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Opinion: Christian nationalism shows a lack of faith in the power of God
Robert Montgomery
OPINION COLUMNIST for the Ashville Citizen Times
August 16, 2022

I read the author’s article with great interest. I have been referred to often by critics as a Christian Nationalist. Mr. Montgomery’s column, like so many I’ve read start with premises and build straw men which he then spends considerable time to tear down. Perhaps spending some time face to face with those of us he thinks he’s saving Christianity from would benefit him and the church he seeks to protect. I will illustrate by starting with his initial words in the article.

When the United States was established, our founders broke with the ancient alliance between religion and the state. This is the real American exceptionalism! Many nations have made alliances between the rulers and the majority or traditional religion in their countries. Some governments are virtually fused with a traditional religion. It is vitally important for Americans to be aware of the distinctive stance of our nation in both restricting religion from having government power and at the same time giving everyone the freedom to choose or not choose a religion. Some people in America want special government favor for Christianity by having the nation declared “Christian.” They are going backward in history.

Our founders objected to the abuse of the church by governmental authorities in the Old World who controlled the church with their money and paid the priests and pastors to comply with their wishes, often leading to wars and conflicts with other European nations which embraced different branches of the Christian church, ie. Catholicism vs Anglicanism. In America a different approach was birthed by our wise founders who had tired of the endless wars of Europe. They allowed Christians to establish and fund their own churches and then protected the full amount of their contribution to their church from being taxed. This unique approach enabled each congregation to conduct their affairs, including setting the pastor’s salary and all policies without any governmental intrusion.

Meanwhile, these same Christians were allowed to express their views on government, including running for and securing positions in the government as they wished. What the author seems to misunderstand, as do most who write on this subject and assess motives to men like me who believe Christian involvement in the civil arena to be a good and healthy enterprise is this: We do not practice our religion. It is who we are. I cannot divorce my politics from my religion as it is who I am. What makes true Biblical Christianity distinct from all other religions is this: To be a Christian means that I have surrendered my life to Christ and have invited the Spirit of the living God to indwell in my heart as an act of my will. He then lives His life through me. Religionists like Mr. Montgomery seem to believe I can put my “religion” aside while I’m not in Church much like I hang up a coat in the vestibule on a cold day. He misses the central point of Christianity as taught by Jesus…Christianity is “Christ-in-u-ity, and Christ-in-me-ity.”

Christians who share my view desire that enough Christians engage in the public square to legally make a difference by passing legislation that reflects their views. I make no apology for believing and desiring that America’s laws reflect Biblical morality. For almost fifty years I was forced to live under a Supreme Court edict that I found to be repulsive and wrong: The Roe v Wade decision gave us abortion on demand, resulting in 70 million innocent unborn babies being mutilated and in many cases, having their body parts sold on the open market for profit. I didn’t scream at and follow judges with whom I disagreed to restaurants and terrorize their families outside their homes. I prayed and acted by supporting legislators and Presidential candidates who shared my view that all life is sacred and a gift of a sovereign God, until the day a majority on the Supreme Court agreed with liberal Jurist and activist, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who wrote before her death that Roe v Wade was based on a poor interpretation of the law, and the slaughter was finally ended.

Those like Mr. Montgomery who accuse pastors like me of being Christian Nationalists, inadvertently compliment us. Before all else, I am a follower of Christ. I was saved at age 7. At age 20, while attending a major university on a football scholarship, I became the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and truly fell in love with Jesus. During my sophomore year, I was asked by the pastor of the First Baptist Church to become their part time youth pastor, through which I discovered a gift for and love of preaching the gospel. I have been in the ministry ever since.

