Category: Resource Notes

All during the Coronavirus lockdown Americans have been told to stay home because leaders claim to be following the science. Until something more appealing to our politicians comes along, like a brutal police killing and thousands of protesters in the streets. Then science goes out the window.

It’s not just the Corona Virus science which has been abandoned. The entire narrative that police routinely shoot unarmed black suspects is completely unfactual and unscientific.

Let us start with the statistics about police shootings. According to data gathered by the Washington Post, in 2019 police killed 1004 suspects during about 375 million encounters with the public, about one in 375,000. Black suspects shot totaled 235, some 23.5%, a percentage which is higher than the percentage of black population, 13%. However, based on crime rates, where blacks commit 53% of murders and 60% of robberies, the proportion of blacks shot by police is about half what would be expected.

During 2019 a total of 41 unarmed suspects were shot by police, with 9 being black. Most of these suspects died while attacking police, and only two shootings were considered wrongful with charges brought against police. Overall, about one in 40 million police encounters will lead to the shooting of an unarmed black person. While each police shooting should be investigated, and all of them are, the risk that an unarmed black person will be killed by police is about equal to the risk of death from lightning.

Police shooting has been the subject of many scientific studies. Researchers at Harvard, the University of Maryland, and Michigan State University have found that there is not any “evidence for anti-Black or anti-Hispanic disparity in police use of force across all shootings, and if anything, found anti-white disparities.” The National Academy of Science published research showing “No significant evidence of anti-black disparity in the likelihood of being shot by police.” Thus, the science shows that police shootings of black suspects are rare and are not motivated by racism.

Even so we now see protestors and some politicians arguing for lower police presence, and some want to replace the police with citizen committees. We have historical evidence from the Jim Crow era that “citizen committees” are unrestrained by police or constitutional protections, and are quickly turned into lynch mobs. Other historical examples include the millions of deaths from the “Cultural Revolution” in China and the mob rule during the French Revolution which became known as the Reign of Terror.

Scientific studies show that reducing police presence can lead to devastating increases in crime. A new academic study from Roland Fryer and Tanaya Devi analyzed the aftermath of police shootings which led to rioting in Ferguson, Chicago, and Baltimore. As police became targets of retribution from political leaders they withdrew from proactive policing and contacts with the public. Mr. Fryer says “My estimates show that we lost a thousand more lives, most of them black as well, because of an increase in homicides.”

This is the irony and the tragedy of the lie that racist police are routinely killing black people. The anti-police protests are turned into riots by radical groups and black neighborhoods are burned. Jobs, businesses, and communities are lost. Then as the police withdraw under political attack crime spikes and hundreds of black lives are lost.

Black lives do matter. Over 7,000 black lives are lost to homicide every year, a rate which is eight times higher than for whites and Hispanics and about 1000 times the loss from police shootings of unarmed blacks. In Chicago alone over Memorial Day weekend 10 blacks were killed, more than the total unarmed black suspects killed by police in 2019. Scapegoating the police will not solve the problem of criminality which is devastating black neighborhoods.

White guilt is not going to solve the problem either. White people are not responsible for the sins of their forefathers, but all of us are responsible before God to follow the mission statement of Jesus “To preach good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

The Bible says we should “Mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:14), and so we should with our brothers who are troubled by the tragic death of George Floyd.

Then let us humbly pray for God’s wisdom and seek out our black brothers to help them bring restoration to their shattered communities.

“Bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” –Isaiah 61:3

Last week Americans watched in horror as a white policeman in Minneapolis slowly killed a black man in his custody.

Americans were outraged. The policeman was arrested and charged with murder. The President expressed outrage and ordered the Justice Department to investigate. Even those commentators who strongly support the police like Sean Hannity of Fox News were quick to condemn the murder. It looked for a moment that Americans of all political persuasions had come into unity as they mourned together.

Then all hell broke loose on the streets of Minneapolis, a city never known as a center of racial conflict. The city officials, all of whom were liberals and many of who were black, were accused of racism. The protestors demanded that more be done to the policeman, apparently forgetting the Constitutional requirements which protect all Americans who are accused of a crime. It was sad to see a peaceful protest turn into a lynch mob. Then began the violence, burning, and looting. Many of their victims were black businessmen.

Soon the protest and the rioting spread to other cities. In Dallas, for example, protestors charged that the police were racist, even though the mayor and the police chief are both black. The police chief, a courageous lady, appealed to the crowd for calm. She had bricks thrown at her and her tires were slashed. Many businesses were vandalized and looted, and again many of the victims were black businessman.

