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
“The battle between the “woke” and their opponents has dominated our politics since the late Obama era, at least. It is easy to see that beneath the woke ideology is a streak of cultural Marxism, but knowing this does not explain why woke ideology has come to dominate our key institutions.”
(David Strom – Hot Air) Certain essays can define how you see an issue or a time. Jeanne Kirkpatrick’s “Dictatorships and Double Standards” helped change the way a generation of people thought about foreign policy, setting the stage for the Reagan era. Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History” set the intellectual stage for the 1990s post-communism vacation from history. The stakes of the 2016 election were laid bare in The Flight 93 Election.
Helen Andrews’ short essay in Compact Magazine has already sparked a debate that may help define the ideological challenge of the second half of the 2020s. View article →
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Trump administration officials announced on Monday that renovations on the White House Throne Room have been completed.
According to sources, the new throne room had undergone extensive remodeling to reflect President Donald Trump’s increased monarchic power and bring greater honor and prestige to his historic reign over the nation.
“It is now truly fitting for a king,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reported. “The White House Throne Room has been retrofitted with golden accents, a diamond encrusted gold throne, and a mural depicting President Trump on a horse rampaging through a peaceful protest.”
Though most Americans were unaware, the throne room was first constructed following the War of 1812 but fell into disrepair when presidents began spending a significant time abroad. In light of this weekend’s “No Kings” protests, the president ordered it be modernized for immediate use.
“These people seem to think it’s bad to have a king — a concept completely at odds with America,” Barron Trump reportedly told his father. “We must show them what a proper king looks like. We must show them, father.”
Following Leavitt’s press briefing, Trump held court in the throne room to hear the pleas of journalists, which he repeatedly denied.
“Wrong! You’re fake news!” Trump shouted at one point. “I will not return your farmland!”
At publishing time, President Trump demanded that the American Crown Jewels be cleaned forthwith.
Liberal Brynnleigh witnesses a communist utopia in action!
Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed five carbonized loaves of bread that likely were used for communion and feature intricate early Christian imagery, including a depiction of Jesus.
Israeli cabinet renames Iron Swords War to ‘War of Redemption’ The Israeli government overwhelmingly approved on Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to rename the Iron Swords War (often called the Gaza War) as the “War of Redemption.”
Tornado Near Paris Leaves One Dead and Several Injured One person is dead and several seriously injured since a violent tornado has passed just north of Paris, reports French media. The tornado occurred in the department of Val d’Oise, north of the capital, during the Monday afternoon. According to local authorities, the deceased person is a 23-year-old who worked at a construction site. At least nine people are injured, four of them seriously.
Court Approves Trump’s National Guard Deployment in Portland A court in the USA gives President Donald Trump the right to deploy National Guard forces in Portland, despite resistance from the Governor of Oregon. The verdict gives the green light for the plans to place 200 national guards at federal buildings where Washington claims that demonstrators are hindering the work of the migration authorities.
76 Dead, Many Missing in Mexico Floods and Landslides 76 people have been confirmed dead in the floods and landslides that last week hit Mexico. 27 people are still missing. Large parts of the country were affected by heavy rainfall. The situation is worst in the states of Veracruz, Hidalgo and Puebla, where the floods swept away entire villages.
Canada would arrest Israel’s PM Netanyahu according to ICC warrants, says PM Carney Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested per the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) if he were to visit Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney affirmed last Friday. Carney made the remarks during a podcast interview with British journalist Mishal Husain, where he discussed a wide range of topics, including his motivation to run for office, the lessons he drew from U.S. President Donald Trump, and his policy plans concerning Israel and Palestinian statehood.
After Gaza captivity, freed Israeli hostage sees no peace ‘in our generation’ When Tal Shoham walks through Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, where he and his family were abducted by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, he says it feels like a graveyard filled with the horrors of the attack. While remembering the calmer days before the assault, he has little expectation that U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure on Israel and Hamas to strike a deal will deliver a lasting peace with the Palestinians any time soon, even as negotiators gather in Egypt for talks to end the two-year Gaza War.
