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Encouragement from a Canadian Christian

The purpose of this blog post is to encourage followers of Jesus to see the Word of God shining on our current reality.

My fellow followers of Jesus Christ in the United States, I implore you, for the sake of your country, and our country, and the world, and for the sake of Jesus Christ, who said, “I AM the truth” (John 14:6), please make your vote M.A.T.A.!

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…” (John 8:31).

In the same conversation, Jesus said, “When he (the devil) lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (v.44).

I am a Canadian; however, my mom’s dad grew up in Pennsylvania and my dad’s dad grew up in Iowa. They both bravely headed north to homestead in Alberta, and I’m proud of my courageous American heritage.

Over the past few years, I’ve been deeply disturbed and depressed by the division caused by misinformation (mistaken) and disinformation (deliberate deception) that is threatening American democracy and spilling out into the world.

The UNITED States of America is the greatest, most powerful nation in the world. We all look to you for inspiration – the land of opportunity, leaders who are accountable to the people, the left wing and the right wing functioning together as part of one great eagle of democracy, rising above the threats of dictators and the challenges that would beset the free world.

The DIVIDED States of America, however, is weak and vulnerable and brings a sense of confusion and dread to the rest of the Democratic world. Without the truth (the facts, shared reality) holding you together and leading you forward – without two healthy wings fully attached and functioning – your unity and freedom will fall out of the sky.

The Truth Is a Person

I was taught in Bible College by a brilliant German professor named Dr. Walter Froese: The Truth is a Person. The Truth is three-dimensional. The Word of God is the Person of Jesus Christ. John 1 – “In the beginning was the word (the Logos)…and the word became flesh and dwelt among us”. The Bible is words about the Word. All of the Bible and all that we encounter in this present reality (including politics) must be interpreted in light of Jesus’ life, his teachings, and his Spirit which leads us into all truth. Only the Truth can unite us in love. Lies will tear us apart.

I don’t know who came up with this quote: “What if I told you that the left wing and the right wing belong to the same bird?”

But I know Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

We really do need each other. (That’s the title of an excellent book by Reuben Welch, BTW). That’s the way God planned it. That’s why He said,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

What a radical, impossible commandment for him to give his followers. And yet, there it is, in red ink, in the old King James Bible I was given in grade 5 at school. (Thank you, Gideons!)

Why am I writing this?

I am struggling immensely right now. I’m confused about the Church, especially some of my fellow white evangelical Christians. I came to faith in Jesus through white evangelical Christians.

I was raised as a heathen on a pig farm, and my father took off with my best friend’s mother when I was 11, and we had to leave the farm, and I started getting into trouble in the city. I was truly lost. But I learned about Jesus through a youth group and a pastor and his family in a little church in Red Deer, Alberta.

I was so curious about Jesus, when I finished high school, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Theology program where my faith was challenged and nurtured by Studies in the Old and New Testaments, Christian Ethics (Dietrich Bonhoeffer), Systematic Theology, Applied Theology, Philosophy and the Christian Faith… and my faith was deepened by all the wrestling with God, the studying and cramming for exams, the discussions, writing of term papers by hand until 4 a.m. to meet a deadline, worship, fellowship, sharing food and fun.

I am currently a worship leader, nature photographer, and author.

In a course on Spiritual Gifts at a Baptist Church, it was revealed that I have the gift of creative communication of the gospel. But I was surprised when I was told that I also have the gift of prophecy. I assumed prophecy was mostly about foretelling the future. But that’s not really the case.

I cannot bear to see injustice. I’m deeply disturbed when I see Christ and his message misrepresented, and I grieve and seethe when I see falsehood and deception growing unchecked like cancer in the Body of Christ.

Does Jesus still calm storms?

In the face of social media deceptions, polarization and political instability, wars, the increasing effects of climate change, and the frustration of being unable to find my phone for the third time today, I’m finding writing to be therapeutic. For the sake of my own sanity, I’ve been typing out my thoughts on politics in light of what Jesus taught, to stop this storm cloud from going around and around inside my head.

This started as a private endeavour, but I’ve decided to share this in case it might be helpful or of interest to others who are struggling with thoughts, perspectives, truth and lies in worrisome times.

