There Are Wolves in the World

"Brothers and sisters, there are wolves in the world — ravenous, treacherous, and relentless wolves in the world. These beasts are also proud, wicked, and full of bloodlust. And, make no mistake, their frantic passions are ever-increasing to kill and devour, to spread panic and despair..."

The rest of the September letter from Vital Signs Ministries is right here.

The Top 5 Plus (October 4)

A jam-packed Top 5 Plus this morning with special emphasis on Israel, anti-Semitism, the doctrine of the Rapture, and a shout-out for Sarah Holliday of The Washington Stand.

1) “Megyn Kelly is wrong: Neutrality on right-wing antisemitism is immoral: The podcaster and the late Charlie Kirk were wrong to refuse to cut ties with Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens. This failure is poisoning American conservatism.” (Jonathan S. Tobin, JNS)

From the article -- Now that the full contents of that letter have been published, everyone can see that Owens is a liar and that Kelly is trying to salvage an argument that hasn’t a leg to stand on.

The letter makes clear that the claims that Kirk had turned on Israel were false. He was as dedicated to its support as ever; however, he was also concerned about the nation losing the information war with so much of the public on social media and the mainstream media being deceived by Hamas propaganda and lies about Israeli military conduct during the battle against the Hamas terror organization in Gaza.

That’s a problem for a small but not insignificant collection of voices on the far right.

They have joined forces with their counterparts on the left to attack Israel in a manner that is not only unfair and disconnected from the facts about the events in the Middle East, but also increasingly indistinguishable from antisemitism. Their demonization of Israel and attempts to delegitimize its right to defend itself against Islamist foes -- who are just as interested in waging a religious war on both the West and the United States -- is deeply hateful. But it is also no different from the arguments heard from the red-green coalition of Islamists and leftists that have sought to silence, intimidate and target Jews for violence on the streets of American cities and college campuses in the last two years.

Related articles:  “Kirk Cameron Has Done Wonderful Things For The Gospel But He Is Greatly Mistaken About Israel” (Olivier Melnick, Harbinger's Daily)

“Be Careful, Church: The ‘Theological’ Arguments Against Israel Are Shamefully Wrong” (Robert Gottselig, Harbinger’s Daily)

“J’accuse: Britain's political and cultural establishment has blood on its hands today” (Melanie Phillips, Substack)

“God’s Character And Unchanging Word Dismantle The Lie Of Replacement Theology” (Josh Davis, Harbinger’s Daily)

2) “No Service for Jesus Is Small” (Stephen Witmer, Desiring God)

From the article -- The word for serve in verse 31 refers to attending, caring for, and helping others, including waiting on them at table. Simon’s mother-in-law is probably bringing bread, refilling cups, wiping crumbs, clearing dishes. Her service is ordinary. She’s not painting a masterpiece to honor Jesus, or building a cathedral for him, or composing a song to be performed by a two-hundred-member choir. Her service is more ordinary than that. She herself is an ordinary person. In fact, she’s not even named in the story — instead, she’s identified by means of her relationship with her famous son-in-law (Simon). Moreover, she’s performing her humble service in a humble town: the fishing village of Capernaum, which had perhaps fifteen hundred residents.

So, her service for Jesus is not an extraordinary effort by a famous person in a famous place. It’s not Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, or a Charles Spurgeon sermon. It’s just a no-name woman in a no-name place putting bread on a table.

And yet it gets a mention in the Bible. “She began to serve them.” Mark considers her service worth including. We still read about it two thousand years later. It matters greatly. Why? To understand, let’s draw two implications from this passage for our own service to others.

3) In the Number Three slot this week, I’m going to draw your attention not only to one of my favorite sources, but also to one of the best, most perceptive, and most relevant writers for that publication. The website is The Washington Stand, a terrific service provided by the Family Research Council. And the writer I’m showcasing? Sarah Holliday. Here you go...

“Half of American Adults Reject the Bible. Christian, Here’s What that Means for You” (Sarah Holliday, Washington Stand)

“Meat vs. Sugar: The Need for Healthy, Strong Churches amid Increased Attendance” (Sarah Holliday, Washington Stand)

“Pro-Lifers Slam FDA’s ‘Reckless’ Move to Quietly Expand Abortion Pill Access” (Sarah Holliday, Washington Stand)

4) “Laugh All You Want, The Rapture Is Not Escapism Or Fantasy...It’s Biblical” (Greg Laurie, Harbinger’s Daily)

From the article -- Here’s why this isn’t just a fun theological parlor game: the Rapture gives hope. Paul calls it the “blessed hope.” When you’ve buried a loved one, you don’t need vague talk about them being “in a better place.” You need the solid promise that in one split second, you’ll be with them again. Parents reunited with children. Husbands with wives. Brothers and sisters together again. And at the center of it all—Jesus Christ Himself.

And it does more than comfort grief. It motivates godliness. If you really believe Jesus could return at any moment, maybe don’t binge sin like it’s Netflix. You wouldn’t invite your best friend into a house piled with dirty laundry and Taco Bell wrappers. Don’t greet your Savior that way either. You want to be ready—walking with Him, keeping your spiritual house in order.

Of course, there’s always the circus clowns with their calendars: “88 Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988!” They were wrong, just like every other date-setter before or since. Jesus made it pretty clear: “No one knows the day or the hour.” Which, funnily enough, includes you, me, and that guy on YouTube with the chart and the whiteboard. The Rapture isn’t about prediction—it’s about preparation.

Excellent articles related to this provocative and very important topic? 

“Those Who Reject The Rapture, Tribulation, Or Millennial Kingdom Perform A Great Disservice To The Body Of Christ” (Jonathan Brentner, Harbinger’s Daily)

“Examining Motivations: Why The Rapture’s Timing Truly Makes A Difference In The Christian Life” (Josh Davis, Harbinger’s Daily)

5) “Pope Leo XIV Defends Pro-Abortion Dem Senator, Says Those Opposed to Illegal Immigration Are Not ‘Pro-Life’” (Michael Schwarz, Western Journal)

From the article -- In a video posted to YouTube on Tuesday, a reporter from the Catholic television network EWTN asked Pope Leo XIV to help people of faith understand a decision by Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, to honor pro-abortion Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, to which the pope delivered a hideous, hypocritical reply.

On its face, the first part of the pontiff’s answer had some merit. “I think that it’s very important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during, if I’m not mistaken, 40 years of service in the United States Senate,” the pope said.

What came next, however, was downright appalling. “I understand the difficulty and the tensions,” he continued. “But I think, as I myself have spoken in the past, it’s important to look at many issues that are related to what is the teaching of the church.” In other words, the pontiff suggested that “many issues,” alone or combined, might involve moral truths that match or exceed that of an innocent life’s sanctity. What issues did he have in mind?

“Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion,’ but says, ‘I’m in favor of the death penalty,’ is not really pro-life,” the pope tragically insisted. “So,” he added, “someone who says that ‘I’m against abortion, but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”

Ugh.

As one would expect, conservative Catholics on the social media platform X rejected the pope’s claim of moral relativism. Moreover, they cited not their own preferences but the writings of past popes and theologians.

Other Important Reads of the Week:

* “The NFL’s Cultural Catechism: Bad Bunny and the War on Tradition” (Virgil Walker, Sola Veritas)

* “The Courage to Stand Alone in an Age of Cowards” (Maureen Steele, American Greatness)

* “From the League of Nations to the United Nations to Trump Global?” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

* “Docs Knew Gender Science Was ‘Shoddy,’ But Pushed Chemical Sex Changes On Kids Anyway” (Megan Brock, Daily Caller)

* “Chirping for Chesimard”(Scott Johnson, Power Line)

The Top 5 Plus (September 27)

1) “Why the right is flocking to Christianity” (Joanna Williams, spiked!)

From the article --  A week earlier, I walked with similarly huge crowds of people on the Unite the Kingdom march in London. The same combination of politics and religion was also a feature of that event. Unlike any other demonstration I have attended, this rally kicked off with gospel singers and an evangelical preacher. Some of those marching carried cardboard crucifixes along with English flags. Chants of ‘Christ is King’ could be heard.

On both sides of the Atlantic, there is talk of a Christian revival as lapsed or non-believers find faith in God, leading some to ask if America is undergoing another ‘Great Awakening’. I suspect not everyone brandishing a ‘Turn Back to God’ placard at the Unite the Kingdom rally turned up at church the following morning. However, research for the Bible Society suggests that church attendance in Britain is indeed on the increase, particularly among Gen Z men.

Among cosplayers and believers alike, there is something distinctive about the form of Christianity that is being embraced today. If a revival is underway, it is as far from cross-legged, guitar-strumming, ‘Kumbaya’ Christianity as it is possible to be. Notably, the Bible Society reports that the increase in church attendance in Britain has not benefitted Anglican communities. Young converts are looking to Pentecostal or Catholic denominations. In the UK, as in America, the type of Christianity that seems to be in demand today combines traditional values with evangelical fervour.

2) “No Matter What People Call It, The Land Never Was And Never Will Be ‘Palestine’” (Olivier Melnick, Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- 

This year marks the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and while there are many parts of the world that could benefit from a genuine global organization that claims to be “the one place on Earth where all the world’s nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity” the United Nations are obsessed with demonizing and delegitimizing Israel. So much so, that since 2015, it has passed 301 resolutions against Israel and 192 against the rest of the world, including some countries such as North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Russia, China, Syria, and others. The double standards are so obvious, but nobody seems to care. The bias and one-sidedness are sickening!

Officially, the Palestinian Liberation Organization declared the establishment of the State of Palestine in 1988. This happened under the leadership of Yasser Arafat, who, incidentally, was born in 1929 in Cairo, Egypt, not “Palestine.” Ever since, more countries have officially recognized Palestine as a bona fide state. 151 out of the 193 nations part of the United Nations have now taken sides against Israel by recognizing Palestine. This year, the UK, France, Belgium, Portugal, Australia, Malta, and Canada will join ranks.

3) “Something Stirs in Post-Christendom” (Mark Steyn, Steyn Online)

From the article --  Last week I observed that there was a critical difference between recent events in the New World and Old:

"In Europe, the people who want you dead are the imported barbarians - the rapists and beheaders loosed upon the land by madmen like Merkel and Johnson. In the US, as we have learned this past week, the people who want you dead are your fellow Americans controlling the commanding heights of your society - the schools, the hospitals, the mainline churches..."

What they share in common, however, is that both threats are pseudo-religious in nature. Islam is a hideously false religion, which is why, where e'r it goes violence follows and calm comes only when Mohammed is king on a field of corpses. There is little contemplation of the divine: In accord with its founder's earthly inclinations, paradise is a brothel staffed only by virgins. Practically speaking, it is a political project masquerading as a religion, which is mighty convenient because, if you submit a municipal planning application for a new mosque, you're treated as if you wish to build a Congregational church.

But the psychotrannies and other American predators have their pseudo-religions too. Some worship Gaia, some repurpose "the world's oldest hatred" as unbounded love for fashionable victim groups: On Saturday night in my own state of New Hampshire, several hours south of me on the Massachusetts border, a man went to dinner at a "country club" in Nashua and was gunned down in front of his mother, wife and daughter by a killer entirely unknown to him but who yelled as he did the deed "Free Palestine!" That's a very un-Granite State kind of murder. The deceased wasn't Charlie Kirk; he was just a guy who installed heating and air conditioning, and lived in a state with a very low homicide rate. But in the New America he's dead because he went out for dinner on a Saturday night.

4) “Cut Tucker Loose” (Scott Johnson, Power Line)

From the article -- 

The point is that Carlson is not fooling anyone anymore—not those on his side and not those on ours. But without the sponsorship of senior figures in the administration, he would be a lone crank podcasting into the void. Thus far, Carlson’s sponsors have been content to ignore his relentless attacks on their colleagues, their policies, their boss, and large swathes of their base. We suspect they hope that Carlson will spontaneously come to his senses, and that the problem will somehow solve itself without them having to do anything uncomfortable.

It won’t. Indeed, all evidence thus far suggests the opposite: that the more Carlson gets away with, the worse he gets. His sponsors can own that—and everything that comes with allying with an anti-Trump subversive whose stock-in-trade is using conspiracies about the Jews to foment civil war on the right—or they can cut him loose. There are no options beyond those two. And it is Carlson, not his critics, who is forcing them to choose.

Also see related article: “Netanyahu Responds Directly to Tucker Carlson, Says He Defends America’s ‘Worst Enemies’” (Alex Griffing, Mediaite)

5) “Leftist Violence Stems from a Hatred of God-Given Reality” (S.A. McCarthy, Washington Stand)

From the article -- The inescapable truth is that leftists do not see you as human. You may have the face of a man and the arms and legs and beating heart of a man, you may walk and talk like a man, but you have made yourself sub-human in their eyes. The reason for this is a failure or refusal to adhere to reality, and the tell-tale signs are the labels leftists use.

Reality is ordained and sustained by God and rooted in Him. Leftism, as a branch of naturalism, seeks to usurp the throne of God and subjugate reality not to His will but to one’s own will. It is the sin of Satan, the sin of Adam and Eve, and the root of nearly all sin ever since, both great and small, it is a rejection of the imitation of Christ and a direct inversion of His example. Where Christ poured out His own blood, the leftist sheds the blood of others. Where Christ prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will,” the leftist declares, “As I will, not as You will.” The animating spirit of leftism is a desire to reorder reality, to subjugate reality beneath the leftist’s feet, and to become God.

