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.

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.

The Rule of Law Under Attack

 Romans 13:1-7 makes it clear that as Christians we are to obey the government God places over us. What if that government is corrupt or evil? The apostle Paul still recognized the Roman rule over him despite Nero's evil regime. Should we do anything less? Is there a time when we should intentionally disobey the laws of the land? We find the answer to this question in Acts 5:27-29. Forbidden by the Sanhedrin to teach in Jesus's name, Peter and the apostles willfully disobeyed. "We must obey God rather than men!," was the response they gave before the authorities. However, even in that instance Peter and John submitted to the punishment of being flogged without protest. In fact they rejoiced that they suffered for obeying God. (Acts 5:40-42)

We live in tumultuous times. As a student of history I cannot think of a more perilous time, other than the Civil War, where we have been teetering on the brink of losing our Republic. Despite what you may think about Donald Trump, his political opponents have weaponized every agency of the federal government including the court system and the "free press," against him. Take off your, "I hate Trump" blinders for a minute and look at the big picture, the resultant chaos and distrust of the  government has resulted in lawlessness. Our country has been dragged through the "Russian Collusion" hoax, three groundless impeachments, a kangaroo court of a Senate confirmation hearing  for Brett Cavanaugh, the 2020 countrywide George Floyd riots which spawned the defund the police movement and BLM. We are now reaping what we have sown. No bail laws in big cities encourage flash mob robberies, unprecedented shoplifting and  inner-city violence, police are nowhere to be found. Business owners large and small are moving out of inner cities or closing their stores. Those that remain are forced to place shelves and displays behind plexiglass barriers padlocked and chained to prevent theft. All of these seemingly disparate situations are linked to one another through the total disregard of the constitution and the rule of law. It started in the highest offices and agencies of our government and has finally trickled down to the grassroots level where it has begun to affect the average citizen. 

Here's how this happens. When the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case reached the Supreme Court, most legal scholars predicted that Roe v Wade would likely be overturned. Someone with access to Justice Alito's drafts and communications leaked the draft of his opinion to the press in its entirety, just in time to affect an outcome of midterm elections and to cause a public outcry in order to intimidate the court. Abortion politicians used this opportunity whip the public into a frenzy over women's right to bodily autonomy, knowing full well that abortion was not made illegal or stopped, it was left up to each individual state to decide or regulate instead of the federal government. Activists illegally protested outside of the homes of conservative justices, stalking them to restaurants and basically terrorizing them. It is a federal offense and a felony to strong arm Judges while they are deciding a case. We heard crickets from the DOJ, they did nothing to arrest or curtail this until an assassin was discovered outside of Justice Cavanaugh's home. After the decision was finally announced, widespread vandalism of churches and pregnancy resource centers occurred, again, no arrests. Yet, a swat team arrived in the early hours of a Friday morning to the house of a Philadelphia father of seven. Mark Hauk was arrested in front of his family by 25-30 screaming, jack booted FBI agents, brandishing weapons pointed at the family, threatening all with deadly force and terrorizing Hauks wife and children. His crime? He shoved an abortion escort out of the way while he was accosting his twelve year old son, who was peacefully protesting across the street of an abortion clinic.

Justice is being meted out according to ideological beliefs that are compatible with the power structure running our government. "The law perverted! And the police powers of the state perverted along with it! The law, I say, not only turned from its proper purpose but made to follow an entirely contrary purpose! The law become the weapon of every kind of greed! Instead of checking crime, the law itself guilty of the evils it is supposed to punish! "  (The Law, Frederic Bastiat 1850)  Bastiat's 173 year old essay seems almost prophetic to today's time in America. If we continue on this path we will lose our Republic to lawlessness. Proverbs 22:8 says, " Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail."