It's been a week since Tropical Strom Trump and the red wave of democracy both had their way with America. Many people are still in shock. Many people are angry. Some people are taking the opportunity to troll ("your body my choice forever"), and still others are left feeling sad, scared, or uncertain about what this all means for the greatest country on God's green earth.

While Americans begin to look past last week's election and count down the days on their TRUMP-ADVENT calendar to Inauguration Day, it's more than reasonable for us to acknowledge that these events bring a variety of emotions with them. Acknowledging the wide spectrum of emotions, it's also important for us to do what we can to try and gain a semblance of reason amid all the hysteria and emotion.

​TO THE WINNERS
I don't know if it's just me, but election seasons are a lot like the NFL. Well, maybe more like the WNBA, because most rational people don't get overly excited about any of the candidates. They just love the idea of picking a side, cheering for their team, rallying together to criticize and resist the opposition, and then celebrate victory or lament about what could've been; if the other team didn't cheat and the referees would've stayed neutral instead of injecting themselves into the outcome of the game.

And just like it is in basketball, in the end there is only one candidate that is crowned the winner. They are left with the trophy, while the loser is left with the obligation of humbly taking the stage in order to concede, thank their fans, remind us all about how hard-fought the battle was, how important the game is, how grateful they are to be a part of something so historically significant, and how much they want to applaud their opponent—whom they've  spent countless hours and money berating during their campaign—on a remarkable and honorable victory. Of course, all of this is done while pretentiously wishing their opponent nothing but success; even as their own campaign is already hard at work trying to oppose and undermine any possibility of said success.

However, unlike let's say...the World Series for example, the winning fans must never take to the streets to burn cars, break into and steal from stores, vandalize and burn down their cities, or create any chaos or unrest. That, of course, would be uncivilized and is explicitly reserved for Sports Championships or Social-Justice efforts, not national politics (because that would be an insurrection of course).

So, the winning team is expected to sit back, stay quiet, and make sure they don't do anything even close to what could potentially be perceived as adding fuel to an already burning fire. After all, elections are emotional and the last thing we want to do is add to what has already become the Divided States of America.

TO THE WIMPERERS
As is expected, particularly with the elevated emotions around election season, there is a natural grief which takes place, when a candidate who was coronated as the heir apparent to the most popular President in American history (aka Joe Biden) loses the election to literally, Hitler.

And in the winner takes all competition, like deciding who gets to move into the White House next, where one of the competitors was regularly called a racist, fascist, sexist, xenophobic, narcissistic, misogynist—it should not be a surprise to any of us that the thought of Donald Trump regaining the Presidency might cause some consternation or anxiety to those who were unfortunate enough to buy into the #NeverTrump propaganda.

So, I'll concede that even reasonable people might need some time to come to grips with the reality of President Elect Donald John Trump. My sincerest apologies for your disappointment and disillusionment.

TO THE WAILERS
To those who refuse to live in the real world and instead choose to live in the world of irrational emotionalism, our tolerance level for you is pretty low quite honestly. We've already lived with your self-righteous self-pity, long enough. We saw what you brought to the table in 2017, in the form of shrieking, screeching, screaming, wailing, and caterwauling. It was appalling then and it's even more shameful now. Our empathy and toleration of your temper tantrums ran out a long time ago. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice....well, you're not going to fool us again.

We're over your exaggerated attempts to blame everyone but yourself, for your misery. You proved to us a long time ago that you're not interested in mutual understanding or constructive criticism. Let alone the truth. Instead, you've settled for baseless accusations, unlawful indictments, and the politicization of every single American institution, so long as you were able to use it to serve your own tyrannical efforts to save democracy from the tiny little hands of Donald Trump.

The only thing you seem to care about is getting your way. Thankfully, for the rest of us, that didn't happen in 2024 like it did in "fairest and most secure" election in American history, back in good old 2020. Without question, sanity was on the ballot this year and an overwhelming majority of Americans proved that mental health still matters. We are thankful for that reality.

We've tried our best to show you the truth. But we were hastily met with indifference and accusations of mansplaining and gaslighting.  All of our efforts, which are rooted in reality and reason, have been futile. You're not interested in cogent and sensible exchanges. They don't meet your needs and certainly don't play well with your worldview. We are not of the same ilk. You like it that this way, and to be honest we do too, yet we still grieve deeply over the mental health crisis in our country.

We've decided to move on. We gave it our best effort and we've come to grips with the reality that some folks are just too far gone.

TO THE WIMPS
This section is dedicated to the milksops in the mix. You know who I'm talking about. Those folks with backbones of the same firmness as an overcooked spaghetti noodle. The kind of people who will proudly take a stand on matters of conviction, just as soon as they can decipher which side of the argument will score them the most virtue points with the culture; while costing them absolutely nothing besides the time it takes to select one of the pre-made frames to wrap around their Facebook profile picture.

The truth is, these folks are neither virtuous nor commendable. They are cowards and they have been exposed. Of course that won't stop them from causing a scene; especially one that will earn them some street credit from the culture who is willing to embrace and tolerate everything except for the truth.

We've already seen this playing itself out, since last Tuesday's election, as reasonable members of the Democrat party have began to sort through the aftermath of their public humiliation. Men like Congressman Seth Moulton, who had the audacity to try and make sense of the bloodbath we all witnessed last week. Doubling down on his courage, the representative from Massachusetts—a former U.S. Marine and presidential candidate—said he’s sticking to his opinion that he doesn’t want his daughters getting “run over on the playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.”

Of course, this kind of honesty and candor is not acceptable in the realm of progressive politics. In fact, it's the kind of talk that can make those suffering from the woke mind virus, compare a man to a Nazi cooperator (as Liz Bradt, the chair of the Salem Democratic City Committee, did following Moulton's remarks).

To prove out this point a bit more, Moulton's campaign manager Matt Chilliak resigned following Moulton's remarks. Yes, the very same campaign manager who felt the following statement on X, on election night, was also courageous:  
​​

​This is what cowardice looks like in 2024. The same man who took to X to publicly and unapologetically chastise more than half of America (i.e. those who voted for Trump), by suggesting they hate immigrants and transgender people more than fascism, resigned from his position as a campaign manager, because his boss had enough actual courage to tell the truth when he suggested it might be a good idea to consider listening to 70% of Americans who have an issue with biological men playing in women's sports.

Of course there will be those who look at Chilliak's choices and see them as courageous and brave. I mean he did make his statement on X after all, the platform MSNBC wants all of us to believe has become a pro-Trump echo chamber. He also quit his job, to take a stand. Shouldn't this be viewed as virtuous? The answer to this question is simple. No. These things are not brave. In fact, they are wonderful examples of what it actually means to be a coward.

When congressman Moulton spoke out about Democrats losing touch with every day Americans, he did so knowing full well that it would be met with backlash. He was completely correct in his prediction.

According to the Boston Globe, Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo and the Salem School Committee denounced Moulton's remarks “in the strongest terms possible” in an email they sent to families of the school.

“We want to reassure our LGBTQ+ students that we as district leaders will always celebrate your identities, support your dreams and aspirations, and applaud your accomplishments,” the Salem officials wrote. 

Moulton responded to the backlash with the following a statement: 
“I am a strong supporter of the civil rights of all Americans, including transgender rights. I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens...Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test. We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop.”

Of course his words rang hallow among those who make their living by shaming and belittling those with different opinions than those approved by progressives. So, the backlash was severe. Accusations were made that Moulton is a Nazi-cooperator and calls for him to either apologize or be cancelled were immediate.

Low and behold those who were closest to congressman Moulton, at least in the political sense, began to distance themselves from him. They didn't want to become collateral damage or guilty by association. And what was Moulton guilty of exactly? Certainly not deception. He spoke the truth. Not even indifference or unkindness, as he made it clear that he supports the rights and safety of all citizens. No, the congressman was guilty of something far worse than either of these things; namely, legitimizing the concerns of every day Americans, humanizing those who are to be considered inhumane, and most importantly...political infidelity. That's right. Refusing to toe the party line, regardless how destructive or out of touch those positions might be, is what led to Moulton's demise. And his political allies were willing to do whatever it took to ensure they didn't go down with the ship too.

Everyone with half a brain, a fair degree of sanity, and a reasonable grasp of reality will admit that what happened on election night was both shocking and totally predictable. Not only did Donald Trump decisively win the election, both the popular vote and the electoral college, but he also won votes in every single state which have been consistent strongholds for democrats. And why is this? Is it really because Americans are becoming more racist? Is it truly because a majority of Americans are Nazis?

