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• The Unborn Cries For Social Justice

              Today, the Lord would have me build an important bridge from the January 13, 2019 post, The Courage Of Conviction, under the category, Instruction, to a social issue and His preachers.  The social issue is the wicked practice and tragedy of abortion solemnly held up, prayed about and protested by still not enough professed Christians and churches on this very day set apart each year as Sanctity Of Life Sunday.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a preacher who with God imbued courage, led many to stand up to nonviolently protest America’s oppressive and unjust treatment of its black citizens a generation ago before being assassinated.  We celebrate his holiday tomorrow.

   

              Surveying internet articles on abortion as a social justice issue, I was amazed not by the divergence of opinion, but by how the phrase “social justice” was defined, claimed and used by basically two different sides.  And since social justice as a contemporary concept draws its most important personification by way of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., each side also claimed him as a likely endorser.  In this post, it matters not where Dr. King may or may not have stood on abortion since he made no quoted direct and specific declaration one way or the other.  What matters to the God of the Bible is where all of the truly called preachers of His Word should courageously stand!

   

              Because definitions are an integral part of the intensifying spiritual warfare of these latter days, I cannot in good conscience go any further in this post until I first give proper definition to the terms “social” and “justice.”  In its first layer of definition for social, Microsoft Encarta relates it “to human society and how it is organized.”  Encarta goes on to associate social with how “people in groups behave and interact” as well as how they live or prefer to live as part of a community.  Justice is defined first as “fairness or reasonableness, especially in the way people are treated or decisions are made.”  It also refers to the legal system and how laws are applied according to this dictionary.

   

              So, then, it would seem that by combining the words social and justice one would come away generally understanding the phrase to mean the ways in which a human society has established standards of fairness and behavior that are upheld and enforced within it.  However, the world governed by Satan cannot endure such simplicity and must complicate things with this definition of the phrase: “the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society.”¹  And there it is, “human rights.”  Differing views of legitimate human rights and the source of morality is the reason our society is divided on the social justice issue of abortion.

   

              Faithful Christians--every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ--start with God and His Word rather than fallen, sinful human assertion no matter how scholarly or brilliant in understanding anything about societal function and concepts such as justice that originate with Him!²  Indeed, God as our Creator has made us in the divine image and likeness to function in community as God from eternity (Genesis 1:1-3, 26-28, 2:7, 18-24; Luke 3:21-22; John 15:17, 17:11, 20-26).  Referring to God, Scripture proclaims: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne,” (Psalm 89:14, NKJV).  God is the source of righteousness and justice!

   

              God introduced His righteous and just nature into the human experience when He gave a command and the consequence of disobedience to the first man (Genesis 2:15-17).  The man sinned and God brought His just consequence (Genesis 3:1-6, 17-19).³  For generations thereafter, Adam’s progeny were without righteous and just laws and nearly all destroyed as lawless in the global flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 4:1-24, 6:5-13).  God, not man; God later gave to Israel and the world His righteous and just laws introduced through Moses (Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Romans 5:12-14).  In His Law, Israel and any other human societies had a perfect standard of justice (Psalm 19:7-8; Romans 7:12).

   

              Our nation’s Declaration Of Independence declares we derive certain rights from God.  While individual rights were recognized in God’s laws, they never overstepped the eternal morality issuing forth from the righteousness and justice those laws embodied (Psalm 111:7-8, 119:142; Proverbs 14:12)!  Thus, no human individual or society on earth apart from government punitively has the right to take another human life which begins by God’s design at the moment of conception (Genesis 9:5-7; Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 18:18-20; Romans 13:1-4).⁴  It is here that every God called preacher is to take his stand to uphold the righteousness and justice of God’s Word and speak up to call out societies engaged in the unjust, wanton murder of its weakest citizens (Jeremiah 7:28-31).

