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.

Faith: What atheists & Christians share

Dear atheists, not all Christians are judgmental -- dear Christians, atheists aren’t the enemy. It is April Fools' day and too many Christians will go on Social media today spouting that “April Fools' Day is the holiday for atheists.” I’m guessing there might be some banter going both ways for today’s “holiday.” Christians are called to a higher standard though.

Sadly, not all people who believe in Jesus act like Jesus and the critical ones are not great representatives of Christianity. Just because you believe Jesus is real doesn't make you a “believer,” especially when you misbehave acting like you are soooo much better than everyone else. You look desperate and it makes many atheists whom you put down look morally superior too.

The amazing existence of cognition & our conscious, the overabundance of our intelligence which exceeds far beyond the need to hunt/gather/reproduce, the information-rich sequencing of DNA, the “Goldilocks” positioning of our planet to the sun and our sun’s own Goldilocks position in our galaxy, and our galaxy being the right type to even allow life, these facts and others add up to more than an inexplicable cosmic coincidence to me -- something a random non-intelligent material universe alone cannot explain. On the other hand, why does God allow what He allows to go on here on earth and how exactly do you explain the idea of a God who has always existed, who can just speak the universe into existence, and who can be everywhere at every moment?

What’s the problem? A god who can be fully explained or totally understood wouldn't be much of a god to worship. Also, to say the universe simply sprang into existence, unguided, not only denies the first law of thermodynamics it’s an unsatisfactory answer as well. I get why there are doubts & doubters.

We all believe despite having doubts. To say we don’t believe in God isn’t to say we have no beliefs or we do not place our faith in anything. We either trust in the supernatural or the natural. Both the natural and the supernatural take a leap of faith, make no mistake about it.

We all believe in something, even the skeptic believes in their personal ability to discern facts from fables. The humanist, for example, believes in our autonomy, claiming mankind is the highest power for good in the universe. The Christian believes there’s eternally more to reality than what can be tested with our five senses, while the atheist believes there’s no need for & no such thing as “God.” Those poor souls known as agnostics really suffer -- they want to believe something but they can’t seem to find enough evidence one way or the other to believe in anything.

I have solid answers justifying my faith in God, ones that are way better than Darwinism for example, but if I’m not willing to admit I might be wrong about the whole idea of God, how can I expect an atheist to consider they might be wrong as well? Both camps seem to be lacking humility and an openness to alternate ideas. Maybe we are too busy talking over each other and not spending enough time listening to each other?

We are all doing our best to figure out this glorious experience called life and its complex mysteries, those who claim to believe in God and those who disbelieve in God. The world would be a better place if we stopped demonizing each other and we trusted each other’s motives in regards to matters of faith, both believers and nonbelievers. I trust logic & truth will prevail and I trust people when they say they are sincerely searching for answers -- it is foolish to live otherwise.

Originally published 4/1/22 Times News:

Should Christians carry firearms?

Created in God’s image, human life is necessarily precious. Death is irreversible — taking a life is a serious matter, under any circumstance. Should Christians carry firearms, owning guns not just for sport but for self-defense as well?

I asked a couple of friends in law enforcement about this topic. A former Kingsport police officer said, “In terms of gun ownership and use: There is no moral superiority to being a victim. Were we not called to protect the weak? If you believe so yet feel using firearms is immoral, what arbitrary standard are we using to determine what means are acceptable to use to defend the innocent? Certainly all reasonable means to avoid confrontation should be exercised; discretion is the better part of valor. But to suggest faith requires we not prepare to defend ourselves and others would be like not buying groceries to prove that God will provide (when he’s already provided you access to grocery stores and currency to make the purchase).”

A current Kingpsort policeman said, “Self-defense may actually be one of the greatest examples of human love. Jesus said, ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:14). When protecting one’s family or neighbor, a Christian is risking his/her life for the sake of others. I think this applies to police and military as well. And when Jesus said, ‘And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.’ I think that can be applied today too. If Jesus was here today, he might say sell your watch and buy a gun. Also, I think Jesus’ command to ‘turn the other cheek’ has to do with our response to personal slights and offenses, not self-defense. Some situations may call for self-defense, but not retaliation.”

What about turning the other cheek? “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” Many assume turning the other cheek means never defending ourselves, remaining passive in the face of any threat — i.e., actions protecting ourselves resulting in their harm is sinful. Jesus actually teaches that turning for another slap requires them to slap you properly. They either backhanded your right cheek or slapped you with their left hand. Historically, their left hand was “unclean,” you weren’t allowed to touch people with your left hand back then; backhanding was undignified as well. Jesus is saying, “Treat me like an equal” during conflict.

