The Future is up to Us, but Maybe Not for Long :: By Rob Pue

It’s been quite some time now since our colleges and universities could be called “institutes of higher learning.” Indeed, for decades now, their primary purpose has been as liberal, Leftist indoctrination centers, molding each new emerging generation’s minds to accept, support and demand the coming socialist New World Order. Where once the Word of God was the standard — in all of our schools — today, the name of Jesus Christ cannot be uttered unless it’s being used as a curse word.

Is it any wonder, then, that our colleges are turning out graduates that can no longer think critically but simply spew back out the Leftist ideologies that have been drilled into their brains since kindergarten? Free speech — if it opposes the official talking points of their Leftist leaders — has long since been forbidden. Try challenging the hardened mindsets of college students, and most often, you’ll be met with uncontrolled fits of rage because they cannot defend their positions when confronted with logic, truth and critical thinking.

Not only that, but a college degree doesn’t mean what it used to mean anymore. In days gone by, if you had a college degree, you were assured of a well-paying career. But college degrees are so commonplace today, many leave the university after four (or more) years with a basically useless diploma, and the best they can do is a cashier’s job at a convenience store, or perhaps retail or fast-food service. This is what happens when you major in subjects like “15th Century Feminist Poetry.”

But the students also emerge with a serious “entitlement” mentality — they expect a high-paying job no matter what, and many will refuse to do ANYTHING after graduation if they can’t find a job that pays as much (or more) than their parents earn after having worked hard all their lives. And of course, they also demand a very generous package of benefits. If they can’t find that, they’ll simply “wait” — with tens of thousands of dollars in Student Loans to pay — on “deferment,” accruing interest daily.

Today, anyone who’s interested can easily go to college. The government provides guaranteed student loans, and so college degrees are commonplace and even irrelevant. And NOW, after being steeped in the ideology of socialism in the government schools and colleges their entire lives, college students are demanding FREE college for all.

I wonder how “valuable” such degrees will be when EVERYBODY has one. If they’re of little value now (when they’re actually paid for), my guess is they’d be entirely worthless when everybody has one, ostensibly for “free.”

A much better choice would be a technical college or trade school that focuses on teaching valuable job and career skills that are actually NEEDED in the marketplace, rather than intense studies in re-written American history, LGBTQP+ “struggles,” racial and income “inequality,” and the need to dismantle the natural family while learning all about how evil it is for men to be masculine. But I digress….

Recently, a study was done showing that MOST current college students overwhelmingly support America becoming a Socialist country. Yet few (or none) could explain what socialism actually IS or point to a single “success story” of a country where socialism actually made things better.

They have no clue.

Campus Reform recently released a video showing a number of interviews conducted with students in the D.C. area. When asked if they support socialism, students agreed overwhelmingly. One student claimed it was “definitely an open-form of government” giving “equal ground” to many more people. But when this student was asked what that actually MEANS, their response was, “To be quite honest, I don’t know!” The “I don’t know” response is commonplace. Not one student interviewed could explain exactly how socialism worked or how it has impacted the citizens of socialist nations around the world.

The Heritage Foundation recently released a booklet entitled Nine Ways that Socialism Will Morally Bankrupt America. In this publication, they rightly assert that there are three big reasons why, every day, socialism becomes more and more popular among young Americans:

1). Socialism is being marketed to young people as “kind, selfless, and community-focused.” 2). Many people are unaware of socialism’s dismal record, and 3) Young people are not being taught America’s founding principles, so they’re unprepared to combat the narratives they hear in their schools and colleges.

An example of this indoctrination can be found in the writings of socialist Danny Katz, who wrote, “Socialism is a society whose top priority is meeting all of its people’s needs — ranging from food, shelter and health care to art, culture and companionship.”

I would assert that those who are currently brainwashing our young people to accept this without question are preying on the EMOTIONS of young people. Young people are very idealistic and want to make the world a better place. That’s a good thing. But when they only hear a one-sided, very twisted narrative — and are taught not to question but simply accept what they’re being told — they’re easily led astray and eagerly jump aboard the socialism bandwagon.