I’ve sorted out a myriad of mind-boggling matters and reflections into a few files. It’s not unlike the challenge of cleaning up my chaotic office when I’m not sure where everything belongs and I have to keep creating new files.

M.A.T.A. SUMMARY

I will start by posting a summary (about 11 pages) for those who may not have time to read the full blog (the equivalent of a 60-page book).

You can find the full blog by clicking here    …or…

Each chapter title in the SUMMARY is a link to see that chapter in the full blog, which includes more details as well as photos and references.

Chapter 1. TRUTH & LIES; MARTYRS & MAKE BELIEVE

Trump was called a living martyr after he survived an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024.
Above is a picture of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick in 1997 when he dedicated his life to protecting his fellow citizens of America and upholding the law as a police officer.
On January 6, 2021, he was attacked while defending the people in the Capitol. He died at age 42, as a result of Trump’s lies about a stolen election.
Who is the true martyr?

NOTE: To see the full, updated  story on the police officers at the January 6 attack, see my blog post: “Lest We Forget – a Poem for Trump’s Inauguration”

December 6 – the Deception and the Devastation

Donald Trump incited his crowd of followers to violence based on a lie that the election had been stolen from him by the Democrats. Over 2,000 raging rioters broke into the Capitol. 140 officers were assaulted. Many suffered head wounds, cracked ribs and smashed spinal disks as a result of the violence.

Brian Sicknick died the next day.

Four officers committed suicide due to intense mental and emotional anguish in the months that followed: Howard Charles Liebengood, age 51; Jeffrey Smith, 35; Kyle deFreytag, 26; and Gunther Hashida, 43 (father of three).

Approximately 467 rioters, who were blindly loyal to Trump, have been sentenced to periods of incarceration.
Trump will not likely be brought to trial if he is elected.

Please read this full section in the blog and let your heart ache for these police officers, as well as the duped Trump followers, and the terrified people in the Capitol.

Just yesterday, I watched and heard and felt an amazing performance of the song “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” from the musical Les Miserables. I wept for all who have suffered and died for the sake of protecting others from violence and evil. I can imagine the capitol police officers, those who survived Trump’s riot, anguishing, “My friends, my friends, don’t ask me what your sacrifice was for…” if the people of America reelect Trump as president in light of what he has done and what he has said he will do.

Do Christians care about the truth?

Is all truth God’s truth, whether scientific, mathematical, political, or biblical?
Is fact checking a spiritual discipline for Christians – a vital aspect of the gift of discernment in a world of social media where algorithms can lead people into echo chambers of conspiracy theories, fear, and hatred?

What Is Truth?

Jesus said, “…when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth…” (John 16:13).

    Unfortunately, it is far easier to deceive a man
        than it is to convince him he has been deceived.

Disciplined fact checking, before you get sucked into an echo chamber of conspiracy theories, is vitally important, especially for Christians. I list a number of fact checking sites.
Fact checking is shedding light on darkness. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (John 5:14).

What Is a Lie?

Trump broke the ninth commandment by bearing false witness against his neighbours. In July 2022, eight prominent conservatives reached an unequivocal conclusion that Trump’s claims about a stolen election were unsupported by evidence. In August, 2023, Franklin Graham finally admitted that Trump lied.

Has Trump Confessed?

No, and many of his Christian supporters still believe the election was stolen.

Christians & Conspiracy Theories

Christians, especially Evangelical Christian Republicans are prone to getting sucked into conspiracy theories. As Christians, we believe there is a story behind what we see, hear, touch, and perceive with our bodies. We have faith in a spiritual realm – a divine narrative. History is His story.
However, this doesn’t mean there’s a ghost story behind every temporal situation.
For a Christian to persist in having faith in an earthly, destructive lie, and to act on that lie is an abomination.

Trump’s Promise to his “Beautiful Christians”

“Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians…I love you Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again…”

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Franklin Graham

I was distressed and confused to see, in the face of Trump’s repeated lies and racist baiting, that Franklin Graham highly praised Trump before praying for him at the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024

Where’s Nathan?

