Category Archives: justice

June 14, 2025 · 7:57 am

Racism, power and LA protests

From the time of the tobacco plantations in Virginia 400 years ago, black and brown people were exploited by wealthy landowners.

From the time of the first kidnapping of Africans as enslaved humans, the biggest threat to wealthy white men was an uprising.

Law after law was passed in the colonies to “keep the peace”, which was really to keep the African enslaved and to prevent them from rising up against their chains.

As more and more enslaved people around the world cast off their bondage, White land-owners in America tightened the screws, terrified of the same thing.

White men were required to carry weapons; they were required to capture and return any black man on the street. Any preacher caught preaching against slavery in the 19th century would be fined astronomical amounts and imprisoned. An enslaved person learning to read or carrying a weapon would be brutally suppressed.

The second amendment developed from the violent racism embedded in our culture. A well-armed militia was not to defend against tyrannical governments, but to defend against any slave uprising.

(Even today, the powers that be are terrified of a black man with a weapon, regardless of second amendment rights.)

In my former circles, a group of armed white ranchers protesting the government were freedom fighters and patriots. A group of black men protesting the same thing were thugs who deserved to be shot on sight. (Kyle Rittenhouse, anyone?)

My former denomination is pretending that they have been around for 300 years and are celebrating next week, with Kristy Noem congratulating them. My new denomination is praying for justice, racial reconciliation, and calling on the government to put away greed, hatred and desire for revenge. I am very glad to have nothing to do with my former life.

We need to be clear what is happening in LA. The powers in Washington are not concerned about law and order at all. Remember that the armed white republicans who violently staged an insurrection and stormed the Capitol were painted as freedom fighters, pardoned, and will eventually be financially rewarded.

This is not about peaceful communities. This is about the same thing it has always been about. White power is terrified of angry brown and black people refusing to be exploited and enslaved anymore.

When your white neighbor wears a MAGA hat, this is what he is longing for – the day when BIPOC people knew their place, women stayed at home and white men were in charge.

For all of you MAGA people who pretend to be greatly offended when I call you racist, prove it. Denounce this monster that you placed in office and demand that he and all the white men who have taken arms against the government be punished to the extreme of the law.

Until that happens, we will continue to resist.

Says a white older man who is fed up with hypocrisy, racism, misogyny and hatred.

3 Comments

Filed under justice, Race

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 22, 2025 · 5:07 pm

Love wins

For four hundred years, white Christians have twisted the Bible and bullied, threatened and lied to hold onto the idolatry of white supremacy.
God will not hold them guiltless.

But it isn’t Christianity. They’ve actually been persecuting Christ and his people, and have been since the time of Christ.
Many thousands of us have been hounded out by arrogant supremists masquerading as the people of God. But they are known by their fruits.

Power, supremacy, money and status are the pursuits of anti Christ and their passion is lit by the fires of hell.
They will not succeed, no matter how much they preen and boast.

Those who practice hate, contempt, racism, misogyny, blasphemy, lies, fornication and adultery will always crushed under the feet of the Lamb, and those who follow the Lamb, with the courage to love, and the faith to practice peace will rest with him in this world and the world to come.

Babylon will have its last hurrah, and they will be blown away by the breath of God.

These are the those who cheer when the George Floyds and the Emmit Tills are tortured to death;, but their blood cries out from the earth to the ears of the Living God.

So give voice to the voiceless, speak for the cast out, embrace the broken, feed the hungry, rebuke the racist, be intolerant to the sexist, hug the trans kid, and don’t lose heart.

These guys don’t win. Hate always loses.

Take heart. Love wins.

Leave a comment

Filed under justice, Love

Tagged as ,

January 15, 2025 · 6:49 pm

The end of an era

It’s time for boldness as well as encouragement for the people of God. There are Christians like me all over the world who are grieving. They watch their Savior’s name being dragged through the mud by the worst sort of men – adulterers, liars, abusers, rapists, con-men – and these same men then take the name of God on to their filthy lips for the sake of power. It grieves my heart.

That being said – at the end of every era, By God’s design, wickedness becomes exposed as it grows more powerful and seemingly omnipotent. It is a terrifying time when an age ends.

But in God’s design, the exposure is necessary before judgment. First the exposure, then comes judgment.

Before God’s time, wickedness is restrained, hidden, in shadows and corners and down alleys. Those who have tried to speak are not believed, silenced, ridiculed, shut down – and wickedness grows and becomes more emboldened.

