Posted on 02/06/2023 9:01:03 AM PST by SeekAndFind
I just completed Eric Metaxas’ latest book, Letter to the American Church, in which he masterfully takes apart the various excuses and justifications many Christians have offered for doing nothing—i.e. remaining silent—in the face of tyranny.
The takeaway message of the book?
We do not serve a God who expects us to keep our head down and stay out of trouble.
In short, Mr. Metaxas’ book implores the churches in America today to do something more than the churches of Germany did in the 1930s when they sat by and silently watched the evils of tyranny unfold before their very eyes … and did nothing to stop it.
Whereupon, Metaxas then closes out his book’s narrative by saying:
“If a holy remnant will now do that—and exhort others to join them…. We will see God’s hand move in our time, for His purposes. We will see God’s will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Amen.”
However, the book stops short of telling the reader exactly what the “that” is that he is suggesting true Christians must now do to rebuke the evils of the tyranny now emerging before them in America, which is THE conundrum that we all face when confronting a tyranny that many of us have never before experienced.
The true test would be to let the churches know what they can do to protest or stand up against those matters before them that have been created by the tyranny for which there is no readily apparent lawful or peaceful means available for their appeal.
A ready example of this was when the Supreme Court took matters into their own hands and—pushed by the Obama Administration—legislated from the bench that in all 50 states, gay marriage shall henceforth be the law of the land. From this edict, there did not appear to exist any lawful or peaceful means that was available to churches by which they might appeal such a decision … even if they were inclined to want that appeal. So what would God have the churches do?
Consider also these additional three examples.
First, our nation was forced to witness treason when certain factions within the Obama Administration attempted to overthrow his lawfully elected successor—President Trump— by fabricating a Russian hoax based on a fraudulent dossier. And, by doing so, they knowingly committed treason … but have yet to be held accountable. Indeed, to the contrary, the traitors like the Hillarys, Comeys, Strozks, Pages, McCabes and Ohrs of this world have been enabled to pursue their television interviews, speaking engagements and book tours, unhindered by John Durham or, for that matter, anyone else in our present government. All of which has left the public—not to mention our churches—with no readily obvious lawful or peaceful means by which to rectify this glaringly obvious, and yet blatantly unconstitutional two-tier system of justice … even if some among us were inclined to want the tyranny it represents to be reckoned with, removed and replaced.
Consider next the election debacle that occurred in 2020 when many of these same insurrectionists within our government unlawfully laid claim to power by defeating a legitimately elected President via widespread and well-orchestrated election fraud they perpetrated in certain key battleground states. And then consider further that to help deflect attention away from their treasonous acts committed in the course of the 2020 election, they both planned and staged a fake insurrection at the Capitol with the help of people like Ray Epps, who encouraged supporters of the lawful President to enter that building to take selfies on January 6th, 2021. Then, consider further that all this was done so that the true traitors among us might falsely claim that President Trump had attempted an insurrection by using these patriotic selfie-snapping tourists to overthrow the U.S. Government. Then, consider even further, that the “selected” Resident’s supporters within his newly installed illegal government next arrest as many of these patriots as they can round up and to this day—now over two years later—are still holding many in custody by manipulating a now-weaponized judicial system, denying many of these Americans, among other things, their Constitutional rights to be afforded:
· Humane custodial conditions;
· Competent legal counsel;
· Unfettered access to any and all available exculpatory evidence in the possession of the “government;” and
· Any due process; much less
· A speedy trial.
Go figure. Again the tyranny staring us in the face appears to have placed us—and our churches—in a position of having no lawful and peaceful means by which to address—much less, put an end to—this tyrannical travesty.
Lastly, consider that, in connection with the Kari Lake affair, a corrupt judiciary in Arizona at both appellate levels—i.e. the Arizona Court of Appeals followed by the Arizona Supreme Court— is likely to uphold the Arizona “trial”—a.k.a. Kangaroo— court’s cowardly dismissal of what that court allowed to remain of Ms. Lake’s election lawsuit. (Without good cause, that lower court summarily dismissed all but two of the counts she alleged and then only afforded her attorneys 6 hours to present a limited number of witnesses to prove them.) Then, consider further the very real possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will refuse to grant her a hearing to rectify this series of unlawful Arizona court decisions. In effect, all who care about election integrity will thereby again be informed by the highest court in our land that their only remedy is to try again to win in another corrupted election at some point in the future. Something which everybody concerned knows will only serve to allow those who corrupted the elections of 2020 and 2022 in the first place to place the availability of any effective remedy once again beyond the reach of any legitimate challenge by true patriots that is both lawful and peaceful.
Why can wrongs like the foregoing not be remedied in the America of today?
Because the tyrants who have been allowed to unlawfully seize control of this country say they can happen. That’s why.
Much like the Nazis in the 1930s, they know that, as long as they have their hands on the levers of power, there is nothing lawful and peaceful that anyone can do to stop them.
Which brings us around full circle to ask: In the face of such tyranny, what is it exactly that God would have Christians do today to stop this tyranny that the German church in the 1930s failed to do with the Nazis?
If a lawful and peaceful option exists, please tell us. And if the only options available to defeat the tyranny of today are neither lawful nor peaceful, should true Christians be expected to encourage their fellow Christians to publicly exhort that truth as well?
Just asking … for a friend … who is praying fervently for God to make the path out of our nation’s present nightmare to be both lawful and peaceful.
