full protection under the Constitution. This vague, philosophical distinction the Court invented between the fetus being “human” and being a “person” borders on foolishness, but that was their stated rationale for the decision.
Since the highest court of the land stated in writing it did not know whether or not the fetus is a person, we must look elsewhere for clarity on the matter. Of course, for Christians, our source of moral authority is the Bible, not nine attorneys dressed in black robes who can’t even agree amongst themselves.
What Does God Say About Abortion?
In light of that, what does God say in the Bible about abortion? Have you ever dug deeply to find out?
Many Christians, in an attempt to provide evidence that God considers abortion wrong, quote Psalms 139:13-16. Verses 13-14 say, “For you formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am wonderfully and fearfully made….” (NASB)
God loves the brephos and mother alike;
He created both in His image.
It is a beautifully poetic and inspiring passage that gives us hope, but unfortunately those verses never clearly state at what point in the process I became a person. Look at it closely. All it says is that God wove me in the womb, not that I was a person or even fully human in the womb. So that does not provide unquestionable clarity.
A Brephos Is a Brephos Is a Brephos
There are other passages, however, that clearly reveal God’s point of view. It takes a little more work to get there, but if you really want to understand God’s opinion it’s worth the effort. Let’s start by looking at three verses:
Luke 1:41a “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb …” (NAS)
Luke 2:12 “‘This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’” (NAS)
Luke 18:15a “And they were bringing even their babies to him [Jesus] so that he would touch them.” (NAS)
What do all three of these verses have in common? They all use the exact same Greek word brephos to describe a baby.
The first brephos is still in the womb. (Luke 1:41)
The second brephos is a newborn. (Luke 2:12)
The third brephos describes infants in general. (Luke 18:15)
God, in His Word, makes no distinction between babies in the womb and babies outside the womb. It plainly implies God sees the baby in the womb the same as the baby outside the womb. The language is crystal clear.
Therefore, if God is okay with killing a brephos in the womb, then it logically follows that God is okay with killing any brephos, including those outside the womb. Of course, that clearly violates the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” Conversely, if God considers it murder to kill a six-month old post-birth brephos then it necessarily follows that He considers it murder to kill a brephos still inhabiting the womb. Again, God makes no distinction.
In Scripture a brephos is a brephos is a brephos. In this case, segregated personhood (real or imagined) is irrelevant to the outcome. Either God loves every brephos or He doesn’t. Would you agree?
Personhood
Although I regard this as sufficient information on which to make an informed decision about God’s view of abortion, let’s keep going. Open your Bible to Luke 1:39-44. It’s the story of when pregnant Mary meets her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. What does the text say? “…when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby [brephos] leaped in my womb for joy.” (NAS)
Did you catch that? The Bible indicates that a brephos still in the womb leaped for “joy.” In other words, the fetus felt and expressed joy. In what world does a non-person feel and express joy?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
If you still remain unconvinced, let’s go back to Luke 1:15. This verse occurs in the middle of the story of the angel informing Zacharias that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son (John the Baptist): “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.” (NAS) A brephos in the womb was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Every other instance of the phrase, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” in Scripture always denotes a person — no exceptions. Therefore, the only reasonable conclusion, based on the evidence in Scripture, is that God considers the fetus (brephos) in Elizabeth’s womb to be a person.
You get the point. God does not distinguish between a fetus (brephos) in the womb and a baby (brephos) outside the womb. God made sure to let us know that babies in the womb are persons because they can feel emotion and express personality traits thereby making them persons in the most basic sense of the word. And finally, God let us know that a fetus can be “filled with the Holy Spirit,” again implying personhood.
So, is it possible to be pro-choice and a Christian? I am not the Judge. I’ll leave that between you and your Creator. It really doesn’t matter how I feel. You’re answerable to Him, and Him alone —not me. My goal is simply to give you the best information I can.
However, the critical question is, do you, in your heart of hearts, believe the God of the Bible is pro-choice? Are you sure? Or to put it another way, do you think it makes God happy when a doctor rips the arms and legs off a (brephos) fetus He created in His image? God loves the brephos and mother alike; He created both in His image. That’s why both possess infinite and innate value in His eyes. And God’s opinion is the only one that matters.
GOD is the Issue.
Brad Bright is a speaker and the author of God is the Issue.
Originally published at BradBright.org.


