I rarely post anything political on Facebook or social media, because I have found the forum is not an effective place of balanced or positive discourse on such matters. You persuade nobody there, and simply get yourself labeled and viewed as, at the best out of touch, and at the worst a Christian bigot. But, earlier this week with the assassination of outspoken believer and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, I did post something that was NOT political, but simply an observation, about a fear I have regarding the state of civil discourse, overall, in our constitutional republic.
My post:I fear Civil Discourse is dying and may be dead in this country! Free Speech is the bedrock of all freedoms. If you kill, rather than engage in civil discourse, those that you disagree with, in order to suppress their ideas, you enslave those on all sides. That is the true face of fascism. (by the way, for understanding here my intent was not to call anyone a name/fascist here, just pointing out that fascism generally results in silencing opposition by imprisonment or death) No matter what side of issues you may be on.
Silencing those of opposing views by censorship, and certainly by violence, serves nobody and no cause. I may vehemently disagree with you and/or your point of view. But I will fight for/defend your right to say it, or exhibit it in art. Without civil discourse we cannot understand one another, and truth cannot be arrived at. Without it justice and truth are bruised, battered, and the lie and injustice, division and death, triumph.
14 Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter.
15 Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey.
(Isaiah 59)
Many responses were positive and in agreement. But those that know me (Randy) well know I have many liberal friends in the arts/theatre community. Some of their responses, as I expected, were not positive, and eventually turned personal. While they did not exactly justify the murder/assassination, some, a few, could not help but offer excuses for it, and attack me for my concern and belief that Civil Discourse, and the most fundamental right (IMHO) of Free Speech, is in peril. As you would probably surmise, they aligned with their chosen political party lines and talking points to offer tit for tat examples along the order of “Well what about when he/they/the other side did this or that?” Which is, in my experience, where online partisan political talk always goes. And then they soon turn to attacking my faith as the foundation for my perceived wrong headed thinking and beliefs that they find distasteful.
You may ask: Randy, why discuss this here? It is this. I hope you know my heart well enough to know that, although I disagree with these folks, I do my best to respect them, their rights, and to love and serve them as best I can. I value relationships above all things, and do try to protect and preserve them as best I can. Our God is a God of relationship. He has paid the ultimate price to establish a relationship with us while we were yet enemies and distasteful to Him.
[Romans 5:8-10 NASB95] 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath [of God] through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
And, as I have made it clear many times, in Matthew 6:19 when Jesus tells us to not lay up treasure on earth but in heaven…
[Matthew 6:20-21 NASB95] 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.….He is, of course, pointing our attention toward heaven and His kingdom, rather than the world. But, I also believe He is asking us to consider what treasure can be laid up on the other side. The answer is people! Relationships. They are the only stuff of eternity we touch here and, as such, are the only thing going to the other side. And, therefore investing in people/relationships is the only investment you can make here that bears eternal dividends. So, relationships with people are the only thing that matters here and they should be valued highly as such. So preserving them through love and practical service is more important than winning an argument only for the sake of being right.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you must compromise what you believe. There is a place to stand for righteousness and truth to preserve it as well. Otherwise as Isaiah said…Isaiah 59:
14 Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter. 15 Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey.….
But, you may also note that the prophet says that when you turn from evil, you may/will find yourself prey.
The fear (do not read that as being afraid/scared, but as deep awe from concern) I posted about is that I see our time as a time like that that this prophet witnessed, and our country, and perhaps the church in general, in the condition Isaiah spoke about as well.
[Isaiah 59:1-15 NASB95] 1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden [His] face from you so that He does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness. 4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion and speak lies; They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity. 5 They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; He who eats of their eggs dies, And [from] that which is crushed a snake breaks forth. 6 Their webs will not become clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And an act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways. 8 They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace. 9 Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom. 10 We grope along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We stumble at midday as in the twilight, Among those who are vigorous [we are] like dead men. 11 All of us growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We hope for justice, but there is none, For salvation, [but] it is far from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And we know our iniquities: 13 Transgressing and denying the LORD, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, Conceiving [in] and uttering from the heart lying words. 14 Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter. 15 Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the LORD saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. …
Now my point is not to preach harsh judgement here, because the context of our times may be different from the times of the prophet and the people of God in that time. And, should you care to read it, verses 16 to 21 speak of Him providing a redeemer in the midst of this, whom most of us would recognize as Jesus. And, we do have the privilege to carry His Spirit and His word regardless of the times we live in. And, here, the Lord winds up with the encouragement that He, as always, will be faithful in His covenant with His own! His word will be in our mouth, and the mouths of our offspring, FOREVER!. His word will not fade away…. we will carry it in such times.