The Heritage Foundation’s publication cited a quote from Teen Vogue — another media monstrosity that continues to warp young minds: “Teen Vogue goes further, saying, ‘Capitalism takes the position that ‘greed is good,’ while ‘anti-capitalists view capitalism as an inhuman, anti-democratic, unsustainable, deeply exploitative system that must be dismantled.’ Teen Vogue continues, ‘In a capitalist country, the focus is on profits over anything else; in a socialist country, the public is seen to be more important, and social welfare is a major priority.'”

The Heritage Foundation report states: “Socialists rarely talk about actually existing Socialist countries or their historical record. They compare real ‘capitalism’ to fake socialism. In this socialist utopian vision, the only way to live a fulfilled, connected life and to take care of your neighbor is to share all things with them equally. Those who support free enterprise are painted as selfish, isolated, and uncaring. When those are the two options that young people are presented with for the future of America, it’s no wonder so many have heeded the siren call of socialism.”

I’d encourage you to seek out this publication from the Heritage Foundation and share it with young people in need. But here, briefly, are the nine points they cover:

First, socialism directly opposes the American Dream. While the marketing experts pushing this promise that socialism will create equal outcomes for everyone through government redistribution of income or wealth, it actually creates inequality. The American Dream is about rewarding those who work hard, take risks and defer short-term pleasure (for example, “free stuff for all”) in order to better themselves and their families.

Second, politicians in power make your most important decisions for you. It forces people to behave as government demands. Politicians and bureaucrats make all the rules, and the people must obey.

Third, freedom of choice is severely limited or eliminated. In socialism, government decides where you go to school, the curriculum in the schools, and jobs or careers are dictated by the bureaucrats.

Fourth, under socialism, all suffer equally. Here’s a FACT for you: “Mild Socialism lowers the public’s standard of living, and when it’s seriously implemented, it always leads to mass poverty and deprivation. It’s never led to greater prosperity.” We need only look at the history of countries like the Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba to see that socialism has left nothing but disaster in its wake. EVERY SINGLE TIME it’s been tried, it has failed. It ensures mass poverty.

Fifth, if everyone owns the resources, nobody truly owns them. It encourages greed and wastefulness while killing the idea of personal responsibility. No one has any incentive to be a good steward or protect what they have.

Sixth, robbing Peter to pay Paul is morally wrong. Of course, one of the first things they teach kids in public schools and colleges today is that there ARE NO moral absolutes. But remember, benevolence, charity and compassion are VIRTUES when they involve giving of one’s self to another. But this is eliminated when the people are FORCED to “give” by government. It also takes away our ability to instill these virtues into our own children. Again, it encourages greed while eliminating the idea of personal responsibility.

Seventh, power is consolidated within the government. Socialism gives the government “god” status — they take control of every aspect of your life and confiscate your hard-earned resources. It’s not the PEOPLE that decide what’s best; it’s the government bureaucrats. These government leaders also suppress relationships formed in churches, schools, charities and civic organizations while censoring and silencing free speech and ideas that do not conform with the State’s agenda. Under socialism, even one’s own THOUGHTS become crimes.

Eighth, the government controls everything you see, hear or think about. It controls the media, and you’re only allowed to know — or think — what they want you to know or think. The freedom of speech is an unalienable right of American citizens. But under socialism, anyone with “free thoughts” running counter to what the government declares is “best” for the people is seen as a threat that must be severely punished or eliminated.

And finally, socialism creates dependence instead of freedom. Socialism destroys peoples’ drive to be self-sufficient. When you can’t make your own choices, can’t ever work to improve your lot in life, can’t speak your mind and can’t follow your dreams, you have no choice but to fall into the corrosive lethargy of dependence. The Almighty State commands, AND YOU OBEY…or else! You look to the government for your every need, and you dutifully OBEY that government in order to make sure you get what you need.