No. It's because a majority of Americans are tired of being lied to, bullied, and shamed by a minority, who think they can win the culture war by rigging the system in their favor. Like congressman Moulton, the majority of Americans want every American citizen to have their rights respected and their safety protected. But they aren't willing to suspend reality (for the sake of saving face) anymore. The jig is up. We've looked behind the curtain and have discovered that it's the cowards, bullies, and frauds who were pulling the strings the entire time.

They used our sensibilities against us, by selling us the idea of tolerance, and we took the bait. Why? Because it seemed right to us that all people should be tolerated, even when we strongly disagree with them or their worldview. The only problem is, we also assumed progressives would be playing by the same rules they were imposing on us.; only to find out later that they never even intended to in the first place.

Equity, empathy, and social-justice have all become methods of taking power from the "normies"—better known as the majority of Americans—and giving it to those who want to use it as a means of manipulation and control. These systems have been rigged in such a way that the losing team actually wins, by cheating, while the self-appointed referees have convinced the winning team they've been playing dirty the whole time.

Fortunately, the fans, who have been watching this all unfold, have finally figured out that it's been the referees who've been fixing the game all along. It was never about fair play. It was always about foreplay...and common-sense Americans were the ones getting screwed.

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE ELECTION
In conclusion, as I think about what unfolded across America on election night, the emotion I'm feeling deepest right now is gratitude. I am grateful for the fact that most Americans had the courage to finally say, enough is enough, and to do so in a way that might actually lead to a legitimate change of course.

We all know that Donald Trump isn't the best America has to offer. That title belongs solely and only to Jesus Christ. However, what Donald Trump brings to the table is something that Americans desperately need. Something we saw on full display, after the first of three assassination attempts on his life this election season. In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump taking a bullet—while chaos was in full effect all around him and blood was dripping down his face—he had the awareness and courage to stand up, throw his fist in the air and tell Americans to do the one thing they should've been doing all along. Fight. Fight. Fight.

Americans responded to his call. They looked at what had become of their great nation, and with all the courage and tenacity they could muster they went to voting booths across this nation and fought, using the last weapon that hadn't been taken from them yet. Their votes.

In spite of the names they had been called or the name-calling they knew they would have to endure if things went the way they hoped. In the face of the accusations of racism they had already experienced or the new assertations of America's racism which were sure to come, they fought for what rightly belongs to them. What is that, you ask? A country that cares far more about the sanity and wellbeing of normal Americans than it does about the insanity and humiliation of those who want to see the American Dream crushed under the control and weight of Marxist ideologies.

America, you won. Your votes have led us all to a new dawn and a new day in this country and we are thankful for both your courage and your bravery. You took the power back, you fought a good fight, and you helped to expose the true cowards.

​Thank you.  

𝑼𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒚 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅.

For example: Some of the most passionate promoters of tolerance and inclusion are also some of the most intolerant and censorious people, towards those with whom they disagree. But why is that? ​How can someone be so passionate about something, yet seem to lose all sense of virtue when it comes to those with whom they strongly disagree? C.S. Lewis eluded to an answer when he said,

​What Lewis is saying here is that when we make a certain virtue the highest aim and a man's ungoverned passions become the mechanism by which to achieve that aim, there is no limit to what he can do to ensure the virtue is upheld. The end will always justify the means, no matter the cost.

Pilgrims, whatever our deepest passions are and no matter how virtuous they may seem to us and others, they must always be governed by and tethered to the truth.  The greater the good, the greater the temptation will be for that good to be leveraged as a justification for doing what is evil.
​
Be careful how far you allow your ungoverned passions to take you, down the road of evil.

Most humans don't like risk. Instead, they like simple, safe, easy, calculated choices with practically  guaranteed results of success and comfort. 

​A healthy aversion to risk is blessing. It helps us survive. It helps us succeed. Yet, taking healthy risks is a blessing; to be used along with wisdom, in order live a life that is abundant and pleasing to God.
 
NO RISK IT NO BISCUIT
Bruce Arians, the Super Bowl Champion coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had a saying he liked to use with his quarterbacks: "No risk it, no biscuit".

In essence, his philosophy was in order to make big plays and win big games (the biscuit) , a quarterback must be willing to take risks with the football. The bigger the risk, the bigger the payout; if it works.

However, what Arians discovered is that this philosophy only works with the right man taking the right risks.

THE RIGHT MAN (THE WRONG RISKS)
In other news, last week Pastor Alistair Begg sent the faith community into a mighty uproar because of a response he gave to a question he was asked in a recent interview on his radio show Truth for Life.

I'll be honest, I was shocked by the response myself—and very few things shock me anymore when it comes to Christianity in America. 

“We field questions all the time that go along the lines of ‘My grandson is about to be married to a transgender person, and I don’t know what to do about this, and I’m calling to ask you to tell me what to do’—which is a huge responsibility", said Begg.

Begg went on to describe his interaction with the Troubled Tranny's Granny. In his initial spiritual counseling triage, he asked her if her grandson understood her belief in Jesus and that her faith means she can’t countenance in any affirming way the choices that he has made in life? Her answer to both questions was a decisive, yes.

“I said, ‘Well then, okay", continued Begg. "As long as he knows that, then I suggest that you do go to the ceremony. And I suggest that you buy them a gift"

And then came the portion of his comment which hit me as both confusing and predictable. Referencing his advice, Begg continued, “We’re going to have to take that risk a lot more if we want to build bridges into the hearts and lives of those who don’t understand Jesus and don’t understand that he is a King.”
 
​If you came to me and told me you heard an awesome sermon from Alistair Begg, I would immediately assume you were fed some sound biblical doctrine. I've cherished this man's teaching for many years and I hope to do so for many more years to come. All this to say, Pastor Alistair Begg is usually the right man, but on this one, he's dead wrong.

NOT EVERYTHING THAT SEEMS RISKY IS RISKY
There is a point to all my rambling and I suppose it's time for me to get to it. So here goes. Not everything that feels like a risk, is a risk. Let me say it one more time, for full effect. Not everything that feels like a risk, is a risk.

Nobody wants to feel like a coward, especially pastors. They've been called by God, as shepherds, and have been given the responsibility of keeping watch over God's people. Scripture is clear that one day they will given an account for every soul under their care (Heb. 13:17). This is a very humbling reality.

Now, pair that with the reality of American culture. A culture which God, in his divine justice, is giving up to dishonorable passions; all of which is occurring even faster than Taylor Swift is taking over the NFL.

A Christian doesn't have to look very hard to see how rapidly, nonsense has been normalized in America. Things which once would've been clearly intolerable are now celebrated. Things which the church would've unapologetically condemned in the past, are now being treated as if they are nuanced, ambiguous, and confusing. This too is part of God's judgment as the American Church has suppressed the truth in exchange for unrighteousness.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. | Romans 1:26-27

This is also why many American pastors find it difficult to rightly discern and distinguish, truth from error and risk from relevance.  

In his recent blog post titled, Alistair Beggs the Question, pastor Douglas Wilson weighed in on this controversy. He began by rightly affirming Begg's faithfulness to the scriptures and the godly work of Begg's ministry over the years. He then made the effort to try to help his readers understand that not everything that feels like a risk, is a risk.

"Despite the fact that Alistair thought that his advice was risk-taking for the sake of building bridges to those who don’t understand that Jesus is a King, what he was really doing was avoiding the risk of angering the cool kids and the power brokers behind them." | Douglas Wilson

What Wilson is suggesting is that there is a form of risk taking, which really isn't taking a risk at all. It's more like, risk mediation and moral compromise, for the sake of cultural relevance. You see, in this specific example, as Alistair Begg assessed the risk of conviction over compromise, it became clear to him that even though it might be "risky" to encourage the confused tranny's granny to go to his so-called wedding ceremony, it was even riskier to tell her to avoid it.

Why? Because the scorn, judgment, and retribution from the transgender mafia and their allies is far worse than the scorn of godly Christian grandma, who knows far too much about the character of Christ to ever cause a scene.

And herein lies the problem. This type of compromise, to avoid the judgment and scorn from unbelievers, isn't a risk. It's a reward. Yet, it does come with a cost because Christ is King (not a king) and any efforts we make to "make peace" with those who hate him and reject his good and perfect edicts, is groveling not gallantry.

"If Jesus is a King, and He is, then we must do what He says, and we must not care about or respond to the censures of those who will sneer and say we are being judgmental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything." | Douglas Wilson

​PRETENTIOUS PANDERING
Here's the question we need to ask ourselves, when receiving feeble pastoral counsel like Begg's: What happens when we swap out the sin?

