Church in Melbourne

DJOKOVIC VERSUS AUSTRALIA: Who Won the Match?

January 20, 2022 Kameel Majdali

Novak Djokovic, the world’s number one tennis player according to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), winner of twenty grand slams of which nine were in Australia alone, and on track to be the world’s greatest male tennis champion of all time, returned to his native Serbia. He will not be playing in the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne, as planned. His visa was cancelled and his appeal to the Australian High Court failed. He was immediately deported afterwards and barred from returning to Australia for three years. The reason? Various violations of Australia’s coronavirus restrictions, including his vaccination status.

His short-term future and ability to play in other upcoming tournaments in France and America are uncertain, and for the same reasons. The champion’s visa drama commanded world attention. Netflix has announced that a documentary will be forthcoming on this story.

Covid-19 is a real public health threat and has already done much harm to global health and the economy. Yet, an additional harm is also present: the divisiveness of the entire issue. People are divided over the virus itself, the world government’s responses, lockdowns, monitoring of citizens’ movements, covid camps, mass protests and reported police brutality. The vaccine is particularly contentious with even families and churches divided over Covid.

In focusing on Djokovic and his deportation from Australia, please note that this is not as simple and straightforward as it seems. Indeed, there are complications. Vigorous disagreement persists over the rightness and wrongness of Australia’s decision to deport the world’s number one tennis player … and this is in a country known for its fervent love of sport.

So, after this state of affairs: are there any winners?

Australia, like other countries (e.g. Israel), require foreign visitors to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Djokovic applied for an exemption due to his having had Covid and thus probable natural immunity. The exemption was granted and he arrived in Australia.

He admitted to making mistakes, which did not help his case with Australian authorities. After testing positive for Covid in December 2021, he was reported to be engaged in public activities – distanced and masked – rather than staying at home to isolate. His Australian arrival card had a false statement or statements, which is a ‘No-No’ in any country. People can, in theory, go to prison for this. Djokovic was detained and housed in a detention hotel.

For those who aren’t familiar with Australia, there are some important things to keep in mind:

UNIQUE COUNTRY: Australia is the world’s only island continent with unique flora and fauna. Introduction of forbidden items or people can be problematic for the nation. Its has developed a robust border force/customs agency to protect the country; they are strict but fair to incoming passengers, whether citizens or visitors.

EGALITARIAN: Australian society is very casual and egalitarian. People want and expect to be treated fairly and don’t tolerate the notion of a privileged class getting advantages over the rest.

LOCKDOWN FATIGUE: Australians have been subject to some of the strictest Covid rules with lengthy snap lockdowns, vaccine requirements, monitoring of movements, quarantine camps, masks everywhere, and closure of borders between states. No question: Australians are tired of the whole Covid thing and bristle at the notion that a famous outsider does not have to abide by the same rules they have been subject to for nearly two years.

Without going into detail, the main point is that Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke is given wide discretionary power. Section 133C (3) of the Migration Act, gives the Immigration Minister broad powers to cancel a visa if it is ‘in the public’s interest.’

What does the phrase ‘in the public’s interest’ really mean?

The ‘public interest:’ In the minister’s own words, Mr. Hawke said “Despite my acceptance above that Mr. Djokovic’s recent infection with COVID-19 means that he is at a negligible risk of infection and therefore presents a negligible risk to those around him, I am concerned that his presence in Australia, given his well-known stance on vaccination, creates a risk of strengthening the anti-vaccination sentiment of a minority of the Australian community.”

In other words, Hawke believed that Djokovic, who in his mind represents the ‘anti-vaxxers’ (which has become a pejorative term) and his high profile presence at the Australia Open, might stir up further anti-vax sentiments. That’s despite the fact that Djokovic is not an activist. This could lead to more protests and rallies which could spread Covid even further. That’s his explanation of the ‘public interest.’

So who won, Djokovic or Australia? On the surface, it appears the answer is not Djokovic; certainly not in the short-term. He came to the land ‘down under’ in vain. He incurred a lot of legal costs (not that money is a problem for him). His goal of becoming the greatest male tennis player of all time is at risk. Yet, Djokovic received a hero’s welcome when he returned to Serbia. He is a proven sporting champion and no one can take that from him. When pursuing a goal, the only time you ‘lose’ is if and when you give up. The road to success is not the absence of failure. Persevere and triumph.

