This is the July cover for Vanity Fair magazine. That is a man.
Bruce Jenner is nuts. He's obviously deranged. His personal madness, however, is nothing compared to what this story signifies about our society.
I have lived, as a "professional Christian," what I imagine it must feel like in the early stages of a demonic possession. In 2013 I wrote the following:
I feel to the marrow of my bones the collapse of reason in the nation I was raised to love more than life itself (that's called patriotism), and it makes me numb. A friend describes this feeling as snake venom. We are all being forced to confront in our hearts and minds the effect of a poisonous infusion.I started fighting the “gay” movement in the late 1980s here in Maine.The Christian Civic League of Maine — the group I led from 1994 to 2009 — decided in the late 1980’s that the “gay” push would succeed in Maine’s legislature.During the twenty five years that I committed myself to the fight, the devil never quit advancing on every front open to him.My board of directors decided, as a political matter, that we had a better chance of winning if we could take the issues to the people in statewide referendums, bypassing the legislature. We argued the matter successfully in statewide voting from 1990 until 2005, prevailing in many single issue contests.However, our victories came at great cost to the small evangelical movement in Maine. After years of faithful and sacrificial political work gathering signatures, distributing literature, and making phone calls, the resistance collapsed and the homosexual movement succeeded in enacting much of their agenda.While individuals within the Republican Party and Roman Catholic Church fought nobly, the institutions themselves never fully dedicated themselves to the fight. Only one institution did so: The Christian Civic League of Maine.Leaders of evangelical churches started finding every excuse they could to distance themselves from this fight in 2002, after we won our second statewide vote on the issue. Even though we prevailed in that contest the price that church leadership was being forced to pay by a softening “electorate” in the pews was starting to weaken the resolve of the League.Now, there is barely any resistance left in Maine. The League lost many of its dedicated fighters, and the homosexual lobby — which completely controls the State House — is focusing its attack on Maine’s public schools.Culture is more powerful than politics. Christianity surrendered the culture a long time ago.It was only a matter of time before politics would collapse into unreason.And, make no mistake, all sex outside of marriage is unreasonable as a political matter. Societies that create and uphold sacred rules governing sexual activity succeed and prosper. Societies weaken and collapse if they don’t.
Jesus Christ is the antidote. America needs an exorcism.
I preached on Sunday. I opened with a quote by President Theodore Roosevelt. He said, "We cannot rise to any true level of greatness, unless that greatness is based on a high and brave type of spiritual
life."
Courage is often measured by our capacity to choose suffering over security, safety and all money's promises. Jesus observed that you cannot serve both God and money.
MassResistance pointed out in a recent analysis of Ireland's collapse into sexual deviance, "The LGBT movement's biggest triumph has been their ability to cut off the money supply to frontline pro-family groups. The millionaires and billionaires ostensibly on our side could easily donate many times the money necessary to fight this effectively. But they have virtually all become emasculated by fear of the 'gay mafia'. It’s quite pathetic to see, and it has had terrible consequences. So we need to create new methods of funding. Average people are becoming more important than ever."
I experienced this firsthand.
During all the years I led this fight in Maine I had only two reliable donors who could be counted on for gifts of ten thousand dollars or more.
Two.
Nothing I said or did over three decades of very publicly ministering for common sense on sexuality and morality caused another stable funding source to emerge. And I never experienced a reliable year-over-year rise in support from what MassResistance calls "average people."
The support from regular folk stayed steady until 2009 when I resigned. I don't know what the support looks like at the Christian Civic League today. I do know that their work has been republicanized. They take their marching orders from Maine's Republican Governor.
I won't. But I love to support him when I can.
John reports Jesus saying:
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.A christianity that has no capacity to suffer for truth telling isn't Christian. Persecution is the mother's milk of Christianity. The symbol of our faith isn't a sword. The cross is at the heart of what we preach and live.
Cindy Jacobs writes hopefully:
I hope she is right. I haven't seen evidence of "millennials taking the field." In my orbit I see more evidence of them following evangelicalism's pied piper of deviance, Alan Chambers.Pastors will be increasingly pressured by out-of-control courts to preach only part of the Word; some will stand before the courts of the nation as a result. However, this will wake up the church to her finest days as she finds her voice in the governmental arena once again.Threats from all types of radical extremist groups will be posed against Christian leaders, resulting in a shifting and sifting of hearts as some will compromise to avoid persecution.Those who do not compromise, though, will find their churches aflame with the power of the Holy Spirit as the new "not ashamed" generation of millennials takes the field.Colleges and universities will experience major moves of God. Even now, we are in the beginning stages of the next Great Awakening. Prayer is being mobilized on college campuses, and young revivalists are preaching across the land.God does not reveal these things to cause us fear or discouragement; rather, He invites us to partner with Him as He fulfills His purpose for our nation. Let the warnings move you to pray, and let the promises move you to hope.
In 2005 Maine voted for the gazillionith time on sodomy. I experienced the softening of our strategy that year. A program called "Love Won Out" gained prominence in evangelicalism's political resistance. I found their message to be nauseating it was so devoid of any notion of God's justice and truth.
In a few short years that movement collapsed as Exodus International was forced to close.
Now I'm leading an assault on the heavenlies with my friend Coach Dave Daubenmire. A few weeks ago he called on his Salt and Light Brigade to focus their prayers on the Supreme Court. Coach believes America's highest court is the target for now. I agree. Their decision on sodomy based mirage is expected as early as the end of this month.
Paulie and I will drive to D.C. for his Solemn Assembly in two weeks. You should join with us in prayer during that afternoon. And, if you cannot go, you can make it possible for us to go by making a donation to our ministry.
