Unconventional Messengers of Grace and Truth
I voted for Donald Trump. But I was not a big fan when he first ran for president. I didn’t like the loose tongue, three marriages and playboy past. I also had negative impressions of his wife Melania due to her many seductive photos on the Internet and super model past.
Both of my attitudes have changed–over time and after last weekend.
On Saturday, February 18, I tearfully watched Melania Trump do something that Franklin Graham says has never been done before by any First Lady in US history. Then I listened to Donald Trump’s speech in Melbourne, Florida from beginning to end.
Both of them might be unconventional messengers of grace and truth.
First, let’s put in context “grace and truth.” John 1:17 states: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Both of these attributes are foundations of biblical faith. Grace points to God’s willingness to transform repentant people; Truth refers to reality–what works in real life.
As Melania Trump introduced her husband Saturday evening, I was skeptical. Beautiful woman. Trophy wife. Super model. Heavy accent (though she speaks five languages of which English is the fifth).
Then I nearly fell out of my chair when she invited the 9000 people in the airport hangar (and thousands more outside) to join her praying the Lord’s Prayer.
You can watch the prayer here.
I can’t recall a president or first lady leading a public prayer since Franklin Roosevelt led the nation on the radio on June 6, 1944 on the eve of the D-Day invasion.
My impression of Melania Trump has changed. Though the prayer may have inserted by a speech writer, she didn’t have to do it. But she did. Says something about her (draw your own conclusion). Mine is, that at the least, she is open to spiritual matters. Maybe she is growing in her faith–and God used that to point millions of people heavenward.
Powerful. Uplifting.
At least on that occasion, Melania Trump was a messenger from God.
Then President Trump took the stage. The Melbourne rally was designed to re-create the campaign rally atmosphere which followed him throughout 2016. I haven’t heard the POTUS speak in person. I’ve never listened to any of his speeches from beginning to end. Only sound-bites.
This one I listened to completely. If you have 48 minutes to kill, you can watch it here.
Ater listening to every word, I can honestly say I agree with virutally all of Donald Trump’s positions. He spoke truth about the God-created domain of government from beginning to end.
I want you to judge for yourself.
I took the time to download the transcript of his 5200 word speech. Then I edited out the verbiage to the 33 main points. Lay your biases aside and see if you agree with the ideas that Donald Trump expounded. You might want to even put a check mark on a piece of paper–then add them up:
1. “When the media lies to people, I will never, ever let them get away with it.”
2. “I know that you want safe neighborhoods where the streets belong to families and communities, not gang members and drug dealers who are right now being thrown out of the country and they will not be let back in.”
3. “We will have strong borders again. Gang leaders will be put in prison or sent home.”
4. You want great schools for your children.”
5. “You want good high paying jobs for yourselves and for your loved ones and for the future of your families.”
6. “Obamacare will be repealed and replaced. Our plan will be much better health care at a much lower cost.”
7. “You want low cost American energy also, which means lifting the restrictions on oil, on shell, on natural gas and on clean coal. We’re going to put the miners back to work.”
8. “You want us to enforce immigration laws and defend our borders.”
9. “You want fair trade deals and a level playing field.”
10. “You want lower taxes. Less regulation. You want to make it easy for companies to do business in America. And harder for companies to leave.”
11. “When corporations want to sell that product back across our border, they’re going to pay a 35% tax.”
12. “A great spirit of optimism is sweeping all across the country. Look at what’s happening to the stock market. Look at what’s happening to the every poll when it comes to optimism in our country.”
13. “Jobs are already starting to pour back in.”
14. “I followed through on my promise to withdraw from the job killing disaster known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
15. “My administration has begun plans to crack down on foreign cheating and currency manipulation which is killing our companies and really, really hurting our workers.”
16. “I’ve taken steps to begin the construction of the Keystone and the Dakota Access Pipelines.”
17. “We believe in two simple rules. Buy American and hire American.”
18. “Environmental Protection Agency. We won’t have projects going 10-12 years and getting rejected.”