Assuming a Christian understands that a trans-wedding is sin, what other sin would we condemn, and then make actual and tangible countenance to (in the name of loving unbelievers) by attending a ceremony established specifically for the purpose of celebrating it?

Would Alistair Begg ever encourage a grandmother to attend her grandson's Proud Boy rally, as long as she was convinced he clearly understood her opposition to his nationalism or western chauvinism? Would Begg feel so sure of the wisdom of his counsel, that he would encourage her to wear a Fred Perry t-shirt and sing along as her grandson leads his alt-right fraternity in singing, Proud of Your Boy?

I think we already know the answer to this question, don't we? It's unequivocally and unquestionably, no!  Does this hypothetical example seem humorous to you, if not absurd? You might find it hard to believe, but between the counsel Begg actually gave the grandmother and the one I just raised, the most wicked of the two is actually the tranny-wedding. Hands down!

While it may be true that a Proud Boys gathering is immoral, and it certainly is true that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated them as a hate group, what is even more true (from a biblical perspective) is that transgender weddings are in direct rebellion with what God has clearly defined and established as a God honoring marriage. The only clear distinction between these two things, at least as it pertains to American culture, is that one is being promoted, celebrated, and advanced while the other is being condemned, criticized, and criminalized.

Do the lost boys, within the ranks of the Proud Boys need Jesus any less than the used-to-be-boys within the ranks of trangenderism? Is what we communicate to them of less significance and importance than what we communicate to our unsaved transgender grandsons? Certainly, American culture would say so, but what about you? What about pastor Alistair Begg? And even more importantly, what about God's Word?
 
SETTLING FOR THE WORLD'S BISCUIT 
When pastors give their approval, to grandmothers or anyone else, to attend so-called wedding receptions in honor of perversion, it's not the risk they think it is. Instead, it's pandering to an ungodly culture. The church has allowed the godless culture to define terms, make demands, and set all the expectations for how Christians must act in order to be considered, true followers of Christ.

Expectations like:

• Christians must love their LGBTQ+ family members enough to attend their weddings without concern or consternation. In fact, they should also celebrate that Love is Love and evolve—with the rest of the world—away from hatred and bigotry, towards a more inclusive and tolerant new normal. Oh, and don't forget to bring a gift.
  
  
• Christians must also show their love for others by publicly condemning any of their family members who might be involved with, influenced by, or sympathetic towards any political causes, organizations or churches who stand in opposition to progressive ideologies—like total affirmation of the LGBTQ+ worldview—and refuse to support, contact, or associate with anyone who falls into any of these cults, camps, or churches; until they are reeducated, rehabilitated, and reintroduced into the new normal.   

Then, if these Christians are lucky and play their cards right, they'll be tolerated in return; but never loved. This is the compromise the godless culture offers to Christians. Anything less than full affirmation will not be accepted or tolerated. Get on the team and embrace the gameplan or get no biscuit.

TRUE RISK
If you've been paying attention recently, for any amount of time at all, you know exactly what I'm talking about. In the game of cultural relevance and influence, there are two types of teams. The Untouchables and the Unsalvageables.

The untouchables consist of those who belong to protected classes; like people of color, LGBTQ, women, and other minority groups. To make things a bit more simple, it's basically anyone who isn't a member of the unsalvageables.

In the new normal, the American Church has found itself in a very peculiar place. Once deemed a city on the hill—dare I say the starting quarterback of the team—the Church now finds itself benched. And I'm not talking second string either. You know, the guy who gets called in to take a few meaningless snaps at the end of a game which has already been won. No, more like the guy on the scout team, whose primary role is to pretend to be someone else in order for the first team defense to get their licks in during the week.

So, when Alistair Begg tells a third-string Christian grandma to lay her self-righteousness aside and attend her grandson's transgender wedding, what he's actually inviting her to do is to pretend. Pretend that there's actually such a thing as a transgender wedding. Pretend that convictions live in the theological realm but not in the real world. Pretend that compromise, on clear biblical issues, is somehow less offensive to God than the false accusations—from those who hate him—of being “judgmental, critical, and unprepared to countenance anything.”     

Then, when grandma's groveling and pandering are done, she's encouraged to have hope. Hope, that all her pretending and placating, made a difference in how the unsaved world views and embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's right! The very same godless culture which we've allowed to set expectations of what Christlike conduct is and the very same people whom God gave over to the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie (Rom. 1:24-25)...these people will be won over by grandma's willingness to lay down her convictions and pretend. Because that's what the unsaved world is really after anyway. They don't really care about our kindness. Grandma was always kind. They also don't care about our tolerance. Grandma was never going to stop caring for her sweet little grandson. No, it's approval they demand. Approval and a willingness to compromise and go along with their delusion. 

Pilgrims, the true risk for Christians, when loving unbelievers, is not our willingness to compromise, but rather our faithfulness to our convictions when everyone else has already chosen to compromise.

In Paul's letter to Romans, the same one referenced above, Paul encourages the earthy followers of Christ with these words:

The righteous shall live by faith. Faith that God will reward the faithful. Faith that God will use our faithfulness to reach the lost, with the power of the Gospel. We have absolutely no reason to be ashamed of any aspects of the Gospel, because it alone is the power unto salvation.

Grandma, do you want to see your grandson saved? Trust in the power of the Gospel. Christians, do you want to see your life make a difference in the lives of your unsaved family and friends? Trust in the power of the Gospel.

True risk comes, when despite all the odds stacked against us, we double down on God's word in faith that it will not return void. If you have faith in the mighty work of God, then at no time in your Christian life or your Christian witness should you compromise your convictions on the alter of relevance or influence. The Gospel is the power unto salvation, not our pandering, placating, or pretending. 

With risk, in faith, comes a supernatural reward. When we choose to stand firm in the face of intolerance of the Gospel of Christ, we choose the glory of God over the affirmation of men. There is no reward, beyond the worthless approval of men, when succumb to the demands of culture. There is no hope, for the salvation of the lost, when the Gospel is sacrificed on the alter of approval.

In spite of what your pastor may attempt to convince you of, it is always better to honor Jesus than it is to settle for the semblance of peace or the approval of those who reject him. The risks we are willing to take, to make Christ known in a hostile world, might make all the difference for someone's eternity. Yet, even if they don't the rewards we will one day receive, far outweigh the risks we will be asked to take on this side of eternity.

God Bless you, Pilgrims. Stay Pugnacious. 

THE ISSUE
So, I guess there's been this crazy virus sweeping the nation over the past few years. It's dangerous, it's deadly, and it must be stopped before it destroys humanity. 

Now, before you jump to conclusions, assuming this is yet another post celebrating masks, quarantines, forced vaccinations, or other infringements on American liberty...relax. It's not.

You see, the infection I'm referring to has nothing to do with submicroscopic infectious agents hanging around in Chinese wet markets and passed from bats to humans, or even the viruses that are intentionally manipulated inside biotech labs and spread across the globe as a form of biological or political terrorism. I'm speaking of the ideological mind virus which has plagued countless Americans over the past decade or more; namely, the idea that children belong to the village instead of their parents or parental guardians.

​One of unintended side effects of Covid-19 was that parents were not only mandated to get a vaccination and work from home, but were also forced to play a more conscious and intentional role in the public education of their students. As schools shut down, and stayed that way by the decrees of major teacher's unions, parents began to see a clearer picture of how their children were being taught, what they were being taught, and the ideological bent of those who were doing the teaching.  
​

​And here we are—in the Year of our Lord 2023—three years removed from the honorary kickoff of a global pandemic, which forced children and parents to shift their lives into the small confines of their homes, and many parents have been awakened to some of these improprieties within the public education system. They are no longer willing to give dominion and authority for the education of their children to special interest groups with radical progressive ideologies or a government they no longer trust to respect or honor their authority to raise their children with the worldview, values, and principles they determine to be in their best interest. Especially when public education moves beyond academics into unequivocal ideologies and tenets of secular humanism; which not only undermine the values and principles which these students are being taught in their homes but also goes against the very principles and tenets of American liberty. 

THE ISSUE WITH THE ISSUE
It's intriguing to me that any parents would push back against the value and importance of parental rights, but that is precisely where we seem to find ourselves right now.

Maybe it's the effects of Long Covid or simply the predicament that comes when "everything is political". Either way, we now have an active group of parents who are literally pushing back against the efforts of those who are actively petitioning school boards across the nation for the right to raise their own children with the values and principles they have determined to be best; without interference or obstruction from the government.