Did Australia ‘win’ in this instance? Apparently Hawke’s visa cancellation and deportation of Djokovic are politically popular – up to 70% of Australians polled agreed with the minister’s decision. With an uphill federal election in a few months time, this can help. The logic: why should Djokovic be given a pass when the average Australian has complied and sacrificed during the pandemic? Australia has rules and everyone is expected to keep them. In their minds, Djokovic disobeyed the rules and got what he deserved. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Australians sacrificed much in order to protect the nation from Covid. They have a right to protect those efforts. Morrison cited Australia’s desire for ‘strong borders’ and ‘rule of law’ as justification for the deportation.

Yet let’s consider the following questions:

Will the strong governmental response to the pandemic, with the suspension of normal democratic freedoms, be only temporary?

Will the ‘emergency powers’ granted to some state premiers be repealed when the pandemic has passed?

Will the divisions in home, church, and society, particularly between the ‘vaxxed’ and ‘unvaxxed,’ cease?

Will Australians heed the call of New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet to show ‘kindness and respect’ to our community, state, and nation?

Will Australia’s international reputation, already taking a beating before the Djokovic drama, be restored to a popular and friendly democratic nation?

If we can answer ‘Yes’ to all these questions, then Australia is sure to wins. Otherwise, its loss will be far greater than anything Djokovic has experienced.

Australia is a sovereign country which rightly can determine its immigration rules – no question about it. Yet if the deportation of Novak Djokovic was more about pandemic politics rather than high-minded principle, then the land down under also loses this match. If this is the case, let’s pray the nation recovers its laudable ideals and prevails in the long-term tournament of history.

Otherwise, the only sure winner is Netflix.

(Photo courtesy of si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

2022 What to Watch Out For? (Yes, There is Good News) – Part 01

As we assess what’s happening in 2022, we need some understanding of today and good news for tomorrow. Let’s face it: the years 2020 and 2021 were unprecedented, intense, and for many people, miserable. Lives and nations were turned upside down. The ‘old normal’ of 2019 seems like a distant memory. Yet before we examine the good news – in our final instalment, let’s see what we need to watch for in 2022 so that we might fulfil the Biblical injunction to ‘watch and pray’ (Matthew 26:41; Ephesians 6:18).

ELECTIONS IN 2022

The following countries have scheduled elections:

The United States: The eagerly anticipated mid-terms (meaning the president is not running for office but the Congress is seeking election or re-election) is scheduled for 8 November. The Republicans, known as the GOP (the red party), are predicted to win big in Congress. The House of Representatives will probably turn ‘red’ and the Senate, which is held by the Democrats (the blue party) by the slimmest majority, may flip as well.
Australia: A federal election is scheduled around May 2022. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to run for re-election. His Coalition government has been in power since 2013 but he is the third coalition prime minister after Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.
France: French President Emmanuel Macron seeks a second term but he will have an uphill battle; watch to see if France picks a centre right or even populist President in his place.
Hungary: Viktor Orban is the nationalist populist ‘right wing’ Prime Minister and is running for re-election. Leader of the Fidesz Party, Orban has been in power since 2010. He is a leader of the ‘new Europe’ (former communist bloc countries of Europe during the Cold War) that rejects the increasingly leftist, progressivist pathway of the European Union. Urban and other nationalist populists put the emphasis on nation, family, religion, custom, and traditions. In an attempt to bolster fertility, the Hungarian government offers total exemption from income taxes for life if a family has four or more children.
Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro 65, dubbed ‘Trump of the Tropics,’ is running for re-election against former leftist president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, known as ‘Lula,’ age 76. He was recently released from prison for corruption, having had his conviction quashed. If Lula wins, it will be a most remarkable political comeback.
Other countries having elections include South Korea, The Philippines, and some key African countries.

THE UNITED KINGDOM

First, the 6th of February 2022 marks the seventieth anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II. The United Kingdom and Commonwealth will celebrate her platinum jubilee throughout the year. As of that date, she will be the fourth longest serving monarch in history (e.g. Louis XIV reigned for seventy-two years).

In the general election of December 2019, the Conservative (Tory) Party, led by Boris Johnson, won a stunning eighty seat majority. After two hard years of Covid, lockdown and protests, that victory is a distant memory. Lockdown-defying Christmas parties, the historic loss a once super-safe Tory seat and the resignation of his Brexit minster Lord David Frost, are causing the Tories to look for a new leader, albeit covertly. Possible candidates are the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Minister Liz Truss. Despite scandals and plummeting approval ratings, Boris is an intelligent, clever, ‘Houdini-like’ figure and it would be foolish to count him out at this juncture.

THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

This needs a lot of care and prayer. Government spending during the pandemic has gone through the roof and inflation is a real worry. There is the rise of crypto currencies which charts an unknown course – riches or ruin. Then there is the ballooning national debt. Australia’s in 2015 was 635 billion. The United States is much worse – in the trillions.

Just to give you an idea of what a trillion dollars looks like – it’s a million dollars a million times. Or, think of the year 722 BC (2 Kings 17), when the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and deported the Israelites throughout the empire. Imagine paying $1,000 a day, every single day without fail, from that year and for the next 2,744 years until now: you would barely pass one trillion dollars. America’s national debt is hovering around 30 trillion!

THE CULTURE WAR

This term describes the decades long cultural conflict in America and the western world between cultural Marxists and their secular progressive and globalist allies versus libertarians, conservatives, and traditional values patriots (faith, family and freedom). It has recently boiled over into sensational ‘cancel culture,’ ‘wokery,’ and even riots in some place.

Wokery is increasingly showing traits of a religion.

Will there be a strong populist pushback against the inroads of the Cultural Marxism in 2022? Watch and pray.

Next time, we will look at China, the American presidency, Covid-19, global hotspots, and a special section on the Middle East. The ‘good news’ is also on the list.

TO BE CONTINUED

Has Australia Gone Covid-Mad? Part 03 – How to Respond

So far we have looked at the heavy-handed approach by Australia’s state and territory governments in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. Their tactics have gained international attention and censure. Melbourne has been singled out for the most onerous (snap) lockdowns in the world. ‘Quarantine camps’ have sprung up in Northern Territory and Queensland, with more planned elsewhere. The visa cancellation of world tennis champion Novak Djokovic in Melbourne also brought renewed attention to the land ‘down under.’ Vaccine mandates have divided family, society, and even churches. It is no exaggeration to say that normal checks and balances of a parliamentary democracy have been challenged during this crisis.

In Part 02 we looked at some of the reasons for Australia’s Covid-response, including progressivism, hunger for power by some, isolationism, culture war fallout, apathy, media, and irrationality, which has been shown elsewhere.

In this third and final part, we ask a simple question:

What can we as normal citizens do?
Not Just in Australia but the Western World?

If you value a return to democracy and normalcy, please consider:

Pray for leaders: This is the most important thing and is a clear Biblical command. Start with prayer for the prime minister and the state premiers. (or the president and state governors in the United States). Ask God to bless, protect, prosper, grant them wisdom and peace. Also, to restrain and reverse any actions that are undemocratic and harmful to society. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says it succinctly: “pray without ceasing.”
Speak up: Leaders and concerned citizens should lift up their voices against the creeping tyranny and injustice, no matter how well-intentioned. This is a time for courage, not cowardice. Lawful protests are one way to do it.
Parliamentary democracy: If your jurisdiction is under decree by leaders or bureaucrats, rather by the parliament, then demand a return to the ‘rule of law’ and ‘parliamentary democracy.’ Democratically elected parliaments are the law-makers of the land.

Emergency powers: Some leaders have receive wide-ranging executive powers that upset the balance of power in the government, which protects democracy. These emergency powers are meant to be temporary, with a sunset clause. If they aren’t, they must be pointed out and repealed.
The facts, please: Insist on true, verifiable facts, not slogans, when it comes to how lethal Covid-19 is, and all other related issues, like the vaccine, lockdowns, quarantine camps.
Regarding the Vaccine: We do not publicly encourage nor discourage vaccines; ultimately, it should be a personal choice. The issue is coercive mandates. You can be ‘pro-vaccine’ yet ‘anti-mandates.’ For example, The Daily Wire conservative media service with Ben Shapiro has taken a pro-vaccine stance, yet has taken successful legal action against the current US administration over its vaccine mandates for private businesses. It is important to make such a distinction. As a free people, every individual should be able to make an informed decision about this issue, to ‘vax or not to vax.’ Forcing people against their will to get vaccinated and causing them to leave their jobs is inconsistent with a democratic society. This is not a ‘pro’ or ‘anti’ vaccine stance; it is a ‘pro-freedom’ position.

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Federal intervention as a last resort: State and local governments, whether in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, are sovereign and can rightly resist federal encroachment and overreach. The federal government, under normal circumstances, must respect state’s rights. Yet, when a state is acting in a prolonged anti-constitutional, anti-democratic and/or dangerous fashion, or in a manner that causes risk to the nation, the federal Constitution and its freedoms must be enforced. However, unlike America, Australia has no ‘Bill of Rights’ and, as of this writing, no religious freedom protection bill (though a religious discrimination bill is on the parliament’s table). Until now, these codified rights seemed nice but not necessary. Well, the times have changed. Prudence decrees that we look into this situation, and remedy it, before an even worse abuse of power comes in the future.