This naturalist animating spirit can be seen in leftism’s social and political aims: abortion reorders the procreative reality of sex by killing the child; homosexuality also reorders the procreative reality of sex by removing the possibility of procreation; transgenderism reorders the reality of biology through the use of dangerous drugs and horrifying mutilative surgeries. Of course, none of these things actually alters reality: a mother who kills her unborn child is still a mother, but she is now one who has killed her own child; a marriage is still a union between one man and one woman, no matter how many lawsuits a homosexual-identifying individual files; and a biological man is still a man even though he slices off his own sex organs and replaces them with reshaped forearm flesh. It is all to no avail.

Also see related articles: “While Media Denied Leftist Violence After Kirk Murder, Three More Left-Wing Attacks Happened” (Breccan F. Thies, Federalist)...”Charlie Kirk and the Left’s Memory Police” (Mark Judge, Hot Air)

Other excellent reads from the week:

* “Jabber About Jabs: The Vaccine Debate” (Francis Turner, Substack)

* “Hero at 11: The Boy Who Stopped a School Shooting - and Got Expelled for It” (Eli Shepherd, Red State)

* “UK Gets a Muslim Terrorist Counterterrorism Minister”

(Daniel Greenfield, Gatestone Institute)

* “The United States Has Spent $110 Billion on AIDS Prevention. 

Less Than Half of the Money Went to Medical Supplies and Health Workers, 

a State Department Audit Found.” (Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon)

* “Trump Promises American Global Leadership: 7 Themes from His UN Speech” (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand) 

* “Why Do So Many European Leaders Now Seem Proud To Side With Hamas?” (Mick Hume, The European Conservative)

* “The Scandalous Case of Cardinal Cupich and Senator Durbin” 

(Jayd Henricks, Catholic World Report)

 * “God’s Character And Unchanging Word Dismantle 

The Lie Of Replacement Theology” (Josh Davis, Harbinger's Daily)

* “You Can’t Make This Up: The Insane Reasons Criminal 

Migrants Stay in the UK” (Niklas Hallén, The European Conservative)

* "The Possessed: Assassination mysteries and the dynamics of political murder." (Lloyd Billingsley, Front Page Magazine)

Tournier on God’s Presence in All Vocations

“The valuable thing is to see our job as the task which God has entrusted to us, and to accomplish it in that spirit, allowing ourselves to be guided by Him. The valuable thing is to see our jobs, as well as all our other activities, as an adventure directed by God. In religious circles people have gotten into the habit of restricting the idea of vocation to the call of the ministry in the church or perhaps to a medical or teaching career. This tendency clearly indicates the distinction we make in our minds between the things of the Spirit and secular things.

For the fulfillment of His purpose God needs more than priests, bishops, pastors, and missionaries. He needs mechanics and chemists, gardeners and street sweepers, dressmakers and cooks, tradesmen, physicians, philosophers, judges, and shorthand typists. “My brethren,” writes St. James, “show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” (James 2:1) Having a vocation means approaching everything one does in a spirit of vocation, looking upon it as an adventure shared with God. “In all toil there is profit” (Proverbs 14:23) or, as Calvin put it, in his pungent style, “there can be no work, however vile or sorted, that does not glisten before God, and is not right precious, provided that in it we serve our vocation...Every man in his place ought to deem that his estate is, as it were, a station assigned him by God.

I do not serve God only in the brief moments during which I am taking part in a religious service, or reading the Bible, or saying my prayers, or talking about Him in some book I am writing, or discussing the meaning of life with a patient or a friend. I serve him quite as much when I am giving a patient an injection, or lancing an abscess, or writing a prescription, or giving a piece of good advice. Or again, I serve Him quite as much when I am reading the newspaper, traveling, laughing at a joke, or soldering a joint in an electric wire. I serve him by taking an interest in everything, because He is interested in everything, because He has created everything and has put me in His creation so that I may participate in it fully.” (Paul Tournier, The Adventure of Living, page 209-10)

See also -- Tournier on Work as a Divine Gift (& Calling)

The Top 5 Plus (September 20)

1) “Anyone Who Blames ‘Both Sides’ After Charlie Kirk’s Murder Is A Liar And Coward” (Peachy Keenan, Federalist)

 From the article -- Why are Bothsiders wasting time blaming the right after a vicious murder committed by a leftist? Shouldn’t they be vociferously defending the innocent? The answer is that they’re cowards. They are too scared to call out Democrats for creating, supporting, and ignoring the evil that has taken root in their party.

Instead of courageously calling out their friends, colleagues, coworkers, and media allies, these pathetic Republican Bothsiders will spout long lists of examples of “right-wing political violence.” This allows them to avoid doing what has to be done: laying bare the left’s deep hatred of conservatives that has been allowed to fester for decade after decade. 

By insisting that “both sides” are guilty of violence, they are giving the vicious left a way out. It’s a lifeline — a magical force field that immediately exonerates them. Democrats can then neatly avoid having to address the malevolent violence and hatred in so many of their voters. When it’s “both sides,” you get to escape accountability. When it’s “both sides,” the guilty get to escape a hard look in the mirror.

Related article: “Away With the Absurdity That the Left and the Right Are Equally Vicious” (Robert Gagnon, American Spectator)

2) “The Depth Of America’s Political And Moral Divide Is On Full Display” (Tom Gilbreath, Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- The shooting of Charlie Kirk was especially difficult because, while only one person pulled the trigger, millions rejoiced. That thought staggers the mind. Large numbers of Americans were positively overjoyed by the gruesome murder.

In Matthew 12:34, Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” If we go by the words we find on social media, we must conclude that hearts have grown dark and evil across the land. While leaders on the left rightly condemned the violence, the hidden and anonymous among us felt no such constraints. They could say what they felt — bare their dark hearts to the world.

Because it allows a high degree of anonymity, the internet has always been a place for people to vent ugly, uncaring, mean, and wicked feelings. When people hide behind usernames, they’re more willing to reveal their inner selves. And it’s not pretty.

I don’t mean to imply that every liberal was cruel and inappropriate. Certainly not. Many expressed condolences despite their political differences with Charlie Kirk. Me reading through various comments on Facebook and X hardly qualifies as a scientific study, but there seemed to be far more trolls than peacemakers — more vitriol than civility. 

Related articles: “The Age of Spiritual Warfare Is Here. Will You Rise or Fall? America’s descent into demonic politics.” (John MacGhlionn, American Spectator)...“The capture of the campuses is diabolical” (Sean Walsh, TCW)...“Our National Response Must Focus on Foundations, Not Retribution” (Tony Perkins, Washington Stand)

3) “Open season against the Jews: The West’s attack on Israel can only be explained by its assault on its own core values and identity.” (Melanie Phillips, JNS)

From the article -- All bets are off. Clearly, there’s no limit to the world’s attempt to defame, delegitimize and destroy Israel, signaling through this incitement an implicit but unmistakable indication that it’s now open season on Jews wherever they are.

