SPECIAL PRÉCIS ON TAKING OUR STAND BY WISDOM IN THE AGE OF THE MAD KING: TRUTH ONLY TO THOSE WHO ‘WILL’ OR ‘MUST’ HEAR! (WITH VIDEO)

THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Do not give that which is HOLY (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.” – MATTHEW 7:6, AMPC

KEY TERMS:

“HOLY” ‘Hagios’ [ἅγιον]: “[‘Awful,’ to be greatly honored, feared and revered]; that which is sacred, pure, morally blameless, consecrated; clean, venerable, perfect, without blemish.” NOTE: “The term embraces two inseparable ideas: ‘Separation’ from all that is common or impure; and positive ‘Dedication’ to God’s use. Whether applied to the Father (John 17:11), the Son (Acts 3:14), the Spirit (Matthew 28:19), places (Hebrews 9:3), objects (Romans 11:16), or people (Ephesians 1:1), ‘ἅγιος marks what belongs uniquely to the Lord and therefore reflects His Character.’”

“DOGS.” ‘Kuón’ [κυσίν]: “Literally, ‘a scavenging hound;’ metaphorically, ‘a spiritual predator who feeds off others;’ also, ‘an impudent man of impure mind.’” NOTE: “The word κύνες/κύων (Strong’s Greek 2965) denotes ‘dog’ in both literal and figurative senses. In the ancient Near East dogs were mostly scavengers, roaming the streets and fields, subsisting on refuse. ‘Because of their association with uncleanness, they became a stock symbol for what is impure, shameless, or hostile to the Covenant People of God. The New Testament preserves this double usage—an everyday animal that also serves as a potent Moral and Theological Metaphor.”

QUOTATION. “‘They are TOXIC, and we know they are Toxic, but perhaps they’re a lifelong friend, relative, or coworker.’ You can’t avoid all troublesome people, can you? And aren’t we supposed to reach difficult people? Didn’t Jesus tell us to search for sinners? And so we keep engaging them, keep running into a wall, all the while thinking we’re doing the Lord’s work.

‘But what if we’re not?’ What if there’s ‘Another Way’ of looking at how we handle Toxic people in our lives? What if the Way and Work of Christ are so compelling, so urgent, and so important that allowing ourselves to become bogged down by Toxic people is an offense to God rather than a service to God?” ― GARY L. THOMAS,When to Walk Away: Finding Freedom from Toxic People, 2019; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘Give not,’ &c. — Even when the beam is cast out of thine own eye. ‘Give not that which is holy unto dogs’ — ‘That is, talk not of the DEEP THINGS of God to those whom you know to be wallowing in sin; neither declare the ‘GREAT THINGS God hath done for your soul, to the profane, furious, persecuting wretches.’ Talk not of high degrees of holiness, for instance, to the former; nor of your own experience to the latter.

‘But our Lord does in no wise forbid us to REPROVE, as occasion is, both the one and the other.’ There is a transposition in the latter clauses of this verse, where, of the two things proposed, the latter is first treated of. The sense is, ‘Give not — to dogs’ — lest, ‘turning, they rend you. Cast not — to swine, lest they trample them under their feet.’” – JOSEPH BENSON, Notes on the Holy Bible, 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

II. TEACHING

THE EVENT. Early the morning of February 13, 2026, I opened my laptop to scan the headlines and see what was taking place on my YouTube Channel – for good or ill. I noticed a recent post that began in all caps with two or three exclamation points, usually not a good sign. Here is what it said:

“YOU ARE 100% WRONG ON ONCE SAVED!! Once you are saved by Jesus, you are saved always. That’s what the Bible says!! [NOTE: No scriptural passages nor theological evidence was presented, just the rant and the angry accusation].

So, withstanding my onboard Hispanic nature’s desire to simply delete and block the comment, I thought, and then wrote back: “Tell you what. I will go one round with you to see what you will say.” I then proceeded to spend about 30-40 minutes martialing the three key verses that I wanted him to read in light of the accusation that I indeed got it all wrong, or, that Jesus was being confusing (e.g., John 8:31; John 14:15; Revelation 3:16).

I then punched the “post” button and moved on.

When I returned an hour or so later to see his response (called himself, “Braveheart” there was nothing – including my comment! As I investigated further, there was no information on his channel, except a teaching by Hyper-Dispensationalist, LES FELDICK), my comment was gone. I tried to reboot and look again, nada, zilch. Gone.