   

              Truly, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. courageously stood up when called upon by the Lord to cry out for and demand social justice for oppressed, segregated, disenfranchised, poorly educated and impoverished black Americans from a nation claiming “In God We Trust” a generation ago (Psalm 103:6).  But now, a folk more helpless and voiceless than my slave forefathers cries out to God for social justice; even the unborn whose right to live by divine sanction is taken away in their mother’s wombs.  Why are the many preachers who know God’s Word silent?  Why do they not courageously stand up like Dr. King for black Americans and cry out with one voice on behalf of the unborn?  Is it not because they do not all know the Lord or have His heart (Matthew 7:21-23; Mark 10:13-16)? 

   

              Is it not also because the racial group in this society with the highest number of abortions today are black Americans whose post-Civil Rights era leadership that includes many preachers sold them out long ago like Esau for some stew (Genesis 25:29-34)?⁵  Therefore, unless they seek it now, they will not find a place of repentance in the judgment (Isaiah 1:10-20; Hebrews 12:12-17)!  And to the nation that has made law the unjust right of women to murder their unborn as Israel once sacrificed its children to demons (Psalm 106:37-38): the Lord will stand for the unborn and vindicate their blood as their Avenger in His holy wrath (Psalm 9; Jeremiah 7:32-34; Nahum 1:2-6; Zephaniah 1:14-18)!  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

   

  1 Goggle “define social justice” and see the definition offered by Wikipedia.

  2 Learn  more  about  the  aspiring  strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ from my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and com-

     panion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study.  They are available in the Strong Man Store.

  3 Death  as  a  consequence of the first man’s sin included separation from fellowship and harmonious community with God (Isaiah 59:1-2) followed by the same among

     humanity at every level beginning in the family; working its ruinous end among brothers and spouses (Genesis 4:8; Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 19:1-8).  The Lord Jesus

     Christ  alone  through His death, burial and resurrection has made restoration of life, fellowship and harmonious community with God and among all humanity possible

     (John 3:16-17, 11:23-27, 14:6; Romans 5:6-11; Ephesians 2:1-7; 1 Peter 3:8-12).

  4 See the August 19, 2018 post, Valuing Human Life, under the category, Biblical Worldview.

  5 Read  the four-part post beginning February 26, 2017, God Of Restoration And Judgment (and especially part three for which this footnote is specifically made), under

     the category, Black History.

• The Racial Double Standard, Pt. 2

              Among other things, this edited 2013 repost is a real world illustration of just one evil done by those that have practiced loveless Christianity the religion of men in America from its founding.⁶  That its practitioners and churches have helped to morally undergird and maintain the nation’s racial double standard is the focus of this part two.  An appropriate call to repent is made to the guilty.

   

              According to Microsoft Encarta Dictionary, a double standard occurs when a principle, rule, or expectation is applied to some people, but not others in a way that is unfair.  America’s historic racial double standard where its laws, system of justice, morals and rules of social conduct were unfairly applied to blacks in favor of whites is perceived by many to remain largely, though covertly intact.  So, while the American justice system is supposed to be blind, given the history and present hour realities, most honest Americans must concede that the tables being turned and a black man killed a white man, they would be shocked if he were to be found not guilty--“stand your ground law” or not.

   

              It is a fallen world--you know I get that.  However, keeping it real and straight to the point of our strong man of God cause, white men weak in the sin of racism professing to be Christians and operating out of churches claiming to represent Christianity have for centuries been the enabling moral force behind America’s racial double standard.⁷  Because of that fact, to this day in many predominantly white churches a white man’s word or teaching still carries more weight than a black man’s no matter how biblically sound.  Too, a white man’s evil deeds will be reflexively excused or explained away, while a black man guilty of the same behavior would be more severely dealt with.

   

              I know this because I have been part of predominantly white denominations since 1980 and am presently a member of a predominantly white church where I have experienced the racial double standard.⁸  Indeed, because of it, some of the white readers of this post that are guilty will automatically dismiss what I am saying in denial rather than taking it to heart and repenting!  Some of my black brothers will say, “Get out of there!”  But if professed white and black Christians never interact, how will we ever resolve issues like the racial double standard; as brothers, presenting to the world the commanded, superior way of Christ (John 13:34-35; Romans 15:1-7)?