While being brainwashed their entire lives in government schools and colleges to accept and demand socialism, our young people are also being taught that America is a democracy. This is deliberate and is intentionally being done to create a specific outcome: obedience to a new One-World Government. Further, they “soften” the terminology now, calling it “Democratic Socialism,” which gives the impression that the people have more power. In the 1960s — and beyond — the cry was for “Power to the People.”

But this never happens under socialism (which, by the way, always leads to Communism), and anyone doing even ten minutes of research can easily see how socialist countries have extreme disparity between class levels — the government bureaucrats become filthy rich, while the CITIZENS live in utter poverty, have absolutely no rights, and are not allowed to have any contrary opinions about anything. “Thought crimes” are punishable by death.

To illustrate how far we’ve come on the slippery slope toward Globalism, we’ve all seen the violent marches and riots in recent months and years — mostly by high school and college-age young people. Their chant is often “THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.” That MAY be the only thing they’re getting right. That IS, indeed, what “democracy” looks like. “Democracy” has been described as two wolves and a chicken deciding what to have for dinner. It’s mob rule — but remember, the “mob” is never allowed to “rule” under socialism.

Such uprisings, as we’ve seen here in America lately would be quickly put down under socialism. And unlike here, where police are ordered to “stand down” under socialism, anyone taking part in such marches or riots are immediately imprisoned, sent to hard labor camps for “re-education” or simply put to death.

And “Democracy” is NOT what our Founding Fathers set up for us either. They gave us a Constitutional Representative Republic, where the will of the people is supposed to be carried out by our public servants and representatives. But the people are now deceived into believing the delusion that “Democracy” will give “power to the people,” and that socialism will bring about equality for all. So many are just CLUELESS.

Meanwhile, our Constitutional Representative Republic is now on life support, and our nation’s capital has become a swamp full of opportunists, shady backroom deals and lawlessness. No longer do we have equal justice under the law.

The ideals of our Founding Fathers have been smirked at and scoffed at, our Constitution ignored, and those charged with representing US have taken more than their “thirty pieces of silver” to line their own pockets at the expense of their country. This is treason, but lawlessness abounds and truth has fallen in the streets.

The enemy of our souls has been working hard to destroy the minds of our young people for generations, and now those “young people” are the ones in charge. America is at a tipping point. History will record these days we’re living in as either the time when patriots rose up to take their country back, fathers rose up to love, teach and discipline their children, teaching them, again, the fear of God, and the natural family was restored, thereby rebuilding the foundation for a civilized, freedom-loving country; OR these days will be recorded as the time the Globalists won their greatest victory, bringing about totalitarian rule and enslaving us all.

I guess the future is up to us — but it may not be for long. I pray that by God’s mercy and grace, He will yet pour out His Holy Spirit on the faithful few, giving them the courage to strengthen the things that remain.

www.WisconsinChristianNews.com

The Gospel According to Luke: Part 54 :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

An Exposition

Luke 19:28-34: “All Creatures Great and Small”

“And after He had said these things, He was going on ahead, ascending to Jerusalem. And it came about that when He approached Bethpage and Bethany, near the town that is called Olivet, He sent two of His disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village opposite you in which you enter. You will find a colt tied, on which one has never sat. Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ Then you shall speak, ‘The LORD has need of it.’ And those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ And they said, ‘The LORD has need of it.’ And they bought it to Jesus, and they threw their garments on the colt, and put Jesus on it” (Luke 19:28-34, NASB).

A few months ago, I wrote an article where I confessed that I am not, by nature, an overly emotional person, and I tend to keep my feelings in check. An exception to this would be to watch any movie or TV show that depicts animals in peril or facing their demise due to some accident or natural causes. I am not so much affected by so-called “reality” shows like those seen on Animal Planet but am referring to those shows that were a part of days gone by.

Those of you who were a part of the “Baby Boomer” period probably watched or heard of the weekly drama Lassie about a collie that gets caught up in several tense scenes and situations, and would rescue other animals or people in some kind of distress or immediate peril. I normally did not find interest in this type of show as a child but decided to watch it one night. Big mistake. The episode had a scene where a kitten was caught in a barn that was on fire, and on hearing the kitten’s cries, Lassie bravely ran in, found the little furball, and brought him out right before everything went down in flames.