The chants of “Globalize the intifada” and the Arabic cry threatening to slaughter the Jews just as Mohammed did in Khyber in the seventh century C.E. no longer merely represent troubling activist behavior on the West’s pro-Gaza demonstrations. Unbelievably, the so-called civilized world is sending out implicit signals that attacking Jews, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, is morally justified.

This weekend, Britain’s Starmer government is said to be planning to recognize a state of Palestine. This is in advance of a move led by France, and also including Australia and Canada, to recognize Palestine unconditionally, scheduled to take place at a meeting next week of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City...

By its own lights, Palestine recognition is utterly ridiculous. A state can’t be wished into being by others who merely want it to exist. “Palestine,” moreover, has no boundaries or any coherent government. Recognition of this fantasy state is a cynical move whose purpose is to isolate Israel in world opinion and to create a Potemkin international diplomatic structure to put Israel on a course of destruction.

Related article: “Soul Corruption: Tucker, Candace & Steve” (Roger Simon)

4) “Queer Terror: The violence towards conservatives may be part of a broader terror network.” (Martin Arostegui, American Spectator)

From the article -- The FBI is investigating leads indicating that the assassin of conservative leader Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus last week forms part of a far-left terrorist network that could have connections with Cuba and China.

His violent radicalization in Marxist transgender ideology fits a pattern of recent attacks across the country linked to an outcrop of groups such as Armed Queers (AQ), which recruit online, engage in paramilitary training at gun ranges of a new organization with chapters in all 50 states called Socialist Rifle Association, and seem closely tied with ANTIFA.

Current investigations are focusing on the AQ Salt Lake City chapter, which held a 2024 protest event in the city’s suburb where Kirk’s assassin, Tyler Robinson, was shacked up with a lover transitioning from male to female. The AQ-SLC logo was inscribed on shell casings found at Robinson’s sniper position. The group has scrubbed all its social media postings since his arrest. 

Analyst Tony Seruga, through sources in the FBI, says that federal investigators, based on GPS data, believe that there could have been at least a dozen other individuals involved in Kirk’s assassination, which appears to be the latest and most serious in a series of hits by AQ and other far-left terror cells using high-powered weapons and military type tactics.

5) “Living in One Big Nuthouse” (James Banakis, John Kass News)

From the article -- The common theme of the Democratic Party is the inclusion of all minorities no matter how small or insignificant. Beginning under Obama, they carried a huge umbrella of identity politics, that included almost everyone except white men.  The common thread was that all minorities were being exploited, and that the Democratic party would be their protectors. The problem of course was that the Democrats had no policy to lift the minorities  out of their perceived misery.

Why?

Because they need a permanent underclass. They need what Lenin referred to as “useful idiots,” referring to followers of the Russian Revolution who in fact had no idea what they were supporting, and were willing to be dupes of tyrants. If you believe Zohran Momdani has some good ideas, or that the Clinton Foundation is an instrument to eliminate poverty in the world, you just might be a “useful idiot.”

The connecting thread is the victomhood of all minority classes. Once the oppressed minorities and those who feel guilty that all the unfairness in the world is their fault wake up and understand they’re the “useful idiots,” they start leaving the plantation.

Other outstanding articles for the weekend --

* “The forgotten Trump assassination attempt” (Byron York, Washington Examiner)

* “Furries Are Having a Dangerous Cultural Moment: The blurred line between deviant fantasy and reality has destabilized our youth.” (Anne Hendershott, American Spectator) 

* “Asymmetry” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Gov. Cox Has Spent Years Embracing The ‘Trans’ Ideology That Corrupted Charlie Kirk’s Killer: As Utah governor, Cox has regularly embraced transgenderism and its accompanying delusions.” (Shawn Fleetwood, Federalist)

* “Why Is the Media Downplaying the Annunciation Shooter’s Motive: Transgenderism and anti-Catholicism drove the recent killing in Minneapolis.” (Christopher F. Rufo, Ryan Thorpe, City Journal)

And Another Month of "When Swing Was King" Closes

There's always a hint of sadness when we present the last of each month's showings
of "When Swing Was King." We do, after all, really cherish the songs and the photographs and even the stories and trivia items I recount for our audiences...and so we know we will miss them. And today we closed September's schedule with shows #10 and #11 -- first at Newport this morning and then at Brookstone Village late this afternoon.

However, ending this month's show means we will soon get started on the next gathering of 12 terrific songs, the next collection of 220-250 photos, and the next batch of interesting and fun information to please our friends in the senior living facilities. What a rich blessing God gave us (and so many others) when he gave us "When Swing Was King.

Tournier on Work as a Divine Gift (& Calling)

Many people imagine that the biblical view of work is that it is a curse, a punishment imposed by God upon man after his proud disobedience. This idea is in accord with the pejorative interpretation of work and helps to maintain its currency; but it is quite false. As I have pointed out, work was instituted by God before the fall and is presented to man as an adventure, a sharing in the divine activity....

So work, which before the fall was a pure and lovely adventure, is turned into wearisome toil --  not as a result of the spirit of adventure itself but because of its wrong use: man wished to conduct his adventure on his own, in his own way, instead of entering into God’s adventure. From then on the burden of toil weighs upon him, and takes on the form of slavery, and often is a crushing and fruitless effort. Man comes to curse his labour, forgetting its true meeting -- that it is an adventure to which God and His goodness has called him....

The fact is that despite the fall, despite all men’s disobedience, work still preserves, in part at least, and by God’s grace, the significance He gave it. It is a gift from God, like life itself. (Paul Tournier, The Adventure of Living, pages 74,75)

The Top 5 Plus (September 13)

As might be expected, several of the articles I’m recommending from this past week deal with 1) the assassination of Charlie Kirk and 2) the murder of Iryna Zarutska, the abhorrent absurdities involved in the murderer’s being anywhere other than prison, and the subsequent media treatment (more to the point, the lack thereof) of the horror. 

