Collateral damage from lockdowns ‘is extraordinary’

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“I think there’s reason to believe that this disease turned out, outside of certain populations, not to be nearly as severe and dangerous as we thought and certainly the death rates I think will end up reflecting that,”

(WND)  The case for continuing the lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic is getting “weaker and weaker,” contends Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume.

The “collateral damage from it is extraordinary,” he said in an interview Tuesday night with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum. Continue reading →

Pandemic Is But One of America’s Security Concerns

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“China, however, will not meekly accept its new reduced post-viral status. Instead, it will act even more provocatively and desperately than ever. … Rumors have spread that China may be conducting nuclear tests in violation of zero-yield global agreements. If true, it reminds us that our adversaries are most dangerous when cornered and wounded.”

(Victor Davis Hanson – National Review)  The world was a dangerous place before — and will be after — the coronavirus pandemic.

While Americans debate the proper ongoing response to the virus and argue over the infection’s origins, nature and trajectory, they may have tuned out other, often just as scary, news. Continue reading →

America open for business: States including Texas, Ohio and Illinois begin relaxing coronavirus lockdown rules

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“While the likes of Georgia and Tennessee began relaxing rules earlier this week, these states are following suit as of today.”

(Chris Irvine – Fox News)  America is slowly but surely reopening for business.

The start of May sees more than half a dozen states relax lockdown measures that were imposed as the coronavirus pandemic began spiralling out of control on U.S. soil. As of Friday morning, the U.S. has seen more than a million coronavirus cases and more than 63,000 deaths. Continue reading →

Strange Fire

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Leviticus 10:1-2 (NASB) 

9 But you are A chosen race, A royal priesthood, A holy nation, A people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NASB) 

Until 2004 I could not stand to read some Old Testament books such as Leviticus and Job. I would read them only to find my mind wandering off in all directions. It was frustrating…. Continue reading →

False Prophets Exposed: Why Modern-Day prophets Never Saw This Pandemic Coming

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“I could go on with so many more face-plants by charismatics. So again, why didn’t their “prophets” know this was about to happen? The biblical answer is much simpler and more excoriating than Dr. [Michael] Brown’s answer. The reason modern-day apostles and prophets didn’t see this coming is because there are no modern-day apostles and prophets. No faith-healer is miraculously clearing out the COVID-19 wards or even daring to set foot in one because there is no such thing as a faith-healer.”

(Gabriel Hughes – The Midwestern Baptist)  Self-proclaimed apostle Chuck Pierce claimed that there would be a “shift” in the pandemic by the end of the Passover season. Self-proclaimed prophet Tracy Cooke also said that by April 16, “the blood of Jesus” would cause the “plague to pass over.”… Continue reading →

David Jeremiah Returns Triumphant to NRB Despite Questionable Financial Dealings

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“These twin resignations meant it is likely many leaders in the evangelical world knew of Jeremiah’s activities – and remained silent.  The reason for their silence is simple enough to understand:  It is in not in the interest of either Christian broadcasters or publishers to speak up.  Book publishers are obvious beneficiaries of these retail book sales.  In 2017…Turning Point spent $10.4-million on ‘product fulfillment,’ which is the cost of books and other materials sent to donors.”

(Warren Cole Smith – Ministry Watch)  On the evening of Feb. 28, on the final night of the annual meeting of the National Religious Broadcasters at Nashville’s Opryland Hotel and Conference Center, one of religious broadcasting’s best-known figures, David Jeremiah, took the stage as a conquering hero. Continue reading →

Trump blasts ‘scam’ against Flynn as FBI files raise questions about future of case

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“The president’s comments come as internal FBI documents were unsealed Wednesday, revealing that top bureau officials openly questioned if their “goal” was “to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired,” when interviewing Flynn in the White House in January 2017.”

(Brooke Singman – Fox News) President Trump blasted what he called the “scam” against Michael Flynn as newly released FBI files revealed agents discussing their motivations for interviewing the former national security adviser — in turn, raising serious questions about the future of the case against him. Continue reading →

Soli Deo Gloria

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NASB) 

11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:11 (NASB)  Continue reading →

Warning about ‘The Bible Project’

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“As Hughes makes clear, The Bible Project, despite many wonderful videos, is not to be recommended. Omit propitiation and you have a different doctrine of the atonement. A different atonement means a different Jesus.”

