NOTES ON SURVIVING AND SUCCEEDING IN LAST DAYS AMERICA: CAPTAIN SULLY, LINDA FORD, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SOBER Part II

PART II: “RESISTING THE TIMES”

“Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].” – EPHESIANS 6:13, AMP

QUOTES

“Christianity stands or falls with its Revolutionary Protest against violence, arbitrariness, and pride of power, and with its plea for the weak. Christians are doing too little to make these points clear … Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of Power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now.” – DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, “Sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:9,” given at St. Paul’s, c. 1937; edited

“The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: And the virtue opposite to it, in Christian Morals, is called Humility…According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: It was through Pride that the devil became the Devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” – C. S. LEWIS, ‘Mere Christianity,’ 1952; edited

“The President is a Nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a Patriot. A Nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A Nationalist, ‘although endlessly brooding on power, victory, defeat, revenge,’ wrote Orwell, tends to be ‘uninterested in what happens in the real world’…A Patriot, by contrast, wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves…A Patriot has Universal Values, standards by which he judges his Nation, always wishing it well—and wishing that it would do better.” – TIMOTHY SNYDER, ‘On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century,’ 2017; edited

Selah. Selah.

1. FIRST THOUGHTS

Make no mistake: America is currently engaged in a Great Battle for her very Soul. Alarmingly, what just took place in Michigan with Governor Gretchen Whitmer testifies that we may be crossing a line from Civility toward a real, potentially fractious and bloody Civil War. 

THE THREE ‘ARMIES.’ I pray I am wrong, but I continue to look at the November 3^rd Election as a Watershed Moment for the United States as ‘Trigger’ to more Mayhem. Here is my best assessment of the Opposing Sides that are contending for Political Dominance.

I will not use polite language to describe each group. Christian Timidity is what got America here in the first place. Adapted from a variety of dictionary sources, plus Liam Stack’s “Glossary of Extremist Language,” published by the ‘New York Times,’ August 15, 2017.

1. THE ALT RIGHT. That Donald Trump inspired the ‘Alt Right’ as a racist, far-right Movement based on an Ideology of White Nationalism and anti-Semitism is frankly inarguable at this point. Many news organizations do not use the term, preferring terms like “White Nationalism” and “Far Right.” The Movement’s self-professed Goal is the creation of a White State and the destruction of “Leftism,” which it calls “an Ideology of Death.” Richard B. Spencer, a leader in the Movement, has described the movement as “Identity Politics for white people.” Reminiscent of Hitler’s use of Socialism as an arch foe to defeat, and to ‘rally his Fascist base.’

2. THE ALT LIGHT. The ‘Alt-Light’ comprises members of the Far Right who once fell under the Alt-Right umbrella, but have since split from the group because, by and large, racism and anti-Semitism are not central to its far-right Nationalist views, according to Ryan Lenz, the editor of Hatewatch, a publication of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Alt-Light is the Alt-Right without the racist overtones, but it is hard to differentiate it sometimes because “you’re looking at people who sometimes dance between both camps,” he said. The two groups often feud online over “the Jewish Question,” or whether Jews profit by secretly manipulating the government and the news media. Reminds here of the vicious, fabricated and patently racist Russian publication in 1903, ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,’ blaming Jews for every conceivable historic evil imaginable.

3. THE NEW LEFT. A radical Leftist Political Movement active especially during the 1960s and 1970s, composed largely of college students and young intellectuals whose goals included racial equality, de-escalation of the arms race, nonintervention in foreign affairs, and other major changes in the political, economic, social, and educational systems. It developed largely in the 1960s as an offshoot of Marxism and other “Old Left,” ideals. Its goal was to affect changes in government policies around the world regarding issues such as war, feminism and civil rights. It roots in the United States are found in a Marxist-based political and Social-Reform Movement that brought major changes to American politics and government during the first two decades of the 20th century.

THE AMERICAN CHURCH. I have purposely not included a Fourth Column engaged (or disengaged, depending) in this Epic Struggle. I have spent hundreds of hours and much column space documenting the enduring statistic of “83% of White Evangelicals” who strongly prefer ‘Trump Republicanism’ as their primary or default choice of Political Ideology in the upcoming Election. 

And, consequently and tragically, their Religious Identity. I’ll let you decide if the Church is Alt Right or Alt Light.

