There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope (v. 5). This is a declaration of certain trust in the Lord. Twice the verb for ‘wait for’ (qâvâh, Pi.) is used and once the verb ‘to hope’ (yâchal, Hi.). These verbs are very close together in meaning, and convey the idea of expectant waiting.2 The psalmist is not waiting in case God should be gracious. On the contrary, he has clearly received forgiveness, and now continues in the sure confidence that God, while remaining just, is able to blot out iniquities (Rom. 3:26). Upon God’s own word he places his complete reliance (cf. the similar language in Ps. 119:49).[1]
130:5I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits. The psalmist is waiting for Yahweh’s forgiveness (see 40:1). Note the use of ’adonay and YHWH in verses 5 and 6, the same pattern as we have seen in verses 1 and 2.[2]
5. “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait.” Expecting him to come to me in love, I quietly wait for his appearing; I wait upon him in service, and for him in faith. For God I wait and for him only: if he will manifest himself I shall have nothing more to wait for; but until he shall appear for my help I must wait on, hoping even in the depths. This waiting of mine is no mere formal act, my very soul is in it,—“my soul doth wait.” I wait and I wait—mark the repetition! “My soul waits,” and then again, “My soul waits”; to make sure work of the waiting. It is well to deal with the Lord intensely. Such repetitions are the reverse of vain repetitions. If the Lord Jehovah makes us wait, let us do so with our whole hearts; for blessed are all they that wait for him. He is worth waiting for. The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submission, and endears the blessing when it comes. The Lord’s people have always been a waiting people: they waited for the First Advent, and now they wait for the Second. They waited for a sense of pardon, and now they wait for perfect sanctification. They waited in the depths, and they are not now wearied with waiting in a happier condition. They have cried and they do wait; probably their past prayer sustains their present patience.
“And in his word do I hope.” This is the source, strength, and sweetness of waiting. Those who do not hope cannot wail; but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. God’s word is a true word, but at times it tarries; if ours is true faith it will wait the Lord’s time. A word from the Lord is as bread to the soul of the believer; and, refreshed thereby, it holds out through the night of sorrow expecting the dawn of deliverance and delight. Waiting, we study the word, believe the word, hope in the word, and live on the word; and all because it is “his word,”—the word of him who never speaks in vain. Jehovah’s word is a firm ground for a waiting soul to rest upon.[3]
Nehemiah 3:1 — The roll call of the faithful who were involved in rebuilding the walls! Pastor Wolfmueller has collected some maps to help explain what is going on:
Nehemiah 4:1 — No good deed goes unpunished! Nehemiah has learned the lesson from the past and intersperses the building project with prayer; we see this in Nehemiah 4:4-5 and Nehemiah 4:9.
Nehemiah 4:16 — A most unusual church building campaign! We often see the story of Nehemiah used in church building campaigns, but we can be thankful for the freedom of religion in America so that we don’t have to be physically armed. But just because our enemies don’t threaten us physically, we are daily tempted with a more subtle and dangerous enemy that has lulled us to sleep: APATHY!
Nehemiah 5:7-8 — Nehemiah is decrying crony capitalism – the “war profiteering” of his day. But note how he argued with them (Nehemiah 5:10) – he had the opportunity to demand their submission, but he didn’t. He led by example!
1 Corinthians 7:27 — Paul’s advice seems to contradict Ezra’s in Ezra 10:11 where he ordered the Israelites to divorce. Ezra, however, was talking to Jewish men who were marrying unbelievers, while Paul is talking to Gentile men who became believers after they had married other unbelievers.
1 Corinthians 7:28 — Having recently been married, I am glad that Paul says I have not sinned! For those of you who are single, John MacArthur has preached on this passage and notes the five blessings of singleness:
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken. (Isaiah 62:4)
“Forsaken” is a dreary word. It sounds like a knell. It is the record of sharpest sorrows and the prophecy of direst ills. An abyss of misery yawns in that word forsaken. Forsaken by one who pledges his honor! Forsaken by a friend so long tried and trusted! Forsaken by a dear relative! Forsaken by father and mother! Forsaken by all! This is woe indeed, and yet it may be patiently born if the Lord will take us up.
But what must it be to feel forsaken of God? Think of that bitterest of cries, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Have we ever in any degree tasted the wormwood and the gall of “forsaken” in that sense? If so, let us beseech our Lord to save us from any repetition of so unspeakable a sorrow. Oh, that such darkness may never return! Men in malice said of a saint, “God hath forsaken him; persecute and take him.” But it was always false. The Lord’s loving favor shall compel our cruel foes to eat their own words or, at least, to hold their tongues.
The reverse of all this is that superlative word Hephzibah “the Lord delighteth in thee.” This turns weeping into dancing. Let those who dreamed that they were forsaken hear the Lord say, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”
Harris campaign quietly scrubs ‘retired Command Sergeant Major’ from Walz’s bio Walz has fallen under scrutiny from Republicans for referring to himself as a retired command sergeant major when, in reality, he was only conditionally promoted to the rank but failed to perform the training necessary to permanently obtain it before retiring as a master sergeant in 2005
‘Evil person’: Minnesota business owner unloads on Walz for being ‘complete dictator’ during COVID-19 pandemic Urban, on “America Reports,” characterized Walz as an “evil” tyrant for his policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, asserting the vice presidential candidate is farther left than Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Walz was a complete dictator through that whole period. Really an evil person, more than a dictator. He actually made it illegal for families to gather for Christmas and Thanksgiving,”
RNC Asks Supreme Court To Reinstate Arizona’s Citizenship Check Voting Laws Among other things, they require that people who register to vote in Arizona using a state form provide “satisfactory” proof of citizenship or residency, such as a birth certificate, to be eligible to vote. The laws also require individuals to include their state or country of birth and mandate that counties conduct citizenship checks and remove non-citizens from the rolls.`
Pentagon Refuses To Rule Out Strikes On Moscow In Shocking Exchange On Ukraine’s Incursion Into Kursk Singh still tried to point out that it remains US policy for Ukraine to avoid striking deep into Russian territory using American arms; however, when pressed about the scenario of a direct attack on Moscow, she simply said: “I’m not going to put a specific range on it” and thus refused to rule it out.