(John Lanagan – The Word Like Fire)  “Hell–or evil or sin, the various names it’s called in the Bible–is something that humans have created.” — Tim Mackie, creator of The Bible Project (9:35 in video)

Huh? Continue reading →

Amazon, FedEx, Walmart Workers Plan To Walk Out On Friday, Demanding Hazard Pay, Better Working Conditions

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“While we respect people’s right to express themselves, we object to the irresponsible actions of labor groups in spreading misinformation and making false claims about Amazon during this unprecedented health and economic crisis.” 

(Ashe Schow – Daily Wire) Workers from major companies including Amazon, FedEx, Walmart, and others are planning to walk out on Friday over a lack of health and safety standards. They’re also demanding hazard pay for having to work during the coronavirus lockdown. Continue reading →

Former GOP chair blasts Newsom’s broad stay-at-home order: California too big for ‘one man to try to control’

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“Where do restaurants fall in this plan? It’s not clear and there’s already an estimate that 30 percent to 40 percent of restaurants in California will never reopen.”

(Talia Kaplan – Fox News)  Former chairman of the California Republican Party Tom Del Beccaro pushed back on the state’s stay-at-home order on Wednesday, saying he thinks “things are going to unravel” for Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“California is a big place and treating northern California or the eastern counties the same as L.A. makes no sense,” Del Beccaro said on “Fox & Friends First” on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of rumblings, a lot of lawsuits, a lot of counties that are fighting back.” Continue reading →

Abortion and the Misshaped Conscience of Southern Baptists

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“It is time for Southern Baptists to repent of their complicity in searing the conscience of a nation that has yet to cease the slaughter of unborn innocents. A resolution calling for such repentance was going to be submitted to the 2020 Resolutions Committee of the SBC. Since the convention was cancelled, that will have to wait until next year. But Southern Baptist churches and leaders do not have to wait to take stronger actions to abolish abortion from our nation’s land.”

(Tom Ascol – Founders Ministries)  In 1974, one year after the United States Supreme Court created a law to legalize abortion on demand in the Roe v Wade case, the pop rock duo, Jim Seals and Dash Crofts, released a song called “Unborn Child.” That song damaged their music careers and cost them dearly. Consider the lyrics. Continue reading →

Solus Christus

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Colossians 1:13-18 (NASB) 

As we have seen, Sola Scriptura is essential to genuine Christianity. Sacred Scripture is supreme and authoritative over the Church. It is the only ultimate and infallible authority for faith and practice…. Continue reading →

Prominent Southern Baptist Preacher Says Prayer Gives God Permission to Interfere on Earth

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Correction: Reformation Charlotte changed the title to “Prominent Evangelical Preacher Says Prayer Gives God Permission to Interfere on Earth”

“But since Evans, and his daughter, Priscilla Shirer, are contributors to LifeWay’s Sunday School curriculum, The Gospel Project, it is unlikely that you’re going to hear any prominent Southern Baptist leaders or The Gospel Coalition mention this.”

(Jeff Maples – Reformation Charlotte)  It’s amazing what can pass for Christianity these days and rarely does anyone bat an eye. It’s easy for The Gospel Coalition to (rightfully) point out how drastically false and dangerous the prosperity gospel is. It’s easy to pick on Joel Osteen or Steven Furtick…. Continue reading →

Producers Warn America Is Facing Protein Shortage in Coronavirus Era

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“I’ll tell you why there will be shortages.  Right now there aren’t shortages because there was a supply of meat that was destined for restaurants, and the demand at the restaurants was curtailed when they were shut down. It’s frozen meat, and [restaurants] are repackaging it and diverting that supply to the grocery stores.”

(Penny Star – Breitbart)  Toilet paper was the first product to disappear from retailers’ shelves at the start of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, but the nation’s meat and poultry producers warn the strain on the supply chain could result in shortages and cost increases. Continue reading →

Social distancing guidelines applies to pets, CDC says

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“If infected or suspected to have the virus, the best practice is to have another member of the household take care of your pet, according to the agency. If that’s not possible, you should wear a cloth face covering and wash your hands before and after interacting with them.”

(David Aaro – Fox News) Until we know more about how the coronavirus impacts animals, social distancing guidelines are now being recommended for family pets in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday. Continue reading →

‘Wow, What Is That?’ Pentagon Formally Releases Three UFO Videos

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“Hovering 50 feet above the churn was an aircraft of some kind — whitish — that was around 40 feet long and oval in shape. The craft was jumping around erratically, staying over the wave disturbance but not moving in any specific direction, Commander Fravor said. The disturbance looked like frothy waves and foam, as if the water were boiling.”