THE TRUE CHURCH. My point is, they should not be there at all! And here’s why. There is a True Fourth Option that all true believers in Jesus Christ have always had set before them. It is called Orthodox, or “Canonical Christianity.” 

Here is a Commentary that perhaps offers the clearest definition ‘The Fourth Option,’ with some useful historical perspective.

“The word ‘Canon’ comes from the Rule of Law that was used to determine if a book measured up to a standard. It is important to note that the writings of Scripture were Canonical at the moment they were written. Scripture was Scripture when the pen touched the parchment. This is very important because Christianity does not start by defining God, or Jesus Christ, or salvation. The basis of Christianity is found in the Authority of Scripture. If we cannot identify what Scripture is, then we cannot properly distinguish any theological truth from error.” – ‘Got Questions,’ January 2, 2020; edited

I continue to argue that for some number of reasons, documented in my previous work, The American Church has collectively and brazenly forgotten or ignored how to “distinguish any theological Truth from Error.” Thus, we have indeed ‘Defaulted’ in this Great Culture War for the Soul of the Nation into one of the two Alt Right-Alt Light Camps.

Consider that long and hard, beloved.

THE DEPARTURE. Without exaggeration, this is a singularly Horrifying Transfer of Biblical Authority to Secular Ideology. And more, to an inarguably, desperately evil and corrupt Leader of that Ideology.

The Apostle Paul wrote powerfully and incisively of such an Event.

“For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions.” – 2 TIMOTHY 4:3-4, AMPC

THE CONSEQUENCE. American Evangelicalism has identified President Donald Trump as both our Political and Spiritual Leader. Say what you will, that is the staggering Effect of our blasphemous Transition from The Canon to Political Expedience.

Selah. Selah.

2. THE CONFESSING CHURCH

It is no secret that a premier heroic role model for me is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and I know many of you share my great respect for this brilliant and courageous Christian scholar and leader. So as Reintroduction to the formation of the Confessing Church of World War II Germany, here is WENDY MCELROY’S excellent piece describing what the Church is supposed to do, when a brutal Tyranny is on the rise.

Quoted at length again for its eloquent and accurate account.

“Two institutions are commonplace and powerful around the globe: The State and the Church. In Hitler’s Germany, most churches went along with the Nazis. Some did so reluctantly, many were enthusiastic. But there was also dramatic Resistance by churches and religious leaders who opposed Hitler at great personal risk. For example, the German Protestant Church became a battleground between the Majority who supported the Nazis, either explicitly or implicitly, and a Minority who resisted them. At the Core of the Conflict was the question of how the Church should respond to the ‘Jewish Question.’

No man spoke more eloquently on behalf of the civil liberties of Jews than the Protestant pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He became a prominent voice in ‘the Confessing Church’ that was founded when approximately 3,000 Protestant pastors broke off from the main religious body in protest (‘Konfession’ is German for denomination). Bonhoeffer reminds us that there are people of Conscience and Moral Courage in every nation. He is also a window into the institutional dynamics of Church and State that both facilitated and hindered Hitler.” – “Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Confessing Church,” ‘Laissez Faire,’ January 20, 2013; edited

THE CALL TO RESISTANCE. The Subtitle of this Teaching is “Resisting the Times,” a clear and unmistakable reminder that the Church is to always and forever define itself as ‘Counter Cultural.’ When it betrays that Mission, it betrays the God who called her to it.

Here is an excellent summary of this historic Call, by DAVID E. BRIONES, associate professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

“One of the things I love most about Paul is the way he frequently brings out a particularly simple Truth in his writings: Because the Gospel is Countercultural, Christians ought to be a Countercultural people. After all, the Gospel is not just something that we think about. It’s something we live out. We are conformed to the message of the Gospel. More specifically, we are conformed to the person of Jesus Christ in the Gospel (Romans 8:29). This Gospel message is at odds with the messages of the world. The way of the Cross diametrically opposes the way of this world. Why? Because the very content of the Gospel of the Cross goes against the grain of culture.” – “Should Christians Be Countercultural?” ‘Table Talk,’ April 2018; edited

By this time tested standard and definition of our Calling, the American Church is, like the German Church of the 1930s in Bonhoeffer’s day, SPLIT: Between a Majority supporting what I consider to be a Despot, exhibiting a form of what Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Jr., labels as “Modern Fascism” (1983); and a healthier Minority variously labeled the NeverTrump Coalition, taking more and more of its cues from the Confessing Church Movement in Germany.