1) 4 Reflections on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)

Also note: “Charlie Kirk’s assassination is latest evidence that US is suffering an epidemic of leftist violence” (Miranda Devine, New York Post)...”The Left Has Never Been Held Accountable For Political Violence -- And That Must Change” (Mark Hemingway, Federalist)...”European Parliament snubs request for Charlie Kirk minute of silence after assassination” (Emma Bussey, Fox News)...”Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Is a Turning Point for America” (Rob Wasinger, American Greatness)...”After Charlie Kirk’s Murder, There Can Be No More Both-Sides-ism” (Elle Purnell, Federalist)...”House Democrats Object to Prayer for Charlie Kirk’s Family” (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)

2) “The Unspeakable Evil Progressives Have Unleashed Strikes in Charlotte” (Beege Welborn, Hot Air)

Also on this critical matter, see: “From Rabble-Rousing to Rabble Snoozing: Journalists do whatever the narrative requires at the moment, but does it still work?” (Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Substack)...“The Image That Killed the Democrats in 2026 and Beyond” (Athena Thorne, PJ Media)...“The Charlotte Stabbing Didn’t Fit The Media’s Preferred Narrative, So They Buried It” (M.D. Kittle, Federalist)...“A Woman Is Murdered, And The Media Rush To Defend Democrats By Calling It ‘Political’” (Eddie Scarry, Federalist)

3) “Trump-Era Task Force Exposes Widespread Anti-Christian Bias Under Biden Administration” (Sarah Arnold, Town Hall)

From the article -- Among the most glaring examples are the Department of Defense and other agencies' routine denials of religious exemptions to Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, despite constitutional protections and federal law allowing such requests. These denials continued until the U.S. Supreme Court halted the mandate following a legal challenge from The Daily Wire.

Other incidents include the Department of Education’s aggressive actions against Christian universities, including steep fines against Liberty University and Grand Canyon University. The Department of the Treasury, meanwhile, has been accused of “de-banking” Christian and conservative non-profits, raising red flags about financial discrimination based on ideology.

The report also blasts the Biden Justice Department for its lopsided enforcement of the FACE Act, a law intended to protect both abortion clinics and religious institutions. Under Biden, the law was used almost exclusively to prosecute pro-life activists—some of whom were non-violent and elderly—while dozens of churches and pregnancy centers were vandalized or firebombed with little federal response.

4) “As Persecution of Free Speech Widens in the West, Believers Must Stand Firm” (Kathy Athearn, Washington Stand)

From the article -- Finally, Farage brought to light two famous cases which reveal the devasting effects that the so-called Online Safety Act has had on individuals and families in the United Kingdom: Linehan’s case and that of Lucy Connelly. “[Connelly] put out an intemperate tweet after the savage murder of … three beautiful young girls: she, herself, a mother who had lost a child. It was intemperate. It was wrong, but she removed it three and a half hours later. Sentenced to 31 months in prison, she’s now out, having served 40% of the time.”

Farage pointed out that the comedian who was arrested last week, Linehan, isn’t even a British citizen — he’s Irish. Therefore, what happened to him could happen to any American who goes to England and has posted things online that the British government doesn’t like. He cautioned, “This legislation we’ve got will damage trade between our countries, threaten free speech across the West. … So I’ve come today as well to be a claxon to say to you: don’t allow piece by piece this to happen here in America. And you would be doing us and yourselves and all freedom-loving people a favor if your politicians and your businesses said to the British government, ‘You’ve simply got this wrong.’”

5) “Girls Are Getting More Credentialed But Less Educated” (Meg Marie Johnson, Federalist)

From the article -- Much of the media marketed to women is morally and intellectually depraved. While the most popular podcasts for men, such as The Joe Rogan Experience and The Art of Manliness, delve into philosophical and cultural issues, the most popular podcasts for women, such as Call Her Daddy and My Favorite Murder, focus on debased gossip and gnarly true crime. Dating shows are incredibly vacuous, and rom-coms tend to be vapid and crass. Self-proclaimed smut is the reigning genre in women’s literature. Instagram and TikTok are often mediums for women to seek attention for their bodies rather than their hearts and minds. 

It brings to mind Mary Wollstonecraft’s lamentations that women in 18th-century Europe were raised to be brainless ornaments. Yes, women are more credentialed than they have ever been, but are they being truly educated? Oddly enough, women have more schooling opportunities than ever before, but many girls are still raised to be empty-headed and vain. 

While women are more secularly educated than they ever have been, sadly, the education of the heart and mind has widely been neglected. Women are trained for careers but not intellectually or morally nourished. We live in a day when “many are schooled but few are [truly] educated.” Women’s minds are not being cultivated for holier and higher things. 

Other recommended reads from this week?

*  “When The Education System Denigrates Faith, Morality, And Families, They Reap What They Sow” (Tom Gilbreath, Harbinger's Daily)  

* “Agnostic Cofounder of Wikipedia Converts to Traditional Anglicanism” (Jules Gomes, The Stream)

* “Three More Examples of Why You Don’t Hate Media Nearly Enough” (Duane Patterson, Hot Air)

* “12th Grade Reading and Math Scores Hit 20-Year Low” (John Nolte, Breitbart)

* “After Facing Backlash, ‘Christian’ TV Personalities Double Down On LGBT Promotion With New Game Show” (Addison Smith, Harbinger's Daily)

The Latest Vital Signs Newsletter

Because our August schedule was so full of eventful ministry, this month’s letter is a straightforward newsletter. 

And it's right here.

Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!

Well, it was just about this time in 1902 that Sir James Damery came to 221B Baker Street in London to consult the great detective Sherlock Holmes about what Dr. Watson eventually described as “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client.” Ah yes, it’s one of the most provocative cases in Holmes' long and illustrious career. And with the September chill in the air this morning, I recalled that exciting case and remembered an item I decided upon a couple of weeks ago; namely, to provide in a Vital Signs Blog post the links to all four compilations I made many years ago featuring quotations from the marvelous Sherlock Holmes series. Any fan of the great sleuth will find them of interest...and value. So here they are, all four lists of “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!”

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume One.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Two.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Three.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Four.)

The Top 5 Plus (September 6)

1) Violent Attacks Against Christians Increase As Global Media Turns A Blind Eye (Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- Those speaking out against these atrocities are concerned over the lack of coverage by prominent news sources and attention from political leaders around the world. Some have attributed the removal of nations, such as Nigeria, from the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) and lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria as global measures that would have otherwise kept pressure on entities that severely violate international religious freedom.  

As many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are persecuted, driven underground, and even martyred for a faith that some take for granted, continue to pray that the joy of the Lord is their strength, that they would continue to shine their light to the lost even under such intense pressure, and that peace would come to their land.

2) Federal And State Law Enforcers Must Tackle Deadly Abortion Drug Cartel (Kristan Hawkins and Kristi Stone Hamrick, Federalist)

From the article -- From the article -- Aid Access, an international pill pusher headed by Rebecca Gomperts, claims to have profited from more than 200,000 U.S. abortions since 2018. From July 2023 to August 2024, 84 percent of chemical abortion pills it sold went to states with limits on abortion, according to a recent report. That’s not an accident; it’s a business plan. 

Gomperts regularly preens in the media about her deadly operation, pointing out her get-out-of-accountability-free card and telling reporters “I don’t care” about pro-life laws. “Where I work from, it’s legal to prescribe the medications. And so I’ll do that,” Gomperts told CBS.

