 Photo credit: George Frances Schreiber Frederick Douglass and the Fourth of July On July 5, 1852, abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass took the stage at the Women’s Abolition Society in Rochester, New York. The oration that followed would not only be one of Douglass’s most remembered, but also one of America’s most remembered. The speech is often quoted among academic figureheads and celebrities alike. On the surface, it is often presented as an indictment of America. How well, however, do its critics actually know the speech? Furthermore, are Americans actually being given the entire content of the speech? Frederick Douglass was born into slavery circa 1818, in or near Cordova, Maryland. At an early age, he escaped from slavery and headed north where he eventually joined the Boston Abolition Society. Douglass later moved to Rochester, New York where he became a newspaper editor. A talented writer and orator, Douglass was later referred to as the most influential African-American of the Nineteenth Century. In his time, slavery was the greatest evil and the most controversial political subject. Throughout the first half of the Nineteenth Century, much tension surrounding the issue of slavery occurred. Various compromises were introduced in an effort to prevent secession or war. The United States gained much of its Western territory following the Mexican-American War in 1848. This further complicated the slavery question, continuing to polarize the anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions. INDEPENDENCE DAY: HOLIDAY OF HATE? In today’s age, the Progressive Left often asserts that celebrating the Fourth of July means to celebrate slavery and inequality. In their point of view, because slavery and racial inequality were present at the time of the American founding, it is wrong to honor a day of independence when not all people were actually free. Progressives insist America’s founding in general, with all its components - Declaration of Independence and Constitution included - were made only for White men. On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a speech titled, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? For many, this oration is both viewed and used as an anti-American speech. Take, for example, the following excerpt, often used on social media: “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national Independence?...This Fourth of July is yours, not mine...There is not a nation on earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.” On the surface, this speech may seem as if Douglass was condemning American patriotism. In actuality, a thorough reading of its entirety reveals something different. Once the speech is fully examined, the reader may be surprised to learn that Douglass was condemning the evils practiced in America during his day, while simultaneously casting support to the founders, Declaration, and Constitution. THE NATION’S RINGBOLT At the start of the speech, Douglass acknowledged the importance of Independence Day to Americans, and called the Declaration of Independence the ringbolt to the chain of the nation’s destiny. He stated, “The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.” Douglass then turns his attention to the founders. Today, many progressives reject the founders and downplay their intellect. Douglass, however, held a different view of them. He said: “Fellow citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men, too - great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men. The point from which I am compelled to view them is not certainly the most favorable; and yet I cannot contemplate their great deeds with less than admiration. They were statesmen, patriots, and heroes, and for the good they did, and the principles they contended for, I will unite with you to honor their memory. They loved their country better than their own private interests...Your fathers staked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor on the cause of their country. In their admiration of liberty, they lost sight of all other interests. They were peace men; but they preferred revolution to peaceful submission to bondage. They were quiet men; but they did not shrink from agitating against oppression. They showed forbearance; but they knew its limits. They believed in order; but not in the order of tyranny...With them, justice, liberty, and humanity were “final;” not slavery and oppression. Their solid manhood stands out the more as we contrast it with these degenerate times. How circumspect, exact, and proportionate were all their movements! How unlike the politicians of an hour!” ADDRESSING THE PRESENT Following his vindication of the founders and the principles enshrined in the Declaration, Douglass turned his attention to the present. Slavery was, without dispute, the greatest moral and political issue in 1852. This is where Douglass began to stir the fiery passions among his fellow anti-slavery advocates. Since the 1830s, various politicians - notably within the Democratic Party - had embraced John C. Calhoun’s view of slavery. This belief asserted that slavery was a “positive good.” That is, good for both the master and the slave. Douglass whole-heartedly renounced this view, stating no one would possibly declare slavery to be good for their own selves. Douglass went on to make the claim that it was time for citizens to act in order to abolish slavery. In other words, it was time to shine the spotlight on the nation’s wrongdoing. To accomplish this, Douglass returned to the country’s most celebratory day, and asked: “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in a year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham…” Douglass continues to state that America is without rival when it comes to boasting about liberty, yet keeping people in bondage. At certain points, Douglass definitely hits home. For instance, at one point, he remarked, “You invite to your shores fugitives of oppression from abroad, honor them with banquets, greet them with ovations, cheer them, toast them, salute them, protect them, and pour out your money to them like water; but the fugitives from your own land you advertise, hunt, arrest, shoot, and kill...You can bear your bosom to the storm of British artillery to throw off a three-penny tax on tea; and yet wring the last hard-earned farthing from the grasp of the Black laborers of your country.” CALLING OUT THE ENABLERS Douglass then turned his attention to those who allowed slavery to reach its current condition. In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act. This proved a further blow to anti-slavery advocates and provided no legal safe haven for those seeking refuge from bondage. Douglass referred to this as slavery being “nationalized in its most horrible and revolting form.” He commented that all states had now become a hunting ground and that true liberty was in peril. Douglass then commented on religious liberty, as well as the fact that the church was often responsible for remaining silent on slavery. It is an unfortunate fact that, historically, the greatest opposition to liberty occasionally came from people within the religious establishment who twisted scripture to fit their own agenda. Douglass said, “A worship that can be conducted by persons who give shelter to the houseless, to give bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and who enjoin obedience to a law forbidding these acts of mercy, is a curse, not a blessing to mankind. The Bible addresses all such persons as ‘scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier-matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and faith.’” Douglass remarked that churches that preached pro-slavery messages were even more dangerous than the infidel writings of figureheads such as Thomas Paine. A paraphrase of 2 Timothy 4:3-4 is sugar-coated preaching is dangerous to your soul. A GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT One thing that both pro-slavery Democrats and Radical Republicans seemed to agree on was that the spirit of the U.S. Constitution protected and condoned slavery. One prominent abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, deemed the Constitution a “covenant with death and an agreement with Hell.” How did Frederick Douglass hold up on this issue? During his younger years, Douglass agreed with Garrison and other radical abolitionists. Like them, he viewed the Constitution as a document that encouraged property ownership of slaves. By 1852, however, his view had shifted entirely. He stated, “interpreted as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT. Read its preamble, consider its purposes. Is slavery among them? Is it at the gateway? Is it in the temple? It is neither. While I do not intend to argue this question on the present occasion, let me ask if it be not somewhat singular that, if the Constitution were intended to be by its framers and adopters a slave-holding document, why neither slavery, slaveholding, or slave can be found anywhere in it.” Douglass later said, “Now, take the Constitution according to its plain reading, and I defy the presentation of a single pro-slavery clause in it. On the other hand, it will be found to contain principles and purposes entirely hostile to the existence of slavery.” SEEKING JUSTICE AMID DARK DAYS Douglass then said what is perhaps one of the most important lines in the entire oration. “Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country.” Douglass remarked that he believed slavery would eventually come to an end, especially if the nation stayed true to the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Douglass lived to witness the end of American Slavery in 1865, and he then continued to serve his Lord and country as an impressive statesman. Perhaps his true character was most exemplified in 1877, when he met with his former master, Thomas Auld. Douglass forgave Auld for his past treatment of him and the two parted as friends. What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? is not, as Progressives have tried to sell it, a condemnation of America. Rather, it is a necessary criticism of a nation’s wrongdoing. Throughout history, all countries have experienced some form of sinful action. What makes America special is the fact that America has done more than any nation on earth to combat not only its own evils, but the evils of other nations, as well. Americans have defeated slavery, fascism, communism, and radical Islam, and saved countless individuals from tyranny. It is also important to remember that slavery still continues today in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and other locations of the world, in which Progressives remain virtually silent about. Douglass’s speech should always hold a special place in American memory, and may we never forget his iconic call to action: “I would unite with anybody to do right and nobody to do wrong.”
