Author: Terry Thompson on America

I have a broad area of expertise and interest stemming from a diverse background and a wide range of experience. I am a career military officer and a former pastor. I am an adjunct professor of economics with the John Brown University Soderquist College of Business. I am married to Linda Thompson and have a blended family of three sons and a daughter who have provided us with eight precious grandchildren. My blog posts are a collection of intriguing, diverse, and sometimes controversial topics that impact Americans. The topics provide insight into the ever-changing landscape of our nation’s culture. They highlight current news reports, the economy, religion, history, the military, health, and nutrition. They are meant to be informative, intriguing, inspiring, thought-provoking, and cautionary. They will not necessarily be politically correct or complimentary, but they will be civil and respectful. Hopefully, they will generate dialogue and counterpoint.

America’s Potential Catastrophe from the Middle East Crisis

(Updated from a previous post) For over two centuries, America has been the staunchest ally of Israel and supporter of Jews around the world. For over seven decades, we have supported the fledgling, relatively new nation, often in the face of global opposition. It was largely the influence of the Untied States that secured the UN vote to recognize the nation of Israel in 1949 after their declaration of independence the year prior. Soon afterward, most Palestinians, who were scattered throughout the nation, congregated in what became the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians eventually claimed those territories as their sovereign land within the new boundaries of Israel. However, the war of 1967, initiated by Arab nations, resulted in Israel’s rightful annexation of those areas for self defense while allowing the Palestinians to remain there. A 1993 agreement brokered by Washington after multiple skirmishes between Israel and the Palestinians established a separate “state” for the Palestinians on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian Authority acting as a pseudo-governing body.

The Palestinians, still not satisfied with Israel’s existence, continued terrorist attacks, mostly by the militant groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, against the Israelis. In response, Israel rejected the separate state status and began settlements of Jewish families and businesses within the West Bank in the late 1990s. The Biden administration supports the reestablishment of the “two-state solution.” This is a wrongful position for America to pursue. Without control of the West Bank, Israel is indefensible. So far, the Palestinians, particularly Hamas and Hezbollah, have rejected anything short of total expulsion of the Jews from Israel.

First, the world needs to understand that the right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel goes back about 4,000 years according to a divine mandate that overrides any ethnic or political consideration. Around 1800 BC, God began the process of establishing His chosen people through Abraham, promising him a specifically defined region of land (now Israel) in the Middle East. The original boundaries of this “promised land” described in the Bible covered an area even larger than what is now recognized as Israel. Upon bestowing the land on Abraham and his future descendants forever, God included this statement, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse.”

Jews do not occupy Palestinian land; Palestinians live in the land that has belonged to the Jews for almost four millennia. The Palestinians are not a nation. The history of many of them traces back to the Philistines of the Old Testament who were constant enemies of the Israelites. Other Palestinians are a hodgepodge of people from various Arab nations who have migrated over time to the land forcefully vacated by the Jews. Palestinians have never been recognized officially as a nation and have never had a legitimate government. There is no doubt that Israel has rightful claim to the territory within its borders and even more according to God’s promise. Therefore, since the Palestinians refuse to coexist peacefully within Israel, but rather repeatedly attack their host nation, Israel has every right to defend itself against their militant arm, Hamas. Israel’s defensive action is especially justified after the October savage attack by Hamas. They are right in pursuing final expulsion of Hamas from their land.

Iran’s horrendous and unprecedented attack on Israel with over 300 weapons cannot be considered reasonable retaliation for Israel’s precision strike on Iran’s three commanders in Syria. The attack by Iran was essentially a declaration of war on Israel by that nation. Yet, we now have an official warning from the White House that America will not condone any military response from Israel on Iran. Closely coordinated pro-Iranian “protests” by leftists across our nation are closing major bridges and highways endangering the lives of thousands of citizens and degrading our economy. The protesters are shouting, “death to Israel and death to America,” with many burning American flags. These illegal activities are not only placing our country in grave jeopardy, but are also inciting more worldwide anti-Semitic attacks. Our nation’s greatest threat from the Middle East crisis is not from Iran but from the misinformed and misdirected actions of our fellow Americans.