3) The Persecution of Graham Linehan Should Terrify Us (Lauren Smith, The European Conservative)

From the article -- We can argue about proportionality or the lack thereof, but it’s impossible to talk about this awful display of totalitarianism without acknowledging that it is Linehan’s beliefs that are really being interrogated here. Yes, someone, somewhere found what he wrote offensive. But there is no real victim in this case. Rather, it is an opportunity for the state to flex its censorious muscles. Linehan wrote on Substack that, during his run-in with the law, he was quizzed about his views on “trans people.” When Linehan asked the copper what exactly he meant by that term, he said: “People who feel their gender is different than what was assigned at birth.” Linehan, very correctly, pushed back against the phrase “assigned at birth,” pointing out that it was activist language. The officer brushed this aside as “semantics,” but it’s clear that this is what Linehan’s persecution has been about—the fact that he refuses to say the magic words “transwomen are women.”

All this becomes even more absurd when you consider the fact that what Linehan believes is not some fringe, extremist position. It is a view held by the majority of normal people. Most Brits don’t want men in women’s bathrooms, prisons, or hospital wards. It’s even a belief that is, theoretically, backed up by law. Have we forgotten that, in April, the UK Supreme Court ruled that gender is defined by biology, for the purposes of the Equality Act (2010)? And that gender-critical views should—again, theoretically—be a protected belief under that same act? No matter the many, many flaws of the Supreme Court and the Equality Act, this is still the law. So why is it that it seems to be applied so selectively? 

4) Trump Astride at Seven Months: Seven months in, Trump has curbed illegal immigration, steadied the economy, and scored foreign policy wins -- while Democrats flounder without a counteragenda. (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)

From the article -- Many of the left’s cherished totems—massive Green New Deal subsidies, the diversity/equity/inclusion industry, biological males competing in women’s sports, and the USAID revolving door—are either comatose or in their death throes. The historic drop-off in military recruitment reversed shortly after Trump took office. Republican voter registration is up, and Democratic registration is down. Abroad, Trump finds remarkable successes.

5) The Choice: Trump or Obama -- MAGA influencers who attack Israel, Jews, and Trump’s Iran policy are fighting for the former president’s policies and allies—and his program of national euthanasia. (Lee Smith, Tablet)

From the article -- MAGA influencer attacks on Israel and pro-Israel activism have become so commonplace that even Megyn Kelly, a longtime supporter of Israel, has joined in piling on Israel. During her interview with Greene, she empathized with the congresswoman’s fearful exasperation after having to reject several offers of all-expenses-paid AIPAC trips to the Holy Land. “I’m looking at Israel in a different way right now than I was on Oct. 8,” Kelly said, concurring with Greene. “And I can feel the pressure being slightly ratcheted up.” Greene told Kelly that “Israel is the only country I know of that has some sort of incredible influence and control over nearly every single one of my colleagues.”

She was lying. D.C. insiders like Greene and Kelly know that Washington’s pro-China lobby runs nonstop congressional delegations to the People’s Republic, where they’re wined and dined by Communist Party officials. The pro-China lobby can afford to stuff Americans with a bottomless buffet of Peking duck and moo shu pork because it is extraordinarily wealthy, thanks largely to the huge trade surplus China runs with the United States, which since China’s 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization amounts to many trillions of U.S. dollars. The pro-China lobby’s enormous budget dwarves the pro-Israel lobby, allowing it to exert enormous influence over Congress. 

Other important reads for this weekend:

* Trump Should Take Down The American Medical Association’s Licensing Grift (Rachel Bovard, Federalist)

* An alternative universe: Hamas’s war against civilization pivots on its war against the Western and Israeli mind. (Melanie Phillips, JNS)

* Christians must unite against the evil Starmer stands for (John Hale, TCW)

* Transgender Mass Murderers: The Drugs and Demons That Drive Them -- Drugs, hormones, ideology, and the devil make for a deadly cocktail. (Melissa Mackenzie, American Spectator)

* Anonymous Federal Judges Go To War Against the Supreme Court: These people are not judges, they're operatives. (Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Mag)

Our 10 Favorite Literary Characters

It's our last night in the Colorado mountains (this time around) and after an eventful day that included an early morning work session at the coffee shop in Dillon, a vigorous and gorgeous hike near Keystone, a scare regarding our car's engine light on the way to Copper Mountain, a late lunch at the Empire Grill in Breckenridge, and more, we played a literature game on the balcony of our condo rental as we watched the sunset over the mountains.

It's a very simple game -- name your Ten Favorite Characters from Literature. And yes, we allowed a little liberty, as in accepting a "company" of characters from a particular work. Here are the lists we came up with. How about you?

Claire's Ten -- in no particular order:

* Aslan, Peter, Lucy, Edmund from The Chronicles of Narnia.

* Samwise Gangee, Frodo Baggins, and Aragon (Strider) from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

* Fr. Timothy Kavanaugh from the Jan Karon series of novels.

* Miss Ella Bishop from Miss Bishop by Bess Streeter Aldrich.

* John Sidney Howard from The Pied Piper by Nevil Shute.

* Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.

* Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

* Winnie the Pooh and his many friends from the books by A.A. Milne.

* Bishop Myriel from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

* Sherlock Holmes from the stories and novels by Arthur Conan Doyle.

And my list? Well, I agreed with Claire's selections of Sherlock Holmes, Fr. Tim Kavanaugh, Ebenezer Scrooge, Winnie the Pooh and friends, and the characters from The Lord of the Rings. The only point of clarification I would add is that my list read "Ebenezer Scrooge...or whoever is the protagonist from the Charles Dickens novel I'm reading at the time!"

But the differences? My list included...

* Ratty, Badger, Mole, and Mr. Toad from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

* D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis from several novels by Alexandre Dumas.

* Horatio Hornblower from the series of novels by C.S. Forester.

* Atreyu from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.

* Travis McGee from the series of novels by John D. MacDonald.

The Top 5 Plus (August 30)

1) “Facing up to Black Crime in America: We owe it to every victim, in every community, to stop
pretending reality doesn’t exist. Truth isn’t racist. Statistics aren’t bigoted.” (John MacGhlionn, American Spectator)

From the article -- It’s time to face a simple truth: discussing black-on-white crime isn’t racism. It’s reality, and reality doesn’t bend to our feelings or our carefully crafted fairytales. Black-on-white crime exists. In fact, according to National Crime Victimization Survey, blacks commit 85 percent of all non-lethal interracial violence between blacks and whites.

Let me be absolutely clear. This isn’t about defending one race or condemning another. It’s about the lives of Americans — black, white, and every shade between — who are left to live with the consequences. Crime that cuts across every racial line exists. If we treat the problem as taboo, we stay silent while the damage spreads.

The numbers tell a story that makes many people deeply uncomfortable. Violent crime is not evenly distributed across America. Certain communities commit violent offenses at rates dramatically higher than others. The standard deflections don’t hold water anymore.