“But as for…all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Christian Trump supporters need to tell Trump that God loves him even if he lost the election, and that if he doesn’t confess to his lies he will go to hell, otherwise they’re just using him for their own purposes.

A few Brave “Nathans”

In the full blog post, I list a few Christian conservatives who have stood up to Trump.
However, according to a Pew Research study, around 3 in 5 US Protestants (61%) still say they would vote for or lean toward voting for Trump. This concerns me, and so I plead with American Christians: Voting is a form of speaking truth to power.

Duped by a Demagogue

The strategy of a demagogue is to feed our deepest fears with delicious deceptions we want to hear, and then repeat them. And then we repeat them until our fear grows into hatred for anyone who differs, and our neighbours become our enemies, and the conspiracy theories wind like tentacles through our brains into deep dark places where the light of truth does not shine. Then the demagogue presents himself as our saviour and calls us “beautiful Christians.”

“I AM your retribution,” Trump declares to those believers he entices to vote for him in exchange for favours, appealing the those Christians who believe they are being persecuted in America.

In the full blog, I list a few of the thousands of Trump’s lies, including the “migrant crime wave” as well as his comments about immigrants “poisoning the blood of our country.”

Normalization of Deviance

…is the process in which deviance from correct or proper behaviour or rule becomes culturally normalized. The problem persists when deviation from rules is held up by a code of silence, so it’s important that people speak out! It’s our duty!

Revenge on Those who Criticize

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).

Trump stokes violence against those who oppose him. He threatened that “fake news” organizations would “pay a big price” if he’s reelected. He said they should be investigated for treason, and he questioned their access to U.S. airwaves.
He recently said, “It’s the enemy from within. All the scum we have to deal with that hate our country. That’s a bigger enemy that China and Russia…We have some sick people – radical left lunatics, and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by the national guard, or if really necessary, by the military.”

Update: October 31, 2024, Trump said, regarding Liz Cheney, “She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, okay? Let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face.”

In the full blog, I give examples of concerns and fears expressed by those who served with Trump, including Gen. Mark Milley and former defense secretary, Mark Esper, and former chief of staff John Kelly. Trump said re black protesters: “Can’t you just shoot them”?

John Kelly told the New York Times that Trump meets the definition of a fascist and also said he observed the former president on multiple occasions praising Adolf Hitler. 13 former Trump administration officials signed an open letter backing up John Kelly’s criticism of Trump.

In contrast, Harris says, “I will give those who disagree with me a seat at the table.”

Phobia Indoctrination & Blindly Loyal Followers

Steven Hassan, PhD, is America’s leading Cult Expert. As a 19-year-old college student, he got sucked into the Moonie cult for two and a half years in the 70s. He was willing to do anything, even resorting to violence, for his leader, Rev. Sun Myung Moon. He gives examples of characteristics to watch out for in a leader and there is a link to his video “How to Tell if You’re Brainwashed.
Dr. Haasan says, of course, not all who voted for Trump are mind controlled. Some were single-issue voters (e.g., pro-life), some were simply determined to vote Republican no matter what.
What he considers to be cult members are people who are blindly loyal, obedient, black-and-white, all-or-nothing good-versus-evil, no-matter-what thinkers…
Do we, as Christians, ignore the lies and support Trump no matter what he does and no matter how he threatens the “LEAST OF THESE”? Do we “lift up our souls to what is false” (Ps. 24:4)?

Sleepy Christians?

Ephesians 5:6-15
Let no one deceive you with empty words… do not be partners with them… everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

2. DIFFERING VIEWS OF THE GOSPEL

The Prosperity Gospel

In I Timothy 6:3-19, Paul writes about those who believe that “godliness is a means to financial gain” and describes them as “those who have been robbed of the truth” (I Timothy 6:3-19).

The heresy of the Prosperity Gospel plants the weed of belief that we, as Christians, are entitled to more earthly blessings than “the other people.”

In this chapter of the full blog, I offer Jesus’ command:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me…”
(Luke 9:23-25)

The prosperity gospel sucks us into being more interested in the “benefits of membership” than in the “cost of discipleship,” In truth, when we come to Christ, we come to die to ourselves and serve him through serving others, especially “the least of these.”

