FURTHER NOTES ON ‘THE PELOTON CHRISTIAN’: TOWARD BECOMING “THE EXCELLENT ONES” IN WHOM GOD DELIGHTS

SCRIPTURE. “Keep and protect me, O God, for in You I have found refuge, and in You do I put my trust and hide myself. I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; I have no good beside or beyond You. As for the godly (the saints) who are in the land, they are the excellent, the noble, and the glorious, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied who choose another god; their drink offerings of blood will I not offer or take their names upon my lips.” – PSALM 16:1-4, AMPC

QUOTATIONS

“Whoever God loves, Satan hates; whoever God blesses, Satan tries to curse. I believe, without a doubt, that the Enemy tries to get to God through us — His children and the apples of His eye.” – THERESA PECKU-LARYEA, ‘Hannah’s Song,’ 2013; edited

“The Warrior is one compelled by an inner, often insensible calling to forge an untouchable sword of discipline … seeking to prove one’s worth by pursuing adversity, and pushing against struggle, even for causes larger than one’s own.” – BRIAN S. WOODS, ‘The Codex Bellum: Stoking the Fire of the Warrior-Way,’ 2016; edited

“‘Undeniable integrity’ is the absolute supreme quality. Without it, no genuine accomplishment is attainable, whether it’s on a football field, in the armed forces, in your marriage, or in running your own business … or perhaps in writing a book.” – KARL WIGGINS, ‘Wrong Planet – Searching for your Tribe,’ 2020; edited

1. FIRST THOUGHTS

When I gave my life to Christ on October 30th 1979 in a nondescript little Assemblies of God church in Stockton California that went by the name then of Lincoln Neighborhood, I will never forget my first tearful prayer as PASTOR EUGENE KRAFT led me to the foot of Christ’s Cross that morning around 10:00:

“Lord, I don’t want to be a bad man anymore. ‘I just want to be a good man.’”

Hands down, that was the best (and most dangerous) prayer I have ever prayed in my entire life. Uncoached, uninformed, not even knowing to Whom I was praying at that point or what it was I was asking Him to do for me. But it was sincere, it was desperate, it was righteous.

And God heard me.

WHAT IS A ‘GOOD MAN’? In the account described in ‘The Apology’ by PLATO (c. 399 BC), Socrates is on trial for crimes he has not committed. Socrates ultimately does not fear death because of his innocence, he believes that death is not feared because it may be one of the greatest blessings of the soul.

“You are wrong, sir, if you think that a man who is any good at all should take into account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, ‘whether what he does is right or wrong,’ whether he is acting like a good or a bad man’”

The Roman philosopher and rhetorician named Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, or QUINTILLIAN, put it ever so simply in describing the ideal Roman citizen as, “a good man speaking well”(‘Institutio Oratoria,’ 95 AD). By which he meant a man of virtue speaking and communicating with skill.

As we move from antiquity to America’s Founding, we find that our Forebears were exquisitely educated and deeply respectful of both Biblical Wisdom and Classical Philosophy. America’s ‘Father of Conservatism,’ RUSSELL KIRK, brilliantly put it this way in his compelling work, ‘Roots of American Order’ (1974).

“First came the Hebrews, who recognized ‘a purposeful moral existence under God.’ For the Prophets, the hill-town of Jerusalem was the Eternal City for Salvation. Next came the Greeks who strengthened the roots with their philosophical and political self-awareness. Athens was where Western philosophy was born, and from it came the Western views of science and the conviction that all areas of knowledge are within the ability of the mind of men. There followed the Romans, with their emphasis on law and social awareness. Rome was the seat of a great empire, and its political administration and stability echoed down the centuries. The roots of these cities were ‘intertwined with the Christian understanding of human duties and human hopes’ and were joined by Medieval custom, learning, and valor.”

THE AMERICAN ORDER. Finally, I love this particular quotation from SAMUEL ADAMS, who eloquently goes to the very heart what it is to be ‘A good nation’ whose requirement is to be peopled and especially led by many good men.

“Revelation assures us that ‘Righteousness exalteth a Nation’ [Proverbs 13:34] – Communities are dealt with in this World by the wise and just Ruler of the Universe. He rewards or punishes them according to their general Character. The diminution of Publick Virtue is usually attended with that of Publick Happiness, and the Publick Liberty will not long survive the total Extinction of Morals.” – Letter to John Scollay, April 30, 1776; edited

By the time French political scientist ALEXIS DE TOQUEVILLE finished his tour of the young nation and wrote of it in his landmark work, ‘Democracy in America’ in 1835, he summed it all up in a simple Maxim (rough paraphrase): “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

MAXIM. It therefore logically follows, if a nation is filled with ‘good men’ especially in positions of leadership, then that nation has a much higher probability of being blessed by God and remaining prosperous.

