Posts Tagged ‘jack dorsey’
Twitter’s Five-Strike Threat to America
Politics are at the center of the story of Jesus. His historical life ended with a political execution. ~Marcus J. Borg
Under its new guidelines, Twitter users who are deemed to have peddled false COVID-19 information will be given a strike.
Five strikes and you are out. Banned. Terminated. Forever.
Something is abundantly clear to anyone who has been surveying the rapid and sudden eradication of our freedoms: muzzles have been securely adhered to the mouths of Christians and conservatives. The ungodly decision makers of America are pouncing on the opportunity the recent global situation has provided to silence their dissenters.
Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg and rest of media have been agitated into a frenzy. They are unapologetically attempting to play God by eliminating anything that threatens their humanistic utopia.
THE THREAT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus proved to be such an extreme threat to the religious and political system of his day that they paid Judas 30 pieces of silver. Then the bloodthirsty political mob killed him. They were willing to do whatever needed to be done to shut down the “propaganda” and to regain control of the narrative.
They failed. An earthquake, several passed out soldiers, a displaced boulder and a missing body created a new and greater threat. Desperate to avoid losing power and influence, the “sleeping” guards, just like Judas, were given a large sum of money to stop the threat. A wicked scheme was put into action and lies were spread to combat the truth of freedom and righteousness.
The body of Jesus was stolen. His disciples were hallucinating. Any excuse would suffice. Even one of their own, Thomas, doubted anything miraculous happened. Jesus was, as the coroner of the land of Oz might say, not only merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead.
WE ARE AT WAR
We must understand this isn't about an attempt to ensure correct information about COVID is being disseminated. It's about cancelling any and all who promote anything that contradicts the personal beliefs of those who control mass communication. We have truly entered into a time when crafty propaganda is manipulating the thoughts of millions. Social engineering is alive and well. Refusal to comply with tech leader's ideologies will result in eradication. Jesus was killed because of his message and influence. Today, Christians and conservatives are being eliminated from social media because of our message and influence. Oh, and don't think that we won't also be killed for our message one day. It's coming.
THE RIGHT TO LIE
I know it's strange and even a little concerning to hear a devoted follower of Jesus promote the right to lie. I'm not suggesting that we as Christians ever actually lie. What I am suggesting is simple: those who are in control of communication in our nation are determining themselves exactly what qualifies for truth and lies.
So, those who are exchanging truth for lies are unilaterally calling good evil and evil good. This means for us to reveal truth, the right to lie becomes indispensable.
Should we not, as free Americans, be allowed to communicate our deeply held personal beliefs no matter who may disagree? Isn't it an American right to promote any variety of conspiracy theory? Are we no longer allowed to suggest aliens crashed at what is now Area 51? Can we not share our views about the Illuminati, the assassination of President Kennedy, the existence of Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster sightings, time travel and other debatable topics? Should we lock up Ben Shapiro? Does the left not have a right to spew hatred, lies and filth about the recently deceased Rush Limbaugh?
Yes we should be able to talk about aliens. No, Ben shouldn't go to prison for being ridiculously balanced and smart. And, no, vile monsters shouldn't be cancelled because they smeared Rush. It's called freedom of speech. Truth and lies should be aggressively scrutinized while completely free of restriction.
“If I had to say something positive I guess I’m glad Rush Limbaugh lived long enough to get cancer and die,” comedian Paul F. Tompkins said.
In another attempt to silence conservatives, any suggestion that the election was stolen has been judged to be an untruth by social media giants. These Goliaths will taunt their enemies and restrict any debate that threatens thier points of view. Anyone who is intellectually honest must conclude that there may have been a possibility of election indiscretion. There's no way it can be definitively determined that zero fraud took place. Yet, today's uncircumcised Philistines overseeing mass communication aren't what you'd call intellectually honest. Their truth is the only truth that matters.
So, whether it's COVID or Trump or masks or riots, many of the messages conservatives and Christians are communicating have been determined to be lies, and subsequently erased from social media. Therefore we absolutely must support the right to lie. If we don't, it's five strikes and we are out.
THE GOSPEL TO BE CANCELLED NEXT?
Truthfully, much of the Gospel has already been cancelled. Just as cultural leaders frantically attempted to modify the truth of the resurrection before it reached the whole of society, the truth of Scripture is being rewritten to meet the strict guidelines of today's censors.
In fact, the Bible has already been censored or outright outlawed in many places around the world. The living truth it contains is as threatening today as it was to the religious and political leaders two thousand years ago.