How Trump’s border crackdown has choked cartels’ fentanyl flow into the US According to Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, the Biden administration seized enough fentanyl to kill 14 billion people—but that only counts what was caught. the quantity of drugs is dropping because the Trump administration has made it a priority. It has made the Mexican government make it a priority.” “The cartels are deliberately tapering off on the amount of fentanyl they’re sending to the United States,” he added. “The cartels are scared.” The findings underscore a stark contrast with how former president Joe Biden handled border issues.
Witkoff, Kushner touch down in Tel Aviv President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner touched down in Israel on Monday afternoon as part of Washington’s push to keep the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza from collapsing. The visit comes only a day after Hamas terrorists killed two Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza, triggering retaliatory IDF airstrikes and high-level political deliberations.
MK Maoz to Arutz Sheva: ‘Trump plan opens door to Palestinian state’ MK Avi Maoz, leader of the Noam party, expresses grave concern over the IDF’s handling of the Gaza Strip. “I fear we’re returning to the ‘victims of peace’ concept,” he says in an interview with Arutz Sheva – Israel National News. “I am very concerned that we are sliding back into the ‘victims of peace’ concept post-Oslo,” says Maoz, referencing Hamas’ severe violation of the ceasefire with their attack on Israeli soldiers.
Harvard Faces $113 Million Budget Shortfall After Trump Cuts Harvard University registered a $113 million budget deficit caused chiefly by the Trump administration’s confiscation of much of its federal contracts and grants as punishment for, among other alleged misdeeds, its admitted failure to combat antisemitism on campus, a Harvard report revealed last week.
Israel reportedly weighing burning Yahya Sinwar’s body instead of returning It to Hamas “I thought we should do exactly what the Americans did with bin Laden,” Regev said, referring to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in 2011 by U.S. special forces and buried at sea. “I made that proposal in the Cabinet, and there are symbols that must not be returned,” she said. Regev’s suggestion is reportedly under review by Israeli security officials.
Bible Prophecy Doesn’t Tell Us That Society Will Get Better, But We Can Rejoice That God Is In Total Control When speaking of the world’s slow decline into an acceptance of evil, the analogy has been used of a frog slowly being boiled in a frying pan of water. Because the process was slow, the cold-blooded frog couldn’t detect the deadly increase in water temperature. Nowadays, the frog is in a microwave. The encroachment of evil is no longer subtle. It has become both blatant and celebrated. This shouldn’t be disheartening to believers. When these things come to pass, we can rejoice that God is in total control. His Word said this would happen, and it certainly is happening.
Now They Have A Version Of The Flu That Has A 100% Death Rate In Mammals Why would scientists purposely try to make the flu more deadly? During the flu pandemic of 1918, it is estimated that somewhere between 50 and 100 million people died globally. But apparently that is not good enough, and so they have come up with a far deadlier version, and they have published their findings so that any terrorist organization in the world could potentially copy their work. As I have repeatedly pointed out to my readers, man-made pestilences are one of the greatest existential threats that we face. What they are doing is literally insane, but nobody is going to stop them. So what happened when they tested this “Frankenstein” virus? Well, it killed every single one of the mammals it was tested on, and the researchers discovered that it could infect human blood cells, that it could use human immune cells to spread, and that it could actually invade the brain…
Was The CIA Misleading Witkoff & Kushner On Key Intel About Hamas During Critical Phase Of Peace-Talks Witkoff reveals how the CIA was briefing them both, multiple times a day, and the briefing itself was exactly the opposite of what Emir of Qatar and Presidents of Turkey and Egypt were telling them. What they are describing is EXACTLY why we outlined how ‘outside govt’ emissaries were/are vitally necessary to work around the control agenda of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
The Crisis And Revolution Hidden In Plain Sight While we focus on AI and finance, society is crumbling beneath our feet. According to both the mainstream media and social media, the forces that will shape the future are … technology, finance and market forces–the core drivers of the global economy. Society isn’t on the menu other than as a quickly dismissed source of dutiful hand-wringing.
Gigantic Muslim ‘Planned Community’ Meets Resistance From Texas AG Texas attorney general Ken Paxton has asked the Texas State Securities Board (TSSB) to review what he says is evidence that entities tied to the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC)’s EPIC City project violated state and federal securities laws — and to refer the matter back so he can file suit.
