Communism and the Nation

Things are a little confusing right now in the United States. As President Trumps attempts to implement the policies that Americans want, the Media and Democrat Governors, like Gavin Newsom, and Mayors, like Brandon Johnson, are giving speeches that describe President Trump as a fascist tyrant. Influencers and celebrities are calling for people to stand up against the “injustices” of illegal immigrants being deported. Protests are spreading across the country in response to ICE agents arresting illegal aliens at a Home Depot in Los Angeles several days ago. These protestors, however, are not waving American flags, but the flags of Mexico and many of them are wearing an Arab headdress, the keffiyeh, as they march. Many Americans are already pointing out the absurdity of burning American flags, while carrying the flag of the nation the person fled, in protest of their “right” to stay in the United States.

There is a lot going on and we are flooded with images and videos that are supposedly telling us the real story of what is happening on the ground. There aren’t riots, it’s peaceful. It’s not completely peaceful, there are cars burning. It’s okay that there are cars burning, because those cars are not private property. Public property can be destroyed, but only if the ambiguous “they” say it is okay. Also, don’t forget that behind the protests are families that are being destroyed. And it’s not just illegals being deported, but citizens. And all of the people getting caught up in this are innocent bystanders. There is so much confusion and both media and social media do little to help provide any clarity.

I want to take a step back and look at the larger picture behind the protests, that seem to turn into riots at night. Although these protestors are flying the flag of Mexico, they don’t really have allegiance to Mexico. Not even in the sense that it is their heritage. It might be, but the real allegiance is to an ideal and the Mexican flag is just a prop to show everyone that they don’t really care about the United States. That ideal is communism. The goal is an end to capitalism itself and all governments that uphold a capitalist economy.

President Trump poses a threat to this agenda and the deportation of illegals prohibits the ability to bring about a communist state democratically. Illegals have not been allowed to stay in the U.S. solely on the basis that politicians have empathy for them, but instead see them as ways to maintain political power. If these people can be allowed to vote in our elections, they can help bring about a social revolution through the ballot box. May sound crazy, but have you heard of Venezuela? When the ballot box does not bring about the social changes desired by the communist agenda, their next move is to find reasons for protesting and uprising. Attempting to encourage, and motivate, people to stand up against ‘tryanny’ and ‘oppression.’

In a way, it feels like 2020 all over again. There is a similar online pressure campaign rising, as more and more women (its always seems to be the women) post on social media that “silence is violence” and that saying nothing is being “complicit” in the evils of the Trump dictatorship. Not realizing, for the most part, that they are parroting communist talking points. The people - or the ideology - behind the protests are the same as well. This time around, however, it isn’t about racism, but fascism and imperialism. Instead of needing to proclaim that you are anti-racist, you need to proclaim that you are anti-fascist and anti-imperialist. This tactic against President Trump isn’t new, they’ve just found a new avenue to pursue. Since the BLM thing didn’t seem to work out to much for them.

Regardless, these Mexican flags and keffiyeh, highlight the ideal end goal of communism - the end of the nation and the end of the United States. At least as we know it. Communism has had a global agenda since it became a political ideology. “The Communist Manifesto” written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in 1848 was written to “openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies” (Marx 246). It makes sense to go back to this document in order to explain how communism has a global agenda, because it has become a near sacred text for communists.

“The Communists are further reproached with desiring to abolish countries and nationality.”

— The Communist Manifesto

Communists, according to the Manifesto, believe the capitalist society puts its greedy fingers everywhere in the world to exploit everyone and everything for the gain of money. Because capitalism has colonized all over the world, the antidote to this is communism everywhere. According to the Manifesto, communism is a natural progression of capitalism. After workers have grown tired of being exploited, they will create the social revolution needed to bring about a communist society. They “have a world to win” and can do so through a “forcible overthrow of all social conditions” (Marx 271). Ending with the rally cry - “Working men of all countries, unite!” - there is no question the agenda is a global one.

It is through this overthrow of social conditions that the dismantling of the nation, as we know it, will come about. The “public functions (institutions) will lose their political character and be transformed into the simple administrative function of watching over the true interest of society” (Sowell 146). In other words, the social revolution would bring about a “sufficient spirit of voluntary cooperation to permit a dwindling role for political power and ultimately its extinction. This hoped-for and eventual end to the state” was expressed through the Manifesto as the preconditions needed to achieve the “‘withering away’ of the state” (Sowell 146).

Democracy is considered “important as necessary, but not a sufficient, condition” to bring about the freedom that communism will deliver. Democracy - elections - will lead to the death of the state through the voluntary cooperation across not just the state, but the world. Once the working class frees itself from its bondage, it will also free the nation from the exploitation of other nations. As this class struggle comes to an end within nations, so does the international tensions.

Utopia. Hegemony across nations and around the globe. All through a political ideology that rids the world of borders, exploitation, and oppression.

Theoretically, it sounds great. However, as it has been“ applied in the real world, the intellectual flaws and blemishes too slight to be noticed amid the heady rhetoric become manifest in terms of concrete hunger, terror, and death” (Sowell 215). Look at Russia, China, Vietnam, and Venezuela if you need examples of what has happened so far when communism becomes the leading political ideology of a nation.

It almost seems like human nature to believe that the world can exist, and would be a better place, without borders. We love the idea of the freedom to roam anywhere we please without needing to follow rules or comply to bureaucracy. Yet, reality shows us that order, and borders, are good for society and people. We, like our children, needs boundaries. We need clear distinctions between right and wrong. When things get blurry, anxiety and stress seep into daily life. Almost everyone understands this because it has felt like pure chaos the last twenty years and all that has changed is the attempt of upending our social order through political legislation.

The men and women marching, committing criminal acts, and spreading propaganda online may believe in the fundamental ideals presented in the Communist Manifesto almost 200 years ago. However, the ones paying for this antagonism of the social order are doing so in order to gain more power, control, and probably even more wealth. Although communism provides the feel-good, hippy view of life, where everyone serves everyone and everyone is happy because of it. The reality is humans do not naturally serve, which is why most communist political regimes end up being authoritarian in nature.

In order to achieve a society where everyone serves one another with gladness, each person would need to believe and give their life to Jesus Christ. The difference between giving voluntarily - as the communists would prefer - and giving out of obligation, is a matter of the heart. Jesus knew this 1,848 years before Marx and Engels published the Communist Manifesto. And there was no talk by Jesus that countries would cease, at least not until his return, if people began to serve others as followers of Him.

As many have stated, when it comes to communist protests, “the cause is never the cause.” As much as these protests seem like they are for the cause of stopping deportations of illegals, the reality is that they are a sign of a larger, ever growing effort to destroy the United States (and the ‘capitalist’ West) and everything about it. Be discerning. Understand what you’re being manipulated to think and feel. And read your Bible. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2 ESV).

Follow the political tides carefully.

Sources:
Marx, Karl. “The Communist Manifesto.” Karl Marx: Selected Writings, edited by David McLellan, Oxford, 2000, pp. 245-272.

Sowell, Thomas. Marxism: Philosophy and Economics. Unwin Paperbacks, 1985.

How To Win The Male Vote: Respect

It turns out half of the population of the United States does matter when it comes to winning elections. The demographic matters so much that the New York Times reported the Democrats have developed a strategy to invest $20 million into an effort they’ve called SAM - “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan” - where they will “study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and vitality” in online spaces. This effort will shift away from a “moralizing tone” and “recommends buying advertisements in video games, among other things.”