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 “You can get there, from here!” All that could be heard was the soothing, and yet somehow annoying droning of the engines as the plane cut through the evening sky. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I have some Bad News and I have some Good News. The bad news is we are lost. The good news is we are making excellent time!” Have you ever felt as though you were in a hamster cage, running as if your very life and happiness depended on it, only to recognize the obvious?...You are not getting anywhere! All too often, this is the sense of the struggling Christian. With discipline, intestinal fortitude, and good intentions they apply themselves to their life as a follower of Jesus Christ, only to feel that they are no closer to the ‘promised’ “victorious Christian life” then when they began their journey of faith. From ancient scrolled parchments, to folding maps, to trip booklets, to car navigation tools, to the ubiquitous smartphone maps and location apps everyone has access to, anyone can instantly determine where they are...physically. Where are we spiritually? This is a whole nother story. For the Christian, it is very easy to feel confused. Having embarked on their Christian journey by placing their trust in Jesus Christ as their necessary payment for sin, life still seems fraught with the same struggles that were present BC, Before Christ! Maps give information on where you are, where you have been, where you are going, and how to get there. It can provide relief if you are lost, instruction if you are confused and timing of arrival, for a hopeful sense of anticipation! Mapping the Christian Life can provide the same kind of benefits, from a spiritual perspective. Included in this article are two diagrams, or ‘maps.’ Map #1 is completed, from numbers 1 - 22, and Map #2 has numbered blanks for you to fill in yourself if later you would like to test your own comprehension.  Map #1 (Numbered & Complete) Breaking up the Christian Life into three tenses helps greatly. The (#1. Past) is inked in black because we are dead and separated from God because of our sin. The (#2. Present) is inked in red because of the shed blood of Christ for our sins. The (#3. Future) is inked in blue because we will be with Christ in the Heavens. The (#4. R.I.P.), Rest In Peace Tombstone illustrates that, according to Ephesians 2:1, “you were (#5. dead in your trespasses and sins).” Fallen man is not spiritually sick. He is spiritually dead and unable to live any kind of life, especially a perfect life which is required by a perfect God! Why does fallen man behave in evil ways? Because he is a (#7. Slave To Sin), and according to (#6. Isaiah 64:6), even his “righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” (Look up what filthy garment Prophet Isaiah ben Amoz is referring to!) We all understand the bad things we do are ugly, to say the least. But God says because we are spiritually dead, even our good deeds are ugly as compared to the standard of His righteousness. We can, for a funeral, try to make a corpse in a coffin look alive and well and ‘peaceful,’ but it is not well. It is not sick. It is not peaceful. It is dead and has no life. So it is with man spiritually. He does not need reformation...he needs salvation! He does not need education...he needs resurrection! He does not need resuscitation… he needs regeneration! He does not need “good works”...he can’t do anything! He’s dead! This is the desperate predicament of mankind. This is why social reform is not the ultimate solution to man’s woes and ills. That is also why Jesus Christ came; to be the perfect substitute sacrifice for our sin that we needed in order to be reconciled to God and to spend eternity with Him. This is the Good News! The crux of the matter (lit. cross or resolution of a problem) on the Map of our Christian Life, is in fact the instrument of torture and execution itself was the Cross of Calvary. For the Believer, life and eternity changed there. The moment someone places their trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, the (#11. Penalty of Sin) is completely paid for, (#8. Salvation) is forever secured because of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. (#9. Hebrews 10:11-14) says in part that animal or ceremonial sacrifices “can never take away sins; but He [Christ], having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God...for by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Now, about this word, “sanctification”...what does it mean?! (#13. & #22 Sanctification) literally means “to make holy, to set apart for a particular purpose.” God says that I am holy. But I’m not. But I will be. Which one is it? The answer is, “Yes”! However, while our (#12. Position) spiritually is that we are (#10. Ephesians 1:3) “blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” and are seated “with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6), life often doesn’t seem very “heavenly”! (#12. Positionaly) I am holy in the eyes of God because He has declared me righteous in Christ. But in (#9. Practical) terms, I still struggle in the Christian Life, yes, and still sin. It is a progressive life where God changes me day by day to be conformed to the image of His Son--that is--to become more like Christ, moment by moment. (#14. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) says in part, that “the God of peace Himself [will] sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are in the process of being fashioned into the (#17. Ultimate) state that is yet to come. No longer should the (#15. Power of Sin) rule over our lives. We have the Holy Spirit residing in us, convincing us of sin, comforting us in suffering, and empowering us in service in the life we are still living in this world! Then, in a moment, whether we pass from this life through the shadow called death, or at the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ, we shall be be changed through the (#19. Glorification) of our mortal bodies, we shall be changed to be like Him. (#20. 1 John 3:2) says, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” Here is the great ‘wonderment’: From the (#1. Past) we have been born into God’s forever family by His Son. In the (#2. Present) we are being changed, moment by moment to be like Christ in this roller coaster ride of life, knowing one day in the (#3. Future) we will actually be delivered from the (#21. Presence of Sin) in (#18. Heaven)!  Map #2 (Numbered & Blank Self-test) Do you better understand Mapping the Christian Life, or are you still a little lost?!...To test yourself, here are the answers to fill in: Words to number: __ POSITIONAL __ PRACTICAL __ ULTIMATE __ SANCTIFICATION __ PAST __ PRESENT __ FUTURE __ GLORIFICATION __ HEAVEN __ SALVATION __ 1 JOHN 3:2 __ REST IN PEACE __ SLAVE TO SIN __ DEAD IN SIN __ POWER OF SIN 22 SANCTIFICATION __ EPHESIANS 1:3 __ PRESENCE OF SIN __ PENALTY OF SIN __ HEBREWS 10:11-14 __ ISAIAH 64:6 __ 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23,24 How did you do on your test?! More importantly, how are you doing in your journey through the Christian Life? Remember, you are not where you were. You are closer to your destination. Knowing you will get there can make today an amazing adventure! Press on brothers and sisters! You are making progress, Pilgrim! You’re almost Home!
