St. Peter (1740-1743) by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni, National Trust (Accession No. NT266905), Iliffe Collection, Basildon Park © National Trust Images/John Hammond, Source https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk (PD-Art, PD-Old)
Archaeologists led by Prof. Mordechai Aviam of the Kinneret Institute on the Sea of Galilee and Prof. Steven Notley of New York’s Nyack College have uncovered what they believe to be the home of the Apostle Peter and his brother, Andrew, in Bethsaida [1].
An inscription at the excavation indicates there was a church dedicated to St. Peter on the site.
Byzantine Christian tradition identified the home of St. Peter as located in Bethsaida. The discovery, also, coincides with a description provided by Willibald, the 8th Century bishop of Eichstadt in Bavaria, who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 724 AD [2].
A Pagan World
St. Peter worked to spread the “good news” of the Gospel in a pagan world not so different from our own.
There were yawning disparities between the rich and poor in the Roman world. Slavery was widespread, and considered vital to the empire [3A]. There were a vast number of gods worshipped. Christianity though was viewed as a dangerous cult – hostile to the culture at large.
Against this backdrop, St. Peter did not lose heart. Rather, he emphasized that the Christian inheritance is a heavenly one, and the trials of this world but temporary. Read more…
“Mental health professionals have abandoned their duty of care when it comes to treating trans-identifying youth, and the long-term effects could be disastrous, a family therapist said.
‘We’ve allowed our role to be changed in the public eye,’ Stephanie Winn, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Portland, Oregon, told Fox News. Therapists’ new role is ‘essentially green lighting or rubber-stamping people along into these medical procedures when that’s never been our role in the treatment of any other issue.’
Youth access to gender transition medical therapy such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery have been widely debated in recent years with critics saying minors are too young to be altering their bodies, sometimes permanently. Advocates, however, argue that such care is life-saving since untreated trans youth face higher rates of depression and suicide.
Winn argued that a narrative has been established that encourages mental health professionals to accept a child’s trans identity without scrutiny, leaving potential mental illnesses untreated. Youth experiencing suicidal ideation and other distress, consequently, aren’t always getting proper care, and in some instances, may receive life-altering treatment that could cause additional issues later on, she said.
The number of transgender teens under 18 doubled between 2017 and 2020, from .7% to 1.4%, according to UCLA research. The June report, based on government health surveys, also found that just under 43% of the 1.6 million people who identify as transgender in the U.S. are between 13 and 25.
Winn said she’s becoming ‘increasingly concerned’ about the trend of youth identifying as transgender or non-binary and ‘the lifelong, irreversible medical experiments that are happening to children as a result of this ideology.’ She added that in 10-15 years, ‘we’re going to see a transition regret crisis, and unfortunately, we are going to have to worry about some of the most frightening mental health outcomes as part of that .'” Read more…
Actor Karl Malden as Fr. Barry in “On the Waterfront”
“On the Waterfront” is one of several seminal films that came out of the McCarthy Era of the 1940s and 1950s [1]. On the surface a story of mob control of the waterfront, it examines on a deeper level when we should stand up against evil.
The McCarthy Era and the “blacklisting” that followed grew out of the ego of a single man, Sen. Joseph McCarthy [2][3]. In the naked pursuit of power, McCarthy made a spectacle of challenging supposed “red sympathizers” and former Communists to betray their companions.
A great many promising careers were ruined, in the process. Often, these were simply idealistic individuals who had once misguidedly joined the Communist Party, in an effort to alleviate the plight of the poor.
Those were dark times. No darker, however, than our own. The spirit of the anti-Christ walks among us (1 John 4: 3). Authoritarianism, Christian Nationalism, wokeism, and the Transgender Movement are among the evil forces rising.
Confronting influential leaders, false teachers, and other adversaries who believe they are doing good by opposing Christianity is an enormous challenge. The very prospect can be daunting.
In a moving scene from “On the Waterfront”, Fr. Barry (played by Karl Malden) addresses dock workers after one of their fellows is murdered by the mob for testifying before the Waterfront Crime Commission [4].
The dialog is remarkably relevant for today’s Christians.
“I came down here to keep a promise. I gave KO my word that if he stood up to the mob, I’d stand up with him…all the way. And now KO Dugan is dead. He was one of those fellas who had the gift for standing up. But this time they fixed him. Oh, they fixed him for good this time – unless it was an accident like Big Mac says.
Some people think that crucifixion only took place on Calvary. They better wise up. Taking Joey Doyle’s life to stop him from testifying is a crucifixion. And dropping a sling on KO Dugan because he was ready to spill his guts tomorrow that’s a crucifixion.
And every time the mob puts the pressure on a good man, tries to stop him from doing his duty as a citizen, it’s a crucifixion.
And anybody who sits around and lets it happen, keeps silent about something he knows has happened, shares the guilt of it just as much as the Roman soldier who pierced the flesh of our Lord to see if He was dead.”
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
Brett Favre, Author US Navy Mass Commun. Spc. (1st Class) Jennifer Villalovos (PD as work product of federal govt.)
NFL great, Brett Favre, is embroiled in a massive Welfare scandal which diverted millions intended for the poor of Mississippi [1]. At least $77 million in public money was misspent [2]. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) effectively became a slush fund.
Volleyball Stadium
Incriminating texts reflect that former governor, Phil Bryant, aided Favre in securing the $5 million used to build a volleyball stadium at Favre’s alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi.
But Favre – who earned over $140 million during his professional career – was not alone among the wealthy to benefit from the fraud here [3]. Friends and political appointees of the governor, businessmen, and other sports figures all stand accused.
