In the last few years in America, we have witnessed the unthinkable. We have seen division and unrest shake the foundations of our communities and challenged the values we hold dear.

Our culture has become increasingly polarized, divided by ideologies that run counter to the Word of God. Many in the Church have felt pressured to align more with political identities than our core calling in Christ.

The fallout of these events sparked controversy and conversation that cut our nation to the bone. It divided families, communities, and even the Church.

On top of all of this, we’ve seen an undeniable rise in divisive rhetoric in our political discourse. All too often, the Donkey and the Elephant vie to be the ultimate force in our lives, and many in the Church have given in to that temptation.

We live in a cancel culture that silences genuine discourse in favor of echo chambers and moral relativism. Our world is increasingly characterized by a radical ideology that runs counter to the Spirit and Word of God.

What is the root problem? Many of the hardships we face — inside the Church and our society — result from our failure to remember that we serve the Lamb before all else.

When the Church loses focus on serving and following Jesus, we become easy prey to the forces of evil that seek to steal, kill and destroy. We lose touch with the light of the world and wonder why we’re wandering in darkness.

This is happening to communities and families across the nation. And it jeopardizes the safety and well-being of our children, who are most impressionable and vulnerable.

One of the areas we see this most is in our schools, which are being constantly infiltrated by woke ideologies and radical agendas that tell our children there is no such thing as truth or gender — realities that have underpinned society since its inception.

These are realities boldly declared and celebrated in the Bible and Christian tradition.

Still, many in the Church are losing sight of just how critical these fundamental realities are, choosing to ignore the responsibility to stand up and create a society that cares for and protects our children.

Today, we need a Church to rise up that has the courage, biblical conviction, and strength to stand up to the forces of evil that have corrupted our society, demanding in Jesus’ Name that they release their hold on our children and our culture.

We know that no evil can withstand the power of Jesus’ Name. Yet Christians often fail to take that truth as seriously as God intends. Instead, we naively give ground to the enemy, thinking it’s better to be quiet than speak out with the power and anointing God has given us.

It is time for that to stop. It is time for us to stand up and resist the evil that seeks to overthrow the Kingdom of God established here on earth. Only then will our churches and nation again be the light that shines in a world of darkness.

Only then can we truly be a city on a hill.

Understand this: the things of this world — the ways of our culture — are not neutral. They are not unbiased. They are bent and twisted toward destruction. The Word is clear on this. And in the face of all the pressure and influence the world pushes, our duty, our sacred calling, is to not conform to the pattern of the world.

Instead, we are to be transformed by the power of Christ and transform the world around us by the power of His name.

That is the kind of boldness our world, our culture, and our children need. And praise God that we are never alone. We are anointed and empowered by the one who has already finished the work. That is where our eyes must be fixed. Elephants and Donkeys will pass away. Their promises cannot and will not satisfy. That is why we must, once again, devote ourselves wholly to the Lamb.
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

A Colorado Christian counselor is seeking the intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court after the state passed a law that bans conversations meant to help minor clients accept their God-given gender and sexuality. Instead, the law essentially encourages counselors to steer young clients toward gender transition.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a non-profit legal group, is representing Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor in Colorado.

The group has petitioned the high court to hear Chiles’ case after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law which “prohibits mental health professionals from providing ‘conversion therapy’ to minor clients.”

“(As) a practicing Christian, Chiles believes that people flourish when they live consistently with God’s design, including their biological sex. Many of her clients seek her counsel precisely because they believe that their faith and their relationship with God establishes the foundation upon which to understand their identity and desires,” reads the petition.

A counselor who violates Colorado’s Minor Conversion Therapy Law faces fines of up to $5,000 per violation, suspension from practice, and, in some cases, revocation of the counselor’s license.

Chiles originally filed a lawsuit challenging the law, arguing that it violates the First Amendment’s Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses.

“Colorado’s law violates Chiles’ freedom of speech by prohibiting licensed counselors from having any conversation with clients under age 18 that ‘attempts or purports to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex,'” ADF explained in a statement.

