NOTES ON CHRISTIANITY FOR GROWNUPS: MANNING UP WITH JESUS CHRIST VS. LYING DOWN WITH ANTICHRIST (WITH VIDEO)

I. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “Therefore let us get past the elementary stage in the teachings about the Christ, advancing on to maturity and perfection and spiritual completeness, [doing this] without laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of teaching about washings (ritual purifications), the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. [These are all important matters in which you should have been proficient long ago]. And we will do this [that is, PROCEED TO MATURITY], if God permits.” – HEBREWS 6:1-2, AMP

KEY TERM: “PERFECTION.” ‘Teleiotés’ [τελειότητα]: “From a root word meaning, ‘Complete, growth in mental and moral character; fullness of age.’” Also: “One who reaches a goal; finishing [the race]; a fulling up or fulfillment.” NOTE: “‘Teleiotes,’ translated ‘perfection’ or ‘maturity,’ conveys the state of reaching God-intended completeness. In both of its New Testament occurrences the word functions as a Climactic Target for believers, calling them beyond Initial Stages of Faith to Spirit-formed Wholeness that mirrors the Character of Christ.”

QUOTATION. “Some of these Beginners, too, make little of their faults, and at other times become over-sad when they see themselves fall into them, thinking themselves to have been saints already; and thus they become angry and impatient with themselves, which is another imperfection.

Often they beseech God, with great yearnings, that He will take from them their imperfections and faults, but they do this that they may find themselves at peace, and may not be troubled by them, rather than for God’s sake; not realizing that, if He should take their imperfections from them, they would probably become prouder and more presumptuous still. They dislike praising others and love to be praised themselves; sometimes they seek out such praise. Herein they are like the Foolish Virgins, who, when their lamps could not be lit, sought oil from others.” ― JUAN DE LA CRUZ, (St. John of the Cross), Dark Night of the Soul, 1584; edited

COMMENTARY. “‘Every part of the Truth and Will of God should be set before all who profess the Gospel and be urged on their hearts and consciences.’ We should not be always speaking about outward things; these have their places and use, but often take up too much attention and time, which might be better employed. The humbled sinner who pleads guilty, and cries for mercy, can have no ground from this passage to be discouraged, whatever his conscience may accuse him of. Nor does it prove that any one who is made a new creature in Christ, ever becomes a Final Apostate from him.

The Apostle is not speaking of the Falling Away of mere professors, never convinced or influenced by the Gospel. Such have nothing to fall away from, but an empty name, or hypocritical profession. Neither is he speaking of partial declinings or backslidings. Nor are such sins meant, as Christians fall into through the strength of temptations, or the power of some worldly or fleshly lust. ‘But the Falling Away here mentioned, is an open and avowed renouncing of Christ, from enmity of heart against Him, His cause, and people, by men approving in their minds the deeds of his murderers, and all this after they have received the knowledge of the truth, and tasted some of its comforts.’

‘Of these it is said, that it is impossible to renew them again unto Repentance.’ Not because the blood of Christ is not sufficient to obtain pardon for this sin; but this sin, in its very nature, is Opposite to Repentance and every thing that leads to it. If those who through mistaken views of this passage, as well as of their own case, fear that there is no mercy for them, would attend to the account given of the nature of this sin, that it is a total and a willing renouncing of Christ, and His Cause, and joining with His Enemies, it would relieve them from wrong fears.

‘We should ourselves beware, and caution others, of every approach near to a Gulf so awful as Apostacy; yet in doing this we should keep close to the Word of God and be careful not to wound and terrify the weak or discourage the fallen and penitent.’ Believers not only taste of the Word of God, but they drink it in. And this fruitful field or garden receives the blessing. But the merely ‘Nominal Christian,’ continuing unfruitful under the means of grace, or producing nothing but deceit and selfishness, was near the awful state above described; and everlasting misery was the end reserved for him. Let us watch with humble caution and prayer as to ourselves.” – MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

II. TEACHING: RAISING BABY CHRISTIANS

THE MEETING. “‘In June 2016, then-presumptive Republican nominee DONALD TRUMP met with over 1,000 Evangelical Leaders in a closed-door, invitation-only meeting in New York City at a hotel in Times Square. The Event was a significant effort to court the Evangelical vote, a group that had shown some skepticism toward Trump due to his past record.

