The Church - Targeted for Destruction
In the past weeks we have focused upon the impact that the Cancel Culture Movement has had upon the depictions of America's past. Statues of Confederate Civil War generals have been targeted - some have been destroyed, others removed. Christopher Columbus has also been targeted because he was responsible for the destruction of the indigenous American Indians through the introduction of European sicknesses and conquest. Recently Andrew Jackson's statue in Lafayette Park in Washington DC has come under assault; the seventh President of the United States not only owned slaves, but also was instrumental in the removal of American Indians to reservations west of the Mississippi River. Of course, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are targeted because, as everyone knows, they owned slaves - never mind that Washington and Jefferson were part of the foundation upon which the greatest nation in the world was created.
But the radical Leftist mobs are not satisfied with the canceling of American history, they also want to destroy America's religious heritage as well. Shawn King, an avowed supporter of the Black Lives Movement, recently stated: "Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down." (www.theepochtimes.com/some-activists-call-for-toppling-of-jesus-statues-amid-unrest_3400160.html.) He later added this: "All murals and stained glass windows of white Jesus, and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down. They are a gross form of white supremacy. Created as tools of oppression. Racist propaganda. They should all come down."
In response to Mr. King, columnist Andrea Peyser wrote: 'Biblical figures have long been represented by images that resemble the artist's own community. So in Ethiopia, Jesus has been depicted as black for more than 1,500 years. In the Far East, works showing Jesus as Asian can be found. There's nothing to stop artists from creating new works depicting Jesus however they wish." (www.patriotpost.us/articles/71744-coming-for-christ-2020-06-29.) The author of this article, Arnold Ahlert, writes: "That's not good enough for a mob that does not wish to compete on the battlefield of ideas, culture, or religious sensibilities. Their agenda is about the acquisition and maintenance of absolute power - by any means necessary. Thus, attacking one of the few bastions of conservatism that hasn't been completely defiled by capitulation to 'woke' sensibilities is an absolute necessity. ... Thus, an army of wannabe fascist enforcers is displaying an animus that abounds in the history of totalitarian takeovers. 'Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries have always hated Christianity because it elevates truth and offers a moral authority beyond politics,' columnist Lloyd Billingsley explains."
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee stated, "Our fundamental rights don't come from the government because if government gives them, government can take them. They come from God, and we created a government unlike any that's ever been, whose sole purpose was to protect those God-given rights so that we could live in our personal, individual liberty." (from above quoted article). Mr. Ahlert continues, "Because that immutable reality represents an existential threat to the progressive agenda, the onslaught won't stop with white Jesus or other religious statues. In Salinas, California, evangelical Christian church New Harvest is being forced to sell its downtown property because a city ordinance bans houses of worship from occupying the first floor of downtown buildings. A federal court in the San Francisco Bay Area recently sided with the city, ruling that churches generate limited interest, do not draw tourists, and therefore detract from the city's stated aim to 'establish a pedestrian-friendly, active and vibrant Main Street.'" Friends, I believe we are just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Christian churches becoming targets.
Allow me to share another story. This time it comes from Birmingham, Alabama. Pastor Chris Hodges, pastor of the Church of the Highlands, was simply scrolling through his Twitter feed and made a few "like" clicks to several Tweets. Little did he know that those "likes" would cost his church dearly. As Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, explains in an article posted at: www.prophecynewswatch.com/articles, "A local English teacher decided to catalogue Hodges's 'likes' and share them with the press. Little did anyone know, it would be the beginning of the end of the church's services at two local high schools. On Tuesday night, members [Birmingham Board of Education] voted to abruptly terminate the church's lease - ending a six-year relationship that brought the city almost a million dollars in revenue. Thanks to this ridiculous complaint, Parker and Woodlawn High Schools will no longer be home to a diverse congregation of 60,000. But unfortunately for the needy people of Alabama, that's just the beginning. Because of this manufactured controversy, the church's Christ Health Clinic will also be banned from operating, according to the Birmingham Housing Authority, who also decided Monday to ban volunteer workers. Starting immediately, the church is banned from the city's public housing communities. That means no more free COVID testing, no more free mentoring, health, or social service ministry - all because Pastor Chris dared to do what millions of Americans do every day: engage on social media." Now I know why I very seldom click on a "like" button when I am on social media.
One final news worthy attack upon Christianity also was posted at: www.prophecynewswatch.com/article. It was written by Michael Brown with the following headlines: "Social Media War on Christian Content - Worship Now Deemed 'Harmful'." I know what you are saying, "You have to be kidding!" Friends, I wish I were. "Sean Feucht is a worship leader and songwriter who recently ran for political office in California. He is also a conservative Christian. On June 23 he tweeted, 'This is what we've come to in America! Instagram is now classifying my WORSHIP videos as 'harmful or false information.' Religious Liberty? Freedom of Speech? Big Tech censorship?' Included in the tweet was a screenshot from Instagram, explaining that the company had removed his video post because it was violation of Community Standards. Specifically, Instagram stated, "Story removed for harmful or false information."