The Word. “This was not an accident, son; I ‘MADE’ you speak it by My Spirit and according to My purposes.” [NOTE: Due to my Freewill Submission to His leadership; Jesus is not a Divine Dictator!].

TWO FOUNDATIONAL LESSONS. In view of today’s Scripture, I learned at least three things about interacting with ‘Christians’ in the Age of Trump that I want to share with all of you about Witnessing.

DISCERNMENT. As we move deeper into the proliferating false, ‘Soft Magic, Cheap Jacks’ Americanized Gospel Era spawned by President Donald Trump’s MAGA Christian Nationalism movement, we shall require ‘Discernment of Spirits’ more than ever before. This Gift of the Holy Spirit is specified by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:10 by the Greek term, ‘Diakrisis’ (διακρίσεις), meaning: “‘The ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults.’ ALSO: This word and practice defines: The God-given capacity to separate, evaluate, and reach sound conclusions about what is true, right, or spiritually authentic.’”
DECISION. Once you have done your best to prayerfully “Discern” the spirit or framework from which that individual is speaking and behaving, Jesus Himself offers the next step. “Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust [of it] off your feet [in contempt, breaking all ties]” (MATTHEW 10:14, AMP.). So must we, in the inimitable words of Kenny Rogers: “You got to know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em, when to walk away and know when to run” (The Gambler, 1978; edited). ¿Está claro, amigos?DK: And if you do not currently possess such a Gift, ‘ASK for it!’ (Matthew 7:7).

NOTE. The most painful of all circumstances today is when such Deep Divides occur within families and friendship networks that are being torn apart by Christians who sincerely desire to follow the True Christ, versus those who have decided to follow the Antichrist – Donald Trump.

You cannot follow both, beloved!

An excellent and passionate piece was recently written for Patheos by pro-life Catholic and Democrat politician, REBECCA HAMILTON in her essay titled, “You Cannot Follow Both Jesus Christ and Donald Trump” (Jan. 15, 2026; edited).

OPEN. “‘Nothing ever happens in a vacuum, and [today] is no exception.’ Our churches have fallen in line with demonic, billionaire-funded political gods. The larger culture has been teaching Nihilism, Amorality and Violence through the communication and teaching powers of some of our most gifted artists for decades. ‘We didn’t lose our Faith. It has been taken from us!’”

MADMAN. I don’t know how bad things are going to get. ‘I know that we are at the mercy of a Mad King and a useless Republican-controlled Congress who will not stand up to him.’I know that a corrupt Supreme Court tossed out the Constitution and made the Mad King above the law. I have believed for many years now, that if this evil man got the kind of power he now possesses, that a lot of people were going to die. I think he has the will, and thanks to the Supreme Court, a handful of greed-driven, spiritually dead billionaires, and a political party that has become as immoral as the Mad King himself, ‘he has the power to kill millions of people.’”

STAND! “‘As Christians, we have a Moral Responsibility to Stand Up to this homicidal evil in whatever ways we can.’ Don’t obfuscate and complicate this so you can create a phony excuse for yourself that you think makes it right for you to continue to support the Mad King and what he is doing. Don’t tell yourself self-excusing lies so that you can stroll past Lazarus without feeling uncomfortable about doing it. ‘Do NOT participate, even at a remove, in the Murder of innocent people by a Lawless Government.’”

URGENCY. “If there ever was a time to take reality on reality’s terms, this is it. ‘You cannot follow both Jesus Christ and Donald Trump.’ You cannot do it. Donald Trump is on the Road that leads to Hell. If he keeps on like this and does not repent and change — and it would be a 180 degree turn about if he actually did it — he is going to go to Hell. ‘You can’t change him. But you can DECIDE whether or not you want to go to Hell with him.’”

MINNEAPOLIS. “‘The Mad King’s Gestapo has started murdering people.’ This last week, ICE murdered a woman in Minneapolis, another man in Oregon and severely wounded a third man. They threatened unarmed members of Congress with pepper spray and pointed rifles at them while the House Members were trying to perform their official duty of inspecting a Federal ICE facility in their district. The Mad King, his entire Regime and all of Right Wing media have lied and lied and lied to cover up these murders and allow them to continue. ‘That’s Third Reich territory. It’s history repeating itself with a rhyme.’”