As the week wore on Americans began to wonder how peaceful, and often prayerful, demonstrations could turn into riots. After being forced to mobilize the National Guard, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, said that there was an “organized attempt to destabilize civil society. “He believed that as many as 80% of the violent demonstrators came from outside of the city or state. They were able to turn peaceful demonstrations into a rioting mob by playing off their anger and frustration in Minneapolis and then throughout America.

The Bible says that anger does not produce a righteous life (James 1:20), and faith leaders like Dallas Reverend Peter Johnson, a former member of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s staff, warns against succumbing to it. He advocates controlled, purposeful, nonviolent protest and has advised people to avoid the current demonstrations. He says “you can’t allow provocateurs who have lost their sense of direction to take control”. Defeating racism “boils down to devotion to faith and trust in God, “practicing non-violence in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr and others, and not adopting revenge but instead being able to “rise above the rage.”

It seems clear that the strategy of Satan in this hour is to incite rage; first against the murderer, then against the police, then against the cities themselves, and finally against the rioters and even the peaceful protesters. With rage, Satan divides us to control us.

We must come against the strategy in the opposite spirit: love not hate, forgiveness not anger, and unity not division.

On Pentecost Sunday, as many of our cities still smoldered from hate, we remembered how the 120 believers came together in one accord and received the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Before the day was over 3000 had been converted and the Church was born. It was unity that made the way for the Holy Spirit and the salvation of souls and that is why Satan fights so hard against unity.

Let us pray that the fires of rage will be extinguished and peace will return to our cities. Let us also pray that the provocateurs will be silenced and the voices of reconciliation will prevail.

Above all, pray for unity so we can work together to end the evil of racial division.

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. “ – Ephesians 4:3

Once again, three years after her death, Norma McCorvey is back in the center of the abortion debate. This time because of a documentary film “AKA Jane Roe.”

The documentary promotes a narrative that Norma McCorvey faked her conversion to Christianity and the Pro-Life movement in return for bribe money from Operation Rescue. Whatever her feelings were at the end of her life, this is a false narrative. I know, because I was her accountant, board member of her ministry Roe No More, and friend during the early years of her ministry.

I was present at her baptism, playing guitar in my Hawaiian shirt, and heard from my friends the Mackeys how Norma’s conversion began when their 6 year old daughter Emily befriended her. Norma was overwhelmed with grief at her role in the murder of millions of children, crying over empty swings, but finally found peace in God’s forgiveness. There was no “Quid Pro Quo” in her salvation or her desire to help undo the wrong of Roe v. Wade. It’s all in her book Won by Love.

Flip Benham, who had led Norma to the Lord, warned Norma that people would try to use her. He introduced me to her and asked me to help watch over her. I became her accountant and after she became a Pro-Life advocate I helped form her ministry Roe No More. Norma traveled around the country, receiving travel reimbursements and honorariums, as is the normal practice for ministries like hers. She made many appearances was supported by many donors, and drew her livelihood from the ministry.

The amount of money made by Norma was grossly misrepresented in the documentary. The ministry’s IRS Forms 990 EZ, filed for 10 years from 1998 to 2007, were selectively edited to make it appear that large sums were being paid to her. Specifically, the total contributions for a period covering several years, shown on Schedule A of Form 990 EZ, were highlighted and presented without context. Then one frame shows a box saying “Total 456,911” which was never part of any Form 990 EZ. It is instead the sum of the ministry’s gross receipts for 9 years, an average of $50,768 per year. Over half of the gross receipts were used for travel and other expenses, and the actual amount of Norma’s compensation was edited out of a frame showing the ministry directors. The Forms 990 EZ available publically on (https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/752734051), reveal that Norma received an annual average compensation of only $20,458 per year from 2001 to 2007. She could have made more money doing almost anything else, but the ministry was a labor of love.

Norma moved her ministry out of Dallas after 2007 to work more closely with other Pro-Life groups. Gradually I lost track of her. And, like many others, I was saddened to hear her express such bitterness toward the Pro-Life movement in the documentary.

But there were two bright spots in the documentary which give me comfort about Norma’s last days.
At the beginning of the documentary she pointed out a picture of Jesus in her room. Norma led a hard life and was troubled by many things, but she never lost her salvation. I’ll see my friend Norma in Heaven.

Then, at the very end of her life, we see her surrounded by the children she wanted to kill. She received the blessings of reconciliation and love which come from the triumph of life over death through Jesus Christ. It was the most eloquent Pro-Life statement she ever made.

As people of prayer we should remember the difficult lives and suffering of mothers like Norma as we pray that the innocent lives of their children will be spared.

We should put action to our prayers by helping mothers meet the needs of their families.