The 2024 election is not the first election in which men gravitated towards the G.O.P. They’ve actually been gaining ground with working-class voters of every race for years. While the “Democrats are increasingly perceived as the party of college-educated elites” and “the defenders of a political and economic system that most Americans feel is failing them.” After the NYT broke the news about the Democrats new strategy, MSNBC published an article titled “The uncomfortable truth about Democrats’ problem reaching male voters.” They attribute the loss of male voters in Presidential elections on whether the candidate for the Democrat Party is male or female. But they acknowledge that “Trump is undoubtedly a factor . . . as well. He’s long preached a traditional form of masculinity that undoubtedly appeals to a certain segment of American men.” The Democrats, on the other hand, are often “branded as the more feminine party, for their views on issues like trans rights, abortion and even social insurance programs.”

The MSNBC article isn’t wrong in highlighting that male voters are going to be more attracted to a masculine campaign over one that has a more feminine flair. Just as women, in general, tend to lean more Democratic for the reasons they listed above. To help counter this feminine branding, the Democrats have decided to engage a young woman, Olivia Julianna, to reach Gen-Z male voters. In an interview she did with a representative of the Texas Democratic Party, she stated that she “loves frat guys” and believes that most young men are closet Democrats. Young men, she says, support the “right to choose,” gay marriage, and BLM, they just don’t feel welcome to the Democrat Party. She will speak with young men to help them understand that they are, indeed, welcome!

It is not a secret that I, too, am a woman. So the un-elicited advice that I am going to give to the Democrats - and the Republicans - can be taken with a grain of salt. However, if the Democrats want to save their $20 million, I think I can solve their problem, but don’t take my word for it. Ask some men if they would agree with what I am about to say.

If you want to win male voters, you need to show them one thing: respect.

As MSNBC mentioned, the Democrat Party is seen as being a place for women. It is entrenched in feminist ideology and, as a result, makes men feel disrespected and worthless. Their young activist, Julianna, isn’t wrong to say that men don’t feel welcome, but it isn’t because men are closet Democrats. It’s because the Democrats have publicly condemned men for years. They’ve made men feel guilty for earning a pay check that may, sometimes, be more than their woman counterpart, despite doing what is necessary to earn it. They are labeled bad because of how they were born. And because of that, they are told to step aside, in every facet of life (even in their areas of interest), to let the women handle it. Yet, once women do start taking control, they start labeling men as incompetent and lazy. It is almost like men, according to feminists, cannot win.

This feminist mindset is not just found in the Democrat Party. The other day, Laura Ingram had Tomi Lahren on her Fox News show for a segment she called “Men in Decline.” During this segment, Lahren went on to condemn Gen-Z men for using “cutesy” names to rebrand laziness and being socially awkward. In addition, she claimed it wasn’t the fault of women that birth rates and marriages are down, but that the number of eligible men to have such a life with is “slim.” According to Lahren, young women want to get married and have kids, but young men just “want to order DoorDash and stay in mama’s basement.” If Republicans have been the Party that men of all ages gravitate towards, because of its “traditional values,” views like Lahren’s will have them sitting out of politics completely.

What I find most amusing about the feminism that has seeped into both political parties, is that women point the finger at men for being the problem, while then continuing to go to women to try and solve the problem. If men are the problem, if they are being driven away or want to stay in their mom’s basement, should we not hear from men on why that is? Should men not be the ones making comments on the “male decline”? Shouldn’t men be the ones to engage other men to win them back to a political party? Women are so concerned with being in control of everything, they can’t even trust men to understand and communicate with other men!

The world that we live in, politics and all, is often a reflection of the private lives of the individuals within that society. The role of respect in a marriage, for the average woman, is gone. It’s a foreign concept that requires a man “earning” it rather than just receiving it for who he is. I had to recently learn this truth in my own marriage. It wasn’t that I felt like I was choosing to disrespect my husband, but the way my husband and I view, and understand, things is often different. He will understand things through a lens of respect, while I will understand things through a lens of love. Men can often be “won over” if they are treated respectfully. But in a society that has lost the art of respecting the men in it, it can be hard for women to know how to show not just their husbands, but any man, respect. This leads to not just problems politically, but societally and individually as well.

Democrats, honestly, have a lot of talking points that tend to go against a man’s natural inclination to be the protector and provider. They often tell men that if they vote for them, they will be given things, which doesn’t often energize men. Men, often, don’t need to be provided for - they provide.

As the Democrats are realizing, the G.O.P. has an upper hand here, for now. Feminism is making its way into the Republican Party, but it hasn’t fully engulfed it yet. One way to stop the furthering of the parasite of feminism is to start respecting men for who they are, seeing them as valuable, and doing away with the concept of “toxic masculinity.”

The United States needs men to know that if they stand up for what is right, if they fight to protect this country, that they will be respected and honored, because it is respectable and honorable to do so. Whichever Party wants to let men know that they are respected, that’ll be the Parry that wins the majority of male votes.

4 of My Favorite Biblical Resources

Once I started reading the Bible, I couldn’t get enough. I wanted to be able to defend my beliefs in Christianity and to better equip myself to actually live like a Christian. The Bible is a huge book with a lot of wisdom that can be overwhelming to try to comprehend. Thankfully, we don’t have to try to understand everything on our own. Many people have gone before us that are willing to share their biblical knowledge. All we have to do is seek it out and hold it up to the word of God to ensure that we are not being led astray from the truth. As of this writing, here are my top four biblical resources:

The Living on the Edge Ministry and Podcast

One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is by Chip Ingram. I first heard his message on the Christian Radio station here in Tennessee, by accident, honestly. Or maybe divine design, now that I think of it. My old car radio would sometimes reset to the local Christian channel when I would turn it on. To be fair, prior to living in Tennessee, my car would automatically switch to this same radio station, whether it was the Christian Radio station or not, I don’t really know. In Tennessee, it happened to be the Christian Radio station. Something I didn’t know existed until falling upon it by accident.

One day, when I turned on my car to head to school, my car had switched to this station and I didn’t automatically change it like I normally would. I am sure I was running late and didn’t even think about the radio until I realized that it was a sermon, halfway through my commute. Well, once I realized it was a recorded sermon being broadcast on the radio, after I had started studying the Bible, I decided to give it a listen. Soon I stated to look forward to the sermon aired by Chip Ingram. I quickly realized that I could listen to his message every day via podcast, without having to tune into the radio, I was hooked. And I have been recommending his daily, Monday through Friday, podcasts to anyone who will listen.

This podcast has been life changing and life saving for me. Everyone has their favorites, I am sure, but him and his wife are beacons of truth and light that I am so thankful to God for. Their story resonants with me because neither of them really grew up Christian, or at least didn’t really know God until their twenties. I could probably tell you their life story because I have been listening to his podcast for almost four years now, regularly, but instead I’ll encourage you to check out his podcast and find out for yourself. I don’t think you’ll be let down!

In addition, The Living on the Edge Ministry has many other resources like small group study guides, books, YouVersion programs, and more. You can also get the Chip Ingram App where you can hear each daily podcast along with show notes. There is a lot that Chip Ingram’s ministry offers, but my favorite is his daily podcast.

The Bible Project

Now if you prefer visuals and enjoy watching videos over listening to podcasts, then the Bible Project may just be for you. I found them when I was going through a Bible Study with an online community and have turned to them a number of times ever since. Especially for Book Overviews from the Old Testament. They have plenty of other resources that I haven’t personally utilized yet, but I have found their overviews to be extremely helpful. Especially when I want to gain an understanding of a book I am reading that I find a bit more challenging. The first video I ever watched of theirs was on the book of Job, which helped me understand the truths being shared in the book that I most likely would have missed through my own understanding.

They have so much more that I would like to explore, like their classroom and theme videos, that I encourage you to take a look around for yourself to see what you find!

Crossway Books

If you know me, then you know I love books. And my favorite publisher to go to for pretty good theologically sound books is Crossway Books. It is also the publisher that has my favorite Study Bible. Every time I go to their website, I end up finding more books that I’d like to add to my bookshelf. Their selection is fantastic and they even have great books for children!

