Category: Faith and Culture

Finding the courage to use my voice…again

by Innermost Being, posted in Faith and Culture

When I started blogging many years ago, I was an introvert trying to find my voice. Speaking spontaneously is not my strong suit. For years, I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to sound stupid. My introverted mind needs time to process my thoughts before I speak. Writing allows me to compose my thoughts and to express myself thoughtfully.

Unfortunately, something besides introversion is now keeping me from freely speaking my mind.

I live in a country that is extremely divided by politics and religious nationalism. Truth has been thrown to the ground. Evil is now called Good. Anyone who speaks out against the Trump regime risks being ridiculed, condemned, alienated, and even threatened.

These days, I often zip my lip to avoid antagonizing Trump supporters. It’s hard because silence in the face of evil is acquiescence at best. Some would say it is complicity.

Building a wall to protect myself

Several months ago, I put MAGA family members on a restricted friends list on Facebook. Restricted friends only see what I choose to make public, which primarily consists of pictures of nature.

I also put friends from church on this list because I don’t know whom I can trust. I have learned that many people who claim to be Christians are easily triggered by any criticisms of Trump.

Church is too often the most risky place to be spiritually honest.

Pete Enns, Author

Why restrict this subset of friends from seeing valid criticisms of Trump and the Republicans who enable him? I know that I will lose friends if I share my opposition to Trump. By building a wall, relationships have remained intact, but the friendships are not deep or genuine.

Ardent Trump supporters only see what they want to see and only hear what they want to hear. Their minds are closed. If I share posts that are critical of the Trump regime, I am unlikely to influence them. They have been misled by the media and by false teachers for years.

Understanding Cognitive Dissonance

I suspect that many MAGA Christians experience cognitive dissonance – the psychological tension caused when a person’s actions are not consistent with their beliefs. For example, if you believe that sexual assault is morally wrong, but you support an adjudicated rapist, your conscience should be troubled. You should feel uncomfortable. If you believe that judging people by the color of their skin is wrong but you support a racist, you should feel ashamed of yourself.

I used to think that when presented with facts, reasonable people would change their minds. I was wrong. Cognitive dissonance causes people to avoid sources of information that increase dissonance and seek sources, including conspiracy theories, that reduce dissonance.

Why is it so hard for Trump’s supporters to admit they are wrong about him? Why do they lie to themselves?

Because most people see themselves as good, smart, ethical and kind, when confronted with evidence that they did something bad, foolish, immoral or cruel, they tend to reduce dissonance not by changing their positive self-concept but by justifying their behavior.

Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, Brandeis Magazine

Social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliit Aronson say that “[s]elf-justification is the most common way of reducing dissonance whenever the self-concept is threatened.” When a person is emotionally invested in a movement or cause, they convince themselves that their actions are justified.

Little old me has no hope of getting through to MAGA friends and family. I feel like I have no choice but to separate myself from them. I pray that God will open up their eyes to the truth.

Finding allies

I still occasionally share political or religious posts on social media because I can’t pretend that these are normal times. Since I don’t knowingly share content with ardent Trump supporters anymore, I may be preaching to the choir.

Because there is so much opposition to Trump, I know that I am not alone. Two of my former pastors now speak out against Trump. I ran into a few people from church at the No Kings protests.

I admire the bravery of Christians who speak out frequently, like Amy Hawk, Paul Kahnke, and Jason Chukwuma. Others understanably choose to post anonymously, like a man who calls himself A Country Pastor.

Why do I want to speak out? What are my objectives?

  • demonstrate what it really means to follow Jesus
  • expose religious nationalism as heresy
  • protest against authoritarianism
  • expose corruption and abuses of power

Introversion no longer keeps me from sharing my thoughts. The problem now is that it feels like no one wants to listen. At this point, I lack the courage to risk losing more relationships. Ultimately, I have to be faithful to Christ, so I may eventually need to let these relationships go. I believe that God wants me to use my voice to speak the truth, not just about what I believe, but more importantly, about who He is.

Focus on Me

by Innermost Being, posted in Faith and Culture

These are troubling times. If you are not disturbed, you’re not paying attention.

As a follower of Christ, there have been many times that I have wished for God to speak to me in a way that left no doubt that it was him. I have asked to hear his voice audibly, like Samuel did.

