It's 2019, But Some Things Just Do Not change

I want to say a Happy New Year to each one of you.  I trust that your new year has begun well.  This year should be a very interesting one.  What will the stock markets do this year?  Will the "run of the bulls" continue, or will the "bear come out of hibernation?"  If the past three months are any indication, it certainly appears that the markets will demonstrate great volatility. 


What will happen in Washington DC this year?  For the first time in two years we have a divided government with the Democrats have a 40 seat majority in the House while the Republicans have a 6 seat majority in the Senate.  As the new Congress begins their session tomorrow, will those who have been elected to represent us actually do just that, or will they support the wishes of their party's leaders?  Will it be America first, or party first, or my own political ambitions first?  There are some difficult decisions to be made: border security and immigration reform being two of the top agenda items.  As I have shared in previous blogs, what I find so disconcerting is that our political leaders either do not know how to conduct a civil dialogue any longer, or else they simply do not have a desire to do so.  Debate is vital to the success of a democracy.  There does need to be a openness to listening to the arguments from both sides of an issue.  But when our own opinions are so strongly fixed that we cannot entertain the arguments from a different perspective, then conversation becomes confrontation, dialogue becomes argument. 


I fear that 2019 will see the continuation of the erosion of our moral foundations.  On December 15, Todd Starnes posted this article on the Patriot Post website: www.patriotpost.us/opinion/6003-teacher-fired-for-refusing-to-call-a-transgender-student-by-preferred-pronoun.  "A devout Christian teacher was fired from a government-run school in West Point, Virginia, after he refused to call a girl who identifies as a boy by her preferred pronoun.  The school district voted unanimously to fire Peter Vlaming, a veteran French teacher who is beloved by students.  They accused him of 'misgendering' a student.


"'That discrimination then leads to creating a hostile learning environment.  And the student had expressed that.  The parent had expressed that," West Point Superintendent Laura Abel told NBC News.  'They felt disrespected.'


"Vlaming explained to school officials that his religious beliefs prevented him from using male pronouns when addressing a biological female.  He had agreed to call the child by her new 'masculine' name, but the school district rejected that compromise.


"He was basically given a choice - either reject the teachings of the Bible and basic human biology or find another job. 


"'Tolerance is a two-way street,' said Shawn Voyles, Vlaming's attorney.  'My client respects this student's rights; he is simply asking that his rights be respected as well... The student is absolutely free to identify as the student pleases.  The school board adopted one viewpoint and required Mr. Vlaming, at the cost of his job, to repeat that ideology, repeat that viewpoint.  That's where it's compelled speech.  That's where it violates his First Amendment right he still retains as a public employee.'


"More than 100 students walked out of class to show their support for Vlaming.  'I don't think they should shut Mr. Vlaming and his rights out like that,' eighty-grader Cassidy Heidelberg told the Virginia Gazette.  'He has four children, a wife and it's hard enough earning enough as a teacher.'"


Now to the flip-side of the coin.  On December 17, Robin Smith wrote an article, also posted on the Patriot Post website: www.patriotpost.us/articles/60073-modern-education-activism-has-displaced-academics.  The author of this article, after citing the case of Peter Vlaming, then cited another case in Virginia.  "In the same state, just about 100 miles due north as the crow flies, in the Arlington Public Schools, a second-grader, excited to share a story about Daniel from the Bible during show-and-tell, was silenced among his peers by his teacher.  As told by his dad, his enthusiastic son stowed away his Bible among his school supplies in his bag for the purpose of telling a story that was important to him that involved the Jewish man whose courage and determination was used by God.  The eight-year old exclaimed to his dad, 'The teacher stopped me from speaking and went on to the next person.  I didn't get to tell them about Daniel.'"


Friends, a teacher is fired because he refused to use male pronouns to identify a transgender student who is a biological girl.  And his refusal is based upon his religious convictions.  A second-grader is interrupted in his show-and-tell presentation because he shares a Bible story about a man whose courage should be an example for all of us.  Both this teacher and this student's rights are protected by the First Amendment.  Yet, in today's world, the rights guaranteed in that First Amendment seemed to be applied in a discriminatory manner.  If I am a Christian and believe in the Bible, then my First Amendment rights are limited; but, if I am a secularist, my First Amendment rights have no limitation. 


Friends, as we enter into another year, I do not believe that the assault upon Christians will lessen this year.  In fact, I think the attacks upon believers who are committed to standing for truth will only increase.  The reason why I say this is because I believe we are nearing the end of this age.  The Bible tells us, quite clearly, that people will be deceived and believe the lie rather than the truth.  So, this is a year in which we, as followers of Jesus Christ, will need to do two things.  First, we will need to dig more deeply into the Word of God; and, second, we will need to have a strong Christian community that will give us encouragement.  To accomplish the first, you will need to find a time to sit down with your Bible and just read and meditate on what God is saying to you.  To accomplish the second, you will need to find a good church where the Bible is preached, and when you find one, get involved in it.  Those two things will give you an edge toward a successful new year.