thestream--2020-11-01--Religious Freedom Is on the Line

Religious Freedom Is on the Line

Federal funding is federal control .
It doesn ’ t come free ; it takes freedom away .
The Democratic Party has slid so far to the left , Tuesday ’ s referendum will be a referendum on socialism .
It doesn ’ t even have to go that far to turn tyrannical .
Yet people are confused on this — even those who shouldn ’ t be .
Clay Jones isn ’ t among the confused .
A visiting scholar at Talbot School of Theology University , he posted a note on Christian Facebook group warning about Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He wrote ( in a version he revised for me via email ) , This could be the end of Christian universities .
That ’ s an overreach you say ?
Consider California ’ s SB-1146 , which was passed by the California state senate .
SB-1146 would have required Christian schools , which receive any type of state aid , including Cal grants for student loans , to not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation .
That would have made it illegal to discriminate against openly homosexual faculty members .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ think the major reason is that its proponents realized that the US Supreme Court would have struck it down .
But how would a court stacked with progressives have voted ?
Be on guard , the enemy is always looking for a way to shut down Christian institutions .
It ’ s an important warning .
The Facebook discussion revolved around federal funding more than state , but the same principles apply to each .
And I ’ ve been appalled at the pushback he got from some members of this online Christian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , but their responses are still instructive .
‘ Really , It ’ s Okay if They Force That On Us ’ Their criticism centered around two major objections : “ Why should Christian universities be any exception to rules other schools have to follow ?
” and “ Christian universities would lose no freedoms ; they can just pull out of all federal funding.
” These are easy questions , or at least they ought to be .
The United States designated religion as an exception from the beginning .
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says so .
It does not say that about sexual preferences .
To dismiss that is to forget that religious freedom is neither arbitrary nor archaic .
I ’ ve argued that even secularists should want to work with us to protect that freedom from every encroachment .
It ’ s one of the most basic foundations of the freedoms they enjoy , too .
Part of the reason for standing guard , then , is because standing guard is good in itself .
We must keep religious freedom secure .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christian schools can pull out of federal funding with no loss of freedoms .
Sure , when the government sends money with stipulations like these attached , it looks like a gift , and it even looks it ’ s meant to shield public policy from discrimination .
But that ’ s wrong on both counts .
First , if it ’ s a gift , it ’ s one we all pay for .
Not much of a gift , when you look at it that way .
Second , while it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counter discrimination , it ’ s actually state-established financial policy that actively discriminates against conservative , Christian moral beliefs and practices .
How so ?
Everyone pays for the gift , and everyone gets access to the gift — everyone except Christians , that is , if they want to maintain their historic beliefs .
That ’ s clearly religious discrimination against belief , which I would argue makes it a violation of the First Amendment .
I ’ m no constitutional scholar , though , and neither were the folks debating this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is simpler : It ’ s also taking Christian money and using it to impress anti-Christian values on the general public .
Someone on that forum actually asked , “ Why should LGBTQ people have to pay [ taxes ] to fund schools that will bar them entry in virtue of their being LGBTQ ?
” My answer to that is , “ Why should Christians be forced to put up their money to teach beliefs and behaviors that we ’ re convinced are immoral ?
” The two questions might appear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other , except for two significant differences .
The second one , my question , isn ’ t only about finances but about force .
Christian schools would be forced either to fully accept LGBTQ or to put themselves at a huge financial disadvantage .
And not only is it a government-enforced restriction upon these schools ’ freedoms , it ’ s intruding specifically upon religious freedom .
It bears repeating : It ’ s a day of tyranny when sexual freedom overruns religious freedom .
This is what the state can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amazes me that people — Christians , particularly — can find it good and right and defensible .
Win or lose next Tuesday , this thinking will be with us for a while to come .
We have a lot of corrective teaching to do .
Tom Gilson ( @ TomGilsonAuthor ) is a senior editor with The Stream and the author or editor of six books , including the recently released Too Good To Be False : How Jesus ’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality .

Federal funding is federal control. It doesn’t come free; it takes freedom away. The Democratic Party has slid so far to the left, Tuesday’s referendum will be a referendum on socialism. It doesn’t even have to go that far to turn tyrannical. Yet people are confused on this — even those who shouldn’t be.
Clay Jones isn’t among the confused. A visiting scholar at Talbot School of Theology University, he posted a note on Christian Facebook group warning about Joe Biden’s expressed commitment to LGBTQ rights. He wrote (in a version he revised for me via email),
This could be the end of Christian universities. That’s an overreach you say? Consider California’s SB-1146, which was passed by the California state senate. SB-1146 would have required Christian schools, which receive any type of state aid, including Cal grants for student loans, to not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. That would have made it illegal to discriminate against openly homosexual faculty members. That bill never became law and I think the major reason is that its proponents realized that the US Supreme Court would have struck it down. But how would a court stacked with progressives have voted? Be on guard, the enemy is always looking for a way to shut down Christian institutions.
It’s an important warning. The Facebook discussion revolved around federal funding more than state, but the same principles apply to each. And I’ve been appalled at the pushback he got from some members of this online Christian group. It was only a few people, but their responses are still instructive.
‘Really, It’s Okay if They Force That On Us’
Their criticism centered around two major objections: “Why should Christian universities be any exception to rules other schools have to follow?” and “Christian universities would lose no freedoms; they can just pull out of all federal funding.”
These are easy questions, or at least they ought to be. The United States designated religion as an exception from the beginning. Is religion an exception? Our founding document says so. It does not say that about sexual preferences. To dismiss that is to forget that religious freedom is neither arbitrary nor archaic. I’ve argued that even secularists should want to work with us to protect that freedom from every encroachment. It’s one of the most basic foundations of the freedoms they enjoy, too.
Part of the reason for standing guard, then, is because standing guard is good in itself. We must keep religious freedom secure.
Federal Funding is Federal Intrusion
But it’s also wrongheaded to say that Christian schools can pull out of federal funding with no loss of freedoms. Sure, when the government sends money with stipulations like these attached, it looks like a gift, and it even looks it’s meant to shield public policy from discrimination. But that’s wrong on both counts.
It’s a day of tyranny when sexual freedom overruns religious freedom.
First, if it’s a gift, it’s one we all pay for. Not much of a gift, when you look at it that way. Second, while it looks as if its purpose is to counter discrimination, it’s actually state-established financial policy that actively discriminates against conservative, Christian moral beliefs and practices. How so? Everyone pays for the gift, and everyone gets access to the gift — everyone except Christians, that is, if they want to maintain their historic beliefs.
That’s clearly religious discrimination against belief, which I would argue makes it a violation of the First Amendment. I’m no constitutional scholar, though, and neither were the folks debating this on Facebook. This, though, is simpler: It’s also taking Christian money and using it to impress anti-Christian values on the general public.
Freedoms Are Not Equal
Someone on that forum actually asked, “Why should LGBTQ people have to pay [taxes] to fund schools that will bar them entry in virtue of their being LGBTQ?” My answer to that is, “Why should Christians be forced to put up their money to teach beliefs and behaviors that we’re convinced are immoral?”
The two questions might appear to be at parity, with neither defeating the other, except for two significant differences. The second one, my question, isn’t only about finances but about force. Christian schools would be forced either to fully accept LGBTQ or to put themselves at a huge financial disadvantage. And not only is it a government-enforced restriction upon these schools’ freedoms, it’s intruding specifically upon religious freedom. It bears repeating: It’s a day of tyranny when sexual freedom overruns religious freedom.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
This is what the state can do even short of socialism. It amazes me that people — Christians, particularly — can find it good and right and defensible.
Win or lose next Tuesday, this thinking will be with us for a while to come. We have a lot of corrective teaching to do.
Tom Gilson (@TomGilsonAuthor) is a senior editor with The Stream and the author or editor of six books, including the recently released Too Good To Be False: How Jesus’ Incomparable Character Reveals His Reality.