If our premise is that the Bible forbids drastic defensive measures therefore I won’t shoot the bad guy, because if I kill him I will go to hell, we have placed more value on preserving our soul than protecting our family who God has entrusted to our care. Similarly, most people do not give a 10% tithe at church, but if you are willing to give 100% of what you have in your possession to a demanding thief, what does that tell us? Allowing evil people to harm you/your loved ones is not only cowardly, it is a poor stewardship plan.

Your family needs you. As a Christian, which is more responsible, protecting yourself and your loved ones or allowing wicked people to wreak havoc? How virtuous is it sparing a dangerous attacker from their own risked consequences in the face of an imminent threat?

Christianity is about love and peace or it’s nothing at all. We are to love as we have been loved, to forgive as we have been forgiven, we are called to imitate Jesus. Does this mean we allow evil people to rape our children or kill us — is it loving to idly stand by while thugs violently abuse our loved ones?

If you do not like guns, don’t own one, but let’s not twist the Scriptures to say that using guns for self-defense is sinful. It seems like a sick perversion of Scripture to teach that we should sit by idly watching harm befall our loved ones — it seems like your heart is more wicked than the rapist or the killer if you’re willing to sacrifice your family’s safety on the altar of self-righteousness.

I rarely leave our house unarmed, and I sleep with a .45 on my nightstand. Based on my understanding of the Bible I have concluded that carrying a firearm is actually virtuous and appropriate.

Christians do not carry guns to commit crimes or to promote violence, we carry our firearms to safely provide for and to protect those God has entrusted to our care.

Published originally in the Kingsport Times News:Click here to read original version

Is Joe Rogan an unlikely ally for the Church?

I know people are in a tizzy over a couple of Rogan's podcasts with two doctors and their divergent views on Covid, but more interesting to me was Rogan's interview with Peterson.

Everyone seems to be losing their minds over Joe Rogan’s interview of Dr. Jordan Peterson. Most people either have complete disdain for Rogan or the deepest admiration, and the same thing goes for Peterson — lately, social media is flooded with both. Like them or not, Rogan is one of the most influential entertainers of our day, and Peterson is arguably one of the most influential intellectuals of the day. So I was pleasantly surprised by one of their topics during their 4 hour and 13 minute interview.

We easily ignore the wackadoodle street corner preacher rambling on through his bullhorn, but if Rogan and Peterson weren’t so wildly popular I doubt this particular episode (No. 1769) would have garnered so much attention.

Remember, Spotify has handsomely rewarded Rogan for his popularity with a $100 million contract.

Watching this episode I noticed how a lethargic Rogan was slouched forward with huge bags under his eyes, looking like a high school wrestling coach who drank watered down coffee after a weekend at regionals. Peterson carried himself with pained looks, forced smiles and utilized “jazz hands’’ too often. Fidgeting around he looked like he wanted Rogan’s acceptance and approval more than Rogan wanted to give it. Actually, Rogan gave the impression he didn’t even want to be there — if you’ve seen his podcast before you’d agree it wasn’t spectacular. It was a rather lackluster performance on Rogan’s part.

The major critique by Rogan’s and Peterson’s naysayers is the massive amount of alleged “misinformation” being bantered about during their interview. Notice, their critics aren’t insisting that Rogan and Peterson are lying; it’s “misinformation.”

Why misinformation? Why is that the word of choice these days for people we don’t trust or disagree with?

You can’t go around and claim that there is no such thing as absolute truth or that truth can’t be known, or claim the truth is a social construct, etc., and also say that Rogan and Peterson are pedaling false information that isn’t true. You can’t complain about bending the truth if you diligently deny the existence of truth that corresponds to reality. Therefore you employ the phrase “misinformation.”

This is the result when culture tries to emasculate truth. How is this significant for us?

Jesus claimed He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God’s word is true. God’s people believe truth to be a vital part of the Christian belief system, and truth has been under attack for over a generation. Do you see now why cultural talking heads can’t say people like Peterson or Rogan are liars or are offering false information. It has to be couched cryptically in the meaningless phrase “misinformation.”

Peterson and Rogan had several “sacred cows” they wanted to turn into gourmet burgers, which I could take or leave, but the greatest reason I’m excited about this interview is that Peterson brings up the Bible with an audience of tens of millions of people listening in. Raising the topic of the Bible like this opens up wonderful opportunities for believers to talk about our faith.

Remember these are two of the most influential voices in today’s culture sitting down for an informal interview with tens of millions of people paying attention to their conversation, and Peterson defends the veracity of the Bible! It’s an amazing event, opening many opportunities for us to elaborate on the truth of the Bible, and point people to Jesus.

