“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)
‘From very ancient times it has been the custom to confirm and guarantee an agreed-on purchase by sealing the contract with a seal that could only be broken by the buyer when he was ready to take possession of his purchase.
The marvelous transaction seen by John at God’s throne in heaven was in reference to this practice. There, only the Lamb is found worthy to open the seven-sealed scroll on which is recorded the title to the whole creation. “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the [scroll], and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood” (Revelation 5:9). The purchase price had been paid on Calvary, and the resurrected Lamb had come to claim His possession.
And we are part of that possession! The price has been paid for our redemption from sin’s bondage, but we have not yet entered on the inheritance which our great Redeemer has promised us. In the meantime, our individual title deed, as it were, has been sealed by none other than the Holy Spirit. He is not only the seal, but also the “earnest”—that is, the down payment, the earnest money—who guarantees the total “redemption of the purchased possession.”
What is happening in the USA is happening all over the Western world. Our politicians have swallowed the CCP Kool Aid and their citizens are paying the price. However, as the Psalmist said in Psalm 121:2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
Sleepy Creepy Joe is not the ELECTED President but he is fraudulently in the office so what can we do? I believe one thing a Bible believing Christian can and should be doing is praying that God will intervene as the USA and the West continue down this path of self destruction. Well, as we pray the ‘…U.S.-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and Taliban leaders posed for pictures inside the presidential palace in Kabul, Old Joe Biden’s handlers published a photo of their own. The White House Twitter account posted a photo of Old Joe sitting alone at a massive conference table at Camp David, with the caption: “This morning, the President and Vice President met with their national security team and senior officials to hear updates on the draw down of our civilian personnel in Afghanistan, evacuations of SIV applicants and other Afghan allies, and the ongoing security situation in Kabul.”
Joe was posed looking pensively at a huge screen on the wall, where various participants in a Zoom meeting could be seen: the vice president as promised, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, various officials of the CIA, the DNI, and other agencies, plus — significantly — “Doha Station.” Biden has been receiving harsh criticism for being AWOL while Afghanistan fell more quickly than anyone in his administration expected, and the photo was apparently issued to fool the rubes into thinking that the great statesman was actually hard at work, ever-vigilant to preserve, protect, and defend the United States of America and its citizens.
What a JOKE!
The White House’s photo and caption, however, inadvertently only put a spotlight on the fact that the withdrawal from Afghanistan has been catastrophically mishandled. As the Taliban held a press conference from the presidential palace in Kabul just five weeks after Old Joe denied that “a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan” was “now inevitable” and insisted that it was “not true” that the Afghan government would “likely collapse,” the White House spoke blandly about Biden and Harris hearing “updates on the draw down of our civilian personnel in Afghanistan.”
It’s not a “draw down,” it’s a rout, and everyone knows it – everyone, that is, with the possible exception of Old Joe, sitting alone at his huge conference table, pretending to be briefed about this disaster and simultaneously pretending that it isn’t a disaster.
The photo also highlighted how useless Biden really is. It was supposed to show how he is still in charge of the situation even while “vacationing” at Camp David, but the fact that it is all that we have seen of him while the Taliban rapidly overran all of Afghanistan that was not already under its control only highlights the fact that where Biden is and what he is doing really doesn’t matter much in terms of the direction of United States foreign (or domestic) policy. The people who are running this administration continue to run it whether he is in Washington or Wilmington or Camp David. They bring him out for a press conference in which he takes only carefully scripted questions, or pose him for a photo-op now and again, but it’s all just for appearances.’https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/08/as-kabul-falls-joe-biden-poses-for-a-photo-op
“O foolish Galatians,who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” (Galatians 3:1)
‘The Greek word for “bewitched” is used only this once in the New Testament and does not necessarily refer to witchcraft as such. The connotation is “fascinated” or “deceived.” Unlike most of his other epistles, the book of Galatians includes no commendations from Paul, nor even any prayer requests. Paul evidently was very disappointed in this church and its ministry.
He had clearly preached the gospel to them, setting forth “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2) among them, and they had apparently believed and started out well. They seemed to understand the great doctrines of salvation by grace and of liberty in Christ, and it was hard for Paul to understand how they had been so quickly led astray.
If anything, this is even a greater problem today than in Paul’s day. Professing Christians are being “tossed to and fro… with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14)—not only with legalism (as in Galatia) but also with evolutionism, hedonism, emotionalism, materialism, and many other unscriptural heresies. Many who profess to be Christians have, like the Galatians, been “bewitched” by clever persuasion and peer pressure into such deceptions.