America has been blessed in wonderful and innumerable ways. I believe that one of the main reasons for our blessings is that we have always supported (blessed) Israel according to God’s Word. If we follow certain other nations, and even our internal antagonists, in criticizing this crucial ally, we place ourselves in grave danger. This geopolitical movement goes beyond politics, but it is almost completely led by the Socialist Left. And, it is virtually all under the umbrella of the Democratic Party. A recent Gallop poll indicated that American Democrats favored Palestinians over Israelis, 49% to 38%. The same poll showed Republicans favored Israelis over Palestinians, 78% to 11%.

President Biden and his administration are not the Democrats of the Kennedy and Clinton years. The Party has become radically Socialist, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and, in large measure, anti-American. America has been in decline for several years morally, spiritually, economically, militarily, and about every other way of measuring a nation’s status. Now, we are seemingly determined to weaken our bond with Israel and become even less influential on the world stage. As you watch the current crisis play out in the news media, stay centered on the truth. Pray that, through God’s mercy and grace, He will protect and sustain us despite ourselves.

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Most Ungodly U.S. President in History

It would be wrong for me to say President Joe Biden is not a Christian. The only one who makes that judgment is God. However, from what has been easy to observe, our current president’s actions and words are more in opposition to the Bible and Christian moral values than any other president in history. Let’s look at some of those ungodly actions and words including what happened this past Holy Week.

Only the triune God judges a person’s faith and where they will spend eternity. But Jesus taught us through His Word to avoid people proclaiming false ideas and principles. He said, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:20). In other words, we should recognize others and react to them according to what they do and say. Other scriptures indicate He expects us to discern who is behaving and speaking in ungodly ways, avoid them, and warn others about them.

A White House tradition for over a half-century has been to invite children of National Guard members to design Easter eggs to be used in the annual Easter egg roll. On March 28, instructions from the Administration stated the designs, “must not include any questionable content, religious symbols, or overly religious themes.” Wait. Isn’t Easter inherently celebrated with religious symbols and themes? So, Biden removes Jesus from Easter.

The next day, March 29, the president signed a proclamation making March 31 the “Transgender Day of Visibility.” It seems that 15 years ago, a transgender activist self-declared that date as a time to raise awareness of transgender discrimination. President Biden’s official proclamation just happened to coinside with this year’s Easter Resurrection Day. So, Biden took the Christian symbols out of Easter at the White House and made Easter a celebration of something that is clearly and profoundly against the Bible’s teaching.

These are just the latest in ungodly actions and words of whom almost all people consider the most powerful man in the world. He has often claimed to be the champion of all former presidents for LGBTQ people. He desecrated the White House by lighting it up in rainbow colors after signing the “Respect for Marriage Act” (gay marriage act) ending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act which legitimized marriage as only between one man and one woman. He is a consumate advocate for abortion and is presently pursuing every opportunity to circumvent the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. His administration is adamantly pushing to force females to compete against males who are trying to pass themselves off as females. His administration, against a Supreme Court ruling, has also tried to force Christian foster and adoption homes and agencies to place children with families that violate their religious beliefs. Just this past week, he chose to ignore the funeral of a New York police officer slain in the line of duty in favor of hosting a New York fund raiser for his campaign, putting on display his lack of compassion for the police. He has also ignored the raging crime wave engulfing America. Our open borders are inviting terrorists, murderers, rapists, and thieves into our country by the thousands courtesy of the president. And the examples go on and on.

As a whole, supporters of President Biden identify themselves as not being people of faith. The 2020 Post-election Survey conducted by Dr. George Barna found that most of the 81 million Americans who voted for Biden did not hold a biblical world view. Few (30%) of those surveyed believed the Bible is true. The great majority (75%) considers that moral truth is up to the individual and rejects the idea of absolute truth. This voter bloc is characteristic of the Democratic Party platform and reflective of the president, himself.

We should always pray for our president and all political leaders. But we cannot expect America to thrive economically and advance socially by God’s favor when we elect a president who does not honor the Lord and the Bible in policies and governance. Such a president will select a cabinet and staff who have similar beliefs and character as his own. It will take a revival of repenting and turning back to God to save America, but removing Joe Biden from the White House is a start.

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Does Attending Church Matter?

If church membership or even attendance is not required for salvation and eternity in Heaven, is it really necessary? More and more people are opting out of church connection according to recent statistics. Let’s look at the generational trends in church participation and whether it makes any difference.

Almost every church denomination has experienced a significant decline in church attendance as a result of COVID-19. Apparently, when most churches were closed for months in 2020, many worshippers became comfortable with online services and church connections. When services resumed at church facilities, some chose to continue watching from home. Others simply got out of the habit and never returned to regular attendance. However, long before COVID, church membership and attendance were steadily declining.