THESIS. If the American Church does not very soon turn from its historic and destructive Accommodation to the Alt Right Movement, it shall surely go the way of Christ’s Prophecy in the Olivet Discourse, and is already well down that perilous Road.

“At that time many will be offended and repelled [by their association with Me] and will fall away [from the One whom they should trust] and will betray one another [handing over believers to their persecutors] and will hate one another. Many false prophets will appear and mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold. But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved.” – MATTHEW 24:10-13, AMP

And there you have it, beloved: TWO CAMPS – The ‘Fallen Away,’ on the one hand, a clear Majority who accommodate the political mainstream; and ‘Those who Endure,’ who ‘Resist’ the World Spirit, unto suffering and even unto death, should it be required of them.

Selah.

3. THE TEACHING

Adolf Hitler was once overheard to say this about the German Protestant Church during his diabolical seduction of the Christians at the start of his Reign of Terror in creation of the German Reich.

“The Protestants haven’t the faintest conception of a Church. You can do anything you like with them – they will submit. These pastors are used to cares and worries.

They learnt them from their squires…They are insignificant little people, submissive as dogs, and they sweat with embarrassment when you talk to them. They have neither a Religion that they can take seriously nor a great position to defend like Rome.” – ADOLF HITLER, as quoted in Herman Rauschning, ‘The Voice of Destruction.’ 1940; cited in Joseph Carr, ‘The Twisted Cross,’, 1985, p. 202; edited

Hurts to read this, does it not? I submit to you that by all the available evidence, there lurks in the darkest strategies of this President, the same sort of rank Duplicity, the same Machiavellian Lie to America that Hitler used gradually and deceptively. 

For what purpose?

To ‘tell them what they need to hear.’ And, we complied, for three years running now: Active Compliance or Silent Accommodation to his Deceptions, straight from Joseph Goebbel’s rancid Propaganda Playbook, our response not unlike at all found in Paul’s Letter to Timothy cited earlier. 

BIBLICAL RESISTANCE OF EVIL. The American Church has clearly abandoned or forgotten her call to “Resist in the evil day,” all things that Oppose Christ.

So back to our Scriptural Instructions.

“Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].” – EPHESIANS 6:13, AMP

Now to the Breakdown of what God expects of His Church in ‘that evil day.’

• RESIST. From the Greek term, ‘Anthistémi’ [ἀνθίστημ], translated as: “To set against, withstand, oppose; properly, take a complete stand against, i.e. a “180 degree, contrary position”; (figuratively) to establish one’s position publicly by conspicuously “holding one’s ground,” i.e. refusing to be moved (‘pushed back’); ‘Anthístēmi’ was a military term in classical Greek (used by Thucydides, etc.) meaning ‘to strongly resist an opponent” (‘take a firm stand against’).”

• STAND. This term is taken from the same root word, with a slightly difference nuance of meaning in the affirmative case, rather than oppositional, ‘Histémi’ [ἵστημι]: “To take a stand, or make to stand [against evil]; usage – I make to stand, place, set up, establish, appoint; mid: I place myself, stand, I set in balance, weigh; intransitive; I stand, stand by, stand still; met: I stand ready, stand firm, am steadfast; to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything; to remain, abide, continue [as with the remnant].”

COMMENTARY. “Always quick to see the Spiritual Lessons in the Natural realm, he makes the Application: We are Flanked by formidable foes; we must take up the whole Armor of God, that we may be ale to ‘Withstand’ when the Conflict reaches its fiercest intensity, and still be found standing when the smoke of battle has cleared away. ‘The Evil Day’ probably refers to any time when the Enemy comes against us like a flood. Satanic Opposition seems to occur in waves, advancing and receding. Even after our Lord’s Temptation in the Wilderness, the Devil left Him for a season (cf. Luke 4:3).” – WILLIAM MACDONALD, Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995, p. 1952; edited

This is precisely what both God and Paul meant when we use the term, the ‘Church Militant,’ as drastically distinguished from the shameful, ‘Church Reticent.’ Jesus Christ will Return for nothing less than the Former, and to the Latter of which He will say in the most baleful Words He shall ever utter: 

“I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’– MATTHEW 7:23, NKJV

That is to more precisely and contextually say to us all in this Hour of Evil: ‘All you who followed after the Lawless one!’ Selah. Selah.