One additional perk is that when you create a free account with them, you get 30% off their books any time. Around different holidays they will offer discounts to everyone, but who could argue with a free account that instantly provides savings?! In addition, when you purchase a physical copy of a book, you get the E-book for free instantly. Meaning you don’t have to wait to read it, if you don’t want to! Now that is my kind of publisher.

If you’re not sure where to begin with their large book selection, here are a few that I would highly recommend:

• Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Truman

• Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Promises of Our Age and How We Were Made for So Much More by Jen Oshman

• Reactivity: How the Gospel Transforms Our Actions and Reactions by Paul David Tripp

• Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation by Nancy Gurthie

Passionate Penny Pincher’s Bible Journals

I don’t know how I found Laurie and her Passionate Penny Pincher blog and shop, but somehow I found her home planners, which I fell in love with. This find brought me to her Bible Journals. I didn’t use these when I first got them. I actually just started using them this year, despite having bought them for the first time a few years ago. But, when I decided to start reading through the New Testament this year, I decided I would also use her journals to help my progress. What I like about the journals is that they are simple and, being a woman, cute!

The New Testament Journals have a prompt for each chapter of the New Testament. The prompts are the same for each chapter: write a key verse, what you learned, prayer concerns, and one way that you’ll respond today. The Old Testament Journals dedicate each page of the journal to three or four chapters of the Old Testament. Being that I enjoy writing and I find it extremely helpful when I want to remember things that I find important, these journals have been a wonderful addition to my daily Bible study.

Once I have filled up each journal, I am not sure if I will buy them again. I guess once I work through the Old Testament, I can report back. But for those who want to take their Bible study a bit further and make it a bit more personal, I highly suggest adding these to it!

Also, if you want a Bible reading schedule and want help getting your home-life more organized, check out her home planners! She has a Bible verse listed for each day along with helpful checklists to keep your house in order. Each year it is a different reading plan, so in time you’ll get through the Bible while maintaining your household!

And if you’ve never studied the Bible before, check out my post on how to do just that here!

Extras!

Although I am frequently utilizing the resources mentioned above, I couldn’t complete this post without mentioning these two:

• Answers in Genesis

  • Ken Ham is the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis. He also is known for his two popular attractions: Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. For questions on creation, evolution, dinosaurs, and more, his website and the additional resources by Ken Ham and his organization are really great.

• Relatable Podcast with Allie Beth Stuckey

  • I need to give the credit of my conversion to Christianity to Allie Beth. Without her, and her book, You Are Not Enough (And That’s Okay), I would not be where I am now. In addition to her book, is her wonderful podcast that explores political topics of the day through a Christian lens. She discusses a range of topics from misunderstood bible verses, apologetics, to current events. She is a wonderful source for women. I highly encourage checking her podcast and book out! What you’ll find linked is her YouTube channel, but you can also find her podcasts wherever you listen to them!

Republicans Should Not Abandon Abortion

The right to kill our own children, often called abortion, will unfortunately always be up for discussion. At least in a democracy.

There will always be people who believe that ending the life of an innocent child is just. They’ll use the argument that their parents are poor; they aren’t ready to have them; they were created under unpleasant circumstances; or maybe the parents just don’t want them. These tiny deceptive lies that we have been feed as a society have led us to kill millions of people. It has all been done under the guise of “love.”

Main stream media likes to bring abortion up as if it is a very decisive topic that people vote on. Back in 2023, and again in March of 2025, a liberal State Supreme Court Justice won an election in Wisconsin. In 2023, article after article made statements claiming that Republicans were convinced that abortion restrictions were a losing issue. One article, titled “Abortion has become politically fraught for Republicans,” states: “the victory of a liberal candidate in a pivotal race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court was partly down to the issue of abortion, which proved a powerful motivator for voters.” This, of course, is not the only piece that took this one election as a sign that voters are motivated when it comes to the topic of abortion. Here are a few more articles (from 2023) that give the impression that abortion is a large issue for voters:

• Liberal Wins Wisconsin Court Race, in Victory for Abortion Rights Backers

• Losing Ballot Issues on Abortion, G.O.P. Now Tries to Keep Them Off the Ballot

• Abortion Surges to the Center of the 2024 Campaign

• The Abortion Ban Backlash Is Starting to Freak Out Republicans

• Voters again defend abortion rights. Republicans should be scared.

• Republicans suddenly silent on abortion - they know the chickens are home and roosting

• Post-Roe, abortion access has dropped in the US, but support has not, survey finds

• House Republicans punt on national abortion ban amid fears of 2024 backlash

I could go on, but I think you get the jist. There is one New York Times article, titled “Is a 6-Week Abortion Ban a Disaster for DeSantis? Two Theories,” that looks at whether abortion is a losing issue for Republicans. “Surprisingly,” the article states, “Republicans tended to fare just as well in the midterms in the states where abortion was recently banned as they did in the states where abortion remained legal.”

As much as the news likes to make claims that abortion is a winning or losing issue for political parties, it would seem they are wrong. Most people don’t think too much about abortion, unless they are told they should think about it. In other words, it is not something that most people are directly impacted by like inflation, jobs, the ability to buy the things they need, and so forth. The conclusion Nate Cohn, the author of the New York Times article, makes is that “Republican support for an abortion ban is not, on its own, sufficient to make abortion the predominant issue [that would] bring stiff political costs to conservatives.”

To sum up the media’s statements: Republicans don’t do better or worse when they have a tough stance against abortion. It doesn’t actually matter.

This does not mean that Republicans should abstain from speaking about limiting or wanting to ban abortion. I actually think the main stream media, and Democratic pundits, want Republicans to believe that talking about abortion is a losing issue, when it isn’t. The issue becomes a losing issue when Republicans, or anyone for that matter, stops talking about it and lets it become a secondary issue. However, abortion should be THE issue for Republicans and the losing issue for Democrats.

Let me make myself clear:

Democrats want it to be the main issue, because they think open access to abortion is a winning issue for them. Republicans should make banning abortion a main issue, because it actually IS a winning issue. The narrative the media is trying to spin is backwards. And they are spinning this backwards narrative because they think it will get people to come out and vote for the party that wants to make abortion accessible at any point in a pregnancy. If Republicans back down from the abortion fight, Democrats win on the issue, because they are great at masking their true intentions. By shining light on the Democrat’s agenda, banning abortion becomes a winning issue for Republicans.

It may seem confusing, but Democrats are great at projection and they know their take on abortion is wrong and evil. They dress up something heinous with flowery language and sprinkle a bit of fear around it to convince people that the wrong thing (abortion) is the right thing. Whenever the mask is pulled off, however, most people think abortion should be illegal. Here are three more reasons why Republicans should not back down on abortion:

1. Without the right to life, nothing else matters.

It is actually that simple: the right to life. The right to make it out of your mother’s womb alive, because your mother wasn’t allowed to kill you, is the most fundamental right a person can have. Without the right to live, the right to give life a try despite the circumstances that particular life will be born into, is the only right that matters in the context of “human rights.” Without this right, all the other rights become obsolete. The right to the freedom of speech, religion, to assemble, to own a gun, to a fair trial, to be innocent until proven guilty, to “humane” punishment do not exist, if the right to live is not the basis for all the others.

It also brings about the political discourse that we have today. Who gets to determine when life begins? Why do they get to determine it? What if they determine that one’s right to live is contingent upon the financial wellbeing of one’s parents? Which may sound ridiculous, but some people actually think that poor people shouldn’t be allowed to have children. Well who determines what is poor? Is it based on a yearly income? Or what possessions a person does or doesn’t have? I hope I am making the point that most of these questions will be answered differently - and currently are answered differently - based on what each individual person believes is “just.” In other words, the answers to these questions become subjective, which means they can change at anytime. Instead, we need to have an objective view of humanity and understand that at the point of conception life begins and that life deserves to live.

