TruthCurrents

One of the story lines that keeps recurring during this election season is the incessant handwringing among the progressive left, worried about the fall of what they call “our democracy.” Pointing fingers, they actually make the claim that conservative evangelicals are the real threat to the survival to the American experiment. Well, let’s think about that for a minute and process what it means for democracy to be in danger.

Joe Rigney, “Avoiding ‘the progressive gaze’ in the voting booth,” August 21, 2024.

James R. Wood, “Against political Donatism,” August 9, 2024.

Miles Smith, “Whose democracy?” July 24, 2024.

Summer is over and school is back in session, but not for Enoch Burke. Burke is a Christian who also happens to be a teacher in Westmeath, Ireland. He was fired from his job recently because he refused to endorse or affirm transgenderism. Because he refused to address students by their trans names or employ third person pronouns, he was suspended, and then after an investigation he was fired. Because he continued to show up for work after he was fired, he was eventually given a 400-day prison sentence for contempt of court. He had not been accused at any point of abusing students in any way. He had not been accused of offering inadequate instruction as a teacher. Nevertheless, Burke was told that his presence was “stressful” for students and staff and he posed a health and safety risk to the population of the school. And by the way, he was also fined €200,000. Can we please talk about free speech?

Timon Cline, “School’s out for ‘blasphemers,’” September 4, 2024.

Andrew T. Walker, “Why free speech should be a Christian priority,” September 4, 2024.

Erin Hawley, “Censoring the truth,” August 29, 2024.

A few weeks ago on X, formerly Twitter, there was an account managed for the Sesame Street character Elmo. A post was made on that account that simply said this, “Elmo is just checking in. How’s everybody doing?” That message received over 200 million views, prompting thousands of people to unburden themselves.

They told Elmo about their broken relationships, about their career and financial struggles, about other personal problems that have created sadness in their lives. There’s a lot of unhappiness in America. Even President Joe Biden chimed in telling us all to be there for one another, to help our neighbors, and, most importantly, ask for help when we need it. In other words, if you’re sad, talk to someone besides Elmo.

Here’s the problem, if you’re sad, you need to be careful who you talk to because you’re not going to get the same advice from everybody.

Adam M. Carrington, “The deadly message of the ‘death capsule,’” August 26, 2024.

Carl R. Trueman, “Assisted suicide and the happiness imperative,” March 18, 2024.

Despite the Dobbs decision, which reversed Roe vs. Wade after a generation, it turns out that right now is a tough time to be a pro-life voter in America. Every time abortion has appeared on a state-level ballot in recent days, it’s lost. Turns out abortion is popular in America and our politicians are running for cover. What is a pro-life voter supposed to do?

R. Albert Mohler Jr. “Trump and abortion,” September 3, 2024.

Andrew T. Walker, “On abortion, Trump is his own worst enemy,” August 29, 2024.

Leah Savas, “Democrats’ radical abortion policy playbook,” August 27, 2024.

Christina Grube, “Vance signals further GOP retreat on life protections,” August 26, 2024.

When I was a boy I used to laugh at the old men who would sit around and bemoan the fact that they miss the good ol’ days, the way things used to be. And I made a decision when I was young that I was never going to be that guy, that I was never going to complain about missing the past. And yet, now I find myself in a position where there are some things from the past that I miss, some things that I used to have that I don’t have anymore. One of those things is the ability to have a conversation with someone who disagrees with me without starting world war 3. How do we function in a culture that refuses to listen?

Joseph Backholm, “Reality, anyone?” July 10, 2024.

Andrew T. Walker, “No, it’s still not right,” May 15, 2024.

Bethel McGrew, “How high the cost for transgender ideology?” March 21, 2024.

Molech is a name you may not recognize. He was a pagan god from the ancient world and he shows up in various places throughout the Old Testament. Molech was an oppressive god who demanded much from his subjects, particularly the sacrifice of children. You may be tempted to think that Molech is just a story from the ancient past. He’s long-lost to the pages of history, but I’m here to tell you that Molech is making a comeback in 21st century America.

Christina Grube, “Montana Supreme Court overturns parental consent requirement for abortions,” August 15, 2024.

Bethel McGrew, “The state of California vs. parents,” July 19, 2024.

Nathan A. Finn, “The (college) kids aren’t all right,” July 11, 2024.

One of the things that happens to me and virtually any other pastor who dares to speak about politics in this generation is that the critics come out in full force. And in my experience, critics tend to land in one of three camps. There are one of three types of criticisms. So, as we attempt to think biblically about the world in which we live, I want to answer those three typical criticisms. Let’s talk about politics.

Denny Burk, “Evangelicals for Harris,” August 14, 2024.

Jeremy Schwartz and Jessica Priest, “Churches are breaking the law and endorsing in elections, experts say. The IRS looks the other way.” October 30, 2022.

I often hear this question: “Can an authentic Christian vote for the Democratic party?” Well, I think that’s the wrong question. Politics come and go. Issues and positions change. Culture shifts. I don’t think you can make a blanket decision about voting for or against a political party in every instance, in every situation for all time all the way down the ballet. But I do think a legitimate question in this political season is, “Can an authentic Christian honor the word of God by voting for this particular pair of Democratic politicians who have been presented to us as candidates for the White House?” Let’s talk about that.

Levi J. Secord, “Ready for the radical leftism of Gov. Walz?” August 7, 2024.

Erick Erickson, “Harris picks Tim Walz,” August 7, 2024.

Carolina Lumetta, “Harris taps Gov. Tim Walz for running mate,” August 6, 2024.

David L. Bahnsen, “Kamala Harris’ economic agenda,” July 30, 2024.

Addie Offereins, “Harris has a muddied track record except on abortion,” July 23, 2024.

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. “Abortion at the center of her agenda,” July 23, 2024.

Erick Erickson, “The Kamala Harris flaw,” July 22, 2024.

As we enter the month of August it’s time to turn our attention to presidential politics. I’ve heard Christians say this year, more than I’ve ever heard before, that they plan to sit out this election because there’s just not a candidate they can vote for in good conscience. I want us to consider: how do we approach politics from a biblical worldview?

Andrew T. Walker, “Christian realism and the new GOP,” July 19, 2024.

Erick Erickson, “It’s Trump-Vance 2024,” July 15, 2024.

After decades of government promoted abortion, it turns out that nations are now beginning to incentivize parenthood because they’ve discovered that they need more babies. Talk about the law of unintended consequences…

Bekah McCallum, “A global baby bust,” July 5, 2024.

Daniel Darling, “The limits of secularity,” June 10, 2024.