Either during or following that Epochal Meeting, DR. JAMES DOBSON told a Pastor that he believed Trump had recently become a born-again Christian. Dobson described Trump as a ‘Baby Christian’ who still needed prayer, explaining that Trump did not yet speak the language of Evangelical believers and needed to be given ‘some slack.’

Dr. Dobson remained a firm supporter of President Trump until his death on August 21, 2025. Recent updates from his organization focused primarily positively on Trump’s actions during his 2025 Presidency.” – AI OVERVIEW, ret. Oct. 20, 2025; edited

DK’S NOTE. I worked for Dr. James Dobson from August 2000 through the Spring of 2005 as the Director of Academics for Focus on the Family Institute, an undergraduate leadership honors program. I virtually worshiped Dr. Dobson as the man I most desired to imitate in my own career.

Suffice for now to say: We both fell far short.

Please do not think my intention is to denigrate either one of us here, but rather to point sharply to an ASTONISHING TRUTH:

‘American Christianity’s utter lack of theological understanding and spiritual discernment in the Year 2016 was so astonishingly vacant, that the Meeting’s catastrophic ultimate impact was to change the very course of American and World history forever.’

Selah.

LORDS OF THE FLIES. Though you may judge this introduction to the meat of our discussion to be overly harsh, I will argue rather forcefully otherwise. You will recall that Lord of the Flies was the 1954 debut novel of British author WILLIAM GOLDING. The Plot concerns a group of Prepubescent British Boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves led to a Descent into Savagery. The novel’s themes include Morality, Leadership, and the tension between Civility and Chaos.

I propose that this is nearly perfect backdrop for understanding America’s Current Crisis, as illustrated in a superb essay by DR. CHUCK LAWLESS. He is Dean of Doctoral Studies and Vice-President of Spiritual Formation and Ministry Centers at Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, where he also serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions. In addition, he is Team Leader for Theological Education Strategists for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

His essay is titled: “8 Reasons Churches Allow Immature Believers to Serve in Leadership” (Blog, Feb. 5, 2020; edited). Succinct, Biblical, and straight to the present point of America’s current descent into Lawlessness.

OPEN. “Have you ever thought about the difference between a ‘Baby Believer’ and a ‘Believer Who’s a Baby’ in a local church? I’ve previously written about the differences, and I’m concerned that too many ‘Believers who are babies’ are Leaders in churches. In this post, though, I’m writing about a ‘Middle-Ground Believer’ in a Leadership role: One who’s been a believer for some time and doesn’t carry on like a baby, but who also doesn’t show Maturity and Depth. I don’t think anyone intentionally and deliberately thinks, ‘He hasn’t grown, but let’s appoint him anyway,’ but it happens. Here are some REASONS WHY.

