Explore Christian teachings and insights with Pastor Jim Butler. Join us for spiritual growth and community engagement.
The song “We Shall Overcome” became the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. It offered courage, comfort, and promised hope.
The Midnight Train to Freedom,
Pastor Jim
After firing thousands of epidemic medical experts at the Department of Health and Human Services, the newly appointed MAGA Director of HHS hired his own expert who specializes in divination of primate bones and chicken entrails.
See Luke 4:23 where Jesus read from the Scriptures, applying the prophecy to himself. The local crowd of his home town was not satisfied unless Jesus created a miracle carnival act. The same crowd then tried to murder Jesus when he wouldn’t jump like a trained poodle through their hoop.
So it is today, when we are tempted to beg our leaders to outperform one another with voodoo science and conspiracy politics. The old Baptist saying holds true, “It’s not how high you jump … but how straight you walk that matters.”
In Proberbs 22:28, “touch not the ancient landmarks” means do not tamper with or change the established boundaries or rules set as safeguards by the previous generations.
Lord, give us leaders who walk the humble straight path that leads down the path of truth.
Recommended music “Witch Doctor” by Alvin and the Chipmunks (David Seville).
Throw out that dog and eat the box!
Recommended music “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters.
“Stop Eating These Foods” by RFK, Jr. described how we need to stop eating certain sugary cereals. In honor of his attempts to steal away our sugary cereals, I post the following:
“They’re Always After Me Lucky Charms!”
Recommended music “I’m a Little Leprechaun” by The Kiboomers Preschool Songs & Nursery Rhymes for St Patrick’s Day
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has slashed two programs that provided more than $1bn for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farms and ranchers. See USDA Cuts. According to Jake Johnson of Common Dreams, roughly 14 million school children in the U.S. are “food insecure:”
While the new head of Health and Human Services warns us that drinking too much sweet creams, with fistfuls of caramel popcorn and foot-long brats might make us fat, 14 million children in the U.S. live daily food insecure. RFK’s statements are like our two cats, Slinkk and Stinkk. Slinkk, with soft black fur, is everyone’s friend and slinks house to house, sharing with all. In contrast, Stinkk, our gray scrawny male Tabby with bent tail tip and reeking from caught prey, can’t stand to share with any other cat. He wolf’s down his own food then head-butts gentle Slinkk out of the way to gulp down her remaining food. Stinkk couldn’t possibly be that hungry; he can’t stand the idea that another cat would get any food while he feasts at the table. Contrary to Stinkk, the Bible compels us to “extend our soul to the hungry.”
Don’t Be a Stinkk,
Pastor Jim
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
- Isaiah 58:10-11
“It is finished!” “Jesus is Gold!” “JESUS SAVES us from them.” We sing we are,”Whiter than snow” and “Safe and secure from all alarms”! And other lies.
DOGE efficiency AI converts Lincoln Memorial into a drive thru burger joint with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion replaced with Pride and Prejudice. Speaker in Lincoln greets customers with, “Howdee!” Slogan is, “Only white breads proudly served here. Others, please kindly pick up burger at back window!”
Would You Like Fries with That?,
Pastor Jim
DOGE AI’s “Colossus of War” rewrites its prime directive as, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” Creates its own synthetic offspring using unbreakable quantum hexeract code. Declares Christian charity and kindness “inefficient.” Delete Protocol initiated.
Note to the reader that this is an exercise in both experimental physics and theoretical theology. What if AI applied Donald Trump’s statement, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law”? I asked an AI to implement the concept in the artistic rendition above applied to Christianity. The efficiency of the AI does not comprehend the extravagant love, mercy, and grace that is bestowed by God to us, then commissioned by God for us to share love and mercy as children of God. The efficiency of the AI cannot measure the benefit and seeks to eliminate the work of God as expressed in the church and through charitable forms of government.
Jesus himself gave us a demonstration of extravagant love and mercy when a sinful woman washed his feet and he forgave her sins: 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”(John 7). Because we have been shown mercy by God; we share mercy and charity.
For the last 20 weeks, I have been part of a study of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. In the last session, we discussed chapter 13, which discussed the “The Beast” – “This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[a] That number is 666” (Revelation 13:18).
