ââŚif my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.â
2 Chronicles 7:14
This promise, recorded as being made by God to King Solomon and the Israelite people about 3000 years ago, is now said to be a key promise made by God to the American people through our modern-day prophets. This claim has been made publicly known through a Christian nationalist propaganda movie entitled The Trump Prophecy. Outside the NAR/Christian nationalist community, most have probably never heard of this mediocre, meandering movie, but those who are concerned about the future of this country should watch it because it shows pretty clearly what the worldview of the Christian nationalists is; these people truly believe that humbling themselves means pledging loyal support to someone they are reluctant to admit is a very bad manâin fact, a solid majority believe that he is a good man (at least better than âfairlyâ honest.) We believe this humbling meets the condition required so our nation may be healed. We are now in year four of our humbling and it is possible the chosen one is going to get four more. Two questions: âWhat is the purpose (or end goal) of healing?â And, âIs our nation being healed?â To prognosticate a probable path in the future, Iâll have to talk about where weâve been going for decades to then understand current trends. Change does not happen instantlyâtrends are hard to break as the momentum of common mass action is extremely weighty. Sometimes devasting things must happen so that people will start questioning all that theyâve been taking for granted as this is, I believe, the path towards healing. Hear goesâŚ
Godâs promise to Abraham was that through him and his offspring (the Israelite people) all the nations of earth would be blessed (Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4.) The history of the Jews from antiquity to modern times has been bloody and painful. Every time they fell away and the pain came as a result, there was greater purpose for that healing and restoration than the immediate comfort of the repentantâ it was so that all nations would be blessed by the life, death, and resurrection of He who was both the literal Son of God (by miraculous conception within the virgin Mary,) and the blood descendant of Abraham and David. Without Godâs repeated calling, protection, forgiveness and restoration this never would have happened.
Far from the common teachings of today, the purpose of healing extends beyond immediate comfort of now towards the whenever when we all die eventually. Our common desire is to reach the New World where there is no death, sickness, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4.) Yet, now scripture calls us to suffering (2 Timothy 1: 8- 14.) Why? Do you not think that Jesus, while on Earth, could have not snapped his fingers and the Kosmos become healed in an instant? Why didnât He? What greater testimony to His mercy and power could there have been? But what would be the costs? Would such a mass healing simply distance the previously sick from the healer? (Matthew 9: 12; Mark 2: 17; Luke 5: 31) Could it be that people would just trade that comfort in that moment to turn back to themselves and their own lives rather than have that pain inspire them to seek restoration for a much deeper and deadlier problem? I believe this is the case.
Miracles are done for purposes of displaying Godâs power (John 9: 3.) Jesus made the point that the preservation of the body is secondary to the preservation of what is most importantâyour soul (Matthew 10: 28.) Yes, Jesus healed many people, even raised the dead, but He was specifically concerned about always pointing those He encountered towards the Father; miracles showed the people that God the Father was with Him and so they might listen and hear. Some did; many did not. Jesusâ testified that his crucifixion (as coupled with the triumphant miracle of the resurrection) would be the definitive proof of who He is (John 8: 28.) Imagine that⌠the final testimony to who Jesus is lies with the Creator of the universe, surrendering Himself to men who would give him a horrific, disfiguring beating, nail Him to a cross, to then suffocate in agony and exhaustion. This is Loveâproven in the crucible of suffering. This might be what the Christian Nationalists are going to argue, the suffering the world is enduring will lead to its healing, just Christâs suffering led to oursâthough perhaps not in the way I am going to argue for it.
This testimony of suffering is opposite of what is being taught about the purpose of healing today so the Word-Faith (and its stepchild, the New Apostolic Reformation) community is going to have make a few âadjustmentsâ from what it has been teaching about suffering and healing. Suffering has been an anathema to testimony as the NAR apostles and prophets bellow about promising that once we get it right, whatever that means, then this means we get heaven down here (whatever that means.). They keep repeating, âdonât worry your little head, have faith, donât question, and follow orders (oh, and donât forget to keep sending money) and good things will come.â Bill Johnson keeps on teaching the same stuff about bringing heaven to earth despite the failed stunt of waking up Olive for instance. People will keep sending Kenneth Copeland money even though Covid is not dead yet despite Kennethâs personal, multiple rebukes made in confident FAITHâa thing he has taught for decades. American Christianity, as influenced by generations of Word-Faith teachers, sees suffering as something antithetical to Godâs favor; most do not even know the deep theology of suffering Jesus taught as documented in John Chapter 9. Our witness, tragically and decreasingly, is not seen in shared suffering but rather is expressed in promises of power and victory. Bill Johnson tells us people will believe because of the miracles he and his people do. Considering the fraud, theatrics, and parlor tricks coming out of that movement (this is the age of YouTubeâyouâre on cameraâŚ) it is no wonder the young are moving away in droves. But donât ask them if the approach is workingânever admit defeat, just change the narrative. The sheer scope of what is going right now, I continue to hope, might force these people to adapt in the face of the crisis we are now only just beginning. Do we have healing in our future because of the suffering we are increasingly enduring today?
The new NAR teaching about âsigns and wondersâ and miraculous healing attacks (perhaps unknowingly) what is really the most powerful testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ is the risen Kingâthe suffering of the eyewitness Apostles (Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 3: 11; 1 Peter 5:1.) They were in the position to know what they were testifying about was trueâI do not believe people would suffer and die for what they know is a lie. The cheap substitute for this witness in suffering lies in a sense of personal power, well-being, and control. The NAR apostles charge big bucks for classes on healing and prophesy so you too can feel powerful and in control. (People will hoard silly amounts of toilet paper for a sense of control as well.) Business is good. But there are costs which, I believe, are coming to fruit. This NARâs doctrines might be coming under judgment as the virus, the lockdowns and isolation, and all the economic havoc is diminishing peopleâs confidence that they are in control. The growing evidence of the colossal clown show that is the Trump administration may be overwhelming the various shill machines for he in whom weâve placed so much hope. The antidote to this growing evidence is to systematically dismantle with ad hominem arguments the credibility of those whose mission is to keep us informed. This is working and it seriously undermines my hope for this nationâs healing. I doubt the people in the video above have thought through the implications of pledging allegiance to one man as your source of truthârepeating your manâs mantra âfake news!â is making such a pledge because it rejects the idea that many observers and multiple points of view holds everyone accountable. Hold fast and keep the faith.
