The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.
—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn—
Key point: America needs the truth, because about sexuality and race relations are destroying her and the freedoms her people have enjoyed throughout her history.
I began my last post with a quote from my first post of 2016, “Reality: A Friend or an Adversary? The Decision Is Yours.” Recalling Jesus’ conclusion to His sermon on the mount, I noted that the verb translated foundation in Matthew 7:25 in the Christian Standard Bible isn’t actually a noun in the original Greek, but a verb.
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” (Matt. 7:24-27, CSB)
Here is the same set of verses in the New King James Version.
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
What is significant about the fact that a house would be founded on a rock or on sand? Recognizing that the word founded is a verb, or an action word, we can readily see that foundations are chosen. They do not simply appear arbitrarily. Moreover, one’s choice of the foundation on which he or she builds his or her life is extremely consequential.
As a country, America has been building on sand for some time, and the national choice to do so is coming home to roost. The sand in Jesus’ parable represents lies, and rock stands for the unshakable, objective truth embodied in His teachings. This includes His teachings, not only about Himself, but also about all that is right and good based on God’s holy character. And that includes the truth about sex and sexuality. Genesis 1:26-28,31 tells us that
God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”…
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. (Also go here.)
Despite the fact it is good that God created humanity as male and female, Americans are abandoning this truth. A CNN reporter, Devan Cole, actually wrote this in an published on March 30, 2021 by his company.
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- It’s not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth, and there is no consensus criteria for assigning sex at birth.
The pushback apparently was so strong that the statement was revised; but it remained problematic. The next day the article read,
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- It’s not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth, and for some people, the sex listed on their original birth certificate is a misleading way of describing the body they have.
The CNN piece was reporting on South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s executive orders regarding women’s sports in her state, orders she issued after vetoing a bill that would have prevented biological men who identify as women from competing against women in sporting events. While the events of the story are noteworthy, our focus primarily was on the distortion of self-evident truths about biological sex. An article in The Christian Post about Devan Cole’s piece on CNN’s website concluded with this observation.
Cole’s [CNN] article comes almost two months after the American Civil Liberties Union declared that the idea that “sex is binary, apparent at birth, and identifiable through singular biological characteristics” is a myth.
The High Cost of Denying the Obvious
Although we did not consider Romans 1:18-32 in our most recent article, we do well to consider it now and note what the Bible tells us about what we can know from observing God’s creation. God tells us in clear terms In His Word that the cost for denying the obvious is high indeed.
Note especially that those who refused to acknowledge what nature tells them about God “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (v. 25). What are the costs associated with doing this? When people insist on believing and acting on a lie, God allows them to do so, but He does not spare them the natural consequences of their beliefs and actions.
118 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
Racism Isn’t What It Used to Be
Amazingly, Satan apparently is having great success at getting people to believe things that are blatantly false, and in getting them to disbelieve things that are obviously true. He’s been working on this for many, many years, and he’s used the philosophy of relativism — that people can make up their own truth — to pull it off. In the realm of theology, standpoint epistemology, a form of relativism, has been a tool Satan has used quite effectively.
Satan is having great success at getting people to believe things that are blatantly false, and in getting them to disbelieve things that are obviously true.
Do you want to deceive people? Redefine words. One word we have seen redefined quite effectively in the last decade or so has been the word racism.
Evangelical leader and Christian statesman Voddie Baucham is an astute observer of cultural trends as well as a brilliant theologian. In his just-released book Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe (book review here), Baucham writes that critical social justice (CSJ) advocates, including the evangelicals among them, have redefined the term racism. According to them, racism now
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- is embedded in every facet of life in America,
- can and frequently does occur without individual racists, and
- occurs as a result of power structures created by whites to oppress people of color.1
Further, racism’s oppressive power structures are “identified based on the assumed definitions and existence of white privilege and white supremacy.”2 What informs these assumptions? Critical race theory.