Smith Is No Longer In A Hurry: Special Counsel Moves To Slow Down District Court Judge Smith repeatedly moved to curtail Trump’s appellate rights and demand expedited appeals to try to secure a conviction before the election. In that effort, he found an equally motivated judge in U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who virtually turned her court into a rocket docket to try Trump. Now, in a neck-breaking change of direction, Smith is trying to slow down Chutkan who appears again ready to pull out the stops in this case. After the mandate in the case was returned to her, Judge Chutkan immediately resumed her high-speed scheduling to look at the pre-trial issues after the Court reversed her earlier rulings on the basis of presidential immunity.
Iran seeks to meddle in US elections – Microsoft Hackers and fake news sites allegedly linked to Iran might be up to something nefarious in the US, Microsoft has warned in a new cyber intelligence report. Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) released a nine-page paper on Friday, claiming to have found traces of influence operations targeting Americans, mainly Iranian but also Chinese and Russian.“Iranian actors have recently laid the groundwork for influence operations aimed at US audiences and potentially seeking to impact the 2024 US presidential election,” the MTAC said.
Worshipping Madness: The New World Order Demands A New god I mention this because of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Did we witness a mockery of The Last Supper or was it, as claimed, the Feast of Dionysus? The world is, once again, divided and both sides are standing their ground on what they perceived. However, this time, we are not simply dealing with the colour of a dress. We are dealing with demonic deception on a global scale.
IDF, Shin Bet eliminate Hamas commander in Lebanon Military confirms strike near Sidon killed Samer Mahmoud al-Haj, responsible from the terror group’s munition launches from Lebanon. The IDF and ISA will continue operating against the Hamas terrorist organization and dismantling the terrorist organization’s capabilities,” the statement added.
Judea and Samaria leaders demand PM act to remove US sanctions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Tel Aviv on Thursday with the heads of the local councils in Judea and Samaria to discuss two main issues: sanctions against so-called “settlers” as well as the severe security situation in the region.
Columbia University Administrators Resign Over Antisemitism Scandal Three Columbia University administrators who took turns exchanging text messages which, according to school president Minouche Shafik, “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes,” have resigned from their jobs in disgrace. As first reported by the Washington Free Beacon in a bombshell report, Columbia administrators Susan Chang-Kim, Cristen Kromm, Matthew Patashnick, and Josef Sorett, who is the college’s dean, sent a series of text messages which denounced Jews as “privileged” and venal
China’s Malicious Influence in the Middle East More than a dozen Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint declaration in Beijing last month to create an interim unity government that would operate in both the West Bank and Gaza. But the deal has no implementation mechanism, and there is no apparent settlement of the Hamas-Fatah war that started in 2007 and has been brewing on the West Bank since 2021. The declaration in Beijing raised a few eyebrows, but mostly for the wrong reasons.
Hamas’ strange battle of succession isn’t over yet Despite all the pomp, Iran couldn’t draw attention away from the scandalous assassination of Haniyeh on Iranian soil, smearing the reputation of a country that has bragged the efficiency of its secret service and Revolutionary Guard at foiling attacks. And soon after the event ended, the battle among leading Hamas members around who would succeed Haniyeh began.
EU nation tightens border controls amid gang violence Denmark will strengthen border controls with Sweden following a resurgence of gang violence that has spilled over into the country in recent weeks, the Danish justice ministry has said. Police will increase their controls on trains crossing the Oresund Strait which links the Swedish city of Malmo with the Danish capital Copenhagen and is also the main crossing point between the two nations. The use of camera surveillance will also be stepped up.
101 haredim complete emergency squad training The second cycle of the “Halacha L’Maaseh” project, which provides basic combat infantry training, concluded on Thursday night with a graduation ceremony at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. The cycle was completed by 101 haredi residents of Judea and Samaria who completed basic training achieving Rifleman-03 level.
Israelis receive scary text messages: You will be buried Many Israelis report receiving a text message including their name, address and warning that the recipient “will be buried by next week”. Israel Police: These are fake messages intended to cause panic.
IRGC: Khamenei’s order to harshly punish Israel will be carried out Revolutionary Guards deputy commander says Iran is set to carry out an order by Supreme Leader to “harshly punish” Israel for elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. “The Supreme Leader’s orders regarding the harsh punishment of Israel and revenge for the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit …and they will be implemented in the best possible way,” said Ali Fadavi, cited by Iranian media.
Smotrich says now is ‘not the time’ for renewal of hostage negotiations Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had harsh words for mediators’ call to renew hostage and ceasefire negotiations and said now is “not the time” to release Palestinian prisoners in a “delusional symmetry” between terrorists and hostages. Smotrich also called the deal a “dangerous trap.” He wrote, “It’s definitely not the time for a capitulating deal that ends the war before the elimination of the Hamas ISIS Nazis, allowing them to recover and return to murder Jews again,” he wrote.
