World Views

Pittsburgh's Mayor Gainey's Silence on Anti-Semitic Referendum is Deafening

The "The No War Crimes on Our Dime," activist group, collected 15,000 signatures to place on this November's ballot a referendum which would prohibit Pittsburgh from doing business with any entities including nonprofits that conduct business operations with or in the country of Israel. At a time when antisemitic activity nationwide is on the rise, it is a sad thing to witness Pittsburgh throwing in with other progressive cities to join the hate parade. The left wing Democratic Socialists of America is the source of funding for the operation. To quote Lenin, there is a long line of "useful idiots"  to serve his propaganda needs in America. Fast forward to 2024 and we have found some in our midst to do the bidding of their leftist masters right here in "River City." It was only eight short years ago when The Tree of Life Synagogue shootings occured and left in its wake eleven souls murdered, shocked our City and Nation. Now this. 

I am sick and tired of of black hoodie wearing, sloganeering, drum banging, "useful idiots" taking over and destroying our city streets and neighborhoods in this country, and now they are here. Israel, Jews and those that side with them are just the latest target. It's not hard to figure out who's next. Israel always has had the moral high ground in this never ending war against the very existence of the Jewish State. Genocide is what would happen to them if they did not defend themselves. 

I call on Mayor Gainey to renounce this attempt to legislate an antisemitic law on to our city's books and to do what he can to defeat it. It is his duty and a moral imperative to do so. So far his silence is deafening. I hope that if you are a city resident you would take this into account when you cast your vote for the next mayor.

Christian Nationalism

The Appeal to Heaven Flag commissioned by George Washington in 1775, was flown aboard American warships whose mission was to intercept and sink the British Navy. The flag symbolized strength and an appeal to the Almighty to deliver us from tyranny. Today if you fly it and happen to be a Supreme Court Justice, it means you are a "White Christian Nationalist" and you need to be impeached.

Lately the term Christian Nationalism has been bandied about quite loosely as a pejorative term meant to lump all Christians who happen to vote conservatively, into the latest "Boogie Men,"and are regarded as an existential threat to Democracy. In 1979, Jerry Falwell, founded the Moral Majority, a political force that played a key roll in the mobilization of Christians to vote for conservative issues.They stood for pro-life, pro-family, pro-Biblical morality and supported politicians who were like minded. They were then branded the "Christian Right," who were forcing their morality down everyone else's throats and who's goal was to make the USA into a theocracy. Somehow they forgot about the southern black Christian churches of the 1950's and 60's. It was their political activism that launched the Civil Right's movement of that era. The Church saw an evil in society and used civil disobedience, protest marches and rallies to raise awareness of racism and used our political system to overcome the discriminations being perpetrated against Blacks in this country. Dr. Martin Luther King,Jr. was the spiritual leader of the movement that included other great leaders such as Roy Wilkins, Whitney M. Young, Jr., John Lewis, James Farmer and A. Phillip Randolph. Thanks to these men America is a better place to live in for peoples of all races, ethnicity and beliefs. I don't recall for sure, but I don't remember them being labeled the "Black Christian Right" and an existential threat to Democracy. To add to their bona fides, in my book, they were all spied upon by Hoover's FBI.

We all remember being referred to as deplorables who cling to our guns and our Bibles. The new narrative is 'White Christian Nationalists." We White Christian Republicans are Nationalist's who stormed the Capital, believe in a "White Jesus," and want Christianity to reign over the USA. We have stormed school board meetings and threatened members until they fear for their very lives and yes, these soccer moms are being investigated by the FBI. No matter, that their daughters are being raped by "transgendered females" in the bathrooms at school or kindergarten children are being exposed to homosexual porn and transgenderism. If you are against this you are most likely a White Christian Nationalist.

We Are Already Gone

Ever since Beverly Heights left the UPC, I have taken a great deal of interest in following in the news of other mainline denominational issues. Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptists, Presbyterians and all the various off-shoots of each are struggling or have struggled with the same issues we have and are now. Here we are, once again, in a similar position with the EPC.

Liberal Protestantism began in the 18th. century out of a perceived need to adapt Christianity to a modern intellectual context. With the acceptance of Darwins Theory of Evolution and Enlightenment philosophy, we have ushered into the church a demand for new ways of thinking about the relationship between religion, culture and science. By the early 1960's mainline churches had reached a zenith in growth, membership and the long slow decline had begun and continues to this day. The proud protestant tradition that was instrumental in the founding of our country, its laws and the fabric of our constitutional republic, has been lost. Church bells ringing on Sunday mornings have been replaced by rainbow flags in front of empty cathedrals whose stained glass windows use to rattle with the preaching of the Word of God and the singing of hymns. There are many reasons cited for this decline. I would contend that the rejection by the church of Scripture as God's Word, as His external calling to us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is paramount to its decline.

Where have the leaders of the EPC been, while this history has been playing out before their eyes? Have they had their heads in the sand and now that they have surfaced, what do they see? They see racism in the church, they see "white privilege," Critical Race Theory and future rainbow flags flying in front of their EPC churches? They must be thinking, "Shouldn't we be woke like our brothers and sisters in the Mainline Churches?" I see history repeating itself.

We cannot leave this broken denomination fast enough. For the past year and a half we have seen their true colors exposed and it isn't pretty. They have been dishonest, rude, conniving, and unjust in their dealings with our congregation. Even after signing an agreement in front of a Judge they have tried to renege on it. How about letting your yes be yes, and your no be no? (Matthew 5:27)

I have been to several Presbytery meetings and I walked away from each shaking my head in disgust with how things were being run and presented. The only movement out of its members besides raising hands to vote in agreement with the leadership, was the thundering herd when L-U-N-C-H  T-I-M-E was announced.