EXPECTATIONS. “Churches Often Don’t Expect Anyone to Show Maturity. That’s because they’ve stopped their work at Evangelism and have failed to complete the other side of the Great Commission—Teaching believers to ‘OBEY’ everything Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20).”
PRETENSION. “We Often Give Lip Service to Biblical Leadership Qualifications, With No Accompanying Commitment to ‘TEST’ the Lives of Potential Leaders. We might talk about qualifications at an ordination service, but seldom otherwise. At best, we view qualifications only as goals and don’t expect anyone to live up to them.”
LOYALTY. “We Tend to Grant Positions on the Basis of Faithful ‘ATTENDANCE’ More than Spiritual Maturity. Both can go hand-in-hand, of course, but they don’t always. As long as someone’s faithfully at church, we consider that brother or sister qualified for a leadership role.”
PRESUMPTION. “We Assume that Giving a Believer a Leadership Position is One Way to Lead Him to be Faithful. Indeed, we ask Baby Believers to step into mature believer roles in ‘HOPES’ that their responsibility will grow them. There is much wrong with this idea, but it happens repeatedly.”
UNSTUDIED. “Many Churches Have No ‘STRATEGY’ to Help members grow in the first place. Consequently, we’d be requiring believers to live up to a Standard for which we haven’t equipped them if they must be Spiritually Mature to lead.”
MINIMALISM. “Once We Have Workers in Place, We Just ‘ASSUME’ Their Spiritual Maturity. Unless they make a blatant, public choice to sin, we assume that they’re still qualified simply because we gave them a leadership role in the past. Meanwhile, our choice only affirms Immaturity and Stagnation.”
NEPOTISM. “In Some Churches, Immature Believers and Their Families Run the Show. They’re already the ‘POWER’ brokers, so nobody confronts them about their lack of spiritual growth. After all, it wouldn’t change anything anyway.”
FLASH. We View Ability and ‘TALENT’ as the Most Important Qualifications to Lead. For example, never mind that the Baby Believer is still struggling with sin and wrestling with his faith—he can sing well, so let’s let him lead worship. We could multiply this scenario in far too many churches.”

DK NOTE. Thus it is that we raised at least two generations of ‘INFANTILE LEADERS’ who are essentially ‘Pretending’ to be Leaders. Many are Primadonna’s believing that they are truly special. They so very often demonstrate little in the way of Theological or Spiritual Maturity, Humility, Dignity, Discernment, or Courage.

They are largely, in fact, what C.S. LEWIS once called, “MEN WITHOUT CHESTS:”

“And all the time—such is the Tragi-Comedy of our situation—We continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our Civilization needs is more ‘Drive’, or ‘Dynamism,’ or ‘Self-Sacrifice,’ or ‘Creativity’. In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make Men Without Chests and expect of them Virtue and Enterprise. We laugh at Honour and are shocked to find Traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the Geldings be fruitful!” – The Abolition of Man, 1943; edited

CONSEQUENCES. Today, therefore, in October 2025, The American Church and her Leadership have gradually become increasingly, demonstrably, even overwhelmingly, APOSTATE:

“One who has Forsaken the Church, Sect or Profession to which he before adhered. In its original sense, applied to one who has Abandoned his Religion.” – NOAH WEBSTER, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828; edited

And Voilà! President Donald John Trump, 45^th and 47^th President of the United States of America. And it is THE WHITE CHURCH who put him there, beloved. Or as the lovable cartoon character created by Walt Kelly (no relation) Pogo once put it in 1970:

“We have met the Enemy and he is us!”

III. LAST THOUGHTS

“Goodnight America, how are you? Said, ‘Don’t you know me, I’m your native son?’ I’m the train they call ‘The City of New Orleans,’ I’ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.” – ARLO GUTHRIE, “City of New Orleans,’ 1972; edited

I begin to close our discussion by quoting the last stanza of this popular American song, best known for Arlo Guthrie’s presentation of it in 1972. It has been described by numerous sources as TOUCHING LAMENT.

The song “City of New Orleans” by Steve Goodman (1971) is a Nostalgic Tribute to a Train Journey, symbolizing the passage of time and the bittersweetness of life. The lyrics use vivid imagery of the train ride from Chicago to New Orleans to reflect on changing landscapes, the fading of memories, and the transient nature of communities. ‘It was written as an Elegy for the real train after it was rumored that Amtrak would discontinue the service, highlighting the Decline of the railroad industry and its connection to a sense of Lost Americana.’

A GREAT LAMENTATION. Beloved, I cannot dress up what follows to give you all a false sense of comfort. ‘America is Dying.’ It gives me no pleasure to make that statement, since like so many of you – it provokes a mix of emotions. Great sadness. Fierce anger. But underneath it all, a growing sense of all the chaos and confusion beginning to make sense, finally.