Hamas demands release of intifada mastermind in exchange for hostages As negotiations for a hostage deal resume, Hamas is demanding the release of 2nd Intifada mastermind Marwan Barghouti and other terrorist murderers in exchange for Israeli captives, Sky News Arabic reported on Friday. Hamas’ demand to release Barghouti is viewed by most Israeli as impossible to fulfill.
‘Jewish Americans for Kamala Harris’ is an Anti-Israel Group The two most prominent non-elected officials taking part in the rally are Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers union, and her girlfriend, Sharon Kleinbaum. While Weingarten is best known for her work in keeping school closed leading to as much as a grade point of loss in education, she is militantly anti-Israel and has used antisemitic rhetoric.
Russian video shows Christian-Muslim military alliance The Russian military recently released a recruitment video showing a military alliance uniting Christians and Muslims in a battle against the “globalist-backed regime in Ukraine.” This multi-national alliance bringing together Christianity, which some see as the spiritual descendant of Esav, and Islam, which many see as the spiritual descendant of Ishmael, can be seen as the precursor to the pre-Messiah War of Gog and Magog.
Israeli Security Cabinet meets in bunker in preparation for Hezbollah attack, warns of ‘destruction’ in Lebanon The Israeli Security Cabinet met in the underground control room, known as “The Pit” at the Kirya military headquarters on Thursday night for the first time since the direct Iranian attack on April 13. According to Israel’s Channel 13, the decision to meet in the pit was at the request of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet), in order to practice in the event of a Hezbollah attack.
What motivates Pope Francis’ attempts to normalize homosexual relationships? the most probable answer to the above question in the title, the best explanation of the main motive of the Pope’s policy and overall behavior in relation to the issue of homosexuality, is (1) that he has a significant personal stake in it, that is, that he himself is afflicted by one or another form of same-sex attractions, and (2) that he has come to identify himself unrestrictedly with the ideology of the homosexual movement and made it his mission to introduce “normalization and justification” of homosexual relationships in the Catholic Church. … it is a matter of morality and here we have the big problem. it is “a grave form of violation of the law of God”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Confirms Arrival of U.S. F-22 Jets in Middle East to Control Tensions US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the arrival of American F-22 fighter jets in the region. During a conversation with Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Austin emphasized the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s defense amid growing threats from Iran and Hezbollah.
3,000 evacuated, state of emergency declared after Ukraine’s raid into Russia Thousands of residents have been evacuated and a state of emergency has been declared in Kursk after Ukraine launched a rare incursion into the Russian border region earlier this week. Russia’s defense ministry said Thursday that its forces in Kursk continued to “destroy armed formations” from Ukraine. Posting on Telegram, the ministry claimed that Ukraine’s losses since the start of the Kursk operation amounted to 660 troops
Japan issues first-ever megaquake warning after M7.1 Kyushu earthquake The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its first megaquake advisory on Thursday, August 8, 2024, several hours after the M7.1 earthquake hit near the coast of Kyushu. The advisory warns that if a major earthquake were to occur in the future, strong shaking and large tsunamis would be generated.
A brief history of Britain’s immigration In 1949, the proportion of the non-white British was 0.1% of the population. Today the non-white population represents nearly 25% of the population. Rightly or wrongly, successive governments’ immigration policies have been unpopular and are an important driver of the protests, violence and ethnic violence that have erupted in the UK since the horrific murders of young children in Southport on 29 July.
The Rockefeller Foundation and the destruction of global agriculture No one group has done more to damage our global agriculture and food quality than the Rockefeller Foundation. They began in the early 1950s after the War to fund two Harvard Business School professors to develop vertical integration which they named “Agribusiness.” The farmer became the least important.
Public Health Scotland reveals that Covid is no more deadly than seasonal flu A study conducted from November 2023 to March 2024 used weekly lateral flow tests for 200,000 participants in England and Scotland. It revealed that the infection fatality rate (“IFR”) for those who tested positive for covid in Scotland is 0.08%. The IFR for seasonal flu is between 0.03 and 0.1%.
Kamala Harris’s Career of Chaos: Contradictions and Controversies Exposed While Trump’s Legacy Shines Bright Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States, has had a career fraught with controversies and contradictions that raise serious questions about her judgment and leadership capabilities. In stark contrast, Donald Trump’s tenure as President showcased a number of significant accomplishments that many argue have left a lasting positive impact on the nation.
Brian Mark Weber The United Nations has some explaining to do regarding the involvement of its staffers in last year’s barbaric Hamas attack on Israel.
Emmy Griffin The corporate world is getting the picture that Marxist ideas aren’t going to inspire flourishment. Now attention needs to be turned to the public sector.
“We can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is [sic] the only place where those weapons are at.” —Democrat VP pick Tim Walz’s bogus claim that he served in war
“[Tim] Walz [is] a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.” —2006 campaign press release
“I’m a retired Command Sergeant Major.” —Tim Walz, 2006 (“He did briefly hold that rank but his rank was then officially reduced to Master Sergeant.” —Mark Alexander)
Gaslighting
“The Trump campaign is criticizing Gov. Tim Walz for supplying free tampons in schools. But advocates say it’s essential for many students.” —CBS News (“The Trump campaign is criticizing Gov. Tim Walz for supplying free tampons in schools for boys.” There, we fixed it.)