thestream--2020-11-01--Join the ‘Call to Prayer’ at 5 P.M. Eastern, Sunday

At 5 p.m. Sunday , a “ Call to Prayer ” event will be taking place live on President Trump @ @ @ @ @ His daughter-in-law Lara Trump will be hosting .
Among those taking part are faith leaders @ @ @ @ @ Pastor Paula White , Danny & Leyicet Gokey , Dr. Jack Graham , Bishop Kelvin @ @ @ @ @ , Marcus Lamb , Pastor Tony Perkins and Brian Johnson and many others .
To @ @ @ @ @ go to https : //www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump

At 5 p.m., a “Call to Prayer” event will be taking place live on President Trump’s Facebook page. His daughter-in-law Lara Trump will be hosting. Among those taking part are faith leaders Stream Publisher James Robison, Pastor Paula White, Danny & Leyicet Gokey, Dr. Jack Graham, Bishop Kelvin Cobaris, Dr. David Jeremiah, Marcus Lamb, Pastor Tony Perkins and Brian Johnson and many others.
To join in the prayer, go to https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump


thestream--2020-11-01--Does Rev. Paul Schenck Have Any Sense of Shame?

The following statement comes from Fr .
Paul Schenck , a Catholic priest with a long , admirable record of actively opposing abortion : “ I was a founder of Project Rescue , part of the most aggressive wings of the pro-life movement .
I was one of the organizers of the Spring of Life , that brought thousands of pro-life activists to Western New York , shutting down abortion clinics for weeks .
I was the petitioner in the US Supreme Court First Amendment case , Schenck V Pro-Choice Network that opened up sidewalks for pro-life counselors .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every life is sacred .
From the moment a new human being comes into existence , to the last breath , life is inviolable .
I believe every person is created in God ’ s image and likeness ; unique , unrepeatable and irreplaceable .
I believe every person possesses intrinsic dignity .
I won ’ t change on that .
But the Pro-Life movement wrongly placed its hope in a temporary political victory made of symbolic gestures and empty promises .
Meanwhile , Donald Trump and his administration have gutted the pro-life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black lives and vulnerable persons with underlying conditions .
The administration has denigrated the poor , consigned asylum seeking migrants to death at the hands of traffickers and gangs , and jeopardized children by tearing them from their parents .
President Trump polarized life-saving mask wearing , advancing individual preferences over public health .
Those actions aren ’ t pro-life , but anti-life .
I ’ ll vote Biden because the Trump “ pro-life ” charade must end .
If there ’ s one thing clear about the Trump administration , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of human life or the dignity of the human person .
We need an administration that will protect human life by defending human dignity , something Trump appears unwilling to do .
That is why I ’ ll vote for Joe Biden .
“ No matter how many times I read it I can not stop thinking it must be a farce .
It can not possibly have been written by Fr .
Schenck .
The second half of the statement just lays waste to the first half , so it must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not funny at all .
It is scandalous , Fr .
Schenck .
Coming from you this is heart-piercing .
“ I am pro life .
I believe each and every life is sacred…life is inviolable.
” Since you believe that so completely , you cast your vote for the man who allies himself with Planned Parenthood , the organization responsible for killing nearly 350,000 unborn children in 2019 alone .
The man who has vowed to ensure Roe v. Wade is codified into federal law .
The man who has vowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fund abortions across this nation and in other nations as well .
The man who chose for his Vice President the woman who , when confronted with incontrovertible evidence that Planned Parenthood sells the body parts of aborted children for profit , didn ’ t prosecute Planned Parenthood for their despicable crimes but instead persecuted the man who exposed their wicked deeds .
Joe Biden is the candidate who defends the dignity of human life ?
Really , Fr .
Schenck ?
“ Donald Trump and his administration have gutted the pro-life movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives… ” I sincerely hope this is not a reference to the Black Lives Matter organization .
Surely , you are not supportive of that openly Marxist , anti-family , evil organization .
I do not know then , what you mean by dismissing Black lives .
Is that a reference to his support for law enforcement ?
I certainly hope not .
I ’ d remind you that more Black babies are killed in the womb than are born alive in this country , and it is Joe Biden and Planned Parenthood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
Far be it from me to speak for Black Americans , but Black Voices can explain why they support the president .
Also note that President Trump signed the First Step Act in 2018 , a prison reform bill that will no doubt positively affect many Black men and women in prison .
When you say Trump ’ s administration is “ jeopardizing children by tearing them from their parents ” , you make it sound as though the ongoing crisis at our border were an amusement park entrance and Border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids away from their parents for the sheer sadistic pleasure of it .
Given the horrifying reality of cartels controlling the border , do you not think it prudent to find out if the adult who arrived with the child is actually the child ’ s parent , rather than a sex trafficker ?
Democrats claim that the parents of over 500 children could not be found , but the truth is not so simple .
Many of them have been located in foreign countries , but they don ’ t want the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Maybe they hope the U.S. will give those children citizenship .
Our immigration system has been a terrible mess for decades .
I think people of good will agree that we must have a humane , safe , and workable system that welcomes the immigrant and protects our nation .
What a flimsy , feeble argument .
For six months now there has been an ever-changing story about this COVID virus .
There is plenty of legitimate disagreement about best practices for containing it and protecting the most vulnerable .
All scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current mask-wearing rationale , we shall never again be able to go out in public without our faces covered , ( or even gather in our own homes ! )
since there will always be some sort of germ we might spread by speaking , singing , or just breathing .
How could you possibly put mask-wearing on par with tearing an unborn child limb from limb ?
A healthy person out in public without a mask on ( as every person on the planet was just 10 months ago ) is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helpless innocent by a paid assassin .
It is shocking you would even intimate such a thing .
How Can You Fail to See This Good ?
You claim it is clear the Trump administration does not support the sanctity of human life or the dignity of the human person , and I have to wonder what planet you ’ re on .
Scroll down the list of specific actions Trump has taken to defend the sanctity of human life , Fr .
Schenck .
Does none of this matter to you ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ one moment that Biden/Harris would nominate a woman like Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court ?
Do you think the Little Sisters of the Poor find Biden/Harris very supportive of their freedom to not be forced to provide abortifacients ?
I ask because Biden has already promised to revoke President Trump ’ s religious exemption to the Obamacare mandate .
Let ’ s talk about what Democrats and Joe Biden really have planned for America .
He vows that in his first 100 days he ’ ll sign the deceptively-named “ Equality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t understand what that legislation will actually do , then shame on you .
It will harm every girl and woman in America , perhaps irrevocably , and that ’ s only one of its wicked effects .
You have cast an affirmative vote for the Democrat Party , with its written promises of taxpayer-funded abortion mandates , contraceptive mandates , gender-identity mandates , denial of Religious Liberty , and on and on .
You have the unfathomable audacity to claim Biden is the one who will defend human life and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incoherent .
Biden is a baptized Catholic who publicly vows to pass laws and enact policies that explicitly contradict the teachings of the Church .
He has presided over a same-sex “ marriage.
” His zealous support for abortion-on-demand-without-restriction is a fact .
By his own actions he has excommunicated himself from the Church .
Were he to present himself before you for Holy Communion , you would be obliged to refuse him for the sake of not profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord .
With your vote and public statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more like you have given him cover and betrayed the truth .
The little ones you once fought for seem to matter less than defeating Donald Trump because “ orange man bad.
” You voted for the party that denies the humanity of the child in the womb .
You can ’ t blame that on Donald Trump .
Jennifer Hartline is a senior contributor to The Stream .
You can follow her at @ jenniehartline .