Waning interest in the church seems to be a generational thing. Among baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964, 58% are members of a local church. Just 50% of Generation X people born from 1965 to 1980 belong to a church. Millennials from the 1981 to 1996 years have only 36% declaring church membership. Finally, fewer than 35% of Generation Z people rising out of 1997 to 2012 are identifying with churches as they reach adulthood.

In 2014, 3700 protestant churches in America closed, but 4000 new churches were established for a net gain of 300. But in 2019, 4500 churches closed, while only 3,000 opened with a net loss of 1500 churches. Our country has seen a steady loss in numbers of churches, church members, and church attendance since 2019.

There is a direct correlation between the decline of the church and the corruption and savagery of our nation and world. Many are decrying our condition while contributing to it by making church a minimal priority. Our society will not improve unless we turn back to honoring God and His church.

Although church is decreasing in importance to Americans, it is just as important as it ever was to God. His establishment, expectation, and empowerment of the church is crystal clear in His Word. In the Old Testament, He chose to relate to His people through gatherings at the tabernacle and the temple. Jesus’s very first recorded encounter with others as a teacher was in the temple (Luke 2). Later, he often taught in the synagogues. Hebrews 10:25 says, “…not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day (time of His coming again) approaching.” God’s plan for living out the Christian life through worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission is meant to be done together as a church. To reject the church is to reject God’s process for His work on this earth and association among His people.

Most of the New Testament is about starting, operating, and growing churches for the fulfillment of Jesus’s teachings. Those first-century churches had problems like churches today, because all their members were flawed as members are today. Yet, the church was and still is the Lord’s only concept for following Him. Christianity is not a private or individual faith. According to the Bible, it is a community of faith shared and lived with others. If you have become slack in your attendance and support of your local church, I encourage you to accept God’s invitation to join Him and His guests at His house this week.

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A New Year’s Goal with Eternal Value

This new year, ditch those superficial recycled goals that contain words like “diet,” fitness,” “budget,” “travel,” and “project.” Instead, commit to something in 2024 that will be of great personal benefit to you forever. Determine to develop a closer relationship with the Lord that will go with you into eternity. Establish a daily devotional time to meet with Him one-on-one that includes Bible reading, scripture memory, and making a few notes in a personal journal. For specific suggestions involving a free easy-to-use guide, continue reading.

The Bible is clear that God wants to have an intimate relationship with us. He created you and desires to draw close to you. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God, and He will come near to you.” Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call on Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” It is futile to try to live our lives under our own power without investing at least a few minutes each day with Him.

Yet, you may find it difficult to reserve that crucial time with the Lord every day consistently. It will never happen by just catching those moments whenever you can. The only way to satisfy that need to be in His presence is to have a system that is a habitual part of your routine. My church, Crossgate Church, has developed a Bible Engagement Guide which is a two-year plan for reading just one chapter of the Bible a day, making a few notes in a personal journal, and praying. You will read and meditate on the Bible’s chapters that are most applicable to your life. The Guide encourages you to memorize one Bible verse each week. This guide is not just for Crossgate Church. It is for everyone who wants to establish a consistent pattern of coming near to God and gaining access to His endless power and wisdom. It is the best daily devotional plan I have ever used.

If you don’t have a structured method of daily personal quiet time with God, I urge you to download and save or print the Crossgate Bible Engagement Guide by clicking this link: www.crossgate.org/resources. Then scroll to the Crossgate Bible Engagement Guide. It is free, there is nothing to join, you will not be contacted, and your information will not be shared with anyone or any organization. It is just a simple way to start your new year off in a way that has changed many lives for the better. It can do the same for you.

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The American Epidemic of Absent Fathers

Over 19 million children in America live without a father in the home–about one in four children. This explosive phenomenon of single mother homes has quadrupled since 1950. This dramatic demographic trend has had a destructive impact on our society in general and has been particularly devastating on our nation’s children. Let’s look at a few disturbing facts about fatherless homes that are unraveling the fabric of our culture.

Even before birth, children whose fathers abandon their mothers are four times more likely to die in the womb due to stresses on the mother. Once born, these children are four times more likely to grow up in poverty. Forty-seven percent of children without involved fathers live in households below the poverty level. That is four times the number of father-and-mother households in poverty.