In an effort to be fair to the positions and opinions of those parents who are pushing back against parental rights, I think it is important to present some of the arguments they have made. An opinion piece was recently penned in our local newspaper, where the author made the following argument:

"From what I have read and researched about Moms for Liberty, it appears they are foot soldiers for those who are trying to undermine public trust in the bedrock of our democracy — our public educational system". Glen Weber—Prior Lake, Minnesota.

This claim got me thinking a bit. Is public education really the bedrock of our democracy? While it would be hard to argue against the significance of an educated populace, when it comes to democracy, it's still a stretch to say that education—especially public education—is the bedrock; when public education simply wasn't intrinsic to American democracy.

The founding fathers certainly saw value in educated citizens, but it wasn't until the early-to-mid 19th century that a systematic approach to public education began to take shape in America. 

In the 1830s, Horace Mann, the politically conservative secretary of Massachusetts's board of education, began to advocate for the creation of public schools. These schools would be available to all children, free of charge, and funded by the state. Proponents of “common schools” emphasized that a public investment in education would benefit the whole nation by transforming children into literate, moral, and productive citizens.

In the opinion piece I referred to earlier, Glen Weber went on to say, "If you claim the public school system is infringing on your religious values and parental rights, you have options. "You can have your child excused from instructional time or activities you object to. You can homeschool your child, send them to a religious school that aligns with your religious values or start your own school for like minded individuals". 

The problem with this assertion is too important to ignore. Common schools were setup to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic along with other subjects such as history, geography, grammar, and rhetoric. Common schools also institutionalized religion into the curriculum for the purpose of instilling good morals and compliance with laws in the populace.

As commonplace as public schools have become in America today, it wasn't until common schools were instituted, that the concept of public schools actually became a reality in America. Not only this, but Christianity was literally included in this education, from the outset. For Weber to make the claim that Christian parents should look elsewhere, if public schools are infringing on their religious values, is a distortion of American history. Religious instruction—Christianity to be more specific—was an essential part of public education in America from its very beginning.

Public education is not the bedrock for democracy, in America, but an argument could easily be made that Christianity is. And not only that, but the argument could also be made that Christianity is the bedrock for public education as well.

So when Weber went on to say, "You have a right to lock your child in a bubble of ignorance and intolerance, but do not have the right to pressure the public school system to do the same to other children", it would be incumbent on Christians to give a short history lesson of our own. Without Christianity there may not be a public education system in America. In fact, there might not even be an America at all.

​You see, Weber's issue—which is the same issue of many of the opponents of parental rights policies across America—is that they're afraid of Christianity doing to their children, what secularism is already steadily at work doing to ours; namely, undermining the values and principles being taught to our children in our homes.

They don't want public schools teaching their kids that Christ is King. Hey! Good news secularists. They're not! The problem is, I don't want the public schools teaching my children that things which God has clearly called sinful should be accepted, affirmed, or celebrated. And guess what? They are!

If a student is being threatened, lied to, and punished for displaying a Gadsden flag on his backpack I sure as hell don't want to walk into my child's school and see a pride flag on full public display. When it's considered a microaggression for people to exposed to a flag that was literally used by a progressive political group in the 1970's (The New Left)—who advocated for a broad range of social issues such as civil rights, feminism, gay rights, the rejection of gender roles, and drug policy reforms—then let's drop the pretense that public schools aren't trying to rewrite history or redefine terms in order to best fit their narrative and agendas.

THE ISSUE WITH THE ISSUE WITH THE ISSUE
​We live in a post-truth world. Unfortunately what people say and how convincing they can be when they say it, matters far more to many people than whether or not what they are saying is true.

Here's an example of what I mean. Many opponents of "parental rights" initiatives would like you to believe that Christians are trying to push against the establishment clause and introduce a form of Christian Nationalism, into a secular nation called America. This simply isn't true. All one needs to do is take a close look at American history and realize that Christianity shaped much of what made America distinct. Whether it was the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, our first amendment rights, the basic tenets of our freedom, or even free public education...Christianity was a central stakeholder in all of these things. And only a rewriting and retelling of American history would ever suggest otherwise. This is precisely why it matters what our children are being taught and what the ideological bent is of those who are doing the teaching.

This is also what George Orwell was getting at in his book, 1984, when he penned the following:

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped".

You don't believe me? Ask your children what their school plans to do to celebrate Columbus Day this year? How about Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter? Are you tracking with me yet? 

DEFINING TERMS AND REWRITING THE DICTIONARY
It doesn't just stop with rewriting history. Words don't matter quite as much as how the people using them, define those words. In a recent post on his website, titled Sly Dog Teachers, Douglas Wilson said the following:

"All of our cultural battles are actually over editorial control of the dictionary. Who shall have control of that dictionary? Shall we let the liars have that post? Remember that a house divided cannot stand, which is why—in any given society—there can only be one dictionary".

The claim Wilson is making is that our opponents (like those who oppose parental rights initiatives) "use words like identity, and acceptance, and affirmation, and diversity, and equity, and non-discrimination, and inclusion, and harmony, and unity. And they lie. They lie like dead flies on a window sill".

They lie by trying to manipulate the rest of us into believing that the words they use, no longer mean what all of us once knew them to mean. That's why it's no longer racism for a teacher to suggest there are innate distinctions between students—based solely on their skin color. It's also why calling out the privilege of white students, regardless what their actual privilege is, isn't considered prejudiced. Judging a person, by the color of their skin instead of the content of their character, used to be considered wrong. Now, it's considered necessary in order to shed light on the systemic racism and implicit biases white people ignore, every single day.

It's also why books, like "This Book is Gay"—which was available to 12-year-olds at a local middle school in our district—are given a green light even though concerned parents are told it's inappropriate and unacceptable to read the same book at school board meetings; in order to publicly call out the pornographic content within its pages.

When words no longer have objective meaning, words can be intentionally misused to manipulate people. You don't believe in anti-racism? I guess you're racist. You refuse to affirm the preferred gender and pronouns of children who suffer with gender dysphoria? I guess you'd rather have a dead son than a live daughter.

​WHEN DID PARENTAL RIGHTS BECOME TABOO?
So, we're left to ask the question we still need an answer to. When did parental rights become impermissible? 

I run in many of these "liberty circles". While I don't know all of the goals or mission statements of these groups, what I am sure of is that none of these groups seek to make demands of the public education system. At no point in time have I heard any of these groups say, as was suggested by Weber, that "parents should decide what schools teach". 

While parents are the primary stakeholders in their children's education, they certainly aren't the experts in the area of public education. Public education has played and continues to play an invaluable role in the formation of students. America is not unique, in this sense. Public education has a place in every civilized society and we need it. 

That being said, there are limits and boundaries to what parents need to be OK with, when it comes to the education of their children. As the culture moves in progressive directions, parents have the responsibility to ensure what their children are being taught in schools is not only true, but also moral. When questions arise about content being taught to students, parents have the responsibility to press in and push back.

And as parental rights movements gain traction, parents should expect detractors. The loudest opponents against parental rights initiatives always assert that it's "special interests" behind these efforts. Yet, they fail to admit the special interests that have been in the mix in public schools for decades. Teachers unions across the nation have an overwhelming amount of power, influence, and control in how public schools operate. But the duty to educate students is a privilege, not a right. Teachers work for the taxpayers of their independent districts, not the local, state, or national special interest groups they belong to as members. When teachers cross lines or infringe/overstep their responsibility or authority, they should be held accountable. Not as an effort to micromanage them, but rather as an important reminder that even though we give the village access to our children, they still belong to us.

​WHOSE KIDS ARE THESE ANYWAY?
That's the point of all of the pushback. Teachers have a responsibility and they also have a difficult job. I've yet to meet anyone who fails to see or recognize the good that teachers do. If you have children you already know the overwhelming responsibility of finding unique and effective ways of educating students; especially in a culture where outside distractions are increasing as rapidly as the national debt.

I'm grateful for teachers. I'm proud of our teachers. I come from long line of family members who were public school teachers and I do what I can to support teachers as well. But make no mistakes about it, my loyalty to teachers ends where my parental jurisdiction begins. What I mean by this is that I will stop at nothing to ensure my rights as a parent are not being infringed upon. When a school district walks outside their role—and the boundaries established within the district—or makes intentional efforts to hide things from parents, we have a moral responsibility and obligation to remind everyone whose kids these are.

On August 5th, I attended a Brave Book reading at my local library, in Prior Lake Minnesota. This event was sponsored by Moms for Liberty (Scott County) in connection with Kirk Cameron and Brave Books. If you are unfamiliar with Brave Books, here is a little bit about them—from their website. 

The Brave Books event lasted about an hour. There were a lot of families and children present. Those in attendance were welcomed by Rachel Carlson, the President of Moms for Liberty Scott County.