How many spoke up before Luther and died at the stake?

How many spoke in ancient Rome and died in the circuses?

How many were executed by wild beasts and furnaces BEFORE God brought judgment to Nebuchadnezzar?

But then the time of judgment and exposure comes.

The darkness bursts out in all it’s ugliness and hatefulness and power, crushing the soul and leaving the innocent crying out in agony. “Does anyone hear? Does anyone care?” But that is the sign that the end is near.

Follow me – God told Abraham that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. And we have followed this pattern ever since. Revelation speaks of Armageddon, when the forces of evil are at their most deceptive and most powerful.

And so the ages come and go.

One power is exposed and falls, the next rises and continues until its injustice and wickedness is complete, then it is exposed before all and destroyed by the breath of God, and another kingdom takes its place.

It is always darkest before the dawn.

We are, I believe, at the end of the age. We are in for a bit of darkness, but let’s take a look at it from the throne room of God:

This hatred and fear and contempt will grow worse and worse. The iniquity of American Evangelicalism is not yet complete. It has crushed the enslaved, destroyed humans in the Native genocides, crushed women and children in mines and factories, raped children in the Sunday School rooms and Bible camps, and has turned God’s house into a safe-haven for robbers, adulterers, and thieves.

God has sent prophets, but has not yet come in judgment, because the iniquity is not yet complete. But it is coming.

This facade of religiosity will soon be peeled back and we will be left with unmasked Baal – worship, throwing its victims into the furnaces and ghettos and death camps and will reach the height of its earthly power.

But do not fear. It is as it has always been as we approach the coming Day of the Lord.

God still has angels with swords. He still has the breath of his mouth. And when the time has come, and the evil is fully seen for what it is, it will tumble down in a moment.

Until then, my friends, do not fear.

There will be mouths to feed. Victims to sit with. Refugee families to house and hide. Neighbors to love. People to clothe. Escapees to sit with, and so so many left outside the camp.

Do not mistake what you see in the halls of Power as Christianity. It is not there. You have never found Christ in Christendom. It is a different kingdom with a different master. Jesus said that you will know his disciples by their love.

Look for it. Show it. Shine it out. Don’t be afraid.

Firing squads may come. It will be the organized church and the power-hungry religious leaders that lead the violence. This will not be where Christ’s people are.

Christ’s people will be following him. Outside the camp. On the cross. Taking the lowest place of all. Waiting for resurrection.

Hold on to that, and don’t be discouraged.

One-Time
Monthly
Yearly

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly

3 Comments

Filed under Hope, justice

Tagged as , , , , ,

November 21, 2024 · 8:15 am

A Rough Ride Ahead

Anyone who has worked with sexual assault or domestic assault victims will tell you that the greatest need right now is a re-haul of our outdated, misogynistic family and criminal court system.

It is almost impossible to prosecute rape. It is almost impossible for a woman to defend herself against an abusive man, even if the abuse is not disputed.

It is almost impossible to deliver children from the clutches of violent and perverse fathers. Many churches ordain predators, knowing that they are predators, and excommunicate the ones who dared to complain about it – following the example of John MacArthur. The system must be maintained, and, in the approving words of Mark Driscoll, if anyone won’t get out of the way, they’ll get run over by the bus of the system.

But now at least I understand why reform in these systems is so hard to come by: we really don’t have a problem with it.

We elected a man with 32 felony counts, millions of dollars in judgments against him for his rape victims, an insurrectionist, one who lies as he breathes, earns money by putting his name on bibles and forcing states to buy them, is a proven liar, covenant breaker, adulterer and thief hundreds of times over and is proud of it…and the problem is NOT that the felonies, accusations, and behavior are disputed. No one disputes the behavior. They are actually OK with it, and giddy at the prospect of inflicting immense suffering on the disabled, the children, the single parents, the immigrants, those who are desperate for medical care, and anyone else whose stories of suffering are inconvenient. So they call him David, thinking that this will somehow excuse their hatred and exculpate them when the gulags begin to be built.

The church first became a safe haven for thieves (a den, in Jesus’ words), threw out the ones who objected, and mesmerized the rest with promises of cheap eggs, cheap gas and dead transvestites and they bought it hook, line and sinker.

And yes, like in the days of Ahab and Jezebel, there are still prophets – but they will find themselves hiding in caves in the years to come.