Children of single mothers are nine times more likely to drop out of school, and they account for 71% of all dropouts. These children represent 90% of all homeless and runaway minors. They have four times the risk of obesity.

Children without fathers present have an alarming propensity to become delinquents. Of all children exhibiting behavioral problems, 85% have no paternal influence. They are twice as likely to commit suicide. They are three times more likely to carry guns and deal drugs. Eighty-five percent of all youth in prison are from fatherless homes.

Teens without dads have a significantly greater likehood of being sexually active and are seven times more likely to become pregnant during their teen years. Children raised solely by their mothers are more prone to gender dysphoria.

The old adage, “Correlation does not imply causation” does not apply to father absence. The troubling statistics presented above are directly attributable to the lack of father involvement in children’s lives. Fathers committed to their children and their children’s mothers virtually free their family from those statistics. The most egregious cases of father abandonment begin at pregnancy. However, abandonment caused by divorce or separation after children are born causes other problems like those children’s depression, social dysfunction, anxiety, anger, and lack of discipline.

Mothers are extremely important to the raising of children, but they can never fully fill the void of fathers. Parenting is divinely designed to be a team effort of both a feminine and masculine influence on the lives of children for their optimal development. America will not return to the great nation it once was unless all its fathers honor their God-given, sacred role and responsibility to be present, to provide, to protect, to prepare, to promote, and to praise their children in this increasingly hostile world.

It is past time for the critical need of committed fathers to be emphasized in churches, schools, politics, media, and health care. If we can fix fatherhood in America, we will fix a multitude of other social ills.

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My Prediction: Neither Biden nor Trump

Way out on a limb here, and against broad consensus, I believe the two leading candidates for America’s next-term president will be absent from the November 5, 2024, ballot. My opinion of how that would happen is the topic of this post with which few will agree.

I have recently heard many people express something like, “With over 340 million people in America, is this really the best we can find?” Of course, only about 160 million would be qualified to be president, but still. I have to admit, this time last year, I never thought President Biden or former President Trump would be the front runners by huge margins two months prior to the first primary elections. I also have to concede that apparently both will win their respective primaries.

However, I don’t believe that Biden actually plans to serve a second term. Despite his cognitive deficiences, he has to recognize that his other incompentencies and unpopularity would be devastating for our nation. But he also realizes an announcement to not seek a second term would make him a lame duck with little influence for the rest of his term. Trump, on the other hand, will not likely bow out without extremely heavy pressure from his party leaders. I believe there will come a time, probably after the primaries, when his legal encumbrances and his increasingly narcissistic behavior will force his withdrawal from the race. I predict this scenario would set up an unprecedented situation resulting in the most chaotic presidential election in our nation’s history. Thankfully, there are policies and procedures for such a predicament.

First, a little background. Although voters at the primary polls choose their general election presidential candidates, it is technically the Republican and Democratic national conventions that have the final say regarding their parties’ nominees. Convention delegates from all states selected through state processes, and coordinated with the respective party’s national committee, vote on each party’s candidate. Most of these candidates are “pledged” or “bound” to vote according to their states’ majority votes, at least in the first rounds of voting. A few are “unpledged” or “superdelegates” who are allowed to vote their conscience regardless of their state vote. The 2024 Republican Convention at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15-18, 2024, will have 2,469 delegates with 104 unpledged. The Democratic Convention at Chicago, Illinois, August 19-22, 2024, will have 4,532 delegates with 744 superdelegates. If the votes are close, the voting may go several rounds until there is a majority winner. At some point in multiple rounds, the pledged or bound delegates are released to vote their conscience rather than with their state majority.

I envision a case where both Biden and Trump win their respective primary elections, after which both will withdraw from the general election within days before their national conventions. That will allow each of them to claim they would have won a second term while releasing their parties to run other candidates in America’s best interests. Of course, it would throw the conventions into unprecedented disarray. The delegates would coordinate with their respective state committees with the vast majority voting for their states’ second choices. There would likely be several rounds of votes in each convention. Eventually, a Republican and a Democrat candidate would rise to the top and enter the general election.

The next three or four months would see the wildest presidential campaigns of our lifetimes. The two (or three) unanticipated candidates would be doing whatever it takes to sway the massive voting public in a very short period of time. Ultimately, the 2024 making of the election sausage would be from a rare recipe that might produce the best outcome for America in a long while.