4. THE AMERICAN MOMENT

To close our discussion today, I flatly propose that the American Church must follow the Model of the Confessing Church of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his Christian colleagues to Resist the present, rapid Rise of Right Wing Tyranny in our land. I further propose that if we do not form an Alliance of like-minded Christians by the end of 2020, it will be very probably too late.

Selah.

PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN RESISTANCE. Before proceeding, then, a Theological Rationale for such a Proposal is clearly in order. Wikipedia gives us a decent Introduction and Overview of our rich Christian History underlying this important Idea.

“Resistance Theory is an aspect of political thought, discussing the basis on which constituted authority may be Resisted, by individuals or groups. In the European context it came to prominence as a consequence of the religious divisions in the early modern period that followed the Protestant Reformation. Resistance Theories could justify Disobedience on religious grounds to monarchs, and were significant in European national politics and international relations in the century leading up to the Peace of Westphalia of 1648…Any ‘Right to Resist’ is a theory about the Limitations on civil obedience. Resistance Theory is an aspect of political theory; the Right of Self-Defence is usually taken to be a part of legal theory, and was no novelty in the early Modern Period.” – August 2, 2020; edited 

OUR PREDECESSORS. The entire Protestant Reformation was built on the backs of intrepid Christian Resistance Leaders such as: Meister Eckhart, John Wycliffe, John Hus, Desiderius Erasmus, Martin Luther of course, Huldrych Zwingli, Thomas Cranmer, William Tyndale, John Calvin, and others, a number of whom paid a severe price for their Resistance to Tyranny, whether in the providence of the Church, or in the State Houses.

Or, significantly, Both.

On their firm shoulders would later stand such figures as: Hanns Lilje,Martin Niemöller, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer of course,  Heinrich Grüber, Wilhelm Busch, Theophil Wurm, Hans Meiser,  Friedrich Weißler, Marga Meusel, Hans Ehrenberg, Elisabeth Schmitz, Gertrude Staewen, and literally hundreds of other courageous pastors who were willing to risk life and limb for the righteous cause of Doctrinal Integrity and Protection of the Jews in Germany.

THE QUESTION. Where, I ask in the presence of Almighty God and the true Church, are the American Confessors today? Beloved, I hear almost nothing from the roughly half million clergy in the U.S. today, save for the chirping of 500,000 crickets. 

This, this right here, is the very Center of The American Collapse. And it shall not dissipate, so long as Church Leaders remain COMPLICIT: (a) By Active Agreement with the President, on whatever grounds;  (b) By Silence in their conscious effort to ignore him as the Key Instigator in the current Culture War.

5. STRATEGIES FOR RESISTANCE

To complete our discussion, let’s now look at what ‘Ought’ to be our Biblical and Constitutional Strategy for Resistance to the Wickedness that engulfs America and her Church today. 

FIVE SPIRITUAL RESISTANCE STRATEGIES. I turn to an excellent, historically sensitive essay published in ‘Sojourners’ on January 30, 2017. Former General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America, author Wes Granberg-Michaelson today works for Christian Ecumenism – a Movement, for the record, that I cannot support.

Yet his Organizing Categories are superb for what I wish to convey as an Overall Game Plan for Godly Resistance to the Trump Regime. In so doing, I will Redefine some of his Categories, to insure their Biblical resonance.

WHY WE MUST RESIST. But first, just to make sure we are all on the same page, let me share with you the stunning findings of a report just published by the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University’s survey of “American Worldview Inventory 2020.”

I quote DR. GEORGE BARNA here, cited in David Leach’s review in the ‘Strident Conservative,’ October 9, 2020.

“The most startling realization regarding the Theological Reformation in progress is how many people from Evangelical churches are ‘adopting Unbiblical Beliefs.’ What makes that trend so significant is that Evangelical churches, by definition, teach that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God that teaches not only salvation by grace.”

AMERICAN APOSTASY. Here is a startling – yet somehow no longer unexpected – List of Church Offenses Against God and Truth, and ample Explanation for a Nation gone ‘fully Rogue,’ and nearly ‘fully Trump.’ Those two terms, nearly Isomorphic.