Carlson invited a member of the community to come forward and lead the room in the pledge of allegiance. It was wonderful to see see so many children and adults excited and willing to participate in saying the pledge, together.

Once the pledge was completed, Mrs. Carlson shared an alarming statistic about the reading aptitude and comprehension of young children in America, and stressed the importance of books, libraries, and schools in helping to promote and encourage reading for young children.

According to the Department of Education in Minnesota, during the 2021-2022 school year nearly half of all students tested below their grade level in reading.

"We want to fix that", said Carlson. "That's one of our huge goals, with Moms for Liberty, is to help with the academic achievement—especially in Minnesota—and improve all children's experience in the schools".

Despite politically motivated attacks from organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center—which designated Moms For Liberty as a anti-government extremist group—or even members of the Prior Lake Savage Education Association (the local teacher's union) who recently described local liberty groups as hateful, Carlson made it clear that the efforts of Moms for Liberty Scott County is to promote reading. Not to ban books.

"We are not book banners", said Carlson with a smile. "We want books in the schools. We want children to read books. We know that books are important in everyone's lives". 

FREE ISN'T THE SAME AS FREEDOM
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for. This event was billed as a family-friendly story hour, and reading together was the primary goal of the morning.

Brooke, a school teacher from the Prior Lake Savage Area School district, introduced herself to the children and let them know that she would be reading the Brave Book titled, "The Island of Free Ice Cream"; authored by Jack Posobiec.

This book, along with all of the other Brave Books, not only tells a story but also does so with a purpose. Using the characters of the Brave Book series,  this book dove into the idea of Capitalism vs Communism. The book exposes many myths and misconceptions within Communism, while helping children to understand that they should always be wary when offered something for free; because far too often “free” just might cost you your freedom.

After reading the story together, Brooke took time to talk with the children and ask them who they thought was brave in the story. This interactive portion of the story hour was wonderful, as the children were challenged to use their critical thinking skills to discern and understand what they had just read. The kids were engaged and excited to participate.

There were a few other activities including a silly dance, another story about jealous or overworked or under-appreciated crayons, and an invitation for students to write  thank you letters to their favorite teacher or librarian.

The event was well received, well attended, and a positive and encouraging way to spend a Saturday morning.

BRAVE NEIGHBORS AND NAYSAYERS 
But, apparently not everyone was equally excited about the event. Though the story hour went on without interruption or protest, this past weekend there was an op-ed in the Prior Lake American (the local newspaper) where someone shared their opinion of the previous weekend's event.

Terrence Logelin, who raised his two children to adulthood in the Prior Lake Savage Area school district, wrote an op-ed which was given the title: "Parent Group Has Radical Agenda".

"I was made aware of a new group in the area called Moms for Liberty", stated Mr. Logelin in his letter to the editor. "They have received fairly negative press, but I had no first hand knowledge of what they really stood for so I decided to see for myself by attending their “Story-time for Kids” at the Scott County Public Library in Prior Lake".

Mr. Logelin went on to discuss how the room was packed with parents and their young children. He then described his impression of the story, "The Island of Free Ice Cream". 

"The book they chose to read was loaded with metaphors clearly meant to represent left leaning ideologies", said Mr. Logelin. "I was struck by the references to a group of wolves from Utopia Island where everything is free. Not only did it single out the character’s differences as evil, but the story culminated and advocated the use of violence to deal with these characters".

POLITICALLY PREJUDICED PERCEPTIONS
Now, I want to be fair to Mr. Logelin. I don't know him and I have no idea where he stands politically. However, what I find difficult to understand is why he chose to describe the book, or even the event, the way he did. 

The wolves in the story were not called evil, simply for being different or having a difference in ideology or opinion. They were called evil, because they were evil. They committed evil and oppressive acts to the detriment and injustice of others.

When the wolves came to town to challenge the way of life (in Rushington City), their ideas were initially seen and embraced as good! The animals of the Rushington City heard the wolves claims and even sensed some unfairness and inequality in how life worked. In turn, they took a vote and decided to give the wolves all the power. The wolves first act, as the new authority in town, was to eliminate the animal whom they had blamed for the lack of equity and equality in Rushington City. They did this by banishing Asher; flinging him into the ocean with a huge catapult.

Mr. Logelin also made the assertion that the book promoted violence as a way to deal with the wolves. This simply isn't true. In the story, when the wolves begin to take all the food, centralize power, and mistreat the other animals in Rushington City—Asher finds a way back to the city to help his friends. He tells the other animals what he discovered in the wolves' hometown of Utopia. The animals didn't have free ice cream. In fact, they didn't have much of anything at all. They had sacrificed their freedom, for the promise of getting something for free.

At this point, the animals demand to vote again, but the wolves told them it was too late. They said, "If you want your city back, you'll have to fight for it".

FINDING A STORY BUT LOSING THE PLOT
The rest of Mr. Logelin's op-ed was equally confusing. There were several assertions he made, which seemed to have little or nothing to do with what he saw or experienced during the "See You at the Library" event.

Mr. Logelin initially stated that he had no firsthand knowledge of what Moms for Liberty Scott County stood for. However, after spending an hour with them—while they led kids in the pledge of allegiance, talked about the importance of books and reading, read two books together and did a silly dace with the kids before encouraging them to write thank you letters to their favorite teachers—somehow Mr. Logelin was able to ascertain what Moms for Liberty was really all about.

"I was troubled by this group's clear radical agenda", said Logelin. He continued by stating that it was an agenda to "subvert the youth of our area to their rightwing Christian ideology while demonstrating intolerance for those that don't think like them".

In many ways, it seems like Mr. Logelin's efforts to gather firsthand knowledge of the goals and intentions of Moms for Liberty Scott County, might have been usurped by his own biases. He found a story, but lost the plot.

PROJECTION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF VILIFICATION
To tell you the truth. I was actually disconcerted when reading Mr. Logelin's description of both the event and Moms for Liberty. How could a man with no firsthand knowledge of the organization come to an understanding that the group had a "clear radical agenda", simply with a morning spent reading a book with a metaphor about Capitalism vs. Communism?

But then I remembered something extremely important. We don't live in a world where truth matters. We don't live in a day and age where things are taken at face value. We live in a culture and a time, primarily driven by partisan politics, where those with whom we disagree can't be seen as neighbors, friends, or even harmless fellow citizens. On the contrary, there wasn't room for Mr. Logelin to leave the event with a neutral outlook on Moms for Liberty. Not because it wasn't possible, but rather because it wasn't an option he was willing to allow.

At no point in time, during the "See You at the Library" event was there ever a mention of politics, religion, or any other ideologies. The only items which could have been perceived as such was the pledge of allegiance (to the American flag), an attendee who brought an "Appeal to Heaven" flag, and a book that eluded to the dangers of Communism; albeit a kid-friendly version of Animal Farm.

So, how did Mr. Logelin get to a place where he could say—in good conscience—that he has "no doubt that if anyone from Moms for Liberty reads [his article], they will consider him evil...because it's apparent that anyone with a different view [from them] is exactly that".  

Friends, this is textbook projection. Moms for Liberty is made up of a diverse group of people. Some are parents. Some are grandparents. Some are citizens. Some are teachers. Some are pastors and some have no religious affiliation at all.

These joyful warriors come from various political, religious, and cultural backgrounds. They do not consider anyone evil, simply because they disagree with them. This assertion is not only silly but is also shameful. Moms for Liberty Scott County does not have a "radical agenda to subvert the youth...with right-wing Christian ideology", as Mr. Logelin asserted. They are not intolerant to views or to people who don't think the same as them. Instead, they are concerned citizens. They see the current state of education in America, and the fruit which many progressive policies in public schools are producing, and they are troubled.

However, these joyful warriors will not be deterred by any individuals or organizations who take it upon themselves to project and displace their own feelings onto them. They won't be demoralized, while these same individuals or organizations make efforts to tell others why they need to be afraid of Moms for Liberty. Instead, they are committed to showing the community who they are, in spite of the efforts of others to tell you who they are. And while Mr. Logelin and many others make efforts to stand in their way—by painting them as radical extremists or a hate group—their resolve and dedication to helping the children of America build a better America will not be thwarted.

To tell you the truth, since so many others would prefer to tell you lies, Moms for Liberty is here, they are unapologetic and unashamed, and they aren't going anywhere.
​

Look, I get it. Most folks who are contributors in the church—and not just consumers—have been at it for a long time. Many of them have been at it for decades or longer. They got married in the church. They baptized or dedicated their children in the church. They raised children in the church and handed their children off—in marriage—in the church too. Now, here they are, enjoying the joy of watching their grandchildren grow up in the church too.

