Religious Nationalism under the disguise of Christianity.

      Pretty much every right wing nut job in America is signing on to this "Reawaken America" nonsense tour promoting Religious Nationalism under the disguise of Christianity. Yesterday Sarah Palin and Marginal Taylor Greene spoke. Christian Nationalist groups are hitting Colorado pretty hard (Boebert Country). I am not totally surprised by that as I lived in Colorado Springs for awhile and many of these "ministries" are home based there. School boards are a major target and they are working to place far rightwing candidates in a lot of these places.

     A new poll from Pew Research suggests the share of U.S. adults who consider themselves Christian is falling.
Only 63% of Americans self-identify as Christian this year, a marked drop from 75% 10 years ago.
     The declining number of Americans who say they are Christian is offset by a growing number of people who call themselves atheist, agnostic or people of no particular faith. These unaffiliated Americans make up a full 29% of the U.S. population, up from 19% in 2011.
      “The secularizing shifts evident in American society so far in the 21st century show no signs of slowing,” the Pew researchers concluded. “The religiously unaffiliated share of the public is 6 percentage points higher than it was five years ago and 10 points higher than a decade ago.”
     Only 45% of U.S. adults said they pray on a daily basis (down from 58% in a similar 2007 survey). And the number of Americans who say religion is “very important” in their lives is also falling: 41% of Americans consider religion “very important” in their lives, down from 56% in 2007.

​     Data from the Center For Systemic Peace has found that the U.S no longer qualifies as a democracy. They claim that since the Trump years we now sit somewhere in the middle of a democracy and an autocratic state. They're also claiming that the "U.S is closer to a Civil War than anyone would like to believe."
The Center used the same factors to monitor the U.S that they use to monitor foreign countries. The center states that the U.S has declined as a democracy in the last 5 years. A data set has classified the U.S as an anocracy. An anocracy sits between a Democracy and an autocratic State.
     Barbara Walter, a professor at UC San Diego, explained what a Civil War would like in the United States and she said think about the Palestinian Israeli conflict. She said it could last for decades and be just as destructive as the first Civil War we experienced.
     So those of us that have been saying that our Democratic Republic is hanging by a thread are right, unfortunately.
Trump’s literally costing us our country, and forcing us into a dictatorship.

Donald Trump: A man Hitler would be proud of

 After weeks of discussions among legislators, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the 45th President, Donald Trump, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on December 18, 2019. The vote fell largely along party lines: 230 in favor, 197 against and 1 present. Trump became only the third president ever to be impeached, joining Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, after concerns about his alleged attempts to seek foreign interference in the 2020 election.

​Dec 18, 1940: Adolf Hitler issued his secret plans for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
Dec 18, 2020 American fascists under the leadership of Donald Trump were working out their invasion and coup to take over America.

Truth over party

“Liz Cheney is an important figure in our times. And I have similar praise for Adam Kinzinger and Mitt Romney­­––for all the Republicans who voted to impeach or convict Trump. Historically, the left never defeats fascism on its own. . . . I continue to disagree with Liz Cheney on a range of issues, but she is an ardent constitutional patriot. She doesn’t believe her party must win. Her party is now one of ‘rule or ruin.’ Either they rule, or they eliminate any basic democratic norms. They have positioned themselves outside the constitutional order.​” -Jamie Raskin. Democratic member of the House representing Maryland’s Eighth District from interview in The New Yorker

Churches are experiencing a pandemic of tribalism, blame, and unforgiveness

I came across this article this morning written last week by one of my favorite authors, Randy Alcorn: In the 52 years I’ve known Jesus, I’ve witnessed countless conflicts between believers. But never more than in the last year. Many have angrily left churches they once loved. Believers who formerly chose churches based on Christ-centered Bible teaching and worship now choose them based on non-essential issues, including political viewpoints and COVID protocols. Churches are experiencing a pandemic of tribalism, blame, and unforgiveness—all fatal to the love and unity Jesus spoke of. Rampant either/or thinking leaves no room for subtlety and nuance. Acknowledging occasional truth in other viewpoints is seen as compromise rather than fairness and charitability. Sadly, evangelicals sometimes appear as little more than another special-interest group, sharing only a narrow “unity” based on mutual outrage and disdain. This acidic, eager-to-fight negativity highlights that we have no right to expect unbelievers to be drawn to the good news when we obsess about bad news and treat brothers and sisters as enemies.