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America’s Two-state Solution for Israel Is Wrong

Map of the “Two-state Solution” for Israel and Palestine

Since the inception of the State of Israel in 1948, the U.S. has advocated a separate state for Palestinians within the borders of the Jewish nation. I firmly believe our government is wrong on this issue. Creating a nation of Palestine within the nation of Israel shouldn’t happen, and it won’t happen. Let’s consider the reasons for this position.

Much, if not most, of the world today is screaming, “Free Palestinians,” as their response to the Israel-Hamas war. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are protesting what they perceive as Israel’s aggression against the people our own State Department officially labels as terrorists. Some try to decouple Hamas from the rest of the Palestinians. The truth is there is no such separation. Hamas is the controlling government of the Palestinians, and Palestinians have supported Hamas’s constant attacks on Israel for decades, and they applaud the October 7 massacre and hostage taking. Those legions of Americans who have surprisingly demonstrated their antisemitic bias either don’t understand history or are being overly influenced by pockets of ultra-liberal, anti-Israel hate groups.

Meanwhile, Presiden Biden continues to tout the Two-state Solution that has been our nation’s wrongful position for years. This position proposes that the Palestinians be given the sovereign right to their own land and government within the borders of Israel. The land would be roughly that which currently defines Palestinian settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (see map above). While Israel has allowed the Palestinians to reside in those areas and more-or-less govern themselves there, the land remains under the soverign jurisdiction of the nation of Israel.

The 1948 war between Israel and the Arab nations resulted in Israel’s firm claim to all the land within its borders. Most palestinians settled in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During the Arab – Israeli War of 1967, Israel captured and occupied those two Palestinian settlements. Later, in exchange for peace with the Palestinians, Israel agreed again to allow them to live peacefully within the two territories. Then, the Palestinian territories were loosely organized under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). They have never had a legimate government, and have never been recognized as a nation by the rest of the world.

With the Palestinians relegated to their two settlement territories, Israel maintained a tolerance for the arrangement. But the Palestinians were not satisfied and would not be until they controlled all of Israel. In the mid-1990’s the Palestinian Authority superceded the PLO as a quasi government of the Palestinians. This new leadership structure maintained the stated goal of gaining control of all of Israel’s land and expelling all Jews. The terrorist group, Hamas, had been conducting periodic strikes against Israel during the establishment of both the PLO and the Palestinian Authority and challenging both organizations. Hamas eventually gained control of the Palestinians and are currently calling the shots. Their stated objective is the complete anihilation of Israel.

So, does it appear in the slightest that Israel and the Palestinians could ever agree on being separate nations within Israel’s borders? Obviously not. Under such an arrangement, Palestinians would continue firing rockets into Israel but from a closer range. Israel would lose control of miles of its international borders. Palestinians have not and will not denounce theri objective of destroying Israel. Palestinians would build up a much greater military capability with no oversight from Israel. Israel’s enemy Arab nations could deploy their military forces into a nation of Palestine. Plus, the Palestinians are on record as being adamantly opposed to the Two-state Solution.

The bottom line is that it is ludicrous to think Israel or the Palestinians would ever accept the establishment of separate soverign states within Israel’s present borders. While President Biden keeps repeating the call for a Two-state Solution, and Secretary Blinken continues running around the Middle East trying to convince the Arabs and Jews to support the Palestinians having their own state and government, just understand it is all a political game that will never be won. The only valid solution is for Israel to have sovereignty over all of its rightful land with oversight and ultimate authority over all Palestinian occupants. That is Israel’s stated expectation after Hamas is defeated, and the U.S. should support them in that strategy.

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Who Is Speaker Mike Johnson?

Congressman Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, Speaker of the House of Representatives

After three weeks, four candidates, two floor voting sessions, and constant chaos, the U.S. House of Representatives finally has a Speaker. And it looks to me like the embarrassing, circus-like ruckus, if that is what it took, was worth it to get to this man. Although Mike Johnson is not a household name, he appears to be the right person at the right time to deal with the mess Washington has become. Let’s take a look at just who he is.

Born January 30, 1972, in Shreveport, Louisiana, the 51-year-old James Michael Johnson was the result of an unplanned birth to a teenage couple who were later divorced. Mike’s father is a disabled firefighter who was critically burned in the line of duty. Johnson graduated from Louisiana State University Law Center and eventually became the senior legal counsel for what is now the Alliance Defending Freedom. In this capacity, he worked to oppose laws that sought to legalized same-sex consensual relationships and defended marriage as between one man and one woman. In 2015, Johnson founded Freedom Guard, a nonprofit legal ministry designed to represent Christian clients in lawsuits. While with this organization, he represented the Ark Encounter theme park that was denied tax breaks for requiring its employees to affirm creationist beliefs. He summarizes his legal career as “defending religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and biblical values, including the defense of traditional marriage, and other ideals like these when they’ve been under assault.”