So now that they are promising to banish American citizens with the military and do an ethnic cleansing, where will you be?

When the single moms can’t feed their children, where will you be?

When your daughter can’t get medical treatment because she can’t work and doesn’t have insurance, where will you be?

When the girl who conceived during her rape must send her child to her rapist because “he has rights too” – where will you be? And yes, this is happening all over the country.

When your wife miscarries and is arrested and jailed because someone who has no understanding or concern about women’s bodies thinks she had an abortion and she has no one to cry to, where will you be?

I think we are in for a rough 4 years. I wonder where the church will be?
And if you say, “Not everyone!” I hope not. But let’s back that up. Give to your local advocacy center. Take the discount on taxes and the discount on eggs and gas that you think you are going to get, and give weekly to that single mom who doesn’t know where her kid’s next meals are coming from.

Call up your local school and pay off the lunch fees of every kid there.

And here’s a thought – maybe the ego of your pastor doesn’t need a 4 million dollar cross or 50-million-dollar jet. Maybe give to the gay kid that just got kicked out of their home. Maybe set up a legal fund for the immigrants who will suffer immensely. Maybe set up weekly groceries for the family about to lose all of their SNAP funding.

Years ago, a man walked into a store and saw a hat with WWJD on it. He asked the clerk what it meant. The clerk said, “What would Jesus do?” The man said, “Probably not pay 19.99 for that hat.”

Jesus, with infinite resources and infinite power, never once used them for his own ego trip. In fact, it is what the devil tried to tempt him to do, but he refused.

Instead he fed the crowds. He healed the sick. He welcomed the foreigner. He taught the crowds, he held the children, he touched the unclean. And he commanded us to do the same.

But instead of doing what Jesus did, we rejoice in wickedness. We are giddy with the thought of not having to feed the poor, of kicking the foreigner out, of destroying health care and education. We celebrate adultery, insurrection, violence, theft, greed and pride. But here is a beautiful promise: God will set things in order. It is time for us to truly do what Jesus did and follow his example.

Psalm 50:14–23 (NIV)
14“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16But to the wicked person, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?
17You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.
18When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.
20You sit and testify against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.
21When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you.
22“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
23Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”

It is a beautiful thought. Cry unto him, open your wallet, show Jesus’ love to the world and especially your neighbor. And wait for the day when God will set his accusations before the wicked.

PS – in the Greek, “hospitality” is literally “love of foreigners, strangers, non-citizens” – philoxenia.

Practice hospitality – God says. If you are rejoicing at the prospect of immigrant families being torn apart, you do not have the mind of Christ. Period.

 

One-Time
Monthly
Yearly

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00
$5.00
$15.00
$100.00

Or enter a custom amount

$

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly

12 Comments

Filed under justice, Nationalism, Patriarchy, Qualifications for office

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 13, 2019 · 8:49 am

Thoughts on the conviction of a predator

16 But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes, And to take My covenant in your mouth?
17 “For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you.
18 “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers.
19 “You let your mouth loose in evil, And your tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “These things you have done, and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.
(Ps. 50:16-21)

The children told their parents about him. The parents spoke to the church officials.

The church officials accused the children of lying. The congregation watched him punch a child at a picnic. They rebuked him, and continued to send their children to him for “education.”

The church leaders protected him with a code of silence – veiled and open threats. Do not bear false witness. Do not read the blogs. We all know he is a good man. We know his father. These are good people. We can handle our own.

And the wreckage of the bodies and souls of the children is still being uncovered. The scars will be warn by all of them until Jesus comes again and makes all things new.

But he will come. He will “set it in order before their eyes.”

He will bring judgment and justice. It would be better that a millstone be hung around the necks of all who knew and did nothing. Those who caused the little ones to stumble.

To all who refused to press charges; to all who covered it up; to all who knew about it but “didn’t want to get involved”. To the leaders who threatened those who exposed it – He will reprove you.

It won’t be pretty. You cannot slander the innocent and consort with the adulterer and thief and have the favor of God.

He came with mercy the first time. The second time he comes in clouds of glory, his robes spattered in the blood of his enemies, with their carcasses left for the birds of the air.

Perhaps think about that next time you sacrifice mercy and truth on the altar of expediency, money and power.

You cannot mock God. Even the earthly courts are not fooled. How do you think you will fool God?

PS – this applies to every so-called church that has covered up, hidden and justified rape, murder, molestation, assault and attacks on our little ones.

