What's expected when outsiders move in

Much has changed over the years since my dad fled the impoverished mountains of Southeast Kentucky, along with a generation of disillusioned Appalachians who crossed the Mason-Dixon searching for work. The promise of industrial jobs offering higher standards of living lured tens of thousands away to Cincinnati, Chicago, and Detroit.

More people participated in that mass-exodus than any other migration of Americans in our Nation’s history. The path north from Appalachia was dubbed “The Hillbilly Highway.” When my dad landed in the Chicagoland area he and many others were not welcomed with open arms. Slurs, altercations, and alienation left them feeling unwelcomed, to say the least.

It’s funny how life often comes full circle. Now that our region is on the radar of people who once rejected hillbillies with the same hateful vitriol as any form of racism our Nation has known, we are presently their prime destination.

Here in Tennessee, Nashville isn’t the only area being inundated, every week there are multiple families moving into the Tri Cities from California, Illinois, New York, and other such places. They are attracted to our lower-priced real estate, absence of a State income Tax, and other great incentives. My wife and I moved our four sons here nearly 20 years ago for many of the same reasons -- this is a great place to raise children.

Change is hard & intimidating, especially unsolicited change -- the problem today is, as we are being flooded with outsiders moving in, many here are worried about their politics/liberal values. Worst yet, we wearily wonder, how will their presence influence change here in our area?


Our region is known for being suspicious of outsiders, and rightly so. Read, if you haven't already, Harry Caudhill’s 1960’s, “Night comes to the Cumberlands.” The book vividly describes in painful detail how the Appalachian region has historically been depleted, taken advantage of, and plundered by outsiders.

I’m confident the influx and steady flow of people moving in will not slow down. In fact I expect what we’re experiencing to increase as word continues to get out. The new casino opening up, large tracts of land on the market, steady employment here, not to mention how beautiful the mountains are around here all lead us to ask: How should we respond to this massive arrival of new people/what’s really required of us now more than ever?

We have an opportunity to share our slower pace of life (Yes, as an expatriated northerner I can now say ours, it only took about 5 years to feel enculturated and at “home” here). We can influence these latest outsiders with some of the traditions we are known for here, like family values and strong church ties. We can and should take advantage of these opportunities to share the Good news of Jesus and help change lives -- after all these people came here to escape lifestyles and locations they didn’t like.

Our real challenge today? To practice Biblical Hospitality. We now have unprecedented opportunities to love new neighbors like never before -- here’s a helpful passage worth reflecting on for all of us, “8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace” (I Pet 4:8-10)

The allure of trolling on Social Media

There are some gift speakers, thinkers, and writers who somehow have the ability to consistently generate fresh ideas.  Then, some less talented people who can sometimes blend other folk's ideas into something rather new & interesting.  Then, there's the group who wants to sound profound -- by tearing apart and critiquing everyone else: Trolls.

There's no stopping the trolls, but perhaps by ignoring them, they will lose what they feed on, attention.  They want the accolades, affirmation, and attention the truly creative people are gaining, and so much like a playground bully, they push their way into the fray.

I don't know why, but negativity seems easier to generate then productive content.  People are fault-finders by nature, I guess?

It's much easier to poke holes in an idea than it is to come up with a new idea.  For example, think of the preacher who pours 10-15 hours of preparation into a 30 minute sermon, only to be corrected at the conclusion of the day by someone who has never spoken publicly in their life, but they gleefully caught your one mistake.  The same can be true for a good post, well written article, or a good video.  Unpublished people who haven't "made it" somehow think they have the right to judge the rest, by tearing apart those ideas/people they are clearly jealous of.

The people who try so hard to sound profound, and are always critical of those who are creative/productive, mistakenly think they have audience when the rest of us interact with them.  They crave more attention and need more approval, they simply are going about it all wrong.  