By Ruxandra Ionce | @ruxandradoxiada | TRINICY.org  THE ARTIST'S STATEMENTThe Father's instruction to His beloved children is for them to acquire the most important of all possessions: wisdom (Proverbs 4:5). It is to be obtained by all means and with any sacrifice required, for wisdom rewards us more than a thousandfold. Even though wisdom is always near and always inviting, it is never loud nor imposing, but awaits to be taken by those who value her purpose. It is wisdom that is promised to us in great abundance and without measure, as long as we are determined soldiers with minds set on our glorious duty and honor our Father's commands in full trust (James 1:5). Wisdom shows us how to live, how to understand, how to use the knowledge we gain, how to love and be patient, to abstain, to be abundant, and how to rejoice at all times.
DEVOTIONAL SERIES: THE NINE-FLAVORED FRUITBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)  Paul tells us in Galatians chapter five that if we are walking in the Spirit we will be manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit who dwells within all those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. It is not that we are called to “try harder” to produce this fruit in our lives. It is that we are to walk by faith in the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit and He will produce this fruit, supernaturally, in our lives. The nine characteristics of this fruit include the ‘flavor’ Love. All you need is Love, so say The Beatles, and every other love song, in their own way! Love is spoken of so often, and misunderstood and ignored so badly. The next time you tell someone or write on your Instagram or Facebook entry, “Love ya!,” “Love you!,” or “I love yooooou!,” ask yourself, “Do I?!” Depending on the version you use, it is mentioned in the Bible well over 300 times. To measure our understanding of, commitment to and whether Spirit-produced Love is present in our lives, let’s look at it in “3-D”! 1st “D” - DESIGN If you have ever attended a wedding, chances are you have heard someone read from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, “Love is patient, love is kind. It [Love] does not envy; it [Love] does not boast, it [Love] is not proud. It [Love] does not dishonor others; it [Love] does not self-seeking, it [Love] is not easily angered, it [Love] keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but [Love] rejoices with the truth. It [Love] always protects, [Love] always trusts, [Love] always hopes, [Love] always perseveres. Love never fails.” A challenge: First read this passage out loud with the word “Love” used where it ought to be in the text. Next read the passage with the word “Jesus” used where the word “Love” ought to appear. Then finally, read the passage with “your name” where the word “Love” ought to appear. How did you measure up?! 2nd “D” - DEFINITION My working definition of Love is that “Love is wanting God’s best for someone, expecting nothing in return, believing it will probably cost you something.” Love is not about you. It is about the one you choose to love. You can love your enemy this way. You can love your sibling or friend this way. You can love your sweetheart this way! 3rd “D” - DISTORTION Beware! There is much and there are many out there that would fool you into thinking that it is Love that they are peddling! To like someone is not necessarily to love them. You can like someone and not love them. You can love someone and not like them. They might not be likeable! You can want someone and not love them, either! Ultimately it is the example Christ showed us of how we are to love. “This is Love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 Like, want, and trust are not unconditional. Love is. Suggested prayer: “Father, remind me today of how much you loved me by giving me Jesus. Help me to love someone like that, today! I pray in the lovely name of Jesus. Amen”
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)  Photo by Trang Doan One of the great misunderstandings concerning the Christian life is, if we are ‘good,’ then we will be ‘spiritual’ people and will please the God who seems never to be happy with us! True Christians are those who have appropriated, by faith, the substitutionary payment for sin Jesus Christ purchased for them by His death, burial, and resurrection. He never insisted we should attempt to keep the law, which we know to be futile. They often wonder that, if salvation has purchased for them a new life in Christ, then why does victory over sin seem so difficult, and actually impossible? “If only I were a good child, then my parents would love me.” So goes the backwards assumption that only leads to discouragement, a sense of despair, and to defection that leaves the Christian uttering the words of surrender to their spiritual mirage. “If the life of victory is always before me, but never attainable, then why bother?!” If we try to live by the letter of the law, we are doomed to die by it. The solution to this dilemma is very simple, but because this failed approach of merit is so ingrained into our view of life and living, it is not very easy. In Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia, an area located in modern day Turkey, in Chapter 5, he tells the believers there the formula for what he describes as our Walk in the Spirit. I include the text for verses 16-25 here, because it is the text that imparts truth, power, and the possibility of the victorious Christian life. I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. The formula for fullness in the Christian life is this: Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust, passion, and empty striving of the flesh. It does not say we must try to avoid and triumph over the flesh, and by that, enter into and enjoy the Spirit life. So many who read the words in verse 16, read it in reverse. They understand Paul to be saying that if we do not fulfill the passions of the flesh, then we will walk in the Spirit. No! Paul says the very opposite. He says if we walk, move, and have our lives in the very Spirit of God who indwells every believer from the moment of salvation, it is then that we can have freedom from the sin that so easily controls us. “God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” 2 Corinthians 3:5-6. If we try to live by the letter of the Law, we will fail and die by the law. If we choose to live by the Law of the Spirit, He will succeed and we will live truly spiritual lives. To refer to the child analogy, a child does not need to try to be good so that the parent will love him. When the parent loves the child well, the child’s passion and power come from that love, and the child will then be motivated and equipped to live a life that pleases their parent! It is not that the flesh is evil. It is neutral, yet tainted by the inherited sin nature that Adam passed down to all people...the Ultimate Pandemic! People like to be hopeful and magnanimous and say what is patently false, that man is “basically good.” No, man is basically a sinner and does not need to learn how to be selfish. No newborn child has to learn how to make themself the center of their universe. At salvation the sin nature is not eradicated, although it will be in the future. But for now, we should know that the power and sway of sin over the believer has been broken, as chains off of a prisoner who has been set free. He does not need to live like a prisoner any more. Once bound by shackles, he has been set free. The struggle is described in Galatians 5:17 where the Word says that the battle rages. However, the outcome has been won and the ultimate victory is sure. As it says in verse 25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” How did we receive eternal life and become born again by the Spirit at salvation? By faith (John 3:3-6)! How should we walk about and move and live in the Spirit? Also by faith! It is not by the keeping of the law that makes us spiritual. It is by realizing that we are spiritual creations and living by faith in the power of the Spirit who indwells every believer that we will experience and enjoy victory. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul describes the Fruit of the Spirit. It is not that we have to strive to produce this fruit in our lives. It is that, as we walk by faith in the realm and power of the Holy Spirit of God who resides in us, that He will produce the evidence of His presence by displaying this ‘nine-flavored fruit.’ It is not Yin & Yang battling it out...it is not good versus evil that leads to the victory of the stronger entity...it is not ‘good’ spirit trying to beat ‘bad’ flesh...it is not even God wrestling with Satan! The battle has already been won. Live like it! We have been loved with an infinite love. Respond to it! We have been victorious, through Christ, over sin. Celebrate it! The Fruit of the Spirit is not something for us to strive for. Because of our salvation in Jesus Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is in fact the evidence that we have ceased from striving, and started truly living! “This I say then: Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