The following statement comes from Fr. Paul Schenck, a Catholic priest with a long, admirable record of actively opposing abortion:
I was a founder of Project Rescue, part of the most aggressive wings of the pro-life movement. I was one of the organizers of the Spring of Life, that brought thousands of pro-life activists to Western New York, shutting down abortion clinics for weeks. I was the petitioner in the US Supreme Court First Amendment case, Schenck V Pro-Choice Network that opened up sidewalks for pro-life counselors. I am pro-life. I believe each and every life is sacred. From the moment a new human being comes into existence, to the last breath, life is inviolable. I believe every person is created in God’s image and likeness; unique, unrepeatable and irreplaceable. I believe every person possesses intrinsic dignity. I won’t change on that. But the Pro-Life movement wrongly placed its hope in a temporary political victory made of symbolic gestures and empty promises. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and his administration have gutted the pro-life movement’s moral authority by dismissing Black lives and vulnerable persons with underlying conditions. The administration has denigrated the poor, consigned asylum seeking migrants to death at the hands of traffickers and gangs, and jeopardized children by tearing them from their parents. President Trump polarized life-saving mask wearing, advancing individual preferences over public health. Those actions aren’t pro-life, but anti-life. I’ll vote Biden because the Trump “pro-life” charade must end. If there’s one thing clear about the Trump administration, it is that it does not support the sanctity of human life or the dignity of the human person. We need an administration that will protect human life by defending human dignity, something Trump appears unwilling to do. That is why I’ll vote for Joe Biden.
No matter how many times I read it I cannot stop thinking it must be a farce. It cannot possibly have been written by Fr. Schenck. The second half of the statement just lays waste to the first half, so it must be some kind of joke.
But it is not funny at all. It is scandalous, Fr. Schenck. Coming from you this is heart-piercing.
Incoherent
“I am pro life. I believe each and every life is sacred…life is inviolable.”
Since you believe that so completely, you cast your vote for the man who allies himself with Planned Parenthood, the organization responsible for killing nearly 350,000 unborn children in 2019 alone. The man who has vowed to ensure Roe v. Wade is codified into federal law. The man who has vowed to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to fund abortions across this nation and in other nations as well.
The man who chose for his Vice President the woman who, when confronted with incontrovertible evidence that Planned Parenthood sells the body parts of aborted children for profit, didn’t prosecute Planned Parenthood for their despicable crimes but instead persecuted the man who exposed their wicked deeds.
Joe Biden is the candidate who defends the dignity of human life? Really, Fr. Schenck?
About Black Lives…
“Donald Trump and his administration have gutted the pro-life movement’s moral authority by dismissing Black lives…”
I sincerely hope this is not a reference to the Black Lives Matter organization. Surely, you are not supportive of that openly Marxist, anti-family, evil organization. I do not know then, what you mean by dismissing Black lives. Is that a reference to his support for law enforcement? I certainly hope not.
I’d remind you that more Black babies are killed in the womb than are born alive in this country, and it is Joe Biden and Planned Parenthood who endorse that slaughter, not Donald Trump.
Far be it from me to speak for Black Americans, but Black Voices can explain why they support the president.
Also note that President Trump signed the First Step Act in 2018, a prison reform bill that will no doubt positively affect many Black men and women in prison.
Lives at the Border
When you say Trump’s administration is “jeopardizing children by tearing them from their parents,” you make it sound as though the ongoing crisis at our border were an amusement park entrance and Border patrol agents are just “tearing” kids away from their parents for the sheer sadistic pleasure of it.
Given the horrifying reality of cartels controlling the border, do you not think it prudent to find out if the adult who arrived with the child is actually the child’s parent, rather than a sex trafficker?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Democrats claim that the parents of over 500 children could not be found, but the truth is not so simple. Many of them have been located in foreign countries, but they don’t want the U.S. sending their children back to them. Maybe they hope the U.S. will give those children citizenship.
Our immigration system has been a terrible mess for decades. I think people of good will agree that we must have a humane, safe, and workable system that welcomes the immigrant and protects our nation.
Masks??
“President Trump polarized life-saving mask wearing, advancing individual preferences over public health.”
What a flimsy, feeble argument. For six months now there has been an ever-changing story about this COVID virus. There is plenty of legitimate disagreement about best practices for containing it and protecting the most vulnerable. All scientists and doctors do not agree.
By the current mask-wearing rationale, we shall never again be able to go out in public without our faces covered, (or even gather in our own homes!) since there will always be some sort of germ we might spread by speaking, singing, or just breathing.
How could you possibly put mask-wearing on par with tearing an unborn child limb from limb? A healthy person out in public without a mask on (as every person on the planet was just 10 months ago) is not deliberate, lethal violence against a helpless innocent by a paid assassin. It is shocking you would even intimate such a thing.
How Can You Fail to See This Good?
You claim it is clear the Trump administration does not support the sanctity of human life or the dignity of the human person, and I have to wonder what planet you’re on. Scroll down the list of specific actions Trump has taken to defend the sanctity of human life, Fr. Schenck. Does none of this matter to you?
Tell me, do you imagine for one moment that Biden/Harris would nominate a woman like Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court?
Do you think the Little Sisters of the Poor find Biden/Harris very supportive of their freedom to not be forced to provide abortifacients? I ask because Biden has already promised to revoke President Trump’s religious exemption to the Obamacare mandate.
Democrat Policies are the Point
Let’s talk about what Democrats and Joe Biden really have planned for America. He vows that in his first 100 days he’ll sign the deceptively-named “Equality Act” into law. If you don’t understand what that legislation will actually do, then shame on you. It will harm every girl and woman in America, perhaps irrevocably, and that’s only one of its wicked effects.
You have cast an affirmative vote for the Democrat Party, with its written promises of taxpayer-funded abortion mandates, contraceptive mandates, gender-identity mandates, denial of Religious Liberty, and on and on. You have the unfathomable audacity to claim Biden is the one who will defend human life and dignity. It is irrational and morally incoherent.
Catholic Scandal
Biden is a baptized Catholic who publicly vows to pass laws and enact policies that explicitly contradict the teachings of the Church. He has presided over a same-sex “marriage.” His zealous support for abortion-on-demand-without-restriction is a fact. By his own actions he has excommunicated himself from the Church. Were he to present himself before you for Holy Communion, you would be obliged to refuse him for the sake of not profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord.
With your vote and public statement of support for Biden, it seems more like you have given him cover and betrayed the truth. The little ones you once fought for seem to matter less than defeating Donald Trump because “orange man bad.”
You voted for the party that denies the humanity of the child in the womb. You can’t blame that on Donald Trump.
Jennifer Hartline is a senior contributor to The Stream. You can follow her at @jenniehartline.