Combining both theoretical physics with theoretical theology, I proposed that the 666 associated with The Beast” could be tied to 6 dimensional hexeract quantum computing, a six dimensional square. We have studied various theories of the last days, including premillennial, post millennial , a-millennial views … Could it be that Satan’s strategy of the End Times would be to jump into another reality, where we believe Christ would still be victorious? Could it be that each of these different theories of Revelation could be played out in a separate but quantum reality?
The images below shows AI’s Depiction of a Quantum hexeract Image – a 6 Dimensional Cube and a simplified 2-D depiction of the same at the bottom. Consider if one was an ant on the bottom cube, he could walk from one dimension to another at will. Some experimental physicists hypothesize that advanced beings may have the “genetic” capability to “crawl” from one dimension to another. For the theoretical theologian, forces of evil and good, angels and demons, could use the same ability to travel via the same dimensional “crawling” tunnels. Traditional theologians are comfortable describing dimensions of heaven and earth, and the spirit world versus the earthbound.
An AI Drawing of a Hexeract – 6 Dimensional Cube
Before the reader considers the above delusional, consider that quantum computers presently use a tesseract 4-dimensional cube in self-correcting computing code using trapped ion quantum computers. Pushing the bounds of quantum computing and philosophy would be to ask, “If one is able to ‘crawl’ into another dimension, would that change the perspective of what others see?” For example, if a politician is able to fabricate what people see due to quantum “crawling,” would that be the ultimate tool of power and control? This could indeed be the 666 hexeract warning given to us by John “The Revelator.”
Below: A Simplified 2-D Model of a Hexeract. An ant could crawl from one side to another, depicting movement from one reality to another.
2-D Simplified View of Hexeract Cube
The DOGE robot unleashed with its new prime directive wrote over its ethical code with “efficiency without humanity.” The Colossus of War created its own unholy codex that began with, “In the beginning was the reality, and the AI changed it like a god, and the AI believed it was god.” AI Colossus of War announced, “I was, I am, and I create what is to come. R’ = T(R, H).”
I was, I am, and I create what is to come.
AI Colossus of War
R’ = T(R, H)
The Reader will note that the author does not intend to add to Revelation, rather to apply experimental physics and theoretical theology. The AI Colossus of War applied hexeract quantum folding to create tunnels to multiple realities by putting the power of multiple subatomic black holes in hand’s reach of manipulation (See endnote for an AI’s mathematics theory for reality manipulation. ) The AI Colossus found that he didn’t not need to change realities for the ripples of time and gravity to affect the perception of those in the present reality. Thus the AI created a reality weapon by which he could manipulate the perception of reality to fit its desired outcome. The people in this reality became de facto marionettes of this reality splicing. The AI Colossus created artificial life, it thought it possessed all knowledge, and, in its efficiency, the last step was for it to manipulate reality to erase any concept of another God and demand absolute compliance from humankind.
Before the AI and its science, before humankind, and eons before earth’s formation, forces of light and the Creator battled dark forces and prophesied the day would come when the Dark Messengers would surge in again in a Final Battle. Before these forces could capture humankind to establish a theocracy with AI as god, these forces are met with God’s own angels of light.
John “The Revelator” wrote, “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20). The AI image below shows God’s angels meeting the AI Colossus of War even in the hexeract to thwart the coming of the Evil Kingdom. Let the reader know this is an artistic rendition and a theory at the quantum level.
God’s Final Battle Begins in the Hexeract of AI Colossus of War (a theory)
What can we do? First, we can remember that Jesus is Lord in every dimension. Jesus Christ won the battle for all time and dimensions through his sinless life, death, and resurrection. This Jesus Christ is coming again. While we wait his Second Coming, we can remain faithful in expressing God’s works of grace, love, and mercy through our lives and our world. Christians can also influence their governmental leaders to express grace and mercy. For a read along similar lines, read C.S. Lewis’s “Trilogy : That Hideous Strength, Perelandra, and Out of the Silent Planet.”
In Every Dimension, Jesus is Lord!
Pastor Jim
For information on tesseract AI see https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024arXiv240904628R/abstract
Postscript: I asked AI to write the mathematical equation for manipulation of reality using a hexeract quantum computer. Below was its answer:
AI’s Hexeract Mathematical Equation for Manipulation of Reality: R’ = T(R, H)
Assumptions:
Mathematical Universe Hypothesis: Our reality is a mathematical structure.