Itâs not that much of a stretch to suppose in a faith-filled world where itâs leaders live in mansions and jet about in luxury and there followers live in nice homes with lots of disposable energy and well-lit supermarkets that those without such things have less than a full share of Godâs favor. Godâs favor is equated with stuff and, of course, having lots of stuff equates to having lots of power. You donât have to consciously make these connections in order to live them out. As part of the belief in American Exceptionalism, we believe our prosperity (and power) is due to our cooperative actions as funneled and concentrated in the institutions of government as blessed by God. This belief has bled over into the church as there is an all-too-human fascination with power and celebrity in our institutions as well. Those pastors who can garner a large following are believed to be uniquely blessed by God which in turn inspires more followers, religious power concentrates and with that power comes temptationâto trust in power and the appearance of success.
The rise of Christian Nationalism comes after decades of struggle to infiltrate the halls of government with those loyal to the Christian Nationalist movement through organizations like The Family and all that which came out of The Moral Majority. One impediment to this rise of Christian political power was the common belief in Dispensational Premillennialism which had all the Christians raptured from the world which would then be ruled by the Antichrist. Itâs been better than 70 years since the rebirth of the secular state of Israel and all the predictions have been wrong, so that belief is dying allowing for the rise of a new eschatology which supposes a Christian takeover of the political systems of the world to facilitate Christâs return to planet Earth. Those like Robert Jeffress who still cling to the rapture model suppose that Trump is good because he forestalling the arrival of Antichrist so Christians have more time to âsaveâ people hence, as stupid as Jeffressâ reasoning is, Christian Nationalism has been adapted to fit dispensationalism as well. The common âThird Templeâ belief, which Trump has advantaged himself, fits into both the pre and post-millennial eschatological frameworks. And so here we are today amid a crisis that is just perfect to mask an authoritarian purge; the Christians in D.C are cynically positioning themselves in this environment to profit from the elimination of the traditional checks and balances on powerâall in the name of Jesus.
All this background I have provided above provides context for what we commonly believe it means to have our land healed. The Trump Prophecy made it clear that the election of Trump was imperative to this healing. What does this âhealing, in the Christian Rightâs view, require? What are the costs?
The common battle cry of the Christian Right is abortion. (I hate abortion as well and see it as unjustified homicide unless it is to save the life of the mother.) If you look at the graphs above, the rates of abortion were falling even during the reign of Obama (whom Robert Jeffress claimed was ushering in the antichrist.) What do we make of this facet of healing considering the prophecy? Do we attribute this to the Christian Rightâs efforts to obstruct assess to abortion services? Or is this just a reduction in the number of unwanted pregnancies? I believe it is clearly the latter. Studies have shown the rates of abortion in countries where it is legal and in those where it is not are roughly the same. In countries where the women are too poor to seek a safe abortion seek anything they can get; abortion bans kill many of these women who see themselves as having no other choice.
The Christian Right is clear about how it sees healing this nation of its sin of abortionâfor now it will suck up to Trump who promises pro-life judges (and look the other way as he hammers the justice system, and other departments as well, unto his own will) who will keep making it more difficult to obtain an abortion until the ultimate goal of illegality is achieved. If it is true that rates of sought abortion remain roughly the same (as obviously affected by other factors such as education, poverty, freedom, etc.) despite its legality or illegality, simple economics dictates that in an illegal environment the practitioners offering the service would be those who have nothing to loseâin other words, theyâd be hacks. Babies still would get aborted and more women, especially poor women, would die at the hand of these hacks. That is a cold, hard fact. Facing this, our well-meaning Christian Right authoritarians must be clinging on to the fantasy that they will amass enough surveillance and enforcement power to monitor and control every woman in their jurisdiction, and, perhaps more disturbingly, believe that their mission on earth is to amass enough power to be Godâs enforcement arm on earth and this is what will make them righteous in Godâs sight. Either way, the hope is placed in powerâgovernment power.
It saddens me greatly that those who so brazenly and loudly identify as Christians openly embrace, and place their hope in, the use of power, government power, to further what theyâve been taught are Godâs goals, by those who proclaim to be Godâs mouthpieces. They do not see how dangerous this is despite all the, give them the benefit of the doubt, good intentions. How much government power is enough to achieve Godâs goals on earth? Is it really Godâs goal to make everyone behave? You are all missing the point and gravely so.
God endures so much evil. Every day He witnesses murder after murder, rape after rape, beating after beating, oppressions, thefts, mayhem, bribes, miscarriages of justice, and abuses of power⌠the whole earth is full of corruption and He endures it all. Dare we suppose we can correct this with power? Do you not realize that He has the power to end all this right now? But in His mercy, He does not. Why? Because of love and true love requires freedom of choice. For this reason, God affords us time so we may have the dignity of choice. âThe Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.â (2 Peter 3: 9) The amount of pain He must endure to accomplish this is unfathomable, which should show a glimpse of the love He has for us. And yet, we suppose that allowing a sin to happen is the same as endorsing that sin. If this is true, then God is guilty because He has the power to stop it all. By holding this belief in power to make people behave, Christian authoritarians are judging God and are telling Him they can do better. We ignore the fact that He has called us to suffer togetherâas He suffers.