Who Is the Greatest?

I then go on to present a mini Bible study on Jesus’ up-side-down perspective on “America First!” And what it means to be rich, and what he expects of those who have much.

“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all…” (Mark 9:33).

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked…. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (Revelation 3:17-19).
etc.

Christian Nationalism vs. the Kingdom of God

If there is such a thing as a Christian nation, what would it look like?
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
God calls us into HIS KINGDOM – a Kingdom without borders in which his followers from all nations live and love and forgive and care for others as Christ loved and served and suffered for them.
“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations…” (Mark 11:17).

CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM promotes an earthly kingdom where Christians force their culture and religious beliefs on their neighbours through political power.

CIVIC NATIONALISM, in contrast, is inclusive and bases membership on common values and beliefs.

What Does the Bible Say About Christian Nationalism?

When Jesus healed the ten men who had leprosy, only one came back to thank him – the Samaritan – the foreigner, one despised by the Jews as being inferior. (Luke 17:11-19)

In John 18:36-37 we read that Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight…”

White supremacy and racism have no place in the Kingdom of God.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

3. HOW SHALL WE THEN LIVE?

A Christian’s responsibility in politics, especially in a democracy, is to hold leaders accountable to the truth, and justice, and assistance for the poor.

Christian≠Republican

Before we vote, we must compare the character and policies of each candidate with the living Word of Jesus Christ – his life, his actions, his parables, his commandments.
What is important to Jesus? What did he talk about and do?

Holy Bible Full of Holes

Jesus emphatically said a lot about helping the poor, the vulnerable, the outcasts, the sinners, the persecuted, the least of these…
Jim Wallis, author of God’s Politics, was among a group of seminary students who realized that none of them had heard a single sermon about the poor in the churches where they grew up.
What happens if you cut out all the verses in the Bible that deal with the rich and the poor and money and justice for the oppressed, etc. to make it more in line with what we focus on today? Even Mary’s beautiful Magnificat would end up on the cutting room floor.

…God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
God has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
God has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty… (Luke 1:46-55)

Entrance Exam for Heaven

‘I tell all of you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.’ (Read Matthew 35:31-46.)

Jesus’ description of the judgment contains no questions about one’s doctrinal statements or sexual morality stances, or the things many Christians fight about. There are no questions about whether one has been successful in ministry or finance.

Rather, Jesus says he knows how much we love him by how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves. That’s it.

4. THE CHARACTER & POLICIES OF JESUS compared to Trump and Harris

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians 5:22-26).

TRUMP says he’s a Christian but that he doesn’t ask God for forgiveness. He has cheated workers and taxpayers, has been found guilty of sexual assault, and has been recorded saying things like, “…when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy…” (This was recorded in 2005, when he was married to Melania.) He has mocked and diminished people with disabilities or weight problems. He’s guilty of fraud in business. He’s marketing Trump-endorsed bibles printed in China for $3 each and selling them for $59.99 (over $1000 if he autographs them).

HARRIS is a Christian and Baptist. When Joe Biden asked her to be the presidential nominee, she phoned her pastor, Rev. Amos C. Brown. He prayed for her, and quoted his favourite Bible verse, Micah 6:8, reminding her to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your maker. That’s what we need in this nation.” When Harris first became a prosecutor, she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. In her 2019 memoir, Harris wrote that her “earliest memories of the teachings of the Bible were of a loving God, a God who asked us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

A. HEALTH CARE – Jesus the Healer

Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness among the people… Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis*, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River. (Matthew 4:23,25).
* The Decapolis was one of the regions where Jesus travelled in which Gentiles (non Jews) were in the majority.

It seems to me that Jesus, the healer, would be in favour of health care and healing for all, no matter where they come from or how much money they have.

Trump claims he saved Obamacare. In reality, He did everything he could to kill the Affordable Care Act. He claims he has “concepts of a plan” to replace it, but gives no details.

Harris vows to protect the Affordable Care Act, so that rich and poor alike can come for healing.

Trump tends to deny science, whether environmental or medical if the truth is inconvenient and did not manage the pandemic well.