Praetorian Guard
“JD Vance as a messenger on this may be an imperfect messenger. Because … ‘Combat Correspondent’ … was what his title was. But when you dig a little deeper into that, he was a public affairs specialist. Someone who did not see combat, which certainly the title ‘Combat Correspondent’ kind of gives you a different impression.” —CNN’s Brianna Keilar
Dumb & Dumber
“Has JD Vance been in combat?” —Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
“I’m not aware of any military service that JD Vance has ever served.” —Senator Tina Smith (D-MN)
“I can’t wait to debate the guy [JD Vance]. That is if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up, so… You see what I did there?” —Tim Walz
“You know it, you feel it: These guys [Trump and Vance] are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell.” —Tim Walz
“Such a consequential president of the United States, a Mount Rushmore kind of president. … You’ve got Teddy Roosevelt up there. And he’s wonderful. I don’t say take him down, but you can add Biden.” —Rep. Nancy Pelosi
“The democratic world must stand up for the rule of law in Venezuela and oppose Maduro’s assault on the electoral process and free speech. The right-wing attack on democratic institutions anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere.” —Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) (Spoiler alert: Maduro is a Marxist.)
“Discrimination against trans Olympians has roots in Nazi Germany.” —Vox headline
“Female athletes of color have historically faced disproportionate scrutiny and discrimination when it comes to sex testing and false accusations that they are male or transgender.” —Associated Press
Lack of Self-Awareness Award
“My situation … happened after years of the Republicans demonizing me. … And so it created an atmosphere where that would be acceptable. … [Trump’s near-assassination] was strange. We don’t know the motivation. We don’t know the person. What happened in our house was directly related to the politics of the day.” —Rep. Nancy Pelosi regarding the attack on her husband
Unhinged
“Would [Hamas] qualify to me as a terrorist organization? Yes. But do I know that? Absolutely not.” —Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO)
“Pulling me away from my position as congresswoman — all you did was take some of the strings off. … All they did was radicalize me and so now they need to be afraid. … AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee], I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.” —Cori Bush
Baghdad Bob
“Right now, [the] majority of House Republicans want to defund the police.” —White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
“What we’re seeing is … the steady and stable growth we’ve called for. That’s what we’re seeing — talking about the jobs numbers.” —Karine Jean-Pierre
“The president inherited when he walked in … an … economy that was on the downturn. He had to turn that around. And that’s what the president was able to do.” —Karine Jean-Pierre
“We have seen under this president what happens when you have diplomacy, when you talk to your partners and allies. This is a president that has been able to get things done, whether it’s lowering tensions or whether it’s actually getting things done on behalf of our national security.” —Karine Jean-Pierre
Who Wants to Tell Her?
“We believe in a future where we lower the cost of living for America’s families.” —Kamala Harris
The BIG Lie
“Kamala Harris has always been for border security. … Today, border crossings are lower at the southwest border than they were at the end of the Trump presidency.” —Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Shot/Chaser
“Trump’s false claims about fracking bans are an obvious attempt to distract from his own plans to enrich oil and gas executives at the expense of the middle class.” —Harris campaign
“There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.” —Kamala Harris, 2019
A Trip Down Memory Lane
“We have to stay woke. Like, everybody needs to be woke. And you can talk about if you’re the wokest or woker, but just stay more woke than less woke.” —Kamala Harris, 2017
Veep Thoughts
“This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy.” —Kamala Harris
Demagoguery
“They want to kick it to Congress, so it’s going to be up to us on January 6, 2025, to tell the rampaging Trump mobs that he’s disqualified. … [The Supreme Court justices] simply do not want to do their job and interpret what the great 14th Amendment means.” —Rep. Jamie Raskin
“It’s not freedom to tell our children what books they are allowed to read.” —Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
Village Idiot
“It’s going to be the first woman president and that’s incredibly exciting. And, you know, she’s Indian, she’s black, she’s everything. You can be more than one thing. It’s incredible. You know, I’m Jewish and Irish. I wish I was black. Every white Jewish guy wishes he was black.” —actor Ben Stiller
Belly Laughs of the Week
“Tim Walz is wonderful. … To characterize him as left is so unreal. [H]e’s right down the middle. He’s a Heartland of America Democrat.” —Rep. Nancy Pelosi
“Vice President Harris is picking a uniter for not just the Democratic Party but for the entire United States.” —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
“We’re the party, you see, that actually believes in law and order and the separation of powers and courts doing what they’re supposed to do and making sure that nobody is above the law.” —Harris-Walz campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu
“On the [Tim Walz] choice, I think people who don’t like it are missing the lesson of the switch to Harris. She went from worst to first as people got to know her. It’s not a reach to think the same thing will happen with Walz.” —Mark Cuban
Why are Christians facing so much hostility when we speak up on political issues? Simply advocating for life in the womb or opposing far-left agendas like Marxism and “gender-affirming care” often gets us labeled as “Christian Nationalists.” Should we let this backlash silence us, or propel us to become even more outspoken?
This week, our good friend and fellow Christian apologist, Natasha Crain, joins Frank at the annual CIA apologetics workshop to discuss some of the key ideas in her signature book, ‘Faithfully Different‘, as well as give us a sneak peek into her upcoming book, ‘When Culture Hates You: Persevering for the Common Good as Christians in a Hostile Public Square‘, scheduled to be released in March 2025. Natasha will share her insights as to why people make certain decisions and uncover the hypocrisy of claiming that Christians should steer clear of hot-button cultural issues in the public square. During their discussion, Frank and Natasha will answer questions like:
Is it appropriate to label all Christians as “Christian Nationalists”?