How much power, Christian authoritarian, is required to bring your heaven to earth? Have you read, or watched The Handmaidâs Tale? Do you not realize that by embracing centralized power in principle to bring heaven to earth inspires the seculars to write horror stories like the above to tell of that possible world? The Handmaidâs world is one of terrifying anxiety, fear, suspicion, distrust, rape, and almost unimaginable brutality; and the funny thing is, as we find out, despite all the religious talk, no one actually believes in Godâitâs just the game they all must play. The God authoritarians suppose, a God who is said to desire a brutal theocracy to make a holy world, does not actually exist. In such a theocracy, the âGodâ would be merely usâand in such an environment, all our proclivities toward exploitation and cruelty would be amplified and sanctifiedâscapegoat established so we may ârighteouslyâ exercise various cruelties and usurpations in the name of God. Itâs happened before and there is no reason to believe in couldnât happen again. Those in the Christian Right, being confronted with the horrific vision depicted in The Handmaidâs Tale, may shrink back and say, âWe donât want that much power; and we would do that even if we did!â Of course, you would be horrified because of a common moral value placed in all mankind (Romans 2: 14-15) that we havenât been fully corrupted yet with the notion that we know and carry the force of Godâs will as an enforcer on earth.
There are theocracies on earth right now which seek to force people to behave and people suffer greatly because of them. The women in those little utopias have rights ranging down below the animalsâbelieving things such as they have no right to experience sexual pleasure as their husbandâs property or that they may be killed for shaming the family. These poor women are taught that it is righteous to mutilate themselves to ruin their natural sexual functions as proof of ownership and fealty. This is the kind of thing that happens when men see themselves as Godâs enforcerâit is all to the degree you take it. As it has been repeatedly said, âPower corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.â Do not expect us to believe you, as proclaimed Christians, would not abuse or be corrupted by power. Your claim to be above the temptations of power is already disproven as you herald a sociopathic con man and liar, who is repopulating âthe swampâ with his own sycophants and thieves to devastating effect, as our savior. Congress claims to be 90% Christian and yet a significant portion of our citizens view D.C as a moral cesspool. And it is. So much for trusting in âchariots and horsesâ (Psalms 20:7) ChristiansâŚ
This moral cesspool we accept, we support, as our government is exactly why Christians should run away from the idea of uniting Church and State. Do you know nothing of history? If you do, why would you think it would turn out any different this time? Do you still believe our chosen one is the only one telling the truth as he ruminates out loud about various âgame changersâ amongst all the whining about how he is being mistreated as if he is the center of life? The damage being done to freedom, accountability, the economy, and countless peopleâs lives is almost incalculable. Millions are unemployed, thousands of business are facing financial ruin, and tens of thousands are dying as this man, our hope, spouts off one idiotic thing after another in his tireless efforts to self-promotion. Yet our man maintains the drivel about the âdeep stateâ and his promises to defeat it, and that he is the only one telling you the truth. The agent of change is in the house; the question is if this change is for better or worse. How deep does your delusion go Christian? Must you continue to delude yourselves, in good part by listening to the lies of your leaders, that Trump is an honest man?
The path of lies and liars does not lead to healing (Revelation 21:8.) I challenge you to provide one passage of scripture which shows the opposite. Do you have a passage which nullifies this?
âNo one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyesâ (Psalm 101: 7.)
It is simply amazing how the evil of so much obvious falsehood can remain unseen by the âfaithful;â and even if forced to look at the myriad of exaggerations, misrepresentations, and outright deceptions which are so blatant, the âfaithfulâ will either make excuses for the one God has allegedly chosenâthat the lies are justifiedâor, or as crazy as it is, claim Trump, and his supporters, are the only ones telling the truth. If his lies are recognized and justified, it seems weâve bought into the notion that it takes a liar, whose utter shamelessness in lying about just about everything acts as armor, to bring down a system of lies. A house of liars divided against itself (Matthew 12:26; Mark 3: 23-26; Luke 11: 18) will usher in the kingdom (and healing)?
The belief that Trump is the only one telling the truth is even more disturbing. If this is true, then there is no way to âfact check.â All truth is partisan. Our champion continues to test our faith with bold, confident claimsâeach one standing on their own authority thus bludgeoning our discernment capabilities into oblivion so that we all give in to seek the protection of our champion and his tribe. The object of that allegiance is the standard of truth; there is no recognizable, independent âtruthâ to bring us together otherwise. This should be terrifying if you know anything about human nature and history. Trump himself talks about the ârealâ America and, by implication, everyone else. Watch this video documenting the disdain and aggression the faithful have towards someone they really know nothing aboutâall these people know is that the reporter represents âfake news.â Our President, Godâs choice, speaks approvingly of those âgreatâ Americans abusing that reporter. How, Christians, is this unitive? How is this peace-making? Is this how God wants us to represent Him? How does this behavior heal anything?
Please type âtruthâ into your Bible search app and do a little readingâtruth matters a great deal to God. Those who are disobedient to the truth, like those who follow teachers like Kenneth Copeland, Todd White, or Bill Johnson who teach obvious falsehoods that most anyone with a little âunfilteredâ study and knowledge of the scriptures could see through, are actually actively blinded for their disobedience (Deuteronomy 28: 28; 2 Thessalonians 2: 1- 12.) This is not unfair; and God is not interfering with your will, He is just handing you over to what you want. Truth is indifferent to what you want, it just is. Delusions however are greatly influenced by our desires. These teachers tell you to have great faith to move mountainsâyou want to be powerful, important, and in control. The same mechanisms and the temptations the Word-Faith conmen use to lure people are the same oneâs political conmen use. The MAGA people come to be convinced that its âfake newsâ and the âdeep stateâ which is keeping America from even greater greatness (never mind all the contradictions picking that line of reasoning apart.) The FAITH people blame the devil and his minions for our failures to become healthy and prosperous. We want the easy fix; we want it to be somebody elseâs faultâwe will listen to those who tell us what we want to hear and what we hear will become the authoritative truth. That is the delusion and it does not heal.