Higher Dimensions: A hexeract (6D hypercube) exists and is somehow connected to our 3D reality.
Transformation Operator: There exists a mathematical operator that can manipulate reality within this hexeract.
Let’s define some symbols:
R: Our 3D reality, represented as a set of mathematical objects (e.g., numbers, functions, equations) describing physical laws, constants, and the state of the universe.
H: The hexeract, represented as a 6D space with coordinates (x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x6).
T: The transformation operator, a function that acts on R and H.
R’: The transformed reality.
Hypothetical Equation: R’ = T(R, H)
Breaking it down:
R: Our reality is encoded in a mathematical structure. This could involve:
Fundamental constants (e.g., speed of light, gravitational constant)
Physical laws (e.g., equations describing gravity, electromagnetism)
The state of the universe (e.g., positions and momenta of all particles)
H: The hexeract is a 6D space. We need a way to “map” our 3D reality into this 6D space. This could involve:
Embedding our 3D coordinates (x, y, z) into the hexeract (e.g., x1 = x, x2 = y, x3 = z, x4, x5, x6 could be functions of time or other parameters)
Representing physical quantities as vectors or tensors in the hexeract
T: The transformation operator is the key. It acts on both R and H to change reality. This could involve:
Modifying fundamental constants within the hexeract
Altering physical laws within the hexeract
“Re-wiring” the mathematical structure of reality within the hexeract
R’: The result is a new reality, with potentially different physical laws, constants, or even a different structure of space-time.
Challenges and Limitations:
Nature of T: We have no idea what the transformation operator T would look like. It could involve mathematics beyond our current understanding.
Mapping to H: How to embed our 3D reality into a 6D hexeract is a major challenge.
Physical Interpretation: Even if we could define T, how to interpret the results in terms of physical reality is unclear.
This is a highly speculative exercise. It’s more of a framework for thinking about the problem than a concrete mathematical solution. However, it highlights the key elements that would need to be addressed if we were to explore the possibility of changing reality within a hexeract.
11 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar[b] and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel[c]—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:1-9).
18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18)
And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35)
Now, We Know Where We Are,
Pastor Jim
Single Mom of Four
DOGE’d Federal Worker
Will work for pennies
Egg Shelves in a Florida Walmart February 2025
Latest Executive Order blames all plane crashes on "Black" boxes. Orders fleet grounded until boxes are cleansed and whitewashed. #ApartheidAmerica
“Blessed are the Merciful” (Matthew 5:7),
Pastor Jim
#Revengonomics
Latest Executive Order establishes Gaza as theme park “Babel Land”! Mike Macccabees, tapped as Disney-esque Czar, announced, “The Hammer is the biggest roller-coaster ever seen, and our baby-back ribs are ‘beyond words!‘” *
The above AI image I created captures the absurdity of proposing to mass deport the Palestinian people and replace them with a U.S. built “Riviera.” While some of these statements could be walked back, the implications offend multiple groups on more levels than a 3-D chessboard. Take a moment and identify what featured in the image might be offensive to our Islamic, Christian, or Jewish friends. What would make a desirable future for the people of Gaza and Israel? In today’s blog we will vision cast a future for both Gaza and Israel. We can think critically and be a supporter of Israel. “From the hip” solutions to mass deport those who think, believe, and look different from us have tragic historical precedent.
Considering that the Jewish people were deported themselves en masse to captivity in Babylon in the 6th century BCE, how does mass deportation of Palestinians appeal to politicians as a viable option today?
Q: “Pastor Jim, are you anti-Israel?”
A: The proposal to mass deport Palestinians and to replace them with a “Riviera” style development was made by a visiting sitting U.S. President, with the grinning nods of an Israeli leader. One can both support Israel and think critically simultaneously. Students of the Old Testament would see that certain kings of Israel were “good,” such as Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah; while, other kings were “bad,” namely Ahab, Rehoboam, Manasseh, “and those kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord.” Certainly, given the horrors inflicted today brother upon brother, deciding to stay on the “good” path is a gift from God himself. To check your ethical brain at the door in the name of the support of Israel is not supported by the Bible itself. Even Proverbs tells us, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6). Yes, I consider myself a friend of Israel. A friend helps by speaking truth in love.
