What good news!! The pull away from Christianity has only brought us a break down in the nuclear family, transgenderism and a debauched version homosexuality. Life is not valued and obscene treatments and surgeries are perpetrated on gender confused children. The moral teachings of Christ are what has been needed and was rejected by the left. Thank God there is hope. I think the groundswell began because people were seeing the evil that was visited on us with COVID-19, the exposure of censorship in the Twitter files and the extreme persecution of Donald Trump and conservatives. I have never prayed so hard as I did for someone to save the America I knew existed. God sent Trump, an imperfect man who understands what America needs to do. I think the need was there to embrace Christianity, and President Trump showed the world that he did. Hallelujah!
What good news!! The pull away from Christianity has only brought us a break down in the nuclear family, transgenderism and a debauched version of homosexuality. Life is not valued and obscene treatments and surgeries are perpetrated on gender confused children. The moral teachings of Christ are what has been needed and was rejected by the left. Thank God there is hope. I think the groundswell began because people were seeing the evil that was visited on us with COVID-19, the exposure of censorship in the Twitter files and the extreme persecution of Donald Trump and conservatives. I have never prayed so hard as I did for someone to save the America I knew existed. God sent Trump, an imperfect man who understands what America needs to do. I think the need was there to embrace Christianity, and President Trump showed the world that he did. Hallelujah!
>>Or let me put that another way: the fakers have left. There’s no longer any benefit to your business, or to your personal prestige, that derives from pretending to be a Christian.
A fascinating observation, Mr. Martin. Thank you; that insight had not previously occurred to me.
FWIW, I've long invoked a biological analogy, in which Collectivism is analogous to a genus, and that Progressivism / Socialism / Globalism / Communism and Fascism are species.
Similarly, I would argue that if we engaged in a "Black Belt" like "root cause analysis" - albeit, here analyzing ideological / faith root causes - we would find that Collectivism too has a root cause: Satan. In fact, we might refer to Satan as Collectivism's "Creator."
Which, in turn, would explain why (as you observed) Christianity and its tenets are an anathema to the Democrat Party - the political party of Progressivism - and so, by extension, an anathema to Progressivism overall.
Socialism in all its forms is about making the state our god, so that the "chosen ones" can participate in that god, dispensing blessings and cursings. It is an entire social theory based on systematized covetousness, starting with coveting God's right to define right and wrong.
Always good to remember that the Bride is being refined, “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
You said you weren't sure about revival. From my experience, there's likely more to come.
Since July 2023, I have been fasting 3 days a week and praying daily for God to move in our country with a mighty revival. In November with Trump's election and a conservative groundswell, I thought maybe I can stop the fast. In a very short while I heard a still small voice saying "Not yet. Keep fasting and praying."
Everyone who has been praying, and fasting, and is excited about the small results we've been seeing needs to keep at it, and stand and see what the Lord will do next.
Well done. I have always believed that only a muscular Christianity can work to preserve our liberties. The contrasts you set out between Regressivism and Christianity, both writ large for the purposes of summation, are, I think, spot on.
But, at the same time, from a rhetorical point of view, you will have to deal with that which tends to refute it, or if not entirely, then to substantially weaken it: the actions of Catholic "charities" at the border and inland over the past four years in conjunction with USAID. They are Christian as well.
No, they claim the name of Christ, apparently in vain.
We have plenty of that in Southern Baptist life too. But as in the days when Jesus opposed the Pharisees, and Jeremiah opposed Hananiah, there are many who claim God's sanction for their own purposes, without submitting to God's Word.
Then, who is to sort that out? I had thought Christianity in the US had quite a long time ago been defanged, become incapable of defending itself against the godless Left — a shocking crippling to my eyes. And then many Christian charities over the past four years aided and abetted patent illegal action deployed to destroy the American nation and the liberties which under God — the God of Christians, really — inure to them. An inversion — inversion is typically Leftist. So I am confused. I hope you discuss this aspect some in your writing because I think it is crucial to this muscular Christianity I think — perhaps you might agree — is essential if we are to retain the freedom to speak and worship and associate as we please.
I live in an area we call living in the 'belly of the beast'... most of the churches closed with covid, most of them accepted and internalized DEI, most of them embrace the feminist movement and have female 'pastors'. (This doesn't always mean the women don't love God, but do not understand/accept the differences in 'roles'.) In my own congregation we are still fighting the liberal creep, I think the denomination will be splitting...again. You cannot be in communion with those branches that deny the authority and consistency of God's Holy Word.
Also, there are still a lot of big box churches that have turned worship into a business model.
Great write up, Rod! This Pew Survey proves what I've seen anecdotally. I manage a Christian bookstore in Kansas City, MO, and I've seen so many non-Christians come buy their first Bibles in the last two years. I have a friend who used to be left of center and belligerently atheistic, but even be has moved to near full conservatism and has become agnostic (small steps). The stalling, Lord willing, will soon become growth.