“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” (Romans 9:20)
‘Whenever one begins a question with “why,” he should realize that the answer must necessarily be theological, not scientific. Science can deal with the questions of “what” and “how,” sometimes even with “where” and “when,” but never with “why”! The “why” questions have to do with motives and purposes, even when dealing with natural phenomena. (“Why does the earth rotate on its axis?” “Why do we have mosquitoes?”) Even though we can partially explain such things by secondary causes, we finally encounter a “first cause,” and then the “why?” can be answered only by God.
The wise thing to do is simply to believe that He has good reasons for everything, whether we can discern them now or not. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). God the Creator “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11), and it is our high privilege simply to trust Him, not to question Him.
On the other hand, He often asks us: “Why?” “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Jesus asked His disciples when they thought they were in great peril (Matthew 8:26). “If I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?” (John 8:46), He would say to those who question His Word.
Here’s a good question! ‘Are Fundamentalists deplorable, despicable, even dangerous people? Well, one must first realize that there are all kinds of fundamentalists. There are Muslim Fundamentalists, so one must consider what they believe and practice. There are Jewish Fundamentalists, and even many Jews find them a little weird. Then there are Christian Fundamentalists whom many consider odd. But then, that decision was made without considering complete information, and that is the definition of prejudice. While Christian Fundamentalists should never be weird or odd, the Bible requires them to be peculiar. A biblically peculiar person reminds people of Christ. However, most secular people could never comprehend the daily lifestyle of a biblical Fundamentalist. One must also understand that fundamental simply means going back to the origins or the basics. A college basketball team loses 20 games in a row, so the coach gets the team around him and says, “Guys, we must get back to the fundamentals. This is a basketball. That is a basket, and the purpose is to get this ball in that basket without getting fouled.” I believe all Christians need to get back to the basics of Christianity, discarding the nonsense, the lies, the false traditions, and the heresy—back to barebones Christianity, i.e., Fundamentalism.U.S. Fundamentalists (a term from the 1940s), including many who identify as Evangelicals, comprise about 30 percent to 40 percent of the U.S. population. They are simply Christians who take the Bible seriously and are willing to stand alone if necessary for their beliefs. Their stand is usually conspicuous for its responsible militancy, and that militancy has occasioned slanderous accusations that they are mendacious, mad, or malicious in their stand. It seems opponents find it easier to accuse Fundamentalists of being mad and mean rather than discuss and debate their militant positions. Biblical militancy will always result in help and will never harm anyone. And no true Fundamentalist will seek to force his view on anyone. That accusation has been made by people who interpret a loving yet militant statement as “trying to force his ideas down my throat.” The critic simply cannot refute what he has heard. Because of Fundamentalists’ high view of Scripture (it is inspired, infallible, and inerrant as well as invaluable for proper living), they adhere to the fundamentals of the faith. Their core beliefs—Christ’s virgin birth, virtuous life, vicarious death, victorious resurrection, and visible return, as well as the validity of miracles and the veracity of Scripture. Of course, at one time, all orthodox Christians believed those doctrines! So, who changed? Furthermore, most Fundamentalists insist on the independence of each local church, refusing any religious hierarchy or authority over a local congregation. Therefore, they refuse to belong to any denomination. Each local Fundamentalist congregation must be judged on its own merits. Most are tender and compassionate, while some are tyrannical and cold. There were exceptions to the anti-denomination position in the early 1900s when many highly competent Fundamentalists were in the Presbyterian U.S.A. and the Northern (later American) Baptist Convention. During that era when the Fundamentalist/Modernist battle was raging, many great preachers refused to recognize the theological corruption in their groups or, if admitted, they refused to leave their beloved denominations. Such a move would have had a significant impact on their family, friends, finances, and future. Many others did leave and became what they should have always been—unaffiliated or independent Christians, as were the first-century Christians. Fundamentalists are not the new boy on the block. Resource books are wrong when they call Fundamentalism a phenomenon of the 20th century. While the name is new, the movement goes back to an empty tomb in a beautiful garden outside Jerusalem. Harvard Divinity School Professor (and Church Historian) Kirsopp Lake wrote, “Fundamentalism is virtually synonymous with orthodox Christianity.” He added, “It is a mistake, often made by educated persons who happen to have but little knowledge of historical theology, to suppose that Fundamentalism is a new and strange form of thought. It is nothing of the kind: it is the…survival of a theology which was once universally held by all Christians.”Dr. Lake continued, “The Fundamentalist may be wrong: I think that he is. [No, if we are original Christians, then Fundamentalism is not wrong.] But it is we who have departed from the tradition, not he, and I am sorry for the fate of anyone who tries to argue with a Fundamentalist on the basis of authority. The Bible and the corpus theologicum of the Church is [sic] on the Fundamentalist side.” (Kirsopp