The attacks against the Church, especially the evangelical Church, are becoming more frequent and bolder. It is part of the agenda to destroy one of the last pillars that has given support to Western civilization: the Judeo-Christian theology and philosophy. There can be no one-world global dominance until the Church is destroyed or, at least weakened, so that it is no longer a threat. I believe that as we move closer to the coming of Jesus, we will see increased attacks upon the Church. What will be the Church's response? To put on the full armor of God and stand strong in the face of the attack, or to surrender?
But the radical Leftist mobs are not satisfied with the canceling of American history, they also want to destroy America's religious heritage as well. Shawn King, an avowed supporter of the Black Lives Movement, recently stated: "Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down." (www.theepochtimes.com/some-activists-call-for-toppling-of-jesus-statues-amid-unrest_3400160.html.) He later added this: "All murals and stained glass windows of white Jesus, and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down. They are a gross form of white supremacy. Created as tools of oppression. Racist propaganda. They should all come down."
In response to Mr. King, columnist Andrea Peyser wrote: 'Biblical figures have long been represented by images that resemble the artist's own community. So in Ethiopia, Jesus has been depicted as black for more than 1,500 years. In the Far East, works showing Jesus as Asian can be found. There's nothing to stop artists from creating new works depicting Jesus however they wish." (www.patriotpost.us/articles/71744-coming-for-christ-2020-06-29.) The author of this article, Arnold Ahlert, writes: "That's not good enough for a mob that does not wish to compete on the battlefield of ideas, culture, or religious sensibilities. Their agenda is about the acquisition and maintenance of absolute power - by any means necessary. Thus, attacking one of the few bastions of conservatism that hasn't been completely defiled by capitulation to 'woke' sensibilities is an absolute necessity. ... Thus, an army of wannabe fascist enforcers is displaying an animus that abounds in the history of totalitarian takeovers. 'Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries have always hated Christianity because it elevates truth and offers a moral authority beyond politics,' columnist Lloyd Billingsley explains."
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee stated, "Our fundamental rights don't come from the government because if government gives them, government can take them. They come from God, and we created a government unlike any that's ever been, whose sole purpose was to protect those God-given rights so that we could live in our personal, individual liberty." (from above quoted article). Mr. Ahlert continues, "Because that immutable reality represents an existential threat to the progressive agenda, the onslaught won't stop with white Jesus or other religious statues. In Salinas, California, evangelical Christian church New Harvest is being forced to sell its downtown property because a city ordinance bans houses of worship from occupying the first floor of downtown buildings. A federal court in the San Francisco Bay Area recently sided with the city, ruling that churches generate limited interest, do not draw tourists, and therefore detract from the city's stated aim to 'establish a pedestrian-friendly, active and vibrant Main Street.'" Friends, I believe we are just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Christian churches becoming targets.
Allow me to share another story. This time it comes from Birmingham, Alabama. Pastor Chris Hodges, pastor of the Church of the Highlands, was simply scrolling through his Twitter feed and made a few "like" clicks to several Tweets. Little did he know that those "likes" would cost his church dearly. As Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, explains in an article posted at: www.prophecynewswatch.com/articles, "A local English teacher decided to catalogue Hodges's 'likes' and share them with the press. Little did anyone know, it would be the beginning of the end of the church's services at two local high schools. On Tuesday night, members [Birmingham Board of Education] voted to abruptly terminate the church's lease - ending a six-year relationship that brought the city almost a million dollars in revenue. Thanks to this ridiculous complaint, Parker and Woodlawn High Schools will no longer be home to a diverse congregation of 60,000. But unfortunately for the needy people of Alabama, that's just the beginning. Because of this manufactured controversy, the church's Christ Health Clinic will also be banned from operating, according to the Birmingham Housing Authority, who also decided Monday to ban volunteer workers. Starting immediately, the church is banned from the city's public housing communities. That means no more free COVID testing, no more free mentoring, health, or social service ministry - all because Pastor Chris dared to do what millions of Americans do every day: engage on social media." Now I know why I very seldom click on a "like" button when I am on social media.
One final news worthy attack upon Christianity also was posted at: www.prophecynewswatch.com/article. It was written by Michael Brown with the following headlines: "Social Media War on Christian Content - Worship Now Deemed 'Harmful'." I know what you are saying, "You have to be kidding!" Friends, I wish I were. "Sean Feucht is a worship leader and songwriter who recently ran for political office in California. He is also a conservative Christian. On June 23 he tweeted, 'This is what we've come to in America! Instagram is now classifying my WORSHIP videos as 'harmful or false information.' Religious Liberty? Freedom of Speech? Big Tech censorship?' Included in the tweet was a screenshot from Instagram, explaining that the company had removed his video post because it was violation of Community Standards. Specifically, Instagram stated, "Story removed for harmful or false information."
The attacks against the Church, especially the evangelical Church, are becoming more frequent and bolder. It is part of the agenda to destroy one of the last pillars that has given support to Western civilization: the Judeo-Christian theology and philosophy. There can be no one-world global dominance until the Church is destroyed or, at least weakened, so that it is no longer a threat. I believe that as we move closer to the coming of Jesus, we will see increased attacks upon the Church. What will be the Church's response? To put on the full armor of God and stand strong in the face of the attack, or to surrender?
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