 Saint John Chrysostom (Archbishop of Constantinople) Exiled by Empress Eudoxia By Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (1845-1902) Motto: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called" (1Timothy 6:12a) John, God’s fellow worker (1 Corinthians 3:9) and one amongst those who have built on the foundation of the Church (1 Corinthians 3:10), earned his fame as a master of speech through the nickname given by his coevals “Golden Mouthed.” This nickname (Greek- Chrysostom) appeared for the first time in what is today known as the Constitution of Pope Vigilius (cf. P.L., LX, 217) in the year 553. Chrysostom is generally considered the most prominent “doctor” of the Greek Church (Orthodox) and the greatest preacher who was ever heard from the pulpit. His natural gifts, together with the external circumstances contributed to the person he was. Whether he indeed had a golden mouth, it is subject to his coeval’s judgement. Whether his service and work were “golden” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15), will be revealed in the Day of the Lord, in whose coming he set all his hope, not in men. For from men he oftentimes received much disappointment, evil schemes, betrayals, unfair trials, and sufferings that eventually led to his death (Jeremiah 17:9). However, for a true athlete of Christ, nothing should ever constitute an impediment for preaching and a reason for losing heart, but rather a challenge and an impetus for fighting. Chrysostom always proved himself courageous and tireless. It is not with earthly weapons that he fought with, but with those sharpened and strengthened by the Lord Himself, meant to destroy every fortress of the human mind and soul that opposes the Truth and the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). He proved himself to be a true fighter and even more, a conqueror! For the power of God has been proven in his life throughout all the struggles and battles that were beyond human power to handle (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). In one life lived to an extreme intensity, he fought on two fronts. Firstly, he fought to achieve holiness. After he conquered every opposition of the flesh (nature) and defeated every enemy and obstacle in his way towards heavens, he started another fight: the fight for the Church of Christ with the entire multitude of believers, to the highest steps of holiness and Christian purity (Virgil Gheorghiu. Saint Jean Bouche d'Or, “Hommes de Dieu,” Librairie Pion. 1957, © Editions du Rocher). ⁂⁂⁂ John Chrysostom was born somewhere between the years 345 and 349, in Antioch, on the River Orontes, in the capital of the Roman province of Syria (today Antakya, Turkey). He belonged to a rich family. His father was a superior officer, Magister Militum Orientis, a commander of the Roman Chivalry in Syria. The only thing known about him is that his name was Secundus. Historians did not mention his other two or three names, as it was in the Roman custom of the time, but have chosen the Greek custom, which was more strongly rooted in the hellenised society of the Eastern parts of the Roman Empire. The same applies for John. Secundus, who was more advanced in years, married a young woman of only 16 from Antioch, Anthusa. Their first child was a daughter, whose name remains unknown. Their second child was John. General Secundus died shortly after John was born. Anthusa was then left alone to raise two children before she turned 20. They lived together with one of Secundus’ sisters, Sabiniana, who, later on, stood by John’s side in the most difficult moments of his life (during his exile), despite her being 80 years old. Refusing to remarry, Anthusa dedicated the rest of her life to raising the two children and managing the fortune she inherited from her late husband. Despite being very young and inexperienced, she succeeded. In later years, John recalled how she confessed the struggles she went through as a widow: “You can never reproach me for lessening the possessions your father left you despite the challenges and dangers widowhood brings by, which for so many women had tragic consequences. I have kept for you all these things in their integrity, even though I spared nothing in order to give you a solid and brilliant education” (John Chrysostome. On Priesthood/De Sarcedotio, book I). John’s biographers often mention his mother as being a very pious Christian woman. Antioch, the city where John saw daylight for the first time, was at the time one of the most emblematic cities of Europe. Yes, it is no confusion! At the time, Europe was considered to include all cities that adhered to the Greek and Roman culture and civilization. During John Chrysostom’s time, the borders of Europe were placed on the Euphrates; Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor were integral parts of it. When the Apostle Paul and the other apostles of Christ were preaching in the areas of Asia Minor, of Cappadocia, in the cities of Antioch or Ephesus and all the other cities we read about in the New Testament. They all belonged to Europe and were the full expression of the Greek and Roman civilization. Concerning the history of Antioch, the city was founded by one the former generals of Alexander the Great, Seleucus I Nicator, approximately 650 years before the birth of John. The fact that John was born in this city that took pride in being called the Pearl of the East or The City of Gold, has played an important role in influencing his personality. It was at the time one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the third in importance in the Roman Empire, after Rome and the Egyptian Alexandria. It was also the general headquarters of the imperial army in Syria and whose attributes were to defend the Eastern borders against the attacks of the powerful and tireless enemy: the Persian Empire. The city was home to approximately 500,000 people, was beautified with numerous and imposing temples, aqueducts, theatres, and public baths which were encouraged through direct subsidies from the Roman Emperors. Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judaea, also contributed to the adornment of this city with two porticos (Greek: stoa) and a marble pavement. If it is necessary to recall another of the many ironies of history, allowed by the Lord, it is worth mentioning the fact that after the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews, Antioch was adorned by the future Emperor Titus with the Seraphims taken as war prey from the Temple! Antioch was the first city in history that enjoyed public illumination on its streets, beginning with the 4th century AD. This is recorded by Libanus (314-393 AD), a great pagan intellectual, who in his panegyric called Antiochikos (Oration 11) brought praise to his city of birth (according the John Wilkes. Encyclopedia Londinensis. volume 12, 1814, p. 119; A.F. Norman. Antioch as a Centre of Hellenic Culture, as Observed by Libanus. Liverpool University Press, 1st edition, 2001). However, the most important and glorious page in the history of Antioch is the fact that the Church of Antioch was founded by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus themselves! Here preaching and bringing the Good News, the Gospel, the Apostles Peter, Paul, and Barnabas. Also, it was here the followers of Christ were called Christians for the first time (Acts 11:26). Until then, they were known as “Nazarenes” or “Galileans.” After these short presentations/descriptions we can imagine, to a certain extent, the rhythms of the daily lives as well as the atmosphere and the air that John Chrysostom breathed in the fortress of Antioch, where the majority of the population was Christian. We can safely assume that a great part of John’s personality is a reflection of the brilliance and the spiritual elevation of Antioch. But, concerning his intellectual maturity and edification, the most important contribution