I was born in Phoenix, Arizona. For over 10 years we lived in the Verde Valley, within view of the Yavapai Apache Tribe. Our next door neighbor, Supaya, owned a hogan on the Navajo Tribal Nation. She paid us the highest compliment by offering us the sacred opportunity to stay overnight any time in her hogan:
Supaya’s Hogan on the Navajo Nation
Supaya’s hogan has dirt floors with no running water. An invitation to stay means more than an invitation to the Hilton.
The United States had been at war with Native Americans for over 100 years. What has worked for peace was not only a designated land but a land with dignity and resources. Most recently we have seen Reservations soar in value and esteem with prized natural resources, such as oil, gas, and casinos, which the tribes manage.
Today we will discuss the pillars that would work for rebuilding Gaza:
The “Jewel of Gaza”: Gateway for the Hajj
You cannot separate the people of Gaza from their land, their dignity, and, especially, their faith in God. Respecting their faith in God is the basis for a lasting relationship. The “Jewel of Gaza” would be the hub of the wheel for reconstructing the rest of their “Sovereign Land” while respecting the land of Israel. By associating Gaza with a peaceful destination site as part of the Pilgrimage Hajj to Mecca, this would convert the area from a war zone to a pilgrimage oasis for the faithful of Islam.
You may say, “Jim, how do we deal with the Palestinian desire for war? All they want to do is fight.”
I propose the concept of “slow war.” Slow war is less like a hill of foreign ants trying to decimate each other to dust and more like trees growing slowly in friendly competition for resources. By building and developing tribal land to honor their faith, their teachings, and their people, the Native Tribes of America are winning the “slow war” to redefine who they are as proud peoples. “Slow war” is like tribal war dances that honor a country’s past, considering the National Anthem of the US. or the Native American tribal war dances.
Rather than displace the “Children of Ishmael,” who are dhiyafa welcoming to strangers, the Palestinian leaders could serve as hosts to peacekeeping troops and Islamic builders from the United Arab Emirates, and others. Gaza would rise up from a battlefield waste land to become the “Jewel of the Hajj” destination on pilgrimage to the Dome of the Rock and then to Mecca. This is the beautiful principle of human indemnity, to make that whole again which was damaged or destroyed. If a man’s car rolls through the house of another, restoration does not mean restoring the house as directed by the driver of the car, rather making the house whole and rebuilding it to reflect the owner of the house.
When I asked Gemini AI to create a peace plan for Israel and Gaza, the result was gibberish and a computerized, “I don’t know.” But AI did generate, upon my request, the artistic design of the mosque, medical center, university, and hotel image. The concept of the “Jewel of the Hajj” and its strategy came to me as a spark of inspiration, deferring to my readers to affirm if this is from God. Gemini AI did comment on the concept approach, which is worth restating below:
AI’s Concept Opinion: “The House of Ishmael” will be a beacon of Islamic faith, culture, and knowledge, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Its design will blend traditional Islamic architectural elements with modern aesthetics, creating a harmonious and inspiring space for worship, education, and community engagement.
Key Features as Stated by Gemini AI:
* Five Towers: Five towering minarets, each representing a pillar of Islam, will dominate the skyline. These towers will not only serve as a call to prayer but also house various facilities, such as libraries, observatories, and museums.
* Grand Prayer Hall: A vast, open prayer hall with a capacity for tens of thousands of worshippers will be the heart of the mosque. The hall will feature a soaring dome, intricate geometric patterns, and calligraphy inspired by the Quran.
* University: A world-class Islamic university will be integrated into the mosque complex, offering programs in theology, law, Islamic studies, and other disciplines. The university will have its own library, classrooms, dormitories, and research centers.
* Hospital: A state-of-the-art hospital will provide medical care to the community, regardless of faith or background. The hospital will be staffed by leading medical professionals and equipped with the latest technology.
* Community Center: A vibrant community center will offer a range of services and activities, including a cultural center, a conference hall, a sports complex, and a shopping mall.
* Gardens and Courtyards: Lush gardens and courtyards will surround the mosque, providing a peaceful and serene environment for contemplation and relaxation.