There’s no escape. Despite all the real and identifiable progress America has made in race relations in recent decades, CSJ advocates turn reality on its head and essentially lie about American’s perspective on race. The
campaign for social justice effectively rejects the ideals of the civil rights movement. We are stirred when we recall the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., who, in his historic “I Have a Dream” speech declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Social justice crusaders do not share this dream. They trash Dr. King’s noble dream and instead harbor a racist perspective.
Social justice crusaders do not share the dream Dr. Martin Luther King upheld in his “I Have a Dream” speech. They trash Dr. King’s noble dream and instead harbor a racist perspective.
They also promote a racist perspective. “Whiteness” is the unforgivable sin. Just listen to Ekemini Uwan in this post from 2019.
The cause of the CSJ movement has gained a great deal of traction — so much so that companies now are moving to openly adopt a racist perspective in their employment practices. On April 6, 2021, United Airlines tweeted the following:
Our flight deck should reflect the diverse group of people on board our planes every day. That’s why we plan for 50% of the 5,000 pilots we train in the next decade to be women or people of color. Learn more and apply now: https://unitedaviate.com/aviate-program-career-paths/united-aviate-academy/
I and many others are asking: What happened to hiring the most qualified people to be pilots and other flight personnel, regardless of the color of their skin? In response to United’s announcement, blogger Matt Walsh tweeted,
According to an article published at the Western Journal,
The company faced severe pushback, but nothing so severe for it to change course, apparently. United did assure a number of concerned Twitter commenters that its pilots will still be made of the right stuff:
It’s Time for Ordinary Americans, Especially Christians, to Insist on the Truth
The point here is that all of this is based on a lie, and an obvious lie. In an effort to avoid racism, United Airlines is becoming ardently racist. But that seems to be OK in the world in which we live. But it’s a fake world, one based on lies.
The point here is that all of this is based on a lie, and an obvious lie.
Here’s the truth. The color of a person’s skin does not determine his or her value or worth. All human beings are of infinite value based on the reality that God made them in His own image. Are all equal in terms of talents and abilities? No, but this is the beauty of diversity. Each individual is unique, and the freedom America affords is the freedom to pursue one’s own dreams. While the nation has not upheld this ideal perfectly throughout all its history, it was founded on this principle and has moved ever closer to it.3 However, in recent decades, as Americans have abandoned the classical definition of truth, lies have gained a great deal of traction. The tenets of the unfettered sexual revolution and of critical race theory are hindering people from becoming all God created them to be.
We must rediscover truth and uphold it in both compassionate and firm ways. And we must understand that compromising on the truth because someone might be offended is not compassionate. It is harmful.
Indeed, our liberties and freedoms are being threatened because pernicious lies have taken hold, including lies relating to sexuality and race relations.
Only a return to truth will save us. Will you do your part and oppose falsehoods with the most effective weapon available — the truth?
Copyright © 2021 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
Notes:
1Voddie Baucham, Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe, (Salem Books: Washington, DC, 2021), 145.
2Baucham.
3In principles four, five, and six in our list of Ten Biblical Truths Embedded in the Declaration of Independence, we examined these American ideals and their connections to biblical truth.
Principle Four: God has created human beings equal in value, and He intends for them to be treated with dignity and respect.
Principle Five: Rights are inherent and God-given and are rooted in God’s having created members of the human race in His own image.
Principle Six: Equality as used by Jefferson and the rest of the Founders refers to equality of worth and affirmation of natural opportunities, not to equality of outcomes achieved by government manipulation of outcomes, opportunities, or both.
Inevitably and understandably, people ask, If the Founders were so committed to rights and equality, then why didn’t they abolish slavery at the founding of the country? At the time of the founding, slavery was a part of the fabric of life worldwide. Despite this, the Founders set the new nation on a course that eventually would lead to the end of slavery in America. Consider these realities, and do not judge them by our era, but by the one in which they lived.
The truth is, because of the biblical ideals the Founders upheld, America has moved more closely to faithfully practicing the principles it originally upheld. Learn more here.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The passage marked CSB is taken from the Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Dig deeper: Watch Jon Harris’s recent video on cancel culture.
top image credit: Photo by Michael Carruth on Unsplash
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