If you aren’t going to speak to me outloud, God, could you at least make it really clear that it is your voice in my head and not my own??

I no longer watch mainstream news on TV, but I watch YouTube videos and read content on Substack. People are obsessed with covering everything that DJT says and does, and not without reason. The things he does, the things he gets away with, are disturbing to anyone who still has a working moral compass. We want to shout it from the rooftops, “This is not normal! This is not right!”

And yet….because we pay so much attention to him, DJT sucks up all the oxygen in the room. That’s exactly what he wants. He believes he is the center of the universe and that everyone should exalt him.

Last week, I noticed that there was incessant speculation about DJT’s absence from the public eye. Was he sick? Was he dead? He says he wants to get to heaven! Is he sincere? Wait, he’s fundraising off of it!

In the midst of this, I heard the words, focus on me. Three simple words. Focus on me.

I have been encouraged this year by the 23rd Psalm. I’ve memorized and prayed it in the middle of the night. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. No matter what happens, I belong to him. He is sufficient.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. No matter how dark things get, even when it seems like evil is winning, I need not fear because God walks with me. His presence comforts me.

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. My cup overflows. God provides everything I need. Even in the midst of adversity, even when the enemies of truth surround me, I rest in his protection.

Thank you, God, for reminding me that I need to keep my eyes on you and to listen for your voice. You are in control. You restore my soul.

The Parable of the Tenants

by Innermost Being, posted in Faith and Culture

Jesus often taught through parables. The lessons are still applicable today. Read them afresh and put yourself in the story. In my own words, this is how I apply The Parable of the Tenants to Christian life in the USA today (Luke 20:9-18).

A man built a vineyard and then rented it to some farmers. The owner went away for a long time. When it came time for the harvest, the owner sent a servant to the tenants to get some fruit from the vineyard. The tenants beat the servant and sent him away with nothing. So the man sent another servant. The tenants also treated him badly and sent him away empty-handed. The owner sent yet another servant to collect some fruit; that servant was also beaten by the tenants and thrown out.

The owner said to himself, “What shall I do now? Perhaps I’ll send my own son. Surely they will respect him.”

When the tenants saw the owner’s son coming, they talked it over. They decided to kill the son, thinking they would inherit the property.

Jesus asked the people, “What will happen to the tenants when they kill the owner’s son? The owner will kill them and give the vineyard to others.”

After Jesus told the parable, the people were skeptical, saying, “God forbid.” So Jesus asked them, “Then what is the meaning of this: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?’ Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces.”

*******

God loved the world so much that he sent his son to redeem us. People rejected him then. People reject him now.

Those of us who accept Jesus as the son of God, as our Lord and Savior, call ourselves Christians. But I wonder how many people who call themselves Christians really accept Jesus, not just for who he is but for what he asks of us? If you believe that Jesus is the son of God, do you also accept his authority? Is he really the  Lord of your life?

Jesus came to the United States of America. He asked the people for a cup of mercy for immigrants. The people shouted, “No! America first!” They began chanting, “Trump! Trump! Trump!” Donald Trump walked up to Jesus, punched him in the face, and proclaimed, “These [brown] people are murderers and rapists! They’re poisoning the blood of our country! Only I can save them!” The people cheered. Franklin Graham lifted his hands and praised God for anointing Trump. As Jesus wept, Christians in red hats pummeled him with their fists, shouting, “DEPORT HIM!”

Jesus was not deterred by this rejection. He again came to the people of the USA and said, “Fill this basket with food for the hungry and medicine for the sick.” The people responded, “No! That’s a waste of our money! America first!” Elon Musk shouted, “Waste, fraud, and abuse! I will make this country efficient.” He kicked Jesus in the stomach. As Jesus bent over in pain, Christians punched him and said, “Your empathy is toxic!” They tossed him out empty-handed.

The stone the Christians rejected is the cornerstone.