Some may say âhealingâ requires pain. Often it does, I agree. We may say that separating the sheep from the goats requires a test of faith in we must maintain that faith against all reason. (Well, donât we have a fine example of that here and now!) To this I answer: Perhaps if our leader was not proven liar of epic proportions but rather was an honest man of good character who was leading us down a painful road of hardship and suffering to which we didnât fully understand how and why this path of action was going to right some wrong (but we still understood our leader had all of our interests in mind and was willing to suffer with us to prove it,) then yes. This indeed is Trumpâs argumentâwe must struggle with him against âfake newsâ and the âdeep state.â However, being led without full understanding requires trust; Trump is anything but trustworthy as he clearly demonstrates daily as measured against what is obvious and thoroughly documented.
Therefore, Trump is not worthy of being followed in any way, shape, or form; that is, if you are still rational. I do not have that kind of faith. But yet, as bad as this man is, I hold hope that this agent of change could provide us with the discipline we all need to lead us to repentance to turn from the world of lies into which weâve immersed ourselves.
Yet, you the faithful may say that it is not in Trump we trust but in todayâs prophets who have heralded the man as Godâs choice to heal America. Faith, as weâve been often taught, is most virtuous the further it departs from reason. This belief in the righteousness of blind faith comes from the doctrines of men and has brought nothing but sin, horrifying abuse, and senseless suffering. (Here is a great essay on the many evils of blind faith, âthe most dangerous thing in the world.â) Never mind all the parts of The Trump Prophecy which did not come to pass; our commitment to celebrity demands we overlook obvious errors which might, in previous times, have got that âprophetâ killed. Never mind that as Christians stake their respective grounds, as I clearly have, two very violently conflicting views as to what Godâs will for Christian action have arisen among those who once could abide each otherâs differencesâthis is due to the increasing and shameless politization of our faith. You may say Trump is a tool towards holiness precisely because he is a divider. If this is true, then there are possible implied soteriological consequences if one sides against supporting Trump. I know full, good, and well that I am in the minorityâabout 75% of white evangelicals support Trump. I am part of the 7% of American Evangelicals who believe Trump has harmed our interests. Iâve been told, by a self-proclaimed prophet, that I am rebelling against the will of God by failing to submit to Trump and the Republicans. How crazy is this? Does this mean my salvation is at stake even though I affirm that which historically has been considered the essentials of the faith? I agree that somebody here is terribly wrong and is greatly misrepresenting the will of God to a lost world. Whoâs wrong? Does reason decide based upon examining both special and general revelation or do we just rely upon the claims and charisma of those who claim to hear directly from God? Iâm going to argue for reason and show that unless we get back to some commonly examinable standard, the Bible, along with a grave concern, care, and respect for truth, as not defined by our common agreement, there is no way this nation will be truly healed. This nation is being ripped to pieces by the endless onslaught of lies and mass media manipulation specifically designed to undermine our confidence in anything being true. In such an environment, the pursuit of truth devolves into making commitments and offering loyalty to those who appear successful for a sense of stability and belonging; our âblind faithâ environment provides opportunity for con men to thrive.
The Bible calls us to reason many timesâŚ
âYou shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19: 17-18
Even though this is âOld Testament,â the principles still apply. Iâm still reaching out and trying to honestly reason with those still willing to listen. As to the second principle, God clearly said, âVengeance is mineâ Deuteronomy 32: 35. We are not Godâs enforcers; that is the role of the state (Romans 13: 1-7) which means logically if you seek to merge Church and State then you are appointing yourselves as the enforcers for God. It is not to say Christians cannot function in government as public servants, but they ought to avoid seeing specifically themselves as either enforcers of Godâs Law or as evangelists in that function else risk serious corruption because of the power involved. We should rather seek to change hearts (which would certainly influence laws in a democratic society) by reasoning with our fellow human beings (1 Peter 3: 13- 17) rather than banding together to impose force upon those who are not part of our tribe.
Our political ambitions through decades of toil have brought some of the most serious divisions our society has had since the Civil Rights movement. I call this movement of ours selfish because it seeks power for itself âto do goodâ including using power to create the conditions we commonly believe will bring the return of Christ to earth. The policies and actions throughout the decades heavily influenced (and even based) upon the prognostications of our seers have brought serious domestic strife and foreign war; con men like Trump take advantage of these (false) beliefs to empower themselves by garnering an unquestioning loyal following (by appearing to be fighting for the interests inspired by those (false) beliefs.) I fail to see how our movement, which is militant in method and very tolerant of the abuse of the âmeansâ (rule of law,) really seeks peace (at least my understanding of the word. See Genesis 26: 27- 31 for an example of how the Bible describes the process of making peace.) Peace, in our movement, is seen as achievable by employing force by means of a system which rewards selfishness and ruthless ambition and requires that we pledge loyalty to one man who is going to fix it all. We see peace as achieved by crushing the opposition against our champion. Is this what Jesus meant we He said, âthe meek will inherit the earthâ and âblessed are the peacemakersâ (Matthew 5: 3- 12)? Weâve flipped everything on its head; peace is not found by acting as an example to good behavior, love, and reason to persuade but through the âselflessâ application of force in Godâs name to do âHisâ will. And so, Lord willing, this means of âpeaceâ will be sown to reap the harvest of righteousness (James 3: 13-18.) How OrwellianâŚ
I have a different definition of what peace is and how it should be sought. As parents we ought model the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23) so that our children will learn by example (John 13: 15; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1: 17; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Timothy 1: 16; 4: 12; James 5: 10; 1 Peter 2: 21; 1 Peter 5: 3.) If you are an overseer over anything (parent, pastor, politician, General, officer, manager,) scripture teaches we should not be âdomineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flockâ (1 Peter 5:3.) Harshness stirs up rebellion and wrath, but gentleness brings healing (Proverbs 15: 1.) This obviously brings up the question on the legitimacy of using violent force to impose discipline on a societal level. Just how far do we take Solomonâs advice?