Lake, The Religion of Yesterday and To-morrow, (Boston, New York, Houghton Mifflin, 1925), pp 61-62.) It is a fact, recognized by all, that the best support for your position is the positive comments by your critics as per Lake’s above. To repeat, even unbelieving scholars teach that the original Christians were Fundamentalists called by different names—Christians, Disciples, Believers, Followers, Arnoldists, Donatists, Waldensians, Hussites, etc. As years passed, some got loose in their beliefs and took on spurious views, which exploded into the world’s religious mess today. Fundamentalists eschew formalism, anthems, vestments, and repetition and usually prefer, even demand, simplicity in worship, doctrinally sound hymns, and serious Bible teaching and preaching. They meet in massive megachurches, smaller “churchy” buildings, storefronts, or even homes. They are also known for their independence; consequently, some Fundamentalists will fuss with me for “speaking for them.” Of course, I speak for myself, prompted by my knowledge of church history and current events. The very suggestion that modern Fundamentalists (those who adhere to the basics) are the same as original Christians causes heartburn, palpitations, and hot flashes across the fruited plain. After all, aren’t Fundamentalist Christians uncouth, unsophisticated, and uneducated louts responsible for dandruff, sunspots, drought, and partly responsible for global warming? Aren’t they blamable for the declining population of copperheads and rattlesnakes in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee? Didn’t they organize the Flat Earth Society? Don’t their children live in constant fear, and their wives are usually pious, plump, put-down—and pregnant? Well, maybe the above charges are outrageous, but surely, Fundamentalists are legalistic and pharisaical! No, all these accusations indicate that the critic is desperate and devious, if not dishonest. Or, maybe just simply dumb. The world generally has a silly, untrue caricature of Fundamentalists. A Fundamentalist has recognized himself as a sinner, repented of sin, and received Christ as Savior based upon His sacrificial death and physical resurrection. Following his salvation, he seeks to honor Christ in every respect. He takes the scriptural commands seriously to live godly, separate from compromise, and he lovingly rebukes those who stray from the truth. Moreover, he will try to pass to his children those same characteristics. That means Fundamentalists are obligated to obey the Ten Commandments, treat others the way they want to be treated, respect the dignity of all people, show genuine love in response to hate, generously give to help others, stand for biblical truth against all odds, whatever the cost, even to correct but not coerce those who do not stand for truth. To an informed Christian, the truth cannot be sacrificed on the altar of a bogus tolerance. Tolerance is often used as a smokescreen to secretly and safely retreat from orthodoxy. We are told repeatedly, all views have equal merit, and none should be considered better than another.Practically everyone believes that lie. All persons are considered equal, but not all positions are. Anyone can have odd ideas, and he has a right to them, so I respect him and recognize his right to express his views. However, while he is equal to me, his ideas are not necessarily sane, scholarly, or scriptural. His ideas can be foolish and unsound, but he must realize that he should support his silly views with facts. To say we must be tolerant of all people and give as much equivalency to all ideas is nonsense. However silly, a person may believe what he wants, and he may espouse those beliefs, but that does not mean his behavior must be accepted. There is no right to do wrong. Modern philosophy says that you can’t disagree with anyone since it will hurt his feelings. So? Such is life in the real world. If one takes that senseless position, then one can never disagree with anyone about anything. What a crock! The Christian must always seek to do right in all circumstances, realizing it is never right to do wrong. A Fundamentalist is incensed when lies are presented as truth, when evil is presented as good, and when the young and innocent are harmed. He is there when the depressed need a friend. He keeps his word at all costs and is known for his kindness, gentleness, and faithfulness. He eschews anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy communication. He is known for his humility of mind (esteeming others better than himself), meekness, longsuffering, blamelessness, and harmlessness. He lives in a crooked and perverse nation, among whom he is supposed to shine as a light in a dark world. However, that light is flickering almost to extinction. The Apostle Paul records a command for all Christians in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” I have gladly accepted the term Fundamentalist knowing my critics and the ignorant have perverted its original meaning. They have done so because they cannot reply and are highly unkind, unfair, and uncivil when dealing with Fundamentalists. After all, tolerance only goes so far!If I am a devoted Christian (a Fundamentalist), I will be careful about my morals, manners, and militancy. Bible Fundamentalists are known for their love of people, principles, and precepts—all with passion. I have tried to live as a genuine Christian Fundamentalist (not always successfully) for more than 70 years. Moreover, I just published my memoirs, Reflections of a Lifetime Fundamentalist: No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets to, among other things, further enlighten those who don’t know that all genuine Christians are biblical Fundamentalists. Christian Fundamentalists are not deranged, deplorable, demented, or dangerous but gentle, gracious, and generous people.’https://donboys.cstnews.com/are-fundamentalists-deplorable-despicable-and-dangerous-people
The following isn’t exactly surprising when one considers the other moronic things the Left say and want to do!