If the Word of God deals with hot topics such as homosexuality in a manner that runs contrary to today's intellectually awakened humanistic gurus, it's cancelled. Not only cancelled, but whoever embraces what the Bible teaches can have their lives destroyed by today's woke mob.
When love speech is called hate speech simply because people are radically resistant to the type of love the Bible reveals, you know we are in trouble as a nation. God and his methods are not only being rejected wholesale in today's ungodly American culture, but those who have decided to follow Jesus are shamed, despised, ridiculed, hated and cancelled.
We shouldn't be surprised. The Bible we believe and the God we serve have made it clear this would happen. Sadly, if things don't change now, it's only going to get worse.
“Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:21–22, ESV)
Photo credit: “Jack Dorsey” by jdlasica is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Originally published by The Stream.
Big Tech Censorship: A New Social Media Game Plan For Christians
In an era of muzzled speech and shadow bans, it’s time for Believers to wise up.
We need to finally admit what has been true for years. Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Jeff Bezos and the rest of the liberal tech and media decision makers control the narrative. These are leaders who have the right to promote or shut down activity that they deem appropriate or inappropriate for their respective businesses. The fact that their businesses are vehicles for our media makes no difference.
What they don’t realize, as unbelievers in Jesus, is that they are being used. They are puppets of a wicked, devious spirit that intends to mold society as it sees fit. They are drones being manipulated and navigated to fly high above the culture so as to capture and punish unsanctioned behavior. This is the world we live in.
My heart is grieved mostly because Jack, Mark, Sundar, Jeff and the others have not encountered the shock and awe of God’s overwhelming, indescribable, supernatural love. Yes, the restriction of speech in our nation troubles me deeply. Yes, the rapid decline of godliness in our culture is gut wrenching. Yes, the corruption in the media, whether mainstream or social, can’t be ignored. We are living in threatening times.
However, none of that compares to the reality of eternity. Heaven won’t be the same without Jack, Mark, Sundar and Jeff. I can’t imagine the horrors of hell that await any human that rejects the ridiculously generous, loving and completely undeserved offer of forgiveness and eternal life. We need to pray for an invasion of God’s love to overtake the hearts of our nation’s leaders.
WE HAVE A PROBLEM
I’m also troubled by the muzzling of Christians and conservatives.
Jack Dorsey recently made the decision to permanently ban the leader of our nation, Donald Trump, from Twitter. Stop and think about that. Such an act is unheard of in America. A citizen shuts down the President? You just don’t cancel the voice of the highest ranking official in America, and one of the most powerful people in the world. Is treasonous too strong of a word? Yes, but it sure smells similar.
Other recent bans include Focus on the Family for the following:
The Daily Citizen, which is a part of Focus on the Family, engaged in “hateful” rhetoric, according to the social media platform, when they tweeted January 19: “On Tuesday, President-elect Joe Biden announced that he had chosen Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of HHS. Dr. Levine is a transgender woman, that is, a man who believes he is a woman.”
CENSORSHIP ALERT: Twitter banned @FocusCitizen from their platform. The crime? A tweet which identified Asst. Health Sec. pick Rachel Levine as a biological male. If stating the facts gets you banned, none of us belong here. @Twitter, we're wondering: #AreWeNext? RT to speak out! pic.twitter.com/Z1cUJrK0sZ
— FamilyPolicyAlliance (@family_policy) January 29, 2021
Twitter has also banned My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell:
Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, was banned from Twitter Monday night, according to a Twitter spokesperson.
Twitter made its decision based on a new policy it enacted after the Capitol insurrection whereby people who repeatedly share election misinformation can be permanently banned.
“The account you referenced has been permanently suspended due to repeated violations of our Civic Integrity Policy,” the spokesperson told CNN.
Of course, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon along with both Apple and Android eliminated conservative leaning Twitter alternative Parler from their services.
It’s stunning that simply believing things and saying things can get you muted in our free nation. But, then again, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to discerning Christians. The persecution has barely begun, and we should have seen it coming.
THEIR PLATFORM, THEIR RULES
We need to remember, the decision makers for our nation are, by and large, unbelievers. They live by an entirely different code of ethics. What makes sense to Christians simply does not make sense to them. We need to understand this. Attempting to force our values on them will have no positive effect. Even if we are able to grab the reigns, their hearts will not be turned to Jesus by brute force. Their resolve to resist what we’d define as righteousness will only grow stronger.