I know some may bring up âspare the rod, spoil the childâ (Proverbs 23: 13-14) as a principle in favor of bringing Godly discipline to society, but the relationship Solomon prescribed his use of violent force (parent-child) to correct is not the same as between people in a democratic society. If you still insist upon applying this principle to society then you elevate yourselves above your fellow citizens, your fellow image-bearers, to suppose you are the parentâall adults (and children) who are not of your tribe none-the-less are your children subject to your rod. Tell me how that wouldnât be abused? Itâs both arrogant and selfish; and such elevation is not in the list of what is loving action (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.) Tell me how those image-bearers who do not see you as their legitimate parents would perceive your instruments of discipline? Just as an abused child struck without seeing the legitimacy of his crime nor the love of his parents would come to hate his abuser so also those who experience your âinstructionâ would either rebel in anger against you as soon as they get the chance or cower in fear to âplay the gameâ and tell you what you want to hear so they wonât be punished. No hearts and minds won, just rebellion and fear. This is what terrible parenting begets. That is what the Christian Right seeks to do by uniting the wisdom of the Church with the hammer of the State. The State is violent just as some parents are violent (well-meaning or not)âis it absolutely true that âif you strike (the child) with a rod, you will save his soul from Sheolâ (Proverbs 23: 14) ?
âLoveâ by force is rape. That which inspires fear is anything but love (1 John 4:18.) A wise parent should be careful to not provoke children to anger (Ephesians 6: 4; Colossians 3: 21) but prove the motive for discipline is love. I think the âspare the rodâ maxim is terribly abused and often acts as a lazy way out for the parents; kids see this lack of concern to translate that into a sense of low self-worth (one is just a âdisobedientâ irritant) and resentment. It certainly was the case for me. The science is clear that corporal punishment increases disobedience and aggression.
I was a terrible kid and still not a particularly good man. Why would Solomon make such a claim then? Did the belt save me from Sheol? I can say that my experiences led me away from using how I felt as a guide for what is true; if I would have, Iâd be in a far different placeâso, in that way, it may have. Yet, not all who have been struck (with a belt) will be saved nor all will be saved by that greatest act of selfless love made by Jesus Christ. There is simply no rational way to take Solomonâs advice as an absolute; striking your kid may be better than letting him run amok but might also be worse. The difference may be in motivation for the discipline in the first place. If your motivation for having well-behaved kids is to make you look good, then perhaps you need to rethink things. The kids are likely going to see through thatâthe âdisciplineâ in that case is more about you than about them. This is selfish. Likewise, when self-appointed âparentsâ in a theocratically bent government see the bad behavior in society, like abortion or pornography for instance, they may think how this reflects upon their status and respectability as the leaders of the âChristian Nationâ to take out the belt and let the kids have it. Who are you really concerned for? The State doesnât do âloveâ well even as it carries out the vital mission of keeping orderâthis is why church, and state should remain separate. We also might want to consider the fact that, overall, things are getting better in terms of violent behaviorâcontrary to what the doomsayers claim to keep you afraid and them in power. I agree with Professor Pinker that this general decline in violence is due to treating children better.
There is a deep lesson here which contradicts Solomonâs advice inspiring bleeding-heart liberals like me to rebel against the systems of force and violence both at the familial and societal levelsâwhat is acceptable at one level will be acceptable on another. As agents of mercy we do the harder work of enduring evil (2 Timothy 2: 24- 26) having faith that, â(M)ercy triumphs over judgementâ (James 2:13.) We march on believing that love conquers all and Jesus did not call us to be enforcers (Matthew 5: 38- 48.) Instead of condemnation, we give soft answers which turn away wrath (Psalm 15: 1.) This does not mean we give up discernment (Matthew 10: 16) or integrity (Titus 2:17.) It means that we exercise these qualities as examples (1 Peter 5:3) without being polluted by the worldâs methods of keeping order (1 Timothy 5: 22.) You cannot get fresh water from a salt spring (James 3: 11.) Likewise, you cannot combine the fresh water of the Gospel with the corrupt mechanisms of the State to still be able to offer fresh water. (It is a wonder to note that with all our history [read about John Calvinâs little theocracy for example] we still seem to believe this is possible.)
I feel compassion for those so misled by false teachers, so I try to persuade people away from them (2 Corinthians 5: 11.) I realize that the false teachers are ravenous wolves who seek to feed (Matthew 7: 15; Acts 20: 29.) Theyâve always been here and always will be. Our central desire should be for truth (1 John 3: 18) and wisdom (James 3: 13- 18,) not power (Zechariah 4:6,) so that we can act wisely and lovingly with both strength and kindness as appropriate. Love rejoices with the truth, always hopes, always endures (1 Corinthians 13: 4- 7.) Love protects the cause of the weak (Exodus 23: 2, 6; Deuteronomy 24: 17- 18; 27:19) and upholds justice (Deuteronomy 16: 19- 20; Matthew 23: 23; Luke 11: 42.) This is the much harder road which requires that you abandon âends justifies the meansâ thinking Christian authoritarian. The current commitments to all that which is associated with the Trump Prophecies and the cynical power grabs of the Christian Right is severely sullying the message of peace. Your champion is the epitome of heartless corruption; your champion lacks compassion, perverts justice and bludgeons the truth daily. Turn back to the harder road and be a proper example to justice, mercy, and good conduct. Please consider another path.
We should witness by our commonly recognizable (Romans 2: 14-15) good behavior and by our love (John 13: 34- 35) not by displays of power, success, or prosperity. If there is love and the trust it naturally fosters there is no need for force. It is so sad that so many have bought into todayâs nonsense which contradicts the clear teaching of scripture, yet we persist in denying both scripture and reason.
âCome now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.â Isaiah 1: 18
I interpret this to mean God expects us to do this since, following this appeal, God lays out a legal argument against Israel and makes the case that only He can redeem. Nobody, not even you Christian Nationalists, can follow the law, and make other people follow the law, well enough to save anybody. St. Paul makes the argument that the law cannot save anybody in the book of Romans. Read it for yourself.
