Tag: Truth

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.

Humble us, Lord

by Innermost Being, posted in Prayer

In an episode of The Good Faith podcast, David French spoke about five ways to pray for America: for justice, peace, mercy, grace, and reconciliation. Before we can be open to these things, we need to be humbled, and we need to uphold the truth.

Heavenly Father,

The people of the United States need to be humbled. We continually disobey your commandments to love you with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Our leaders are either corrupt and cruel or cowardly and complicit. Most of the people who claim to worship you instead bow down to a false god, a man of lawlessness who claims to be the only one who can save this country.

Americans have always been so proud of our country and of our democratic government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Now, we are throwing away our democracy. Today, we no longer uphold the truth that all men are created equal and are endowed by You with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Lord, we were known around the world for our generosity. Now, our leaders cut off humanitarian aid to foreigners, even destroying food intended for malnourished children. Now, our leaders plan to reduce health and food assistance for the poor so they can grant tax cuts to the wealthy.

We thought we were such an exceptional country that Ronald Reagan called the US a “shining city on the hill.” It was you who inspired these words when you said to your followers: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can not be hidden.”

The USA is not a shining city on the hill. It never was. There’s nothing new to see here. Today, we build cages to imprison migrants, as we once built internment camps for Japanese Americans. The country has once again been overcome by darkness, fueled by the hatred of people of color.

We have a wicked past. White Americans murdered Native Americans and stole their land. The country’s economic prosperity was built on the blood and backs of slaves. The government may try to erase the sins of our past, but they are not hidden from you.

Lord, show us our brokenness. Bring us to our knees. Search our hearts and reveal the sins that break yours. Heal this country.

Amen.

****

2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Philippians 2:3 NIV
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves..

Matthew 23:12 NIV
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted

An Unexpected Sermon on Peacemaking

by Innermost Being, posted in Spiritual Growth

My church is going through a sermon series on The Sermon on the Mount. The scripture for this week’s sermon was from The Beatitudes.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

My pastor noted that Jesus did not say, blessed are peace lovers or blessed are peace demonstrators. He said blessed are the peacemakers.

Peacemakers are peace doers. Jesus practiced peacemaking when he healed lepers so they were no longer social outcasts. He made peace when he freed people who were possessed by demons.

Today, Christians spread messages of peace throughout the Christmas season. Peace on earth! Goodwill towards men!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

We don’t say much about peace the rest of the year.

My pastor asked, “Do you know peace today?” My answer to that question is yes and no. God brings me peace, and I am at peace with God. I am at peace with myself. I live in peace with almost everyone because I do absolutely do not like conflict. But I am not at peace with what is going on in the world today. Corruption, deception, and injustice bring distress and unrest to my life, not peace.

My pastor then made an unexpected detour from the Beatitudes to Matthew 10:34-36, where Jesus says that he did not come to bring peace to earth.

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a mother against her daughter, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law–a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.

Matthew 10:34-36

I am very familiar with Matthew 10:34-36. I have reflected on it many times. The sword is the truth of the gospel, and it divides those who believe from those who don’t. When you choose to follow Jesus, you may not be at peace with people who are not following Jesus.  The sword of truth divides the faithful from the unfaithful.

Why this unexpected dissonance? Is Jesus for peace or not? Pastor Bob explained that while God is committed to peace, he is not committed to false peace.

So then, what is false peace? The Munich Agreement of 1938 is an example of false peace. The agreement allowed Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia. Neville Chamberlain thought that appeasing Hitler would bring peace. It did not bring peace. It emboldened Hitler.

Appeasement is false peace. Avoiding conflict is false peace. Being afraid to speak up and tell the truth is false peace.

False peace asks very little of us. It doesn’t require bravery. We risk nothing.

Is there false peace in your life? If so, ask God to help you.

Dark Days, Restless Nights

by Innermost Being, posted in Man of Lawlessness

Donald Trump said that today, April 2, 2025 is Liberation Day. Today is the day he announced 10% tariffs on many of our global trading partners. In reality, today is just another day in a dystopian nightmare.