PREACHING TO THE CHOIR
There's an old expression, you're preaching to the choir. What this statement implies is that whatever argument or opinion a person is trying to raise, there's no sense in trying to convince the folks who are already on their team. The problem is, sometimes the choir is too distracted to really pay attention to what is actually being said. 

JESUS CHRIST AND COMFORT 
Listen, I know you've got a good thing going. You've found that happy middle between loving Jesus and and not drawing attention to yourself, from a culture who is in blatant opposition to him. You've worked your entire life to try and find a balance between being in the world but not of it; while definitely still enjoying the pleasures of the world. You survived purity culture, Billy Graham Crusades, the Left Behind series, and The Purpose Driven Church, the rise and fall of Mars Hill, and the latest fad of deconstructing Christians. You've navigated the tricky waters of the Obergefell Decision and even survived the treacherous waters of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Yes, you have your battle scars but you're still standing and your faith is still strong.

BUT IS IT, REALLY?
You see, when duty calls it doesn't give you the opportunity to give a few options that work out best for you or your schedule. It doesn't care much about your exiting plans or how you'd prefer to spend your time. Duty calls, when crisis comes and when men and women are needed on the front lines.

Christians, that's exactly where we find ourselves. You see there is a culture war going on, but the trouble is a lot of Christians are completely fine sitting this one out; even while they change their profile pictures to support the United State's proxy war in Ukraine. Not because they don't have convictions, but rather because they are missing something far more important than convictions; namely, courage.

A PLACE IN THE CHOIR
While I can't tell you exactly where this whole thing started, I do know exactly where it's headed.

Last Monday night, in our local town of roughly 28k people, several teachers dawned their rainbow-colored battle gear, hosted an invite only "inclusive" pizza party, and then stepped up to the microphone to make it crystal clear where they stand on the LGBTQ+ celebration and how they intend to teach in accordance with their ideology and the authority granted to them by the district's recent Equity and Inclusion policy. 

During this speech, which was broken down into three equal parts to respect the rule of keeping statements to three minutes, the author of the speech—a 25 year teacher—made the following statement:

Some likely saw this teacher's speech (as well as the two follow-up speakers who continued it) as a much needed voice in support of the LGBTQ+ community; including students. Others found this teacher's speech to be a direct attack of them and their intentional efforts to demand parental rights within public school spaces. Others likely saw the speech and then moved on, unaware or even uninterested in why this all  happening in the first place. 

Still, there were others, like ourselves, who saw this as something far more nefarious than an happenstance pizza party which collided with a chance for a few random teachers to address the school board and the public. Something much deeper than what played out in the nine minutes these teachers spent, publicly sharing their opinions, perspectives, frustrations, and concerns. 

Every year, the National Education Association (the largest national teachers union in America) pulls in a ton of money. Most people are aware that teachers pay hundreds of dollars in dues to their state and local unions, for which they may see a return in the collective bargaining agreements those unions negotiate on their behalf. However, they also paid $202 in dues to the National Education Association during the last school year. How was that money spent? 

According to the74million.org, the NEA pulled in roughly $375M dollars in 2022. Not only is that a lot of money, but it's money that is largely spent on left-leaning political and ideological initiatives. One of those initiatives is the propagation, affirmation, and celebration of LGBTQ+ ideologies—within communities and school districts across the country—and attack campaigns of parental rights groups—like Moms for Liberty—who are gaining power and influence in an arena where the teachers unions have had unchecked and unfettered power for decades.

This claim might seem sensational, but sadly it isn't. And that's a major problem, especially for groups who seem to care so much about equity, inclusion, and fairness for all.

You see, decades ago God was driven from the American public schools. This was a coordinated effort by secularists—with the support of secular Christians, who fell for the oldest trick in human history; namely, the idea that God could somehow be removed from the equation for the purpose of promoting unity and a "greater good". 

What has happened in the American public school system, since Stone v. Graham (1980), is exactly what what was predicted by those who fought so hard against these efforts at the time. One of the harshest judgments from God is when he says to the people who have chosen to reject him: "fine, have it your way". 

And what way, exactly, is the NEA pushing for? What are their efforts and agendas? Well, one doesn't have to look to hard to see where the money is going and to which political and ideological causes the $375M dollars get slated for.

According to 74Million, "Affiliate spending also includes funding ballot initiatives in various states. Sometimes the money goes directly to a campaign, as with the $3 million NEA sent to Fair Share Massachusetts to help pass a millionaires’ tax last month. Sometimes it goes to a state affiliate, which then relays it to the initiative campaign".

For example, in Minnesota,  $250,000 went to Win Minnesota, a left-of-center “social welfare” advocacy organization. The organization is one of the main conduits of dollars for left-wing donors in Minnesota, helping to fund the Alliance for a Better Minnesota.

But their causes aren't strictly political. They are also ideological, as they use their hundreds of millions of dollars collected annually, to push progressive ideologies which they not only see as valuable but also necessary for the country's evolution.

No one comes the Father, except through Jesus. And anyone who is not with Jesus, is against him.

Public schools are not with Jesus. That is both by design and by the precedence set in place by Supreme Court decisions in America's past. But schools do not operate on their own. They operate under the authority and accountability of the school boards. And this means that even though decisions made within public schools must not be tied to a specific religion or belief system, those who hold to these convictions have the ability to hold the schools accountable to their own established rules. 

This is precisely what organizations like "Moms for Liberty" and other parental rights groups are fighting for. They are not pushing their own religious or ideological beliefs on students in the public schools, nor do they seek to do so. They also have no desire to silence, exclude, erase, bully, or persecute those who consider themselves to be members of the LGBTQ+ community. What they do aim to do is ensure that activist groups with power and influence within the established public school systems, like the teachers unions or the progressive organizations they fund and support, don't either. 

What we see in many of the activist and partisan efforts of secularists is to try and co-opt things which God owns and use them as tools to manipulate people. These efforts are done in the name of love and inclusion, but they are actually rooted in evil. I say this confidently, because as we already saw in Christ's words, people are either for Christ or they are against him. There is no middle ground and America will reap what it sows. Either good fruit or evil fruit (again, these are Christ's words not my own).

BUT WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE CHOIR
Friends, the choir has been sitting in the comfort of the pews, while the world has been embracing godlessness in the arenas which are shaping the future. Parents have been sitting on the sidelines as the battle lines have been drawn. We've been sending our kids to the frontlines of the culture war, while we've been distracted with our efforts to live in comfort and not make waves.

Yes, we're busy. We're tired. We're weary. We're confused and overwhelmed by life and bills and other various trials. Sometimes things like this seem pointless or even too big to try and tackle. Yet, we continue feeding a system that is against Jesus, while making very little efforts to do anything more than complain about how broken the system is.

All the while, our children are being raised (and dare I say indoctrinated) to believe that the values, ideologies, and worldviews which we firmly hold to—and raise them to know and embrace themselves—are actually the problem. That their silence on things is actually hate and complicity with the evils of white privilege, systemic racism, and bigotry against the LGBTQ+ community.

We have given the public school system, as well as the teachers unions and the progressive activist organizations they sponsor and fund, dominion over what the overwhelming majority of children in America are being taught day in and day out. All while we, their parents and primary guardians, have maybe 2-3 hours a day to try and check in and discern just how much of an influence this secular and godless environment is having on the minds and hearts of our children. 

I know many will see this as an attack on public schools, teachers, the unions, or other progressive activist organizations. But it's really not. They are who we thought they were!

Instead, this is an appeal. An appeal to the hearts of parents who have been sitting on the sidelines, paralyzed or indifferent to the realities of the battle being waged between Christ's Kingdom and the kingdom of man. We will reap what we sow. And sadly, by all measurable accounts we already are.

The question now becomes this: am I, for my own comfort and gain, willing to continue to sit on the sidelines as my children are being sent to the frontlines of the culture war.

We don't have to give control of the public education of our children to those who have ideological and political worldviews which run contrary to the Kingdom of Christ. I have no expectation or ambitions to mandate the ideological bent of those who hold the positions of teachers, administrators, superintendents etc, or what should be taught in public schools. However, we do have the authority and ability to push back and ensure that they are not crossing lines with the instruction of our children!

But this won't come without a fight and a commitment to push back against the powers and agendas which have already had exclusive and unfettered access to these spaces for decades. To push back against the $375M dollars they raise annually. To join with likeminded organizations in our effort to push through the rhetoric and attacks leveraged against Moms for Liberty and other parental rights groups, as they push into spaces where they are not invited or welcomed; simply because they hold to worldviews that are different than those who are supposedly fighting for "tolerance and inclusion". 