How does the Bible define the concept of the “common good” differently from society?
How has CRT impacted the political climate in America and the embrace of Islam?
Are atheists more qualified to run the country than Christians?
How do you respond when people make statements like “there is no Christian party”?
In this podcast episode, we’re reminded that Christians are called to fulfill both the Great Commission and the cultural commission—even if it means facing scrutiny. Don’t allow today’s cancel culture and religious intolerance to convince you that “staying in your lane” equates to avoiding political topics. Being faithful Christians (and apologists) gives us grounds to make a difference in the culture, so let this special CIA episode encourage you to keep standing for truth!
To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry.
Another segment on Fox News’ popular “The Five” program grew somewhat chaotic as co-hosts on the left and right engaged in verbal combat over a discussion regarding Vice President Kamala Harris.
The debate involved whether black Americans do or don’t support Harris and allegations she “slept with” former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
At one point, liberal co-host Jessica Tarlov noted, “There is something crucial that Republicans keep doing that is a major turnoff to the black community, and that’s insulting Kamala Harris. You don’t take someone so meaningful to that community and say she’s a diversity hire.”
That led co-host Jesse Watters to ask, “Can I speak for the black community for a second?”
“No!” she fired back, leading Watters to say he is one percent black.
“We have Johnny go out and speak to the black community two times a week, and they do not support Kamala Harris,” Watters said, mentioning a Fox News correspondent who works for his prime-time show. “Speaking very broadly there.”
“If you have one of the highest achieving black women in the country who’s now made it to the vice presidency, and Republicans and people who talk about her on-air say she’s a diversity hire, she only got where she was going because she slept with Willie Brown,” Tarlov countered.
The rest of the panel then responded abruptly, with both Watters and co-host Greg Gutfeld exclaiming, “She did!? I didn’t know that!” Watters asked loudly, “She slept with Willie Brown!?”
“Is that not true?” Tarlov said, which then prompted Watters to say, “I didn’t know that. Is that how she got ahead in politics?”
A very frustrated Tarlov then added, “No, of course not!”
“I love it when people accuse us of spreading rumors by actually citing rumors,” Gutfeld said to end the segment.
WATCH:
Since Harris became vice president, her former boyfriend and political mentor has made headlines for various reasons.
When Kamala Harris was a young prosecutor, a much older boyfriend treated her to trips to Paris and the Oscars as well as a BMW, which is believed to have been the catalyst for her meteoric rise in California politics.
The current vice president is well-known for having dated Democratic Party powerbroker Willie Brown in 1994 when he was the speaker of the California Assembly and she was 29, the New York Post reported.
“Over the course of the relationship, Brown gave Harris a BMW, she traveled with him to Paris, attended the Academy Awards,” and he even took her on a business trip to Boston, where he was meeting Donald Trump, according to the 2021 book “Kamala’s Way: An American Life” by journalist Dean Morain.
The Los Angeles Times referred to Harris Brown as Brown’s “frequent companion,” while the Chronicle referred to Harris as “the speaker’s new steady.” Their relationship was well-known in San Francisco.
As his term as speaker was coming to an end, Brown appointed Harris, who was then working for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, to the California Medical Assistance Commission.
The position paid $72,000 annually and required Harris to attend monthly meetings.
“Brown, 90, has also taken credit for helping in Harris’ meteoric political rise. Last week, he joined the chorus of prominent Democratic Party members who have already endorsed her for president before next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago,” the NY Post reported.
How 29-year-old Kamala Harris began an affair with powerful San Francisco politician Willie Brown, then 60 and married, who appointed her to two lucrative positions only to dump her after he was voted first black mayor of the cityhttps://t.co/e0jgaVk4LN
“Yes, we dated,” said Brown, who was also a two-term mayor of San Francisco, in a 2019 opinion piece. “Yes, I may have influenced her career by appointing her to two state commissions when I was Assembly speaker. And I certainly helped with her first race for district attorney in San Francisco.”
Robert F Kennedy Jr.,Secret Service protection,Democratic Party,Political polarization,Presidential campaign,American democracy,Social media algorithms,Political division,Respectful criticism,Unity
The solar panels installed in a village in India are being put to good use… as shelter for their village cattle. Vijay Jayaraj makes the case that climate change motivated policies are the “real existential threat to billions across our planet” because they force the poor to rely on unreliable power sources.
“Who you marry will likely shape who you become more than any other human relationship. If your husband runs from Jesus, you won’t be able to avoid the undertow of his lovelessness. If your wife runs from Jesus, you will live in the crossfire of her unrepentant sin. You may survive an unbelieving spouse, but only as through fire…”
Christian young people who are not able to resist peer pressure will need to steer clear of university, because standing out is an absolute requirement.
“In recent years, groups of Christians, including families, have joined together to take the ‘Postman Pledge,’ a year-long commitment to raise kids without phones and in community with one another.” But is more needed? Do we need the State to help?
Caroline Downey breaks down Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s political record. Despite his outward appearance and unassuming midwestern demeanor, Walz owns one of the most progressive track records of any sitting governor and represents a terrifying possibility as vice president.
Harris’s selection of Walz at least reveals the left’s full-bore agenda, something that previously her handlers seemed at pains to hide: an overt doubling down on the Biden neo-socialist record that will require a far more vigorous stealth 90-day campaign to camouflage the hard-left record of both Harris and Walz.