Though it may not fit perfectly, I was reminded of The Prophet’s Cry: “Thus says the Lord: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.’” – JEREMIAH 31:15, AMPC

The Hebrew word for Lamentation is ‘Nehi’ [נְהִי֙]: “A word that depicts the intense, audible lament [as with ‘Wailing’] that rises in the wake of Catastrophe, Bereavement, or National Calamity. It is more than quiet sorrow; it is a public, communal ‘Cry’ that gives voice to pain so deep it demands expression. Scripture employs the term to portray both spontaneous grief and formalized mourning rites, underscoring the reality that Sin and Judgment fracture human life and provoke Anguish that must be named before God.” – Strong’s Concordance,1890; edited

ATLANTIC’S EULOGY. A rather suitably touching essay for our Closing Thoughts was penned for the Atlantic Monthly by distinguished journalist, novelist and specialist in US Foreign Policy, GEORGE PACKER. He is the author of 10 books, including The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America (a winner of the 2013 National Book Award); Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century (the winner of the 2019 Hitchens Prize and Los Angeles Times Book Prize); Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal; and, most recently, The Emergency, a novel coming out in November 2025.

His title is telling: “I Don’t Want to Stop Believing in America’s Decency” (November 2025; edited). SPOILER ALERT: ‘But we may well have to if the Republic continues to cascade down this Vicious Trumpian Road.’

Selah.

OPEN. “To be a patriot in Donald Trump’s America is like sitting through a loved one’s trial for some gruesome crime. Day after day your shame deepens as the horrifying testimony piles up, until you wonder how you can still care about this person. Shouldn’t you just accept that your beloved is beyond Redemption? And yet you keep showing up, exchanging smiles and waves, hoping for some mitigating evidence to emerge—trying to believe in your country’s essential decency.”

PATRIOTISM. “During his travels through the United States in the 1830s, ALEXIS DE TOQUVILLE [Democracy in America, 1835, 1840]saw American Patriotism as different from that of tradition-bound, hierarchical Europe, where an ‘instinctive, disinterested, and undefinable feeling’ connect ‘the affections of man with his birthplace.’ In the young Republic, Tocqueville found ‘a Patriotism of Reflection’—less a passion than a Rational Civic Pursuit: ‘It is coeval with the spread of knowledge, it is nurtured by the laws, it grows by the exercise of civil rights, and, in the end, it is confounded with the personal interest of the citizen.’ For Tocqueville: ‘This Democratic Patriotism depends on a Belief in Equality, Inalienable Rights, and the Consent of the Governed—in effect, on the beliefs and actions found in the Declaration of Independence.’”

CAVEAT. “But that Universal Creed can’t exist solely in abstract nouns. To mean anything—to survive at all—it requires the participation of the governed as citizens. The purpose ofLincoln’s Gettysburg Address was to remind Americans that Self-Government would not endure without the efforts of Patriots on its behalf. When Ancestry defines National Identity, patriotism requires nothing other than allegiance. ‘But the blood of the Union dead and the soil of the cemetery that Lincoln had come to dedicate bore a Larger Meaning: The Liberty and Equality of ALL human beings. Patriotism was the devotion of Americans to these Principles, and to preserving them through Self-Government.’”

CREED. “‘American Culture is as distinct as that of any other nation, but it’s the only one that comes from an Idea. That Idea is the Equality of ALL human beings; their right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; the form of Self-Government that secures their Rights, including the Right to Change their Government if it becomes Tyrannical.’ [SELAH]. This Idea produced a mass culture famous for loud voices, informal address, innocence and ignorance, generosity and violence, bluntness and cluelessness—a Culture of Individualists who refuse to accept that anyone is their better, any station fixed for life, any possibility closed to them. It is the easiest culture in the world to join, and if the first generation can’t then the second will. It absorbs, changes, and is changed by each new one, blatant and accessible enough to provide a lingua franca in which they can all understand and be understood. It has no elaborate rules or ancient secret codes. It flattens and simplifies other cultures into music, clothing, food, and words whose vulgarity appalls and seduces the rest of the world. ‘It is stronger than any Religious Orthodoxy or class rank. What Americans have in common is a Way of Life made by their CREED.’”