2. The reality of abortion motivates more people to be against it rather than for it

You may have seen videos of people being asked if they support abortion. They tend to say yes, in general. Then they are shown a video that explains what an abortion procedure looks like and then they are asked again. Most of the time their answers change. This is exactly what happened to me, when I decided I needed to understand why I believe the things I do. Well, I grew up believing a woman should have the choice even if I wouldn’t personally make that decision. I knew that the act of sex can bring about new life, so partaking in the act of sex meant that I could get pregnant. If I were going to get pregnant, I was going to keep it. But I didn’t think that I should be able to tell another woman what she should do with her body. Doesn’t that sound familiar?

The moment I started to seek out answers on abortion my mind started to change, obviously, or I wouldn’t be writing this piece now. The same is true for my husband. I had started developing my views on abortion prior to us dating. So when I asked him, while we were dating, what he thought about abortion, he gave pretty much the same answer I did. He felt he had no voice in the matter, because he isn’t a woman. Well, at that point I no longer accepted that kind of answer, so I showed him a few videos of what abortion actually is and, like so many before him, his mind had been changed.

So what is the point of all this? If Republicans are honest about abortion, if they share what abortion entails, if they don’t shy away from the truth of what abortion is, they could not only change minds but they would most likely win. Every time.

For those who don’t actually know what abortion entails, here are some videos I think you should check out. Yes, they are done by pro-life organizations, but if you want to be able to defend your stance on abortion then you need to go to the side that you disagree with in order to find out how to argue your stance against their claims.

3. The truth always wins in the end

In my opinion - and this is my opinion, I’d have to do a bit more research on it - the moment Republicans started giving concessions on abortion to the abortion advocates, is when they started losing on the issue of abortion. Abortion slipped into our culture as something acceptable, because most people, particularly Republicans and its base, lost sight of the truth. More specifically, the basis for their argument: God. Instead of fighting for the truth, instead of staying strong on the foundation of God’s word, many people were convinced that the truth was no longer right. It was no longer something to fight for and the only reason this became an issue, is because people - and pastors - stopped turning to the word of God. For those who are rolling their eyes, because they don’t believe in God, well, science also proves that life begins at conception. Whether one uses God or science to point to the truth, the truth is still the truth. Every abortion ends a human life.

One could also point to the truth of the Democrat’s stance on abortion. It is no longer accepted in the Democratic platform that abortions should just be “legal and rare.” They don’t think abortions should be allowed for just those that are victims of rape and incest. If they did, they wouldn’t be so upset with the limits on abortion that have taken place across the country, because all of them give the exception for rape and incest. What Democrats want is to legalize abortion, so that for any reason, a woman can kill her child even after birth. This means that a fully formed child can be murdered once a mom has carried that child to term, worn the pregnancy clothes, felt the baby moving within her, and still decides after it is born that it doesn’t deserve to live. That is an extreme view on abortion “rights,” but it is one that is mainstream within the Democratic platform. All Republicans need to do is tell the people the truth. Because most Americans believe that abortion access after the first trimester is wrong.

So Republicans can and should be honest about their own stance on abortion. They also can and should point to the Democrats’ stance and highlight just how cruel the Democrat’s stance is. No matter what the main stream media wants it’s viewers to believe, reality cannot be altered to fit their desired perceptions and the truth always wins. Republicans just need to be willing to speak the truth. When they do, they win.

The Importance of Personhood Theory

Personhood theory is foundational to Nancy R. Pearcey’s book Love Thy Body and, I think, is fundamental for people trying to understand the world they find themselves in today. First and foremost, I encourage anyone reading this to add Pearcey’s book to their reading list. It it something you can slowly make your way through and it will bring so much clarity to how we can better position ourselves in cultural discussions. Her perspective is from a Christian worldview, but her book is accessible to anyone interested in wanting to understand how the “love is love” slogan became popular and how we went from that slogan to children being deemed able to consent to life-altering medical procedures.

My intention is to give you the basics of this theory, because I think with the basics, and a little logical thinking, you’ll be able to draw conclusions about how this theory is prominent today. It also is something that I intend to refer back to, because it does such a great job succinctly describing the key arguments of the modern cultural movements. What I am going to write here by no means does Pearcey’s book justice, so, again, I suggest adding it to your reading list. You won’t regret it, I’m sure!

What is Personhood Theory?

Personhood theory is derived from the view that people are made up of two realms (or stories) - body and person - and it is often used to determine when a person is considered a person and when they are considered a non-person, or when a person is deemed as living “their true authentic life” or “confined by social norms.” The two realms are often seen as opposed to one another. And, with that, one realm is often deemed more valuable than the other.

This theory was created out of the cultural understanding of morals, or ethics. Many people, as Pearcey states, “treat morality as a list of rules” (p. 11). But morals are actually how we make our decisions. Another word for this is worldview, which is the way a person sees and interprets the world around them, which is often determined by the culture and social influences around us. Or by religious affiliations. Secular morality or the secular worldview “rests on a deep division that runs through all of Western thought and culture” (p. 12) and this division is what brought about our current perspective on human beings.

Today, or in the modern age, many believe that knowledge of the natural world is only possible through scientific, testable facts. Morality, then, is viewed as subjective. It is based on personal feelings and preferences. (Sounding familiar?) This means that we all get to have our own understanding of what is morally right and, ultimately, you can’t tell me my moral views are wrong and I can’t tell you your moral views are wrong. So, if I think murder is morally good, because of my personal preference, I can’t be wrong just because you disagree. Obviously, that conclusion seems absurd, but when each person in a society has differing views on what is morally right, it can make it (and has made it) difficult to come to a consensus. The best, and most simple, example of this is trying to decide when to limit abortions and even if we should. Science agrees with theology that life begins at conception, but because of the body/person split (personhood theory) we’ve muddied the waters. Our discussions focus on when a woman can decide to terminate the life of her child and not whether abortion is right or wrong. So one woman may think the limit should be 6 weeks, while another thinks she should have until after the moment the baby is born. If both women think they are morally right, then based on personhood theory neither of them are actually wrong.

This modern understanding of morality and humanity stems from what Pearcey describes as the academic world’s fact/value split. In order to put that into an image we can easily understand, she merges this academic view with the theologian Francis Schaeffer’s division of morality and science, which he described as a two story building. The lower story is science (or facts) and the upper story is morality (or values). It is the lower story, the science, that has become “public truths” or things everyone is expected to accept despite a person’s personal beliefs. This could be gravity or the laws of motion. The upper story, the morals, is viewed as private, relative and subjective as discussed above. In other words, the upper story can be deemed as something that is true for me, but isn’t true for you. (Again, sound familiar?)

The fact/value split is something that began around the philosophical movement of the Enlightenment, which occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, is the philosophical tradition in which philosophers claimed to build their philosophies on science, or empirical data - things that are observable by the eyes. For them, the lower story was, and is, the primary reality. This tradition gave rise to empiricism, rationalism, materialism, and naturalism. These “isms” are typically grouped together under the umbrella term of “modernism.”

Of course, philosophy did not stop there. The thinking continued. In response to the Enlightenment movement was the Romantic movement, which also originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The Romantics focused their philosophies on the upper story, in which the philosophers strived to make the upper story (morals/values) the primary reality. The philosophers of this movement focused on the questions of justice, freedom, morals and meaning, which brought about idealism, Marxism, existentialism, and postmodernism. These “isms” typically are grouped by the term postmodernism.

You don’t need to know what any of these “isms” mean. The point is that they created the foundational arguments for what people tend to believe today. In Pearcey’s book, she shows how the philosophical debate around the fact/value split of understanding reality has now been reduced down to the individual level, in which the “human being has been likewise fragmented into an upper story and lower story” (p. 14). The fragmenting of the human being puts the body on the lower story (aligned with facts and science) and the person on the upper story (aligned to values). This dualism, as Pearcey states, “has created a fractured, fragmented view of the human being, in which the body is treated as separate from the authentic self (the person)” (p. 14). As I will describe in a little bit, this split views the body as something completely separate from the person. Whether the body agrees with what the person thinks, feels, or wants, it is the person that will always be ruled as correct. In other words, the person is on the upper level because it is deemed more important. The body is just the foundation for the person - the biological organism housing the person - but it doesn’t matter nearly as much as the person, according to supporters of this view of human beings.