Soros Getting Ready For Showdown Against Trump Administration A Justice Department official recently instructed attorneys to launch an investigation into billionaire George Soros and his son Alex’s influential Open Society Foundations, a move that sent shockwaves across the leftwing NGO-Democrat complex. … the president has even suggested the possibility of charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
World’s Most Advanced AI Chips Now Being Made In America Due To Trump’s Policies: Nvidia Chief Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the United States has entered a new “industrial revolution” powered by artificial intelligence, crediting President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and manufacturing agenda for enabling the first-ever production of the company’s most advanced Blackwell AI chips on American soil.
Woman charged with threatening to kill fed’l agents shouted ‘Charlie Kirk died and we love it’ A woman has been charged after threatening to kill federal agents who were supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the arrest of individuals at the Malden District Court in Massachusetts. In a Thursday press release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that 37-year-old Bethany Abigail Terrill was charged with “threatening to kill federal agents who were engaging in lawful immigration enforcement.”
Trump Suggests Dividing Ukrainian Donbass to End Conflict On board Air Force One on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that the Donbass region in Ukraine should be “divided”, with the larger part in Russian hands, to end the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
Strong earthquake swarm shakes Katla volcanic system beneath Mýrdalsjökull, Iceland A strong seismic swarm began beneath Iceland’s Mýrdalsjökull glacier, part of the Katla volcanic system, around 10:30 UTC on October 20, 2025. Several earthquakes above magnitude 3 were recorded, the largest reaching M4.5 at 10:51 UTC. The Icelandic Meteorological Office reports no felt activity and no changes in river levels, conductivity, or deformation, indicating no immediate signs of eruption at the Katla volcano or glacial flooding.
Now They Have A Version Of The Flu That Has A 100% Death Rate In Mammals Why would scientists purposely try to make the flu more deadly? During the flu pandemic of 1918, it is estimated that somewhere between 50 and 100 million people died globally. But apparently that is not good enough, and so they have come up with a far deadlier version, and they have published their findings so that any terrorist organization in the world could potentially copy their work. As I have repeatedly pointed out to my readers, man-made pestilences are one of the greatest existential threats that we face. What they are doing is literally insane, but nobody is going to stop them.
Millions Of America’s Teens Are Being Seduced By AI Chatbots Our kids are being targeted by AI chatbots on a massive scale, and most parents have no idea that this is happening. When you are young and impressionable, having someone tell you exactly what you want to hear can be highly appealing. AI chatbots have become extremely sophisticated, and millions of America’s teens are developing very deep relationships with them. Is this just harmless fun, or is it extremely dangerous?
Jack Hibbs doubts Israel peace deal will last, points to Islamic tactic Pastor Jack Hibbs is urging Christians not to get too excited about the peace deal between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization, sharing his belief that it “can’t last long.” Hibbs’ comments came during the Family Research Council’s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit held at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino Hills, California, over the weekend.
Mexican cartels offering street gangs up to $50K to assassinate and monitor ICE, CBP agents: Mexican cartels have reportedly placed bounties on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Chicago, offering to pay up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in a Tuesday statement that it had obtained “credible intelligence” that Mexican criminal networks are working with domestic extremist groups to coordinate a “tiered” bounty system.
Ver. 16. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek Thy name, O Lord.—Shame leading to salvation:— I. UNGODLY MEN HAVE GOOD CAUSE TO BE ASHAMED—
Because of the wrong they are doing to their Maker. You pride yourself upon your uprightness and integrity; but must God alone, then, be made to suffer through your injustice? Out of all beings, must He alone who made all other beings be the only one to be neglected?
There are many ungodly men who ought to be ashamed because they are acting in opposition to light and knowledge, contrary to their conscience, and against their better judgments.
Because of their postponements of what they know to be right.
Because of their violation of vows which they have made.
Because of their not loving the Lord Jesus Christ, and not trusting such a Saviour as He is.
A man ought to be ashamed who will not even think of these things. II. NOW, CONCERNING THESE UNGODLY PEOPLE, LET ME SHOW YOU THAT SHAME IS A VERY DESIRABLE THING IF IT DRIVES THEM TO GOD. Hence the prayer, “Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name, O Lord.”
Sometimes shame attends the breaking up of self-righteousness.
I have known this shame to operate in some when they have done wrong, and have lost the repute they enjoyed among their fellow-creatures.
So have I seen failure driving a man to the strong for strength.