But the organization that I am speaking of specifically is ARBCA and the evil man in question is Tom Chantry, convicted recently of four counts, with another trial to come. He had been known about and protected since at least 2002.

Imprecatory Psalms come to mind, and these are not contrary to love. Justice is not contrary to love.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:15-16)

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Thank you that glimpses of justice are seen on this earth, and thank you for the perfect justice to come.

11 Comments

Filed under justice

Tagged as , ,

April 18, 2019 · 8:08 pm

We can’t fix it

We really want to. We want to fix everything. We even sometimes wonder why God isn’t fixing it.

Ministers molesting children. Men and women breaking up their homes through adultery, violence, abandonment, hatred, reviling. Drunkards in the pulpits. Injustice everywhere.

Sometimes it is overwhelming. And sometimes I hurt all over hearing the stories – YOUR stories. I hear you and my heart grieves. And I can’t fix it.

I can’t talk your abusive minister and elders into removing your excommunication for divorcing your criminally abusive husband. I can’t convince your grown children to become Christians. I can’t take away injustice. I can’t humble a proud man or convince a hater to put on love.

I would love to fix things, but then I remember that I am dust.

Stalin just tried to fix things. Marx just tried to fix things. Hitler tried to fix things. Pol Pot, Mao, Kim jong Il…

The world is littered with the corpses of the powerful men who tried to fix things.

The problem is sin. And the older I get the more I understand how powerful, complicated, tangled, horrible, fracturing and evil sin is.

The spot of paint inside the painting can’t see the painting. How can I even see what the problem is? How can I fix anything when I can’t even fully understand the tangled web of my own heart? I am simply a small fragment of the whole tapestry that only the Great Artist can see. I can’t see the creation from the perspective of the creator, for I am not the creator.

But here is what I know: Jesus hates injustice far more than we do. Jesus hates violence and murder far more than we do. Jesus hates adultery, cruelty and reviling far more than we can possibly imagine.

So why does it seem as if he is doing nothing about it?

He did do something about it.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isa. 53:4-5 KJV)

All of the violence, hatred, grief, sorrow, murder, hatred and reviling came upon him. He became sin for us.

The fact is this: If he cleansed the earth of all wickedness, there would be no one left. That includes you and me. The wrath of God against sin doesn’t excuse me, because it doesn’t play favorites. When I cry out for justice, I also cry out for mercy, for without mercy I cannot stand a moment. God sees the heart. And that means that I am in trouble.

So before Jesus purges the earth of wickedness, he redeems a people for himself. For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son.

Those nails were meant for me. That crown of thorns belonged to me. The abandonment and shame were mine.

And all of the injustice and hatred and cruelty that is in the world he bore in his body on the cross. He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

But now that he has died and risen again, now that he has provided salvation, why doesn’t he come in judgment? Why is he allowing such evil cruelty to exist in his church?

Jesus does not delight in the death of the wicked. He is giving every opportunity for the wicked to repent. He does not follow the timetable of men, for he sees far more than we do. When he finally comes in judgment, it will not be the bloodbath of the kings of the earth, it will be no holocaust, no great purge of Mao or Stalin.

He will judge the earth in goodness and righteousness and equity. He will be merciful to those who confess his name, and he will come in judgment for all the cruel, the murderers, the liars, the hypocrites, the adulterers, the revilers – no matter what outer form they take. He knows the difference between the sheep and the goats.

The one who took our sorrows will also vindicate his own. He will come to pour out his wrath against sin.

And there is comfort in that. He will wipe away every tear.

In the meantime, I will do what I can do as a creature of dust. I will seek to find the right words to comfort and rebuke as necessary. I can listen. And above all I can point to the One who died for me and invite you to meet him, the lion who is a lamb. I can only do that with the Bible. I don’t have answers on my own. I don’t have the solutions on my own.

All I have is the word of God, the record of the apostles and prophets. But that is enough – sufficient to equip us for all that we need. It points us to Christ, who died for us and rose again the third day – according to the scriptures.

Hold to that. When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay.

5 Comments

Filed under Hope, justice

Tagged as , , ,

August 21, 2018 · 11:03 am

When you honor your ministry more than you honor God…

12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD (1 Sam. 2:12 NAS)

Eli was the High Priest during the years of the Judges. Samuel was not yet born. The Temple had not yet been built, but the tabernacle that Bezalel built in the wilderness was erected in Shiloh. This was where God met with his people. The sacrifices were offered; families ate the peace offerings together in fellowship with the Lord. The word of the Lord was taught.