On page 20 of her book, Pearcey summarizes personhood theory as:

“a very low view of the human body, which ultimately dehumanizes all of us. For if our bodies do not have inherent value, then a key part of our identity is devalued. What we will discover is that this same body/person dichotomy, with its denigration of the body, is the unspoken assumption driving secular views on euthanasia, sexuality, homosexuality, transgenderism, and a host of related ethical issues.”

How Personhood Theory is Utilized Today

Once this split is understood, which ultimately comes down to a split between reality and personal beliefs, everything makes sense. This split view of human life is what leads to every cultural debate we have, especially around what is and should be considered a basic human right.

The advocates for the “human right” to abortion claim that the early stage of human life, the fetus, is a non-person. It is just an organism, a “clump of cells.” It is on the lower story of the body/person split. It is assumed that it has no cognitive functions until an arbitrary moment. Once the biological organism has advanced to some arbitrary moment, it ascends into the upper story and is deemed a person. When the baby has moved from just being a clump of cells to becoming a person, it finally obtains legal and moral standing. In other words, it is no longer deemed morally right to terminate it’s life.

Advocates for the “human right” to euthanasia use the body/person dichotomy to argue that just being a human - having a human body - doesn’t have any moral relevance. If a person is on life support, or has become a “vegetable,” they are downgraded from person to non-person. A clump of cells outside the womb. But that isn’t the only reason people argue for the right to end their life by a doctor. Many believe that if they don’t feel like they want to live, they should have the right to end their life. Again, this puts the person above the body. The body has not determined that it should no longer live - such as what happens during natural deaths - it is the person making that decision.

The personhood theory, for both abortion and euthanasia, provides the logic behind the acts themselves. Many people argue that ending a life whether it be through abortion or euthanasia is the ability to end, or prevent, someone’s suffering. But the actions of taking a life based on perceived suffering implies the two-story worldview and it is dehumanizing, because it argues that biological “humans do not have rights, only persons do” (p. 27). We need to accept and view all humans as persons. No matter what.

The “human right” to promiscuity also follows this two-story worldview, as well. When the body is separate from the person, then what the body does sexually is deemed to have no impact on the person as a whole. As many try to argue, sex is physical (the lower story) and can be separated from emotions (the upper story). This cultural view of sex as an exchange of physical services between disconnected individuals places a very low value on the body. The “right” to same-sex behavior also has its own logic. One that the person who adopts it must disassociate their sexual feelings from their biological identity. The implication being that the “sexed body” is not what counts, what matters is the mind, feelings, and desires. The body, in other words, doesn’t give guidance to what our sexual choices should be, it is irrelevant and insignificant.

The “right” to transition becomes apparent throughout the other discussions of “rights” which degrade the body as being less important than the person. The body is flat our rejected as not being correct - it doesn’t match the person and their feelings and desires. Here again the body is viewed as being purposeless and providing no insight into how a person should live. Sexuality and orientation is reduced to being completely disconnected from the body. Transgenderism views the body as a constraint that needs to be overcome, or a limitation one needs to be liberated from.

With this understanding of personhood theory, we are better able to equip ourselves with sound arguments to counter it.

How Can We Respond?

We respond with the truth. The body matters as much as the person. Christianity goes further and provides an explanation of why the body is just as important as the person, as Pearcey argues throughout her book.

Christian theology does believe that a human being is made up of a body and a person, but the two “stories” are united; they are two sides to the same coin. They compliment each other and work in tandem with one another. The exact opposite of personhood theory.

Everyone, but especially Christians, should value their human body as a gift to be accepted from the Creator with gratitude. In fact, human bodies, as well as everything else in the material world, are the handiwork of God, which holds profound value and dignity according to Scripture. We have a responsibility before God to treat our body with care and respect. This should motivate and convict us to view our bodies, and all bodies, as gifts. Not things that need to be controlled or overcome. To show gratitude for the gift of the body God gave us, we must show respect for the body and the person simultaneously. It is actually understood in Christianity that the outer life of the body expresses the inner life of the soul. The body is the means by which the invisible is made visible. With this understanding, the body is essential to the person and cannot be seen as being separate from it. As God’s creation, we humans were made in his image. This means that we were made to reflect not just God’s image but also his character, and to do so with our minds and our bodily actions. And, since we are all created in God’s image, everyone should be treated with dignity, simply because of that one fact.

The response to personhood theory needs to be clear and it needs to be communicated in both our words and our actions. We need to offer the biblical defense of the body, as well as expressing compassion for those who are trapped in the dehumanizing and destructive view of the body. It may seem like this is a losing battle, because we have fallen so far, but its not. The early Christians were up against similar worldviews of the body. With the fear of God and the example of Jesus they were able to turn society into the one that brought us where we are today. There is always hope in God’s wisdom. We need to be unafraid to share it and to live it.

5 Books That Changed My Mind

If you know me at all, you know that I love books and I love reading. My favorite show as a kid was Reading Rainbow. I would create stories that I wanted to send into the show, in the hopes that one of them would be read on an episode. That never happened, but I think it highlights how much I have enjoyed both reading and writing from early on in my life.

Like many, I have a never ending list of books to read and I constantly am buying new books when I have a shelf full of books that I haven’t opened yet. You probably don’t need to add any to your list, but when I get asked for book suggestions, I have a handful that I happily recommend. These are not fiction books (to be honest, I rarely read fiction books), but I found them to be just as engaging and hard to put down as any good fiction book. These books challenged my perspectives and, in the end, changed my mind. I didn’t include the Bible on this list, even though it was the one book that actually changed my life, because in reality that is the only book anyone needs. But here are a few books that gave me a fresh perspective on otherwise tough topics.

The Dictators Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics

written by Bruce Bueno de Mesquite and Alastair Smith this book completely flipped the way I understood politics, foreign policy and foreign aid. It gives depth and understanding to the phrase, “never let a crisis go to waste” and will puts almost everything that involves politicians, politics, and even business into perspective. For those who don’t have a naive view of politics, like I did in my early twenties, you may not find the book to be that earth shattering. But for me, who thought that all politicians in democratic republics were out for the good will of all, it rattled my world. For anyone interested - even slightly - in politics, this is a must read.

The Quest for Cosmic Justice

written by Thomas Sowell, one of my favorite thinkers and economists. He deserves much more public adoration than he currently receives. Regardless, anyone who claims to be a champion for social justice absolutely needs to read this book and anyone who wants to understand the claims of social justice needs to read this book. From the preface: “The heady rush of rhetoric and visions are the stuff of everyday politics and everyday media discussion. That makes it all the more important that, at some point, we step back and examine what it all means underneath the froth and glitter. This book is an attempt to do that.” And it achieves its goal. Highly recommend!

Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil

written by Hannah Arendt. Arendt is another one of my favorite thinkers. She is, and was, one of the more controversial intellectuals of the 60s. If you want to know why she was so controversial, look no further than this book. Arendt published what is now this book as a series of articles in The New Yorker as a report on Eichmann’s trial. In the introduction of the Penguin edition, Amos Elon states, “Three years after the publication of the book, people were still bitterly divided over it. No book within living memory elicited similar passions.” For context, Arendt was Jewish and her work stirred up a lot of anger amongst the Jewish community. To understand why, I suggest reading the book! Even if you don’t care about the controversy, but you enjoy true crime or trial documentaries, I am sure you’ll be able to enjoy this book since it was written to report on one of the most historic trials in modern history.

Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route

written by Saidiya Hartman. Hartmann shares her journey to Africa, where she was hoping to find her home, in conjunction with retracing the history of the Atlantic slave trade. Hartman mixes history with personal memoir. She highlights her personal struggles of coming to terms with the reality of the trip (that didn’t exactly go as she had hoped) with the truth behind how the slave trade impacted African families and communities. To be completely honest, I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up on my own. I was required to read this for a graduate history class, but I am glad that I did. I think it does a wonderful job at discussing the complexities of dealing with one’s own past, the bitter truths of history, and the realities of today. As a supplement to this book, which more confirmed my thoughts than changed them, I would also suggest reading Shelby Steele’s Shame: How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, particularly Chapter 6 titled “Characterological Evil.” Steele discusses his journey to Africa in the late 1960’s with the same intentions as Hartman’s in mind. Hartman’s book makes it on this list, because she provided another perspective I hadn’t read before.

Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory

written by David W. Blight. This is a 395 paged book that you probably won’t finish in a weekend. Now you could prove me wrong, but what made this book so interesting to me, is its focus on the politics of memory. Specifically, as the title states, how the United States healed from the Civil War despite not achieving justice. Aside from the political drama of the post-Civil War era, this book highlights how modern day political rhetoric leads people to believe falsities about the past. Truths that don’t get much airtime, because if they did, the modern day talking points would quickly dissolve. Did you know that it was Republicans that wanted to end slavery? Did you know that it was Democrats that brought about Jim Crow laws and didn’t want Blacks voting in elections? Did you know that after the Civil War the presidential election was hotly contested and it all came down to what the legislative branch did in order to try and maintain order? There is so much I learned about American politics, and history, from this book that it made me look at modern American politics differently. That’s why you’ll also find this book on my list and why I recommend checking it out!

If you happen to pick up ones of these books - or you have read one already - tell me what you think!

The False Religion of Environmentalism

Two articles were published in Time Magazine around Earth Day that proposed a new kind of belief system and a new savior. The proposed belief system and savior are not new. What is new, is the sense that this belief system and “savior” would bring about the desired outcome of a healed, climate neutral planet for us humans to live on. In case you don’t believe me, the first article is titled “The Case For Making Earth Day a Religious Holiday,” written by Paul Greenberg and Carl Safina, who both hold PhDs. The other article is titled “Animals Can Save Us - If We Let Them,” written by Keggie Carew an “award-winning nature writer.” And before you laugh it off, as if these two articles don’t mean anything, remember where these articles are published.

Time Magazine isn’t a fringe magazine. According to the Time’s own Media Kit, they reach 105 million readers worldwide and those readers tend to be the college educated, or the more affluent amongst the population. In addition, their overarching theme for 2023 is “interconnected challenges, from climate and public health to democracy and equality,” with a central theme that begins with “the most existential of challenges: climate change.” These two articles aren’t meant to be “fringe” or even random proposals or thoughts, they are meant to become a part of the mainstream discourse.

To sum up the main points of both articles, people should worship the earth with holidays, community, and an official book that “make nature central to our belief system . . . serving as regular reminders of what we owe our home planet” and in this nature-centered belief system, to no surprise, it would be the animals that become our saviors! It really isn’t complicated stuff and if you haven’t been living under a rock, you’d realize that a lot of the climate change/warming/crisis rhetoric has already included a number of these elements, they’ve now just been written out and stated clearly for us to see.

Christians, who have a strong understanding of God and his word, should instantly find this proposal absurd, but they also shouldn’t be shocked. We don’t need to worship creation - the planet - and we don’t need animals to become our new savior. But I know, unfortunately, that many Christians don’t have a strong understanding of God or his word and as a result, will be easily persuaded by such proposals. Because, didn’t God create this place for us to love it and care for it? Shouldn’t we love the animals so much, that we let them save us? The problem here isn’t the care for the environment or animals, the problem is the shift away from Gods truth.

In 2022, Time Magazine published an article that highlighted the contradiction between Christians and the political narrative of climate change. According to the article, Christians believe in protecting the earth, but they don’t believe that people cause climate change. They draw the conclusion that climate change isn’t a typical conversation among congregations and, because of this, aren’t as concerned about the dangers of climate change as others. My point is, they tell us flat out that the Christian worldview goes against their worldview. Their worldview is that humans are very important, but should humble themselves to animals and the planet, if they want to live. Christians, on the other hand, believe that God is in control and that our obligation is to care for God’s creation, specifically humans. Does this mean that Christians shouldn’t care about the environment or animals? Or that we can do whatever we want without any care about the consequences? Absolutely not. So lets break down why the Christian worldview is better for the environment, but more importantly humans, and how the proposed religion of environmentalism would be destructive.

Fear and Control

The proposed religion of environmentalism, although offering a nice image of eating food and showing gratitude to the earth and the animals that inhabit it, leaves everything up to humans and “mother nature.” This means that humans may feel like they are in control, until something unpredictable - like an earthquake, volcano, landslide, flood, etc. - happens. When one worships the earth, they are at the whims of the earth. We all know that humans, despite some of our best efforts, still die as a result of natural disasters. When the earth is the center of our worship, will we then view the earth as evil for taking the lives of the lives it sustains? Or is the earth allowed to do as it pleases with humans without being deemed immoral? The point I am trying to make, is that we humans love to feel like we are in control. That we can predict the future. So if we decide to start worshiping the earth, and we think that our worship of the earth should bring about reversals in climate change issues, such as the rise in CO2, what are humans to do if it doesn’t?

The worship of the planet, according to Greenberg and Safina, doesn’t stop at worship and religious holidays. It also should impact a couple’s decisions in marriage. Particularly the decision to have children, which is a “burden” to the planet. In other words, our human existence is a burden to the earth, that we are to worship, despite the author’s suggestion that we should celebrate “the living world that makes human life . . . possible.” If we are a burden to the earth, why has it made our existence possible? Why wouldn’t it end our existence, if it is such a burden to it? Are we supposed to show gratitude in the form of thanking the earth for not taking our lives, and that’s it? I don’t see anything but the false belief that humans are in control and the fear of the unpredictability of the earth that is behind this “earth-reverent belief system.”

Now Christians believe, and are told numerous times and in different ways throughout scripture, that God is in control. Scripture makes it clear that God is sovereign over all things, including the weather.

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, day and night, shall not cease.”

— Genesis 8:22 ESV

“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.”

— Psalms 107: 26-30 ESV

We are also commanded in the Bible “over 365 times” to not be afraid.

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ”

— Matthew 6: 31-33 ESV

We don’t need to worship the earth, which God created, because the creator of the earth is the reason we have the earth in the first place. It is Him that we should show our gratitude towards, because He controls all things and ensures that our needs are fulfilled. Does this mean that all good things will happen to us at all times? No, because God doesn’t control our every move and thought we individuals make; he provides for us - he sustains us. And humans aren’t good - that is why the environment is in the condition it is, because of our human nature. We destroy when we are left to our own devices. This is why, when a culture loses sight of the true God, they find other things to worship (like the earth). The fact that God is in control and commands us to not be afraid alleviates the need for our anxiety and fear about the future. Both our own personal futures and the future of the planet. God created this planet, just like he created us. The reason it is so perfect for us, is because of the one who created it. We have a place that provides us with everything we could need, because of Him. We shouldn’t be thankful to the earth for being perfect for us, when the earth didn’t create itself, we should be thankful to God for creating the perfect home for us.

“The heavens are the Lord’s heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.”