CLOSE. “Now, I am witnessing the President of the United States and his Henchmen lie and bully and use the Justice Department in an attempt to justify the Murder of American citizens by Government Brown Shirt thugs and shut down any attempt to bring the murderers to justice. I don’t know how far down things are going to go. ‘I think it could get bad.’ I believe that if the Mad King is not stopped, a lot of innocent people are going to die. ‘I have no doubt that every Christian in America today is called by God to RESIST this evil!’”

DK. As do I, beloved, with all my heart and soul and mind and might. But the White Church nor their Pastors, quite undeniably. ‘After 10.5 years of unprecedented lawless horror, they still support the President. By SILENCE, mostly.’ Can you imagine it? Just how in the world did we come to this?

The very subject of our next important section. ‘We cannot Fix the Problem unless we more fully Understand the Problem.’

III. BONHOEFFER’S PROPHECY

So do we turn now to an inspired historical piece with gripping application to the present hour by DR. TRIPP FULLER, host of Homebrewed Christianity with a Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Religion and a Post-Doc in Religion and Science. And as with myself, he loves the rich metaphors of J.R.R. Tolkien.

His Title: “Bonhoeffer’s Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism” (Process This, Jan. 19, 2026; edited). Since this Fellowship strives to be a ‘Confessing’ Christian Community, I thought this analysis to be particularly apropos and very timely.

OPEN. “‘I’ve been thinking a lot lately about frogs and soup pots.’ You know the old illustration—the one Preachers have used for decades about the frog in the kettle. Drop a frog into boiling water, the story goes, and it will jump out immediately. But place that same frog in lukewarm water and raise the temperature gradually, and it will sit there, adjusting, accommodating, until it’s too late.”

GERMANY. “I’ve been revisiting some research on how ordinary German Christians—people who loved their families, served their communities, and sang hymns on Sunday morning—’became, step by step, COMPLICIT in Unimaginable Horror [5-year-old girl post-rape agony]. It is a part of the German Church Story I knew little about prior to all the research for our AudioDocumentary on ‘The Life and Resistance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.’ This has me asking myself an uncomfortable QUESTION: ‘What if we’re the Frogs now? What if the water has been warming for nearly a decade, and we’ve been adjusting so gradually that we can no longer feel how hot it’s become?’” [“INURED:” ‘Accustomed to something unspeakably monstrous’].

MECHANISM. “There’s a Concept that historians use when studying how ordinary people become complicit in extraordinary evil. They call it ‘SEQUENTIAL COMPLICITY.’ The Idea is deceptively simple and profoundly unsettling. Here’s how it worked in Nazi Germany: ‘The Regime implemented its Radical Agenda not all at once but in small, manageable increments.’ The Persecution of Jews developed over several years, starting with civil disabilities—losing jobs, restrictions on movement, social ostracism—and only later culminating in Genocide. Because the Horror unfolded gradually, many individuals found themselves ‘locked into the system’ by the time its Full Nature became apparent.”

REALITY. “There’s a story White Evangelicals tell about their entry into politics. It goes like this: In 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe v. Wade. Evangelical Christians, motivated by their deep commitment to the Sanctity of Life, rose up to defend the unborn. The Religious Right was born from moral conviction. It’s a clean story. A righteous story. It’s also not quite true. The historical record tells a more complicated tale. Throughout the Nineteenth Century, American Evangelicalism was frequently aligned with Progressive Social Reform—the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage, the creation of public schools. Postmillennial Theology encouraged believers to build a Kingdom of Righteousness on Earth. Evangelicals were often on the leading edge of Justice Movements. ‘But something shifted.’”

RETREAT. “By the early Twentieth Century, a militant reaction against Modernism and Biological Evolution led many Evangelicals to view the World as a wrecked vessel that could only be saved through individual conversion rather than social reform. ‘After the public ridicule of the 1925 Scopes Trial, Evangelicals largely retreated from broader culture into a self-contained SUBCULTURE of their own institutions’—their own schools, their own radio stations, their own publishing houses. For decades, the one issue that maintained Evangelical engagement with the public square was the specter of ‘Godless Communism,’ viewed as a Satanic threat to Christian Civilization. BILLY GRAHAM emerged as a unifying figure, using his massive platform to link Evangelical conversion with National Identity and Anti-Communist Patriotism [as would RONALD REAGAN later].”