I have also known men brought to Christ with shame of another sort, shame of mental error leading to a humble faith. III. THE LORD IS WILLING NOW TO RECEIVE THOSE WHO ARE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES.
You are the sort of man to come to Christ, because, first, you have the greatest need of Him. In the time of famine, we give the meal away first to the most hungry family.
If you are ashamed of yourself, you are the man to come to Christ, because you will make no bargains with Him. You will say, “Save me, Lord, at any price, and in any way!”
And you are the man who will give Him all the glory if you are saved. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Exell, J. S. (1909). The Biblical Illustrator: The Psalms (Vol. 3, p. 454). Fleming H. Revell Company; Francis Griffiths.
16 The confidence of the nations will be shaken by God’s sovereign presence. The nations had boastfully claimed that they would rid themselves of the “name” of Israel forever (v. 4). Instead, the psalmist prays for the Lord to change their pride and boasting to “shame.” But he shows a deep awareness of God’s gracious nature as he opens a door to those among the nations who will seek the “name” of Yahweh. This thought is repeated in v. 18. God’s mighty acts in judgment must lead to the recognition that Yahweh alone is God (vv. 17–18)!
VanGemeren, W. A. (2008). Psalms. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition) (Vol. 5, p. 632). Zondervan.
Cover their faces with shame so that men will seek your name, O LORD (v. 16). The request here is for the enemies to be shown their true place and position in God’s sight. The word for ‘shame’ (qâlôn) is a poetic word that often stands as the opposite of ‘honour’. The request is for something more than simply degrading enemies before God and men. Rather, the aim is that they will then come to seek God for themselves.
Harman, A. (2011). Psalms: A Mentor Commentary (Vols. 1–2, pp. 626–627). Mentor.
A major shift in church demographics is occuring, with a recent Barna survey reporting that “Men are significantly outpacing women in church attendance since the pandemic, reversing a long-standing trend in Barna’s decades of tracking,” and that these “new patterns of participation and disengagement among key groups may reshape the fabric of church life in the years to come.” Barna notes:
As of 2025, 43 percent of men and 36 percent of women report attending church regularly, based on reported weekly attendance. In five of the last six years, men have outpaced women in this key measure of religious engagement, and the 2025 gap is the largest measured.
This tracks with another survey recently released, which shows that Gen-Z women are outnumbering the men in terms of claiming to be either atheists, agnostics, or religiously unaffiliated.
Noting that “Across every generation, women are trailing men in weekly church attendance, especially among Gen X and Millennials,” Barna suggests a few reasons for this:
With more women delaying marriage or remaining single, they often feel isolated in congregations that cater to nuclear families.
Many young women are juggling careers, side gigs, and unpaid domestic responsibilities—all while earning less than their male peers. Instead of being a place of sanctuary and spiritual renewal, church often adds to the already full plate of demands on women’s lives.
Some researchers suggest the decline in women’s church attendance may stem from a growing disconnect between traditional, hierarchical church structures and the values of younger women—many of whom now identify as liberal politically.
High-profile scandals involving male church leaders, along with toxic teaching and exclusionary practices, have eroded trust—especially among women.
Finally, the survey reveals that the most likely people to attend church weekly are married dads, significantly outpacing married moms.
Is it possible to be certain you’re going to Heaven? The Bible says the wages of sin is death, and every single person is guilty, but this video clearly explains the one simple, non-negotiable path to guaranteed Eternal Life and total forgiveness. You don’t have to work for it, pay for it, or be “good enough”—it’s a free gift of God available through faith alone. We break down the profound meaning of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, showing you exactly what He did to satisfy the penalty for your sin. Watch this now to understand how you can accept this perfect provision of God’s love and receive salvation today! In this video, pastor nelson answers the question: Do you have Eternal Life?
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Barnabas Aid, a major Christian charity, says it will host a worldwide prayer event for millions of Christians facing persecution for their faith.
“On Sunday, November 2, starting at midnight [Coordinated Universal Time – UTC], Barnabas Aid will host a 24-hour live online prayer event. You’ll journey through the world in prayer as our regional offices lead sessions from Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas,” the group told Worthy News.
Barnabas Aid, which supports Christians especially in Muslim- and Communist-run nations, called the initiative an “opportunity for believers to unite in prayer with Christians worldwide.”