19. “I’ve directed the Department of Justice to take a firm, firm stance to protect our cops, sheriffs, and police from crimes of violence against them. We will work with our police not against our police. We will always protect those who protect us.”
20. “We’ve directed the creation of a task force for reducing violent crime in America, including our inner cities. We’re going to make our inner cities safe again.”
21. “We are going to destroy trans national criminal cartels which are all over the United States and we are going to stop the drugs from pouring into your community, into your cities and poisoning our youth.”
22. “I’ve ordered the construction of a great border wall, which will start very shortly.”
23. “I’ve taken decisive action to keep radical Islamic terrorist the hell out of our country. We’ve got to keep our country safe.”
24. “I want to build safe zones in Syria and other places so they can stay there and live safely until their cities and their country are safe. We’re going to have the gulf states pay for those safe zones.”
25. “I’ve also directed the defense community headed by General Mattis, to develop a plan to totally destroy ISIS.”
26. “I have ordered the Department of Defense to begin plans for the great rebuilding of the United States military. We will pursue peace through strength.”
27. “And we’re going to make sure our veterans have the care they need when they come home. We love our veterans.”
28. “We’re going to down size the bloated, bloated bureaucracy which make the government lean and accountable. We’re going to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. I’ve already imposed a five year lobbying ban on the executive branch officials and lifetime ban on lobbying for a foreign government.”
29. “I’ve nominated a fantastic justice to replace the late great Justice Scalia. His name is Judge Neil Gorsuch. He will be a true, true defender of our Constitution.”
31. “We are working to lower tax rates in the middle class to reduce tax rates big league on businesses and to make our tax code more fair and very simple for all Americans so it’s understandable by everyone.”
32. “One trillion dollar infrastructure plan to build new roads and bridges and airports and tunnels and highways and railways all across our great nation.”
33. “All NATO nations need to pay their way.”
Okay, add up your check marks. If you checked ten or more, then you should have voted for Donald Trump. Very few, if any, of these policies would have been pursued by Hillary Clinton. They come from biblical ideas based on God’s designed domain for human governments.
And Donald Trump appears to be the straight-talking, bull-in-a-china shop kind of guy who just might get many of them done–despite his weaknesses.
President Trump ended his speech with these words:
“We have the chance now working together to deliver change for the ages…Let us move past the differences and find a new loyalty rooted deeply in our country. We are all brothers and all sisters. We share one home. One destiny and one glorious American flag. We are united together by history and by Providence [God]. We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again. Greater than ever before. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America!”
Don’t miss the message because you don’t like the messenger.
Donald and Melania Trump just might be unconventional messengers of grace and truth.
The Patriots versus the Vultures in Super Brawl 17
If I was to use a phrase to describe the alt-secular-left reaction to the new Trump Administration, I would use the term hissy fit.
I think you know what I mean from the protests, foul language, character assassinations, and outright hysteria over President Trump.
Here’s the dictionary definition: noun: hissy fit – an angry outburst or tantrum. synonyms: temper tantrum, tantrum, angry outburst, fit of temper, paroxysm of rage, histrionics.
Sounds familiar. What’s really happening in America right now?
Here’s a good analogy–it’s the Patriots versus the Vultures in Super Brawl 17.
If you missed the recent Super Bowl –possibly the greatest NFL Championship of all time–then I”ll briefly recap the game for you. It boasted a contest between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons came our strong and dominated the first three quarters–which even included a “pick six” (interception for a touchdown) committed by all world quarterback Tom Brady. Late in the third quarter, when the score was 28-3, I turned to my wife and said “This game is over.”
But in the final quarter, the Falcons made some mistakes and the Patriots began to score and dominate–eventually tying the game and sending it into overtime. During this first extra-period game in Super Bowl history, the Patriots won the coin toss and marched down the field to win. When they scored the winning touchdown, it was their first lead of the game–and the only one that counted.
Patriots 34. Falcons 28.
Politics is much like sports. It’s a contest of ideas where, in the end, one set of ideas wins and the other opinions lose. Sometimes there is compromise in the middle, but not often. Usually, through the ballot box and public opinion, one set of principles triumphs over the other.