   

              Safely retreated into segregated camps apathetically retaining the racial double standard status quo is not now nor was it ever God’s solution!  Truly, it is a state of sinful defeat that especially professed Christian conservative white Americans live in that tolerates all of the racial negatives including the double standard in the camp without any serious attempt to remove them.⁹  As I have already alluded to as a reason, many practice counterfeit Christianity the religion of men.  It allows one to profess being a Christian without having to demonstrate any real “fruits” of repentance so that impostors proliferate within their ranks (Luke 3:7-14; Galatians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:16-23, NKJV).¹⁰

   

              Corrupting Scripture to arrogantly rationalize redefining men of color as sub-human and inferior, the majority of their forefathers as professed Christians established the racial double standard; upheld to this hour if not overtly in word, covertly by deeds.  Falsely believing God shared their wicked view of non-white men, they failed to realize (or care) their sin with disobedient others cast shame upon Christ’s name among its consequences (Romans 2:17-24; 1 Timothy 5:14-15, 6:1; Titus 2:1-10)!  Using double standards falls biblically into the category of showing partiality which God does not do and condemns as sin (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Galatians 2:6; James 2:1-9).

   

              Therefore, let every professed Christian be warned from the sinful issue of racial double standards raised again in the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman: repent if you are guilty lest the God who shows no partiality you claim to serve deals with you personally as your sins deserve (Romans 2:1-11; Galatians 6:7-8; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:13-21).  Moreover, recognize this and every effort to communicate God’s call to repentance to you rebuffed for whatever reasons including racism, serves as a witness against you “before the judgment seat of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 5:9-11, NKJV).  God in wrath will also destroy your religion (Revelation 16:17-21).  To the relative few faithful working to repair racism’s damages: your reward awaits you; keep working!

   

              Nonetheless, the work of the faithful will not forestall God’s coming wrath upon this and all nations guilty of prolonged and severe oppression of subjugated peoples.  For just as Judah, what God allowed as punishment for ancient sin in the case of my people and all surviving minorities from America’s colonial times was only to be for a little season.  As He did to Babylon, His vengeance is about to fall on the nations “at ease” that unmercifully lengthened their pain.  This will be followed by His mercy extended to Jerusalem and the lowliest of souls waiting in faith for Him (Isaiah 47:1-7; Jeremiah 25:8-33; Zechariah 1:12-17, 2:6-13; Luke 1:46-55, 6:20-23; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12, NKJV).¹¹  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

   

    6 See the two-part post, Christianity The Religion Of Men beginning August 21, 2016 under the category, Instruction.

    7 Read my September 4, 2016 post, Christianity The Religion American Style and those that follow that month under the category, Call To Repent.

    8 Once,  in  a  one  on  one  meeting, the  pastor  had a knife under his leg that was revealed when he rose up out of his chair to leave the room briefly.  Upon his return,

       I  asked  about  the  knife  since there was no reason to fear me.  I was told it must have fallen out of his pocket and was carried only out of the norm of his cultural up-

       bringing.  After  sharing  the  incident with church elders that included a police officer, it was dismissed as my misperception--an outcome most blacks are familiar with.

       Perhaps  so,  but  because  of  the  racial double standard also practiced in many predominantly white churches, I have no doubt that had it been me with the knife, the

       incident would have been seen and handled differently.

    9 I make a distinction between “conservative” Christians which tend to be white and those souls from every hue like me that are “biblically conservative” in likeness to the

       Lord  Jesus  (Matthew  5:17-20)  as  I discuss in an April 19, 2015 repost, On The Lord’s Side, under the category, The Cause.  Though there is generally an overlap in

       some  shared  morals, in  contrast  to conservative Christians who are more worldly political and patriotically intense, biblical conservatives have as our uppermost con-

       cern  love for Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit preserving, applying and living out the eternally transcendent truths and instruction of God’s Word as it is written! 

