Election

Stop and Think – Election 2020

~ TheLonelyPastor ~ 3 Comments
NATION DIVIDED

I have a great deal weighing on my mind and heart tonight. It is Saturday evening, November 7, 2020 – a full 96 hours since the polls began closing on Election Day 2020. This was a presidential campaign that defied all logic and reason, in a nation that is divided like it hasn’t been since the US Civil War 155 years ago. Some have even suggested that the division is along the same lines – yet that is utterly incorrect, and I will explain momentarily.

2020 has been a year that will go down in history as a very dark year for most of the world, despite some incredibly positive events and achievements. Primarily, this year will be remembered for a virus that became a political issue above a health issue from the earliest outbreak. SARS-CoV-2, better known as COVID-19 (the name given to the illness caused by the virus), originating in Wuhan, China has been blamed for 234,264 deaths (as of this writing) in the US and 1,255,516 worldwide. It has been a year of some high-profile deaths and of course, a very dark presidential election that still has massive question marks over the results…

But this post isn’t to bemoan the media calling the election for Joe Biden/Kamala Harris. It isn’t to dissect and complain about how a virus has been used as a political tool. This post is to ask the reader to stop and thing, especially if you believe you are a “Christian”. Think on these things:

  • The majority of votes cast in this election were for the wholesale slaughter of the unborn. This wasn’t an issue of Roe v Wade being undone – that simply isn’t likely even with a supposedly “Conservative majority” on the US Supreme Court. Despite the loud complaints by those on the political Left, Roe is in no real danger of being overturned. What this REALLY was about: dramatic expansion of abortion from conception to natural birth, unlimited and paid for with the tax dollars you pay. Indeed – for the millions who voted for the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket – you voted for this. Own it.
  • Those who voted for the Democrat presidential ticket voted for promoting gender confusion and even a promise to change the law to allow gender reassignment “treatment for 8 year-olds. YEs, that is 8 years old!
  • Those who voted for the Biden/Harris ticket endorsed the systematic destruction of the oil and gas industry along with millions of jobs that are directly connected to this still extremely needed energy sector.
  • Those who voted with the majority in this election support the radical so-called “Green New Deal” that even the most favorable number crunchers say will cause irreparable damage to our economy.
  • Those who voted in the majority said loudly “no exceptions for your religious beliefs” when it comes to running your business – or maybe more troubling – even for churches (The First Amendment was in the crosshairs for the Democrats, specifically on this issue – but also for restrictions on free speech – to include only allowing that which aligns with their positions and narrative (see what the social media giants Facebook and Twitter have been doing the last few months – selectively blocking, suspending, and censoring Conservative posts and most recently – even video evidence of election fraud).
  • Those who voted for Biden/Harris cast their vote directly against the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution – with both of these people being on the record as promising massive bans, confiscations, and heavy taxes on any firearms remaining in the hands of civilians. In fact – Joe Biden is among the most anti-2nd Amendment politicians in my lifetime.
  • There were so-called leaders in the Evangelical world (labeled #BigEva), including several Baptists (primarily SBC) who not only downplayed the above, but actually proclaimed that voting for Joe Biden was morally superior, in spite of these anti-God, wicked campaign promises (that actually are included in the DNC Platform). Figures such as John Piper, J.D. Greear (SBC President and pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, NC), The Gospel Coalition, Russell Moore (@ERLC/SBC), Mark Dever (Capital Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC), Tim Keller (founding pastor Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC), and a slew of lesser-known followers of the same #WOKE/ Social Justice false gospel these men are proponents of.

And while I would like to bemoan the details, let me circle the proverbial wagons back around to this reality:

Our divisions, while attributed to race, police, “inequality”, and so many other excuses, the REAL problem in our nation is a SPIRITUAL PROBLEM! The USA is NOT a Godly or Christian nation. Period. While we can debate whether this nation has ever been either (and that is a very hard case to make from a Biblical perspective), the majority voted for the most anti-God, anti-Bible presidential ticket in the history of this nation. And this was supposedly morally superior to a man who once said on a high microphone that he grabbed a woman’s p________. But you know what – I cannot change the outcome of this election. It might drag on in the courts until inauguration next January. Or this might be over with altogether by a myriad of other possible means that are circulating on the internet… NONE of that changes my personal mission, nor the mission of the apparently minority of this nation who actually have been redeemed by Christ Jesus, and who truly believe the Word of God – taking what God says as evil to be that…

What this means to the remaining churches who still cling to God and the Bible: Our mission is even more clear, and ought to be seen with more urgency than ever. We live in a nation that is, by any definition, wicked. A nation that bemoans “rights” yet deprives the most innocent of humanity (the unborn) of the most basic and fundamental right of all: the Right to Life – the opportunity to even draw a single breath.