In 2015, when a Louisiana House of Representatives seat was vacated, Johnson ran unopposed to fill the seat. Less than a year later, Johnson announced his candidacy for the 4th U.S. Congressional District seat held by John Fleming who was running for Senate. Johnson won the election handily. He is now in his fourth term, winning it unopposed. Louisiana’s 4th District obviously loves its congressman.

Congressman Johnson’s congressional career includes Vice Chairman of the Republican Conference, Associate Republican Whip, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, member of the Judiciary Committee, and member of the Armed Services Committee. He is an adamant fiscal and social conservative with a solid voting record for cutting the budget and taxes. He was among the 147 Republicans who voted to delay the 2020 election results until further investigation, and voted against establishing a commission to investigate the January 6, 2021, Capitol incident. Johnson has worked closely with Christian groups including Answers in Genesis, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Focus on the Family. This year, he became chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Limited Government.

On October 24, after the third candidate for Speaker, Tom Emmer, withdrew, House Republicans made Johnson their fourth nominee. He was endorsed by Donald Trump. Johnson had, hours before, distributed a comprehensive and ambitious plan to get back to the basics of governing with a timetable for the next 14 months of congressional action. Absent from the plan was any mention of investigations, impeachment, immigration, or any other highly-charged issue. The next day, the House voted 220-209, strictly along party lines, to elect Johnson as the 56th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was sworn in that same day after giving a very powerful and patriotic acceptance speech, invoking God, the Bible, and his personal Christian beliefs numerous times.

Mike and his wife, Kelly, were married in 1999 in a “covenant marriage” with stricter rules regarding divorce. Kelly has a Master’s Degree in Education and was a school teacher before founding Onward Christian Counseling Services as a licensed pastoral counselor in marriage and family matters. Mike and Kelly are members of the Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana. They formerly co-hosted a podcast, Truth Be Told, where they discussed public affairs and other issues from a Christian perspective. The Johnsons have four children. Hannah, 22, is a law student at Louisiana State University. Abigail, 21, is a student at Louisiana Tech University and plans to begin law school in 2024. Jack, 18, is a high school student involved in multiple sports. Will, 13, in junior high school, is a skilled artist and baseball player.

In this dark and dismal time for our nation and the world when competent leadership is extremely scarce, it gives me reason for hope that God has raised up a faithful Christ-follower to be one of the most influential leaders in Washington and the third in line for the presidency. We must keep him in our prayers, though. He will be persecuted. Newsweek has already run the headline, “Mike Johnson’s Ties to Christian Nationalism Revealed.” I close with a caution. We Christians must keep in mind that this man will not always do and say everything like we want. He has a commendable resume as a man of great faith. But he is a sinner as we all are and capable of disappointing us from time to time. Pray for our country, pray for our leaders, and pray for Mike Johnson.

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The Little-known Truth About Israel

Photo: The aftermath of one of the many rocket attacks of the Israel-Hamas War.

For over two centuries, America has been the staunchest ally of Jews around the world. For over seven decades, we have supported the fledgling, relatively new nation of Israel, often in the face of global opposition. It was largely the influence of the Untied States that secured the UN vote to recognize the nation of Israel in 1949 after their declaration of independence the year prior. Soon afterward, most Palestinians, who were scattered throughout the nation, congregated in what became the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians eventually claimed those territories as their sovereign land within the new boundaries of Israel. However, the war of 1967, initiated by Arab nations, resulted in Israel’s rightful annexation of those areas while allowing the Palestinians to remain there. A 1993 agreement brokered by Washington after multiple skirmishes between Israel and the Palestinians established a separate “state” for the Palestinians on the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip (see map below) governed by the Palestinian Authority.

west-bank

The Palestinians, still not satisfied with Israel’s existence, continued terrorist attacks, mostly by the militant groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, against the Israelis. In response, Israel rejected the separate states status and began settlements of Jewish families and businesses within the West Bank in the late 1990s. The reestablishment of the “two-state solution,” allowing the Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza, is supported by the Biden Administration. This is a wrongful position for America to pursue. Without control of the West Bank, Israel is indefensible. The just solution would be for the Palestinians to live peacefully within Israel’s borders recognizing the entire nation of Israel without challenging its sovereignty. Israel would be agreeable to that status. So far, the Palestinians, particularly their militants, Hamas and Hezbollah, have rejected anything short of total expulsion of the Jews.