Of all the nations in which I could have been born, I was born in America, the greatest and freest nation the world has ever known. I am very grateful to be an American, recognizing as all do that she is not a perfect nation. Twice America has been called on to save the world from tyrants, most recently in 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and Germany was about to destroy England, the sole remaining European nation resisting Hitler and Nazism, forcing America to fight a two-front war.
America is again fighting a two-front war: A Satanic assault on the nation and a Satanic assault on God’s church, and unless the true church arises quickly, America and all she stands for will be lost. If America loses her freedoms, she will never get them back. Christians must recognize we are at war, and like the sons of Issachar mentioned in I Chronicles 12:32, we must understand the times and know what to do.

The Satanic attack on the nation is being waged by those who reject Biblical morality and embrace transgenderism, the LGBTQ- agenda and Wokeism, a term I use to include CRT, BLM, defunding the police, gender dysphoria, Climate Change religion and a growing list of new false philosophies coming from our elites in academia and government. They are united in silencing all opposing viewpoints and have allies in big tech, the media, and throughout governmental agencies.

The Satanic attach in the church is being waged by a new generation of preachers and mainline denominational leaders who have stretched grace to be inclusive of all the above and have declared war on anyone who preaches that a literal translation of the Scripture is narrow minded, a bigot and the enemy. Salvation no longer requires the blood of the lamb, the cross and an empty tomb, but rather the the pursuit of personal peace and happiness. Truth for them is relative and one man’s truth may not be another man’s truth.

I am a Christian who loves America with his whole heart, warts, and all, because America is an idea more than a geographical boundary filled with a single race of people. America is the idea that anyone from any place on the planet who comes to this country legally, has a legitimate shot at being successful if they agree with our national creed, expressed in our Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

But this idea is now under attack, and if we do not have the same spirit that drove the “Greatest Generation,” to leave their loved ones and shed their blood on foreign fields of war, we will not survive the attacks we are encountering daily.

I am looking for pastors who “get it!” Who are willing to stand up to the Woke crowd and to the transgenders and homosexuals and love them enough to tell them their lifestyle is self-destructive and will reap the judgement of Almighty God if they do not repent and seek His forgiveness on His terms. Unfortunately, most preachers fear saying those words because they have witnessed the attacks on others like Justices Kavanaugh, and Thomas, or preachers like John McArthur and my good friend Pastor Steve Smothermon, who have learned to live with death threats they receive or being doxed and de-platformed for preaching an uncompromising message.

Fear permeates preachers today, but I remind you that the Scripture says that… God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (I Tim. 1:7) and that…There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear. If we truly love people as we say we do, then we will love them so much that fear of reprisal for telling them the truth is lost in love.
There must be a revival of courage and love in the clergy if America is to survive as a free nation. I believe that revival is coming to those who will count the cost and stand up for truth. After all, Jesus said, Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall mak you free. (John 8:32)

Former Navy SEAL Chris Beck, known as the transgender woman Kristin Beck, is detransitioning back to being a man, he said in an interview Dec. 1.

Chris Beck was interviewed by political commentator Robby Starbuck about his detransition. The interview covered, “how the VA provided doctor convinced him he was trans in a 1 hr session, how the VA doctor hatched a deal to release a book together, how CNN used him and most importantly, to warn the children who could be harmed next, ” according to Starbuck’s show summary.

He told Starbuck that he is “not transgender” and used his confusion as an example of why psychologists should not “push their agenda” onto children. Beck claimed in the interview that it took a one hour long meeting at the Department of Veterans Affairs for him to be recommended hormones, which he has now been off for seven years. He went on to break down the effects of the hormones used for the gender transition on his body.

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Public school board members in Texas are unpaid volunteers elected to their positions by voters living in the communities they serve. School boards provide local governance of their school districts and can only take action by a majority vote at public meetings.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

School boards oversee management, policymaking, planning and evaluation while the superintendent implements these matters and manages the district's day-to-day operations, according to the Texas Association of School Boards.

1. Adopt goals and monitor success

One of the functions of a local school board is to develop goals and priorities for the district. Administration regularly presents reports on district operations and progress toward those goals. State data can also help trustees compare performance to other districts.