was brought by the most appreciated and highly esteemed professor in the Roman Empire, the rhetorician Libanius. After leaving Antioch in his early youth in order to finish his studies in Athens, Libanius arrived in Constantinople, where he became the leader of the most renowned school of rhetoric. His success triggered the envy of some -- especially his former professor, Bernarchius, who falsely accused him of sorcery and witchcraft. This was a reason for which the prefect of the city would eventually bash Libanius in 346 AD. He then arrived in Nicea where, after a short residence, left for Nicomedia. He remained there for five years and gained a solid reputation. At the call of the Emperor Julian the Apostate, who frequently audited his speeches, he returned for Constantinople where, after a short period of time, he was again forced to leave due to the hostility he faced in the city. This time he came back to his place of birth, the city of Antioch, where he opened a school of rhetoric. This was an opportunity Anthusa did not dare to lose, so she offered her son the best possible education. At around the age of 18, John started participating in the classes of the famous sophist. The intellectual capacity and the genius of this young man stirred the admiration of his master. According to the church historian Sozomenus, Libanius was asked on his deathbed which one of his students would deserve to take his place. He then regretfully answered: “John, if it weren’t for the Christians who stole him from us.” (Sox. H.E. lib. Viii. c2). When John started to practice law, his rhetorical talent was quickly noticed. His speeches were listened to with great joy and admiration by Libanius himself, a giant of rhetoric. All conditions were set for a brilliant future of a judicial career and an exceptional social status: fame, fortune, and a high position in society. However, something even greater than his convictions, his plans and extremely favourable circumstances started to take over his heart. A state of detachment from all these things, a transformation in his own perceptions and convictions invaded his being. This was similar to Paul, another young man from Tarsus in the neighbouring Cilicia, whom John started to view these things as a “loss,” as absolutely worthless (Philippians 3:7) compared to the treasure unhoped for. The everlasting happiness of an eternal kingdom with Jesus Christ, the Lord (Matthew 13:44), The One whose “incomprehensible riches” (Ephesians 3:8) await those who accept Him as Lord and Emperor, then become full citizens of Heaven (Ephesians 2:6,19; Philippians 3:20). The gentle, reinvigorating breeze coming from far back in time, from the endless plane of eternity reached him and caressed his entire being. “The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations” finally arrived and revealed itself to him: Christ was in his heart who brought to life the “hope of the eternal glory” with God (Colossians 1:26-27). Of course, it is only the elevated “flight” of his eloquence possessed only by him, which could help carry us on the wings of his thoughts, reaching that pleasant tranquillity of his soul and understanding the absence of any existential fear and peace that took over his entire being. It is so similar to the peace Adam and Eve enjoyed before they knew sin, while they were talking to God in the cool evening breeze (Genesis 3:8). John was, of course not in heaven, but he could taste it already. His master Libanius unfortunately never reached that experience, being too full of himself and his convictions, too rooted in his own philosophical nostalgias. He was one of the last coryphée of paganism, from which he could never depart. Maybe it was also because he, throughout his entire career, was never preoccupied with anything other than finding carefully crafted verbal formulas with an appearance of truth, rather than pursuing truth itself (he was a fully dedicated sophist!). Libanius took pleasure in his own word games that ensured him great popularity, games that eventually became his second nature. He was not ready to denounce his comfort in thinking to declare all that he was chasing “vanity and chase for the wind.” Had he been more rigorous in his research and honest to himself, he would have recognized that his entire life was nothing but a compromise and that his soul needed something completely different, something that neither rhetoric nor pagan rituals could bring. John had the courage to confront his master, in the beginning at least in principle (Job 32:6-9) by accepting to research other sources, outside his master’s manuals. He chose to research what the humble and ever more numerous Christians were believing. Eventually, this led him to denounce the disappointments of an imposed conventionalism and word games, while allowing him to discover “the word of truth” (Ephesians 1:13). Had Libanius renounced his pride (self-sufficiency) coming from his authority and fame (Job 32:9), he could have reached the conclusion that he was not a master of the truth, but that truth itself is free from any confinements of the human mind and does not subdue the mind and heart, but frees them! (John 8:31-32). John became, therefore, disappointed in the legal career he chose, despite his quick rise to fame. He knew very well what all these compromises meant and oftentimes he covered the truth by crafty speeches: “his soul revolted at the contrast between the purity of the gospel standard and the baseness of the aims and viciousness of the practices prevalent in the profession he had chosen. To accept a fee for making the worse appear the better case seemed to his generous and guileless soul to be bribed to lie- to take satan’s wages- to sin against his own soul!” (Wace, Henry. Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature). To be continued...
By Garrett Smith | @gwsmith93 | TRINICY.org  Since the dawn of time, humans have been in a state of rebellion. Beginning with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, humanity has constantly disobeyed authority, whether it be Divine Law or the law of the land. The American Revolution marked a prime example of this, as seen with the colonists and their refusal to accept increasing government infringement in their personal lives at the hands of the British Empire. Most conservatives agree that a great republic is built upon a strong sense of law and order that also respects humanity’s natural rights. These natural rights are enshrined in the Declaration of Independence as “unalienable” rights, which include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The establishment of America was unique in that it was not only the first nation formed out of rebellion from an empire, but it was also the first to tell its federal government it had to respect natural rights. The end of the Civil War in 1865 soon brought about the addition of three amendments to the U.S. Constitution in an effort to help secure natural rights for freed slaves. Even after the addition of these amendments, however, many states adopted laws within their own constitutions that prohibited African-Americans from exercising constitutional rights. Over the next century, African-Americans would endure horrible treatment from the government, on both the state and federal levels. In the 1950s, however, things began to change as America entered the Civil Rights Era. Many leaders would become synonymous with this movement, but one - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - garnered perhaps the most recognition. DR. KING, THE MODERATE DEMONSTRATOR American history is filled with examples of African-Americans seeking justice and the upholding of their constitutional rights. Martin Luther King Jr. was certainly a moderate when it came to many issues. On one hand, figureheads such as Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington believed in change primarily through legislation and adopting the founders’ view of natural rights. As such, they believed change would occur over time. On the other hand, radical extremists, such as Malcolm X, were proponents of militancy. Dr. King, however, stood in the middle. Unlike Douglass and Washington, King advocated intervention by method of peaceful protest; therefore, King’s idea of demonstration was different from the type sought by Malcolm X. King gained national attention during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956. During this time, peaceful demonstrators in Montgomery, Alabama protested the segregationist policies of the