Perhaps even, “Great,” as God would define greatness. Selah.

1. THEOLOGY OF THE GOOD MAN

When I uttered that desperate, existential prayer the morning of October 30, 1979, I again had little idea of what it was I was requesting from the Almighty. But it came from the deepest parts of me, down in the darkest caverns where I so wanted there to be ‘Light’ instead of that dreadful, deadly ‘Darkness’ that had driven me to the edge of suicide I had planned for Halloween Night.

FIRST PREMISE. Which neatly leads me to propose the following about our pursuit of a Biblical definition of the “Good Man.” Whatever it is, it has everything to do with the presence of LIGHT, in strenuous and relentless opposition to the presence of DARKNESS.

• GENESIS 1:2-3 (AMP). “The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.’”

• JOHN 1:1-5 (AMP). “In the beginning [before all time] was ‘the Word’ (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. ‘In Him was life’ [and the power to bestow life], ‘and the life was the Light of men.’The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].”

COMMENTARY. “Observe, that at First there was nothing desirable to be seen, for the world was without form, and void; it was ‘confusion, and emptiness.’ In like manner ‘the work of Grace in the soul’ is a New Creation: And in a graceless soul, one that is not born again, there is ‘disorder, confusion, and every evil work:’ It is empty of all good, for it is without God; ‘it is dark, it is darkness itself’: this is our condition by nature, till Almighty grace works a change in us …

The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal ‘His Father’s Mind’ to the world. What the evangelist says of Christ proves that He is God. He asserts, His existence in the Beginning; His coexistence with the Father. The Word was with God. All things were made by Him, and not as an instrument. Without Him was not any thing made that was made, from the highest angel to the meanest worm. This shows how well qualified He was for the work of our Redemption and Salvation.

‘The Light of Reason, as well as the Life of Sense, is derived from Him, and depends upon Him. This Eternal Word, this True Light shines, but the Darkness comprehends it not. Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes may be opened to behold this Light, that we may walk in it; and thus be made wise unto Salvation, by Faith in Jesus Christ.” – MATTHEW HENRY, ‘Exposition of the Old and New Testaments,’ 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

THE APPLICATION. Therefore, it further follows that whether we’re discussing an individual, a family, a city, a Church, or an entire Nation of people, there must be the presence of GOD’S LIGHT for it to survive and prosper and overcome the vicious oppositional forces of DARKNESS.

Should we ever lose God’s Light, beloved, complete and utter ‘Destruction’ [‘Diaphthora,’ διαφθορά; decay, corruption, death] will surely follow. It becomes only a matter of time.

To complete this section then, I want us to look at a distinguished Anglican theologian who I greatly admire and whose renderings of ‘THE GOOD MAN,’ provide further detail on how we can put legs and feet to what otherwise would remain generalized abstraction.

HARRY BLAMIRES. In his landmark work, ‘The Christian Mind’ (1963; edited), Blamires posits SIX DISTUINGUISHING MARKS of  how a Christian must think or conceptualize Reality, reasoning that one cannot ‘act’ as a Christian unless one clearly ‘thinks’ as a Christian (cf. Prov. 23:7). 

1. SUPERNATURAL ORIENTATION. “A prime mark of the Christian Mind is that it cultivates the Eternal (Supernatural) Perspective. That is to say, it looks beyond this life to Another One.

• AWARENESS OF EVIL. “We have said that the Christian mind thinks in terms of Heaven and Hell. In other words it is conscious of the Universe as a Battlefield between the forces of Good and Evil. It follows that the Christian mind has an acute and sensitive awareness of the power and spread of Evil upon the human scene” (p. 86).

• CONCEPTION OF TRUTH. “For the Christian, Truth is supernaturally grounded; it is not manufactured within nature. The violence of the collision between the secular mind and the Christian mind and disrespect is often underestimated” (p. 106).

• ACCEPTANCE OF AUTHORITY. “By the very nature of the Christian Faith, as hitherto represented in this book, the Christian mind has an attitude to authority which modern secularism cannot even understand, let alone tolerate … That which is Divinely established and Divinely guaranteed calls forth from men, not an egalitarian attachment, but ‘a bending submission’” (p. 132).

• CONCERN FOR THE PERSON. “Christian thinking is Incarnational. The Christian Mind surveys the human scene under the Illumination of the fact that God became Man, taking upon Himself our nature, and thereby exalting that nature for all time and for eternity. Thus, the Christian’s conception of the human person is a high one, his sense of the sacredness of human personality being deeply grounded in revealed theological Truth” (p. 156).