The teachers union is hedging their bets that the majority of parents will be too afraid or overwhelmed to speak up. That their desire for a comfortable and reticent life outweighs their concerns for their children or the ideological instruction they are receiving at school. The appeal I am making, in this post, is simple: are you willing to call their bluff?

We've all heard the culture's mantras ad nauseam. "You do you," "You only live once," "Different strokes for different folks,” “Whatever floats your boat,” "Be true to yourself," "follow your heart," "Mind your own biscuits and gravy." 

These are all different ways of saying, keep your rules off of me! They also find their connection to the Latin term, Suum Cuique. This phrase, in all of its glory, relates to an old Greek principle of justice which translates literally into English as "to each his own". 

Plato, in Republic, offers the provisional definition that helps us understand this concept a little bit better. 

"Justice is when everyone minds his own business, and refrains from meddling in others' affairs".

GOD BLESS THOSE ANCIENT GREEKS
I suppose we—as Americans—owe a great deal of gratitude to the ancient Greek intellects and philosophers, for some of the things we enjoy most about Western civilization. However, that certainly doesn't mean they got everything right. In fact, they got a whole lot wrong.

And this got me thinking recently, as I was engaging in some good old fashioned rhetoric and public discourse—with a few of my fellow citizens—on a local Facebook forum.

The topic of interest was the recent discovery of some explicit books in our local public school libraries. A few concerned parents and citizens, upon finding these books available to children, took their grievances to the the proper people; namely, the School Board. They each shared excerpts from the books in question, in the open forum during the most recent meeting.

Here's one such example: 
Warning: viewer and listener discretion is advised. Some of the content is NOT suitable for anyone; especially children.

THAT'S TERRIBLE, BUT WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH GREEK GODS?
So, I was a bit of a fan boy of Greek mythology. Not because I found the religious aspects compelling, but rather because I found the marks of a sinful and fallen world all over this ancient religion and belief system. 

Take, for example, Cronus. Son of Uranus and Gaia. Although Cronus's parents had many children, Uranus grew jealous of them and exiled them to live under the earth; so they never saw the light of day. Gaia hated how her children were being treated and began to hate Uranus as well. She devised a plan to save her children. She invented steel and formed it into a weapon; a sharp sickle. She went to her children, pleading with them to help her eliminate Uranus, but only Cronus was courageous enough to help his mother.

Plotting together with his mother, Cronus was offered the sickle Gaia had made. She told Cronus to hide in her bedroom when Uranus came to visit her one night. Cronus hid, with the sickle, ready to carry out his mother's plan. As a lustful Uranus attempted to make love to Gaia, Cronus struck, slicing off his father's genitals.

Cronus threw his father's genitals into the ocean behind him, where they eventually made their way to Cyprus. The foam from the genitals would subsequently result in the birth of the goddess Aphrodite.

Pretty sick and twisted, huh? Well, the story gets even worse. You see, Cronus took his father's throne. He emancipated his siblings from captivity, but he was ruthless towards them and he refused to share his authority or power with anyone. In fact, he was so afraid of losing his authority that when his own children were born, he literally ate them to keep them from rising to power.

I'll leave it at that, because I think I've made my point.

THAT'S TERRIBLE, BUT WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH SCHOOL LIBRARY BOOKS?
Well, I'm glad you finally asked! You see all this talk about people eating their own children got me thinking about the conversation I was having on social media about explicit content in our school libraries.

As I shared the videos of concerned parents and citizens who raised the alarm about the books they found in our schools, I found it absolutely inconceivable how many parents shrugged their shoulders regarding the content that was shared. 

Justifications like: "those excerpts were taken out of context," "Are you really going to worry about a book, when your kid's brain is splattered all over it."

Or one from a teacher, who was responding to my question about whether or not she would allow her students to use the same language that was in the books in question, "What people read is not heard or spoken to others and therefore does not impact others...I do however, correct inappropriate language/talk that others may hear and may or may not appreciate. That impacts others."

Every single one of these responses was dismissive of the actual issue at hand. What teacher in their right mind would make the assertion that what goes in doesn't eventually come out? I mean, what is the purpose of teaching anything, if what students are learning isn't somehow connected to how they will choose to think or interact with the world. And to assert that what is read has no impact on others is simply ignorant; or dare I assert intentionally misleading.

Why do I say this? Because the largest teachers union in Minnesota, Education Minnesota, tells us exactly what teaching and learning aim to accomplish.

Education Minnesota - Defending our Student's Freedom to Learn 

What children learn—whether it's through reading, listening, watching, or doing—shapes how they see and interact with the world. It shapes their worldview and their understanding of the world. This is why Critical Pedagogy exists.

BUT DOESN'T CONTEXT MATTER?
A basic understanding of reading and proper hermeneutics suggests that context matters. So why doesn't context matter here?

That's a fair question for sure, but let me answer the question by raising a question of my own.

What context, of the excerpt from Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, would help parents make peace with why children need to entertain pornographic smut like what we heard read above?

Of course context matters, but content matters too. Trying to justify why sexually explicit content should be provided to minors is like a husband trying to convince his wife that the only reason he has subscriptions to Pornhub and OnlyFans is so he can better understand the female sex; in order that he might be a more loving, caring, compassionate, and faithful husband. In essence, it's a crock of...well you get the picture.

And then you have people using exaggerated statements about "brain splatter on controversial books" as they try to disparage parents, who are angry about the content in these books. How can a person, in good conscience, focus so much of their time or attention on something so trivial, when kids are literally being shot to death in schools across the country?

​Sensationalism is a fine way to distract. It works great as a red herring as well. Forget rhetoric or charitable debate, just say something excessive and watch as simple-minded people trip all over themselves to make sure they're not found on the wrong side of history.

But putting aside the reality that any given school is dealing with multiple pressing issues at any given time and you have to wonder why there is so much pushback on the issue of perverted and explicit books in our children's schools.

I mean we can complain about the cost of school lunches, classrooms sizes, equity and diversity and inclusion, social and emotional learning and ensuring that transgendered students feel welcomed and accepted into whatever locker room they choose. But as soon as parents start talking about sexually explicit content in the books in the school's library, all of the sudden they are criticized for not focusing all of their time and attention on the only thing that actually matters. Mass shootings at other schools.

TO HELL WITH YOUR PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES
And then there was the pushback from others, who seemed to be far more upset that the proper procedure wasn't followed than they were about the sexual content of the books that are being platformed in our schools and placed into the hands of children. ​

Here's the truth. When children are being groomed and their innocence is being stolen from them, I don't care at all about official processes or procedures. 

These are formalities, and there certainly is a time and a place for bureaucracy and following proper protocol. But when children's minds are being poisoned with content that isn't suitable for adults, let alone children, you can literally take your policy and shove it.

Parents have a reason to be angry. Parents have a reason to storm the school and flood the school board meetings and demand answers and accountability.

These books weren't snuck in the back door of schools by podophiles and placed on the library shelves when no one was watching. On the contrary, they were brought into the school via policies and procedures. The same kind of policies and procedures that parents are being told to follow, in order to request that the smut and lewd content be evaluated and removed. 

Nope! Fool me once, shame on you. But there's no way I'm going to let you fool me again. At this point your procedures aren't worth the paper or the website server space they reside on. We're bringing our grievances directly to the emperor and we don't care if we catch him without any clothes on.

TO EAT, THEIR OWN
And all this brings us back, full circle, to how this blog post started. What I've realized over the past week as I've been interacting with parents on these books and why they were ever brought into our public schools in the first place, is that for some parents they honestly don't care about protecting their kids innocence. They would much rather be found on the right side of progressivism, than join forces with conservative or "liberty-minded" allies, in order to ensure the content in our children's schools is actually appropriate for children.

Not only is this sad, but it's also alarming. These kids are the next generation of Americans and instead of being raised on classic literature which pulled at the conscience and reinforced a form of morality based on natural law (and dare I say rooted in God's law) they are now being presented with literal pornographic material. And parents are fighting for their kids ability to consume it.

In a recent post on his blog, Douglas Wilson said the following:

​"When the shamelessness is far gone, the most abominable things can be done, and the echo chamber of approval from others engaged in the same wickedness reinforces the evil".