       As  a  result,  there  is  no  tolerance of or accommodation to the sin of racism in our ranks.  Read my December 11, 2016 post, Professing Christian Racism Is Sin Too,

       under the category, Call To Repent.

  10 Read the July 8-22, 2018 posts that discuss biblical faith, false and real Christians as well as authentic Christianity.

  11 For  a  summary  historical  examination of the rise and fall of Christianity as a manmade religion along with God’s foretold judgments on the nations, read the February

       24-March 17, 2017 four-part blog series, God Of Restoration And Judgment, under the category, The Cause.

• A President’s Social Vision For America

              As the Lord led, I offered this related, edited post-script in this Ministry’s newsletter that immediately followed the February 2013 main Commentary I posted on February 3, 2019 entitled, “Christianity In Black And White,” under the category, Black History.  The intent then was not to bash President Barack Obama (as it is not now) with some worldly, partisan political agenda in writing the brief post-script.  But as even those who fully disagree with things the Lord leads me to write certainly know by now, my intent was to faithfully represent the God of the Bible’s view from His Word in this case of a social vision for our nation that does not line up with it in any form except by corruption!

   

              Every American President is rightly expected to lay out his vision for America when he takes office.  If--as will eventually be the case--our Presidents offered an entirely secular vision for the nation devoid of any even implied reference to a Judeo-Christian moral underpinning, it would be one thing.  But nearly all have attempted to curry divine and Christian favor by incorporating a social component in their national vision that includes a show of sensitivity for the less fortunate and those challenged in some way.  President Johnson had his “Great Society” to address poverty and racial injustice and H.W. Bush “A Thousand Points Of Light” for community service as notable examples.

   

              No longer in office, Mr. Obama and those sharing his social vision of equality are still pushing black Americans to adopt it even though it involves accepting sinful behavior practiced within a coalition of allies falsely claiming God approves.¹  No, folks; be students of biblical and world history to see how such a move in rebellion against God ends in disaster every time (2 Kings 17:1-12; Isaiah 30:1-5, 31:1-3; Jeremiah 17:5-6).  You cannot be an ally with evil and expect righteousness to result; you are being deceived (Galatians 6:7-8)!  Labor for what has been morally right in the Lord’s eyes forever (Malachi 3:6) while waiting on His return to reign (Isaiah 11:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12).²

   

  Originally Published February 2013

   

              How appealing is the second term social vision for America laid out by our nation’s first African-American President, Barack Obama.  For the descendants of slaves,³ such a vision of inclusion, fairness and equality speaks directly to the heart of everything our forefathers endured their plight to realize except for one thing.  Those that were truly born again, faithful Christians would not embrace Mr. Obama’s inclusion of rebels against the divine order in their own vision (John 14:15).

   

              The hope of freedom, racial equality and justice faithful black Christians from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement suffered for was completely in line with God’s moral order as presented in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  However, to implement Mr. Obama’s vision of social justice and equality, one must trample upon God’s Word to accept immoral feticide and same sex marriage.⁴

   

              Black Christians faithful to God know “we have come this far by faith leaning on” not slapping away the succoring arms of the Lord in rebellion.  Therefore, in faithfulness, our President’s social vision must be rejected as an affront to God and mockery of our forefathers’ suffering (Psalm 40:1-4).   Racial and all other loyalties of this present age end where divergence from God’s Word begins!  Already the Lord challenges this abominable vision with increasing severity to come (Revelation 8-9).

   

  1 Read the May 14, 2017 post, Mother’s Day Joy And Sadness, under the category, Holidays.

  2 This is the heart of every aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.

      It is available at all major internet booksellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.

  3 This Black History Month, make it a point to visit https://fromslaverytovictory.org the official Web Site of the From Slavery To Victory Education Project presenting a bib-

      lical worldview of the black American experience.

  4 See the January 20, 2019 post, The Unborn Cries For Social Justice, under the category, Biblical Worldview and Developing Men: The Equality Trap, posted December

     10, 2017 under the category, The Cause.