• SACRAMENTAL CAST. “The Christian mind thinks sacramentally. The Christian Faith presents a sacramental view of life. It shows life’s positive richness is derivative from the Supernatural. It teaches us that to create Beauty or to experience Beauty, to recognize Truth or to discover Truth, to receive Love or to give Love, is to come into contact with realities which express the Divine Nature” (p. 173).

SUMMARY. From all that we have discussed thus far, we can begin to codify a clear definition of not just ‘The Good Man,’ but indeed, The essential building blocks of: The Excellent Christian:

• He is fiercely in love with God’s Truth, to the point of being obsessed with it as the means by which he will both know God and conduct his own life. Thus the primary demonstration of a true Christian’s holiness is his immovable loyalty to the Word of God, refusing to compromise any of it no matter the cost.

• He is also distinguished by the manner in which he is able to Love Others, not just with a superficial civility or cultural nicety, but with a profound and sincere love that transcends this earthly life, and that others see as part of his witness of God. He truly has a heart for others and is sacrificial in demonstration of his genuine affection.

• Finally, The Excellent Christian exercises Supernatural Power and Authority over the demonic and earthly forces that would otherwise destroy him in their pursuit of service to another god. Miraculously then, he is able to be bold as a lion and yet gentle as a lamb as the occasion requires, as with his Master.

1. THE TEACHING

THE SCRIPTURE. “Keep and protect me, O God, for in You I have found refuge, and in You do I put my trust and hide myself. I say to the Lord, You are my Lord; I have no good beside or beyond You. As for the godly (the saints) who are in the land, they are the excellent, the noble, and the glorious, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied who choose another god; their drink offerings of blood will I not offer or take their names upon my lips.” – PSALM 16:1-4, AMPC

Now to our KEY TERMS for a still deeper analysis of the Last Days Christian we all aspire to become.

• THE EXCELLENT ONES. In harmony with the earlier definition  presented at the beginning of this piece from Noah Webster (1828), here is the more accurate Hebrew definition of that crucial concept. Taken from the term, ‘Addir’ [אַדִּיר], it means: “Majestic; of nobles or chieftains; gallant; a mightier one; worthy of honor; strength and beauty of trees or the sea; great, or goodly.” DK: You will please note that these are not the passive, timid, always soft spoken and obsequiously polite little Christians we hear preached in almost every church every Sunday. Rather, these are courageous, bold, loving, compassionate and fearless friends of the Humble – the wounded, the contrite, the hungry, the spiritually poor, and the oppressed. Conversely, they are relentlessly against the Proud at almost every point. – cf. James 4:6

• IN WHOM GOD DELIGHTS. I have repeatedly emphasized that God delights in and blesses ‘Obedience,’ but is the Enemy of and severely judges  sustained ‘Disobedience,’ especially by those who call themselves Christians and even more so for Leaders. This is not a complicated theology, but it is one again that has been virtually expunged from the entire American Pulpit. The Hebrew word used here is, ‘Chephets’ [חֵפֶץ]: “Taken from a root word meaning to find pleasure in, to take delight in, to be pleased with, to have an affection for, to desire, to choose, to bend, to bow. The main meaning here is to feel a strong positive attraction for something. Also, to long for the company of.” DK: To make sure we are all on the same doctrinal page here, such affinity and affection is never, ever bestowed upon the habitually disobedient. Not ever. – cf. 1 Peter 4:17

• WHOM GOD ABHORS. Though this is King David doing the writing, he unequivocally represents the sentiments of Yahweh as he does so. “To those who hasten after another god,” are regarded as ‘Idolaters,’ to whom that ‘other’ Face of God shall be shown as ‘false followers.’ The pivotal term here is in the Hebrew, ‘Acher’ [אַחֵר]. Contextually, it is to be interpreted in severity as: ‘Chasing fervently after another woman, another lord, a foreign master, another seed, another man, a stranger, or another court in which to adjudicate one’s desires.” DK: To be absolutely clear that no one is in the dark about the  serious Penalty for Idolatry: “He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be put under a ban (designated) for destruction (execution).” – cf. Exodus 22:20

• ON FOREIGN ALLIANCES. By voting for, defending and debating on behalf of, donating money or time or resources to, campaigning for in any way, wearing his brand or otherwise aligning yourself with DONALD TRUMP in devoted followership is to form ‘a foreign alliance with the very spirit of antichrist.’This finds  that person in severe violation of Deuteronomic Law and the passage in Exodus 22. This Law of Alliances is unmistakably clear: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” – cf. 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14-15