2) “The British Aren’t Coming!-- The decline and fall of the non-American Anglosphere.” (Ronald Dodson, The American Mind)

From the article -- The flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, still “new” in naval terms, is visiting Rosyth—not to assert British naval prestige but to begin maintenance. Commissioned in 2017, the ship had already spent most of 2025 under repair after corrosion was found in its propeller shaft. Now, despite recent $4.3 billion refits, it’s once more out of action for further upgrades and inaccessible-system inspections, pushing its availability deeper into the future.

Three thousand miles to the west, a Canadian-born civilian sits on her living room couch, contemplating her approaching death. She isn’t terminally ill, but the state won’t provide the medical home care she needs. Canada has promised health care via socialized medicine, but it will instead administer a lethal injection within days. This is the regime of MAID, Canada’s euphemistically termed Medical Assistance In Dying legislation that legalized assisted suicide in 2016. This “choice” is presented as a compassionate right. However, in practice it underscores a disquieting fact: the machinery of death is more functional than that of living care.

These two scenes, thousands of miles apart, are sewn with the same thread: governance through surrender—be it in defense, health care, or the stories the state tells. In both countries there’s a clear willingness to cede the capacity to preserve life, the life of a polity or of a person, in favor of an easier, cleaner exit.

The non-American Anglosphere, from Ottawa to Wellington, is drifting into a post-sovereign condition. Their governments still perform the ceremonies of independence, but in their essential duties of defense, stewardship of demographic cohesion, and protection of vulnerable citizens, they have begun to relinquish the will to endure.

3) “Yes,the whole world is wrong about Israel: Even some who say they don’t hate theJewish state yet rely only on the mainstream media for news think that theremust be some truth to the ‘genocide’ blood libel. Challenging it isn’t easy.” (Jonathan S. Tobin, JNS)

From the article -- After all, if you’ve grown up believing that what you’ve read in The New York Times, watched on CNN or heard while listening to NPR is true, then why question the assumptions about what’s been happening in the conflict that are treated as accepted facts in those outlets and others like them? And even if you are willing to question individual stories that are largely the product of Hamas propaganda and spread by so-called journalists working in territory controlled by those Islamist terrorists, the sheer volume of reporting that bolsters these claims has established a baseline concerning assumptions about the war. Those who consider themselves fair-minded and not prejudiced in their opinions about Israel have long since accepted the idea that where there is so much smoke about Israeli misconduct, there must be fire.

In this way, the belief that the primary, if not sole, cause of suffering in Gaza is an unjustified and heartless war policy pursued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu becomes not merely a pro-Hamas talking point but conventional wisdom accepted by those on the political left and even in the center, where legacy liberal media outlets still have considerable influence.

4) “AmericaTakes a Stand for the Rights of Western Christians” (Jonathon Van Maren, European Conservative)

From the article -- There has, predictably, been much criticism of the Trump administration’s advocacy for prosecuted pro-lifers; indeed, it is extraordinary for an elderly pro-life woman to hear that the government of the world’s reigning superpower is interested in her case and that the “United States stands” with her, especially when so few others will.

But it is common practice for governments to advocate for persecuted dissidents in other countries; progressive regimes have been especially interested in defending LGBT activists. What is uncommon is that a U.S. administration is taking interest in the rights of persecuted and prosecuted Christians in the West. Even though Christians are now a minority in the UK while LGBT activists still cosplay as victims, the progressive establishment narrative still treats traditional Christians as dominant oppressors and their reigning ideological opponents as the underdog.

America’s interest in the actual underdog reveals the much-denied reality and forces profoundly uncomfortable questions for the ruling classes—and it is about time, too.

5) “The Evil Idea That Has Taken Over the Woke Right: The coming of ‘critical religiontheory’” (Josh Appel, Commentary)

From the article -- However, the evidence suggests that the new right-wing conspiracy culture is more than just anti-institutional—it is a new adaptation of an intellectual trend that has dominated the left for two generations. That trend is “critical theory”—the study of the supposedly hidden systems of power and oppression that shape society and must be exposed before being dismantled. Critical theory has found its most salient and powerful expression in the triumph of critical race theory, which posits that America was born in original sin in 1619 and still functions as a machine to suppress black people whose presence in the United States was a crime to begin with and whose problems are the result of a centuries-long criminal conspiracy against them.

The woke right has adapted this and created what I call critical religion theory. It holds that a small elite has hijacked Western civilization and actively used its power to manipulate the world against religion. For these thinkers, the danger isn’t the policy, but that the policy reflects an anti-religious force subverting their worldview, and the world itself, behind the scenes. This movement sees power as illegitimate and influence as suspect. Those in “power”—by which they mean having wealth and success—are clearly part of a group trying to influence the masses. The tools of subversion are money, drugs, movies, devil worship (literally), and sexual blackmail. If you disagree, it’s because you are in on it, too.

Other important reads for this week?

* “SenatorsAsk AG Bondi to Investigate Abortion Pill Manufacturers” (Daily Citizen via Harbinger's Daily)

* “Fourteen-Year-OldScottish Girl Arrested for Resisting Probable Assault by Migrants” ("Streiff," at Red State)

* “PleaseDeliver Us From the Poorly-Behaved Women...and the history they strive tocreate.” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)

* “Who's the Crazy Alert: Mental Health Form for Girls Who Think Boys in Their Bathroom is a Problem” (Beege Welborn, Hot Air)

* “Junkscience now dominates the reporting of the propaganda press” (Robert Zimmerman, Behind the Black)

Denny & Claire Join Nebraska Right to Life at the State Fair

Earlier this week, Claire and I enjoyed once again the opportunity to help out Nebraska Right to Life by manning their information booth at the State Fair in Grand Island. We took the Monday evening shift and the Tuesday morning opening shift and, as always, we were honored to partner with the excellent pro-life champions of NRL. And an added blessing this year was having friends join us for the outreach – Ralph & Carolyn Tate on Monday night and Virgil and Becky Patlan for the Tuesday morning shift. That was great. 

Among the highlights of these shifts were a lot of wonderful conversations with teenagers -- teenagers from Nebraska Christian School, from a community of special needs kids in Hastings, several musicians from a variety of the high school marching bands who were at the Fair that day, from a nearby high school which was using the Fair as a field trip, and more. 

But we also had plenty of profitable visits with adults, including people wanting the free fetal models we were offering, Christians who wanted to come by and thank us for being there at the Fair, a number of curious vendors who had booths in the building, a goodly number who agreed to sign our petition urging Congress to completely defund Planned Parenthood ASAP, and many casual conversations with people who were drawn by our pro-life information, video, fetal models…and our winsome selves!

Thank you, Father, for the opportunity to serve You and the cause of “the least of these” through this important outreach. And please protect, encourage, and use for Your wise purposes all who will be serving at the NRL booth for the rest of this year’s State Fair.