And we got here, particularly to the point of professed Christians voting for and endorsing Biden as the somehow “morally-superior” choice via two, related realities:

  • There are a LOT of people who claim to be Christians, who are not, and churches have, in the interest of numbers, money, and attendance, perpetuated this problem via unregenerate church membership and “preaching” that never calls for repentance or genuine change.
  • Churches have, for years, failed to make Biblical disciples of Jesus Christ. Decades of programs, literature, and classes that have done nothing to actually engage church members to live lives that genuinely reflect Christ Jesus – by teaching them ALL that Christ commanded (Matthew 28:20), have led to blblically-illiterate people who profess Christ, but believe whatever the winds and media tell them, who’s faith is more about what they feel and their opinions, than what God has said.

So – what will we do? I can only speak for my self and what I plan to encourage the church God has entrusted me to do: Refocus on the mission the LORD has given to His people – as found in Matthew 28:18-20, and that is to Go Make Disciples, which includes baptizing them, teaching them, and leading them. And this election, regardless of the outcome of it from a political realm, will serve as the eye-opening proof that our nation is one of unregenerate people in need of the real Gospel. But we absolutely cannot stop there. For if there is any hope for this nation in the future, then we need biblical disciples who will be humbled before God, not man – submissive to the LORD, not wordly systems, who will bow before the King of kings, instead of seeking worldly saviors.

And lest we forget:

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God;and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

Is Donald Trump an Evil Racist?

~ TheLonelyPastor ~ Leave a comment

OK – now that I have your attention, I wanted to post related to the ongoing and intentional division being inflicted on our nation, mostly based on engineered circumstances and blind willingness to believe everything one hears and reads, mostly because of our presuppositions (see HERE from last time).

I have seen, with the approaching mid-term elections here in the US, an increase in the stoking of old claims and hatred – all with the purpose of attempting to influence the election. Yes, it is normal to tie mid-term elections to the sitting President – especially if the President’s political party matches the party in the majority in Congress. If said President’s policies and legislative victories are good in your eyes, then, in theory, you would vote for the congressional candidates that would most likely continue that trend.  In contrast, if the current president’s actions and “achievements” in conjunction with the current Congress are in opposition to what you see as positive progress for this nation, you would most likely vote for a candidate that would present an opportunity to change that direction.  It seems like a fairly simple and logical concept.

But we have a problem: I am seeing a huge swath of Americans who are basing their voting (mirrored by their social media and public interaction) not on actual agenda or facts, but on what they have heard or read – often times turning a complete blind eye to reality and facts.

One of the largest targets of all today is President Donald Trump (Twitter: @realDonaldTrump). I have been quite candid about my views on Mr. Trump. He disgusted me as a candidate, and his hot head and fast trigger finger (at least on Twitter) drive me insane.  I have directly addressed him on several issues and have remained less than thrilled at him as a person.  BUT…

The vitriol that is being hurled at President Donald Trump, and by extension, towards those who do support him and his America First ideology is mind-numbing and has grown to the point that it is far more offensive than the language the man has used himself over the years.

The headline topic – racism has always been a hot button issue in this country. We do, indeed have a history that is rife with abuses.  At the same time, the US made huge strides in racial relations, and it has been just the last 10 years or so that have reopened wounds – and somehow Donald Trump is responsible for it all (despite the rips opening up long before he was a candidate or even in a position to affect race relations).

So – let us take a look at Donald Trump and his label as a racist.  After all, this tops the list for most people as to why they hate him so deeply.  Exactly what are these claims based on?

Is it based on some alt-right/White-nationalist websites endorsing him for office in 2016? Much like several radical Left-wing Black-Power racist websites and organizations wildly supported candidate Barack Obama for President in 2008 and again in 2012?  The New Black Panthers even exercised voter intimidation at polling places to prevent white and senior citizens from voting. Donald Trump quickly distanced himself from these brazen white-supremacist groups.  So then his campaign connection to Steve Bannon, who himself, because of his association with Breitbart News was connected, indirectly to “alt-right” entities.  Yet that argument fails to make Donald Trump a racist.

So his comments regarding illegal immigration must be the sure-fire reason he is a “racist” – after all, he campaigned all along on reigning in illegal immigration (never mind that he has never negatively mentioned LEGAL immigration, and in fact has been quite vocal in supporting legal immigration and improving the system that gets so bogged down).  Then-candidate and now President Trump has been so brazen to suggest that we need to take control of the border and that people should be screened and vetted prior to coming in. That they should not “cut in line” before those who are following the law. President Trump has (accurately) stated that dangerous street gangs are filling our streets via illegal immigration (MS-13 being a long-documented and well-known problem across several administrations). The President has suggested that employers who knowingly employ those here illegally should be held accountable.  Somehow, these comments about illegal immigration and the need to control it are glaring evidence that Donald Trump is an “Evil Racist”. I find it amazing that the very people leaning on Trump’s illegal immigrant position and statements are the very same peopel who have been (and continue to be) huge fans of previous presidents who have said essentially the exact same things!

One example:

This sounds incredibly like the vast majority of Donald Trump’s speeches on the issue – even the language used is very similar.