city’s bus line. With Rosa Parks refusing to surrender her bus seat to a White man, the American Civil Rights Movement had officially begun. With a victory in Montgomery, the movement soon spread to other parts of the nation. ON TO BIRMINGHAM Many cities throughout the nation - both South and North - experienced racial injustice. Going into the 1960s, civil rights demonstrations broke out in Greensboro, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and various other locations. Perhaps the biggest turning point in the movement, however, would have been in Birmingham, Alabama. In April 1963, civil rights protesters there were brutally attacked by the police forces of Eugene “Bull” Connor. While the campaign resulted in several positive outcomes for the Civil Rights Movement, it also, unfortunately, led to the arrest of Dr. King. FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL Following his arrest, Dr. King spent 11 days in the Birmingham City Jail. During his time there, he wrote a letter to the American people. In the letter, King discusses a topic that remains timeless: Legality vs. Morality. At the start, King acknowledged the issue regarding the influence of so-called “outside agitators.” Some individuals referred to King as such, and wondered why he would bother to come to Birmingham to stir attention for the Civil Rights Movement. As far as they were concerned, he should have kept away and minded his own. To King, however, being a peaceful outside agitator was not an option; it was a necessity. King recalled the fact that, by his own critics’ logic, the Apostle Paul was technically an outside agitator. King remarked that Paul left his village of Tarsus to spread the Gospel of Christ to Greece and Rome. Paul, like Dr. King, was arrested for his actions, but stood strong for what was right. Using Paul as an example, it was up to Dr. King to spread his gospel of freedom. “WHY WE CAN’T WAIT” King soon brought to light one of the most pressing issues of the entire movement: How much longer? Many people were suggesting that the civil rights demonstrators simply wait on their Constitutional rights to be fully achieved. For King, however, the wait had lasted long enough. The Civil War had been over for nearly a century, and the end of it brought about not only the end of slavery, but also the addition of three new amendments to the Constitution. These new amendments secured various rights for African-Americans, but many states sought their way around the amendments through the addition of new laws within their own constitutions, as well as literacy tests and poll taxes. For nearly a hundred years after the Civil War, African-Americans had still not been granted equal rights and protection under the law. For King and many others, the wait had gone beyond long enough. The following excerpt from the letter was later taken by King and presented as a chapter in his 1964 memoir, according to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute of Stanford University. He wrote, “I suppose it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say wait. But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and daughters at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Black brothers smoldering in an air-tight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see the depressing clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky, and see her begin to distort her little personality by unconsciously developing a bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son asking in agonizing pathos, ‘Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?’; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you...when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are Black, living constantly at tip-top stance never quite knowing what to expect next, and plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodiness’ - then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.” UNJUST LAWS King then turned his attention to the primary subjects of the letter. In King’s view, human beings have an obligation to break laws that are in violation of natural rights. Knowing that the definition of an unjust law could be ambiguous if not properly explained, he explained, “A just law is a manmade code that squares with the moral law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” King proceeded to cite the biblical example of disobeying human law when it conflicts with obeying God’s law. He wrote, “Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar because a higher moral law was involved. It was practiced superbly by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire. To a degree, academic freedom is a reality because Socrates practiced social disobedience.” LEGALITY VS. MORALITY It is always important to remember that legality is not always equal to morality. In today’s society, issues such as abortion are often in the spotlight. While Christians are obligated to love those who have had abortions as Christ would, it does not mean we should support their actions. When Jesus walked the earth, He frequently stood among those who sinned, but He never once encouraged their wrong behavior. In fact, quite the opposite, as He warned them to steer clear of sin. “Hate the sin, love the sinner” may sound cliche, but it still rings true. In Dr. King’s letter, he recalled instances of freedom and human rights being violated throughout the past couple decades in the name of legality, through the horrors of National Socialism and Communism. King stated, “We can never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian Freedom Fighters did in Hungary was ‘illegal.’ It was ‘illegal’ to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany. But I am sure that, if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers, even though it was illegal. If I lived in a Communist country today where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I believe I would openly advocate disobeying these anti-religious laws.” King continued further stating that often the greatest stumbling blocks to freedom are not the ones in direct opposition to it, but rather, the “peaceful moderates” who prefer negative peace to positive peace with the presence of justice. After spending 11 days in the Birmingham City Jail, Dr. King was released. His Letter from Birmingham Jail was published on May 19, 1963. King would go on to become an icon for freedom and justice. Historically, America has seen its fair share of disobedience to unjust laws. Two of the most prominent examples would be the Boston Tea Party and the Underground Railroad. Both of these acts have one thing in common: they resulted from individuals who refused to place the immorality of man’s law above the divinity of God’s law and heavenly-inspired natural rights. Today, when freedom is threatened by tyrannical legislation, may we always stand firm in the faith and remain everlasting guards for justice. Let us never forget Dr. King’s timeless phrase: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
 Photo credit: cdn.pixabay.com One of the great misunderstandings concerning the Christian life is, if we are ‘good,’ then we will be ‘spiritual’ people and will please the God who seems never to be happy with us! True Christians are those who have appropriated, by faith, the substitutionary payment for sin Jesus Christ purchased for them by His death, burial, and resurrection. He never insisted we should attempt to keep the law, which we know to be futile. They often wonder that, if salvation has purchased for them a new life in Christ, then why does victory over sin seem so difficult, and actually impossible? “If only I were a good child, then my parents would love me.” So goes the backwards assumption that only leads to discouragement, a sense of despair, and to defection that leaves the Christian uttering the words of surrender to their spiritual mirage. “If the life of victory is always before me, but never attainable, then why bother?!” If we try to live by the letter of the law, we are doomed to die by it. The solution to this dilemma is very simple, but because this failed approach of merit is so ingrained into our view of life and living, it is not very easy. In Paul’s letter to the believers in Galatia, an area located in modern day Turkey, in Chapter 5, he tells the believers there the formula for what he describes as our Walk in the Spirit. I include the text for verses 16-25 here, because it is the text that imparts truth, power, and the possibility of the victorious Christian life.