Neither Favre nor Bryant has been criminally charged, as of this writing. Favre does though face a civil suit by the state [4]. Read more…
Each day 12 children die of gun violence in the United States [1].
There have been over 2000 school shootings since 1970. It has become all too easy for us to offer “thoughts and prayers” after yet another such shooting.
As our children return once again to schools that are understaffed and under-resourced, we who claim to care about our children’s welfare must do more than pray for their security [2][3].
We must use the hearts and minds God gave us to effectuate change. We must use the voices He gave us to engage our elected officials on our children’s behalf.
We must commit our time and our capital to assure that our children – whatever their race, creed, or color – are provided a safe learning environment, at least some semblance of a level playing field, and the basic tools needed to craft a future for themselves.
Where do we go now? That is up to us.
“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father…” (Matt. 18: 10).
—
[1] Sandy Hook Promise, “16 Facts About Gun Violence and School Shootings”, https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/blog/gun-violence/16-facts-about-gun-violence-and-school-shootings/.
[2] The Century Foundation, “TCF Study Finds US Schools Underfunded by Nearly $150 Billion Annually”, 7/22/20, https://tcf.org/content/about-tcf/tcf-study-finds-u-s-schools-underfunded-nearly-150-billion-annually/?session=1.
[3] Washington Post, “Public education is facing a crisis of epic proportions” by Laura Meckler, 1/30/22, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/30/public-education-crisis-enrollment-violence/.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://www.avoicereclaimed.com
Royalty free image of New World Order, Author Wendelin Jacober, Source Flickr (CC 1.0 Universal Public Domain)
We conclude our examination of postmodernism with a look at rationality and the proposed New World Order [1][2].
Rejection of Reason
A. The Lie
“Reason and the impulse to objectify truth are illusory masks for cultural power [3A].”
-8 Tenets of Postmodernism
B. Satan’s Reason for the Lie
“Tortured fear and stupid confidence are both desirable states of mind.”
-CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
C. The Truth
“…but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5: 21).
Those deprived of the ability to reason have no way of assessing the world around them, and are slaves to emotion.
This makes mankind much easier for dictators to delude and control. It throws wide the door for Satan’s puppet, the Antichrist, and the New World Order he will put in place. Read more…
“Get Thee Behind Me, Satan” by Ilya Repin (1895), Source Virtual Russian Museum https://rusmuseumvrm.ru (PD)
We resume our examination of postmodernism as that worldview reflects Satan’s mind, in particular the adversary’s attitude toward free will and the value of the individual [1][2].
Rejection of Individual Identity
A. The Lie
“People exist primarily as members of groups. Identity is primarily collective [3A].”
-8 Tenets of Postmodernism
B. Satan’s Reason for the Lie
“When He [God] talks of their losing their selves, He means only abandoning the clamour of self-will; once they have done that, He really gives them back all their personality, and boasts (I am afraid, sincerely) that when they are wholly His they will be more themselves than ever.”
-CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
C. The Truth
“‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you…’” (Jer. 1: 5).
This claim by postmodernism is characteristic both of fascism and communism – the far right and far left. The individual is insignificant; the state is supreme.
We can, of course, as individuals devote ourselves to a cause greater than any single individual.
But God is infinitely concerned with the fate of the individual. St. Augustine is thought to have said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”
“Satan before the Lord” by Corrado Giaquinto (c. 1750), Vatican Museums, Source Web Gallery of Art (PD)
We continue our examination of postmodernism, with a focus on how its tenets reflect Satan’s contempt for mankind [1][2].
The adversary despises mankind. About that there should be no doubt.
Rejection of Humanism
A. The Lie
“Values that emphasize the creativity, autonomy, and priority of human beings are misplaced. There is no universal humanity since every culture constitutes its own reality. Groups must empower themselves to assert their own values and to take their place with other planetary species [3A].”
-8 Tenets of Postmodernism
B. Satan’s Reason for the Lie
“Men are not angered by mere misfortune but by misfortune conceived as injury. And the sense of injury depends on the feeling that a legitimate claim has been denied. The more claims on life, therefore, that [they]… make, the more often [they] will feel injured and, as a result, ill-tempered.”
-CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
C. The Truth
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1: 27).
Satan – morning star, son of the dawn, as Isaiah called him – considers himself vastly superior to us. In intellect, beauty, and power, he certainly is.
But God is more powerful than the adversary by far (1 John 4: 3-4). Read more…
Adam and Eve, Gates of Paradise panel of Baptistery, Florence, Italy, Author Kurtukov (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
“Readers are advised to remember that the devil is a liar.”
-CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
From the very outset, it has been Satan’s purpose to corrupt and destroy mankind as a means of attacking God. Lies are a primary tool in the adversary’s arsenal. We see this as clearly demonstrated today as it was in the Garden of Eden.
Unfortunately, human beings are all too susceptible to Satan’s lies, particularly since the Fall from grace in the Garden. Postmodernism both illustrates this, and give us a glimpse into Satan’s mind [1].
For those who may be unfamiliar with the term, postmodernism is a philosophy or worldview characterized by moral relativism [2][3]. Its growing number of adherents deny the existence of God and reject objective truth.
Postmodernism’s specific tenets are examined in this series. We begin with absolutes.
Denial of the Transcendent
A. The Lie
“There are no absolutes. Even if there were, we would have no access to them since we are bound to our culture and imprisoned in our language [4A].”
-8 Tenets of Postmodernism
B. Satan’s Reason for the Lie
“It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
-CS Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
C. The Truth
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…” (Isa. 5: 20).
When good and evil are indistinguishable, there are no limits placed on evil. There are those today who would defend child abuse, claiming it somehow benefits the child. Read more…
A Lawyer's Prayers 