Those who have followed my ministry know that I’m not adverse to dealing directly with issues. I don’t shrink back or surrender when the Lord is calling me to advance with unapologetic ferocity. Compromise is not an option. That being said, I believe it’s important to communicate something: Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon and the other businesses that have become largely indispensable in our daily lives make the rules for their own platforms. If we don’t like the rules, we can leave. Sadly, too many Christians are pouting and complaining about being singled out as they are poking the social media beast with malicious intent.
If I’m in a library and the librarian asks me to whisper, I whisper.
If I’m visiting a church, I don’t presume to be welcome to take the pulpit and preach.
The businesses we are visiting makes the rules.
If a restaurant doesn’t allow people to wear MAGA hats, they have that right.
Christian bookstores don’t have to order Harry Potter books for their customers and secular bookstores don’t have to stock Bibles.
Their business, their platform, their rules. Are their inconsistencies and lack of fairness at times? Absolutely. We have witnessed that several times, including a Christian baker's business being destroyed because they refused to bake a cake. We as Christians need to understand that the world will not be friendly or fair to us, and attempting to force them to comply may work at times, but in the end, we need to be ready for persecution.
But, as it stands, the laws of the land allow businesses to run things the way they see fit.
If Twitter doesn’t want certain things said on their platform, so be it. The same is true for Facebook and the rest.
Yes, I agree that such a position by a massive facilitator of communication does put our American values at risk. But, unless the laws change, they have that right.
Facebook can shadow ban, Twitter can suspend, Amazon can choose not to sell your book, Google can reject your app. They have those rights.
Again, their value system is radically different than ours. It’s humanistic instead of godly. It’s based on secular wisdom instead of divine wisdom as revealed in the Bible. It’s carnal versus spiritual.
A NEW GAME PLAN
Some consider me to be a bit provocative in my writing as I don’t typically hold back when communicating truth. Interestingly, while it may change at any moment, unlike many Christians on social media, I’ve never been in Facebook jail. I’ve never been shadow banned (to my knowledge). I’ve yet to be suspended from Twitter. Why is this? I believe it’s because I’ve attempted to use wisdom when posting while also refusing to compromise the message. I try hard to play by the rules of the platform I’m on. It’s their platform, not mine.
This is part of the new game plan that I’m suggesting. It does us no good as Christians to adopt the aggressive, bombastic and threatening disposition that so many on the political right (or left) have. The unnecessary conspiracy theories have to go. The mean-spirited accusations against our enemies (you know, the ones we are supposed to be blessing and not cursing) has to stop. The blatant rule breaking is unacceptable. We should be wiser. We can get the message across, in most cases, while honoring the place that gave us an opportunity to speak.
We are guests on the various social platforms, and they have the right to uninvite us at any moment. Using Facebook and Twitter and the others is a privilege not a right. Using these platforms foolishly will only cost the church in our nation.
Instead of feeding our addictions on social media by sharing every controversial, conspiratorial viewpoint that pushes you closer to the edge of a violation of their terms and conditions, why not play nice, stay inside their boundaries and advance the Kingdom of God? Preach truth. Exhibit love. Let that be what drives you instead of anger, complaining and vitriol over politics and other hot topics?
I think we need to tread carefully and use the media that's available to us responsibly. I'm not saying we cower or compromise. Never. I'm saying there's a wise way to deliver your message without going over the edge and triggering those who have the power to shut you down. Honestly, my personal opinion is that President Trump would have done well to follow this advice.
We should treat people well. Don't accuse. Don't be combative. Don't spread conspiracies. Don't ridicule. Exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (You know, be Christians.)
MANY of the opinions people are sharing really don't need to be shared, or they can be reworded in such a way that it's much better received. That is the goal, right? For people to receive what we say?
But, as I said, we don't compromise. We speak truth in love. We also choose our battles. Social media is most probably going to shut down all Christians at some point. We just need to be smart by not expediting the process.
Am I saying we are silent on the hot topics? No. I’m not saying that at all. I’m suggesting we play by the rules of the platform so we can continue to have a voice at all.
Am I saying we should not fight illegal policies or unfair censorship in social media? Not necessarily. If we take up that battle, it needs to be in the form of something other than complaining and sharing supporting videos and posts on the very medium you are taking issue with. In fact, the conservative website www.louderwithcrowder is suing Facebook. Candace Owens is suing fact checkers retained by Facebook and USA Today. This will surely be more effective than incessant posting about our disagreements.