THE SPIRIT OF MAGA. “And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], ‘having become callous and unfeeling [apathetic],’ have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand].” – cf. EPHESIANS 4:19, AMP

A stirring Commentary is offered here by the distinguished English theologian and churchman, CHARLES ELLICOTT: “‘Who being past feeling’—We note that St. Paul, passing lightly over the intellectual loss, dwells on the moral with intense and terrible emphasis. They are (he says) ‘past feeling’; or, literally, carrying on the Metaphor of Callousness, ‘they have lost the capacity of pain’—the Moral Pain which is the natural and healthful consequence of sin against our true natures. Consequently, ‘losing in this their true humanity,’ they give themselves over to ‘lasciviousness.’ – ‘An Old and New Testament Commentary for English Readers,’ 1878, 1897; edited

Thereby becoming, beloved, like unto The Beast, whom they serve. Selah.

THE EVIDENCE. In support of this charge against Trump’s Political Movement, I submit the following summary of a panel survey of MAGA adherents reported by CHRISTIAN SEBASTIAN PARKER, professor of political science at the University of Washington and co-author of the research. It was conducted following the January 6th 2021 violent insurrection by truck followers and reported by UW journalist Kim Eckart the following February 8.

• Nearly all (98%) of respondents said they believe Trump’s election fraud claims and distrust the actual results of the presidential election.

• About 90% said voting “shouldn’t be easier.”

• More than two-thirds said Trump bears no responsibility for the events of Jan. 6—roughly the same percentage that laid the blame on Antifa.

• At least 90% said Trump was honest about COVID-19, and that state and local government restrictions related to the pandemic should be loosened.

• Other surveys have shown that over 40 million Americans, many if not most of whom are Christians, subscribe to the even more arcane and blasphemous Beliefs of QAnon: The core QAnon theory is that a cabal of Satanic cannibalistic sexual abusers of children operating a global child sex trafficking ring conspired against former U.S. President Donald Trump during his term in office.

THE CHOICE. Therefore beloved, it is up to you vastly more than it is up to God. This is the most important decision you will ever make, whether or not you have already confessed Christ. Should you continue in your Spiritual Rebellion in this matter, you place yourself under The Law. Neither can God’s Law ever excuse an Unrepentant Sinner, by whatever name he prefers to call himself. Sin is sin, life is life, and death is death. Selah.

Whereas God has said it Himself:

“‘Then I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, and against those who oppress the laborer in his wages and widows and the fatherless, and against those who turn away the alien [from his right], and those who do not fear Me [with awe-filled reverence],’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘For I am the Lord, I do not change [but remain faithful to My covenant with you]; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.’” – MALACHI 3:5-6, AMP

My very strong sense is that ‘Yahweh is about to move’ against many of His Leaders and Houses who have refused to listen to His Warnings.

1. LAST THOUGHTS: CHURCH OF THE LAST DAYS

To wrap things up beloved, let me finish on FIVE TEMPLATES OF EXCELLENCE that  both illustrate and largely define the kind of Church Christ expects when He Returns. However, the Scriptures clearly and repeatedly tell us that this True Church shall likely be a small one, compared to the great majority of what most Americans conceive to be God’s Church today.

It is called by several names, which I now briefly review below.

THE REMNANT CHURCH. “Here is how the ‘Lexham Bible Dictionary’ defines the word Remnant: A portion of people left after a disaster, especially a disaster identified with Divine Judgment. Especially in the Prophets, this term describes those who ‘remain faithful’ to God despite suffering and who ultimately experience restoration. Typically, what Remnant means in the Bible is a reference to those who are ‘leftover.’ It is most often a reference to the people of Israel, however there are instances where this has been used while alluding to other nations [and the True Church of Jesus the Christ].” – CLARENCE L. HAYNES, JR., ‘Crosswalk,’ ret. Aug. 10, 2022; edited

THE CONFESSING CHURCH. “When Hitler initially came to power in 1933, many German churchgoers supported him because he promised to bring Germany out of the depressed situation she found herself in after WWI. In order to consolidate power, the Nazi Party attempted to unify all churches into a single, pro-Nazi church that would ‘sanctify’ the teachings and program of the Nazi Party, and many professing believers even supported this move. Pro-Nazi church members became a group known broadly as the ‘German Christians,’ and they eventually gained control of the German Evangelical Church, the country’s largest Protestant Church, having most of Germany’s 40 million Protestants … However, from within the German Evangelical Church another group emerged in opposition to the German Christians. This group maintained that ‘the final authority was Christ,’ not any earthly ruler. This group, The Confessing Church, regarded itself as the True Church in Germany, as they honored no one other than Christ as the Head … The beliefs of the Confessing Church were clarified at the Synod of Barmen and set forth in the Barmen Declaration of 1934.” EDITORS, ‘Got Questions,’ ret. Aug. 10, 2022; edited

THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH. “The Church at ancient Philadelphia was not large and it didn’t have great influence. However, it was pure, holy and faithful to God’s Word. The members of the Church of Philadelphia devoted themselves to the study of Scriptures, especially the Prophecies of Daniel and of the Revelation. In addition, the members experienced personal victory over sin. Thus the Church was faithful and pure before God.” The Biblical Text describing this Church’s chief strengths reads as follows: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name … Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (REVELATION 3:8,10). – EDITORS, ‘Bible Ask,’ Feb. 24, 2014; edited

THE SMYRNEAN CHURCH. “The local Church of Smyrna was repeatedly crushed by bitter persecutions and was several times virtually destroyed, but has always been restored to life. This Church felt the full force of the Pagan Roman persecutions of the second and third centuries. Smyrna was the home of POLYCARP and the scene of his Martyrdom in AD 168. The hillside of Mount Pagus, where he was burned at the stake, has since been reddened by the blood of fifteen hundred Christians at one time and eight hundred at another. Visitors are shown the spot where he was supposed to have been martyred and the tomb where he was buried … Tertullian tells us that Polycarp was consecrated Bishop of Smyrna by the Apostle John, and with this conclusion agree also the testimonies of Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Jerome.” to this endlessly persecuted church Jesus would end with this command: “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (REVELATION 2:10). – EDITORS, ‘Digging for Truth,’ ret. Aug. 10, 2022; edited

THE PELOTON FELLOWSHIP. This then constitutes our rich and difficult Legacy as Christians providentially ordained to be alive at the very End of Days. It is filled with great honor, immeasurable courage, and most of all, ‘unwavering faithfulness to Christ and Canon,’ unto life or even unto death if required. Therefore, this Company of saints that the Holy Spirit has created that we now call The Peloton Fellowship is devoted to this noble heritage, likewise, unto life or unto death, so help us God.

As I pondered how to close this Commentary, I thought of ‘famous last dying words’ of a number of renown individuals, since what we say at our death is almost always an accurate reflection of our true heart and soul.

The final choice was not difficult.

THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP. Not to be confused with the Viking tradition of “dying well” or “dying a good death,” there clearly is merit and overlap into the Christian tradition of ‘dying well in the Lord’ (Phil. 1:21). Neither can I think of a more honorable figure in this regard than Bishop Polycarp around the year 160 AD.

The following account is taken from the time honored “Letter of Smyrneans, The  Martyrdom of Polycarp” (c. 200 AD). Tradition holds that it was written by IRANAEUS, a student of Polycarp, and copied by someone named GAIUS.

“As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a Voice came to him from heaven: ‘Be strong, Polycarp and play the man!’ No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the Voice. When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The Proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to ‘persuade him to apostatize,’ saying, ‘Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, “Down with the Atheists!” Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, ‘Down with the Atheists!’ ‘Swear,” urged the Proconsul, ‘reproach Christ, and I will set you free.’ ‘86 years have I have served him,’ Polycarp declared, ‘and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?’ …

THE PRAYER. So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. Ready to be an acceptable burnt-offering to God, he looked up to heaven, and said:

‘O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before You, I give you thanks that You count me worthy to be numbered among Your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as You, the True God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled. I praise You for all these things, I bless You and glorify You, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son. To You, with Him, through the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and forever. Amen.’

THE AFTERMATH. Then the fire was lit, and the flame blazed furiously. We who were privileged to witness it saw a great miracle, and this is why we have been preserved, to tell the story. The fire shaped itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, and formed a circle around the body of the martyr. Inside it, he looked not like flesh that is burnt, but like bread that is baked, or gold and silver glowing in a furnace. And we smelt a sweet scent, like frankincense or some such precious spices.

Eventually, when those wicked men saw that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to pierce him with a dagger. When he did this [a dove flew out and] such a great quantity of blood flowed that the fire was extinguished. ‘The crowd were amazed at the difference between the Unbelievers and the Elect’ – of whom the great Polycarp was surely one, having in our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and Bishop of the Catholic Church in Smyrna. For every word he spoke either has been or shall be accomplished.”

CODA. I could not possibly add a single word to this magnificent Testimony of one of the greatest Church Fathers to have ever lived. He sets the Honored Mold for us in blood and heart and gold and steel, and we should all pray to meet life, and death, in like manner.

This shall be, ‘The Peloton Way.’

Ever your servant, DK

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