thestream--2020-11-01--Join the ‘Call to Prayer’ at 5 P.M. Eastern, Today

At 5 p.m. , a “ Call to Prayer ” event will be taking place live on President Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ daughter-in-law Lara Trump will be hosting .
Among those taking part are faith leaders Stream @ @ @ @ @ Paula White , Danny & Leyicet Gokey , Dr. Jack Graham , Bishop Kelvin Cobaris @ @ @ @ @ Marcus Lamb , Pastor Tony Perkins and Brian Johnson and many others .
To join @ @ @ @ @ to https : //www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump


thestream--2020-11-01--The Facts on Andrew Cuomo’s Nursing Home Policy

Wednesday morning on ABC ’ s The View , New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave a factually misleading explanation for the thousands of people who died with COVID-19 in NY nursing homes .
After co-host Sunny Hostin praised Cuomo ’ s book Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic as “ absolutely fantastic , ” she said to the governor : There has been a lot of confusion about an alleged March 25th order that directed nursing homes to accept in New York , infected COVID patients , possibly leading to the death of more than 6,000 seniors .
Now you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lie — that New York state never demanded or directed that any nursing home accept a COVID-positive patient .
The Department of Justice however is now supposedly looking into this issue .
Can you explain what really happened ?
Yea , what a shock that the Department of Injustice sends a letter a few days before an election trying to advance a political theory .
I was shocked and amazed that the Trump administration was capable of such a thing .
Sunny , they have played politics on this from day one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrible job on COVID from day one , and they want a counter-defense , and what they were saying was , “ Well , a lot of people died in nursing homes in Democratic states .
It ’ s not just New York , it ’ s all the Democratic states.
” The truth is a lot of people did die in nursing homes in Democratic states .
The truth is people are dying today in nursing homes in Republican states .
It ’ s just that Democratic states had the disease worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more vulnerable to COVID , right ?
We were introduced to COVID in the state of Washington in a nursing home .
If you look at how many people died in New York nursing homes , New York is number 46 out of 50 states in the percentage of deaths in nursing homes .
The way the law works is no nursing home in New York can accept a patient if they don ’ t believe they can care for that patient adequately , and if they can do it within the safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re trying to spread just has no factual basis .
But yes , people in nursing homes died , and they ’ re playing politics with the issue , which I think is especially cruel because people who lost loved ones in a nursing home , they ’ re dealing with it , and now they also have to deal with the confusion or the pain of maybe government did this .
The Facts of the Matter Hostin ’ s choice of words and Cuomo ’ s entire statement are incompatible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Cuomo administration ’ s March 25th order is not “ alleged ” but a fact .
This order explicitly states : That mandate was at direct odds with two key scientific facts about C-19 that were widely known since the outset of the pandemic : • Elderly people and those with chronic ailments — who are the very definition of nursing home residents — are extremely vulnerable to the virus .
• The virus is highly transmissible , and thus , it can easily sweep through large groups of sickly and/or aged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimated 18 days between infection and death , over 5,900 nursing home patients in NY were lost by the time Cuomo rescinded this policy .
The fact that Cuomo repealed this mandate belies his claim that it did no harm .
Furthermore , Cuomo ’ s statistics on NY nursing home deaths are greatly understated because his Department of Health excluded people who caught the disease in a nursing home but died “ outside of the facility.
” Thus , Cuomo ’ s “ official ” figure may undercount the real one by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an independent investigation , Cuomo has repeatedly blamed others for the nursing home carnage in his state , but none of his explanations hold water : • Cuomo first faulted nursing homes , stating that they were only required to readmit C-19 patients “ if they have the ability to provide the adequate level of care.
” However , Cuomo ’ s order : • unequivocally states in underlined text , “ No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH [ nursing home ] solely based on a confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • often made it impossible for homes to know if they could provide appropriate care by banning them from “ requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.
” • never mentioned or implied that it is illegal under NY State law for nursing homes to accept someone they can not care for properly .
• Cuomo then claimed that his order “ followed President Trump ’ s CDC guidance , ” but the truth is that this guidance : • states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a facility with adequate personal protective equipment supplies and an ability to adhere to infection prevention….
” • Cuomo ’ s top aide , Melissa DeRosa later said that his policy was “ in-line directly ” with directives from the Trump administration ’ s Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services ( CMS ) , but to the contrary : • 12 days before Cuomo ’ s order , CMS warned that homes must be “ vigilant in identifying any possible infected individuals ” and “ follow CDC guidance.
” • CMS administrator Seema @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims , stating that the CMS was “ clear and unmistakable ” in stating that nursing homes should reject people that they can not care for , and “ any insinuation to the contrary is woefully mistaken at best and dishonest at worst.
” • After that , Cuomo claimed that NY “ had more people die ” because the Trump administration “ missed the boat and never told us that this virus was coming from Europe and not from China.
” In reality , the Trump administration issued a near-total ban on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the World Health Organization declared C-19 a pandemic ( March 11 ) .
Yet , Cuomo did not announce a stay-at-home order until more than a week later on March 20 .
• Finally , Cuomo ’ s Department of Health published a report that returned to blaming nursing homes while claiming that his policy was not a “ significant factor ” in fatalities .
However , the report : • misinterprets association as causation by arguing that a “ link between the timing of staff infection and nursing home fatalities ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus to residents .
• uses a false measure of timing based on the number of homes with an infected staff member instead of the actual number of infected staff members .
• uses grossly incomplete data that excludes residents who caught the virus in nursing homes but died “ outside of the facility , ” a figure that could number in the thousands .
So in the face of proven scientific facts and crystal clear guidance from federal health agencies , Cuomo forced C-19 carriers into the vicinity of the people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuomo and his surrogates then used a series of falsehoods to cast blame for his policy on others .
Now , he is impugning people who would hold him accountable for his actions .
Anna Lynn is a writer and researcher for Just Facts , a think tank dedicated to publishing rigorously documented facts about public policy issues .
James D. Agresti is the president of Just Facts .
Originally published at Just Facts Daily .
Reprinted with permission .

Wednesday morning on ABC’s The View, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave a factually misleading explanation for the thousands of people who died with COVID-19 in NY nursing homes.
A Factually Misleading Explanation
After co-host Sunny Hostin praised Cuomo’s book Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic as “absolutely fantastic,” she said to the governor:
There has been a lot of confusion about an alleged March 25th order that directed nursing homes to accept in New York, infected COVID patients, possibly leading to the death of more than 6,000 seniors. Now you say in your book that that was a lie — that New York state never demanded or directed that any nursing home accept a COVID-positive patient. The Department of Justice however is now supposedly looking into this issue. Can you explain what really happened?
Cuomo replied:
Yea, what a shock that the Department of Injustice sends a letter a few days before an election trying to advance a political theory. I was shocked and amazed that the Trump administration was capable of such a thing. Sunny, they have played politics on this from day one, right? They have done a terrible job on COVID from day one, and they want a counter-defense, and what they were saying was, “Well, a lot of people died in nursing homes in Democratic states. It’s not just New York, it’s all the Democratic states.” The truth is a lot of people did die in nursing homes in Democratic states. The truth is people are dying today in nursing homes in Republican states. It’s just that Democratic states had the disease worse and earlier, and older people are more vulnerable to COVID, right? We were introduced to COVID in the state of Washington in a nursing home. If you look at how many people died in New York nursing homes, New York is number 46 out of 50 states in the percentage of deaths in nursing homes. The way the law works is no nursing home in New York can accept a patient if they don’t believe they can care for that patient adequately, and if they can do it within the safety of their facility. So the conspiracy they’re trying to spread just has no factual basis. But yes, people in nursing homes died, and they’re playing politics with the issue, which I think is especially cruel because people who lost loved ones in a nursing home, they’re dealing with it, and now they also have to deal with the confusion or the pain of maybe government did this.
The Facts of the Matter
Hostin’s choice of words and Cuomo’s entire statement are incompatible with the facts of this matter. The Cuomo administration’s March 25th order is not “alleged” but a fact. This order explicitly states:
No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. NHs are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.
That mandate was at direct odds with two key scientific facts about C-19 that were widely known since the outset of the pandemic:
Elderly people and those with chronic ailments — who are the very definition of nursing home residents — are extremely vulnerable to the virus. The virus is highly transmissible, and thus, it can easily sweep through large groups of sickly and/or aged people who live together.
Including an estimated 18 days between infection and death, over 5,900 nursing home patients in NY were lost by the time Cuomo rescinded this policy. The fact that Cuomo repealed this mandate belies his claim that it did no harm.
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Furthermore, Cuomo’s statistics on NY nursing home deaths are greatly understated because his Department of Health excluded people who caught the disease in a nursing home but died “outside of the facility.” Thus, Cuomo’s “official” figure may undercount the real one by thousands of deaths.
Casting Blame on Others
While rejecting calls for an independent investigation, Cuomo has repeatedly blamed others for the nursing home carnage in his state, but none of his explanations hold water:
Cuomo first faulted nursing homes, stating that they were only required to readmit C-19 patients “if they have the ability to provide the adequate level of care.” However, Cuomo’s order: unequivocally states in underlined text, “ No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH [nursing home] solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19 .” often made it impossible for homes to know if they could provide appropriate care by banning them from “requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.” never mentioned or implied that it is illegal under NY State law for nursing homes to accept someone they cannot care for properly.
Cuomo then claimed that his order “followed President Trump’s CDC guidance,” but the truth is that this guidance: doesn’t recommend putting C-19 patients into nursing homes. states that C-19 patients “should go to a facility with adequate personal protective equipment supplies and an ability to adhere to infection prevention….”
Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa DeRosa later said that his policy was “in-line directly” with directives from the Trump administration’s Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), but to the contrary: 12 days before Cuomo’s order, CMS warned that homes must be “vigilant in identifying any possible infected individuals” and “follow CDC guidance.” CMS administrator Seema Verma directly responded to DeRosa’s claims, stating that the CMS was “clear and unmistakable” in stating that nursing homes should reject people that they cannot care for, and “any insinuation to the contrary is woefully mistaken at best and dishonest at worst.”
After that, Cuomo claimed that NY “had more people die” because the Trump administration “missed the boat and never told us that this virus was coming from Europe and not from China.” In reality, the Trump administration issued a near-total ban on travel from Europe on the same day that the World Health Organization declared C-19 a pandemic (March 11). Yet, Cuomo did not announce a stay-at-home order until more than a week later on March 20.
Finally, Cuomo’s Department of Health published a report that returned to blaming nursing homes while claiming that his policy was not a “significant factor” in fatalities. However, the report: misinterprets association as causation by arguing that a “link between the timing of staff infection and nursing home fatalities” proves the nursing home staff transmitted the virus to residents. uses a false measure of timing based on the number of homes with an infected staff member instead of the actual number of infected staff members. uses grossly incomplete data that excludes residents who caught the virus in nursing homes but died “outside of the facility,” a figure that could number in the thousands.
So in the face of proven scientific facts and crystal clear guidance from federal health agencies, Cuomo forced C-19 carriers into the vicinity of the people who are most vulnerable to the virus.
Cuomo and his surrogates then used a series of falsehoods to cast blame for his policy on others. Now, he is impugning people who would hold him accountable for his actions.
Anna Lynn is a writer and researcher for Just Facts, a think tank dedicated to publishing rigorously documented facts about public policy issues. James D. Agresti is the president of Just Facts.
Originally published at Just Facts Daily. Reprinted with permission.