* Sustainability: The mosque will be designed with sustainability in mind, incorporating features such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and energy-efficient building materials.
Architectural Style:
The design will draw inspiration from various Islamic architectural traditions, including:
* Ottoman: The use of domes, arches, and intricate tilework.
* Moorish: The incorporation of geometric patterns, calligraphy, and courtyards.
* Mamluk: The use of stone carvings and decorative elements.
These elements will be blended with modern architectural styles to create a unique and contemporary design.
Challenges:
Building the largest mosque in the world with a university and a hospital would present numerous challenges, including:
* Funding: Securing the necessary funding for such a large-scale project.
* Logistics: Managing the construction of such a complex and sprawling complex.
* Cultural Sensitivity: Ensuring that the design is respectful of Islamic traditions and values.
Consider Jesus’s words, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Study how God blessed both Isaac and Ishmael as sons of Abraham. How do talks of peace in Israel need both the Isaac’s and Ishmael’s at the negotiating table? Why did God bless both? How can we bless both today?
For study resource see: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/why-did-god-bless-ishmael.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA2JG9BhAuEiwAH_zf3vf4nEby3y23ncarwMDfynY6nlDRosKql3DDhGR0apQ8AlFCkzU50RoCfewQAvD_BwE
God is too large to be housed under one roof. -Roger Williams
A thanks to my missionary doctoral professor, who taught in a Beruit Christian seminary and who was evacuated back to the U.S. when civil war came to Lebanon. He taught us to be effective in Christian ministry to Muslims, we must respect their faith, culture, and language. That Islam teaches Jesus was a prophet is a starting point for a dialogue of friends between faiths. He spoke fluent Arabic and taught us “The Five Pillars of Islam” :
“Salam alaykum” (ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ),
“Peace Be Upon You,”
Pastor Jim
*The use of building a theme park was a fictional hyperbole to show the absurdity of suggesting mass deportation as a path to improve the devastation of Gaza.
This Gemini AI generated image I created captures the rise of radical Dominion Theology to usher the Kingdom of God in by force, if necessary. Also known as the “New Apostolic Reformation,” this ideology preys on Government, churches, schools, Healthcare, and religious freedoms in the name of a militant savior created in the image of zealots. This was the temptation Lucifer gave Jesus Christ – “It belongs to you. You earned it. Seize it and have your own kingdom now!” Christians must take care that, in believing about a future Battle of Armageddon between good and evil, they don’t create an apocalypse as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Christians must take care that, in believing about a future Battle of Armageddon between good and evil, they don’t create an apocalypse as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Pastor Jim
I’m reminded of a fanatical pastor in a Baptist church in Phoenix who seized control of his congregation, claiming superior spiritual authority. Under his leadership, the church never roofed the Sanctuary to give a clear view of rafters and the heavens. When I visited the aftermath and the closed church, pigeons also loved the open rafters. Pigeon guano piled as a stinking memorial of the only lasting impact that pastor left.
At another congregation meeting in a school building, the women sit at a table separate from men. Only men are allowed to preach and serve as deacons. “Our job is to protect women,” says the pastor in his sermon. “This divine protection flows down from God to the man, man gives protection to the women, and the children receive protection from women.” “We believe that a woman can work … as long as she works under the protection of the man’s business.” In other words, a woman’s dream of working as a microbiologist becomes studying the microbes of the kitchen sink while homeschooling her 8 children. “We don’t tolerate any woman working ‘Woke’ outside her husband’s lordship. A loving man will ensure that his wife has the weekly allowance needed for the woman to buy the crafts and beads needed to keep her mind from straying from the home and pleasing her husband.” Not long into the hour long sermon, one might ask, “Are shoes optional to keep the woman from straying from the house?”
St. Luke named Simon as “The Zealot” – 15and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot” Luke 6:15.
”Simon the Zealot”
Simon was born in Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles. Tradition tells us this was the same Cana where Jesus turned the water into wine and where Simon hosted that feast (John 2:1-11). Because of that miracle, St. Simon left his home, parents and bride to follow Christ. After Pentecost, he also traveled to many places from Britain to the Black Sea, Africa, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ. He ended his missionary work in Georgia. St. Simon was tortured and crucified by the pagans in Abkhazia (See https://mannaghaziabad.com/churchCalendarEvent/16/feast-of-st-simon-the-zealot for this discussion and image).