The formula for fullness in the Christian life is this: Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust, passion, and empty striving of the flesh. It does not say we must try to avoid and triumph over the flesh, and by that, enter into and enjoy the Spirit life. So many who read the words in verse 16, read it in reverse. They understand Paul to be saying that if we do not fulfill the passions of the flesh, then we will walk in the Spirit. No! Paul says the very opposite. He says if we walk, move, and have our lives in the very Spirit of God who indwells every believer from the moment of salvation, it is then that we can have freedom from the sin that so easily controls us. “God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” 2 Corinthians 3:5-6. If we try to live by the letter of the Law, we will fail and die by the law. If we choose to live by the Law of the Spirit, He will succeed and we will live truly spiritual lives. To refer to the child analogy, a child does not need to try to be good so that the parent will love him. When the parent loves the child well, the child’s passion and power come from that love, and the child will then be motivated and equipped to live a life that pleases their parent! It is not that the flesh is evil. It is neutral, yet tainted by the inherited sin nature that Adam passed down to all people...the Ultimate Pandemic! People like to be hopeful and magnanimous and say what is patently false, that man is “basically good.” No, man is basically a sinner and does not need to learn how to be selfish. No newborn child has to learn how to make themself the center of their universe. At salvation the sin nature is not eradicated, although it will be in the future. But for now, we should know that the power and sway of sin over the believer has been broken, as chains off of a prisoner who has been set free. He does not need to live like a prisoner any more. Once bound by shackles, he has been set free. The struggle is described in Galatians 5:17 where the Word says that the battle rages. However, the outcome has been won and the ultimate victory is sure. As it says in verse 25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” How did we receive eternal life and become born again by the Spirit at salvation? By faith (John 3:3-6)! How should we walk about and move and live in the Spirit? Also by faith! It is not by the keeping of the law that makes us spiritual. It is by realizing that we are spiritual creations and living by faith in the power of the Spirit who indwells every believer that we will experience and enjoy victory. In Galatians 5:22, 23, Paul describes the Fruit of the Spirit. It is not that we have to strive to produce this fruit in our lives. It is that, as we walk by faith in the realm and power of the Holy Spirit of God who resides in us, that He will produce the evidence of His presence by displaying this ‘nine-flavored fruit.’ It is not Yin & Yang battling it out...it is not good versus evil that leads to the victory of the stronger entity...it is not ‘good’ spirit trying to beat ‘bad’ flesh...it is not even God wrestling with Satan! The battle has already been won. Live like it! We have been loved with an infinite love. Respond to it! We have been victorious, through Christ, over sin. Celebrate it! The Fruit of the Spirit is not something for us to strive for. Because of our salvation in Jesus Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is in fact the evidence that we have ceased from striving, and started truly living! “This I say then: Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
By Dr. Dave Baker | TRINICY.org
FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS TRINICY: What spiritual habits and disciplines do you follow on a daily basis? DAVE: I have a time of Bible reading/study, concerted prayer, then ongoing prayer throughout the day. TRINICY: Out of all God’s attributes, which one amazes you most? Why? DAVE: Forgiveness. While I can forgive and move on from when others have wronged me, I really do struggle to fully forget. Not only does God fully forget, His love for each of us continues to grow. Amazing! TRINICY: Who led you to Christ? Who are you leading or hope to lead to Christ? DAVE: My family led me and I have continued as a Christian throughout my life. My goal is to lead all who I come in contact with to a life of Christ. TRINICY: What primary talents and gift(s) has God given you? How are you using them for the kingdom? DAVE: His greatest gift is my ability to form relationships and lead. TRINICY: Which person from the Bible do you resonate with the most? Why? DAVE: Unfortunately, Job. I have faced trial and tribulation one after another, yet God has placed a calm within me to know He has not forsaken me and that He is always forging my path forward. TRINICY: What social issue do you care most about? Why? DAVE: The social issue that hits me most is the ability for Christians to outwardly proclaim our faith without slander, persecution, or silencing. We are the only religion in the U.S. treated this way and doing so is not only wrong on a human level, it also is contradictory to our Constitution. TRINICY-RELATED QUESTIONS TRINICY: What does being a Christian mean to you? Why Are you a Christian? DAVE: To me, being a Christian means following the path Jesus Christ paved for us during His time on earth, which begins with loving others. I am a Christian because I believe in Jesus and the Trinity and seek to guide others into our Heavenly family. TRINICY: What does being a Conservative mean to you? Why Are you a Conservative? DAVE: Conservatives believe in the ability to manage themselves and their own affairs with as little government meddling as possible, which is why I am a Conservative. I believe in the need of local and federal government systems to maintain the peace and provide general oversight. TRINICY: What has your experience been like as a Conservative Christian on and/or off campus? DAVE: Being a Christian presents challenges, but adding Conservative creates the likelihood of even more because of the political turmoil now. I have been ostracized and berated for my beliefs on and off campus as a student and employee. TRINICY: What were your first thoughts when you heard about TRINICY? DAVE: I was so excited! These people are me!! TRINICY: What book(s) do you recommend conservative Christians read to help strengthen their faith in a secular and/or liberal setting? DAVE: The last book I read is The Northfield Way by Rick Dunn. It is focused on a basketball coach who instilled a set of non-negotiable, Christian-based values the entire town adopted over the course of his 30-year reign as coach. TRINICY: What advice or resource would you offer to fellow conservative Christians today? DAVE: Seek out other conservative Christians because, together, we are stronger. OTHER QUESTIONS TRINICY: What is an interesting/unusual fact most people don’t know about you? DAVE: I spent 6 weeks in a coma, died many times, including an out-of-body experience, and am still alive and kicking! TRINICY: What passion or dream keeps you up at night or wakes you up in the morning? DAVE: My current dream is securing the job God has for me. TRINICY: If Jesus were physically here now, what would you want to ask Him or talk about? DAVE: I would want to give Him a hug, then have Him just tell me a story because it would be exactly what I would need in that moment. TRINICY: What are the three greatest life lessons you’ve learned thus far? DAVE: Be forgiving and understanding; work harder and smarter than you think the job will take; be open to God's direction for life. TRINICY: Which Christian song best connects with you? DAVE: Sidewalk Prophets - Help Me Find It, but letting go is a constant work in progress for me. TRINICY: What legacy do you want to leave as a Christian? DAVE: I hope to be a true guide for others to better connect with God and a more successful walk through life. TRINICY: Which teacher has impacted you most? How? DAVE: My sergeant in my Army training was such a poor teacher that my buddy and I took the class over. Until that time, I had resisted the call to teach. TRINICY: What is your life verse? Why? DAVE: Proverbs 19:21 because I need to be more open to needs God has for my life rather than me thinking I am in full charge of it. TRINICY: Which world events have influenced, changed, or shaped your life? DAVE: Ronald Reagan's presidency showed me leading unafraid with grace and determination with a foundation of Conservative Christianity is the way. TRINICY: What is the most difficult thing for you about being a Christian? DAVE: Society has made it so difficult, it would be impossible without His influence, mercy, and grace. TRINICY: What, thus far, has been your greatest "praise report"? DAVE: I live! Despite almost my entire medical team giving up, He never did! TRINICY: What is a question you wish we had asked but didn't? What is your response to this self-selected question? DAVE: I feel there is only one remaining question...What is your shoe size!? I wear a size 11 shoe! HA!!! WE WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE MORE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS ON TRINICY. If you know of other conservative Christians on or off campus we could feature, please email us at [email protected] OR send them directly to the Spotlight Interview form HERE.