• The Racial Double Standard, Pt. 1

              As I do in the opening paragraph of this now re-titled, two-part and edited 2013 repost, I write the introduction acknowledging that I am well aware of the continuing news of especially young black males being gunned down by police and citizens white and black.¹  Some in foolish retaliation have targeted and murdered police officers.  None of this is righteous in the sight of the God I serve, the Lord Jesus Christ, who in accord with His Word is indignant at the needless carnage however it occurs since men can, but refuse to turn to Him for salvation and deliverance from evil hearts (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 15:19; John 3:16-21, 36; Romans 1:18-32; Revelation 6:12-17, 19:11-16).

   

              From the Lord’s impartial judgment, the killing of black males and any retaliation all stem from sin that is common to every human heart and deceptively played upon by the original murderer, Satan (John 8:44).  The handiwork of the deceiver is everywhere to be seen in the tragic taking of human lives up to and including his not so subtle instigation and sustaining of the racial double standard born of the sin of racism that exists in every fabric of American society.  For truly, at the end of the day as this repost reveals, our nation’s racial double standard has even been falsely portrayed as upheld by God through Satan’s master stroke, Christianity the religion of men.  God is not pleased!

   

  Originally Posted July 21, 2013

   

              My first reaction last year after hearing about the shooting death of Trayvon Martin at the hand of George Zimmerman was sadness for the young man and his family followed by the familiar sickening revulsion at how and why he was shot as news reports presented details of the event.  Not wanting to be presumptuous and waiting on the Lord’s release, I have held my peace on the matter until now.  Let me be clear: the killing of a human being by another whether it is in the womb or the streets saddens me because it also grieves the living God who made man in the divine image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27, 6:5-6).  The guilty should repent now before the Judge of all the earth!

   

              There is a sense spiritually originating principally from Satan, that the killing of a man is an attempt to eradicate any vestiges of God displayed through His marred image uniquely resident in mankind (Genesis 3:1-11, 4:1-8, 6:11-13, 9:5-6; Isaiah 52:13-15).  Even so, regardless of why finally George Zimmerman (who calls himself Hispanic) for legal purposes says he shot Trayvon, the fact he carried a gun and uttered the contemptible things he did to the 911 dispatcher as a prelude, condemn his subsequent actions on High (Matthew 5:21-26).²  If he has not already, he should repent and turn to Christ through faith in the Gospel for salvation from His perfect justice (Revelation 20:11-15)!

   

              Trayvon’s violent reaction to George Zimmerman’s invasion of his space is in no way being excused here.  His is a reaction every black American male in the sinful flesh can empathize with though, most would not carry out; certainly none walking in the Holy Spirit who helps aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ when called upon (Romans 8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25).³  In slavery and Jim Crow America, black parents that wanted their children to live exercised a similar restraining effort in their lives and whipped them to teach the self-control that would keep a white man from killing them.  Faithful Christian parents also taught trusting all vengeance to the Lord (Psalm 7).

   

              However, a post-Civil Rights generation in large numbers does not know the Lord of Scripture who brought us out nor do they care to employ the restraint of their careful forefathers.  They resent the fact our people were oppressed in such a way that they could not express their outrage at injustice or defend themselves against unprovoked harassment.  Trayvon died expressing his angry reaction to George Zimmerman’s irritating racial profile (which shamefully is still a continuing fact of life for blacks and other racial minorities in 21^st century America) and all it got him was dead.⁴  And while he may be a hero to some on earth, he is not to any on High (Matthew 5:38-48).

   

              Just or unjust under the laws of man (specifically, Florida’s so-called “stand your ground law” which is unjust particularly since it wickedly emboldens concealed gun carrying citizens to act aggressively toward those they might not otherwise engage in non-life threatening encounters--Jeremiah 17:9), a jury has given its not guilty verdict in George Zimmerman’s murder trial.  No amount of marching or retaliating violence will change it.⁵  Nevertheless, Trayvon Martin’s death, the Florida law and the trial has started some righteous conversations about issues of racial profiling, the definition of self-defense, criminal proceedings etc.  I would like to challenge readers of this blog to also consider one of the larger issues raised in this case, that of our nation’s racial double standard.