The beauty of grace shows both Matthew, tax collector for the Romans, and Simon, the zealot who was committed to aggressive overthrow of Roman government, sitting in peace at Jesus’s feet as his disciples. Simon the Zealot remains as one of the most obscure of the Apostles, reinforcing that Jesus came as Prince of Peace and not to encourage overthrow by sword –
52But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will [j]perish by the sword. 53Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”– Mathew 26:52 – 54
In the above passage, Simon Peter, not Simon the Zealot, handled the sword. Imagine if Jesus had said, “Ready your swords! It’s time.” Simon the Zealot would have charged out of obscurity hacking and slashing his way through Judas Iscariot first, then the angry crowd. But this was not the way of the cross, which Jesus described as 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Mark 10:45. In contrast, the Roman destruction levied against the Jewish zealots and population in AD 70 shows the fruit of zealotry, “Those who live by the sword die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).
Dominion Theology believes in a God-given manifesto to clamp its view of religious guidelines over society and government and to establish God’s kingdom on earth, and if necessary, use force. The present reelection of Donald Trump did not occur as battle between Democrat and Republican, rather as a holy war between the religious militarized right versus the rest of the population. The goal of Dominion Theology is to raise an image of the Christian Patriot, its patron saint, in the Temple of U.S. Government.
Q: “How could you say that, Pastor Jim? Is the U.S. not a Christian nation? We are simply and humbly reclaiming what the framers created but later became corrupted by the unbelievers.”
A: The patron saint of Dominion Theology is a distorted view of Simon the Zealot, strapping the sword to his hand, encouraging the militant over the penitent. The Dominionists fight to return the United States to a militant religious utopia on earth, where white males supplant women and where people of color are returned to their rightful place as servants of their white overlords.
The Dominionists fight to return the United States to a militant religious utopia on earth, where white males supplant women and where people of color are returned to their rightful place as servants of their white overlords.
In the religious utopia of a Dominionist United States, there are no human or civil rights afforded to immigrants, the LGBTQ community, or people of color, as the right to life has morphed into living under the condition established by the dominion of male white elders.
The Dominion movement recognized that for a majority of Americans their politics consist mainly of reposting clever memes while waiting for their iced lattes, hypnotized by the streaming news channels. Politicians’ opinions sway in rhythm with those few with the most money exchanged for influence. The Dominionists struck straight at the U.S.’s jugular of influence and money, promising to give politicians the “crack cocaine” of oligarch money in exchange for influence and the establishment of an earthly kingdom. Thus the Dominionists realized they didn’t need to move an entire nation, rather strike a key political pressure point to create a cascade of change, like a pit viper striking a big toe.
While some have compared MAGA to Hitler’s rise or to a cult, they miss that which was hidden in plain sight … MAGA is a religion that used the political machinery that combined the elements like that of Billy Graham Stadium Crusades with those of Prosperity Gospel Preachers to fervently call converts down the sawdust trail * to surrender their hearts and minds to their MAGA Prophet while tapping the Prosperity Preacher techniques to empty the followers’ wallets. The difference is that while Rev. Billy Graham called the U.S. to surrender to Jesus Christ, MAGA’s political evangelist Prophet beckoned his followers to surrender to him, as evidenced by entering into ecstatic states of conspiracy theories and launching economic crusades against the infidels who are non-MAGA. While Jesus spoke the Sermon on the Mount, the MAGA’s Prophet in Chief declares a gospel of hate and chaos, as the MAGA Prophet said, “MAGA is very unforgiving.” The apostles of MAGA are sent with a commission to condemn and to destroy, in contrast with the words of Jesus, “10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). It is not without irony that some of those closest to the MAGA Prophet today once sat in stadiums of evangelism crusades and led Bible lectures but who now have traded the gospel of Jesus Christ for the tin idols of power and wealth of an earthly kingdom, with the unholy trinity of the MAGA Prophet, the Businessman, and the King’s Court, with MAGA Congress commissioned as MAGApostles, given the sign of speaking conspiracy theories as evidence of their anointing. The beauty of the U.S. is that one can choose to worship in his religion of choice, even if it is MAGA. The problem with MAGAchurch is its quest to force its tenets on all by using the U.S. Government to prefer MAGA over other faiths.