‘A recent article published by leading bioethics journal “The Hastings Center Report”, has proposed an implant that would automatically trigger a lethal drug at the onset of dementia.
In the report, co-authors Margaret Battin and Brent M. Kious, proposed the introduction of an “advance directive implant” (ADI) in an article titled “Ending One’s Life in Advance”. There is even a precedent for this proposed implant: Norplant, a controversial contraceptive implant that was withdrawn from the UK in 1999. Like Norplant, the ADI would be reversible and programmable, but the drugs it would release would cause death instantaneously. It would likely be implanted at the onset of dementia and programmed to activate according to the patient’s prognosis.
They did however, acknowledge the legal and ethical barriers that such proposals would likely face: “Even if our laws were liberalized dramatically…those laws would remain controversial and would continue to impose great burdens on those left behind—on family members, friends, nurses, and, perhaps most acutely, on physicians called upon to act”.
The following is an email recently received from someone I am not personally acquainted with but what they have to say is so true.
‘I am writing to you with a heavy heart. Our nation and the world have been taken over by a deadly pandemic. A virus so horrible it could wipe out millions. But wait, it’s been almost two years into this pandemic and how is it the world death count has actually gone down? Why is the Media and the Government keeping us in a constant state of fear, forever changing stories that bind us in this never-ending cycle of lockdowns, new cases, new variants, more testing, more tracking, all in the hopes to gain back the freedom we once took for granted.
They’ve told us who we can have to our house, how far we’re allowed to travel from our home, and even who we’re allowed to talk to. Which jobs are essential, which stores are allowed to remain open, where to stand, how far to sit, what to wear on our face, whether it’s safe to have a wedding and how many are allowed at a funeral. They’ve kept families apart and forced isolation on the elderly. They’ve told us if and when we can go to church, how many are allowed to attend, and whether we can worship God in singing or not. They’ve tracked our every move and we’ve willingly complied.
But why? Why have we given up our freedoms so easily? Common sense is being replaced with unquestioning belief with what we hear on the news. Is this all really about our health? If so, why are we shutting down the world for a virus that has a 99.8% survival rate? We have been told anyone who dares question the narrative are selfish and crazy. Why are we blindly believing those in high positions, and wouldn’t dare to question authority? What if that authority is not acting on what’s best for the people under them? What if we are being lied to?
There is a misconception amongst Christians that it is our duty to unquestioningly follow the Government. Preachers use verses like “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: Heb. 13:17” and Rom 13:1-2 without continuing onto verse 3. Yes, we are to obey those who have the rule over us EXCEPT when those same rulers defy what God has laid out for us and in turn demand that we obey them rather than God. “We ought to obey God rather than men” Acts 5:29.
How about the examples in the Bible where God honored their obedience and faith to HIM over the governing authorities? The midwives during Moses’ time when they were ordered to kill all the male babies, Rahab when she lied to the king of Jericho and God protected her, Joshua when he attacked and conquered Canaan. Mordecai, who researched the law of Haman and refused to worship him, Daniel and his friends when they refused to bow down to a false idol and the king’s command, Moses’ disobedience to an Egyptian tyrant. How about the countless Christian’s who were martyred by Saul before he became Paul and the disciples who were martyred for their faith in God. Then we have the more recent examples of the persecuted believers who had to gather in secret, singing to our Lord in hushed tones, listening to God’s word being whispered. Or when the people were ordered to turn in the Jews under the Government’s demands. What do all these examples have in common? They were faithful to God, opposing the authorities, with the threat of their lives.