Rewaken Ameria is Christian Nationalism

    This paragraph is from an article from Charisma News:

As the popularity of the tour grew and the demand for Clark to appear on various media outlets rose, someone sent him the Kim Clement prophecy from April 20, 2013, that seems to have a clear connection to his calling to reawaken America. It mentions a "man by the name of Mr. Clark," and says in part, "You have been determined through your prayers to influence this nation. You're watching me; you're an influential person. The Spirit of God says, 'Hear the word of the prophet to you as a king, I will open that door that you prayed about.'"
      In essence, it is Christian Nationalism in its formative stages in the Charismatic movement today. Clay Clark is a part of the "Reawaken America" (being sponsored by Charisma Magazine) tour. To begin with, a prophecy only points to revelation about Jesus Christ. Clark, for the record, is NOT Jesus...though he appears to claim a relationship. Kim Clement is a faux self-proclaimed prophet and has been spewing pro-Trump "prophecies" for a few years now.  Don't be deceived. Clark is a grifting charlatan who uses worse from the Bible to meet his end. Good and bad things came out of the Charismatic Movement...but more bad than good...and a lot of hurt people who may have walked away from God forever because of it.  Fellow members of Reawaken America include Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Mike Lindell, Sam Sorbo, Sidney Powell, Alan Keyes, Alex Jones, Lara Logan and Ken Paxton, among others.
​     The thing that makes people like Cark dangerous is that they believe they are on a mission from God. 


Howard Stern today on Rand Paul:
" He's supposed to be a Dr and his state is 50th in healthcare...last in quality of life. He votes no on everything except begging Biden for relief money.."
​
     At a recent religious festival called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, Stagliano told a group of children that Santa did not exist and that his red outfit was created to help market Coca-Cola drinks.
     However, the Catholic diocese then apologized after bishop tells kids Santa doesn't exist. The apology said: “Santa Claus is an effective image to convey the importance of giving, generosity, sharing. But when this image loses its meaning, you see Santa Claus aka consumerism, the desire to own, buy, buy and buy again, then you have to revalue it by giving it a new meaning."
     Now the way I see, it is kind of like the Jesus birth in Bethlehem being traded for Santa. The true meaning of "giving, generosity, sharing" is best taught through knowledge of Jesus Christ and His character. I am hard pressed to see how Jesus and Santa can be emphasized in equal value.

The evidence against Meadows is very damning and it implicates Donald Trump.

 

   The Jan. 6 Committee Recommends Contempt Charge for Mark Meadows. The panel sent a criminal contempt of Congress referral to the full House, as the extent of Mark Meadows’s role in President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to overturn the election became clearer. The evidence against Meadows is very damning and it implicates Trump.

​These five guys all have several things in common:
James Rosen, Eric Bolling, Greg Kelly, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Ablow
1)They all had accusations against them for sexual misconduct.
2) They all worked for Fox News
3) They all are now working for Newsmax


     We are living in a II Timothy 3 world: "holding to a form of godliness but denying its power.."
This is not a new thing, because those IIT3 types have always been around, but events of the last year or so has brought their foolishness to the forefront of the mainstream. It isnt just happening in America as countries across the world deal with similar things..
     Democracy has never been a stable form of government and we are seeing it fall apart with some similarities to the way the Roman Empire fell. The fact of the matter is that God did not create man to rule "on his own." That in itself runs afoul of Gods plan for mankind. God established mostly monarchies in the Old Testament dispensation...and they answered directly to Him.
     But in this dispensation God does not get involved and lets the unwise (re: ungodly) run it to its end. It has always been the duty of those who are called the "salt" to step up.....but they have failed and failed and failed. And failed especially in America where many churches established themselves as political action committees or exclusive "It's all about me and my God" Recreational Clubs built by a lot of the tithes and donations grift.
     Granted, there are some exceptions..but I am not addressing them. But churches weighing themselves in light of the seven churches mentioned in the first couple chapters of Revelation would always be a good idea.
    As far as "Democracy" and the happenings on the political level: "There is no adult in the room." It appears to be mans choice to take it the way they want...and I dont see that as being a good thing. Now God will continues deal with us all on a personal level as He has always promised....as He will never leave or forsake. (Deuteronomy 31 and reaffirmed in Hebrews 13).
     So it's a time to check in with God if you havent for awhile cuz this may be the ride to end all rides on this planet.  As for me, I am ready to go should Jesus not tarry.