Defending the humanity of immigrants

by Innermost Being, posted in Faith and Culture

In 2018, Jennifer Rubin wrote an opinion piece titled, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and Trump’s immigration lies,” a play on a quote attributeed to Mark Twain. Although the media has been fact-checking Trump’s lies for years, he continues to make baseless claims about immigrants. Contrary to his inflammatory lies,

  • Undocumented immigrants are not collecting Social Security and Medicare.
  • Undocumented immigrants are not voting in US elections. Furthermore, Democrats are not promoting illegal immigration to win elections.
  • There is no migrant crime wave. Immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than native-born Americans.
  • Native-born Americans are bringing illegal drugs like fentnyl into the country.
  • Immigrants are not taking American jobs. They are filling jobs that Americans evidently don’t want. Furthermore, immigrants are not stealing “Black jobs.”

Yes, there are different kinds of lies, and Trump is an expert at telling them. There are the kinds of lies he tells to avoid accountability, the lies he tells to look better than he is, and the lies he tells to elevate himself above others. There are the lies he spews to defame and demean others. And there are his damned lies about entire groups of people to stoke fear and hatred.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

It is bad enough that Trump makes up statistics to distort the effects of immigrants on jobs, crime, drug use, and financial resources. What’s far worse is Trump’s dehumanizing lies about immigrants.

  • Saying that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.”
  • Calling immigrants animals.

Immigrants are human beings created in God’s image. Immigration should be addressed humanely.

Proverbs 17:5 says, “Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.”

The same can be said for immigrants. In expressing contempt for migrants, Trump shows his contempt for their Maker.

Examining the Divide in Christianity Today

by Innermost Being, posted in Faith and Culture

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

Tim Alberta used the closing line of the Lord’s prayer in the title of his book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, subtitled American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. As a reporter, Alberta went to places where I would never go and spoke to people with whom I would not associate (because our values differ too much). His book is disturbing, but it gave me insight into the damage false prophets and their followers have done and continue to do to Christianity.

Alberta noted that Christian conservatives are now Donald Trump’s “most unflinching advocates.” Given DT’s immorality and unrepentance, as a follower of Christ, I can not help but ask the question that prompted Alberta to write his book: Why? 

I also ask myself, What can I do to counteract the damage that has been done to  Christian witness? How can I disciple Christians who have been seduced by false teachers?

As Alberta wrote, it isn’t fair to lump all Christian Trump supporters into one homogeneous group. They fall along a continuum. Like Alberta’s, my conservative Christian friends have “to some extent been seduced by the cult of Trumpism.”

An interviewer asked Alberta if he really believes that evangelicals are divided into two camps, as he implied when he tweeted that there are Russell Moore Christians and Jerry Falwell Jr. Christians. Alberta says he fumbled in his response, not stating his position clearly. He responded that some Christians see issues through the eyes of Jesus, while others process everything through a partisan lens. The truth is, Alberta sees evangelicals as either “faithful to an eternal covenant” or “seduced by earthly idols of nation and influence and exaltation…” In other words, one camp has its eyes set on this earthly kingdom, political power, and the exalting of people, not on God and his kingdom.

Evangelicals are not easy to define. Today, the description is frequently used as a cultural or political identity. At one time, evangelicals were born again Christians, characterized by activism – sharing the gospel (the good news) so that others might believe in Christ and be born again. There are still Christians who believe this is our mission. However, with the influence of groups like the “Moral Majority” in the 1980s and the Heritage Foundation today, a growing faction of Christianity has been transformed into a partisan political movement.

Alberta’s book is structured around how politicians, Christians, and others have attempted to coopt the kingdom, the power, and the glory that belong exclusively to God.

God has His own kingdom.

God has His own power.

God has His own glory.

Earthly kingdoms like the one envisioned by conservative Christians and politicians can not compare to the kingdom of God.

No amount of political or cultural power, not even the amount DT and wealthy political donors hold, can compete with the power of God.

The glorification of DT by the Trump cult and his own self-aggrandizement can’t hold a candle to the glory that belongs exclusively to God.

Alberta ended the book’s prologue with this admonition – you can not serve and worship both God and the gods of this world. Christians must resist idolatry. We must reject our worldly identity if we want to become more like Christ, the author and perfector of our faith.

The state of Christianity in the U.S. today is an unpleasant topic that’s been bothering me for years. It isn’t getting any better. The extremism persists. The false witnesses drown out the witness of the faithful. I feel called to resist the false witness.

Heavenly Father, the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory are yours forever.