2. Adopt policies and review for effectiveness

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(LifeSiteNews) — A biologist and Nobel Prize winner made headlines this week when she asserted basic biological reality in opposition to the claims of radical transgender ideologues.

In an exclusive interview in German language feminist magazine EMMA, German developmental biologist and Nobel laureate Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard explained that the basic biological principles regarding sexuality disprove transgenderism.

“[A]ll mammals have two sexes, and man is a mammal,” said Nüsslein-Volhard, who won the 1995 Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine for her research in early embryonic development.

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The future of Texas as a national and world leader is under attack. The United States has been inspirational to the world and a world leader for generations as a direct result its foundation of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights all documents on a Judeo-Christian framework. The State of Texas won its independence from Mexico through bravery and fierce combat, became its own country, and eventually joined the United States.

The Texas independent spirit has inspired generations to make the State of Texas a national and world leader for generations. Right now, there is a concerted effort to dilute the independent spirit our children’s education and destroying what is unique about Texas. It is essential that our children are taught the principles and history of the brave men and women who fought and gave their lives, careers, fortunes, and family to create the incredible state and country that we have today.

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And you thought the FBI were the only feds you needed to fear. No, the 87,000 new IRS agents Congress just funded aren’t going to be nosy accountants. They sound more like soldiers of an internal security army like the East German Stasi. Look at this (authentic) job posting courtesy of the IRS:

“The IRS is hiring new special agents!

“Requirements include working min ‘50 hours per week, which may include irregular hours, and be on-call 24/7, including holidays and weekends’ and ‘Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary.’”

Yeah, checking on people’s deductions really does need fit young people ready to “carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force” doesn’t it? According to National Review, the job posting was deleted after that tweet resulted in many “interactions” with the agency. Don’t you wish you could read some of those “interactions” by outraged citizens?

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And you thought the FBI were the only feds you needed to fear. No, the 87,000 new IRS agents Congress just funded aren’t going to be nosy accountants. They sound more like soldiers of an internal security army like the East German Stasi. Look at this (authentic) job posting courtesy of the IRS:

“The IRS is hiring new special agents!

“Requirements include working min ‘50 hours per week, which may include irregular hours, and be on-call 24/7, including holidays and weekends’ and ‘Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary.’”

Yeah, checking on people’s deductions really does need fit young people ready to “carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force” doesn’t it? According to National Review, the job posting was deleted after that tweet resulted in many “interactions” with the agency. Don’t you wish you could read some of those “interactions” by outraged citizens?

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For 120 days in summer 2020, violent protesters destroyed some $2 billion in property and injured 1,500 police officers in riots that led to over 35 deaths.

Because blue-state mayors and governors saw BLM and Antifa instigators as useful street soldiers, most of those arrested were never tried in court. Street thugs paid no price for declaring themselves de facto owners of downtown areas of Seattle, which police themselves conceded were no-go zones. Why did public officials in blue states ignore the violence? They were certain that it enjoyed majority support among their leftwing constituencies.

Indeed, some leftist icons cheered on the violence. Well after the failed attempt to storm the White House grounds, in June 2020, the Democratic candidate for vice president Kamala Harris warned us that protestors were “not going to let up, and they should not.” What did Harris mean by “should not?”—when she knew numerous protests that summer had ended in terrible violence? Was she reckless in the manner Trump was said to be by encouraging a demonstration on January 6?

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In 279 B.C., at the Battle of Asculum, King Pyrrhus of Epirus beat the Roman Republican armies. Pyrrhus poured his forces into the battle against the Roman might, overwhelmed them, and crushed them. Pyrrhus lost most of his troops, many of his top generals and several friends, but he won the day. Unfortunately for Pyrrhus, Rome had reserve forces. Pyrrhus had none.