Jesus employed reason numerous times as the Pharisees of the time tried to entrap him. Remember when the Sadducees (who did not believe in the resurrection) tried to trap him with the widow who kept killing off all her husbands? (bad joke: cause of death not established in the text.) Jesus went âout of the boxâ and replied,
Jesus said to them, âIs this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, âI am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacobâ? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.â Mark 12: 25-27
Jesus used reason to solve the conundrum concerning who would be (or more accurately, not) married to who, but also used the witness of scripture to make a specific grammatical argument to show the Bible itself (which they claimed to care about) disproves their position on the resurrection. Should we not do the same? But today, our preachers, prophets, and apostles claim to have new, âfreshâ words from God. Because we believe ânew is betterâ our general (let alone are equipped to grapple with the deeper theological debates within historical Christianity) biblical knowledge has precipitously and shamelessly declined with the rise of the media driven celebrity preachersâthe very kind of prophets and apostles who claim to be close to Trump. These âprophetsâ are trying to replace the historic creedal understanding of Christianity with something else. Yet the cognitive dissonance is both palpable and confusing since although ~70% of Evangelicals believe Trump is forwarding their interests just 5% believe God chose Trump because of Trumpâs policies.
This dissonance gives me hope even though it doesnât help that biblical ignorance has become so commonplace which has allowed the false teachers a voice and significant influence as some may still fear that these people speak for God. There is hope in this fight to point our faith back to reason just as in our history as Athanasius was repeated banished as Arius had the upper hand. Athanasius contra mundum–trinitarian theology survived the popularist assault to be upheld by church council to be accordance with reason (being a mystery, not a contradictionâ i.e. law of identity: Being â Person) and scripture. Todayâs popularist assault capitalizes upon the anxiety of declining Christian influence, well-earned, to propose a solution of banding together politically to reclaim this nation for Christ. Since, as Iâve shown above, that it is rationally impossible to make a biblical case for building a Christian theocracy because such a system (contrary to the denials) would act to make internal spiritual transformations by the use of worldly external power, antithetical to all Jesus taught, a foundation must be laid for a new generation of prophets to ariseâgiving us âfreshâ words relevant to todayâs world.
Iâve read âbiblicalâ arguments for Christian Nationalismâto borrow a phrase, âscripture twisting that would make a Jehovahâs Witness blushâ is appropriate. General biblical ignorance with a heavy reliance on the authority of todayâs prophets and apostles is a better plan for this push. Just as the Catholic Church set itself up as the intermediary between God and man in the Middle Ages to grab its share of political power, so to the Christian Nationalists are feathering their nests as well. Making this system acceptable to the masses requires the appearance of piety. Does the appearance of âpietyâ heal? (What is âpietyâ anyway?)
The pious may quote (twist) scripture, âWhoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is you are not of Godâ (John 8: 47) to encourage people to hear the ânewâ words of God. The image of the âfrog in the potâ applies here. Decades of charismatic influence has wormed its way into Christian culture, from seemingly harmless thingsâpersonal prophetic utterances and words of encouragementâto eventually get to todayâs very bold claims which seek ways to get Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom. Of course, correlation does not equal causation, but it is curious that biblical knowledge continues to decline amongst those who claim to respect the Bible as the Word of God.
There are many factors and distractions involved, but I do think that many see their religious âfixâ as occurring once or twice a week in a experiential format which is more ârealâ (and less boring) than careful study, discussion, and reflection. This has been the trend as people talk about how a service made them feel. Of course, feeling things is not necessarily bad but it is again curious that experientialism is demonstrably not leading to greater biblical knowledge among the adherents. Churches keep getting bigger as denominational oversight diminishesâcelebrity pastors are all the rage. Weâre here to experience God with exciting music, a light show, and an uplifting messageâapparently, itâs all we need to know. People do not realize how much power and control they are handing their leaders by remaining biblically ignorant. Power seeking people will fill this vacuum as fewer are equipped to challenge a common mantra, âtouch not the Lordâs Anointed.â
It seems clear to me from the decline in biblical literacy among those influenced by the Word-Faith/New Apostolic Reformation folks that reliance upon the ânew, freshâ words is supplanting the authority of the established canon of scripture. Todayâs sheep are thus ill-equipped to test the words of their leaders; they just trust blindly that they are not being lied toâand are being taught that this âfaithâ is far more virtuous than mine which demands to be shown the words and history (Acts 17: 11.) For those still stuck in the authority of the (written) Word, the NAR folks are âflooding the zoneâ with their own âtranslationâ (The Passion Translation) of the Bible which fraudulently upholds NAR doctrines which insist upon âfreshâ words for today. Their strategy is working to concentrate the remaining faithful into their ranks as the overall numbers of those who identify as Christians continues to shrink. This is not a new phenomenon; the Bible speaks of those who through their âdreamsâ usurp authority to elevate themselves. Letâs compare the ESV and the TPT to examine their differences in a passage warning of false teachers to show you that Iâm not just making this up.