But something was rotten.

Eli is an old man, and his sons are preparing to take over the priesthood during his retirement. But they are “worthless men” (lit, sons of Belial). Instead of simply saying that they were worthless, the sacred text tells us exactly what the problem was. It is heartbreaking.

First, they abused the families coming to fellowship with God. The families would bring a peace offering as their feast before the Lord. By the law of Moses, part of that offering was to go to the priests. But the sons of Eli demanded more. They threatened violence on those who sought to correct them.

16 And if the man said to him, “They must surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.” (1 Sam. 2:16 NAS)

The second problem was similar to the first. There were women who gathered at the tabernacle who served God is some capacity. They were “warrior women of Shiloh”

And the sons of Eli were raping them. The sacred text says, “They lay with them”, but the dynamic between the high priest and the women was such that rape is not too strong a word. What choice would they have had? Would these two wicked men, who threatened to take meat by force just stand back and ask politely when it came to the women there?

So that was the dynamic. These two men, who were in place to serve God in the highest position of honor – representing the mercy and love and justice and covenant faithfulness of God to the people of God – were worthless. They used their position for their own gratification. they enriched themselves and sated their own ruthless lusts with the bodies of God’s people.

They acted as if their ministry was their own personal playground, rather than the representation of Christ in Shiloh.

And God took pleasure in destroying them. That is what the sacred text says (1 Samuel 2:25). And it is a terrifying thought.

Why was Eli condemned? Eli did an investigation. He established the facts. He rebuked his sons. He rebuked his sons strongly.

But the law of Moses said that they were to be removed from office, taken outside the city, and stoned to death. They were to be reported to the proper authorities and were liable to civil penalties for the evil that they inflicted upon Israel. They were to be removed from office.

But Eli concluded his investigation. Rebuked his sons. Sealed the report. And they continued doing what they were doing.

And God told Eli

29 ‘Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ (1 Sam. 2:29).

Eli honored his ministry, his family, his tabernacle, more than he honored God. Think of the scandal! How could God’s name survive if it were publicly known what the sons are doing? No. They need to stop. My heart goes out to the victims. But we really have to keep this quiet – for the sake of the ministry.

And so God intervened, and it was hard. Hophni and Phinehas were both killed in battle. Eli hears the news and breaks his neck in a fall. The ark of the Lord is captured by the Philistines. God removed his presence from Israel because of the wickedness of the priests.

There are many similarities. Pastors continue to threaten and abuse. They make themselves fat through fraud, deceit and threats. Many who say, “Enough” are threatened with excommunication or driven out all-together.

Boys and girls continue to be abused by the thousands by leaders in every denomination. And the Elis of the world know about it.

The investigations are done. The leaders are rebuked. The reports are sealed. The abuse continues.

Because far too often we honor the ministry more than we honor God.

And God hates it.

Paul said that if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged (1 Cor. 11:31). If we do not cast out the sons of worthlessness from our midst, God does. And all who were complicit by their silence will also bear their judgment.

There are those whom God delights in destroying. That is a terrifying thought. It is also terrifying to think that far too often the people of God are standing with those whom God would delight in destroying.

Such a thing should not happen in the church.

For all of the families who have been threatened and cast out; for all of the women who have been molested in the “service of the Lord”, know this: God isn’t sealing and ignoring the report. He sees your tears and he hears your cry.

He has not yet acted because he is longsuffering and merciful. But he will act. He will come in judgment.

The Son of David, Jehovah himself, our Lord Jesus – both true and eternal God and the Son of David in one person – is the King we desire. He isn’t fooled. He doesn’t ignore the cries of the needy. He isn’t fooled by false words.

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 72, describing his reign.

2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. (Ps. 72:2-7 KJV)

Even now, although there is much that is not right, we see the Son at work exposing evil, bringing justice. And that work has just begun.

We will continue, as long as we have breath, to expose evil, reflecting God’s justice and righteousness as his image-bearers.

But ultimately, our hope is that the King is coming. He brings justice with his arm. He sees. He knows. He isn’t mocked. He isn’t fooled.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Ps. 2:12 KJV)

He is longsuffering. But the offer of peace does not last forever.

11 Comments

Filed under Abuse, assault, justice

Tagged as , , , ,