Minnesota under Walz became merely a smaller version of Gavin Newsom’s California – shameless woke pandering, wars against fossil fuels, fiscal nihilism, thousands fleeing the state, high crime, high taxes, poor services, sanctuary city/pro-illegal alien activism, eroding downtowns of once majestic cities, loud-in-your-face, attack-dog denials of reality, a two-tier state legal system, tolerance of BLM/Antifa/Hamas street violence, and on and on.
So Walz is a force multiplier of Harris’s vulnerabilities.
His selection (was Harris terrified of leftwing threats from her base that a Shapiro pick would guarantee her 1968-like riots at her Chicago convention?) did not just reveal the now overt anti-Semitic, anti-Israel nature of the Democratic Party (Shapiro would have likely ensured Pennsylvania’s electoral votes). Her pick also reveals the confidence that the Left has in winning what will be the most flagrant, bait-and-switch 90-day campaign in presidential history.
So, the real Harris-Walz campaign messaging will be: ‘In 2024 we have to lie and mislead you about who we are and what we did, so that in 2025 we can govern you in ways you will not like.’
What are the challenges for this weirdest of tickets?
Harris, in Biden-fashion, cannot finish a coherent thought. So again, like Biden in 2020, she will retreat and outsource her campaign to the media, while counting on outspending Trump 3-1, and radiating feigned moderation.
She is taking heat for neither yet meeting with a real journalist nor speaking impromptu. But in her defense, to do either might at any opportune moment collapse her stealth campaign, given that to listen to her for 60 seconds off script is to prefer her to remain silent and hidden. And she has confidence in absentia that a bankrupt media will praise her nonexistent elegance, fluency, and articulateness.
Walz will customarily serve as a designated hit man for Harris. But he is just as much a liability— a shoot-from-the-hip blowhard, while owning an even more embarrassing leftwing record than Harris. And he is even less discreet.
This week Walz introduced himself to the nation as a VP candidate by smearing J.D. Vance with the brazen “couch” lie. And then while foolishly beaming, he doubled-down on his crude slur (“See what I did there?”). So, he even outdid Harris who had recently called Trump a “predator”—just days before it was disclosed that her married husband earlier had once impregnated his own children’s young nanny and tutor and had never disclosed what followed from his predation.
Both will either ignore or lie about their joint opposition to fracking and pipelines; their disgraceful pro-BLM/Antifa advocacy during the lethal and destructive 2020 looting and rioting; their support for open borders and illegal immigration; their woke pandering; and their generic leftwing promotion of the usual high taxes, big government, poor services, and ‘who cares if they flee my state’ arrogance.
The Harris-Walz ticket will also collapse if, horribile dictu, the prior Biden-Harris appeasement of Iran, distancing from Israel, weakening of the military, and loss of deterrence in the next 90 days leads to theater-wide wars on the Ukrainian borderlands or in the Middle East and/or to a recession due to cumulative inflation, high interest, stagnant wages and anemic citizen employment, and unsustainable national debt service.
In sum, Trump is very much even in the race. He was given a rare gift by the shunning of Josh Shapiro as Harris’s running mate. That leftwing blunder could energize the Trump campaign—if again he sticks to warning the country of who these two are, what they have done, how they are hiding their real agendas, what they will do if elected, and how they differ from his own presidential record and future agenda.
Nothing else matters.
And that means Trump should ignore the now inert and evaporating Biden, refrain from attacking any Republican, stop all recriminations about 2020, avoid race and DEI ambushes, and prep hard and in detail for as many debates as he can obtain.
Trump should appear magnanimous and above the fray by compromising with Harris on the debates: one debate now by her rules on ABC, and one by his rules on Fox before early voting begins.
Rarely have the Democrats so foolishly gone hard left.
And when they did in 1972, 1980, and 1988, Republicans used to know how to use those gifts, expose them, and win landslides despite media and institutional bias.
They can do it again, but only if they are as adroit, united, and disciplined as their predecessors once were.
Bro, I cannot believe how brutal this Trump campaign ad is, especially considering the fact that it’s simply clips of Kamala Harris speaking off script.
This article was first published in December 2020.
By Marsha West
What does it mean to be an Evangelical? In days gone by Evangelical differentiated Protestants from Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. During the revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and America, Evangelicalism became a movement.
“The word Evangelicalism is derived from the Greek words euangelion, which means “good news,” and euangelizomai, which means “to proclaim as good news.” This good news is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:3b-5). This good news, which is the Gospel of Christ, and the preaching of it are what Evangelicalism was based upon.” (Source)
You may recall when Evangelicals were conservatives who identified with the right-wing of the Republican party as well as Religious or Christian Right groups. At one time most Evangelicals were a force in electing candidates with Judeo-Christian values. Much has changed in the Evangelical movement. That change came about when Purpose-driven pragmatism reared its ugly head in the visible Church. Just like the secular pragmatist, the Christian pragmatist “focuses on practical approaches and solutions.” Basically it’s a philosophy of “whatever works.” In other words, “The central idea of pragmatism is that truth is proved by whether or not the idea in question “works,” meaning it produces the expected or desired results.”
We see pragmatism played out in the political arena. While conservatives insist on applying the “values voter” litmus test to candidates, pragmatists insist on supporting candidates who would tenaciously push the conservative agenda through Congress. A candidate’s morals and character is not a concern. Moreover, the pragmatist is all about compromise.
