I’ve often stated that the idea and culture of so-called “hate speech” would become a tool for silencing
Christian voices in the public sphere.  Our nation has been the champion of free speech since its
inception, yet the movement of defining certain beliefs as hate speech threatens that precious
freedom.  And there is no group as affected as the Christian community. 

Most of you know that my personal vehicle is a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. It has a six-cylinder engine and an
automatic transmission. I lifted it 2 1/2 inches and installed oversized tires. It’s my first “big boy toy”
and I enjoy it tremendously. Suppose that a brand new, mid-engine Corvette pulled up beside me and I
challenged him to a race. Would I be crazy for doing that?

As you well know our church was burglarized in the dark hours of August 5th or 6th. The first thing I
want to do is assure each of you that no personal information was taken. I erroneously said that our
main church computer was taken, but that was proven to be wrong. The computer, and all personal or
private information, is safe. The church safe was stolen, but it had very little cash in it and I’m sure the
thief/thieves were sorely disappointed when and if they got it open.

Have you heard the term “Christian Nationalism”? If you haven’t, I believe you will be hearing it
soon…and often…in the news when conservative politics are discussed. It has become a way to point to
any conservative political thought and movement as an inherently dangerous thing. Are you a
Christian? Do you vote for conservative principles? If so, you will be marginalized and discredited as
one of those horrible Christian Nationalists. People will be told that you, and your principles, are a
threat to democracy.
What is Christian Nationalism?

I heard it said many times that “gun violence” is a huge problem in our nation. Of course, people
shooting other people is a daily occurrence, even in our own area; almost to the point of it not even
being considered news worthy any more…unless someone is killed. This article is not about gun control,
however.

When I was growing up our family didn’t eat ice cream. On occasion we did get some “ice milk”. Ice
milk looked like ice cream and came in containers like ice cream, but it was, in fact, not ice cream. It was
made with much less butter fat and was much cheaper. That’s why we got it: it was cheaper.

I watch a lot of comedy on Facebook (I know that surprises you) and I have started viewing some that I
immediately turned off because of the horrible language and such. Those don’t surprise me because I
figured out a long time ago that many comedians use foul language to “enhance” their humor.
However, one showed up on my feed and I began watching…I was very surprised.

I’m afraid that it’s not about the money. I thought it was, honestly. And I thought by Christians, and
even non-Christians with some common sense, refusing to shop, purchase, or collaborate with the
corporations and organizations that promoted and endorsed sexual confusion and sexual perversions,
that we could make a difference in their un-Godly (and definitely un-scientific) assertions. Perhaps we
could get them, if not to acknowledge Christian and other conservative beliefs, to at least pull back on
the stupid and outrageous lies they were espousing.

As most of you know, Saddleback Church, under the leadership of Rick Warren, was determined not to
be in “friendly cooperation” with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Statement of Faith and thus
removed from the rolls of the SBC. The issue is over the calling of women to be pastors of Southern
Baptist churches.

I grew up watching westerns on television; the old “good guys in white fighting bad guys in black” kind
of westerns. I didn’t realize it at the time, but those shows gave me a very skewed and misguided view
of what the old west was really like. Remember the “shoot outs” in the middle of the streets at high
noon?