thestream--2020-11-01--Anti-Columbus Radicalism Leads (Eventually) to Terror

This tweet is , believe it or not , from the former prime minister of Malaysia .
“ Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past , ” Mahathir Mohamad writes .
It was the 12th point in a string that began with a tweet about the French Muslim boy who beheaded his teacher for showing insulting pictures of Mohammad .
It continued with complaints about the decadent West .
And then : Kill Frenchmen .
My favorite righty pundits are making points about Twitter ’ s liberal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But they ’ re also missing the bigger thing .
The bigger thing is what all those who dabble in Anti-Columbus wokeness are inadvertently , ignorantly , stupidly setting us up for .
They ’ re setting us up for our fellow Americans sending tweets like Mahathir Mohamad ’ s .
And perhaps , God forbid , someday acting on it .
Against us and our children and grandchildren and generations unborn .
If the Woke deem them to be carriers of inherited racial guilt .
And they will .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and “ white privilege ” and the asininity of feeling aggrieved by Christopher Columbus 514 years after his death are really all about .
Prime Minister Mohamad ’ s tweet is where it will all lead .
The thing that breaks my heart about all this ( one of the things , anyway ) is that the cry of the oppressed is real .
Some of the grievances are just .
Slavery , Jim Crow , that was real .
The legacy is still with us .
Some bad things are baked into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t call the problem “ systemic racism , ” a phrase which implies malice on the part of innocent people .
To this day , there are certain ways in which white people can navigate the country easier than black people .
I still won ’ t call it “ white privilege , ” an accusatory term , when what black people lack is not privilege , but liberty .
“ Systemic racism ” and “ white privilege ” … these are phrases often used by well-meaning people who have no idea of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the demons they are unleashing .
Read Dr. Mohamad ’ s tweet .
This is the road you are putting us on .
This is where it all leads .
2020 Is What It Is My sympathies at the start of all this were entirely with the Black Lives Matter protesters .
Even before George Floyd .
When it was Ahmaud Arbery .
I got a lot of grief for it .
Abuse from righty friends on FB .
Obnoxious voice mails on the Family Institute of Connecticut ’ s landline , rude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on our social media .
None of which caused me to budge an inch .
Much the opposite .
See my Stream columns in May and June .
I stand by them .
As I say above , this stuff is real .
But 2020 is what it is , what it has been .
The riots and looting .
The war on the police .
( “ Let them die.
” A mob actually chanted that outside a hospital where wounded cops were being treated . )
The toppling of statues of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ churches and images of Christ and the saints .
And something close to me : the decapitating of the statue of Christopher Columbus in front of the city hall of Waterbury , Connecticut , on the 4th of July .
Ah yes , Columbus .
The scapegoat for any bad thing that has occurred in the Americas in the subsequent 528 years since he landed here .
People more knowledgeable than me can defend the man ( and many distinguished historians have ) .
What interests me is the agenda behind the attack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really because of any badness , real or perceived , on his part .
He is attacked because our civilization on this continent begins with him .
That is the real target , the civilization of which we are all a part .
The West .
Christendom .
Every time you dabble in Columbus hatred , every time you excuse the rioters and looters in our streets , you empower that hatred of Western Civilization .
You unleash demons .
The entire civilization must fall .
There must be payback .
There must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instance , at this still-early stage in The Revolution of 2020 , that the demons being empowered here are so clearly visible as they are in the former prime minister ’ s tweet .
Unless we can somehow separate out legitimate grievances from the agenda exploiting those grievances for other ends , Mohamad ’ s tweet is where this is all headed .
This is the agenda you are empowering when you dabble with the radical chic of 2020 .
That tweet .
And it is foolish of you to do so .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Connecticut Action .
He lives in Waterbury , Connecticut , with his wife and their seven children .
The views expressed on The Stream are solely his own .

This tweet is, believe it or not, from the former prime minister of Malaysia. “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past,” Mahathir Mohamad writes.
It was the 12th point in a string that began with a tweet about the French Muslim boy who beheaded his teacher for showing insulting pictures of Mohammad. It continued with complaints about the decadent West. And then: Kill Frenchmen.
My favorite righty pundits are making points about Twitter’s liberal bias. They’re right. But they’re also missing the bigger thing. The bigger thing is what all those who dabble in Anti-Columbus wokeness are inadvertently, ignorantly, stupidly setting us up for.
They’re setting us up for our fellow Americans sending tweets like Mahathir Mohamad’s. And perhaps, God forbid, someday acting on it.
Inherited Guilt
Against us and our children and grandchildren and generations unborn. If the Woke deem them to be carriers of inherited racial guilt. And they will.
That’s what phrases like “systemic racism” and “white privilege” and the asininity of feeling aggrieved by Christopher Columbus 514 years after his death are really all about. Prime Minister Mohamad’s tweet is where it will all lead.
The thing that breaks my heart about all this (one of the things, anyway) is that the cry of the oppressed is real. Some of the grievances are just.
Slavery, Jim Crow, that was real. The legacy is still with us. Some bad things are baked into the cake. I still won’t call the problem “systemic racism,” a phrase which implies malice on the part of innocent people.
To this day, there are certain ways in which white people can navigate the country easier than black people. I still won’t call it “white privilege,” an accusatory term, when what black people lack is not privilege, but liberty.
“Systemic racism” and “white privilege” … these are phrases often used by well-meaning people who have no idea of the agenda they are empowering. Of the demons they are unleashing. Read Dr. Mohamad’s tweet. This is the road you are putting us on. This is where it all leads.
2020 Is What It Is
My sympathies at the start of all this were entirely with the Black Lives Matter protesters. Even before George Floyd. When it was Ahmaud Arbery. I got a lot of grief for it. Abuse from righty friends on FB. Obnoxious voice mails on the Family Institute of Connecticut’s landline, rude emails to our inbox, enraged attacks on our social media.
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None of which caused me to budge an inch. Much the opposite. See my Stream columns in May and June. I stand by them. As I say above, this stuff is real.
But 2020 is what it is, what it has been. The riots and looting. The war on the police. (“Let them die.” A mob actually chanted that outside a hospital where wounded cops were being treated.) The toppling of statues of Washington and Lincoln.
The desecrating of churches and images of Christ and the saints. And something close to me: the decapitating of the statue of Christopher Columbus in front of the city hall of Waterbury, Connecticut, on the 4th of July.
Empowering Hatred
Ah yes, Columbus. The scapegoat for any bad thing that has occurred in the Americas in the subsequent 528 years since he landed here.
People more knowledgeable than me can defend the man (and many distinguished historians have). What interests me is the agenda behind the attack on Columbus.
Columbus is attacked not really because of any badness, real or perceived, on his part. He is attacked because our civilization on this continent begins with him. That is the real target, the civilization of which we are all a part. The West. Christendom.
Every time you dabble in Columbus hatred, every time you excuse the rioters and looters in our streets, you empower that hatred of Western Civilization. You unleash demons.
The entire civilization must fall. There must be payback. There must be blood.
Empowering Demons
It is a rare instance, at this still-early stage in The Revolution of 2020, that the demons being empowered here are so clearly visible as they are in the former prime minister’s tweet.
Unless we can somehow separate out legitimate grievances from the agenda exploiting those grievances for other ends, Mohamad’s tweet is where this is all headed. This is the agenda you are empowering when you dabble with the radical chic of 2020. That tweet.
And it is foolish of you to do so.
Peter Wolfgang is president of Family Institute of Connecticut Action. He lives in Waterbury, Connecticut, with his wife and their seven children. The views expressed on The Stream are solely his own.