The Top 5 Plus (August 23)

1) “Sitting Ducks For Deception: Pastors, Have You Properly Equipped Your Congregations With A Biblical Worldview?” (Answers In Genesis/Harbinger's Daily)

From the article -- It is critical that you teach adults and youth in your church what a worldview is. For example, is there a God or not? If so, what is he like, and what is his relationship to the physical universe? What is the universe (an accident or purposefully created, infinite and eternal or not, etc.)? What is man (just an animal, unique from animals, related to God or not, basically good or inherently sinful, etc.)? Is there such a thing as absolute truth? Can we know truth, and if so, how can we know it? Is there right and wrong in an absolute sense, or is all morality a matter of opinion or majority vote?

Biblical Christianity answers these questions one way. The evolutionary view—which dominates our culture and public education and is humanistic and atheistic—answers these questions in a very different way. For the Christian, his or her answers should come from the Bible. Unfortunately, as the studies noted above show, many people in the church live their daily lives unconscious of the fact that they are actually influenced by the evolutionary humanist worldview more than they are by the worldview they profess to believe at church. So we must inform people about what a worldview is and how it affects our decisions and relationships.

2) “Topple Your Woke Idols: A modest proposal for healthy American assimilation.” (James Hankins, American Mind)

From the article -- In place of Christianity, public schools in the 20th century taught the civil religion of America. The chief doctrines of this quasi-religion were equality under the law; freedom of speech and religion; respect for God (a monotheistic but non-denominational God to be sure); respect for pillars of public order like the police, the churches, and the courts; and gratitude to those who had sacrificed themselves to preserve American freedom for future generations. Immigrants were encouraged to participate in our common American culture, especially in sports and music. For most of the 20th century, the public schools were egalitarian and public-spirited. They helped integrate waves of immigrants from all over the world into a common American culture and shared political values. With prodding from the Supreme Court, public schools were careful for over 60 years to exclude religious instruction entirely, but without, for the most part, adopting policies that were openly antagonistic to Americans’ faith traditions.

Since the 1960s, however, the public schools and other cultural institutions, public and private, have embraced a new religious faith: that of multiculturalism. Hollywood, of course, has been celebrating diversity for decades, casting its ghastly gaslight on our common life and history with ever-increasing detachment from reality. By now, after half a century, the lumpen Left have completely internalized the faith’s assumptions so that multiculturalism, with its subordinate dogmas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is understood simply as Moral, its opposite Immoral. Even more insidiously, traditional love of country has become “cringe,” the opposite of “cool.”

3) “We Need to Rethink AI Before It Destroys What It Means to Be Human -- AI is on track to erase human purpose, replacing work, struggle, and growth with machines—if we don’t slam the brakes, real life itself is at risk.” (Jeff Dornik, American Greatness)

From the article -- At last year’s We, Robot event, Musk unveiled Tesla’s new self-driving robotaxi. But what caught my attention was their preview of Optimus, the AI-powered humanoid robot. In their promotional video, Tesla showed Optimus babysitting children, teaching in schools, and even serving as a doctor. Combine that with Tesla’s fully automated Hollywood diner concept, where Optimus is flipping burgers and even working as a waiter and bartender, and you begin to see the real aim. Automation is replacing human connection, service, and care.

So where do humans fit in? That is the terrifying part. Musk and Bill Gates have both pitched the idea of universal basic income to replace traditional employment that AI is going to replace. Musk has said there will come a point where no job is needed. You can have a job if you want one for personal satisfaction, but AI will do everything. Gates has proposed taxing robot labor to fund people who no longer work.

The reality is that work is more than a paycheck. It is not just how we survive; it is how we find purpose. It is how we grow, how we learn, and how we take responsibility. Struggle is not a flaw in the system; it is part of what makes us human. The daily grind, the failures, the perseverance, the sense of accomplishment. Strip all of that away, and you have stripped away humanity.

4) “The New Allure of Positive Eugenics” (Chuck Donovan, Washington Stand)

From the article -- Eugenics, of course, has a well-earned bad name. It reached its first zenith in the Third Reich, but its origins date decades earlier with the arrival of inheritance studies and the findings of Darwinism, particularly the work of Sir Francis Galton, a gifted polymath whose contributions to measuring and understanding science were varied and substantial. The best account of the history of eugenics, in both its positive and negative forms, is that of Edwin Black, published in 2004. “War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race” is meticulously detailed and lays out the many ways in which scholars and social leaders in the West, including Europe, drove the Nazi campaign to weed out people the government was convinced were a drag on human accomplishment.

The new American voices for eugenics are politic enough that they do not openly speak of destroying embryos that are not up to snuff, whether that be compromised physical health, predictions of future diseases, or inferences of lower IQ. They do rely on techniques like IVF and embryo genetic testing that rely on identifying the “best” embryos and selecting them for implantation and gestation. The rest are presumably set aside, forgotten, discarded, or donated for research. What is most enlightening in Elinson’s article is how robust and advanced the “Silicon Values” genomics industry already is.

5) “Pro-Life Quotations? We Got a Bunch of 'Em!” (Vital Signs Blog, Denny Hartford)

From the article -- “The hairsplitting difference between formed and unformed makes no difference to us.  Whoever deliberately commits abortion is subject to the penalty for homicide.” (Saint Basil)

“When we consider that women are treated as property it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.” (Pioneer feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton)

“It seems to me as clear as daylight that abortion would be a crime.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

“Abortion does not kill a potential human person, it kills a human person with great potential.” (Anonymous)

“The best decision I ever made was keeping my baby.” (Poet Maya Angelou)

“The Bible makes it clear that God sees the unborn infant not as a piece of superfluous biological tissue, but as a person created by Him for life.” (Billy Graham)

“Abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun.” (1963 pamphlet by Planned Parenthood)

Other excellent reading for this week:

* “What America First Says to the World: We remain the beacon of ordered liberty for all mankind.” (Kristen Ziccarelli and Joshua Treviño, American Mind)

* “Report: Left-Wing Bureaucracies Are Quietly Subverting Red State Governance” (Shawn Fleetwood, Federalist)

* “The Cost of Conformity: Study Reveals 88% of Students Feel Compelled to Adopt Progressive Facade” (Sarah Holliday, Washington Stand)

* “How Does Planned Parenthood Treat Pregnant Women Who Don’t Want Abortions? Answer: Not very well.” (Sarah Terzo, NRL)

* “The Lucy Connolly scandal reveals the folly of policing hatred: If we do not want a repeat of this authoritarian farce, we need to take an axe to our hate-speech laws.” (Tom Slater, spiked!)

* “Education and Wealth Trump All Identity Politics: Under Trump, we stand a chance of returning to our Constitution.” (Bruce Thornton, Front Page Magazine)