We also need to pray for the nation. Juxtaposed against the release of the documentary was a report that the birth rate fell to the lowest level ever recorded, 1.7, which is far short of the replacement rate of 2.1. The declining rate, which began the year before Roe v. Wade, has been the result of our over 60 million abortions. If it continues we will suffer demographic collapse, leading to failure of our economy and welfare systems, and loss of our national power. Our very survival is at stake.

Do not let this false narrative of Norma McCovey’s life discourage you from praying for the reversal of Roe v. Wade and for the soul and survival of our nation.

This week on May 14 we will celebrate the 72nd year of Israel as an independent nation.

The rebirth of Israel after almost two thousand years stands as an amazing fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Numerous scriptures refer to an end time role for the Nation of Israel. Even the date of Israel’s formation can be calculated from the scripture in Revelation 11: 1,2 which speaks of a “42 month”, or 1260 year, “Age of the Gentiles” to be measured from the time the Temple Mount was lost to unbelievers. From the time the Dome of the Rock was constructed on the Temple Mount, 687, until 1947, the year the U.N. voted to establish Israel, exactly 1260 years had passed.

Some thought that Jesus would return within a generation of the formation of Israel based on Luke 21:32, where Jesus said that this generation would not pass away before His prophecy of the end had happened. After the Second Coming did not happen on the 40th anniversary in 1988 some stretched the Biblical idea of a 40 year generation to 70 years. Now that 70 years has passed, it may be good to remember that a major theme of Luke 21 was the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, which began when the gates were shut against Roman general Titus on Passover of 70 AD, exactly 40 years on the Jewish calendar after Jesus was crucified.

Let us also remember that for the Advent of Christ, the nation of Israel was reborn at the time of the Maccabees in 165 BC, 160 years before Jesus was born and 190 years before His ministry began. A similar period for the Second Coming would span the years 2108 to 2138. Better still it is best to remember that no one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return.

The survival of Israel against overwhelming forces is one of the greatest modern miracles of God. Israel has fought wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973, and has emerged victorious every time. She has fought many smaller engagements and has endured sustained terrorist activities. The Hand of God has been evident, as described by The Prophet Zechariah, who speaks of Jerusalem as an “Immovable Rock” and a “Cup that sends the surrounding peoples reeling” (Zechariah 12:2,3).

Today Israel is still surrounded by its enemies. Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, Al Queda and Iran are sworn to Israel’s destruction. As of now Israel’s enemies are fighting among themselves, but the Islamists are still pushing for an end to their peace with Israel. For those who subscribe to a historical interpretation of Revelation, the situation is described in Rev 9:1-11, the Fifth Trumpet, as a 150 year war between Israel and the Arabs. We can expect not peace, but another 78 years of warfare in the Middle East.

The end will come after Israel is defeated by the Antichrist (Zechariah 14:2 and Revelation 11:7). But Jerusalem will rebel against the Antichrist and he will gather the nations to fight at Armageddon (Megiddo, in Israel) (Rev 16:16). Then, when all seems lost, Christ will return to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4 and Acts 1:11, 12) and destroy His enemies (Zechariah 14:3 and Revelation 19:19-21). Only then will peace come to the Middle East and the world (Zechariah 14:9 and Revelation 20:1-6).

Nevertheless, we must continue to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. When they have peace so will we.

Many Christians are suffering through a terrible ordeal as the result of the Coronavirus.

Some have lost their jobs or businesses. Others have suffered from loss of loved ones or the disease itself. For these believers, the testimony of a man who lost his prosperity, his children, and suffered from a terrible disease can show us how to endure an ordeal. His name was Job.

The Bible says that God will humble and test us (Deuteronomy 8:2), and He allowed Job to be tested for reasons that no one then or now fully understands. Some say it was fear for his children that gave Satan a foothold, while others say God was showing him off to Satan. Our favorite theory is that God allowed Satan to test Job in hopes that Satan would repent. But it was not the reason that the mattered, it was Job’s faith filled response, paraphrased below, which allowed him to endure the ordeal.