• Evangelicals are embracing Secularism: A majority (52%) of evangelicals reject absolute moral Truth; 61% do not read the Bible on a daily basis; 75% believe that people are basically good. The study found that one-third to one-half of evangelicals in the survey embrace a variety of beliefs and behaviors counter to Biblical teaching and longstanding Evangelical beliefs.

• Pentecostals and charismatics take Secularization a step further: Two-thirds (69%) reject absolute moral Truth; 54% are unwilling to define human life as sacred, with half claiming the Bible is ambiguous in its teaching about abortion; and 69% say they prefer Socialism to Capitalism. A full 45% did not qualify as born-again Christians.

• Mainline Protestants are the most Secular of the four faith families: Sixty percent (60%) of mainline Protestants’ beliefs directly conflict with Biblical teaching. Three key values define this group: Truth and Morality are relative; life has no inherent value or purpose, so individuals should pursue personal happiness or satisfaction; and traditional religious practices are no longer seen as central or essential to their Christian Faith. Only 41% of mainline Protestants are born again.

• Catholics are increasingly secular and permissive: Catholics’ beliefs are surprisingly similar to those of mainline Protestants, but considerably different from that of evangelical and charismatic Protestants. They are most likely to believe in salvation through works or living a good life, and least likely (28%) to be born again. Today’s Catholics are more permissive than other groups, being most likely to accept sexual relations outside of marriage, lying, speeding, and refusal to repay a loan as morally acceptable behaviors.

CHURCH: Is everyone NOW paying attention? Perhaps, just perhaps, some eyes shall be opened wide to this Historic Departure from the Lord we are all witnessing. As the saying goes: If you will not be part of the Solution, then you shall be severely and soon Judged for being the key part of this massive Problem.

Now we repair to the Strategy Toward Solution – if it is not already too late.

1. MEMORY. “Memory is tied to the identity of the people of God. Continually, the people of God are reminded of who they are by recounting the sweep of salvation history. And our memory becomes attached to this version of history because our lives find their value and purpose there…It is through Memory that our personal story becomes attached to God’s Story. We claim our Defining Narrative…Thus, Memory will be crucial for us in the Trump Era for two reasons: (1) It is essential for accountability, perspective, and judgment regarding Donald Trump and his presidency. We must literally ‘Bear in mind’ who he is, what he has said, and what he has done if we are to fairly and critically evaluate his policies and actions as president. (2) More importantly, Memory — specifically our ‘Religious Memory’ — is what keeps us grounded in our Story in the face of other competing narratives.”

2. TRUTH. “For Christians, questions of Truth and Falsehood are a Spiritual matter. The Ninth of 10 Commandments in the Hebrew Scriptures states, ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” In one definition, this forbids: ‘Speaking falsely in any matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising and designing to deceive our neighbor. 2. Speaking unjustly against our neighbor, to the prejudice of his reputation.’ The Focus on Care for one’s neighbor recognizes that Truthfulness is essential for sustaining Community. Moreover, lying, falsehood, and deceit are understood biblically as essential tools of Evil. Jesus calls the Devil ‘the father of lies’ (John 8:44). Truth is not merely a preferred practice, but in Christian thinking it’s Foundational to a Just Social Order. Therefore, for Objective Truth to be in dispute — and Falsehoods named “alternative facts” — is not just a political danger, it strikes at the core of a trustworthy society.”

3. COMMUNITY. “When young Dietrich Bonhoeffer witnessed the rise of the Third Reich in Germany, he was dismayed by the Accommodation and Support it received from the State Lutheran Church and the strong majority of its members. With others, he formed the Confessing Church, which proclaimed that the Third Reich threatened the integrity of Christian Faith. They tried to establish an alternative church structure, including ‘Underground’ seminaries to train clergy. Bonhoeffer headed the Underground Seminary at Finkenwalde. His conviction was that the form of Christianity dominant in Germany lacked the capacity and depth to discern the threat posed by Hitler and Resist it as a matter of Faith. So, at Finkenwalde, Bonhoeffer focused on Christian Formation. He wanted to shape a Community that learned how to confess sins, to meditate daily on texts of Scripture, and develop solidarity with the weakest members of society…Resistance alone does not sustain a Community. It requires a shared life that is rooted in a depth of Spirituality that forms and shapes who we discover ourselves to be, and what we are called to do, before God. In the Trump Era, as in other times, we need to nurture such communities as integral to our life and witness.”