B. ABORTION – Why voting for Trump will not reduce abortions

In this section, I list Trump’s lies about abortion (“They will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month and even after birth.”)
and give the actual statistics:
In 2021, the majority (80.8%) of abortions were performed at or before 9 weeks’ gestation…
0.9% of abortions were performed at or after 21 weeks (4.8 months) of pregnancy
Third-trimester abortions (28 weeks or 7 months on) are extremely rare, and usually are done when a life-threatening diagnosis is made or in cases where there may be severe deformities; there may be a fetus that is nonviable.

Has overturning Roe vs. Wade reduced the number of abortions?

No.
And Trump has now said he will leave abortion rulings up to individual States, and he posted on Truth Social that voting for him will be “great for women and their reproductive rights.”

If voting for Trump in 2024 will not reduce the number of abortions, what will?

1. Better Birth Control (details in the full blog)
2. Financial and moral support for pregnant women and families – Over 70 percent of women seeking abortions report financial reasons as part of the why, and about a quarter say they’re the primary reason for getting an abortion. In August 2024, the Senate Republicans blocked the bi-partisan child tax credit expansion which would have lifted 400,000 children out of poverty. This reminds me of Jesus’ word to the religious leaders of his day:
   “They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matt. 23:4).
3. Abstinence – That didn’t work very well for King David.

What Does the Bible Say about Abortion?

Exodus 20:13 – Thou shalt not commit murder.
Psalm 139:13-16 – …you knit me together in my mother’s womb…
Numbers 5:11-31 – Did God cause miscarriages?
According to a university professor of biblical studies, Melanie A. Howard, abortions were known and practised in biblical times, although the methods differed.
“In the response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Christians on both sides of the partisan divide have appealed to any number of texts to assert that their particular brand of politics is biblically backed. However, if they claim the Bible specifically condemns or approves of abortion, they are skewing the textual evidence to fit their position.”

Is making abortion illegal the best or the most Christ-like way to reduce abortions?

Maternal Death

One major problem with the abortion laws is that they leave doctors open to being prosecuted because others might disagree with their judgments as to whether the mother’s life is in danger.

Creating a Way Forward

Jesus did not force his way on people. He was a friend of sinners. He created a way forward and shed light on their path.
One thing is for sure, we DO have the clear scriptural, God-given mandate to offer help and support to those in need so they are in a better position to choose life. As the Body of Christ, we may be able, through voting and actions, to help provide “a way of escape” for people considering abortion.

C. IMMIGRATION

It has long been recognized by both Democrats and Republicans that the Immigration system in the USA is broken. Immigration enforcement, alone, cannot solve illegal immigration. Serious and permanent immigration reform is necessary.

200 evangelical Christian leaders (organized by World Relief) sent this letter Sept. 30/24:
“We believe our government can and must both maintain a secure, orderly border and protect those fleeing persecution”
“While those convicted of serious violent offenses should face deportation,” the letter reads, “any initiative to deport all unauthorized immigrants — the vast majority of whom have lived within the United States for at least a decade and have not been convicted of any serious crime — would result in family separation at an unconscionable scale.”
There are more details from this encouraging letter in the full blog.

As he promised in 2016, in his 2024 campaign, Trump is again promising mass deportations – 11 million or more people.

What the above-mentioned evangelical leaders are asking for is what Kamala Harris is fighting for.

In the full blog, I give details on the Bipartisan Border Security Agreement that Trump dissed in May. If Harris is elected, she will seek to have this agreement passed.

Immigration Lies and the Truth

TRUMP: “They allowed criminals. Many, many, millions of criminals. They allowed terrorists. They allowed common street criminals. They allowed people to come in, drug dealers, to come into our country, and they’re now in the United States. And all over the world crime is down. All over the world except here. Crime here is up and through the roof…”

THE TRUTH: “Today, immigrants are 30 percent less likely to be incarcerated than are U.S.-born individuals who are white” (National Bureau of Economic Research).

“EATING THE CATS” has become a new international hit song, with lyrics by J.D. Vance and Donald Trump (find the link in the full blog)

“If we’re willing to see children terrorized because of a false rumor about Haitian immigrants, we should ask who abducted our conscience, not someone’s pet” (Russell Moore, Editor in Chief of “Christianity Today”).