A Witch’s Brew
Several years ago I penned a piece that addressed the downgrade in the visible Church. I used supermarket shopping to paint a word picture that many readers found helpful. I pointed out that there’s a “diabolically inspired supermarket of truth and error in the postmodern Church,” and took them for a stroll through a supermarket to shop for the ingredients in Syncretism Stew….
I added the following reminder, “The Body of Christ trusts its Shepherds to feed them healthy nutritious foods, yet many of them are literally starving their sheep to death! A diet of “Bible Light” does not nourish the soul – it causes spiritual malnutrition! A shepherd’s job is to lead the flock in Christian life and faith.” (Source)
Tragic, isn’t it?
Loose Definitions Of Evangelical
Syncretism in Evangelicalism started happening when elements of various religious beliefs were integrated into mainline denominations. As syncretism spreads, creeds, confessions and doctrine get tossed aside resulting in a fundamental change of beliefs. When Truth declines, false teaching flourishes. The wily serpent uses syncretism to separate God from His people.
Before I move away from syncretism, I want to stress that Evangelicals have been assimilated into the world because of it. More on how assimilation happens in a moment.
So, has Evangelical lost its meaning as some suggest? Or is it still possible to nail down the term? The answer is yes and yes. But in order to fully understand what it means we must go back in time to when the movement first began. It is my hope that after reading this article with the simply stated facts it contains the reader will come to know what Evangelical originally stood for; likewise, those who identify as “Evangelical Christian” will know if they can truthfully make that claim.
What Evangelicals Believe And Why They Believe It
By definition an Evangelical is a Bible believing Christian. A true Evangelical holds that Scripture is the infallible, inerrant, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Word of God. The written Word is the authority by which he lives his life – his “final court of arbitration,” so to speak.
Without a firm grasp of the essential doctrines of Christianity, how will professing Christians recognize false teaching or stand firm in their faith?
According to Alan W. Gomes:
Certain Christian doctrines constitute the core of the faith. Central doctrines include the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and salvation by grace through faith [alone]. These doctrines so comprise the essence of the Christian faith that to remove any of them is to make the belief system non-Christian.
Because these central doctrines define the character of Christianity, one cannot be saved and deny these.
Central doctrines should not be confused with peripheral issues, about which Christians may legitimately disagree.
We know these are the essential doctrines of the Faith because they are in the Bible, God’s Holy Spirit inspired written word to humanity. Any so-called Christian group or movement that reject one or more essential doctrines are considered theological cults. A few examples are Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hebrew Roots, Seventh Day Adventists, Word of Faith, and the New Apostolic Reformation. All are theological cults.
How Does A Person Get Saved?
David wrote in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Paul tells us in Romans 5:15 that sin and death entered the world through one man, Adam. According to Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Ephesians 2:3 says we all gratify “the cravings of our sinful nature.” So clearly, all human beings are born with a sin nature. Because of God’s holy nature He cannot “look on” [tolerate or sanction] sin (Habakkuk 3:13). And because of God’s holy nature, sinners will face His judgment and wrath. God’s punishment (judgment) is to send sinners to hell forever. The good news is that God offers a way of escape from eternal punishment. Continuing with Romans 3, verse 24 tells us that we are “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
In spite of the fact that God punishes sinners, as I mentioned above there is a way to escape punishment. How? According to Acts 20:21, we must repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ. Because all human beings are dead in our sins, we need to be made alive. How is it possible for a dead person to come to life? The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, raises the spiritually dead person to life and BOOM! the dead person is born again. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Here’s how Justin Edwards sums it up:
Before man is able to respond to the Gospel message, he must be given ears to hear. Because man is born dead in sin, he must be made alive [through regeneration, John 6:63] in order to respond positively to the call to repentance (just think about a corpse’s ability to respond to anything). Without this work of the Holy Spirit, man would remain condemned and dead in his sins.
Post-Evangelicals
An article entitled “The Alignment of New Evangelicals with Apostasy” expands on who an Evangelical is and comments on changes that have been occurring over the past 50 plus years to individuals who are categorized as such:
A person calling himself Evangelical is professing to be committed to the Gospel of Christ as proclaimed in Scripture. The true Gospel demands separation from all who teach another Gospel. As the Apostle declared, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” … “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Without such separation the name Evangelical signifies nothing. “New Evangelicalism”, which willingly compromises with and accommodates another Gospel, has gained ground everywhere, beginning in the early 1960s. Since then, the Evangelical world has changed beyond recognition.
Many people are unaware that the term Evangelical has been hijacked by “woke” elitist liberals/progressive social justice warriors who make no bones about the fact that they out right reject some of the essential doctrines of the faith mentioned above. Because they’re liberals or, as they prefer, post-Evangelicals, they deem the Bible’s moral decrees old-fashioned, out-of-date, passé. Moreover, they no longer try to present the Gospel of Christ as a truth claim, as they are partial to a more relative understanding of truth. Because post-Evangelicals are steeped in political correctness and pragmatism, they’d never dream of pushing their religious views on someone else, thus they choose not to share the Gospel with the lost. To them it’s no big deal for Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims to remain in their religion for the reason that, to enter heaven, trusting in Christ for salvation isn’t a “must” despite the fact that Jesus clearly stated: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When Jesus said “No one,” He meant no one.
Many post-Evangelicals are universalists. The universalist believes that God so loved the world that His intent is to save everybody who ever lived; likewise, upon death each and every one of us loveable creatures will join Him in heaven – and that includes the unrepentant sinner who hasn’t trusted in Christ for salvation. Hell? Haha, the joke’s on those nasty fundamentalist Christians who believe in it. Hell doesn’t exist, say many post-Evangelicals.
