March 18, 2024

VP Visits Abortion Clinic, Shumer Calls Out Israel, Russian Election Time


March 18, 2024

“Everything you add to the truth subtracts from the truth.”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

VP Visits Abortion Clinic

Vice President Kamala Harris visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota, becoming the first president or vice president to do so, and emphasized the urgency of protecting abortion rights amidst a health crisis. The trip was part of Harris' "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, aimed at making abortion access a key issue in the 2024 election, especially after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Harris condemned attacks on women's rights, particularly by former President Trump's Supreme Court appointments, and highlighted the importance of access to reproductive healthcare beyond just abortion services amidst protests and support outside the clinic.

Abortion clinics are our modern-day Hinnom Valley, the place believed to be the epicenter of "worship" through child sacrifice in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 7:31). It was condemned then (Leviticus 20:2-5) and should be now. Having one of our nation's top leaders visit a place where such a ritual is not just practiced but promoted and exploited for financial gain is not history-making, but rather revealing and foreboding of a people being "lovers of themselves" and given over to all kinds of unrighteousness (2 Timothy 3:1-3, Romans 1:22-32). Our outrage should move us to action (Proverbs 31:8-9), our empathy to evangelism (Proverbs 24:11-12), and our righteous condemnation of the practice to the radical service of women in crisis situations. May the church be the reason Planned Parenthood ceases to exist.

By: Kirby Mankin

Chuck Shumer Calls Out Israel

In an unprecedented move, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel, citing the need for change amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. He criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, emphasizing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Schumer's stance drew criticism from Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who deemed it inappropriate for an American leader to intervene in Israeli politics, as did the Israeli Prime Minister.

Israel's last election was held in November of 2022. This fall, Netanyahu formed a unity government and war cabinet within five days of the October 7th Hamas attacks.

While the Bible doesn't prohibit speaking out against the choices of leaders of other nations, it certainly offers warnings regarding the peril of hypocrisy (Matthew 7:5, Matthew 23:27-28). It's intriguing how the political left in the U.S. so eagerly condemns what they consider imperialistic or colonialist behavior, yet here we find one of their leaders engaging in similar behavior by imposing his ideals on an ally – in the midst of a conflict no less. Schumer, and all of us for that matter, would do well to remember that while "all the ways of man are clean in his own sight... the Lord weighs the motives" (Proverbs 16:2).

While Netanyahu's leadership has not been without controversy, he wisely put aside some of the things he and his conservative allies were championing to build unity as his nation was at war (Matthew 12:25, Psalm 133:1).

None of us should put our ultimate trust in human rulers who cannot save (Psalm 146:3), and we can only pray that both Netanyahu and Schumer learn to tame their tongue and their hearts as they are charged with leading in their respective positions. In the end, fallen leaders and their fallen judgments should make us even more zealous to lift up our righteous King who took the fall for us (Isaiah 56:3) and who alone will bring lasting peace (Isaiah 2:2-4). Meanwhile, while we are waiting for our "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), let us make sure we "purify ourselves from every lawless deed" and, as "people for His own possession," maintain a "zeal for good deeds" as opposed to self-serving political ones (Titus 2:14).

By: Jamie Wilder and Todd Wagner

Election Time in Russia

Russians gathered outside polling stations amidst opposition calls to protest against President Putin's virtually uncontested reelection bid, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of alternatives. With early returns indicating Putin's expected victory, the election's predetermined nature was defined by limited competition and stifled dissent, highlighted by Navalny's recent death and the absence of independent monitoring. Despite some scattered protests, the overwhelming outcome reinforces Putin's continued grip on power, leaving little room for meaningful change or opposition within the tightly controlled electoral environment.

Teddy Roosevelt is credited with saying, "Comparison is the thief of joy," and we are instructed to not covet what others have (Exodus 20:17). It can sometimes be helpful to remember that however bad things may be for us, others can usually be found who are living under even worse circumstances than we are. Such is the case with our brothers and sisters in Russia. Whatever the dysfunction and corruption found in our governmental systems and election processes are, and there clearly is corruption and dysfunction, it pales in comparison to the oppression and abuses that are found in many other nations.

What good can we learn from watching and comparing where we are and what we are experiencing with the circumstances of others?

First, we can learn what we do not want to become.

When we "pass by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense" (Proverbs 24:20), we can learn the dangers of an irresponsible life without learning through the pain of our own foolishness. The same is true of watching the outcomes of totalitarian, atheistic, or socialist philosophies when they are brought upon a people. All of our lives and communal choices will either serve as a wonderful example or a horrible warning (1 Corinthians 10:6-11). If Americans cannot tell by observing via history that abandoning morality, order, separation of powers, and fear of God leads to oppression, then "poverty will come as a robber and your want as an armed man" (Proverbs 24:34) and we will learn by living in our own sad future. This appears to be the track we are on (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Second, we can be reminded that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, we are still called to live with hope, dignity, courage, and fear of God (1 Corinthians 15:58). Throughout every totalitarian and corrupt government known to man, the Lord has always preserved, purified and ultimately prospered His remnant. The Lord does not give us permission to "tap out" if times get hard. He expects us to endure, to suffer well, and to visit those who are imprisoned for their faithfulness (Hebrews 13:3).

We would do well to pay attention to the rapid loss of morality among the electorate in our land and the increasing loss of integrity that has increased in every election these last decades (Ephesians 5:11-15). But we cannot for a moment think that we will somehow be exempt from living faithful lives as faithlessness accelerates around us when, in fact, the opposite is expected (2 Timothy 2:1-4).

If we don't like the oppression advanced by the puppet governments of foreign nations, we need to get busy speaking out against the puppet masters who are feeding our children and fellow citizens lies about the goodness of God and the dangers of being a godless and unvirtuous people.

By: Todd Wagner

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