   

    1 The  police  ultimately  as  agents  of authority “appointed by God” have His permission to kill a man in the narrow instance of carrying out their lawful duties (Romans

       13:1-7,  NKJV)  and  never  as  an  issue of the sinful heart such as racism.  For God Himself holds them accountable.  Therefore, our sons must be taught to respect

       police  authority and  refrain  from  evildoing;  trusting  that  God  who gave them their skin color (Acts 17:26a) will deal with any of His agents that make being black a

       punishable crime (Psalm 82, 94:1-11, 20-23; Lamentations 3:34-36; Luke 3:14-17; James 2:8-13).

    2 Read the December 27, 2015 post, People And Guns under the category, Biblical Worldview.

    3 I write about Christian men as aspiring strong men of God in the image of Jesus Christ in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.  It is available at all major

       internet book sellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.

    4 I  fully  empathize  with  the  instant anger Trayvon felt and every black American male feels when being targeted for the God given blessing of being us.  However, as I

       had to begin to learn after becoming a born again Christian in 1977, my anger does not lead to the outcome of God’s righteousness (James 1:19-20).

    5 Read  my  November  29,  2015  blog,  When  The Glory Comes, under the category, Glory To God!  A divinely initiated paradigm shift in the way of the world that shall

       stand forever  is  about  to  happen.  Faithful  Christians  know  that  God  expects  us  to wait for it a little while longer in persevering faith and patience (Psalm 37:1-11;

       James 5:1-12).

• Persecution Of American Christians Intensifying

              Having just spent time giving serious thanks to God for all of His blessings this Thanksgiving, the Lord again directs my attention to the persecution being suffered by my Christian brethren among many nations.  Though I do not write a lot about the ongoing persecution of Christians, I stay regularly informed and prayerful for all.  The aforementioned “all” includes not just the suffering faces of those in faraway lands such as North Korea and Nigeria, but increasingly, those enduring persecution in this Western hemisphere and our own nation.  Truly, growing hostility toward and persecution of Bible believing Christians in America is a reality that can no longer be dismissed as only isolated.

   

              As a supporter of similarly named, but organizationally unrelated Open Doors USA, our Ministry regularly receives their reports on what is happening among our persecuted Christian brethren around the world.¹  Not only are our brethren suffering from family and community exclusion within the nations they live, but government harassment, arrests, unfair trials, incarceration, legally sanctioned mob violence and martyrdom.  When the Christian men are targeted for incarceration or murder, it leaves their families to suffer.  While Communist and Islamic run nations fill the list of persecutors, nations such as Christian Eritrea, Hindu India and Buddhist Bhutan are also prominent.²

   

              It is about to get really real for those of us that profess to be Christians in America too.  Intensifying opposition to the biblical faith once on the fringe of American society is going mainstream.  Moral tenets of the faith once taken for granted as absolute and bedrock to American society are not only being challenged, but cast down as no longer acceptable.  These are not just tenets governing marriage and family for example, but definitions of objective truth, right and wrong, good and evil as well as justice and injustice.  In the wake of this swiftly moving river of moral upheaval, Christians that would dare stand firm for the moral tenets of our faith are suffering varying degrees of persecution.

   

              Besides the “in-your-face” government policies and litigations to remove crosses and nativity scenes as public displays of Christianity to implement falsely believed constitutionally mandated church and state separation, some Christians have suffered being demoted or fired from employment because they had Bibles at their work stations or read them on breaks.  And because many secular entities have a “corporate culture” now, that does not tolerate religious expression (though, they publicly trumpet “inclusion” and “diversity” as values), being hired a Christian with a social media presence may be very difficult and once hired, witnessing Christ to co-workers is out.³

   