Do I believe our speech as Christians will be ultimately restricted even further in the near future? Yes, I do. This is why we must come up with a strategy of advancing the Gospel that takes this into account. The underground Chinese church has done it. Other restricted and persecuted groups of Believers have done it. It's time for a social media underground movement to emerge. Until that happens, we need to tread carefully and respectfully on the surface.
LESS FACEBOOK AND TWITTER, MORE INTERCESSION, MORE STRATEGIC PLANS OF ACTION
Honoring the rules of the platforms we are on simply requires that we monitor what we are communicating. I’m personally less interested in using social media for ministry than I have been in the past. I wonder just how more impactful we can be if we put our energies into fiery intercession instead. Pray with passion for the Jacks, Marks and Jeffs of the world. Contend for their souls.
My primary outlets will continue to be writing on my site and on other platforms that choose to publish my articles. I'll still use social media, but I'll be guarded.
I believe the fact that so many choose to take breaks from social media (breaks that typically last much shorter than announced!) is an indicator that we may need to take this desire seriously. We are addicted as a nation to Facebook especially. I would suggest a serious shift away from social media. Don’t look for conservative replacements. Don’t just take a short break. Consider eliminating it entirely or minimizing it greatly. If we do use it, use with great caution.
Just take a moment and consider the possibilities of intercession. If Jack Dorsey got radically saved, the entire world shifts. The same is true for Mark, Sundar and Jeff. The enemy is zealously working to keep them from the truth of the Gospel. If they find Jesus, the enemy’s schemes are shattered.
Attempting to force them to comply with our standards, however, will only cause them to fight back all the harder. Which path seems more effective? Let’s pray for passion for these men, precious people being pursued with passion by the Spirit of God. He loves them.
PRAY FOR JACK DORSEY
The most recent post at www.prayerteam.tv is about Jack Dorsey. You can add a 60-second audio prayer or a text prayer on the site. Here’s the prayer I included there:
Jesus, Jack Dorsey is known by millions as the founder of Twitter. What is most important, however, is that he is known by you. God, I ask that you touch Jack’s heart as only you can. Absolutely overwhelm him with your love. I pray he’d fall to his knees and cry out to you and surrender every part of his life to your leadership. This is a remarkable man who has a powerful calling on his life. In the name of Jesus I declare that he will fall desperately in love with Jesus, will become a mighty instrument in God’s hand and will impact millions for the Kingdom! In Jesus’ name! Amen!
Photo credit: “Mark Zuckerberg” by jdlasica is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Why Christians Must Support “The Right To Offend”
Free speech isn't the only liberty at risk—the Gospel message itself is being threatened.
‘Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having.'
My approach in this article might be considered a bit strange since it's coming from someone who has a high value for holiness, love and honor of others. The right to offend opens up the floodgates for all sorts of cruel, immoral, hateful and ungodly behavior. In fact, we as Christians should never desire to cause others to fall into the prison of offense by our unrighteous words or actions.
I've written and taught on this critical topic for several years, and it's quite possibly the most feeing message I've ever delivered.
If you'd like a free copy of my eBook Becoming Unoffendable, you can dive deeper into the power of a life lived free from offense. Check it out HERE.
The Bible tells us that in the end, love will grow cold. Offense overtaking a culture is a key indicator of the arrival of the latter part of the end times:
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” (Matthew 24:7–10, KJV 1900)
If we are going to survive and avoid falling away, we must live a life free from offense. We must be unoffendable. The moment offense takes root is the moment we have adopted the identity of a victim. We point fingers at others and blame and complain and allow their actions against us, beliefs about us and words said about us to define us. Instead of laying down our lives, loving, forgiving and blessing those who curse us, offense causes us to strike back. Imagine if Jesus did this as his haters were mocking him as he was dying naked on the cross.
This is why the vile sin of gossip is so destructive. Gossip erupts from the soul of an offended person. It's a form of hatred and revenge, and it is a powerful and wicked weapon against those who oppose us. Further, gossip breeds even stronger offense as it seeks to destroy, shame and manipulate.
With this in mind it's critical to understand that we have a dire responsibility to love with such passion that the unapologetic truth of Jesus will touch as many people as possible. We don't want people to be offended. Why?
“A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: And their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” (Proverbs 18:19, KJV 1900)
If we, through mean spirited, arrogant or unloving words or actions cause people to be unnecessarily offended, we imprison them. It's next to impossible to win them to Jesus.
So, I understand how it might seem a bit bizarre that I'm promoting “the right to offend.”