Separating Children from their Parents – Ripping Jesus out of his Mother’s Arms

If you vote for Trump again, you are condoning everything he has done and will do, including separating children from their parents at the border.

Here’s how God feels:
Exodus 22: 21-24: Do not mistreat or oppress a sojourner,* for you were foreigners in Egypt.
Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.

* Biblical definition of sojourner: a person (or group) is residing, either temporarily or permanently, in a community and place that is not primarily their own and is dependent on the “good-will” of that community for their continued existence.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “ (Matt. 7:15-16, 21-23).

Lord, Lord,
In your name we drove out illegal immigrants from our land because they were all “rapists and murderers” and they were taking our jobs!

D. ECONOMY – Truth and Lies

Many are saying they will vote for Trump because of the economy. However, unless you are a rich young or old or middle-aged ruler, according to award-winning economists, Trump is not going to help you much, and may, in fact, insidiously cost you quite a pile of money. 

The Bible says plenty about money. Money is not the root of evil, but the love of money is. Here’s a jewel from John the Baptist:
“Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same” (Luke 3:11).

When the gap between rich and poor is reduced, everyone benefits.

HARRIS wants to “Build an opportunity economy and lower costs for families.” Here are a few points:

• Harris plans to raise taxes on corporations and the highest earners. For example, she plans to raise the capital gains tax rate from 23.6 percent to 28 percent for those earning more than $1 million.
• She backs increasing the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent and has promised not to raise taxes on people making less than $400,000 per year.
• She also proposes expanding tax deductions for small businesses and giving grants to new businesses.
• She wants to restore and expand the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, including a $6,000 child tax credit for the first year of a newborn’s life.

23 of the US recipients of the Nobel Prize for economics signed a letter stating, “…we believe that, overall, Harris’ economic agenda will improve our nation’s health, investment, sustainability, resilience, employment opportunities, and fairness and be vastly superior to the counterproductive economic agenda of Donald Trump.” You can see the letter here. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25247867-23-nobel-economists-sign-letter-saying-harris-agenda-vastly-better-for-us-economy

TRUMP: As mentioned under the topic of Abortion, Trump squashed increased help for poor families by blocking the child tax credit expansion in August.
If he’s elected president again, he wants to lower corporate taxes from 21% to as low as 15%. The promise from Trump’s term that such tax cuts would boost household income was a “trickle down” failure. He will give breaks to oil companies and they will tell him what to do because they are paying millions toward his campaign. The rich get richer and the debt goes up. (According to the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: “Under our central estimate, Vice President Harris’s plan would increase the debt by $3.50 trillion through 2035. Trump’s plan would increase the debt by $7.50 trillion.”)

TRUMP’S LIE: China will pay billions of dollars in tariffs.
THE TRUTH: American importers, producers, and customers will pay billions of dollars in tariffs.

Economists estimate the tariffs will cost a typical household about $1,700 in increased taxes each year.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns that the type of tariffs planned by former President Donald Trump would reignite inflation and harm the economy.

THE APPRENTICE – “fake news”
To promote the reality show, NBC produced thousands of 30-second promo spots that spread the fantasy of Trump’s supposed business acumen. These were beamed over the airwaves to nearly every household in the country. The truth is, Trump had been bankrupt four times before the show went on the air and two times during the seasons that followed. But “Trump is good at selling himself.”
Trump inherited a good economy from Obama. Economic policies take a long time to take effect.

BIDEN/HARRIS: October 17, 2024 – “The Economist” magazine describes the economy of the U.S.A. as “The Envy of the World” in a special report.
The stock market closed today at an all-time high!
Inflation has been wrangled down to 2.9% – near historic levels!

E. CLIMATE CHANGE

As Christians, it is our duty to acknowledge and respond to the truth as it is revealed.

KAMALA HARRIS recognizes that a transition away from fossil fuels is necessary and has said that her administration could create a “thriving clean energy economy without banning fracking.”