              American secular colleges and universities that have historically celebrated tolerating various viewpoints as a means in the process of vigorous, but polite debate to sharpen the thinking of young minds have in too many instances today, hung out the “not welcome” sign to a biblical worldview.  Biblically conservative Christian students are routinely singled out and held up to ridicule for their faith.  Christian professors do not escape either.⁴  The secular media regularly ignores and mocks Christians that hold to a biblical worldview being quick only to report on high profile “Televangelists” and “Megachurch Pastors” whose sins come to light, while social media giants resist them.⁵

   

              As I have also commented in other posts, a number of American Christians have been purposely targeted and martyred in mass shootings such as the one at Columbine High School in 1999 along with churches as occurred in Charleston, SC in 2015 and Sutherland Springs, TX in 2017.⁶  In agreement with all other observers here, none of what American Christians have suffered to date compares with the daily egregious and violent persecution our overseas brethren endure--yet!  Praying for “the persecuted church” like it is some disconnected entity that exists only in non-exceptional, often impoverished nations of the world is about to change as persecutors intensify their efforts in America.⁷  And why?  It is their “hour and the power of darkness,” (Luke 22:52-53, NKJV).

   

              For this reason, beyond seeking to sensitize us to the ongoing suffering of our brethren wherever they are as a primary reason for this post, exhorting faithful American Christians to spiritually, mentally and emotionally prepare for the kind of hatred fed persecution our overseas brethren experience is an important secondary reason since our Lord has warned it is to occur in “all nations,” (Matthew 10:16-39, 24:9, NKJV).⁸  Now, is the time to awake from arrogance and apathy to get ready for what our Lord foretells and assures will take place.  Among the equipping resources available is my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and related group studies.⁹  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

   

  1 The  organizational  parent  of  Strong  Man  Ministries is Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. I was led by the Lord to found August 12, 1985.  Read some of the

     stories of persecuted Christians among the many countries on the 2020 World Watch List of Open Doors USA.

  2 What many of our brethren overseas “normally” suffer from their persecutors has been intensified during the Lord’s Coronavirus judgment.  As we are banding together

     with  other  Christians  to  help  and  encourage one another here at home, the Lord would have us remember our suffering persecuted brethren in those faraway lands 

     with tangible support as well (1 John 3:16-18).

  3 Sadly, our military as a work place is no exception.  Read about the case of Chaplain Curt Cizek.

  4 To learn more about the experience of Christians on American campuses read the following ACLJ, Beliefnet and IsChristianityTrue articles.

  5 I  can  attest  to  the heavy-handed resistance of Facebook to biblically conservative ministries such as this one among the social media giants.  “Likes” to our pages by

     Christians  mysteriously  dwindle  after I write blogs or make posts on their platform that are not politically correct, tolerant etc. which the Lord has had me call them on.

     They  want  me  to  believe  that just making better posts and spending more money to “boost” them will remedy the situation though, such has not been the case since

     they also limit the reach of the same.  For the record, I do understand a to be expected number of professed Christians that formerly liked our Facebook pages are sub-

     ject  to  “unlike” them at any time as a show of disagreement with me.  I get that, but not what Facebook is doing which lately has even taken away page likes whenever

     someone has liked a post!  I urge Christians that have liked our pages and those of other ministries to check back periodically especially if you have not received a post

     in your newsfeeds for a time and re-like the pages if necessary.  Also, enlist other Christians on Facebook to like our pages after you have done so.

  6 Read  for  example,  the  June  8,  2014 post, And Then There Is The War, under the category, instruction.  Revisit the cited respective church shootings at the following

     links Charleston, SC and Sutherland Springs, TX.

  7 See the November 12, 2017 post, God’s Throwaways?, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

  8 Read the two-part post beginning May 17, 2020, Persecution, Hatred And Betrayal, under the category, Bible Prophecy.

  9 A  print copy or digital download of the book published by the Publishing Division of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. with fresh editing in 2019 for greater clari-

     ty  and updated web addresses in the footnotes is available at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).

     You  can  also  purchase  a print copy in the Strong Man Store.  Too, leaders can teach, disciple and equip through The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and The

     Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study also in the Strong Man Store.