It's hard to come up with new ideas, new perspectives, fresh content time & time again.  It's a lot easier to pick apart the thoughts and ideas other people post.  Do I feel sorry for the trolls?  Nope, not at all.  I feel sorry for the people who are vulnerable enough to share their creativity, only to have some hack slobbering bravely over their keyboard, just waiting to pounce.  

The problem with "Identifying" as what you aren't

                                                      (Timesnews religion column 4/29/22)

Imagine as you are being seated aboard a commercial flight a 14 year old passenger proclaims, “I’m a pilot. Show me to the cockpit, I’ll fly this plane.” Then, like a scene out of the Twilight Zone, the flight-crew accommodates this childish whim -- but none of the other passengers budge. Would you have the courage to deplane?

Speaking of flying, as a four year old I dressed up as Superman for Halloween. My costume was as comfortable as pajamas, and since I was only four, I wore it for days. Soon I went from pretending I was Superman, to believing I was. Eventually I asked my mom if I really was Superman; she indulged my immature imagination and said, “Yes, yes you are.”

Being an irrational four year old I wanted to fly, so I climbed to the top of our bunk-beds and called my mom to my bedroom. I said, “If I’m really Superman, then I can fly. Right?” Thankfully my mom had the sense to end my fantasy, “I wouldn’t try that if I were you.” she said.

Can we fabricate every outlandish transformation we desire? If I “identify” as a Pulitzer prize winning columnist, am I now entitled to be called one? What about those students supposedly identifying as “Furries?”

There was a false rumor circulating about a school board meeting with an agenda item for adding litter boxes to the school bathrooms for the students identifying as “furries.” In actuality, Michigan, Iowa, and Kentucky schools recently have reported situations with teenage students acting like cats and dogs, walking on all fours, barking and hissing at other students.

To any worried teachers: Perhaps you could “identify” as the Principal and forbid it, telling these students they need proof that their veterinarian vaccinated them for rabies, that animals do not receive driver's licenses, and there are leash laws. Perhaps add, being “furry” requires fur.

What happens when teenage students “identify” as school administrators and demand to start making their own rules? If we continue down this path, our classrooms won’t be far from Golding’s “Lord of the flies.”

When is enough, enough? How far will we go, how long will we indulge the fantasies of delusional people who claim to identify as something other than what they actually are? Why is this even important -- what’s at stake when society caters to these fraudulent identities?

We are embattled over objectivity, and our strongest weapon is the Truth. If we can erode confidence in objective reality then it becomes acceptable to say, “That’s your truth,” or, “That’s true for you, not for me.” If you can destroy objectivity, you either take away our ability or at least make it nearly impossible to make truth claims, such as, there is only One God and only one way to God — through Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way, the Truth, and the Life.” Either He told the truth or He lied, He didn’t merely “identify” as a Messiah.

The battle for “identifying” as something other than what you are ontologically isn’t about personal choices, or being gender fluid, or living in a fantasy realm. It’s a distortion that leads towards destroying our civilization, not by personal choices that affect only an individual, but by forcing everyone to acquiesce to a total lie. These concessions weaken the Truth with a capital T -- continually violating our conscience is causing a crippling cultural cognitive dissonance.

Paul’s words in II Cor 10:3-5 seem more relevant now than ever, “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ...”

These are not impolite, uncompassionate, or intolerant questions. These days, sharing our opinions about these matters is courageous. Some people will shame/bully Christians into silence, but we need to be able to dialogue about this. I do not want to take away anyone’s right to choose their identity or persecute Trans-people, I simply want the right to civilly voice our disagreements.

Honestly, medically speaking, if you examine a person scientifically you can deduce from their organ structure, skeletal structure, and DNA what species/gender they are — regardless of what the individual believes. Also, doctors do not “guess” a baby’s gender at birth.

Some will accuse us of hate speech. When the Emperor was showing off his new clothes, was it hateful to point out his lack of clothes? How long until we say enough is enough? If we are forced to agree that people actually are whatever they claim to be when in fact they aren’t, brace for impact -- our culture is in for a crash landing.