RACE. “But here’s what’s often left out of the story: ‘During this same period, most WHITE EVANGELICALS remained opposed to the Civil Rights Movement.’ [Selah]. Many used what they called the ‘Spirituality of the Church’ Doctrine to avoid addressing Racial Injustice—arguing that the Church’s Business was saving souls, not Reforming Society. ‘The same theological move that had justified Retreat from social engagement now justified SILENCE in the face of Segregation.’ This matters because it establishes a Pattern. Long before Trump, White Evangelicals had developed a Theology that allowed them to ‘Separate’their private piety from public injustice. The TWO-SPHERES THINKING that would later enable Accommodation to Authoritarianism was already being practiced.’”

REAGAN. “‘The 1980 Election provided a Dress Rehearsal for what would happen in 2016.’ The Incumbent President was Jimmy Carter—a born-again Southern Baptist who taught Sunday school, spoke openly about his Faith, and embodied the personal morality that Evangelicals claimed to value. His challenger was Ronald Reagan—a divorced Hollywood actor who had signed one of the most liberal abortion laws in the country as Governor of California, who rarely attended church, and whose personal life bore little resemblance to Evangelical Ideals. By any measure of the ‘Character Counts Ethic,’ Carter should have been the obvious choice. Instead, White Evangelicals abandoned the fellow believer for the movie star. ‘At the 1980 National Affairs Briefing in Dallas, Reagan signaled his total alignment with the Religious Right’s political agenda.’”

RESOLUTION. “‘So where does this leave us? Is THE PATTERN inevitable?’ Once a community starts down the path of Sequential Complicity, is there any way back? The historical record offers one crucial piece of hope: Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. During the Nazi occupation of France, this small village in the mountains became a center of rescue. Led by Pastor André Trocmé and his wife Magda, the community saved thousands of Jewish Refugees, mostly children. They hid them in homes, forged documents, guided them to safety across the Swiss Border. What made Le Chambon different? SEVERAL FACTORS: A Pastor who preached what he called an ‘Ethic of Combat’ rather than Comfortable Accommodation; a community with a historical ‘Memory of Persecution’ (the villagers were largely Protestant in Catholic France); and a shared conviction that ‘Obedience to God’ superseded Obedience to the State.”

CLOSE. “‘This suggests something important for OUR MOMENT.’ For those who have already taken steps down the Path of Complicity, the way forward isn’t simply to stop where they are. It requires something more costly: ‘ACKNOWLEDGING that the previous steps were wrong, Accepting the loss of the investment already made, and Finding communities that can sustain the social cost of Reversal.’ And for those who haven’t yet been captured—for younger evangelicals, for Christians in other traditions, for anyone who still has the capacity for independent moral judgment—the lesson is equally clear: ‘Don’t take the first step!’ Pay attention to the small compromises, the reasonable-seeming accommodations, the binary choices that foreclose moral complexity. The Sequence starts somewhere.”

BACK UP! RESET! HOLD FAST! “I know your deeds. See, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut, for you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not renounced or denied My name … Because you have KEPT [téreó’(ἐτήρησας)- ‘guard, protect’] the word of My endurance [My command to persevere], I will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial, that hour which is about to come on the whole [inhabited] world, to test those who live on the earth.” – REVELATION 3:8,10, AMP

Selah.

IV. LAST THOUGHTS

‘More than 400 U.S. Christians, including nearly 30 influential United Methodists, have signed an Ecumenical Statement urging Christians to STAND UP for their Neighbors, protect Vulnerable People and defend Democracy.’

Drafted by an organization named “A CALL TO CHRISTIANS,”the Statement was released on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of penitence and reflection known as Lent. The 40-day observance recalls Jesus’ Temptation in the Wilderness and encourages Christians to engage in self-examination and prayer.

THE TEXT. Since the Statement is over 1,800 words, I will close our conversation with the Text of the Prelude (about 800 words). In the Spirit of DEITRICH BONHOEFFER’S German Confessing Church, I therefore formally propose the following to the Peloton Confession Fellowship:

AMERICA’S BARMAN DECLARATION: “A Call to Christians in a Crisis of Faith and Democracy” – PRELUDE (February 18, 2026; edited)

WHY WE WRITE

There are moments that call for Repentance and Resistance, Courage and Conviction, Faith and Fortitude. This is one of those moments.