DONALD TRUMP denies climate change, even in light of recent horrifying hurricanes, and says, “Drill, Baby, Drill!” He offered a deal to Big Oil executives as he sought US$1 billion in campaign donations. This deal could save the industry $110 billion through tax breaks if Trump returns to the White House, an analysis suggests. These oil companies would be telling Trump what they want in terms of decreasing environmental controls and their costs.
Stephen Brown, director of energy consulting firm RBJ Strategies, said oil industry representatives have already prepared some executive orders for Trump to sign if he reaches the White House. The Biden policies they would seek to unravel include a new fee on leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas equipment on federal land.

F. PERSECUTION and EQUALITY

Some Christians think they are being persecuted in the U.S.A., and they want control, and maybe even revenge.

When I think of persecution, just for perspective, I think of Hebrews 11. “They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated…”

If a group of Americans that has been mercilessly persecuted (e.g., LGBTQ+), receives equal rights, some Christians think they themselves are being persecuted because they don’t believe these people deserve equal rights. This is called “first-world persecution.”

LGBTQ+
My opinion on homosexuals was pretty much set in stone. Then, through meeting people who are LGBTQ+, hearing their stories, and realizing they were not sexual perverts who had decided to be bad, God opened my eyes to the truth.
If you think there are two sexes and no variation on that binary bias in the world God created, consider Jesus’ words in Matt. 9:12. Also consider the truth of medical science and atypical genitalia, and please read the well-researched book by a brilliant dedicated Christian, Justin Lee, Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate.

5. THE REAL CONSPIRACY – Divide and Conquer

My husband and I first heard about it when our son was in the air force.
Putin knows Russia can destroy and conquer America without military force. The strategy is: Destroy the nation through polarization. He can do this through creating or just promoting polarizing posts, through fake social media profiles, through bribery of influencers, and now the Russians are using AI to improve their dastardly deceptions.

You can read more about Mental warfare in the full blog. One of the reports involves a Canadian company, Tenet Media. Through them, U.S.-based influencers and personalities were recruited to help with the nearly $10-million RT (Russia Today) campaign to spread anti-Ukraine, pro-Trump propaganda by paying MAGA influencers like Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, and Matt Christiansen, and Canadians Tim Pool and Lauren Southern.

If we share polarizing posts, we’re playing right into Putin’s plan.

Putin, Musk & the Fifth Horseman

In this section we look at the fact that

A lie can make it half way around the world
before the truth can get his feet in the stirrups.

Can you guess who the fifth horseman is? (See the full blog to find out.)

6. THE RULE OF LAW, UNITY, & FREEDOM

Jesus said, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

Alberto Gonzales is a long-time Republican, and Former Attorney General under President George W. Bush. He also served as a Texas Supreme Court Justice. He is the Dean of University College of Law. He writes:
“I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump – perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation – eyes a return to the White House.”
“After the election, whoever wins, we’re still going to have a divided country. There may be 70-80 million people who will disagree with the views of the new president. And I think about who is most willing to work to unite our country?

TRUMP: “I am your warrior; I am your justice; and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.” And he has expressed a deep thirst for revenge, vowing to go after those who have failed to support him – the ones he calls “The enemy within.”

HARRIS: “There is more that unites us than divides us.”

Kamala Harris is a prosecutor and highly values and respects the rule of law.

In regard to unity, she said she would put a Republican in her cabinet if she wins the election. “I think it’s important to have people at the table when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences.”

“The true measure of strength is in who you lift up…”

7. JOHN WESLEY – Hymns & Political Manifesto

Here are 12 principles that have been compiled based on sermons by John Wesley (1703-1791), an English evangelist who travelled widely and worked among the neglected and needy:

1. Reduce the gap between rich and poor 

2. Seek to ensure full employment
3. 
Introduce measures to help the poorest, including a living wage 

4. Offer the best possible education 

5. Empower individuals to feel they can make a difference 

6. Promote tolerance 

7. Promote equal treatment for women 

8. Create a society based on values and not on profits and consumerism 

9. End all forms of enslavement 

10. Avoid engaging in wars
11. Avoid narrow self-interest and promote a world view
12. Care for the environment

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon Krushel