Christian Nationalist Group in Mississippi is building a Pentagon.

 

The American family Association, based out of here in Mississippi, is looking to establish a center "like a Pentagon" in order to further efforts of Christian Nationalism. The announcement with a plea for donations (something Wildmon, the founder, has been doing many many many years) Part of the description says "Like the Pentagon in Washington, the Don Wildmon Center will serve as command central as we combat the forces that seek to destroy Christian influence in America and overthrow the founding principles of our republic."

If you look at other parts of the website the "action alerts" are just a litany of far right wing agendas. They "hold to a form of godliness but deny the power thereof." (II Tim 3) (Which is, in essence, a foundation of what "Christian Nationalism" is) Link is Here: https://www.afa.net/donwildmoncenter?fbclid=IwAR0VA9LSIgBqlxhLxEonnuEfw5bXBimVo6e9vGzP-WCmDVzDTLBiKmm5j9Y

Chris Wallace announced yesterday that after 18 years, today was his last time hosting
. Wallace: "I have decided to leave FOX. I want to try something new."
Wallace was one of the better Fox News anchors....probably the best at holding people accountable then anyone else at Fox right now. Scary now to think who they will dredge up to replace him.

Louisiana resident, Anne Rice, American author of gothic fiction (gothic novel Interview with the Vampire) has died at the age of 80. According to her son, the writer passed away on Saturday due to complications resulting from a stroke.

Rand Paul is on the record saying he does NOT want the government to interfere in his or any other state for any reason.
Rand Paul is now demanding the US government give them all the help they can because of the tornadoes the other night. But, thats kind of the way all the GOP governors act. They talk tough about how they want nothing from the government...but then when Governor Abbott needed help after that electrical black out in Texas he did not turn down the government help....and Governor Ron DeSantis didnt turn down the aid when those buildings collapsed in Florida.

QAnonsense is appearing to be becoming mainstream.

 QAnon is having a "Awaken America" rally in Dallas today. Two GOP senators from Arizona are part of the political sideshow.

>>QAnonsense is appearing to be coming mainstream. <<this should alarm everyone.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     Sad news. Mike Nesmith died yesterday. I always thought he was the most talented of the four Monkees. Great song writer and musician. The only Monkee still alive now is Micky Dolenz.
​
   Oh no, the Trumpist Christians have decided that various NT prohibitions of “pharmakeia” is a secret code of warning against vaccines.“
There was an increase in search engine searches for "sorceries" which is related to heightened interest in the Greek word pharmakeia, which, according to a Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament means ‘employment of drugs for any purpose; sorcery, magic, enchantment’” Some Christians have brought up the term when claiming that Scripture prophetically warns against the vaccine and vaccine mandates, since it shares a root with the word pharmaceuticals.
     For the record..I dont believe that ANY of that is true. But I am very aware of a host of Bible interpretations that the Right Wing is misusing to push their ideas as being Christian...and it began with Romans 15 at the beginning of the pandemic
The Bible would call that "holding truth in error" and has a bad spiritual end. (See Roman 1 beginning at verse 18)​


Republican candidate Nick Huey has launched a somewhat unorthodox campaign in Utah’s 4th Congressional District. Here is Huey’s list of Republican wrongs that he says need to be righted:

1. 1. We’ve sacrificed unity at the altar of political gain.
2. 2. We’ve weakened faith in the election process without solid evidence of fraud. We rushed to deny the veracity of our own loss in the 2020 election, but said nothing about fraud when we won subsequent elections.
3. 3.We’ve used tools like the debt ceiling as political blackmail to achieve our aims, rather than focus on being a party with compelling solutions.
4. 4.We’ve vilified you for “out of control spending” when you had power, and then immediately gone on extravagant spending sprees of our own.
5. 5. We’ve stalled Supreme Court appointments in the name of fairness, and then rushed them forward when it favored us.
6. 6. We’ve gerrymandered our way to influence, letting politicians choose their voters, instead of respecting that — in a republic — the voters ought to choose who represents them.
7. 7. We’ve too often used “both sides do it” as an excuse to not hold ourselves and our allies accountable.
8. 8. We regularly accept campaign money from special interests, then cry “foul” when you do the same.
9. 9. We’ve been slow to the table in civil rights.
10. 10. We have voted against increased transparency and allowed leadership to be compromised by special interests and outside money.
11. 11. We have rejected good ideas, simply because they came from the wrong mouth.
12. 12. We have left the enormous task of addressing climate change and other issues to you, rather than come to the table with solutions of our own. In fact, our go-to answer to the world’s greatest problems has been to say that Democrats’ solutions are terrible, while half-heartedly advocating for our own.
13. 13. We’ve used past actions to justify ever worsening behavior, lowering the bar for civil discourse and ethical governance year after year.
14. 14. We’ve focused more on your weaknesses than your strengths, and more on our strengths than our weaknesses.
15. 15. We have not been the fiscal conservative partners we’ve promised to be.