THE QUESTION: What will we do now?

We are facing a Cruel and Oppressive Government; citizens and immigrants being demonized, disappeared, and even killed; the erosion of hard-won rights and freedoms; and a calculated effort to reverse America’s growing racial and ethnic diversity– all of which are pushing us toward Authoritarian and Imperial Rule. What confronts us is not only an endangered Democracy and the Rise of Tyranny. It is also a Christian Faith corrupted by the heretical ideology of White Christian Nationalism, and a Church that has often failed to equip its members to model Jesus’s Teachings and fulfill its Prophetic Calling as a humanitarian, compassionate, and Moral Compass for society.

Therefore, as Christians in the United States, representing the breadth of Christian Traditions and one part of our Nation’s religiously plural society, we are compelled to SPEAK OUT MORE BOLDLY at this time.

We Call on all Christians to join us in greater Acts of Courage to RESIST the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the Nation. In moments like this: ‘SILENCE is not neutrality—it is an active CHOICE to permit harm.’

This Call is particularly dire as our Nation commemorates the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a time of celebration and reflection on our historic racial and human rights progress and setbacks, as we seek both democratic and civic renewal. Instead, current trends and forces assault our core rights and freedoms and threaten to derail and even destroy our Democracy. This is not a distant danger or a future possibility. ‘It is a Present and Urgent Reality.’

The Government-sponsored cruelty and violence we are witnessing stands in total opposition to the Teachings of Jesus. We Refuse to be Silent while too many people who call themselves Christians aid, abet, or simply stand by and allow these atrocities.

This POLITICAL CRISIS is driven by people who have fallen for the temptation of Absolute Power’—undermining Democratic checks and balances, entrenching economic inequality, exacerbating divisions, and normalizing corruption and the indiscriminate use of violence.

Freedoms and Rights once assumed to be secure are being stripped away, redefined, or selectively applied. Decades-old civil rights protections are being dismantled. Truth is being replaced by lies and propaganda. Governance is being hollowed out and replaced with corruption, loyalty tests, intimidation, and the normalization of lawlessness. The architecture of Democracy and the Rights secured by the Separation of Powers are being eroded from within, while we are told to accept it as “law”, “order,” or “God’s will.”

Sadly, the Crisis is not only POLITICAL—it is one driven by a MORAL AND SPIRITUAL COLLAPSE showing up in alarming levels of Polarization. Our Faith is being TESTED. Christians cannot pretend otherwise and must make a DECISION TO ACT.

We refuse to baptize domination. We refuse to sanctify cruelty. We refuse to confuse authoritarian power with divine authority. We choose to RESIST, calling forth the righteous demands of our Faith rooted in the Teachings of Jesus. Religion should not be used to deify politicians or justify their abuses. When it is, Faith ceases to be faithful and becomes a Weapon of both Heresy and Hypocrisy.

As Christians, we must NEVER preach Nationalism as discipleship, confuse American and Christian Identity with Whiteness, or mistake Allegiance to modern-day Caesars for Faithfulness to Christ. We must never surrender our Prophetic Voice by aligning with powers and principalities rather than with the One who calls us to be purveyors of Justice and Righteousness.

‘Now is the Time to boldly embrace Fidelity to the MESSAGE OF JESUS: To Defend the image of God in every person; to Love our neighbors — no exception; to Reject retribution; Extend grace, mercy, and compassion; Reflect the radical counterculture of The Beatitudes and live out the Call of MATTHEW 25 with special care for persons who are poor, vulnerable and marginalized.’

As followers of Jesus, we must take these Principles seriously, as we seek to renew, deepen, and fortify our Faith, Resist False Religion, build Beloved Community, and become a truly multi-racial, inclusive Democracy.

We call on Christians to remember that we serve a Mighty and Awesome God, who is Sovereign over Nations and Rulers.

We serve a God, through our Lord and Liberator Jesus Christ, Who equips us with the Courage and Fortitude to Stand for Justice and Peace. ‘We will always Stand in Solidarity with those who are most VULNERABLE among us.’

NOW is the Time to SPEAK AND ACT! So may our God Guide us, Empower us, and yes, Embolden us. For as He Promises: “I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

GO, therefore, and DO whatever He instructs. And nothing less.

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/qwEc2dIZ17M