When was the last time you heard any celebrity or culturally influential person bring up the Bible with a positive light? Therefore I was captivated when Peterson highlighted the absolute significance of the Bible’s influence on all of today’s literature and how we think about life and truth.

Peterson described how the Bible is the foundational and fundamental document for all of Western civilization. He accurately elaborated on how the Bible isn’t simply a single book like the Book of John but a library, a collection of books. Peterson directed and redirected the conversation to point out and clarify that he defended the Bible, affirming the Bible as the source of wisdom and truth — this type of approval and endorsement of the Bible and truth is unheard of in our postmodern relativistic culture. It’s no wonder people are ripping Peterson to shreds and exerting such efforts to discredit him.

These recent attacks on Rogan’s podcast really come down to who controls the flow and the content of the information that’s disseminated. It’s a power play. Why should this be on our radar? How we disseminate information is at stake.

Critics who would like to silence Rogan or Peterson usually end up being silenced or discredited shortly, and rightly so. Not because either Rogan or Peterson is an absolute expert in his field, but these are two of the most influential voices who are rare because they believe there is truth and people should be able to say what they think is true. They are rare because they are defending the right to truth in a world that has tried its best to jettison truth for far too long.

The church needs defenders of truth now more than ever. Without truth, it’s hard to say all roads don’t lead to Rome, or that what Jesus claimed about this life and the next is true for all people.

Originally published in the Kingsport Times News:

https://www.timesnews.net/news/faith/the-church-needs-defenders-of-truth/article_6c90abe6-6f04-11ec-8433-4f16d7fe28b5.html 

Can you afford the high-price of fitting in? The real cost of peer pressure

Peer pressure. Remember how we used to warn our children about its dangers or how we’d scold them for caving to peer pressure? Just look at us now.

The ugly truth is, peer pressure is pervasive. Actually, most churches aren’t free from its entanglements either. For example, while churches certainly depend on your generosity, passing an offering plate during the worship service sure feels like peer pressure. This is benign compared to what else is going on these days.

Consider the depths to which peer pressure has influenced us over the past few years: Which comedians you can/cannot laugh at. Which musicians you can/cannot listen to. Which actors and actresses are/are not acceptable. Which candidate you should/shouldn’t vote for. Which scientists you can/cannot challenge/question.

We are seeing too many people stigmatized simply because they disagree with whatever is culturally acceptable for the day, while others who are grasping for power are forbidding discussions over several vital contemporary topics. If this goes on much further, I literally see book burnings in our future.

The problem with caving to peer pressure is that we begin to parrot positions we actually distrust or disagree with. Like the old saying, “All it takes for evil to win is for good people to do nothing,” we find ourselves complicit in perpetuating deception. We are allowing dishonesty to rule the day if we comply with positions we never actually agreed with. This seems to break one of the Ten Commandments, something about “Thou shalt not lie ...”

Truth, facts, rational/logical thinking, these all go by the wayside whenever we allow peer pressure and groupthink to rule over us. We are allowing the loudest voices to steamroll over our better judgments. Somehow, a minority has been allowed to amplify their message, and in order to experience unity or gain acceptance, many of us have complied with ideas that deep down inside we disagree with.

Why? Many of us are scared. We are afraid to offend. We are afraid of conflict. We are afraid to rock the boat. Most of all, we fear retribution. This isn’t how we were meant to live.

We are to live courageously. “Do not fear” is the most repeated phrase in the Bible — it’s recorded at least 365 times in Scripture. How does peer pressure work? Mainly though fear. Fear of being left out. Fear of humiliation. Fear of rejection. Therefore, whenever fear is the driving factor, as believers we ought to be suspicious, take notice, and be cautious. This is especially true when fear is what’s driving the peer pressure itself.

It is unhealthy to shame and bully people into submission. Guilt, shame and embarrassment are horrible motivators. Action based on the goal of avoiding the judgmental misgivings of others is what textbook manipulation looks like, but that’s how peer pressure operates.

What is on the line, presently? For starters we are in danger of arrested development — no one grows or matures in an echo chamber. Also, many of our freedoms — the freedom of expression, the freedom to choose for ourselves and our freedom to express our individual identities — are all at risk.

Worst of all, we are at risk of losing our integrity.

Dear friends, we serve a mighty God. Let us start this New Year with integrity and may we live courageously.

  Published in the Kingsport Times-News: https://www.timesnews.net/news/faith/peer-pressure-is-pervasive-even-in-churches/article_89816122-5916-11ec-8dc2-1bc4e50fadcd.html