Participants will hear “live updates from the field” to “stand in solidarity with our persecuted family” as “together, we will lift our voices as one,” the organization added.
PRAYERS FOR THE PERSECUTED
The event coincides with the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), observed annually on the first Sunday of November.
The day was launched in the mid-1990s by the World Evangelical Alliance’s Religious Liberty Commission to mobilize churches around the world to pray for those suffering for their Christian faith.
According to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List, more than 380 million Christians—roughly one in seven believers worldwide—now live in countries where they face “high levels of persecution or discrimination” for their faith.
Organizers say the global online gathering is meant to remind believers that, even across continents and time zones, they remain united in prayer and hope for the persecuted church.
I watched the clip—again and again—Steven Furtick laughing, giving some guy a piggyback ride in what he calls a church. The people around him cheering, clapping, filming on their phones like the presence of God is some novelty sideshow act. Honestly, this stuff just makes me sick. It should grieve us when what is meant to be holy is dragged through the mud and turned into a circus.
There was a time when men trembled to enter the sanctuary and especially when one took the pulpit. When the thought of the Most High, holy and righteous God stirred awe and fear in their bones.
Some accounts, whether true or not, claimed that even the priests would tie cords around their ankles before entering the Holy of Holies because the holiness of God was so consuming that a single misstep could end their lives.
But now? […] The post appeared first on DISNTR – The Dissenter .
At MinistryWatch, our mission is to help Christians become more faithful, generous, and effective stewards of the resources God has entrusted to them. It’s why we advocate for the transparency, accountability and efficiency of Christian ministries.
Because of that, we cover a lot of stories we’d rather not have to—stories of waste, fraud, and abuse. We do it unapologetically, because aside from exposing evil, we also believe these stories offer lessons and examples for ministries and donors to learn from.
But we also seek to amplify stories of ministries doing excellent work. That’s what this column is for—to spotlight ministries making a difference in their own communities and around the world. We pray it is a blessing to see the many creative ways God’s people are working for His glory and for their neighbors’ good.
Here’s this week’s roundup of ministries making a difference:
Photo via AG News
Most Saturdays, Urban Outreach drives a bright red trailer into rough parts of Indianapolis, Indiana, so homeless men and women can take a hot shower. The two-shower trailer can provide 25 10-minute showers with its 125-gallon water tank and tankless water heater. When it parks near a water spigot, it can provide unlimited showers. The ministry team also hands out ‘blessing bags’—bags with hygiene and food items—and shares the gospel and offers to pray with each person who lines up for a shower. Though the causes of homelessness are complex and run deep, Urban Outreach focuses on faithfulness in planting gospel seeds, and has seen glimmers of hope as four men recently took showers prior to job interviews and each ended up getting hired.
Photo via Life360
Life360 All Nations Church hosts a Saturday night service for immigrants and refugees living in Springfield, Missouri. The church’s pastor also runs All Nations Welcome Center, a nonprofit that helps refugees and immigrants navigate a new culture. Together, they provide food and clothes, English classes, and resources for navigating everything from large grocery stores to visa processes. The church hosts people from all over, including Syria, Jordan, Myanmar, and Venezuela.
Photo via WMP from recent shipment to Nigeria
On October 2, World Missionary Press sent out the first shipment of its new fiscal year—a 40-foot container filled with Scripture booklets and Bible studies—to Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also shipped containers to Guinea Bissau (the country’s first shipment since 2011), Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Local pastors request resources in their own language from WMP, and use the shipped materials as evangelism tools and to disciple new believers. WMP has 1 star and an A transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 75.
Photo via Church of the Nazarene
A member of a small Church of the Nazarene congregation in Johannesburg, South Africa, started a feeding program in 2018 using her own pension money. Her church soon partnered with her through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries and now provides about 80 meals each Wednesday night to people in the community. Since it began, Albertville Church of the Nazarene has provided over 2,400 meals. It is partnering with local agencies to help people struggling with addictions and to connect people with documentation, aid resources, and job opportunities. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries has 5 stars and an A transparency grade in the MinistryWatch database, and a donor confidence score of 100.
Bethel Church is a horrid place for Christians to attend, as you should well know. Well, Berean Research has developed a “Pastor’s Resource” for exposing Bethel, its teachers and its teachings. Another resource is about the New Apostolic Reformation.