This recent history cannot be separated from the more ancient history that futher legitimizes Israel’s right to its status as a nation. First, we need to understand that the right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel goes back about 4,000 years according to a divine mandate that overrides any ethnic or political consideration. Around 1800 BC, God began the process of establishing His chosen people through Abraham, promising him a specifically defined region of land in the Middle East (now Israel). The original boundaries of this “promised land” described in the Bible covered an area even larger than what is now recognized as Israel. Upon bestowing the land on Abraham and his future descendants forever, God included this statement, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse.”

Through the centuries, the Jews have been driven from their land by their enemies multiple times only to return. The last time, they were ousted by Rome in 70 AD not to return as a nation until 1948, a move that had been prophesied in the Bible for centuries. Ezekiel relayed God’s promise, “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.” Furthermore, through all of Jewish history, a remnant of their people has constantly lived in their God-given land, Israel. Israel is the oldest nation ever to maintain its identity, even when it was sometimes without borders. Jews do not occupy Palestinian land; Palestinians live in the land that has belonged to the Jews for almost four millennia. The Palestinians are not a nation. The history of many of them traces back to the Philistines of the Old Testament who were constant enemies of the Israelites. Other Palestinians are a hodgepodge of people from various Arab nations who have migrated over time to the land forcefully vacated by the Jews. Palestinians have never been recognized officially as a nation and have never had a legitimate government. There is no doubt that Israel has rightful claim to the territory within its borders and even more according to God’s promise. Therefore, since the Palestinians refuse to coexist peacefully within Israel, but rather repeatedly attack their host nation, Israel has every right to defend itself against this most recent savage attack by Hamas and finally expel this enemy from their land.

America has been blessed in wonderful and innumerable ways. I believe that one of the main reasons for our blessings is that we have always supported (blessed) Israel according to God’s Word. If we follow other nations, and even our internal antagonists, in criticizing this crucial ally, we place ourselves in grave jeopardy. Yet, a recent Gallop poll indicated that American Democrats favored Palestinians over Israelis, 49% to 38%. The same poll showed Republicans favored Israelis over Palestinians, 78% to 11%. These statistics are another factor for voters to consider in 2024.

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VULNERABLE NATIONAL TREASURES

On a recent visit to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons National Parks, I was consumed by reminders of America’s blessings of natural riches beyond any other nation in the world. God’s breathtaking creation of majestic mountains, flowing rivers, crystal lakes, towering trees, and endless fields can’t be fully captured in words or even cameras. As one absorbs the awe of such magnificence, the thought of losing the stewardship of this treasure trove to an enemy nation or to an internal socialist transformation is unthinkable but increasingly plausible.

Similar to God’s selective choosing of a people almost 4,000 years ago to receive a beautiful and productive “Promised Land” in which to settle, I believe the land we call America was God’s gift to those He chose to settle here and to their descendants. America’s abundant natural resources, industrial development, democratic government, and stunning sight-seeing attractions from coast to coast are unique and must be preserved at all costs.

Our national treasures and very way of life came close to being lost in World War II and were frightenly threatened in the Cold War. Now, again, everything we hold dear is vulnerable. China and Russia are collaborating to become a combined superpower that could invade or at least hold sway over America. Our own government is proving itself incapable and incompentent of governing and protecting. Morality and family values are at a historical low, leaving us spiritually weak as well.

We need to look no further than the ancient nation of God’s people, Israel, to see the consequences of our own situation. In the 6th and 7th centuries BC, the chosen people who had been blessed beyond measure were defeated because of their ungodliness, overindulgences, and weaknesses. Why America has not already experienced the same eventuality as Israel can only be attributed to God’s patience and mercy.

The sad and frustrating fact is that the gloomy scenario doesn’t have to digress to this destiny. The obvioius solution is for our nation’s people to turn to God. That involves reading and living out the teachings of the Bible, praying for guidance and forgiveness, and becoming active in church which is God’s plan for serving His Kingdom. Then, we must elect godly government leaders who will follow God’s direction for America and reverse our trend toward socialism.

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