The point that Wilson went on to make was that when the angles came to Sodom, Lot had the wherewithal to invite them into his home for shelter. When the townsfolk rose up to welcome Lot's guests into town, they did so by offering to sodomize them in the town square. Lot, being a man of questionable moral integrity (as opposed to no moral integrity at all) came out to address the angry mob.
​

UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNASHAMED IN THE FACE OF SHAMELESSNESS
The anger of the Sodomites (and yes that's where the term comes from) burned towards Lot, because he had the audacity to judge them. Didn't he know Christ's words, "judge not lest you be judged?" Some Christian he was! 

And the same holds true today. There are those who will hear the content read from the books found in the school library, or the words of books that have already been removed—like "This Book is Gay"—and instead of the words making them angry...their anger turns towards the people who rightly see those words as evil and deplorable and wicked.

How dare you judge these books? How dare you judge the author or the parents who have no issues with their children reading them. How dare you? Who made you the arbitrator of what is moral or gave you the authority to decide what is appropriate for children?

And all the while they ignore the reality that if they ever caught a stranger having a conversation—with their child—about the things found in these books, they would not only be angry, but would also do everything in their power to ensure that those perverts were held accountable.

And yet, because the stranger comes in the form of an author of a book—which exists in their child's school—somehow this makes all the difference in the world to them; even though the situation plays out the very same way. Instead of protecting their children from the smut, they protect the smut at the expense of their children.

In essence, they eat their own. Maybe not in the same way as Cronus, who was fearful of losing his throne, but rather in a way that is afraid of the wrath of progressive culture.

For some strange reason, parents would rather be found on the right side of a shameless culture than partner with those who they see as their political enemies. And all of this is done, whether consciously or subconsciously, to keep power. Wherever the power of culture is, the force that drives the direction of what is currently considered normal, people are afraid to be found on the wrong side of history.

So, if the culture demands that we have books like "This Book is Gay" in our middle school libraries—with its step-by-step instructions on how to give blowjobs, handjobs, and use sex apps—then some parents would rather side with perversion than side with sanity; and their 12-14 year old children are sacrificed on the alter of cultural-altruism.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE BRAVE
In closing, I'd like to end with a little bit of encouragement, for those parents who are unwilling to surrender their children to the gods of culture, in order to remain in good standing with the the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

Victory is already guaranteed! Persecution, because of your convictions and faithfulness to God, a sign that you are glorifying God with your life.

As Doug Wilson went on to say in his blog post:

"The things we have to say are things that no one should ever be ashamed to speak. We should speak them in the pulpit, around the dinner table, on social media, and when we are called to speak before [ school boards, principals, and superintendents ]." 

As the culture grows more and more godless, the hope of our Children and the future of the world rests in the willingness of Christians to stand up for truth in the power and boldness of the Holy Spirit. 

You may be persecuted for your stance and it may cost you, greatly. But the prize is Jesus and the stakes—for everyone—are eternal. If we need a reminder of what it looks like for a culture to turn it's back on God, and for his hand of mercy to be removed from them. All we have to do is look to Romans 1:24-27.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Then, when we wipe the tears from our eyes. We put on the full armor of Christ and soldier on. There is a perishing world out there., and we must do our part to ensure they are hearing the truth.

I'd like to start today's post off with a disclaimer. I don't do this all the time, but I noticed that our last published article was after the Grammy's and I don't want to mislead anyone or give them the false impression that we put any weight or value into Hollywood or the popular culture.

On the contrary, we've been informed (by the powers that be) that in order for our posts to get traction and receive better distribution by the social-media algorithms, we need to write on topics that are trending.

​Lord knows we certainly don't want to find out that our content stale or irrelevant, so we're doing our best to keep up with the Mother Jones's, the Page Six's, and the other celebrity gossip repositories. With that in mind, we decided to weigh in on the events of the 95th Academy Awards; better known as The Oscars...and also known as, "Who Really Cares". 

GENDER ROLES AND VIRTUE SIGNALS

I'll do my best to avoid accusations of mansplaining, but I also want to avoid leaving anyone who might find themself in the same boat as us (i.e. out out of the loop because you don't actually care), confused; because you're out of the loop and don't actually care.

So let me set the table quickly, to bring you up to speed. Apparently—in spite of the demands of an ever-progressing culture—the gender-specific categories for the Oscars have not been woke-washed to scrub any connections to the cis-gender structures which have oppressed humanity since...well, I guess since God created humans, in the first place, as male and female.

So, men still win the award for best actor and women still win the award for best actress. But that won't ever stop Hollywood from pandering to the people who keep them atop the celebrity food chain.

That's why this year's winner for the category of Best Director, Director Daniel Scheinert for the movie: Everything Everywhere All at Once, made his obligatory and charitable nod to subjective-morality by sticking up for this year's most oppressed-yet-protected class of Americans. The Drag Queens.​ 

Let's hear what he had to say in his acceptance speech:

DISTURBING, PERVERTED, AND A THREAT TO NOBODY.

That's right. Self-admittedly, one of the two members of "The Dan's" described his history, in film, in 3 words. Disturbing, perverted and a threat to nobody.

Now, to be fair, the threat that he was speaking of specifically, was the threat of dressing up in drag. And although it is a drag to see how frequently we are made to see and talk about drag, we're not going to simply let this one go.

You see, herein lies the problem for us. Progressives would love for people to hear and believe that things like grooming children, desensitizing adults, or celebrating perversion in public places throughout America genuinely won't hurt anyone. But any Christian, who is worth their weight in sanctification, knows better. And we know better because God's Word tells us so.

Our sin is not benign and neither are the sins of our culture.  In fact the bible makes it explicitly clear that God has held nations accountable for the ways that they have embraced, celebrated, practiced, and condoned sin.

Here's one example from the book of Leviticus:
​

EVIL, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE

This is why we, at the Pugnacious Pilgrim, make such a big deal out of the sins we see being celebrated in our culture. It's not because we're trying to hyperfocus on some sin we don't have to deal with. We have to deal with the sin in our own lives each and every day; and believe me when I say this, there is plenty to deal with.

But that's kind of the point. Sin is meant to be dealt with. It's a poison. It's a cancer. It's deadly. We don't deal with sin by celebrating it. That doesn't make the problem disappear. It makes it worse.

There are many reasons why the Bible is such a helpful tool for understanding God and understanding the human condition. One reason is that we have history we can look to, in order to learn from it. When we look at Genesis 6 and how Moses captures God's description of humanity—who had essentially been left to their own vices—we get a very helpful picture of a world completely overcome by evil. 

Sin corrupts. And sin left undealt with, corrupts completely. God looked upon humanity, and was grieved in his heart, because all that God saw was evil, everywhere, all at once.

CHRIST, OUR HOPE, ONCE AND FOR ALL
But that isn't the end of the story. It easily could have been, but God is faithful to his promises even when people are unfaithful to him.

God found favor in Noah. The favor God found wasn't in Noah's perfection or his works or his worth, but rather in Noah's humility and his faith.

Hebrews 11 tells us that it was by faith that Noah—being warned by God concerning events yet unseen—in reverent fear constructed an ark to save his family.

In a similar way, we too have been warned of the coming calamity. God's Word clearly tells us that the wages of sin is death. Sin destroys. Sin corrupts. Sin leads to eternity in hell; separated from all things good and from God.

So, for a Christian, we can't come into agreement with the deception that sin (whether it be perverted comedy, disturbing horror, or 'family friendly drag shows')  doesn't hurt anyone. We know better. We know that sin always hurts. And when sin is embraced, ignored, or celebrated by a nation...that nation will always suffer consequences.

The impact to this generation, with the apathy of a previous generation towards sin and ungodliness, is already visible. We are living under the natural consequences of a culture who has forgotten how to blush and has become indifferent towards sin.

Jesus didn't die so we could carry on as we were. He died, so that in his death and resurrection we too might die to our sins and be raised to newness of life. A life marked by a love for the things God loves and a hatred for the things that God hates.

And yes, I did say hatred. Not the kind of hatred that our culture would like you to believe exists in the hearts of Christians who push back against ungodliness. But rather the kind of hatred that God has.

God hates sin. God hates the kind of pride that shakes its fist at His expectations for His Creation. God hates nations who embrace sin and abominations and have become a cesspool of wickedness instead of a beacon of light. God hates evil.

Pilgrims, we can't tolerate sin. We can't be apathetic to the very things that are leading Americans to hell. We must be brave and we must be bold enough to speak the truth. When someone uses the platform they have been given, to spout lies about sin not hurting anyone, we too must take the platform we have been given to share the truth. Sin is the reason people go to hell. Sin is the reason people die. Sin hurts everyone.

And only by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ and faith in the events yet unseen, will a nation be saved. And even though evil is everywhere, all at once. Evil doesn't get the final word. God does.

What efforts are we making today, to ensure people aren't caught by surprise when that day comes?