CLOSE. “‘If you still believe this Creed matters—if the Idea and the culture and institutions that it created still keep you attached to this country—you’re holding on in a hard wind.’ Around the Globe, Autocracy is on the march and Democracy’s reputation is in Decline as its Leading Light extinguishes itself. In America, most of your fellow citizens in both Parties think Democracy has stopped working on their behalf. You have to make the case that all the promised shortcuts to greatness are roads to hell—that there is no path toward a more decent life except through the common effort of free and equal citizens. And you have to keep believing it in the face of their utter folly. ‘The only way to be a Patriot is to work together with those fools, your fellow Americans, to stop this Growing Tyranny so that we have a chance to redeem ourselves.’”

FOR WHOM DO WE FIGHT? I will close out our conversation with a sober consideration of this frankly Existential Question. TWO VIEWS will summarize our choices.

SAVING AMERICA. “I returned to Europe from the US with a clear Conclusion: American democrats [lowercase ‘d’ or ‘Patriots’] have ‘400 Days’ to start saving US Democracy. If next autumn’s Midterm Elections produce a Congress that begins to constrain Donald Trump there will then be a further ‘700 Days’ to prepare the peaceful transfer of executive power that alone will secure the future of this republic. ‘Operation Save US Democracy, stages 1 and 2.’ Hysterical hyperbole? I would love to think so. But during seven weeks in the US this summer, I was shaken every day by the speed and executive brutality of President Trump’s assault on what had seemed settled norms of US Democracy and by the desperate weakness of Resistance to that assault. There’s a growing body of international evidence to suggest that once a Liberal Democracy has been eroded, it’s very difficult to restore it. Destruction is so much easier than Construction.” – TIMOTHY GARTON ASH, “Americans Have 400 Days to Save Their Democracy” The Guardian, Sep. 16, 2025; edited

SAVING SOULS. Amidst this Electoral Storm [of November 5, 2024], a Sobering Truth remains: ‘No political candidate can truly save America.’ This isn’t a statement of cynicism or despair. Rather, it’s a call to realign our perspective and place our Hope where it truly belongs. As Christians, when we navigate the choppy waters of election cycles, it’s crucial to remember that our Ultimate Security and Future does not rest in the hands of any political figure, party, or platform … This doesn’t mean we should be passive observers in the political process. Rather, it provides a Foundation of Peace and Assurance as we engage. ‘No matter who sits in the Oval Office, God’s plans and purposes will ultimately prevail.’” – GENE WHITEHEAD, “Christians and Politics: Why Your Candidate Cannot Save America,” Blog, Oct. 21, 2024; edited

DK. Now then beloved, just because all that I have written here at the last is arguably doctrinally sound and practically wise, it does not mean we ‘Like’ the Plans of God, which are often difficult in Days of Trial. Indeed, we do weep and even wail at the Epic Turn of American Policy under President Trump, especially if he is the Biblical Antichrist as I fully believe that he is.

“Baby Christian” notwithstanding it!

THE KEY. “Because We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by Morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Gallantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. ‘Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.’” – JOHN ADAMS, “Letter to the Massachusetts Militia,” Oct. 11, 1798; edited

But we can Rejoice in this: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test you [that is, to test the quality of your faith], as though something strange or unusual were happening to you. But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, keep on rejoicing, so that when His glory [filled with His radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may rejoice with great joy.” – 1 PETER 4:12-13, AMP

This is the Word of God to His Church of the Last Days. Thanks be to the Risen Christ. Bring it on!

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/NQzy0hHPT5I