Cliff Nichols is the author of A Barrister’s Tales, the curator of The American Landscape, the drafter of The Declaration of Liberty and is onhttps://truthsocial.com/@cliffnichols.
Bkmrk
The first thing they should do, before they “do” anything, is to at least call it out every week.
Point out all the ungodly things the government and the culture is doing, and not just mention it once, keep bringing it up, challenge the conscious of every member.
If every church did that, and did it consistently, you would see a change as people will start figuring out what they can “do”.
The church’s job is not to start a political movement and tell people what to do.
“than the churches of Germany did in the 1930s when they sat by and silently watched the evils of tyranny unfold before their very eyes … and did nothing to stop it.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Sister Maria Restituta would beg to differ...
Quit rationalizing abortion.
Quit promoting homosexual behavior and the molestation of our children.
Keep Holy the Sabbath!
As much as I like Metaxas and this letter of his, I just read the following in 1 Peter:
It all has to agree. It is not agreeing for me yet. I would like opinion on this.
1 Peter 2:
13Therefore submit yourselves to every [c]ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.
15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
16as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for [d]vice, but as bondservants of God.
17Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
18Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.
21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for [e]us, leaving [f]us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22“Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose [g]stripes you were healed.
25For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and [h]Overseer of your souls.
I have found in Ammon Bundy who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints a willingness to confront wrongs in the judicial-legal system.
I also see a humble man with a serious commitment to moral values lived out in the moment.
As for the “Born Again Christians” of which I have identified with over the decades the buck stops with me.
I am a hypocrite and drunk.
In my hypocrisy and intoxication I was rendered impotent to be a Light to my own family much less the World.
I have to avoid preaching I have to sweep up my own side of the street I have hurt people my own family.
Get my own house in order is the most important thing I offer to this discussion.
Then go from there to deal with the wrongs out there.
But serious humility and repentance is not optional.
“I am a sinner” first and foremost.
A hint to the men and to the women too and anyone in between all have sinned the Good Book says and G-d must be listened to turn off noisy media that distracts from listening to G-d.
Hearing G-d is the only way hearts will change taking actions moment by moment day by day other human beings are not commodities to be used sexually in thoughts, words or deeds.
For example I have had to learn through surrender to God and turning away from bad inputs to keep my hands in a better place than below my waist.
I have to want what’s best for people I either hate or lust after. Pray for your enemies want what’s best for them.
The Higher Power is ultimately in charge, it’s the Lord’s Battle it says not mine.
God Bless You.
Interesting comment!
In response to SJWs, Jordan Peterson says clean up your own life before you try to clean up the world.
Sometimes I think this is the reason the left can do what it does: they are willing to work on cleaning up the world before they work on themselves.
In the meantime, it seems like conservatives constantly say, Who am I to.... we are *so* focused on cleaning up our lives that we do nothing.
I don’t know what the answer is. It may be to make connections and hunker down, as Rod Dreher recommends in Live Not by Lies.
I notice too that the Nazis and the communists were defeated by outside powers....
I have seen the activists on both sides even both sides of religion I studied with a liberal theologian at the university.
A lot of wounded hurt people out there become politically active on all sides under the burden of their pain and suffering real or imagined.
Political activists tend to be compulsive addictive people with faults issues on the side like drugs, alcohol and pornography.
That’s not the spiritual life by a long shot.
The American Revolution was fostered in the churches. Would today’s church have such courage?
I don’t think the author of this screed read the book.
And I don’t think the author knows that the mainstream churches in America are the synagogues of Satan.
I expect many would say we should just turn the other cheek and willingly walk into the gas chambers and not dare fight back.
I have no intension of doing that and the mandated jab which is now showing itself to be a slow killer was the final straw for me.
“Sometimes I think this is the reason the left can do what it does: they are willing to work on cleaning up the world before they work on themselves.
In the meantime, it seems like conservatives constantly say, Who am I to.... we are *so* focused on cleaning up our lives that we do nothing.”
The left sees an imperfect world and wants to blow it up and replace it with their unattainable utopia.
Conservatives see an imperfect world and make the best of it. They live the “Serenity Prayer”.
Kipling captures these two sentiments perfectly in his timeless poem, “The Gods of the Copybook Headings”
https://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poem/poems_copybook.htm
"...the book stops short of telling the reader exactly what the “that” is..."
Well the first step would be to get your head out of your butt - if the author doesn't know what to do then he hasn't been paying attention for the last 20 years.
Get outside of your cushy church and the never-ending "discipleship classes" and get to work.
Sally forth into battle with the Sword of the Spirit and engage in spiritual warfare head-on.
One doesn't have to go very far - abortion mills, homosexual parades, and public schools are all around us.
In the words of General Ferdinand Foch at the 1st Battle of the Marne:
“My center is giving way, my right is in retreat; situation excellent. I am attacking.”
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Sister Maria Restituta”
There was also a brave Cardinal whose name escapes me at the moment nicknamed “The Lion Of Munster”. Such people’s actions have to be denied or marginalized by the media because it shows there was resistance among Christians to Hitler.
There’s such apathy among many Christians who accept one evil after another. Contraception, abortion, gay marriage, gender theory. And so tyranny approaches and encroaches.
a most excellent book
That is very interesting! I had never thought about it, but when I read what you wrote, it made total sense!
>> Conservatives see an imperfect world and make the best of it. They live the “Serenity Prayer”.
___________
Much better way of putting it—thank you!
When a major (worldwide) television broadcast (Grammy’s) devotes 9 minutes to blatant Satan worship it may be too late.
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