By Garrett Smith | @gwsmith93 | TRINICY.org  Most people who are involved in the American political field have heard the following statement: “Conservatives are fascists and Nazis who seek to force their beliefs on others.” Especially since the 1960s, American Progressives in particular have been quick to condemn Republicans and their leaders - such as Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump - as Nazis and Fascist sympathizers. Read on for a thorough debunking of the Nazi Conservative connection. Many often wonder if the Left is making a valid point. After all, Nazism was rooted in a nationalist ideology and many Conservatives often take pride in their national heritage. The Left's rationale relies on their claim that just because Nazis were “National Socialists,” does not mean they were actually Socialists. Both at the root and on the cover, however, Nazis and Conservatives are not alike. To prove that, we will examine the facts using the Nazi Party Platform and perform a short break-down of each subject. NAZIS AND NATIONALISM In debunking the Nazi Conservative claim, one issue must be made abundantly clear from the start: Nazis were ultranationalist Imperialists who sought to greatly expand the size of the German state. Unlike Communists, Nazis despised globalism and viewed the German state, with the Aryan race, as their sources of greatness. When compared to the type of nationalism embraced by Conservatives, Nazis and Conservatives actually do not share much in common. This is especially evident for anyone who reads the Nazi Party Platform, created by Adolf Hitler in 1920. The fifth point states, “Those who are not citizens must live in Germany as foreigners and must be subject to the law of aliens.” Likewise, the platform holds that only German citizens can be responsible for selecting government officials. On the surface, this may seem like a strong comparison. A closer examination, however, something entirely different is revealed. The platform goes on to state, “Any further immigration of non-Germans must be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans who have entered Germany since August 2, 1914, shall be compelled to leave the Reich immediately.” The true Conservative, however, holds a different belief entirely. Conservatives embrace legal immigration, cherish it, and recognize legal immigrants who wish to assimilate into the country’s cultural melting pot will help improve the greatness of the nation. All the Conservative asks is for immigrants to assimilate in the legal and proper manner, without cutting corners, so as to avoid issues such as voter fraud. On this, Nazis and Conservatives are very different. ECONOMICS AND LABOR The Conservative believes the fruit of someone’s labor belongs solely to that person. No other human being has a right to claim someone’s hard-earned pay. Likewise, though Conservatives cherish a hard-working spirit, they believe human beings were created for more than just work. While Communists and like-minded Socialists are proponents of organized wealth distribution, how did Nazis hold up on this issue? Point 10 of the Nazi Party Platform states, “The first duty of every citizen must be to work mentally or physically. No individual shall do any work that offends against the interest of the community to the benefit of all.” This is a thoroughly-Socialist statement and not much different from the labor beliefs of Communists. While the Nazi Party did not share with Communists the belief in class warfare, and they did hold some regard for a middle class. This is evident with point 16 in which they demanded “the immediate communalization of large stores which will be rented cheaply to small tradespeople, and the strongest consideration must be given to ensure that small traders shall deliver the supplies needed by the state, the provinces and the municipalities.” Nazis also, like Soviets and Chinese Communists, demanded agrarian reform, and stated any land needed for the purposes of the state shall be taken without compensation for landowners (point 17). Nazis also included mandatory profit-sharing for large industries in their platform, as well as the nationalization of trusts. Though Nazis and Communists are different in many ways, they both share a mutual belief pertaining to societal welfare: common comes good before individual good. NOT-SO-FREE SPEECH AND PRESS While Conservatives seek to uphold the constitutional principle of free speech and press, Nazis sought something different entirely. Point 23 of the platform states, “Newspapers transgressing against the common welfare shall be suppressed. We demand legal action against those tendencies in art and literature that have a disruptive influence upon the life of our folk, and any organizations that offend against the foregoing demands shall be dissolved.” The Nazis also made it clear non-Germans were very limited in their press rights and non-Germans could not publish their material in the Germanic language. Conservatives, on the other hand, believe legal immigrants who are not yet citizens still hold various rights in the country, especially pertaining to free speech. NAZIS AND RELIGION It has often been said that Nazis were Christians, and therefore, Nazis were Conservatives who wanted to force their religious beliefs on others. While Nazis certainly wanted to impose their will on others, they were not Christians. The Nazi Party Platform states in point 24 they would be tolerant of any religion, so long as it did not interfere with the Nazis’ belief in the superior Germanic race. To further this platform tenant, Nazis omitted all Jewish heritage from the Bible. Later, point 24 states, “The Party as such represents the point of view of a Positive Christianity without binding itself to any one particular confession.” Positive Christianity, developed by the Nazis, eliminated the parts of the Bible that contained Jewish lineage or history. Christians believe Jesus Christ is the son of God (with Jewish lineage), that He died for our sins on a cross, and that He arose on the third day. William L. Shirer explained in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, how, during World War II, Nazis sought to replace the Bible and the Cross with Mein Kampf and the swastika. They also rejected dependence on the Apostle’s Creed. Shirer continued by stating Nazis wanted the “extermination of the foreign Christian faiths imported into Germany.” No, Nazis were most definitely not Christian Conservatives. WERE NAZIS PROGRESSIVE? Given the evidence from their own platform, it should be abundantly clear Nazis were not the equivalent of Conservatives. While they were different from Communists in many ways, they were alike in others, namely on the principle that common good always precedes individual good. Regarding Socialism, Nazis sought many socialist aspects, albeit on a nationalist level. It was Gregor Strasser of the Nazi Party who said, “We are Socialists. We are enemies, deadly enemies, of today’s capitalist economic system with its exploitation of the economically weak, its unfair wage system, its immoral way of judging other human beings in terms of their wealth and their money, instead of their responsibility and their performance, and we are determined to destroy this system whatever happens!” Nazis were not Capitalist Conservatives who sought a free market. While they were not Communists, one does not have to be an outright Communist to be a Socialist. Self-described Democratic Socialists, like Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT) often take pride in that belief. National Socialism is still Socialism, albeit in a different form. Two examples of post-World War II dictators who incorporated elements of Socialism into their nationalist beliefs were Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein. DEBUNKING THE NAZI CONSERVATIVE CLAIM COMPLETE Though different from Communists in many aspects, Nazis were the Progressives of their country who sought to “progress” Germany into their twisted vision of a utopia, done in the name of “bettering society.” As historian Modris Eksteins states in Rites of Spring, the goals of the Nazi Party were “distinctly progressive...The intention of the movement was to create a new type of human being from whom would spring a new reality, a new social system, and eventually, a new international order.” Debunking the Nazi Conservative claim was not difficult nor was it a stretch. After doing so, the hope is that Christians and Conservatives will always have the wisdom, courage, and strength to defend their values from those who seek to accuse them of aligning with evil ideologies. GARRETT SMITH
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