She requested a preliminary injunction but was denied. Chiles then filed an appeal, but the 10th Circuit court upheld Colorado’s law “reasoning that mere talking during a counseling session is ‘conduct’ the First Amendment does not protect.”

ADF is now asking the United States Supreme Court to intervene.

“The government has no business censoring private conversations between clients and counselors, nor should a counselor be used as a tool to impose the government’s biased views on her clients,” said ADF Legal Counsel Cody Barnett.

He continued, “We are urging the Supreme Court to hear Kaley’s case, resolve the split, and stop Colorado officials from banning someone’s speech simply because they disagree with her beliefs. All Americans should be allowed to speak freely and seek the best possible help they desire.”

The lawsuit alleges that while the law prohibits counselors from encouraging clients to accept their bodies, it “allows counseling conversations that aim to steer young people toward a gender identity different than the client’s sex.”

The group writes, “The 10th Circuit’s decision harms countless counselors and other professionals. Worse, as the petition explains, ”(a)midst an unprecedented mental-health crisis among this country’s young people,’ the decision ‘prevents vulnerable individuals in many states from obtaining the counseling they desire and desperately need.’ Further delay in righting these wrongs and this ‘unconstitutional counseling censorship is unthinkable.'”
Sources:CBN News

http://theendtimeradio.com

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a recently passed Louisiana law that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in their classrooms.

U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles issued a lengthy ruling and order on Tuesday in the case of Darcy Roake et al. v. Cade Brumley et al.

At issue is Louisiana’s House Bill 71, signed into law in June, which would require Decalogue displays in public school classrooms. The law was slated to take effect on New Year’s Day.

“Plaintiffs have established a viable Free Exercise claim,” wrote deGravelles. “H.B. 71 is not neutral toward religion, and this is evident from the text of the statute, its effects, and the statements of lawmakers before and after the Act’s passage.”

The judge took issue with the defendants’ claim that the Ten Commandments were a historically integral part of public education in United States history.

“In sum, the historical evidence showed that the instances of using the Ten Commandments in public schools were too ‘scattered’ to amount to ‘convincing evidence that it was common’ at the time of the Founding or incorporation of the First Amendment to utilize the Decalogue in public-school education,” deGravelles continued.

“That is, the evidence demonstrates that the practice at issue does not fit within and is otherwise not consistent with a broader historical tradition during those time periods.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, which helped to represent nine Louisiana families with children in the state public school system, released a statement celebrating the ruling.

“This ruling should serve as a reality check for Louisiana lawmakers who want to use public schools to convert children to their preferred brand of Christianity,” said Heather L. Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, as quoted in the statement.

“Public schools are not Sunday schools, and today’s decision ensures that our clients’ classrooms will remain spaces where all students, regardless of their faith, feel welcomed.”

Signed into law by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, HB 71 requires public school classrooms to display “certain historical documents,” among them the Ten Commandments, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence and the Northwest Ordinance.

“Recognizing the historical role of the Ten Commandments accords with our nation’s history and faithfully reflects the understanding of the founders of our nation with respect to the necessity of civic morality to a functional self-government,” stated the legislation.

“Including the Ten Commandments in the education of our children is part of our state and national history, culture, and tradition.”

Soon after, the ACLU, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed suit against the law on behalf of an interfaith group of parents.

“[F]or nearly half a century, it has been well settled that the First Amendment forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in this manner,” read the complaint.

“Plaintiffs seek a declaratory judgment that the Act is unconstitutional and preliminary and permanent injunctive relief to prevent Defendants from (i) implementing rules and regulations in accordance with the Act, (ii) otherwise seeking to enforce the Act, and (iii) displaying the Ten Commandments in any public-school classroom.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill championed the new law on social media in June, explaining that she would be honored to defend the legislation in court.

“The 10 Commandments are pretty simple (don’t kill, steal, cheat on your wife), but they also are important to our country’s foundations,” she tweeted.

“Moses, who you may recall brought the 10 Commandments down from Mount Sinai, appears eight times in carvings that ring the United States Supreme Court Great Hall ceiling. I look forward to defending the law.”

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 opinion in the Stone v. Graham ruling that Kentucky could not mandate that public schools display the Ten Commandments because it violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com