It should come as no surprise that woke/social justice Evangelicals support left wing political policies and causes. In fact, many of them hold the opposite views of conservative Evangelicals. For example, they support abortion on demand…gun control…the LGBT’s radical agenda which includes same-sex “marriage”…redistribution of wealth…women’s equality…oppose capital punishment…social justice causes…the list goes on.
Confusing isn’t it? The point I’m making is that in this culture when someone says “I’m an Evangelical,” it doesn’t really tell us anything.
Evangelical Assimilation
In “Evangelicals Are Politically Irrelevant” Fay Voshell helps us better understand our confusion while at the same time reflecting on how we got to where we now are:
The evangelical call to confront the corruption of culture rather than to rationalize and to assimilate it has been badly weakened over decades. Many evangelicals have absorbed and imitated the celebrity and secularist political culture, swimming with the tide rather than against it.
How did the assimilation of evangelicals into the secularist word happen?
It happened much as the Hellenization of the Jews of the Diaspora occurred. Alexander the Great and his successors insisted Jews assimilate into Greek culture. Circumcision, a religious rite considered barbaric mutilation by the Greeks, was forbidden; Jewish youths were expected to compete naked in Greek games; Jewish holidays were renamed and celebration of them forbidden. Under Antiochus, the Torah was banned under threat of death, and the Sabbath was not to be observed. Much pressure was put on the Jews, who were considered an indigestible cultural subgroup as long as they retained their religious differences, to convert to Greek ways. Many did, seeing that if success was to be had in the Seleucid world, capitulation to Greek mores was necessary. (emphasis added)
Christians in America have been under similar pressure. They have seen their children forbidden to read the bible in public schools, forced to accept “gender free” bathrooms in which ten-year-old girls are to share restroom facilities with grown men who have declared themselves women; seen their holiday celebrating the birth of Christ turned into a secularist Saturnalia; watched as their college-age youths are ordered to stomp on pictures of Jesus, and seen their children forced to study and to recite the tenets of the Muslim faith.
At work, evangelicals are under constant pressure to be silent about their faith and to stifle talk of sexual morality under threat of losing their jobs or businesses because of so-called “hate speech.” It has been easier to stay silent or to capitulate to the multicultural, secularist world view.
In large numbers, evangelicals have surrendered rather than fight.
I’ll wind this up with this quote by Mike Ratliff:
Christian authenticity is a set of marks of genuineness. Christ said that we can tell false Christians from real Christians by their fruit. There is fruit that real Christians produce that false Christians cannot. Even those who are in the fires of tribulation, fighting deadly battles against their sin nature will be growing in these areas. Their visible fruit may be small or even embryonic, but it will be there. However, the false believer, since he or she has not the Holy Spirit nor are they regenerate, cannot bear this fruit. It grows only in the hearts of those God has touched with His grace unto the New Birth. (Source)
Left-wing influencer William LeGate found himself the butt of online jokes after he mistakenly roasted Kamala Harris’ crowd size, thinking it was from a Trump rally.
In a now-deleted post, LeGate lashed out at former President Donald Trump, claiming that Trump had “ordered” his team to cover up thousands of empty seats with black cloth to avoid the appearance of a sparse crowd.
His post read:
“Trump has ‘ordered’ his team to literally cover up entire levels of venues he’s unable to fill with black cloths – to make it appear as if there aren’t thousands of empty seats.”
The problem? The rally was not Trump’s but rather Kamala Harris’ event, which was met with a dismal turnout.
As the tweet began to gain traction, social media users quickly pointed out the blunder, leading LeGate to delete his post amid the embarrassment.
Harris couldn’t fill up a 20K arena They blocked off portions of it with black curtains & Ozempic George thinks she could fill Michigan State stadium. 🤡
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’ campaign seems to be adding to the pile of embarrassments. The official Kamala HQ X account was caught sharing a video clip from Trump’s rally in Montana, taken two hours earlier in the day, and passing it off as live footage.
The timestamp on the video clearly shows it was taken at 7:36 pm Eastern time, while actual live footage from 9:35 pm shows a fully packed arena, contradicting the campaign’s narrative.
BREAKING: Kamala Harris’ campaign X account caught sharing video of Trump’s rally in Montana from *2 hours* earlier in the day, claiming it was the live footage.
I’ve never seen a campaign lie so blatantly in my life.
“The people of Iran don’t want this regime. Democratic change in Iran is not only inevitable but also can be achieved in the short future.” Human rights activist Majid Sadeghpour says the world must take steps to end the violence by bringing regime change. CBN News. Because Truth Matters™
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris visit an abortion clinic in Saint Paul, Minnesota in March 2024. | Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
With Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz becoming the Democratic vice presidential nominee, many are examining his background and faith more closely as he could arguably become the first Lutheran to hold a national executive office.
While Christian conservatives have criticized the 60-year-old Walz as “far-left” in his public policy stances, progressive Christians have embraced Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection, who attends a church affiliated with progressive mainline Protestant Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Here are five things to know about Walz’s faith, church and denomination.
This article was first published in December 2020.
A Witch’s Brew
Loose Definitions Of Evangelical
The evangelical call to confront the corruption of culture rather than to rationalize and to assimilate it has been badly weakened over decades. Many evangelicals have absorbed and imitated the celebrity and secularist political culture, swimming with the tide rather than against it.
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