Let’s now compare what happening in the United States with the recent Super Bowl classic between the Patriots and the Falcons.
The Patriots
The Republican Party is the only major political party in America that still believes in patriotism. For 150 years, the Rs have generally adhered to the Judeo-Christian concept of limited government, economic freedom, civility & morality, and truth and justice for all. Because of these biblical foundations, many Republicans respect God’s special hand on our grand “experiment” and love America for its exceptionalism in world history.
Most Republicans are patriots.
These principles of liberty flowed for decades from the churches into all aspects of American life.. When the Church experienced revival, the nation prospered. When the Church receded in faith and action, the nation drifted from its moorings.
To be honest, the GOP never modeled these values fully or consistently. But at least they held to the belief that “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).
The Vultures
I know the Patriots faced the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. Atlanta is a rising team with a great young coach, many terrific players, and a bright future. This is where the analogy breaks down.
For our politiical discussion, the Democratic Party better resembles the Vultures. I don’t believe this is an unfair label. Here’s my rationale for suggesting this particular mascot:
- Many Democrats today do not love America. Some of them hate this country, believe we need to change, be cut down to size, and become (at least) a secular socialist country.
- A good portion of the Dems, like vultures, are scavengers–they believe in taking from some to give to themselves and others. Many believe in income re-distribution, open borders, and even the demise of America as we’ve known it.
- The Obama Administration worked hard to reduce and change the USA militarily, economically, morally and spiritually. The former president now operates what some call a “Shadow Government” two miles from the White House. His new political arm, “Organizing for Action,” recently set up 250 offices around the nation backed by millions of dollars to fight the Trump presidency and retain Obama’s legacy. This disruptive political tactic has no precedent in American history. Most former presidents go home.
- The marches and protests against the new Administration are being funded and fueled by billionaires like George Soros who want open borders and chaos in the nation.
- The Democrats are the only major political party in 21st century America that encourages violence and anarchy (marches and demonstrations), has no problem with lying and fake news to advance its agenda (Obamacare, Benghazi, Russian meddling etc.), condones character assassination of the presidential family (even Trump’s children) and relishes the recent takedown of General Michael Flynn. (More thoughts on that later.)
- The Dems have lost nearly 1000 elective seats around the country in the last eight years. They can’t win by ideas–so they must resort to force/tyranny (denying free speech on college campuses) and judicial activism (the immigration stay of Trump’s executive order) to wield power.
- The Democratic Party also benefits from the “cheerleaders” of the mainsteam media. The hysterical bias and fake news they peddle is like putting extra players on one side of the field.
- Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi stand out as poster-children for the new Democratic Vultures.
Now that we’ve defined the teams, let’s apply the Super Bowl scenario to what we are seeing on the nightly news.
It sure looks to me like the Patriots versus the Vultures in Super Brawl 17.
For eight years, Barack Obama led the USA in a different direction than our heritage. Near the end of his two terms, secular ideas like gender neutral bathrooms and open borders had pushed the USA far away from its heritage and historic beliefs. It also dropped the USA to a staggering #17 on the list of the world’s freest nations–a historic low.
The score looked like it was 28-3 and the game was over.
America had embraced Democratic Socialism.
But then a “Tom Brady” figure appeared named Donald Trump–and believers in the nation began to pray while “forgotten men and women” voted en masse–turning the tide so greatly that, to everybody’s surprise, Mr. Trump won the US presidency.
Donald Trump got off to a fast start in his first two weeks. He’s new at civic leadership, the Dems are holding up his Cabinet nominees (the “players on the “field” aren’t equal), and it will take time for him to learn the ways of the presidency. But he’s a quick study.
In these first thirty days, he “threw an interception” by putting out his immigration order too quickly without considering the activist courts (and protesters) that would try to run it back for a touchdown.
Michael Flynn also made a serious mistake about courtesy phone calls to the Russian ambassador. He was wrong–embarrassing the Vice President to whom he either “re-called badly” or deceived.
Flynn resigned. Trust is crucial.
Another Trump fumble.
