November 2021

Every week, I offer a curated selection of articles and posts of interest to Christians living in a hostile society. I hope to provide you with information that helps you stand firm in the faith despite the culture wars raging around us.

Salvation Army Peddles Critical Race Theory, Urges Members to Confront Their Racism

This is the time of year when we meet faithful men and women ringing bells in front stores, wishing us well, and encouraging to put some cash in the kettle.

In the past, I was a volunteer Salvation Army bell-ringer. But now, I won’t even drop a few coins in the kettle. Why? Because the organization has taken the knee to critical race theory and forcing upon their people.

The Salvation Army, the Christian charity famous for its festive collection boxes and volunteers around the holiday season, has adopted the teachings of critical race theory, urging members to actively confront their faith’s historic racism.

If you, like me, willingly added to the kettle in the past, I urge you not to do so this year.

But I am not telling you not to support other organizations that help those who are less fortunate. In my city, there are several good options for my gifts.

Don’t be a Scrooge. Just give wisely.

New Olympic Committee Rules Essentially End Women’s Sports

Thanks to the cultural mania to cater to the LBGTQ & Whatever community, fair competition in women’s sports at the international level has effectively been abolished.

This essentially spells the end of women’s sports at the highest levels of global competition. The IOC said testing athletes’ testosterone levels to verify that they are able to compete against women, who have far less testosterone than any male person, is “invasive” and “disrespectful.” They did not issue a statement on how invasive or disrespectful it is to force women to compete against bigger, stronger, men, or to allow men to take women’s places in athletic competition. The IOC basically doesn’t care about that.

Congressman Smith: Nigeria’s Removal from U.S. Watch List a ‘Retreat’ From Fight Against Religious Persecution

Religious persecution is rampant in Nigeria. Yet, the Biden administration removed that nation from watch list. This decision makes no sense.

“Despite the fact that Fulani militants are systematically targeting and slaughtering Christian farmers in Nigeria’s Middle Belt as well as attacking non-Fulanis throughout the country with the apparent complicity or at least indifference of Nigerian authorities — a record that landed Nigeria on the CPC list last year — the State Department no longer identifies Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), nor even places Nigeria on its Special Watch List,” Smith said.

Here We Go Again: HHS’ New War on Religious Freedom

Xavier Becerra, secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) appears to be declaring war on anyone or any group that opposes abortion or the LBGTQ agenda for religious reasons.

America, “the land of the free” is becoming the land of the PC (politically correct).

The situation is now becoming even worse than we feared. In mid-November, important disclosures by the Register and other media outlets made it clear that Becerra’s HHS has declared open war on individuals and groups who, on the basis of their religious convictions, oppose the agendas of the abortion and “LGBT” lobbies. In fact, he’s extending this war on religious liberty even beyond health care, into the domain of faith-based adoption agencies.

CNN’s New Owner Admits Network Doesn’t Have ‘Actual Journalists’

At first, this made me laugh. But it is also a sad commentary of the liberal news media.

“I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,” said Malone, who is longtime chairman of Liberty Media, which is a major shareholder in Discovery and will be the controlling partner of the new media combination.

Europe’s Free Speech Problem: A Cautionary Tale

Europe has created a maze of laws limiting free speech. Here are some examples:

In Austria, for example, “insulting or belittling with the intent to violate the human dignity of others” carries a two-year prison sentence. Insult is also a criminal offence in Germany, but with an added twist—the criminal code confirms that “proof of truth of the asserted or disseminated fact shall not exclude punishment.”

In Greece, “insulting God in public” carries a two-year prison sentence, and in Denmark, insulting the flag of the United Nations carries the same sentence. In Hungary, the state itself can be the victim of “hate speech”: inciting hatred against the Hungarian nation carries a three-year prison sentence.

Americans need to pay attention to this. The same thing is happening here.

In the United States, we are seeing signs that the censorship mentality of Europe is being embraced.

On college campuses, future leaders are willingly embracing an array of censorship measures including “trigger warnings,” “speech codes,” “free speech zones,” “safe spaces,” and “no platforming.” Many of these specifically target those who believe in traditional marriage.

Leading academics are calling for “hate speech” regulations that would circumvent the First Amendment. Employees are hounded out of the workplace for privately discussing their views on marriage and sexuality. And as we have seen, the press appears willing to censor itself without any government mandate.

Peter Singer Wins $1 Million “Ethics” Award Despite Supporting Euthanizing Disabled People

This belongs in the “you can’t make this stuff up” file.

Singer justifies killing people based on utilitarianism. He believes that eliminating humans with cognitive disabilities will lead to a great level of overall happiness.

Singer’s philosophy is anti-human because the characteristics that make us truly human include human equality, caring for others, and respecting human diversity.

Loudoun County Teachers Seek Relief From Transgender Policy

Here is another example of a violation of religious freedom just to satisfy the cultural elite.

At the hearing Monday, attorneys for the three teachers said the policy forces them to use words in a way that violates their religious beliefs and is false and harmful to students, reported WTOP-FM. School attorneys argued the new policy applies only to “curricular” speech that is school-sponsored and not protected by the First Amendment.

With Global Implications, Finland Puts Christians on Trial for Their Faith

In Finland, the persecution of Christian pastors for teaching the Bible is really happening.

Please take the time to read this report. It may not be long before American pastors face the same threat.

“Although all European countries have these hate speech laws, and these hate speech laws are increasingly being used against citizens for things that they say, this is the first time we’ve really seen Christians face criminal prosecution for explaining their biblical views,” Coleman said. “…It’s unprecedented. We’ve not seen attacks on free speech on this level in Europe, and that’s why they are extremely important cases, not just for the people of Finland and Paivi Rasanen and the bishop themselves, but for all of Europe. If this is upheld in one jurisdiction, we will no doubt see it in other jurisdictions as well.”

Some Additional Articles to Consider

 

Democrat Resigns After Calling Christmas Parade Attack ‘Karma’ for Rittenhouse

The Humanity of an Embryo

Tackling the Disease of Anti-Semitism

The Rejection of Communism on Thanksgiving Day

Let’s Talk About Near-Death Experiences—Theologically

 

May you have a blessed, productive, and peaceful week.