Should a church use worship music from sources that are proven to be part of the spirit of error and falsehood Jesus warns about? Absolutely not!!!!!! I have previously pointed out to a “worship leader” the problem with Hillsong music and he stopped using it.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America continues to prove just how apostate they are. Does the Bible Say Things That Harm Women? According to the ELCA a whole lot of the Bible needs to be tossed.
I remember once standing in a hall in which I was to speak and watching optimistic hosts put out dozens of extra chairs. I encouraged them not to do that because if the chairs remained empty, it was psychologically disheartening. I told them that if more were needed because extra people began coming to the meeting, it would then be encouraging rather than depressing. Optimism should be grounded in reality.
Most of us are optimists. We are hoping that things will improve politically and therefore morally. Optimistic though we may be, we may be setting ourselves up for disappointment—because the Bible doesn’t tell us that society will get better. It rather warns us of the opposite:
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. (2 Timothy 3:1-4)
And in verse 13, we are given the most telling of words, with a further glimpse into the future:
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (emphasis added)
That word “worse” is repeated to warn us that evil men will become even more corrupt in the last days. Rotten will become utterly putrid.
“Whatever the future brings, make sure you feed daily on the Holy Scriptures, and never forget why we exist in these dark days as the Church—to let our light shine. And we do this by boldly proclaiming the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.”
When speaking of the world’s slow decline into an acceptance of evil, the analogy has been used of a frog slowly being boiled in a frying pan of water. Because the process was slow, the cold-blooded frog couldn’t detect the deadly increase in water temperature. Nowadays, the frog is in a microwave. The encroachment of evil is no longer subtle. It has become both blatant and celebrated.
This shouldn’t be disheartening to believers. When these things come to pass, we can rejoice that God is in total control. His Word said this would happen, and it certainly is happening. And so, we do what Jesus told us to do: we lift up our heads because we know that our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28). But we don’t bail out on our responsibilities. After Scripture warns of evil increasing, we are told what we must do:
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14-15)
Whatever the future brings, make sure you feed daily on the Holy Scriptures, and never forget why we exist in these dark days as the Church—to let our light shine. And we do this by boldly proclaiming the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. In climaxing a list of last days signs, Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
If you battle fear when it comes to sharing the gospel, don’t be discouraged. There is something concrete you can courageously do. The videos on the Living Waters YouTube channel are reaching millions around the world, and they always contain the gospel; so please share them.
There are sins the church still knows how to blush at: adultery, theft, drunkenness, open rebellion. But there are others, quieter ones, that have learned how to dress for Sunday. They sit in the pews, shake hands at the door, and bow their heads in prayer. Sins so socially acceptable that they can exist for years in a heart without ever being named.
They are not celebrated because they are righteous, but because they are common. They pass for maturity, personality, even prudence. But under the surface, they are corroding the soul and grieving the Spirit.
We rightly despise the obvious sins of the world while secretly harboring the subtle sins of the church.
When Sin Wears Sunday Clothes
Some sins destroy a church from the outside; these destroy it from within. They’re not scandalous—they’re respectable. They rarely make the headlines, but they are the termites of holiness.
They go by other names now:
Pride is called conviction.
Gossip is called concern.
Fear is called wisdom.
Envy is called ambition.
Bitterness is called discernment.
We’ve learned how to sanctify our flesh and polish the outside of the cup while quietly feeding the mold within.
The Sin of Sanctified Pride
The Pharisee’s prayer still echoes in modern sanctuaries: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men.”
It’s possible to be doctrinally sound and spiritually proud—to use orthodoxy as a mirror instead of a window. The devil doesn’t mind if you have the right theology, as long as it makes you proud of being right.
When truth no longer humbles us but hardens us, we’ve ceased to be students of grace and have become professors of self.
The Sin of Spiritual Gossip
Gossip in the church rarely starts with malice. It begins with a burden: “We need to pray for her…” or “I just want to make you aware of something.” Before long, the prayer list becomes a tabloid.
Scripture doesn’t treat gossip as a minor issue. It lists the whisperer alongside the murderer (Romans 1:29). Gossip assassinates character under the disguise of care. It builds intimacy on someone else’s shame.
And while we think we’re helping others see truth, we’re actually feeding on their fall.