4. SUFFERING. “I’m frequently nurtured by reading Father Richard Rohr’s daily mediations. Last September, he wrote about the difference between Pain and Suffering. While we all experience pain, suffering comes from our inability to control certain devastating events in our life. But it’s precisely this encounter with suffering, as an utter Lack of Control — resulting in complete helplessness, vulnerability, and loss — which can open the way for God’s Spirit to break through with the power and promise of new, Resurrected Life. That’s the story of Jesus. And that’s the invitation to all who would follow him. Many of us thought Donald Trump could be defeated. And for some who were politically or publicly engaged, we believed our efforts could help, even in a small way, to make that happen. And we failed. We couldn’t control this. And we now find ourselves living in a political landscape that we never imagined…Today, most of world Christianity lives where it lacks control and power directly in the political life of its societies. At times, it is deliberately and mercilessly oppressed. Yet, Faith thrives, often with an unexpected impact that eventually has a Transforming Effect within society.”

5. SOLIDARITY. “At its heart, Solidarity is the means by which we live out the Truth of Ephesians 4:25, declaring that we are all ‘members one of another.’ It is this mutual belonging to a common humanity that lies at the Foundation of Christian social ethics, affirming each one’s dignity, and building common political and social structures which uphold and protect this commitment. While always a Christian Value, it becomes paramount in political climates dominated by division, fueling animosity between differing racial, ethnic, religious, economic, and social groups. This is now the Climate of American Politics, shaped by the election of Donald Trump. Language of our common humanity, of our mutual obligations toward one another, and of the need to protect and nurture a political environment protecting the dignity of all — which Republican and well as Democratic presidents have declared from the steps of the U.S. Capitol after taking the oath of office – is not just absent. Suddenly, it sounds like a Foreign Tongue.”

All of this is a Description of what German Christians faced and did nearly a century ago, and what we are facing in America, right now, today. And, most importantly, what we must DO. 

6. LAST THOUGHTS

IF there is an opportunity, even at this late date, to Imitate the historic Confessing Church Leaders, then we must at least try. I simply see no other Path to Rescue and Redemption, but in and through Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah and His Precepts. 

The Problems are the same; the Consequences, though hard to imagine, will increasingly lead to the same Brutality that we already see taking place in our cities and communities. It has started, beloved. It has started. Therefore, as Dr. Francis Schaeffer put the Question to us in 1976:

‘How Should We Then Live?’

CODA. It was Thomas Jefferson, borrowing from the fiery Scottish Reformer, John Knox, who put it this way: “Resistance to Tyranny is obedience to God.” The entire Framework of Christian Political Theory, History and Commentary adjudges that saying to be True. 

Indeed, it is the ‘very only Way’ we got from the signing of The Magna Carta’s limitations of the ‘Divine right of kings’ in 1215, to the Protestant Reformation of 1517, to the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. It IS the ‘Very Only Way’ to Freedom mankind has been given.

Yet today, in the Autumn of 2020, America stands on the Leeward side of both History and God’s Shelters, now rapidly Fragmenting under the assault of Today’s Ideological Gales. With, I add, God’s increasingly smoldering Anger.

CASE STUDY. In contrast to this obvious ‘Divine Readiness to Judge,’ a well-known Evangelical leader, guest appearing at a local Megachurch just last evening, was commenting on current events and the Book of Revelation. 

Here is what he nearly unbelievably told the worried congregation:

“You need not be overly concerned. History shows that we have always had pestilence and earthquakes and hurricanes and wars. God took care of it before, and will make it all right again. And why? Because He is in very good mood.”

Selah. Selah. 

EPITAPH. Perhaps the best way to close this out, therefore, in the Spirit of Memory defined earlier, is to recall a priceless gem from John Knox’s Will, at his dying in 1572. Hear it, Church, if you at all can anymore, God’s Final Call to a Reformation of Righteousness that we have long, long betrayed and forgotten.

“None have I corrupted, none have I defrauded; merchandise have I not made.”

It is to this Attitude of Radical Servitude and Humility that the American Church must Return. And ever so soon, for as I often say: Time is nearly quite gone, beloved. Let’s get to it then, before our King shouts: ¡Se acabó!

Ever your servant, DK

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