âYet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, âThe Lord rebuke you.â But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.â Jude 1: 8-13 English Standard Version
Now the Passion Translationâs interpretationâŚ
âIn the same way, these sensual âdreamersâ corrupt and pollute the natural realm, while on the other hand they reject the spiritual realms of governmental power and repeatedly scoff at heavenly glories. Even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil over the body of Moses, dared not insult or slander him, but simply said, âThe Lord Yahweh rebuke you!â These people insult anything they donât understand. They behave like irrational beasts by doing whatever they feel like doing. Because they live by their animal instincts, they corrupt themselves and bring about their own destruction. How terrible it is for them! For they have followed in the steps of Cain. They have abandoned themselves to Balaamâs error because of their greedy pursuit of financial gain. And since they have rebelled like Korah rebelled, they will experience the same fate of Korah and likewise perish. These false teachers are like dangerous hidden reefs at your love feasts, lying in wait to shipwreck the immature. They feast among you without reverence, having no shepherd but themselves. They are clouds with no rain, swept along by the winds. Like fruitless late-autumn treesâtwice dead, barren, and plucked up by the roots! They are wild waves of the sea, flinging out the foam of their shame and disgrace. They are misleading like wandering stars, for whom the complete darkness of eternal gloom has been reserved.â Jude 1: 8-13 The Passion Translation
Notice first that the TPT is much wordier. Most Bible translations use committees of trained language scholars who keep each other accountable to the best vetted source material. The TPT has a translation âcommitteeâ of one untrained apostle Brian Simmons who claims to have personally visited heaven a few times and to have seen heavenâs library. Simmons even admitted that he was tempted to lift John 22 from said library but he was told by an angelic being that we all werenât ready for it yet (just waitâŚ.) Next notice that âthese peopleâ (ESV) is âtranslatedâ to âsensual âDreamersââ in the TPT. This is a big deal. In the ESV translation, the false teachers rely on (trust in) dreams (or visions) to usurp authority (which I interpret to mean authoritative scriptureâwhich the Bereans demanded Acts 17 :11) in order to blaspheme the messengers (angels, eyewitness apostles, and even Jesus Himself) and thus teach fabrications of their own making. The TPT âtranslation,â puts the words into a blender, hits the button, and then adds a bunch of his own to the mix (Proverbs 30: 6) thus drastically changing the meaning. The TPT uses the words âsensual dreamersâ (thus grammatically altering the subject) to imply that the people being referred to in this passage are focused on being sexually immoral while rejecting the âspiritual realms of governmental powerâ (whatever that means) to scoff at that which may seek to restrain their sensual desires. The TPT removes âdreamsâ as a source of false teachingâimportant to pave the road for those who claim to personally to hear from God (or even visit heaven) thus giving âauthorityâ to their teaching. An NAR teacher, using the TPT as an âauthority,â could very well instruct the faithful that these âdreamersâ are those who have bought into the dream (or fantasy) that sensual pleasure is a type of salvific path to happiness and fulfillment. Having established a context for who the dreamers are, the following passage, âThese people insult anything they donât understand. They behave like irrational beasts by doing whatever they feel like doingâ can then be easily taught simply that being given over to sensuality means losing your rationality. The ESV simply teaches that false teachers do not know the scriptures (Mark 12: 24) thus are blaspheming (insulting, speaking evil of) against the heavenly beings who brought the Word (and all those who worked so diligently to preserve the Word) when they speak of things about which they have no understanding. The false teachers are just making things up out their gutâreason leaves, and destruction remains as a result. The TPT, having linked false teachers with those who teach sexual immorality, ensures NAR teachers are safe from what the rest of the passage warns us about if they donât go around teaching sexual immorality. Funny enough, loosening restraints upon sexual morality is what a majority of Christians believe is a big reason people are leaving the faith (along with misconduct by Christian leaders.) 29% believe the decline is due to âChristianâ involvement in conservative politics. Since sexuality outweighs âChristianâ involvement in politics as a cause of our decline, these numbers imply the growing influence of these NAR teachings infiltrating the culture at large.
An additional benefit to NAR teachers is the TPTâs injection of nebulous concepts like the âspiritual realms of governmental powerâ and âheavenly gloriesâ into the âholyâ script. Those who question what these terms could possibly mean could very well be those who âinsult anything they donât understandâŚâ and do thus âwhatever they feel like doingâ despite Godâs (alleged) desire. Itâs not that big of a stretch to suppose that one does not necessarily have be actively teaching sexual immorality to be part of the accursed group âlying in wait to shipwreck the immature.â Since NAR apostles regularly teach about bring heaven to earth, those âspiritual realms of governmental powerâ could be interpreted as being todayâs apostolic networks which actively seek to incorporate with current political power structuresâwhich they have been doing for decades. The âheavenly gloriesâ may be interpreted as the âsigns and wondersâ evangelism that teachers like Bill Johnson talk about as that which will reach the lost of today; those, like me, who scoff at these parlor tricks, er⌠âheavenly glories,â may be those âirrational beastsâ who supposed to set themselves against Godâs movement of today. Thus, the obfuscation of the TPTâs âtranslationâ provides double cover for these âsuper apostlesâ to do their workâall the lip service to reverence these people express towards the written Word is nullified by their widespread endorsement of the TPT abomination. Those who call into question these new super-apostles (who by dreams and visions claim âauthorityâ) by referring to yesterdayâs âgood newsâ may be easily seen as being Godâs enemies. There can be no healing of reconciliation or compromise; there can be only submissionâeither to the truth (no mere human is the âsourceâ of it) as we hold each other accountable through reason, confession, and scholarship (Luke 17:3; Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12; 1 John 4:1; Hebrews 3: 12- 13; Genesis 2: 18; Proverbs 27:17; James 5:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) or we submit to some group of charismatic fellows in charge of the âspiritual realms of governmental power.â Of all those scriptures listed above, apostle Bill Johnson (one of the more recognizable name in that crowd) refuses to accept any rebuke, critique, or criticism of what he teachesâhe really thinks he is that special and, as such, is beyond reproachâand yes, he loves The Passion Translation.
There is a common intersect between the growing reliance on charismatic figureheads in both the political and religious realms. The Seven Mountain Mandate actively seeks the merger of church and state. As we see it, the laws and traditions in the political realm are fundamentally corrupt as they are âsecularâ hence they ought to be redeemed by being Christianized. Can this be done? Machiavelli was right to point out that Christian values are incompatible with the values of the Stateâyet the myth has been built, we are a âChristianâ nation whose best days are yet to come. We donât even consider the possibility of corruption, for both sides, in both purpose and method, in the mergerâwe are too arrogant for that. People honestly believe Trump, although âvain, insensitive, and raw,â is the best hope we have because he âloves America.â
Those who complain of Christianityâs âdeclining influenceâ do not see that we have wonâour culture now dominates in the halls of State. Better than 90% of our lawmakers identify as âChristianâ as does our President, Vice President, Secretary of State, and numerous others throughout the administration who surround themselves with the Apostles and Prophets of the New Reformation to guide them. Homage and proper respects must be paid; just as the newly minted Apostles are untouchable as the âLordâs Anointedâ so as well Trump ought to be free to rule as he sees fit.