— Psalm 115:16-17 ESV

Christians know where everything came from and who is in control. Greenberg and Safina, in their push for a religion that centers around worshiping the earth, highlight that “we still don’t really know how nothing became something and formed a universe in which random pulses of energy and matter coalesced into beings writing op eds.” In other words, they want to worship something that they aren’t even sure how it came into being. Through faith, Christians understand how the earth, humans themselves, and animals came into being. This faith is a confident trust in God who is all-powerful, infinitely wise, and eternally trustworthy; who has revealed himself in his word and in the person of Jesus Christ; whose promises have proven true from generation to generation, and who will never leave or forsake us. It is not a blind trust in the face of contradictory evidence or a vague hope grounded in the imaginary, wishful thinking of a “leap in the dark.” Faith in the unseen realities of God provides confidence and assurance to all who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We can be confident that God created us and the earth, because it is the truth.

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

— Hebrews 11:3 ESV

In addition, scripture often speaks about our human doubts. We tend to lose our faith in God, because we don’t physically see Him or His works. This leads us to doubt God and to doubt that He actually created everything. In other words, we lose faith. We respond by turning our tendencies of religion to worship the things of this world, including the earth, because they are things we see and think we understand. One powerful example of God rebuking human doubt is in the book of Job. God speaks directly to Job, because Job was drawing conclusions about what his personal suffering meant and his conclusions did not account sufficiently for what was hidden in the knowledge and purposes of God. In other words, we tend to ascribe an understanding of the creator based on what we see in the world, and ourselves. This is insufficient, because God is in everything both seen and unseen. Yes, it does take faith to believe God created everything and is all-knowing, but it would also take faith to believe that worshiping the earth will bring an end to the “climate crisis.” Lastly, none of us were there at the beginning of creation and none of us knows everything about this earth and the universe. This is a humble reminder that despite our human arrogance - thinking we are all-knowing and all-powerful - we aren’t. And, honestly, we never will be.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements - surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
on what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for Joy?

[. . .]

Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.”

— Job 38: 4-7, 16-18 ESV

God is control and there is nothing to fear. Let us thank Him for this wonderful planet He created for us, for the animals and plants He filled this earth with, and for caring so much about us that He makes sure all our needs are met. It is the fact that we don’t thank Him for all things, that we have brought about destruction to his creation and to the place we call home.

The Human’s Role

The claim by people like Greenberg and Safina is that humans are not doing enough to make things better for everyone. The push for environmental concern is wrapped in feel-good words that give the impression that they care about future generations. (Yet, as we saw earlier, they’d prefer that there aren’t future generations, because kids put a burden on the planet). According to Carew, in her article about animals saving us, the animals could save us, but only if we save them. The future of the earth and the animals is in our hands, but at the same time we are what created the problem to begin with. We humans are both the problem and the solution, according to many environmentalists such as Carew, Greenberg and Safina. As a result, the solution will never be found if we continue to go to the source that causes the problem.

Christianity, on the other hand, agrees that we humans are the problem. The solution, however, is gratitude and worship of God. As God’s creation, and as we dwell among and in His creation, we are to care for it. The calls by environmentalists to care for the earth ring true to Christians, because God tells us that we are obligated to have dominion over His creation as His stewards. The reason we are given this obligation is because we are made in His image. God cares for His creation. Humans, along with everything else, are His creation. Humans are therefore tasked with tending to what God has made. It is not just for our good but also for God’s glory to care for the earth and all that inhabit it. As a form of worship, we should show the same care and delight in His creation as He does.

To put it simply: God cares for his creation - we are his creation, as well as everything else in the universe - therefore we should care for everything in the universe. As I hope I am making clear, the calls from environmentalists are not wrong - humans do play a role in the state of the earth - it is the conclusions they draw, however, that are misguided. Their solutions don’t put the betterment of all of humanity at the forefront of all of their activism, despite what many environmentalists may believe. Their solutions often put humanity second and earth, animals and nature first. This is a reversal of what God has ordained.

“And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

— Genesis 1:28 ESV

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ”

— Genesis 2:15 ESV

The most important creation of God’s is humans, because we are created in His image (Genesis 1:27). This is hard for environmentalists to hear, because they believe that we humans “ordered the natural world into a hierarchy, a narrowing ladder that climbed, getting warmer and better all the way up to man (and woman one rung below).” Which, if one believes that religion is a human construct, then sure this argument could make sense. But the historical evidence that substantiates the reality of God is hard to deny for someone who actually wants to know the truth (find out for yourself here). Humanity is not the highest rung of an evolutionary ladder that is free to use nature any way we want to for our own benefit. As I already stated, we are to care for nature as God cares for His creation. He deemed it all good and in need of tending, which is where humans came into being. Since God created humans in His image, humans are to put the needs of other humans before the needs of the earth and animals. There is a hierarchal structure: God, the creator of all things, is at the top; humans, created in His image, are second; the rest of creation falls under the care of humans.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”

— Genesis 1:26 ESV

Christians, therefore, as followers of God are to put the needs of humans first. Even when approaching environmental issues. Most policies implemented and proposed by environmentalists don’t improve everyone’s lives. They tend to make access to inexpensive energy difficult to obtain, particularly for the developing nations. Within the United States, the limiting of natural gas - an inexpensive form of energy - has resulted in higher prices of electricity for everyone. This inadvertently affects the poor the most. It puts an unnecessary financial burden on them, when they have already been struggling to afford the things they need. A great book on this exact issue is The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels by Alex Epstein. As Christians, we absolutely should care about the environment and the animals, but we also need to care for the needy and poor. This means that we should be cognitive of the policies that are being pushed and enacted. The polices that are perceived to be good for the environment, but that have negative consequences for the poor, should not be supported by followers of God. The needs of the poor should be put first. Once they are taken care of, even they are more likely to turn their attention to being good stewards of creation. Better stewardship of this earth will follow when we keep things in a biblical balance.

“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

— Hebrews 11:16 ESV

It is natural for Christians and those who claim to be without a religion to want better. To strive for a perfect world here on earth. But biblical balance needs to include the understanding that all humans are sinners. When left to our own devices, we destroy. We are selfish and greedy. A lot of the complaints of environmentalists are not wrong. The real solution to environmental issues, however, is not policies, taxes and more government control. It also isn’t the false worship of the earth and the animals on it. The answer is Jesus Christ. When we turn to him for our salvation - not the animals - we become new through the power of the Holy Spirit, which puts our sin to death. This allows us to walk in a way that pleases the Lord, which includes treating His creation in the way He would treat it. Without Jesus Christ, we are left to our sinful ways of greed and selfishness, because worshiping the earth puts what humans think earth needs first, which as we’ve already discussed is less humans. This may not seem greedy and selfish at first glance, but it is the selfish desire to do what one thinks is pleasing to the earth and it is the “what one thinks” that highlights the humanness of worshiping anything other than God, the creator.

Conclusion

The proposal of a nature-centered belief system shouldn’t be surprising to Christians who have a strong understanding of theology. As stated by Paul in his letter to the Romans, everyone who rejects the true creator worships idols. The idol that Greenberg and Safina worship is earth. Carew worships animals. They “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal being and birds and animals and creeping things . . .. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (vv 23, 25 ESV). As I have tried to lay out, it is not wrong to care about the environment and the animals that also share the earth with us. Christians, however, need to do what they can to be good ambassadors of God by helping the poor and needy, supporting policies that protect them, and most importantly - preach the good news of the gospel. It is scripture that teaches us that humans are stewards of creation and are responsible to a higher authority for the way we care for the world around us. We will answer to our Creator for the way we treat his creation and whether we did so in a way that he commands.

Sources and More:

• Should We Abandon Some Species to Extinction?

• Climate Change and the Bible

• Love They Body by Nancy R. Pearcy

• Debate on Climate Change with Authors Alex Epstein and Andrew Dressler

How To Start Reading the Bible

No matter what your reason is for wanting to read the Bible, the fact that you are here and want to start is wonderful! Several years ago, I was interested in reading the Bible for context to apply to my graduate studies, but I didn’t really know how to do it in a way that would provide substantial understanding of the Christian worldview. I could have just picked up the Bible and starting reading it, but I knew there was more to it and I wanted to truly understand it. At that time, I looked at a couple blog posts, but felt overwhelmed because it seemed like those posts where for people who already had a Christian background. I wanted simple tips on how to gain an understanding of what Christians believed and why, but I didn’t want to have to make all the decisions, like what translation to read, what reading plan to follow, or even what questions to keep in mind while reading.