The Sin of Complaint
Few sins spread faster than complaint. It thrives in the climate of unmet expectations and Christian busyness. When we murmur about our lot, our leaders, our work, or our suffering, we are not venting—we are questioning the wisdom of God’s providence.
Philippians 2:14 doesn’t say, “Complain less.” It says, “Do all things without grumbling.” Every complaint, spoken or inward, is a declaration that God’s plan for us is not good enough.
Gratitude is the language of heaven. Complaint is the accent of hell.
The Sin of Control
We don’t often call control a sin, especially in the church. We call it leadership. But when we manipulate outcomes, micromanage people, or measure our worth by how much we can maintain, control becomes the altar where we sacrifice peace.
Faith is not the absence of planning—it’s the surrender of outcomes. The more we try to take God’s place, the less rest we will ever find.
The Root: Self Still on the Throne
All these “uncelebrated sins” share one root—the subtle enthronement of self. They are not random moral flaws; they are symptoms of an inner rebellion that refuses to die.
We have learned how to behave like saints while thinking like sovereigns. Holiness has become performance instead of transformation. Repentance has become therapy instead of death to self. And our worship, though emotional, often stops short of obedience.
The Cure: Confession in the Light
There is only one way to kill what hides in the dark: bring it into the light.
Psalm 32 says, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away.” Silence in sin is slow death; confession is resurrection.
The grace of God is not permission to stay unholy—it’s power to become holy. And the first evidence that grace has reached the heart is that we stop defending our sin and start mourning it.
True revival never begins with the world’s repentance, but with the church’s honesty.
The Beauty of Hidden Repentance
The world does not need a louder church. It needs a purer one. Our testimony will not be revived by marketing, music, or methods, but by hearts that quietly tremble at their own remaining sin.
The uncelebrated sins of the church may never make headlines, but they can make or break her witness. Let us be more scandalized by our own pride than by the world’s rebellion. Let us be a people who repent quickly, forgive deeply, and live quietly before the face of God.
Because holiness, even when unseen, still speaks. And heaven still applauds what the world—and sometimes the church—has forgotten.
After years of decline, a growing number of Americans believe religion is on its way back, a new study from Pew Research Center suggests.
The report, published Monday, found that about a third of Americans (31%) said religion is gaining influence in the country — up from 18% a year ago.
“While this remains a minority view, it is increasingly held by adults across several demographic groups — with gains of at least 10 percentage points among Democrats and Republicans, adults in every age category and in most large religious groups,” the report described.
Among young adults, women are now the most likely to disengage from church, prayer, and belief, according to a new Barna survey, which found that 38% of women between the ages of 18 and 24 identify as religiously unaffiliated, being either atheist, agnostic, or claiming no faith at all.
It’s a striking statistic, given that women are the predominant demographic in the church, and have historically been seen as most interested in religious adherence. In comparison, only 32% of men of the same age claim to be religiously unaffiliated, a full 6% fewer. Barna notes that these results hold true with even younger age groups:
Even among teens (ages 13–17), the pattern holds: 28 percent of teen girls consider themselves religiously unaffiliated, versus 22 percent of teen boys.
It’s a clear sign that the landscape is changing—challenging longheld assumptions about who is the most likely to distance themselves from religion.
Across every measured spiritual practice, young adult women currently show the lowest levels of engagemen, and in fact are distancing themselves from the practices that sustain it:
“Prayer: 58 percent of women 18–24 report having prayed within the past week, compared to 63 percent of younger teen girls and over 70 percent of teen boys.
Bible Reading: Just 31 percent of young adult women note having read the Bible in the last week, compared to 37 to 41 percent across all other Gen Z groups (young women ages 13–17 and all Gen Z men).
Church Attendance: Only 30 percent say they attended a worship service in the last seven days—the lowest of any demographic group surveyed”
This tracks with a survey from Barna earlier this month, that found women’s church attendance is on the decline and that men are far outpacing them.
According to a new Barna report, men—especially young men—are attending church at higher numbers than women, with “the trend “spik[ing] significantly this year.”
Ever wish you had a pastor’s resource on Bethel Church concerns? With links to Bill Johnson and his team of Apostles and Prophets, in their OWN words and not someone else’s research? Here is a new White Paper you can share with your pastor about any concerns you have about Continue Reading
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