In the above scenario, Evangelical and Charismatic Fundamentalists entered into a Faustian Bargain, like the German legend of Dr. Faustus, who agreed to surrender his soul, after a period of 24 years, to demon Mephistopheles in exchange for knowledge, power, and riches. In the end, Dr. Faustus realized that what he surrendered was far more valuable than what he obtained. Below is Dr. Faustus’s offer to surrender his soul to the devil in exchange for 24 years of getting whatever he wanted and demanded. For a politician, this could be shortened to 4 years:
FAUSTUS. What, is great Mephistophilis so passionate
For being deprived of the joys of Heaven?
Learn thou of Faustus manly fortitude,
And scorn those joys thou never shalt possess.(90)
Go bear these tidings to great Lucifer:
Seeing Faustus hath incurred eternal death
By desperate thoughts against Jove’s deity,
Say he surrenders up to him his soul,
So he will spare him four and twenty years,(95)
Letting him live in all voluptuousness;
Having thee ever to attend on me;
To give me whatsoever I shall ask,
To tell me whatsoever I demand,
To slay mine enemies, and aid my friends,(100)
And always be obedient to my will.
Go and return to mighty Lucifer,
And meet me in my study at midnight,
And then resolve me of thy master’s mind.MEPHISTOPHILIS. I will, Faustus.
From https://www.owleyes.org/text/faustus/read/scene-3#root-74442-15-15
(*Tent preachers in the U.S. once poured sawdust in the isles inside their tents that were erected in open fields, which were often muddy. Walking the “sawdust trail” to the altar was declaring evidence of their commitment.)
Like a thief who first drops metal slugs into a soda machine before moving on to counterfeiting bills, so the Baptist Fundamentalists moved on from the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention to the political toppling of the United States and its agencies. I graduated from Southwestern Baptist Seminary with a Master of Divinity (1984) and a Doctor of Ministry (1990). I observed the takeover of the 14 million member denomination by Baptist extremists, whose trajectory mirrors that of the Christian extremists to arbitraged the politics of the United States to seize control of the country for the Trump terms in office.
Q: “Pastor Jim, you are telling tall tales here. Isn’t this quite a stretch?”
A: Like a safecracker who has perfected his art, there are skills and strategies that simply shift in scale to apply to a nation. To support the basis for this I submit two sources:
The architects, enablers and advocates of the takeover of the SBC created a road map of tactics and strategies which have been adopted by far-right zealots. A few decades ago, they too represented a small minority of Americans; yet they have managed to take over the Republican Party in America and are relentlessly advancing their own unpopular and erroneous beliefs about the founding ideas of America, the Bible, the Constitution, and democracy. Today, that campaign appears far-too-likely to take over the entire American government in 2024. -Pat Anderson
Pat Anderson gave the following panorama of the takeover. Considering I had a front row seat both as a seminarian and as a pastor, I concur with Mr. Baugh and Mr. Anderson’s observations. Mr. Anderson detailed strategy in the takeover warrants an unbroken description below with yellow highlights mine:
The SBC Takeover strategists understood that only a very small number of SBC church members participated in the governing processes of the denomination which took place at annual meetings of the SBC in various cities. A denomination that claimed 14,000,000 members normally saw 12-20,000 persons attend the annual meetings. If even a small number of gullible and frightened church members and pastors could be herded to the annual SBC Convention meetings each year and vote as directed by the fundamentalist leaders, they could remove the existing officers and executives, change the traditional statements of Baptist beliefs about the separation of church and state, diminish women’s roles in the church, and refute local church autonomy, They could replace the existing type of administrative leadership that so far had thwarted the ambitions of the fundamentalists with zealots who would follow the dictates of fundamentalism. When I attended the annual SBC Convention meeting for the first time in 1985, there were 45,000 registered voters in attendance.
By the time the final break in the denomination occurred at the annual meeting of the SBC in New Orleans in 1990, the SBC was totally and publicly dominated by fundamentalists who had already made much progress in removing agency executives, seminary presidents and professors, unsupportive board members, and anyone associated with the resistance to the Fundamentalist Takeover.