A CALL TO REPENTANCE IS POSSIBLY THE MOST OFFENSIVE MESSAGE MANY WILL EVER HEAR
The Daily Mail, a British publication, reports, “Judges have insisted that freedom of speech includes the ‘right to offend' in a landmark ruling which could help to turn the tide on ‘woke' intolerance…”
Presiding over a case in the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Warby said: ‘Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having.'
They added that ‘free speech encompasses the right to offend, and indeed to abuse another'. The judgment from two senior members of the judiciary will set a precedent for future cases involving freedom of speech.”
The reason Christians must support the right to offend is simple: the message we have been mandated to deliver to the world is by nature offensive to those who reject it.
According to the Bible, the cross of Christ is offensive. We can't avoid that. We can't soften it. Jesus offended to such a severe degree that people tortured and murdered him. Yet, he loved and forgave.
Our attitude when serving the message to our audience should never be offensive. We must preach with fire in our veins and tears in our eyes. Our hearts must be broken over the pain and hopelessness of the world. The moment we start shoving our favorite Bible revelations down the throats of the lost is the moment we started teetering on the verge of losing our own salvation. This is abhorrent behavior to say the least.
However, while the Gospel message is the greatest revelation of love the world will ever know, it is also threatening, corrective, invasive, unmoving and, yes, offensive.
“So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” (1 Peter 2:7–8, ESV)
The Gospel message invades the private spaces of those who have rejected God. The Holy Spirit will confront the rebellion and the pain and the confusion in an attempt to reach the deepest places of their hearts. Many of you who are reading this know exactly what I'm talking about. It's quite possible, normal even, to be offended into the Kingdom of God!
The resulting collapse to their knees as they cry out to God for the first time in their lives is evidence of the power of sanctified, holy offense that the Holy Spirit is perfectly skilled at delivering. When the message offends, God can transform lives powerfully. However, when the messenger offends, ears are shut and hatred results.
THE RIGHT TO OFFEND GOES EVEN FURTHER
Let's bring this topic into the natural, secular realm.
The justices on the other side of the ocean are on to something. A nation becomes weak and liberties are threatened when its people become easily offended. The snowflake culture is more threatening to the strength of our nation than we know.
Does it make any sense that certain affinity groups would have a right to be protected from what others are saying while the rest of civilization does not? Why would those who have adopted a transgender lifestyle (which was the focus of the Daily Mail's article) have a specialized right to not hear what others have to say while the rest of the world has no choice but to have cruel, hateful vomit spewed all over them?
I was so saddened when I was watching a TikTok video the other day. A wonderful special needs adult who has a large following on the platform was attacked by a troll. This terrible person said it's “cute” when special needs children are on display on social media, but adults? They should be euthanized.
I was sickened. This was hateful speech. In comparison to an individual refusing to refer to a transgendered person by their preferred pronoun, well, there is no comparison.
Anyone who spends any amount of time online will see the most heinous people in our nation freely hating, attacking, trolling, bullying, mocking, canceling, shaming and attempting to wound anyone they disagree with. It's everywhere. So, again, the question is, why would certain affinity groups be protected from free speech while the rest of us are not?
My wife and I have a travel channel on YouTube. We are privileged to have a great community of people who are pleasures to interact with. However, there have been several who have been hurtful. Guess what? They have a right to say what they want. They can attack. They can hate. They have that right. I will defend their right to projectile verbal vomit all over me.
Comedian Dave Chappelle unleased absolutely disgusting, vile, unfunny and hateful language in the direction of conservative activist Candace Owens. I won't come close to sharing what he said here, but I will share the shocking and refreshing response from Candace. She tweeted:
To every Democrat tweeting me the clip of #DaveChappelle insulting me: I’m not a leftist. I have a sense of humor & I think comedians SHOULD make fun of people. Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest comedians of all time and I made it into one of his specials. That’s POWER!
Whatever the opposite of a snowflake is, that is Candace.
When Congressman-elect Luke Letlow recently died of COVID-19, many truly sick individuals started launching I-told-you-so attacks against him (regarding his more right-leaning beliefs concerning the virus that ironically took his life). The hatred that flooded Twitter and other social sites is protected free speech, but people become enraged when their affinity group isn't affirmed? This offensive, demented and loveless barrage of missel strikes on Luke Letlow has most certainly devastated even further his precious wife and children who are in mourning.
Of course we know Christians are often targets of hate. Where is the outrage?
The Daily News reports:
On New Year’s Eve, left-wing journalist and New York Times bestselling author Kurt Eichenwald wished “pain & misery” on Republicans and said that he wants to find an “antimasker” and “beat them to death.” During the volatile rant, Eichenwald also scolded alleged “anti-mask” “F***ING ‘Christians’ who preen about God saving [them] from COVID,” claiming they are who “Jesus condemns.” “I have so much hate in my heart tonight.”