When the first calamity hit Job and he lost his prosperity and his children he refused to abandon his faith:

“No matter what happens I will bless the name of the Lord.” – Job 1:20-21

Then, after he lost his health and his wife told him to curse God and die, he refused to rebel against God:

“No matter what happens I will accept what God does.” – Job 2:10

After that his friends came, not to comfort, but to condemn him. They falsely accused him and even when they spoke the truth it was in the wrong spirit. Job knew better and held firmly to his faith:

• “Though God slay me I will hope in Him.” – Job 13:15
• “God is my advocate and friend.” – Job 16:19-21
• “I know He lives and will give me life forever.” – Job 19:25-27
• “He will test me but I will be refined as gold.” – Job 23:10
• “I will not speak falsely about God. I will speak truth.” –Job 27:3,4
• “The fear of the Lord is wisdom. I will do right.” –Job 28:28

Finally Job poured his heart out to God. The Lord did not explain Himself to Job but instead showed Job His majesty. And Job renewed his devotion to God:

• “I will not argue with You.” –Job 40:4
• “Even though I do not understand, I will trust you” – Job 42:2-6

Then God began the process of Job’s restoration by having him pray for his friends who had sinned against him by their judgements (Job 42:7-9). Forgiveness, it seems, is the key to many doors.
After this God restored Job’s prosperity and gave him more children. The Bible says that the later part of his life was more blessed than the former part (Job 42:12).

So remember the righteous man Job as you suffer through an ordeal like his. Keep your faith and trust in God even though you do not understand why this test has come to you.

One day, you will be able to rejoice in your restoration and you can say like Job “He will test me but I will be refined as gold.”

A little isolation can give you the opportunity to improve your prayer life and get closer to God.

Too much isolation can be deadly.

The idea of isolating people to slow down the spread of Coronavirus seems to have worked so far. However, the virus is still out there and you could still catch it when the period of isolation is over. Even so, the cost of isolation is getting out of control, and it is becoming deadly.

Doctors are saying that the government isolation orders have kept many people without Coronavirus from seeking medical aid. For example, the number of heart attack and stroke patients admitted to hospitals has declined, meaning that those avoiding hospitals for fear of Coronavirus may suffer irrevocable damage and preventable deaths. Similarly, many cancer patients receiving radiation treatment have not come in and testing for cancer and other diseases has virtually stopped. As hospitals lay off staff because of isolation orders, the death toll from isolation will continue to mount.

Isolation also has substantial mental health consequences. It is well established that unemployment can lead to drug use and suicide. Isolating the nursing home population can lead to loss of the will to live. We are also seeing a rise in child abuse from families forced into isolation. Many people are losing hope and becoming desperate as they face loss of their livelihood and/or businesses.

Like many pandemics, there is no vaccine for Coronavirus and it is possible that it will take years to develop one. However, new studies have shown that the number of “asymptomatic” people is vastly higher than previously believed, reducing the fatality rate to about a 10th of a percent. This means that the virus will eventually create a large enough number of immune people to stop the spread of the virus with fatalities at the same level as the annual flu. So at this point the mass isolation policy has outlived its usefulness and may be hindering the fight against Coronavirus.

As Christians we need to reach out to those victimized by Coronavirus and the deadly isolation it engendered. Many of us need to come out of hiding to feed the poor and bring healing to the sick, love to the lonely, and hope to the hopeless. All of us need to support our brothers and sisters who did these things throughout the plague, refusing to let the people isolate themselves from Jesus – the deadliest isolation there is.

It is also time to end our deadly isolation from our fellow Christians.

Together we can heal our land.

“Let us not give up meeting together“ Hebrew 10:25

Millions of Christians are experiencing what used to be common in our frontier communities: Church at Home.

For some it is an uncomfortable idea. No preacher. No Priest. No Eucharist. No Choir. No Sunday School. Just you and your family alone with God.

Sure, your church may be live streaming or you could watch a TV Preacher. But could you be missing something?

Like our Frontier forefathers most ancient Jews lived a long way from the Temple. So on every Sabbath the family celebrated at home, staying connected to God and each other. They also celebrated the Passover meal, the Seder, at home, passing their faith from generation to generation. Then, at the end of the sacred cycle of feasts, the family lived in booths together to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. At the Temple the Priests stood between God and Man, picturing the saving work of our High Priest Jesus, but God wanted to meet with His people face to face in their homes.

All the more so after Jesus came. The Temple veil was torn and God poured out His Spirit. Now we are temples of the Holy Spirit, called to live in God’s presence. And He wants to be invited into our homes as He was in Ancient Israel.

So this Sunday invite God to your house. Gather the family and open with prayer. Then sing praise and worship songs, with or without instruments or praise tracks, because God inhabits the praises of His people. Let your last song be very soft and loving, and then let a holy hush come in so you can hear from God. Someone should be prepared with a scripture and a short word of edification. Join hands in a circle and have everyone pray to the Lord, from youngest to oldest, and close with a song of thanksgiving.

By all means feel free to participate in a live streamed service or TV Church. And when Churches reopen after the plague passes remember the admonition not to forsake gathering together.

But maybe, just maybe, you will miss God’s presence and invite Him back to your home every week.

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” Mathew 18:20