Nowadays we wouldn’t dare to gather for our faith with the threat of a simple fine or the fear of catching the flu. What a disgrace we have become. We are a selfish lot, willing to reap the rewards from our forerunners who gave their LIVES so we can worship in freedom, yet we are unwilling to suffer the slightest inconvenience to secure the same future for any generations to follow. If you’ve ever wondered how you would react if forced to choose between your faith or follow the “laws”, I think you now have your answer.
The Government has NO RIGHT to tell us we cannot assemble to worship our GOD. We console ourselves with online sermons, but was that really what God had in mind when He had written, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” Heb. 10:25?
I urge you, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Cor 16:13). Take your muzzle off, fight for our freedom, don’t give in to this totalitarian tyranny that is masquerading as a Pandemic feigning concern for our health as they slowly strip away one freedom at a time. If the Lord tarries, we will have NO FREEDOMS left, our kids will be doomed to a future that will look far worse than the present we are living. Don’t ascribe to the fear mongering constantly pushed on us from EVERY angle but instead stand firm in the promise, “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim. 1:7
Above all else, let us spread the Gospel as the Bible commands, telling everyone of the salvation that is available to all, “…how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” 1 Cor 15:3-4
It’s time to research and not just follow, fight the good fight my fellow Christian warriors
Soldier for Christ
Censored facts about Covid19:
– The survival rate of contracting Covid19 and any variants is anywhere from 99.4%-99.999% depending on age.
– Death numbers have been grossly inflated all over the world as is stated by the CDC.
– Deaths and adverse reactions from the Covid Jab have been grossly under-reported and silenced.
– PCR tests are not accurate and were not designed to detect infectious disease. FDA announced the PCR test failed it’s full review and had it’s Emergency Use Authorization REVOKED.
– “Vaccines” are still in the experimental stage and have not been proven to be safe or effective.
– There have been more deaths from the Covid Jab in Australia than there have been deaths from Covid19.
– The Jab (not even considered vaccines as it doesn’t meet the requirements) have mNRA which alters the body’s God-given DNA.
– AstraZeneca contains aborted fetal cells (note: in order for them to harvest the cells, the baby must be born alive then killed outside the womb) Pfizer andModerna also use fetal cells in their trials.
– There is no liability for the manufactures.
– QR codes are a violation of the Privacy Act 1988.
– Masks are proven to be non-effective in guarding from the virus and in fact do more harm to your health.
– More people die from Influenza than Covid every year.
– Lockdowns DO NOT save lives and are not successful in stopping transmission. They only crush the economy.
– The media is LYING to us on a daily basis.
– A mandate or a directive is NOT a law.
– Any fines related to infringement for not following the “Pandemic” mandates and directives are unlawful and can be successfully contested in court.
The list goes on….. there is endless amounts of evidence to support these claims from credible, qualified, proven doctors and scientists from around the world who have been censured for not following the narrative. Please email for more info.
Yes, there have sadly been people who have died from Covid19, unfortunately, part of living is dying. However, that does not justify the overreach of the Government to restrict our lives and take away our freedom. There are too many irregularities that don’t add up with this “pandemic”. It’s our DUTY to research and question. “He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little bit of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way, the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.” – Adolf Hitler’
Australia along with the UK is becoming more and more anti-God and antagonistic toward God’s Word!
‘After facing arrest and detention for preaching that homosexuality is a sin, an American evangelist is warning that “things are getting very bad” in the United Kingdom and other Western countries, suggesting that the situation has deteriorated to the point where they are “becoming communist.”
Ryan Schiavo, who describes himself as an “evangelist and missionary,” was arrested in London on July 22 for preaching that homosexuality is a sin. While Schiavo is an American, he spends a considerable amount of time in London and frequently ministers to British youth and others gathered in the public square.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Schiavo recounted the events leading up to his arrest and warned about its implications for free speech and freedom of religion in the U.K. and Western civilization as a whole.
“I was preaching the Gospel on the streets as I frequently do, but it was about a 30-minute message, and in the course of a long message I can touch on many topics that I believe are pertinent,” he said. “At one point, I talked about the issue of homosexuality and transgenderism. I said that homosexuality is a sin; I talk about how it’s destructive, and the damage the transgender agenda is doing to children right now in the schools because it’s being pushed on children at a very young age here.”