For those of us who care about truth, justice, and liberty, these are dark days. So far, the second Trump presidency is far worse than I imagined it would be based on the ineptness and corruption of his first term. But plans for this term were reportedly well laid out in the Project 2025 document. This time, he has enough unscrupulous loyalists to put his unjust and unconstitutional plans into place.

The “shock and awe” and “flood the zone” political strategies are meant to overwhelm us. Instead, they have motivated millions of us to resist. The flood of executive orders may be dizzying, but we’re smart enough to keep up.

I have had many restless nights. I pray the 23rd Psalm when I struggle to fall back asleep. I remind myself that Jesus warned his disciples about dark times. He prepared us for this. He is with us when we go through dark times. He has a purpose for each of us.

I’ve been reading. I read Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. She wrote about “militant masculinity” and the efforts of white Christian men to redefine Christ in their image.

I’ve been listening to YouTube videos. My favorites are Amy Hawk, author of The Judas Effect, Pat Kahnke, author of A Christian Case Against Donald Trump, and Reverand Ed Trevors. It has been encouraging to find a community of like-minded believers.

I am reading a lot of content on Substack, including Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American.

I am cutting back on Facebook. I am cutting many Trump supporters out of my life. It’s hard to do, but I can no longer pretend that there isn’t a huge moral divide between us. Character matters.

I am speaking out. Silence is complicity.

I went to the first reorganizational meeting for the local Indivisible group. It’s been inspiring to see young people organizing protests and posting social media content.

I called my Republican senators and representative, not that I think it will do any good.

I am living my life. I have been getting outside and enjoying the beauty around me.

If you agree that Trump is dangerous, how are you coping?

The High Cost of Discipleship

by Innermost Being, posted in Testify to the Truth

Matthew 10:21 is a hard verse to read. In predicting the trials that awaited his disciples, Jesus said, “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed.”

When I read this scripture in the past, it seemed hypothetical, for me anyway. Now, I know it is real. When Christian members of your family choose a path that is not the way of  Christ, it feels like a betrayal.

There is indeed a high cost to following Christ. That cost includes relationships with friends, family, and members of our church family.

I have been conflicted for several months about an argument with a sister. My sister became very angry when I said that Donald Trump should repent. She argued that there is no way I can know that he hasn’t repented. I argued that if he had repented, there would be evidence that he had changed. My sister believes that Donald Trump is above reproach, which is cult-like behavior.

Our quarrel revealed a deep division in our beliefs about what it means to follow Jesus. Salvation leads to spiritual transformation. True repentance comes with genuine remorse for one’s sins. It leads to changed behavior.  Repentance is turning away from our sins – moving in the opposite direction.

Following Jesus means staying faithful to his teaching. It means loving one another, even our enemies. It means doing your best to see that no one misses out on the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15).

Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life. No one but Jesus has the power to heal this broken world.

Yet too many American Christians, like my sister, continue to put their faith and trust in a man who is the complete opposite of Christ in every way. I can not understand abandoning the core beliefs of our faith. I am powerless to change their minds. They are under a powerful deception. They have made a terrible bargain.

And what do you benefit if you gain the world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

In becoming more vocal about my opposition to Donald Trump and Elon Musk, I am learning which side friends and family are on. Are they on the side of love, charity, grace, mercy, and justice? Or are they on the side of selfishness, condemnation, hatred, vengeance, and cruelty?

I’ve grappled with how to deal with Christian Trump supporters. I can’t change hearts that have been discipled by false teachers. I can’t pretend that support for Trump is merely a disagreement about political issues that has no consequences. I have chosen to step away from my relationship with my sister to protect my own emotional well-being.

Someone said that it may help to think of relationships lost to Trumpism as losing a loved one to dementia. You still have your memories, but they are not the person you once knew.

If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26-27

I can not be a disciple of Christ and not be willing to pay the high cost. I pray that someday my sister and others who have been deceived will realize what a foolish bargain they have made.