Grace Under Fire

 Shortly after the Hobby Lobby by the Supreme Court in America, Holly Fisher a West Virginia native posted a picture on Twitter. In the picture she was wearing a shirt displaying Hobby Lobby and holding a Chick-fil-A cup. In the caption to the photograph, she made reference to the fact that liberals were going to get enraged by the picture. I doubt even if she knew the outrage that would pour forth in reaction to the photograph. The photograph and the reaction to it by people on both sides of the political spectrum in America have made her something of a celebrity.

In American media, liberals are described mostly as tolerant while conservatives are generally referred to as bigots. Going through Holly Fisher’s timeline on Twitter, I was shocked, appalled and distressed by the comments from those who don’t share her views. Even elected Democratic representatives in Congress from her state have joined in on the act of insulting her on Twitter. There were not only those who wished her dead and who wanted to do her harm, there were those who were determined to call her every hurtful name under the earth. I felt not only distressed and alarmed by the abuse she was receiving on Twitter. However I was quite struck by the grace with which Holly Fisher answers those who abuse and wish her hurt.

It is a well-known fact that that the American media supports liberal causes. It is also a known fact that they believe liberals can do no wrong and every idea they have must be imposed on others. They do not take dissent very well. Anyone who does not agree with their opinion is labelled with the word bigots. Yet how anyone can refer to the people who insult and abuse Holly Fisher on a daily basis as “tolerant”. The people (both male and female) are quite definitely outraged by the fact that Holly Fisher obviously supports something they disapprove of. While I find it hard to believe that anyone would swallow the liberal line without critical thinking, it seems the people who hurl abuse at Holly Fisher actually do. The newspapers and other media outlets have been pushing the lie that the Supreme Court decision was a denial of contraceptives to women. All those who come to her Twitter feed to abuse all spout the same lie because that is what they have been made to believe. Whenever I see another comment by another enraged liberal, I ask myself why the media is determined to push lies as the truth. However there is a book titled Letters To America by Ayoade Oluwasanmi that seems to answer the question. The book is written in the form of letters from a friend in Nigeria to another living in America. They are based on the author’s perception of several social issues in America from gun control to the contraceptive mandate. The writer posits that the media and other liberals are determined to push the lies as truth because of the incitement value. In other words, liberals are determined to incite those who are moderate or sitting on the fence with regards to issues that liberals hold dear to hate conservatives to the point of wanting to harm them. The book can be found here. While others might think that the idea is far-fetched, looking at Holly Fisher’s timeline on Twitter, I don’t think so. While liberal heroes like Sandra Fluke are feted and anyone who dares say a word against them is demonised, no one stands up for people like Holly Fisher because the media do not like their message. Which is sad.

I admire Holly Fisher. In spite of the hate and opposition and criticism she has faced, she has stuck to her beliefs. I wish her all the best. However what gives me great joy is the fact that Holly Fisher is inspiring conservatives like her who were prior to her act, afraid to stand up for what they believed. If the liberals don’t like Holly Fisher, they should watch out for those who are following in her footsteps. Holly Fisher is an example for in the way she answers her critics, just by being who she is.

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers.http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/.

Our Attachments Tell The State Of Our Heart

Like a lot of Jews at that time, James and John thought that Jesus was going to establish a kingdom in Jerusalem. There was the expectation shared by most that he would declare himself as a king and the people would have the Jewish kingdom they had long sought and hoped for. James and John therefore decided to meet Jesus and get first dibs on the political appointments in the soon to be established kingdom.They wanted to be the people that would seat on his left and right hand side signifying that they were his most trusted advisers.

Jesus was at pains to explain to them that his kingdom was not of this world. At his resurrection, he set up the kingdom he had been talking about and invited us to take up positions in the kingdom. Our positions in the kingdom are not determined by an appointment or by how much we do. Our positions are determined by the depth of the relationship we have with the king of the kingdom. Being a member of the kingdom is voluntary. However, once we declare allegiance to the king and bow the knees to him we have to live according to the rules of the kingdom. But the great thing about the kingdom is that there's something called grace that offers us forgiveness for our mistakes.

I believe that when we say we are Christians, our first allegiance is to the kingdom that we say we belong to. However there is a tendency we have to try to force other people who do not belong to the kingdom into living by our terms. However, people do not get converted into a new way of thinking or living by force. If you had asked me last year whether legislating was the best way to get people to change I would have said yes but I changed my mind after a conversation with my brother. While it is right to speak out when unrighteous and man made laws are being drawn up, we really have no right to try and force a form of fake godliness down other people's throats. That's why I worry when like James and John Christians seem to think that one political party or the other embodies our vision of Christ's kingdom.

Following Christ is a choice we decided to make and no law we make in this world can legislate righteousness. Christianity is a choice and there can't be a worldly version. Also righteousness is a state of the heart. It cannot be forced. While we should seek to make the world a better place we shouldn't be too attached to the things in this world. When we get more attached to Christ, we grow more like him as we grow in love, grace, truth, peace and joy. When we grow more attached to the things of this world we grow more like the world. We grow angrier, we are less graceful and grow more entrenched in the things we do. We get more entrenched in our position and we are less filled with the love of Christ. And we are more likely to try and force people to our own way of thinking. And we are less like Christ. The things we are attached to tell us who we are. And what we are. Our focus should be on Christ and him alone.

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers, http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can follow him on Twitter @Cruz_JCReal.  

Abortion: Murder, the American Way

As the election in America approaches, I have been struck by the genuine hostility between the two major camps in the election, especially the seeming hostility between the two major players. I have also been struck by how much lies are being peddled by the liberal wing in American politics over the issue of abortion.

I have come to understand that the issue of abortion is arguably the single most divisive issue in this election and the liberals are using all kinds of scare tactics to get women voters on their side. Like George Bush’s “War on Terror”, anyone who speaks out against abortion is automatically labelled a misogynist and someone who is waging a “War on Women”. I understand that writing about the issue of abortion might not be too popular but I believe the truth needs to be told.

Abortion: What it is not.

Supporters of a woman’s right to control the reproductive process and the right to determine when she gets pregnant or whether she even gets pregnant or not will tell you that abortion is a form of contraception. This is a lie.

Dictionary.com defines the word contraception as the “deliberate prevention of conception by any of various drugs, techniques or devices.” The etymology of the word contraception tells you that the word itself is made up of two words, “contra” and “conception”. The word contra in the sense in which it is used means “against” while conception in defined as the “act of conceiving”. So in the full sense of the word, contraception, or a contraceptive, is used to stop conception. It is against conception. I’m sure that even the most fanatical supporters of abortion will agree that abortion does not stop conception. The most prominent fact about abortion is the fact that it takes life after the life has been conceived. It is quite clear that abortion is not a method of contraception.

If abortion is then not a method of contraception, what is it?

That is a question we shall seek to answer in subsequent posts.