My tears started flowing. Dad reassured me that everything was planned, rehearsed, and that no one would be hurt, and besides, Lassie and the kitten were safe and sound, back at home, and the end theme would play as the credits rolled by. After a few minutes, I calmed down, and we went to the local ice cream parlor to drown my sorrows in a sundae. It was a win-win for everyone.

Fast forward a couple of years later, and I was watching the CBS Saturday Morning Special about a boy in the ghettos of Chicago who adopts a stray cat and puts together a makeshift shelter for it with parts from an old stove, and takes care of the cat every day before and after he goes to school. The cat was a “friend” for the boy, and it helped teach him the importance of responsibility and affection. But, while crossing the street to meet the boy, who is coming home from school, the cat is hit by a car, and you can guess my reaction when this unexpectedly happened (the accident was off screen, thank heavens).

I lost it totally. Mom had just returned from the grocery store, found out what happened, and again, I was reassured that it was a story that she said I really did not need to be watching in the first place because it involved an animal in trouble, and she knew that I would break down as sure as anything. I had to face the fact that these types of shows could not be a part of my TV viewing ever, and that suited me fine. As the years passed, my viewing interests focused on intellectual and challenging features such as Charlie’s Angels, Rocky, and Star Wars, and all was right with the world so far.

I discovered a humorous way of looking at the issue when I watched the Bill Murray film entitled Stripes (1981). I was travelling home from Dubai where I had been working for over a year and saw it in a theater in Singapore, where the bad language and questionable scenes had been cut out by the government censors. One scene shows Bill Murray’s character, an Army recruit who takes the responsibility of training the men in his platoon after they had lost their drill instructor in an accident. He asked the men a question to test their emotional character and empathy towards others. He asked them whether they had ever seen Old Yeller and if they cried when the dog died. After some hesitancy, they all raised their hands, and this scene concluded with the platoon determined to be as one and watch out for each other during the training.

The way that he had asked the question was a unique method of showing the importance of teamwork and success. I have used this story in sermon illustrations and as a tool for witnessing. So far, everything is good, right?

Years later, I decided to take a few deep breaths and watch a scene of Old Yeller that was on YouTube, when his teenaged owner had to put the dog down due to rabies. The mother offered to do the unpleasant task and save the boy the pain, but he said, “No, Momma. I will do it. He’s my dog.” I turned it off at that point. I did not cry, but I knew this movie was not going to be part of my collection any time soon.

I did veer from this pattern the year I got married, and at our first Christmas together as a newlywed couple, Cathy and I decided to watch a movie entitled The Juggler of Notre Dame. If you have ever seen it at any time in your life, you know that you need to have a case of tissues handy. No animals were needed in the making of that picture because the main characters went through enough hardship to cause the tears to flow.

I am blessed to have a tender heart towards these creations of God and the plights in which some find themselves at times. My pastoral concern for the welfare and treatment of children and the down and out of society in my years of hospital and rescue mission work helped me to be more empathetic and caring in a world where cruelty, anger, and pure barbarism seem to be the normal pattern of societal behavior today. This world we inhabit now is no different from that in which Jesus arrived to fulfill His mission to redeem us from our sins that have brought about the moral freefall and the hell to follow. The debauchery that was the Roman Empire is an undisputed example of outward glory and inward rot in the realms of the ancient world.

Roman rule and culture had a mix of nobility and abject cruelty towards subjects and beasts alike. History tells of the slaughter of numerous wild and exotic animals by gladiators for the amusement of the citizens. Coliseum and arena floors ran red with the blood of man and beast. Pack animals, such as donkeys and oxen, were often overloaded with goods to the point where many animals simply dropped dead from exhaustion and overwork and were left on the roads for the carrion to eat, along with the bodies of crucified criminals on crosses throughout the Empire’s main thoroughfares.