Isaiah 59:21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.”
While harsh judgement of our times and culture may be warranted, my point and desire here is for us to understand the spirit of the times we are in, and our place in the confrontation of that spirit.
In Ephesians 4 and 5 and 6 Paul addresses relationships. First relationships in the church (4:1-5:21. Then he addresses Husbands and Wives (5:21-33). Then Fathers (parents) and children (6:1-4). Then slaves and owners – employers and employees if you will (6:5-9) He addresses relationships because that is the place where the enemy/adversary will alway attack to bring division and discord.
Right after the outline of these relationships he begins to outline the armor of faith, and then most importantly says at the outset of that regarding standing firm against the “schemes of the devil”…
[Ephesians 6:12 NASB95] 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.]
Oh! How easy it is for us to think our battle is with people as our opposition and lose sight of the true adversary and the spirit behind what people do, say, and think. And, as a result, to then be despairing, or scared, or turn to reactions that are not based in love and practical service in His purpose.
Jesus spoke of a time when lawlessness would increase. I often imagine that, as I watch news in the media, as our time. A time when it seems justice is definitely turned back, righteousness certainly is pushed away, and truth lies fallen, battered, and trampled in the street as everyone does what is right in their own eyes, and justifies their foundation for it by what they call MY truth, not THE truth.
[Matthew 24:12 NASB95] 12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
Let us understand from Jesus’ prophecy that the outworking of an increase in lawlessness is love fading, growing cold. It cannot, should not, be so among those who comprise His Body. Let us be encouraged to love all the more in the face of opposition in relationships and as stand even in the face of ridicule and persecution as He Himself did.
In our time and culture we can hold up a standard for truth and justice, and yet love, even our enemies/opposition in flesh, under His direction. For, our war is not against flesh and blood! There is a spirit we are enabled to discern and stand firm against that is behind what people/our opposition say/do/think. We stand in the face of that spirit; Upholding the Word of God as our banner. Girded in our strongest part with Truth. Protected in our vital life parts, heart and breath, by His Righteousness. Moving forward to carry the Gospel/Good News on our feet. In one of our hands using the mobile shield/protection of faith inspired by His speaking and direction, defending and extinguishing lies and attacks that come as arrows of fire. And, Trusting our Head for Salvation, in the other of our hands we wield the word of God as the Spirit’s sword dividing between soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and shining light on thoughts and intentions. Again all under our Head/Jesus direction and manifesting His power and His love. (See Ephesians 6:13-17 and Hebrews 4:12)
Several times, in the 50+ years I have been a believer, I have had the opportunity to look in the eyes of, and confront with truth, those controlled by the spirit of the age in some cause. Generally they are fomented by those issues that become political hot buttons that are based in what the scriptures directly and clearly define as lies. The adversary has always been the Father of Lies. He uses the lie to divide and sow discord among men, and revolution against the Kingdom of God and His truth. Men embrace the lie to avoid accountability before Him. (See Romans 1:18-21).
For the sake of time, and to avoid political argument in this forum, I will not specifically outline the latest iterations/issues here. But, I will warn you, by saying there are many issues, and lies touted as truth, in our culture at the moment!
And, I will tell/suggest to you that there is little use in pressing into arguing with a spirit that has oppressed someone into believing or living, and defending a lie. If you look well, and use discernment, you will see it in the eyes. You will also find it in unreasonable, and often angry, responses to logic and biblical truth. You will find it in their own unrecognized judgement, bigotry, and intolerance, all the while pointing the finger at you for bigotry, judgmentalism, intolerance as a believer. Keep in mind that you can’t reason with a spirit. You can always pray, however.
That doesn’t mean you can’t share the truth(s) of God and the love of Jesus in the face of it. Just as Paul asked for prayer to, in Ephesians 6:19, speak boldly and make the mystery of the gospel known. But, listen to the Holy Spirit and, speak as you ought to speak (Ephesians 6:20), because pressing into the kind of argument that will lead you away from the fruit of the Spirit, and the love that is Christ, will rarely bring the change you are looking for.
Remember our war is not with flesh and blood, the person,… but the spirit… against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And keep in mind that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.
May we do our best, at His direction and under His Lordship, to hold up a standard for truth, justice, righteousness, and to manifest His Kingdom. But even so, also love and serve as His Body.