(Stephen Green PJ Media)  The Pentagon on Monday approved the release of three “unidentified aerial phenomena” videos taken over the years by U.S. Navy aviators…. Continue reading →

Barr tells federal prosecutors to ‘be on the lookout’ for overly restrictive coronavirus shutdown orders

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“Many policies that would be unthinkable in regular times have become commonplace in recent weeks, and we do not want to unduly interfere with the important efforts of state and local officials to protect the public,  But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis.”

(Ronn Blitzer – Fox News)  Attorney General Bill Barr has instructed federal prosecutors to “be on the lookout” for overly restrictive state and local shutdown orders that may infringe on people’s constitutional rights. Continue reading →

Sola Fide

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

With a gloriously monotonous regularity Paul pits faith off over against all law-keeping as its diametrical opposite as to referent. Whereas the latter relies on the human effort of the law-keeper looking to himself to render satisfaction before God, the former repudiates and looks entirely away from all human effort to the cross work of Jesus Christ, who alone by his sacrificial death rendered satisfaction before God for men.➀ Continue reading →

Red Diaper Babies for All: A Marxist Re-Definition of the Family

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Our culture cannot normalize homosexuality and redefine marriage and family, which it has done in the last few years, without losing the good Creator’s humanizing notions of male and female, and of father and mother and of the natural family. Should this movement succeed, the destiny of our children and grandchildren will be life under a Oneist, godless, totalitarian rule of self-appointed, “all-knowing” communist tyrants, mere sinful human beings, proudly sitting in the place of God, denying his existence in everything they do.

(Peter Jones – truthxchange)  David Horowitz, a “red diaper baby” (that is, raised by Communist parents), as well as a post-diaper, fully-committed, red Marxist student leader at Berkeley in the 1960s, is now an intellectual Jewish agnostic, whose recent book, Dark Agenda: The War to Destroy Christian America, exposes the Left’s hatred of Christianity…. Continue reading →

Harvard Law Professor Wants To Ban Homeschooling Because Christians Do It

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“[I]t’s also important that children grow up exposed to community values, social values, democratic values, ideas about nondiscrimination and tolerance of other people’s viewpoints,” Bartholet asserts, before arguing for a presumptive ban on homeschooling parents, specifically those guilty of not agreeing with tolerant progressives.

(Kelly Marcum – The Federalist) Elizabeth Bartholet, a professor at Harvard Law School, managed to break through the endless COVID-19 news cycle when she was quoted extensively by Harvard Magazine, citing her recently published article: “Homeschooling: Parents Rights Absolutism vs. Child Rights to Education & Protection.” Continue reading →

California Docs Say Lockdown vs. Non-Lockdown ‘Did Not Produce a Statistically Different Number of Deaths’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , , , , ,

Doctors Dan Erickson & Artin Massihi

[…there is no science that says it is safer to go to Costco than it is to go to the small local restaurant for lunch. In the opinion of both doctors, the current guidelines are not based on rational thinking. They also think people should absolutely be spending time outside. Dr. Massihi said keeping people indoors can cause Vitamin D deficiencies which further impact immune function and can cause a depressed mood.”

(Stacey Lennox – PJ Media) Additionally, there is no science that says it is safer to go to Costco than it is to go to the small local restaurant for lunch. In the opinion of both doctors, the current guidelines are not based on rational thinking…. Continue reading →

Sola Scriptura

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NASB)

We affirm that the text of Scripture is to be interpreted by grammatico-historical exegesis, taking account of its literary forms and devices, and that Scripture is to interpret Scripture. We deny the legitimacy and any treatment of the text or quest for sources lying behind it that leads to relativizing, dehistoricizing, or discounting its teaching, or rejecting its claims to authorship. – Article XVIII of The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy October 1978 Continue reading →

Sola Gratia

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)

“Sir, I understand that you are called an Arminian; and I have been sometimes called a Calvinist; and therefore I suppose we are to draw daggers. But before I consent to begin the combat, with your permission I will ask you a few questions…. Pray, Sir, do you feel yourself a depraved creature, so depraved that you would never have thought of turning to God, if God had not first put into your heart?”

“Yes,” says [Wesley], “I do indeed.” Continue reading →