What good news!! The pull away from Christianity has only brought us a break down in the nuclear family, transgenderism and a debauched version homosexuality. Life is not valued and obscene treatments and surgeries are perpetrated on gender confused children. The moral teachings of Christ are what has been needed and was rejected by the left. Thank God there is hope. I think the groundswell began because people were seeing the evil that was visited on us with COVID-19, the exposure of censorship in the Twitter files and the extreme persecution of Donald Trump and conservatives. I have never prayed so hard as I did for someone to save the America I knew existed. God sent Trump, an imperfect man who understands what America needs to do. I think the need was there to embrace Christianity, and President Trump showed the world that he did. Hallelujah!
What good news!! The pull away from Christianity has only brought us a break down in the nuclear family, transgenderism and a debauched version of homosexuality. Life is not valued and obscene treatments and surgeries are perpetrated on gender confused children. The moral teachings of Christ are what has been needed and was rejected by the left. Thank God there is hope. I think the groundswell began because people were seeing the evil that was visited on us with COVID-19, the exposure of censorship in the Twitter files and the extreme persecution of Donald Trump and conservatives. I have never prayed so hard as I did for someone to save the America I knew existed. God sent Trump, an imperfect man who understands what America needs to do. I think the need was there to embrace Christianity, and President Trump showed the world that he did. Hallelujah!
Thank you for this read.
This too, I might add . . .
https://open.substack.com/pub/elizabethnickson/p/the-deep-church-trafficks-children
>>Or let me put that another way: the fakers have left. There’s no longer any benefit to your business, or to your personal prestige, that derives from pretending to be a Christian.
A fascinating observation, Mr. Martin. Thank you; that insight had not previously occurred to me.
FWIW, I've long invoked a biological analogy, in which Collectivism is analogous to a genus, and that Progressivism / Socialism / Globalism / Communism and Fascism are species.
Similarly, I would argue that if we engaged in a "Black Belt" like "root cause analysis" - albeit, here analyzing ideological / faith root causes - we would find that Collectivism too has a root cause: Satan. In fact, we might refer to Satan as Collectivism's "Creator."
Which, in turn, would explain why (as you observed) Christianity and its tenets are an anathema to the Democrat Party - the political party of Progressivism - and so, by extension, an anathema to Progressivism overall.
Socialism in all its forms is about making the state our god, so that the "chosen ones" can participate in that god, dispensing blessings and cursings. It is an entire social theory based on systematized covetousness, starting with coveting God's right to define right and wrong.
So yes. It's Satanic to the core.
Always good to remember that the Bride is being refined, “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
Revelation 19:8
There’s a wedding celebration coming up.
You said you weren't sure about revival. From my experience, there's likely more to come.
Since July 2023, I have been fasting 3 days a week and praying daily for God to move in our country with a mighty revival. In November with Trump's election and a conservative groundswell, I thought maybe I can stop the fast. In a very short while I heard a still small voice saying "Not yet. Keep fasting and praying."
Everyone who has been praying, and fasting, and is excited about the small results we've been seeing needs to keep at it, and stand and see what the Lord will do next.
I am very hopeful for a new Great Awakening. I was only saying that these numbers aren't enough on which to base a prediction. But we agree.
Well done. I have always believed that only a muscular Christianity can work to preserve our liberties. The contrasts you set out between Regressivism and Christianity, both writ large for the purposes of summation, are, I think, spot on.
But, at the same time, from a rhetorical point of view, you will have to deal with that which tends to refute it, or if not entirely, then to substantially weaken it: the actions of Catholic "charities" at the border and inland over the past four years in conjunction with USAID. They are Christian as well.
No, they claim the name of Christ, apparently in vain.
We have plenty of that in Southern Baptist life too. But as in the days when Jesus opposed the Pharisees, and Jeremiah opposed Hananiah, there are many who claim God's sanction for their own purposes, without submitting to God's Word.
Then, who is to sort that out? I had thought Christianity in the US had quite a long time ago been defanged, become incapable of defending itself against the godless Left — a shocking crippling to my eyes. And then many Christian charities over the past four years aided and abetted patent illegal action deployed to destroy the American nation and the liberties which under God — the God of Christians, really — inure to them. An inversion — inversion is typically Leftist. So I am confused. I hope you discuss this aspect some in your writing because I think it is crucial to this muscular Christianity I think — perhaps you might agree — is essential if we are to retain the freedom to speak and worship and associate as we please.
I live in an area we call living in the 'belly of the beast'... most of the churches closed with covid, most of them accepted and internalized DEI, most of them embrace the feminist movement and have female 'pastors'. (This doesn't always mean the women don't love God, but do not understand/accept the differences in 'roles'.) In my own congregation we are still fighting the liberal creep, I think the denomination will be splitting...again. You cannot be in communion with those branches that deny the authority and consistency of God's Holy Word.
Also, there are still a lot of big box churches that have turned worship into a business model.
Great write up, Rod! This Pew Survey proves what I've seen anecdotally. I manage a Christian bookstore in Kansas City, MO, and I've seen so many non-Christians come buy their first Bibles in the last two years. I have a friend who used to be left of center and belligerently atheistic, but even be has moved to near full conservatism and has become agnostic (small steps). The stalling, Lord willing, will soon become growth.
Wonderful!