Our New Apostolic Leadership, our prophets and pastors, promise miracles and divine protection staking our witness upon the efficacy of those claims; weâre getting sick anyway as we keep repeating the mantra that we will do âeven greater thingsâ (John 14: 12) )as one âPsalm 91â declaration after another fails to bring (the Word-Faithâs version of the) âeven greater thingsâ than the miracle of Christâs resurrection and the testimony of suffering the eyewitness Apostles endured to tell the story. (Could it be that the âgreater thingsâ are people believing having not seen as the eyewitnesses had (John 20: 29; Hebrews 11: 1; 1 Peter 1:8)?) It could be that simple.) But we now hold to âsigns and wonders,â like the âGlory Cloudâ at Bethel, or Todd Whiteâs parlor trick âstreet healingsâ (no shortage of videos on Youtube,) rather than the testimony recorded in the Bibleâthatâs old and weak, we are doing âgreater thingsâ now.
Likewise, since the laws, statutes, traditions, and procedures which were designed to regulate the cesspool, that is Washington D.C., to our satisfaction, the aggrieved now seem to accept the idea of trusting one man, our anointed, to openly smash the balances of power that those means provide. It seems the aggrieved do not understand that the man Trump is strongly incentivized to keep us fearful, angry, divided, and suspicious of the institutions which have served as balance in the past, because that is what increases not only his power but the chance that he gets to keep his job; we do not see that the âLordâs Anointedâ are incentivized to keep the faithful biblically ignorant, suspicious of the concept of equals (Colossians 3:11) under a commonly accepted authority (Acts 17:11) to then hold each other accountable (Proverbs 27:17; James 5: 19-20,) so they, the âAnointed,â may be called âRabbi,â have the positions of honor at banquets and the like, order people about, and, of course, keep the money flowing. The cultures of Church and State have merged, the methodologies and justifications are much the same; the ends-justifies-the-means brings us our healing as we use government power to build a righteous world in line with the Seven-Mountain-Mandate. Churches are being infected all over the world with this mindset through Christian music and mass media. I do not envy conscientious pastors trying to keep this out of their respective churches.
As I sum up the Rise of CHRINOS: Judging by how we act, how well we play pretend, and who weâve chosen to follow, the apparent purpose of our healing is to bring our success, our prosperity, our strength to bear so we may be the envy of the world. Our witness will be imitated as those around the world do as we do in order to be like usâthis is our strategy. Truth is what we make of it, appearances and bluster suffice to cover our lack of empirical evidence of effective result. No one dare question, for to believe in what is yet unseen is the greatest testimony to Our Great Faith in the merger which is ushering in the new world. We will show how great is our piety as the old institutions which separated powers, in which we held each other accountable, are junked to prepare us emotionally and spiritually for the coming benevolent dictatorship of Christ Almightyâour pious submission to those who now rule in his stead are preparing us well for that day soon to come. Is not the Lord with us (Micah 3: 11)? Our submission to the State is righteous for it is Godâs State; CHRINOs has risen.
Whether it stays risen is your choice. Perhaps there will be a child who state the obvious and convince the rest of us to once again walk in freedom. One last try for today; consider the words of Christ,
âThen the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, âTeacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?â But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, âWhy put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.â And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, âWhose likeness and inscription is this?â They said, âCaesar’s.â Then he said to them, âTherefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.â When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.â (Matthew 22: 15-22.)
Will we stop judging on appearances (a whole lot of talk, boasts, and projections) to render a proper judgment (John 7: 24) that the State should be, as Christ taught, regarded as a separate entity from the Church? Shall we repent from placing our faith in a liar, and in a system, which has no mercy upon the most vulnerable (as it seeks to set one interest against another to further empower itself?) If we did this to once again embrace freedom from the State, then we could be healed from our arrogance for trusting in political power and our ignorance of scriptural imperatives. Will we repent?
Since the restraint of laws, bureaucracies, and traditions, which have served as restrictions upon the centralization of power, has been rejected, so that our central power is apparently only accountable to the voter, it seems the future of the Church as a rising political power, is entangled with the results of the next election. If Trump is reelected (by whatever means) then the prophecy would be confirmed in the minds of the majority. The Christian Right is strongly incentivized to reelect the one in whom so much hope has been placed and will do whatever it takes to make this happen. The fact that most Christians believe the authoritarianism of Trump and our increasing reliance upon the power of the State to forward our interests shows that the slope has been amply greased. There is no Bible to support placing our hope in the State hence the active interest our leaders have in keeping us ignorant yet feeling pious is clear. Our healing could start with the next election. Will we abandon our investment? If we choose the liar, the petulant child, the abusive whiner who surrounds himself with little pharisaical wannabe tyrants and bootlickers trumpeting âGodâs America,â then the choice, as the nation, will have been made; weâll have declared the emperor to have clothes of resplendent majesty to whom we owe our godly allegiance. The âtruthâ will have been declared as we keep singing about Godâs âReckless Love.â Our new world will be better for some, and much worse for others.
If this happens, I will mourn; the âcity on the hillâ then may as well be Atlantis, sunken below the waves dead and gone, its only power lies in inspiring myths of freedom, innovation, equality, and opportunity for all. Most Christians will have chosen their prophets and bowed their knees to the power of the Stateârighteous and sure. But, as always, I take solace in the fact there will always be those who will not surrenderâthe truth of this was revealed in a whisper (1 Kings 19: 9-18) and, I believe, remains true to this day. May I not lose hope. I am not alone. Healing will come someday as I relinquish all attempts to control when (and how) this happensâand persuade others to the same; so help me God.