I found the solution to my problem in Allie Beth Stuckey’s book You’re Not Enough (and That’s Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self Love (I highly encourage all women to read this book. It’s very convicting.) and that is pretty much what you’ll see summed up here. Her advice provided me the ability to know where to go and where to start, I just had to do it. As a result, in five years I went from having a very bare minimum understanding of the Bible to now being able to talk about the Word of God in a much deeper and meaningful way.

It’s so simple, that it feels silly to even be writing this. Yet, I couldn’t find a simple guide online when I wanted to start, so I figure this might help someone else who is like me! And, no, you don’t need highlighters, notebooks, pens, outside resources, or commentaries. You can use them, of course, but you won’t find them listed here. All you really need is a desire and interest in the Bible to begin. (I do think outside resources can be extremely helpful, but I didn’t use or seek them out until I finished these three steps. Obviously, do what works for you!)

I do want to provide a word of warning. If you do not want to become a believer and follower of Jesus Christ; if you do not want to be convicted to lay down your life for Jesus and to join a local church or become a part of the local Christian community, then maybe do not follow these steps that I have laid out. Because I cannot guarantee that you won’t be convinced of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thereby changing your heart into one that is a believer and follower of Him. It might sound crazy to you now, if you don’t already have faith, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Step 1: Get a Study Bible

This is the only expense you are going to incur on this journey, and I do have some ways to work around the up-front cost, if you aren’t ready to completely commit just yet. But this is a journey. No matter how long one has studied the Bible there is always more to learn and explore. The purchase of a Study Bible will be an invaluable source of knowledge, no matter how many times you read through it.

Whether you feel like you have a good grasp of the Bible or not, a Study Bible provides a plethora of information that is both contextual and historical. I had no idea such a thing existed prior to reading Stuckey’s book. Yes, that is how little I knew about Christianity prior to studying the Bible myself. So for those who’ve never heard of such a thing, it provides a really robust understanding of scripture. The amount of knowledge pulled together in a Study Bible is unparalleled to anything else I have ever seen and the ESV version is, in my opinion, extremely accessible for a beginner, but also has so much information that it provides deeper knowledge for the more “mature” Christians.

You can purchase the Study Bible directly from the publisher or you can find it on Amazon, where a Kindle option is available. If you purchase through the publisher, you can create a free account with them that provides a 30% discount. The account will also provide you discounts off other books published by Crossways, the publishing house, which you may want to utilize after beginning your Bible Study. (During Christmas time they offer really great deals, like 50% off Bibles and other books, journals, and devotionals, so depending on when you are reading this, I would make sure to check their website out!).

 If you really do not want to spend any money to start reading the Bible, and you don’t mind reading on a screen, you can read the same version at ESV.org or by downloading the ESV Bible App. In order to get the most out this version of the ESV Bible, I would suggest creating an account. They will ask you to choose between the Basic Plan ($2.99/month) or the Basic + Commentaries Plan ($3.99/month), but they offer the first 30 days free. Meaning, you can test it out and see if it’s a good fit for you, before committing either to the online version or getting yourself a hard copy. I just began exploring these online resources and so far what I really like is that you get access to all of their different Study Bibles (including the one I recommend above), devotionals, and reading plans. This can be overwhelming if you are just starting out, so do your best to keep it simple – utilize the primary Study Bible and follow the next two steps.

There are, of course, other Bible Studies. I have heard good things about the NIV Study Bible but haven’t checked it out for myself. When I was doing my preliminary search for a Study Bible, the ESV appeared to be a bit more accessible, which is why I started with it and is why I am particular to it. But don’t let my preference hold you back from utilizing a different one.

Step 2: Set aside 15-20 Minutes a Day

Obviously, in order to read and study the Bible, you actually have to make time to do so. First thing in the morning worked for me, as it was the only alone time I had where I didn’t feel like my husband would be looking at me all weird for actually reading the Bible. Yes, when I first started, I felt a bit embarrassed about it. Now, I am embarrassed to admit that I was once embarrassed about reading the Bible.

Of course, my husband knew I had purchased a copy of the Bible and he knew that I was interested in reading it. But to actually do it, when I had all the false preconceptions of what being a Christian meant, I felt a bit awkward, like I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t. But that feeling faded over time. My point: instead of scrolling social media when I was up in the mornings by myself, I’d get out the Bible and read it a little at a time. It became a habit on weekdays. I would get up, grab coffee, and sit down to read the Bible for a few minutes. It turned out to be a much better habit than scrolling social media first thing in the morning!

My 15 to 20 minutes did have a specific goal in mind. The ESV Bible has the chapters divided in to titled subsections. My goal each day was to read one subsection. Sometimes that meant I only read 10 verses, while other times it was 50. The point of this goal was to make reading the Bible manageable for me. Of course there were times when I would read more, but setting out to read just one subsection made it easy for me to pick up the Bible each morning.

Step 3: Start with the Book of John

You’ve got your Study Bible – whether it’s a physical or online copy – and you’ve designated some time to read, but you aren’t sure where to begin. It would seem only right to begin at the beginning, with Genesis. I don’t want to discourage this, because any reading of the Bible is good. However, if you want to get to the meat of what Christianity is and what Christians believe, I recommend starting with the Book of John. It tells what Jesus did, what Jesus said, and provides context of the time Jesus was among us. It is where I started – thanks to the advice from Mrs. Stuckey – and it was great advice.

Another reason the Book of John is a great place to start is that it was written with an evangelistic intent, meaning it was written for the people of the world. John wrote for the Jews and Gentiles of the time who lived in the larger Greco-Roman world and beyond. In other words, it was written for people that potentially had no understanding or knowledge of the Old Testament. People like me. For this reason, whether you are a Christian or not, this is a great place to go to start understanding the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus.

What Day One Will Look Like

If you start reading the Bible as suggested, then your first day will include reading the subsection titled “The Word Became Flesh,” which is verses 1-18 of chapter 1 of the Book of John. Those first 18 verses will most likely be a bit confusing to someone new to the Bible, because it delves right into the Incarnate Word (who and what Jesus is), so I would suggest reading through the notes attributed to those 18 verses. When you’ve read through the notes, read the verses again with the newly gained insight from the notes. The second read-through should be a bit easier to understand because of the clarity and context provided from the notes. Follow the same pattern for each subsequent subsection, or chunk, of the Bible you read.

This reading pattern – of scripture, notes, scripture – is suggested within the introduction sections of the ESV Study Bible and I have found that it really works the best when trying to understand any part of scripture. In addition to the Word of God, or the books of the Bible, there are additional resources and articles in the ESV Study Bible (as well as in the App and Online versions) that I would highly encourage you take a look at whenever you have the chance. There are articles on the different Jewish groups referenced in the New Testament, what happened between the Old and New Testament historically, and so on. I’ve been studying the Bible using the ESV Study Bible for almost five years now and I still haven’t read everything in it. Maybe you’ll get through it all before I do!  

Remember these steps are just a place to start. They are meant to be easy enough that you feel like you too can read the Bible and understand it. I want to provide you with encouragement, to help you see that it doesn’t take much to become familiar with God’s Word. I started reading one subsection a day and now I read chapters a day, because I want to and I enjoy it. Some days I make it through just one and other days I get through three or more. My point is that these three steps helped build my daily habit of reading the Bible each day. It really just comes down to the amount of time you have, your desires, and making a habit of opening the Bible a couple times a week.

You’ve got this!