(Actually, new presidents often fail to confirm key leaders in their governments. Barack Obama failed on three of his, Bill Clinton on five.)
The Washington Free Beacon reported:
“Flynn took credit for his missteps regarding these phone calls in a brief statement released late Monday evening. Trump administration officials subsequently stated that Flynn’s efforts to mislead the president and vice president about his contacts with Russia could not be tolerated.”
“However, multiple sources closely involved in the situation pointed to a larger, more secretive campaign aimed at discrediting Flynn and undermining the Trump White House.”
What should have been the main headline was that some Vulture-loyalists in the State Department and Intelligence Agencies were illegally working to destroy the new Administration.
Talk about Vultures in the hen-house.
Right now we are witnessing a brutal political contest with the American future at stake. However, I believe that the Patriots will regain momentum in the fourth quarter and come back to win.
Don’t be discouraged as you watch “Super Brawl 17.”
1. Pray like never before for our new leaders and all Americans. Intercede that God will touch our hearts, bring many to salvation, and turn the game around before it is culturally too late.
2. Tune out the negative voices and lies, even if you need to use your remote to stay above the fray. In our household, we’ve found ourselves muting much of the propaganda while cheering on the “plays” of the good guys who want to rebirth freedom and renewal in our country.
3. Never give up. That’s the advice of Winston Churchill when facing the dark days of World War II. I’m sure the New England Patriots felt a bit down as they began the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 51. But they didn’t give up, but kept charging down the field and scoring–finally winning the game. Life is a continual contest. The other team never leaves the field.
We must work harder than the opposition to win.
If the recent Super Bowl taught us anything, it showed that games are not over until they’re over. We, too, must hang in there, do our part, and believe that we can triumph against the forces of darkness who want to deceive people and destroy nations.
Yes, this is all really about world evangelization.
It’s going to be a brawl. One side wins and the other loses.
Are you on the victorious side?
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How to Explain Originalism to Your Grandchild
American progressives, in collusion with the Democratic Party, will spend the next few months trying to torpedo the nomination of Appeals Court Justice Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court.
I’ve been listening to the good guys try to explain why we need originalist or constitutionalist judges. I haven’t been satisfied with their explanations.
So here’s my attempt to help.
This is how to explain originalism to your grandchild.
When most conservative leaders or reporters discuss the difference between activist/progressive judges and constitutional/originalist justices, they usually say the following:
“We need originalist justices who go by the original intent of our Founding Fathers when they wrote the Constitution. Those who refuse to interpret by original intent believe that the Constitution is a living, breathing document that should change with the times. We don’t want that. We want judges to look for the original intention of the authors.”
Hence, the idea of originalism.
That answer is good–and true. But I’ve never found it satisfying. It almost sounds like we want to go by what a bunch of old white guys thought two hundred years ago instead of applying their words to our time.
The Founding Fathers, in this explanation, look ancient and narrow and the activists come across as modern and relevant. How could the intentions of two centuries ago be helpful in the modern world?
So, here’s a clearer way of looking at it. You might want to try out these comparisons with your grandchildren or others that need some enlightenment.
Here’s my take on what’s crucial to know in the originalist versus activist debate.
Words versus Feelings
Tell your grandchild that America’s laws are not about fashions and fads. They have nothing to do with hairstyles, fun and games, and all the trivial parts of life. A nation’s laws relate to the really important things that never change–like the meaning of words such as life, freedom, justice, property and all the big stuff of life. These God-given rights are permanent–and shouldn’t be altered just because we feel so.
For example, it’s always wrong to murder an innocent human being. It doesn’t matter whether I’m mad at that person, or they’ve done something awful, or whether I’m just out of control. My anger or feelings never justify me killing them. Never. A right to life is a fixity–a truth. No matter what I feel about it, that doesn’t change what it is and how it should be respected.
Tell your grandkid you can”t change the meaning of important stuff. Murder is always wrong.
Laws versus Rulers
A second angle is the huge difference between laws and people–especially rulers of nations.
For thousands of years–and much of real history isn’t taught any more–most people lived under strong kings or powerful rulers who told them what to do. They possessed no rights, and simply obeyed everything the ruler decreed. The ruler was king. Kings got what they wanted.