With all sincerity, I pray God touches Kurt's heart and heals his pain.
Again, on TikTok, a creator was greeted with a comment that said, “I really hope this is a video of you having a stroke that will end your life.”
And, again, that hate speech is perfectly okay? Understand, comments like this are flooding the social-sphere night and day. Innumerable people being sniped by innumerable commenters with unfathomable hatred. Well, of course it isn't okay, but it's legal, and it should be. Voicing opinions, no matter how politically incorrect, evil or personal is protected in our nation. It's called free speech.
The saying goes, sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me. Of course, that's untrue. Words hurt. But, in our nation we are free to use hurtful words. We are free to use hateful words. Spend ten minutes outside of your Christian bubble and venture into the real world of public opinion. Every form of vile language and unrelenting hate-filled assaults are non-stop when it comes to politics, abortion rights, gay rights, masks, lockdowns, sports, parenting and pretty much every other hot topic in our culture.
Please tell me why this hate speech is protected but other hate speech is censored, rooted up and out. While you are considering that, let me know why some lies are affirmed while other lies are banished from social media.
THE RIGHT TO LIE
Okay, this is getting downright blasphemous. A Christian author supporting the right to lie?
It's not blasphemy. Honestly, it's common sense.
Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have emerged as today's thought police, independently becoming arbiters of truth. They are either attaching disclaimers to “deceptive” tweets and posts or completely deleting them. Entire conservative accounts being deleted has become quite normal. In a nation that not only celebrates but was founded on free speech, alternate viewpoints (conspiracy theories) and even mainline, honest evaluations have become flagged as deceptive.
No longer can we question the election, share our beliefs regarding biology (science) when it comes to questions of gender or debate many of the liberal ideologies of the day.
Here's why we must support the right to lie. You will agree that it is common sense. The truth of the Word of God is already being rejected as a lie. If we don't support the right to lie or to hold positions that differ from secular society, our freedom to preach truth will be stripped.
Facebook, Twitter and the others: stop the moderation. You can't sanitize your platform of the truth you call a lie. If people want to promote belief in aliens, so be it. If we want to discuss election fraud, surely we should be allowed to. Our President surely should never be censored. (I'm talking to you, Jack Dorsey.)
But, friend, we have to know that as the end draws nearer, truth will be called a lie and lies will be called truth. This is why we must support the right to lie. We as Christians must be unmuzzled, free to spread “lies” that will set the captives free.
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…” (Romans 1:24–25, ESV)
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20, ESV)
WE MUST BE UNOFFENDABLE
If we are unoffendable, we will remain full of life, joyful and victorious no matter what people say to us. Yes, words hurt, but they should not debilitate.
Both in the spiritual and the natural, we must discover this strength. Our churches and our nation will become stronger, healthier and enduring when we refuse to melt when the verbal (or written) attacks come.
The Daily Mail continued, “Mr Justice Warby explained that the relevant parts of the Communications Act ‘were not intended by Parliament to criminalise forms of expression, the content of which is no worse than annoying or inconvenient in nature'. Mr Justice Warby also suggested that the prosecution had been an ‘unjustified state interference with free speech'.”
Please hear me. I have already made the case that we should never desire to offend, but when we as Christians stand for truth, offense will come. There is a careful, Spirit-led balance that must be discovered. There is a time to avoid offending people, as Jesus made clear:
“When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”” (Matthew 17:24–27, ESV)
There's also a time to stand for what is right, defending the liberty of society, even though those who aren't willing to be graceful may strike back. It makes no sense that it's okay to call for a special needs adult to be killed but it's a crime for someone to call someone a he instead of a she. A spirit of offense truly is overtaking the world, and we cannot allow it to dictate laws and culture.
I'll conclude by requalifying and clarifying my position on personal holiness. We as blood-bought Believers must be spotless, rejecting a life of sin and driven by the love of Jesus. We should not lie, hate or intentionally offend. Our passion must be the transformation of those who God so deeply loves. The world needs to see us as an unoffendable army of lovers of our mighty God. We must stand for truth even when it's determined to be a lie. We must deliver the offensive truth of Scripture from a pure and unoffended heart. We must love so deeply that those who vehemently resist it lash out and call us haters.
Simply, get ready for persecution that living a consecrated life will bring.
Originally published by The Stream.