Animals were viewed and treated as mere beasts of burden, and not as a pet or household companion in most areas of the Empire. Paganism and its fruits bore no real affection or care for the animal kingdom, but Scripture presents them as unique and special creations of God, designed for specific needs in the land of Israel and for the benefit of the people.

The Scriptures describe both domesticated and wild animals (2 Samuel 12:3), and as clean and unclean as it pertains to sacrifices before God for atonement of sins by the people (Exodus 12:3-14; Leviticus 11:1-31, 16: 3, 5; Deut. 14:1-20). God decreed that humanity would have dominion over the animals and be responsible for their care and well-being (Genesis 1:26, 2:19, 9:2; Exodus 23:5; Deut.22:6; Job 5:22; Psalm 8:6, 91:13; Jer. 27:6; Matt.12:11; Luke 13:15, 14:5; Heb. 2:8). Cruelty, exploitation, neglect, and abandonment of animals was a sin often punished by restitution of the offender towards the owner (Lev. 24:18, 21), and in some cases, death of the offender.

This shows us that every individual and animal life is precious, valuable, and of worth and purpose in this world. Every creature has a reason for its existence, and a preconceived role in the story of history. God takes a very high view of life, and we have got a lot of gall to believe in the superiority of our self-centered, vile, puny, and depraved conceptions of what is and is not fit to live or exist and that we should have precedence over the decrees of the Sovereign LORD who holds the lives of us all in His hands. Scripture teaches us that He will use the beasts of the field to kill the unrepentant wicked who are living during the time of the promised Tribulation (Revelation 6:8).

If nothing else, this verse alone should encourage those folks who support animal rescue charities like the ASCPA and PETA (the organization, not the bread) to start reading the Bible and discover the One who gave us the animals in the first place. Just a thought.

The specific verses that we are covering in this study of Luke center on the need and use of a colt, unridden and tied, unaware of the role it will play as Jesus enters Jerusalem as decreed by the prophet Zechariah: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech.9:9). The colt had no knowledge of what was to come.

He heard no loud cry or declaration from the heavens, as some think we need in order to get a clear sign from God to do anything instead of praying and reading the Word for guidance. This animal, born and bred for domestic use, had no sense of call, rational thought, logical idea, or redemptive soul. He was simply a creature of God used for a divine purpose by just being at the right place; and that is just as significant and important as when we are being trained and available for a service or task when needed.

The fire fighter, for example, has the equipment, skills, knowledge and strength to do the job he has signed up to do at a moment’s notice. The spotted dalmatian pup hanging around the firehouse does not know the first thing about fire safety and procedure, but he is still useful as a mascot, support animal and familiar symbol of what is noble and courageous about the fire and rescue profession.

Support animals and our pets do not know how to fill out forms, or negotiate deals, or handle weapons and tools, or present ideas, but their worth is priceless when you look at a therapy dog by the side of a veteran who has seen more hell than we could ever imagine; or a police dog comforting a child who has just witnessed a family tragedy by letting its head be scratched; or a content cat sitting in the lap of a lonely senior adult giving companionship and comfort to them when no one seems to be around; or when you and your family gather to say goodbye to a pet who was part of the family for years, then you and I both know that God’s love is visibly demonstrated in those acts of affection and devotion found in that special friend which is all too often absent in us.

That colt Jesus rode was born and used for something great, specifically to be the symbol of the conquering king, triumphant over sin, death, hell, and the grave. After it was all over, the owners probably came to get the colt and take it back home. It would not be an eyewitness to the resurrection, nor able to preach the gospel as the apostles did and as we need to do today while the daylight is still here, but guess what? This anonymous beast was just as significant and needed as we are. Who knows? The same Lord Jesus Christ who will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” will more than likely say it to that colt and to every animal who has been a source of comfort, labor, sacrifice, and perhaps did nothing more than wag a tail or purr softly and bring peace to a troubled heart or helped wipe away a tear.

That is a happy ending for all creatures great and small, for the LORD God indeed made them all, and for that I say, Amen.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.donaldwhitchard.com