Starting with the Magna Carta, and then English Common Law, the biblical worldview triumphed over the power of kings by stating that the king is not “king”–the law is king.
Lex Rex (the Law is King) changed the world by declaring that murder is murder even if the king says it is a way of getting rid of misfits in his kingdom. People have natural rights, and their rights–enshrined in law–are more important than the king’s desires.
An originalist believes in laws more than kings. Tell your grandchild that Henry VIII killed a number of his wives because he didn’t like them. That was wrong.
Good laws are better than bad kings. Good laws don’t change.
Absolutes versus Relativism
These big words may be hard to explain, but let’s try. We live in a time when many progressive folks are trying to convince us that there are no moral absolutes in life. They say that nothing is absolutely true. Ironically, they also tell us they’re absolutely sure about this fact!
Yet, one of the most obvious truths in life is that some things ARE absolute and some things are relative. Those absolutes include the following:
- Murdering innocents is absolutely wrong–people have a right to live.
- Forced slavery is absolutely wrong. There is a right to freedom.
- If an astronaut takes off his oxygen mask in space, he will absolutely die. There are many absolute rules about life and death.
There are also many things in this world that are relative (a matter of opinion or choice):
- Which country is the best in the world.
- Which ice cream tastes the most delicious (I vote pistachio!).
- What kinds of clothes people wear, the best hair styles, and even how families show love and respect for each other.
Those who want activist judges don’t believe that anything is absolute. They say that everything is a matter of personal preference or choice. They want all of our laws to be relative too–we can interpret them any way we want based on the ideas or fads of the time.
Give your grandchild this analogy. If you go up to the top of a high building and someone tells you to jump off, and that you won’t be hurt by jumping–what should you do? Gravity on earth is absolute. It is not relative. It doesn’t matter if your friend believes you can fly and won’t become a grease spot on the pavement. The truth is, if you don’t believe in gravity, you are absolutely wrong.
An originalist understands that there are both moral and physical absolutes in life. They enshrine those good ideas in unchangeable laws.
The activist will tell you to jump if you want. Don’t believe them.
Promises versus Lies
A good way to think about our laws is that they are contracts or promises we make that are important to keep. It is crucial to honor a contract or keep a promise because other people are depending on it. It’s very important to keep our word.
For example, we have many laws (agreements or promises) related to driving a car. First, you have to “promise” to get a license so we know you’ve been trained to drive. You also need to “promise” to stop at stop signs and red lights because if you don’t, you might run into and hurt someone else. You also “promise” to drive the speed limit etc.
The promise or commitment exists so that everyone remains protected and free. Without everyone following the rules, there would be traffic chaos everywhere. On the road, it is important to never “lie to ourselves” and not keep our promise to be a good driver. If we “lie” that the light up ahead is not really “red” but it’s “green”–and we drive through the light–then someone can get killed.
The same is true about good laws. They are our word, our promise, our security, and our safety. Originalist justices don’t let people lie about laws. Red is red and green is green.
Words are promises. If someone promised you something, would you be happy if they lied to you and changed their mind?
That’s what progressive judges do. They lie, change words, and break promises.
It’s always right to keep your good word.
God over Humans
Probably the most important thing to teach your grandchildren is that God’s ways are always right and good, and that people are the ones that can really mess things up.
Originalist justices are committed to following God’s view of law, promises, commitments and promises. God wants people to keep their commitments, honor their words, and never rationalize their actions to do what they want.
On the other hand, progressive judges want to change laws, break or alter promises and commitments to go along with their ideas and agendas. They are not committed to doing what’s best or right for people. They think they are smarter than God.
They are not. Always trust God’s commands over human ideas.
So, in explaining originalism to your grandkids, you don’t have to settle for just “keeping the intent” of the founders. Tell them that murder is always wrong, good laws are better than kings, it’s critical to keep your word (promises), and God is much smarter than we are.
In other words: Don’t jump off that building (Splat!).
And pray that our leaders love us enough to appoint originalist judges.