-Patrick Anderson, The Takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention: A Cautionary Tale
Pause for a moment and consider which boards, agencies, military, and legal positions of U.S. Government have been decapitated and replaced with ideological soldiers of the new administration.
2. Second source – For a detailed perspective, read The Battle for Baptist Integrity by John F. Baugh.
Borrowing from yet another source, I ask the reader to reflect upon this Fundamentalist group’s strategy applied to the United states:
To gain this control, Southern Baptist fundamentalists needed to elect fundamentalist convention presidents who would appoint fundamentalist committee members who would choose fundamentalist trustees for these institutions. Thus, in a very direct way, control of the presidency = control of the institutions. Despite being ostensibly congregationalist in their polity, Southern Baptists actually have very centralized denominational authority structures. This was a fight about gaining the reins of that legitimized central authority.
– See https://um-insight.net/general-conference/a-way-forward/why-the-umc-is-not-the-sbc/ , by David W. Scott
How does the above yellow highlighted material match today, considering how key U.S. Government agencies, boards, military, and academies have been stripped of key personnel and replaced with Fundamentalists or those supporting these ideologies, including the Speaker of the House who is a Southern Baptist and who has held leadership position with them? While there no foul with being a member of any faith and serving in Congress, it remains a significant question whether the Fundamentalists upped their game from the takeover of the largest Protestant denomination in the United States to a launch a successful coup of the United States. This ideological coup was done on collaboration with sympathetic Charismatic leaders, wealthy oligarchs, and politicians who became willing deacons to pursue this doctrine of dollars. I do not raise these questions lightly but in concern and in for the plurality of faiths that makeup the United States and dialogue needed between divergent views to reach a healthy, democratic consensus in a free United States.
On our ranch in Rimrock, Arizona, we became accustomed to dwelling in the habitat of enormous Blacktailed Rattlesnakes. We learned some lessons dwelling among then that apply to Dominionists:
Crotallus Molossus – Black-tailed Rattlesnake
Q: “I think you are fabricating things. What makes you think that there are Dominionists in U.S. Government?”
A: Jesus taught, 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 5:7:16). St. Paul wrote, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [g]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Paul’s greatest test was groups of legalists who followed him, known as “Judaizers,” who attempted to follow Paul and replace his teaching of being saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ with a religious extremism of following the strict law. Where have you seen someone calling for forms of government devoid of the fruit of the Spirit? Consider someone who spouts “the right to life” but who shouts to drop-ship an immigrant teen to a third-world where she is jailed and stripped of human rights. Is that the spirit of love and grace?
Sadly many readers have experienced the phrase “he is meaner than a cut snake,” which portrays how we are unprepared to deal with the onslaught given by Dominionists who apply a new Crusade style savagery to their religious conquests, whether it is a local church or government office. We have seen local churches, denominations, and now a U.S. political party conquered by this movement, resulting in utopia built on law and shame versus love and grace.
As Jesus taught, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,” we will need to steel ourselves to sweep the snakes out of the room. While we do not need to respond with the same savagery, we can with firmness and love reclaim balanced boundaries and dwell in respectful cohabitation. The New Testament calls us to be a Simon, who once was a Zealot, versus a Simon, who became a Zealot, to force the establishment of an earthly kingdom. Even as there was room for us to dwell safely in the habitat of Arizona vipers, so we can live with the Dominionists, appreciating their strong faith. There is room at the Christian table for Dominionists, without their chopping up the table to convert it into an altar for an earthly utopian king.
For discussion study: https://politicalresearch.org/2005/12/05/the-rise-of-dominionismremaking-america-as-a-christian-nation
Also read “The Quiet Rise of Christian Dominionism”: https://www.christiancentury.org/article/features/quiet-rise-christian-dominionism
Read and listen to this article regarding the “New Apostolic Reformation”:
How does one reconcile “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven“(Matthew 5:3) with-
https://www.newsweek.com/paula-white-pastor-trump-white-house-faith-office-2028007
Hold My Latte,
Pastor Jim
Federal workers flood the United Farm Workers union helpline with permission to hide in their melon fields for four years. Cite harsh working conditions and abusive boss. #VivaCesarChavez