"If I achieve such a victory again, I shall return to Epirus without any soldier," Pyrrhus reportedly said. Because of the devastating casualty toll, Pyrrhus had to withdraw against the Romans despite his victory. All of his territorial gains would be taken by the Romans. To this day, we remember Pyrrhus's defeat through victory as a pyrrhic victory.

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Now we already watched the January 6 Committee do themselves in, effectively, with the “witness” that they put on during the hearing on Tuesday, Cassidy Hutchinson.

First, they put on someone testifying to something she hadn’t seen, basically relating a conversation she claimed she overheard, so she had no real knowledge herself as to the veracity of the story. Then her story contradicted what the Committee was claiming.

But you would have thought, at least, if they were putting her on they would have checked the story with the people who she supposedly heard the story from — the alleged agents involved. It would appear they did not, as we reported that NBC says the Secret Service says Bobby Engel and the driver of the vehicle are willing to testify that what Hutchinson said happened didn’t happen. Now, more media are reporting they are hearing the same thing from their Secret Service sources.

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Like many of you, my junk mail folder is groaning under the weight of emails from hat-in-hand politicians. Most of these emails consist of a rat-a-tat-tat of one-sentence paragraphs screaming in bold text. Most try to gin up urgency: “You MUST contribute by sundown; otherwise, crazy, tax-and-spend Nancy will retain control of Congress.” If not crazy Nancy, then it’s the RINOs I need to fear. Pelosi and RINOs are the Republicans’ favorite stalking horses. Often the emails describe the candidate as being up against the wall: “My opponent outspent me 3-1 last month” so “I need your money right away.” Some of the emails are petulant, even whiney. “I have sent you 4 texts. Why haven’t I heard from you?”

Recently, I received a fundraising email from Governor Ron DeSantis that was different from the others. Although the DeSantis email is written in the (cringeworthy) patois of its genre, it does, within the limitations of such an email, provide an unusually comprehensive, integrated view of our current circumstances. DeSantis sees the pieces and fits them into a reasonably coherent whole.

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“I’ve heard people say that there are no differences between male and female. Those people are idiots.”

Thus begins Daily Wire host Matt Walsh’s new “What Is a Woman?” documentary, which highlights the left’s ever-growing reluctance and inability to define gender. Think that defining the qualities of men and women is easy for most people today? Think again.

While some may struggle to “figure out” women, Walsh identifies that Western culture’s obsession with gender identity has paralyzed people from defining what a woman is. As the documentary progresses, we see further evidence that the transgender narrative has not only rejected the definitions of “man” and “woman” as insensitive and transphobic, but has dismantled the very concept of universal truth and reality.

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The revolt of the "mama bears" protesting COVID policies, Critical Race Theory and other far-left ideologies in schools was evident in four districts in the Fort Worth, Texas, area over the weekend.

All 13 candidates backed backed by conservative political action committees won their races Saturday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

Among the biggest campaign contributors was the locally-based cellphone company Patriot Mobile, which describes itself as "America's only Christian conservative wireless service provider." The company gave $500,000 to a PAC to support candidates in the Carroll, Grapevine-Colleyville, Keller and Mansfield school districts.

The Fort Worth paper spotlighted one of the successful candidates, Andrew Yeager, who ran on a platform of teaching students how to think and not what to think. Yeager said his focus would be education, not "indoctrination." Candidate Tammy Nakamura ran a campaign focused on giving power back to parents and removing political influence from "liberal Austin lobbyists."

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Speaking to Fox News Digital exclusively in a telephone interview late last week and then via emailed comments on Monday, Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO and president of Samaritan's Purse and CEO and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, talked about the great need of Americans to turn to God today.

The Christian leader also noted the importance of elected office in communities across America — as, increasingly, concerned parents take a stand against a culture that does not embrace biblical values.

"People have turned their backs on God," said Rev. Graham."

"Our educators have taken God out of schools. Our politicians have taken God out of politics. Our nation is not better [for it]. Our nation is worse," he said.

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