Presdident Obama also had strong words regarding illegal immigration (then Senator):

And then there is Hillary Clinton who, as Senator Clinton, voted for and spoke passionately for building a border wall.

Whether one agerees with any of these viewpoints, we cannot ignore the fact that both of these previous Presidents sound a whole lot like Donald Trump.  If it is “racist” for President Trump to say it, then why was it ok for then Senator/President Obama to say it, or for President Clinton to say it? What has changed?  The person saying it.

Or maybe it is the statement that some claimed Prsident Trump said in a meeting regarding DACA and the lottery system of immigration. Depending on who you as – either the vast majority who were in the meeting who say he did not use the phrase in question (“S**thole countries”), though he did admit to using “tough language”, or the a couple in the room who, at the time, were in the throwes of political battle with the President. But lets say that Trump used the offensive term in the meeting (because we have no recordings or other proof) – before it was even “verified” by Dick Durban, when the story was simply from a single Democrat congerssional aid – the biggest talking heads on CNN and company were blasting Trump as a blatant racist.  No context.  No wait for verification – the ruling was made: Donald Trump Is an Evil Racist.  Never mind that at leats one of the talking heads, Don Lemmon, has a history of his own racial bias and willingness to yell the term from the rooftops for every situation in the world.

I am willing to accept that President used ugly language, regardless of the actual terms, to describe several nations that make up a large portion of our current immigration numbers – nations that are often also hotbeds of crime, violence, corruption, drugs, and growing terrorist activity (especially on the African continent). While I don’t necessarily agree completely with his views on revamping the immigration policy – his intent is to shift to a more merit-based system.

Assuming this one incedent is an accurate portrayal of Donald Trump’s real heart – then certainly we can use the same standard regarding Hillary Clinton, who’s infamous outbirsts while first lady (both in Arkansas and the Whitehouse) are epic. We surely can guage her thoughts by such statements towards campaign manager Paul Fray as a “F__ing Jew Ba*tard!“. And of course, her comment in support of her husband’s crime policies that black men are “super predators” wouldn’t be overlooked?  Even her 2016 opponent Bernie Sanders called her out for her racism. And of course, her off-color remarks regarding Mahatmah Ghandi as running a gas station in St. Louis really was harmless, correct? And never mind her scripted and rehearsed skit for a Democrat fundraiser with Mayor DeBlasio where they openly mocked “CPT” – a well known anacronym for “Colored People’s Time” (even the African-American actor on stage was offended).

All of this while the same media blasting Donald Trump as a racist, have ignored a long history of a Donald Trump that was hailed as a friend of minorities, who received numerous awards and accolades for his efforts for minorities, and who was, until running for office as a Republican, was considered a friend of African-Americans and other minorities.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-received-ellis-island-award-in-1986/

But lets pause for a moment.  Regardless of all that is posted above – the hypocricy on display, the claims of racism (whether merited or not), have you ever stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, that NONE of the supposedly “racist” claims against either party or any listed- were actually as “racist” as they appear – but are being blown out of proportion simply to inflame hate towards one side or another?  Have you considered that each episode above is beign selectively swept under the rug or broadcast wtih tears and claims as a tool set to promote division?

Could it be that the long-time “trump card” (no pun intended) of racism might be simply noise to distract from the actual positive accomplishments that the current President and Congress have delivered?  That maybe, just maybe, if voters were not constantly bombarded with engineered or artificially inflamed stories of negativeity, they might actually look at what has REALLY been done, and make voting decisions contrary to how those controlling the narrative (especially in the media) are trying to drown us with?  Regardless of whether Donald Trump is actually a certifiable racist or not, the following cannot be described as anything but positive for this nation (unless you really do hate the USA):

  • Through some pretty unconventional means, Donald Trump was able to get the North Korean dictator to the negotiating table, to actually take measurable steps to end and destroy his nuclear program, and – a comfort to many service member families, to return the remains of some 200 military remains.  All of this is far beyond what ANY president since the Korean Conflict has been able to do.
  • ISIS/ISIL has been dramatically shrunk, a feat that President Obama said was impossible.
  • Economic Growth – Despite recent claims by former President Obama that the current economic growth was his doing, the documented reality is – President Obama said that sub 1.8% growth was the “new normal”.  Yet we now see well over 4.6% growth.  With the reduction in regulation and the tax overhaul, we are seeing record low unemployment numbers, with African-Americans seeing the lowest rate of unemployment in recorded history.  Further, people across income bands all are seeing more money in their pockets from the tax changes as well as personal income is rising rapidly.
  • Manufacturing is returning, with announcements by major manufacturers of reopening factories, expansion of existing facilities, and entirely new production lines.

No, positive accomplishments do not erase Donald Trump’s character flaws, of which he has plenty.  The sad reality is, our nation has had very few presidents that have been genuine men of character.  Some have been relatively decent, others have been pretty rotten by pretty much any standard.  We have had serious racists as President, as well as men who fought for freedom ultimately costing their lives.