The Economy is doing fine

 “Today we have the strongest economy, perhaps, I’ve ever seen.” - CNBCs Jim Cramer

The vast ocean of Right Wing nutjobs say Jim Cramer is wrong which can only mean that Jim Cramer his absolutely right.

Biden is delivering the fastest economic recovery in history. Why hasn't anyone noticed?

​How Is the U.S. Economy Doing?

​From gas prices to supply chains: Signs of improvement for the US economy

​​U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to Lowest Level in 52 Years

​The Biden Economy Is Actually Pretty Good

​Despite challenges, things are looking rosy for national and local economy

​Colorado’s economy is back to pre-pandemic levels, report says

​West Michigan economy maintains growth despite labor woes, according to outlook

God Bless America...but The GOP Clown Show Continues.

    Newsmax has announced that it is terminating the contract of WH Correspondant Emerald Robinson after she said vaccines contained “luciferase” used to track people. She is replaced by James Rosen, who was fired by Fox in 2017 after being accused by several women of sexual harassment. Once upon a time Newsmax was just another online news website. They've traded in any credibility they had for propaganda. It must pay better.                                                                     Newsmax now has a revolving door of propagandists and other shady personalities....where one goes out and another, sometimes worse, comes in.

     And the Matt Gaetz.Marjorie Taylor Greene sideshow continues: Matt Gaetz says if GOP wins House in 2022, he will move to install Donald Trump as Speaker — and that he, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Paul Gosar will be running the House.

     Found this from an article posted at Wesmont College:
Implying that Americans are blessed by God simply for being Americans cheapens the biblical concept of blessing and often equates it with material prosperity. What about those Christians living and often suffering in other lands? Are we blessed by God and they are not? What about the dirt-poor Pentecostals in Ukraine who in Soviet times suffered because of their faith? Are we blessed by God and they are not? The lyrics of “God Bless America” are not statements of fact. They are, in fact, a prayer. In 1938, that is what Irving Berlin had in mind.

     While studying recently I came across this quote: “Treason is in the air around us everywhere. It goes by the name of patriotism.” -Ambrose Bierce (Civil War era). Reminds me of a quote (attributed to several people) that says "when facism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
That kind of conflation I mentioned above could easily set a lot of people up for such a person...and I think it is a large part of what drives the hard core Trumplicans for Trump.

     As followers of Jesus, truth is our currency. Without it, we have nothing. It’s essential to the integrity and believability of the gospel that we are known as truth-tellers, not argument-winners. Christians should have a reputation for being the most truthful people on earth.
     Tip: Don’t share a story just because one of your friends posted it on Facebook. Check out the original source first. Is it reliable? Do other stories on the website seem credible? If a story isn’t widely circulated by conservative and liberal or moderate outlets, its content may be suspect, and by that I mean that the subject will be distributed in both left and right news sources but make an observational spin on it..which is expected.
    The day before yesterday I posted a photo on FaceBook. Though I usually do double check news sources....I did not with that one because I got it from some online individuals who generally have credibility. Well, I was wrong and so were they. As a general rule I do check sources and get to know web sites that are hinged or unhinged with their information. They believed the misinformation also..so we were all duped. No hard feelings.
    We see disinformation agents on various web sites labeling their content as satire knowing well it is likely to be shared without the satire label. Personally I love good satire and try to utilize it whenever I can. My assumption, though, is that I think my general audience knows that. Most things I write on FaceBook is stuff that I will place on this web site....but FB offers an opportunity for me to test the waters on it. (Plus, since I am my own editor, it gives me time to correct all the language and spelling errors before I post it here. I type slower than I think and I will miss a word or change in thought direction, etc)
“Truth is no longer dictated by authorities, but is networked by peers. For every fact there is a counterfact, and all these counterfacts and facts look identical online, which is confusing to most people.” -Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine.
     In my world, truth has one authority and He is Sovereign.