Schiavo told CP that one of the things he said while preaching was that “the churches that have rainbow flags on them” were “not real churches.” His message drew the ire of one young woman, whom he believed was a lesbian. According to Schiavo, she was “very upset at what I had said, and so she called the police and the police came.”
Ryan Schiavo, an American street preacher, is arrested by Metropolitan Police for asserting that homosexuality is a sin, July 22, 2021. | Courtesy of Ryan Schiavo
As documented in a video of his arrest, Schiavo was detained for purportedly violating Section 4A of the Public Order Act, which bans people from causing “intentional harassment, alarm, or distress.”
The law declares that “a person is guilty of an offense if, with intent to cause a person harassment, alarm, or distress, he — (a) uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior, or disorderly behavior, or (b) displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting.”
As Metropolitan Police officers moved in to arrest him, Schiavo declared, “It is an honor to suffer for Jesus Christ.” He predicted that “God is going to judge this country so severely” because of its embrace of LGBT ideology.
“This is because I am a Christian!” he exclaimed. “That’s why this is happening.”
Schiavo told CP that when he was taken to jail, he was “put in a cell for 10 hours and given a mental health evaluation by the National Health Service before being released in the middle of the night.” He lamented that situations like his “egregious” detention were becoming “all too common.”
Describing the mental health evaluation to CP, Schiavo maintained that he was asked “personal questions about my family and about my work and how I was doing physically.” Schiavo cited the fact that he had to undergo a mental health evaluation as evidence that “things are getting very bad” in the U.K. regarding freedom of speech and religious expression.
“All these institutions are working together with each other; they’re anti-Christ,” he added. “It’s time for the church to wake up and to be prepared for persecution. Freedom of speech and expression are very much under attack in the Western world, and I’m concerned that many of these Western countries are becoming communist.”
Elaborating on his mental health evaluation, Schiavo recounted that he “did talk about the issue of homosexuality and transgenderism” with the man who was questioning him. “I said to him, ‘Would you call a banana a carrot?’ And the point I was making was this is what we do with people now. We call men women and women men.”
“I didn’t say that to him. I just said, ‘Would you call a banana a carrot?’ And he looked at me and he said, ‘If somebody was offended, I would.’ And I looked at him and I said, ‘I should be the one asking you the questions.’”
Schiavo contended that his mental health evaluation, which lasted for 30 minutes, was an effort to “convince me not to talk about homosexuality in public anymore.” He told CP that “he (the mental health evaluator) wanted me to affirm him and just say, ‘OK,’ and agree, and I never did.”
The evangelist attributed his hostile treatment by the police to the fact that British law enforcement officials are “so trained to hear ‘homosexuality’ or ‘Islam’ because those are the two most protected demographics in Britain right now.” He stressed that in the U.K., “you cannot speak against homosexuality or transgenderism and you can’t speak against Islam.”
“So if they hear those words, their antennas are up because they go through all of this pro-LGBT training … in their schooling, … at every other level of society people do here, it’s being pushed on them,” he continued. “And so when they hear that word, they’re immediately thinking ‘hate crime,’ ‘hate crime.’”
Although he wasn’t formally charged with a crime, Schiavo’s arrest puts him “in the national police records for three years.” He’s now working with the U.K.-based Christian Legal Centre to “get this overturned.”
“I did not commit a crime,” Schiavo insisted. “It is not a crime in the U.K. to say homosexuality is a sin in public or to say that churches with rainbow flags on them are not churches. This is protected speech.”
In a separate interview with CP, Linda Thacker, who attends church with Schiavo when he’s in the U.K. and videotaped the arrest, explained why she decided to document his interaction with law enforcement officials on camera: “I didn’t like the security guard’s attitude toward Ryan. He seemed very hostile.”
“We wanted to make sure that there was no kind of false accusation,” she said.
Thacker characterized Schiavo’s arrest as “a bit of a wake-up call for me,” expressing concern that “the right to have free speech and to express how we feel personally about … anyone else’s lifestyle … will put you in the position of being called a domestic terrorist or some kind of hater.” Like Schiavo, Thacker fears that the U.K. is “heading toward a communist state.”
Before his arrest, Thacker said there had been confrontations between Schiavo, his supporters and LGBT individuals that weren’t captured on camera.
“The lesbian was very threatening and kicked his drink down the road. [She] also tried to tear my husband’s Bible out of his hands, which she didn’t manage to do, but she got a leaflet out of his Bible … and flung it into the street.”