• American Culture’s Religion, Pt. 1

              On this Lord’s Day and occasion of solemn remembrance for the lives lost during the murderous events of 2001, I reflect and as the Lord’s servant, soberly continue calling for repentance and revival in the churches.  While not all of those that died that day were professing Christians, the national religious response in the aftermath was decidedly Christian in sight and sound as services were held at the National Cathedral (the closest thing in the culture to an official church) and churches around the nation.  In one of only a few times in American history to that point, the nation was blindsided by evil and Christianity as the culture’s primary religion was looked to for comfort.

   

              For a few weeks attendance in the nation’s churches was up as has been typical historically in times of crisis.  Comforted by sermons extolling the love, care and compassion of God along with the familiar music and traditional rituals of the respective church services, the largely professing, cultural American Christians quickly returned to their usual routines as many researchers noted at the time.¹  Since then, the same researchers are reporting a continuing slide in religious participation by Americans.  As I write, many especially conservative evangelical Christians decry this and are bemoaning the departure of America away from its religious roots as a “Christian nation.” 

   

              The descriptor of America as a “Christian nation” is strongly held by such persons because generically speaking, Christianity has been the dominant religion of the nation by pure number of professing adherents since its inception.  Early explorers hailed from European nations where Christianity was the dominant religion and the colonists that followed declared themselves Christian in name if not fully in practice.  Indeed, many from the various Protestant sects fled Europe to escape from murderous persecution by fellow Protestants, Catholic and State church authorities.  They sought freedom to practice their beliefs and convictions of conscience without consequence.

   

              Though there had been no idyllic precedent in Europe after many noble tries over the centuries, some idealists did hope to set up a Christian land in the New World.  As I wrote in my September 4, 2016 post, Christianity The Religion American Style in this same category, the United States of America arose from the large moral and ethical influence of the real and counterfeit forms of Christianity among a number of heady political and social ideas of the time.  In spite of badly missing the biblical mark by for example, racially redefining “neighbor” as “whites only” in sinfully showing partiality (Luke 10:25-37; James 2:1-13), the influence of Christianity as its dominant religion helped shape America’s culture through the mid-twentieth century. 

   

              America’s entrepreneurial, “can do” spirit and valuing of hard work to build something up out of nothing can be directly traced back to those early colonists and the Protestant work ethic.  The concern for rights and justice embodied in the founding documents clearly acknowledge and declare they flow from a Creator; the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible.  From that Bible too, proper social behavior, the concept of fair play and concern for the poor, widow and orphan had been drawn.  Religious zeal wrapped in cultural arrogance by some among professing Christians, led to America being of the greatest missionary sending and supporting nations in Christian history. 

   

              Truly, America became great reaching its pinnacle with the victory of World War II because of its initial tip of the hat to God, noble, though selective attempt to live out the Bible’s moral and ethical precepts and doing of commendable works in human strength.  However, even with a continuing respectful tip of the hat to God, full adherence to the Bible’s morality and ethics (if this were possible) and doing works, the nation was surely going to come to where it is now spiritually which is far from anything like “Christian.”  For every faithful Christian knows just acknowledging God, morality, ethics and works are not what biblical and real Christianity is all about first, but salvation from sin leading to reconciliation with God, spiritual regeneration and eternal life (Romans 5:6-11; Titus 3:3-8)! 

   

              For God as sovereign Judge has declared His verdict of condemnation on all mankind that we are sinners unable to perfectly keep and be justified by His law which embodies His holy will and just demands of us (Romans 3:9-20).  But He in love and by grace has provided righteousness for us through repentance and faith alone in the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ because even at our human best, we miss God’s standard of perfection (Romans 3:21-31).  If every citizen to a man genuinely came to Christ for salvation, reconciliation with God, spiritual regeneration and eternal life then and only then might America lay claim to being a “Christian nation.”  The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"

   

  1 Google “post 9 11 church attendance” and among others, read the Fox News article citing Barna Research findings.