While Schiavo did face hostility following his comments about homosexuality, he also received support, including from an atheist, who was featured in Thacker’s video. Schiavo told CP that while the man “said that he disagreed with 99% of what I said,” he nonetheless argued to the police that ‘This man has not done anything warranting … an arrest, he’s just exercising his freedom of speech.’”
In spite of the man’s impassioned defense of Schiavo, the street evangelist lamented that the police “never even took a statement from him.” Instead, Schiavo said, “the police only took one formal statement on the street … and it was from this young girl … [who] was upset with what I said.”
“From the beginning, they weren’t interested in getting to the truth. … It was just this one girl’s testimony that they listened to.”
Thacker seconded Schiavo’s accusation that police had conducted a one-sided investigation: “All they were interested in doing was arresting him on the grounds of this lesbian that said that she had been distressed by what was said.”
Schiavo is not the only street evangelist to face legal consequences for sharing Christian teachings about marriage and homosexuality with the British public. As CP previously reported, British Pastor John Sherwood was arrested by police in April for emphasizing the biblical definition of marriage as he preached from a step ladder in the Northwest London town of Uxbridge.’https://www.christianpost.com/news/american-evangelist-jailed-in-uk-its-getting-very-bad-here.html
This is the year when we in Australia fill out the Census. The following is an email from the Australian Family Coalition.
‘There’s nothing new about a census. Even in the Gospels we read:
“And it came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled” (Luke 2:1).
What has changed over the years, though, are some of the questions asked.
The last census (2016) saw a controversial change to the question on religion, re-ordering the available options to place “no religion” as the first possible answer.
Leading though this change was (i.e. it probably encouraged more people to tick “no religion”), it’s unlikely to account for the total increase in “no religion”, which grew from 22.3% in 2011 to 30.1% in 2016.
It’s a fact that many Australians have lost affinity with their faith.
However, this current census has been accompanied by a slick online campaign to deliberately reduce the number of Aussies who tick a faith box.
Now, that’s a different matter from arguing for more accurate data – and one that begs a question:
Why would anyone spend their time and finances on a campaign other than to further sideline and remove the influence of faith – especially Christianity – from our society?
We know that not all AFC supporters are Christians or believers of any other faith.
We believe, however, that the role of faith in Australia is something that should concern everyone.
Removing the foundations of this nation – and the moral compass that has guided it – cannot be done without severe social consequences.
Even prominent atheist Richard Dawkins has made this point, once writing:
“Before we rejoice at the death throes of the relatively benign Christian religion, let’s not forget Hilaire Belloc’s menacing rhyme: ‘Always keep a-hold of nurse for fear of finding something worse’.”
On another occasion, Dawkins stated: “I have mixed feelings about the decline of Christianity, in so far as Christianity might be a bulwark against something worse”.
Unfortunately, this point is wasted on many of our elected representatives.
Only last week, Victorian MP Fiona Patten (of the poorly named ‘Reason Party’ and, formerly, of the ‘Sex Party’) attempted to remove the Lord’s Prayer from Parliament.
Her attempt was not defeated, but rather deferred, following a pledge from the Andrews Labor Government to remove the prayer from both houses of the Parliament should it win the next election.
Such a move would do little to remind politicians that they serve a purpose far larger than themselves – and that they are ultimately meant to BE servants.
It would also undermine Australia’s cultural heritage in much the same way as removing references to God from the Constitutional preamble would.
Conversely, retaining prayers acknowledges that Christian belief (regardless of any individual’s personal faith) has forged this country and should serve as a moral guide for decision-making.
So, with hostility to faith at palpable levels, what can we do practically?
The first thing involves the census.
If you feel any faith affiliation at all – even if you don’t regularly practice that faith – please tick the appropriate box on the census.
It’s also important to encourage your family and friends to do likewise.
If anyone needs further convincing as to why, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney has written a helpful opinion piece HERE.
The second thing is to keep campaigning for freedom of religion & belief.
Our recently re-launched Freedom Declaration is now approaching 25,000 signatures.
This is a massive effort – but we’re not done yet!
We presented a similar document to the then Attorney-General Christian Porter in 2018, prior to draft legislation being circulated for comment.
We want the Freedom Declaration to make a similar impact, reminding federal MPs that the promise to safeguard freedom of religion and belief remains unfulfilled.
With a federal election approaching, the months ahead are crucial to making our case – and making ourselves heard.’https://www.austfamily.com.au/