A Biblical Response: Be Balanced

We should all respect governing authorities – even if we did not vote for them – as Romans 13:1-7 requires. Pray for them, as commanded in 1 Timothy 2:1-4. This also includes the police: let’s be grateful for their protection, service, and sacrifice. We should not support any ‘defund the police’ movement nor legislation that favours criminals at the expense of society (euphemistically called ‘law reform’ in the United States).

At the same time, our cooperation with earthly authorities is not absolute. Acts 5:29 tells us “we ought to obey God rather than man.” The apostle Peter uttered these words in response to the Jewish high priest – his religious leader – who commanded the apostles not to teach or preach in the Name of Jesus. Compliance to this command was not an option, especially since a higher authority commanded “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” Mark 16:15.

In the United States and elsewhere, some churches chose to conduct worship services anyway because they believed it was God’s will, quoting Hebrews 10:24-25. Pastor, if the government says that you cannot have in-person church services or prohibits unvaccinated people from attending your church, what will you do? Only you can decide so be lead by the Holy Spirit. And if another pastor or another church makes a decision you don’t agree with, remember to demonstrate Christian charity towards them during these difficult times. Colossians 3:14: And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. We don’t need division in the household of faith during a pandemic.

Yes, these are very challenging times but never forget: crisis is the womb of God-given opportunity. Pass the test, and God will enlarge your place (Psalm 4:1).

The Son of Man: Why Study the Gospel of Luke? Part 01

INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

The Gospel of Luke is an invaluable part of the Holy Bible. It was written originally for a single man named Theophilus (1:3), who was also the honoured recipient of the Book of Acts (1:1). Luke the beloved physician is an impeccable historian who seeks to convey – and he does so successfully – that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, is the perfect Man. He was specifically targeting Gentiles, who with their ancient humanism/hellenism focused on the ideal man. Jesus is more than ideal, he is the Biblical ‘Son of Man,’ His favourite title for Himself. Luke’s Gospel has stories and named individuals found no where else. An in-depth study of this great Gospel, either alone or in a small group, will greatly enrich you.

GREEK NAME OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: Kata Loukon

AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Luke’s name appears three times in the New Testament (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24). He is known as the ‘beloved physician.’ He is the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. The Gospel of Luke is the longest book in the New Testament. Both Luke plus Acts total twenty-eight percent of the New Testament. Luke wrote 2,158 verses of Scripture while Paul wrote 2,033.

Luke’s authorship of these two Bible books is not disputed, however, his ethnicity is. There is anecdotal evidence that he was a Gentile. If so, Luke would be the only Gentile author of the entire Bible. The options are simple: either Luke was a Hellenistic Jew from Antioch or he was a Jewish-friendly, Gentile-follower of Jesus.

So what is the evidence of Luke the Gentile? First, his Roman named is Lucanus. Second, in Colossians 4:10-14, there are two lists of men: the first list has three men who are “among the circumcision,” meaning they are Jews. Luke’s name is sandwiched in the second list which is, by implication, not of the circumcision, in other words, Gentile. Third, Luke’s Greek language abilities were superb and yet he refers “to their own language” (Acts 1:19), when speaking about local Jerusalemite Jews, as if to imply that he was not of them.

While we cannot be one-hundred percent sure if Luke was a Gentile or Jew, what we do know is that the beloved physician gave us two priceless and indispensable books of the New Testament. In the end, Luke’s ethnicity is not the burning issue: after all, the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are the ‘Word of God’ for Jew and Gentile alike.

PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

To give an orderly, factual, compelling, credible, and wholly accurate account of the life and gospel of Jesus Christ. The recipient of his writing was ‘most excellent Theophilus’ (lover of God), an obscure man of high status of whom we know absolutely nothing about. Until the Gospel of Luke was penned, the Gentile Church had no written account of the life of Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel was written for the Jews and Mark wrote his Gospel for the church at Rome. The fact that the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3 goes all the way back to Adam is one of the signs that this Gospel account had Gentiles in mind.

As far as reaching the Gentiles is concerned, Luke achieved his objectives spectacularly. For example, in our day, the ‘Jesus Film’ based on the Gospel of Luke has brought millions of people to faith in Christ.

PORTRAIT OF CHRIST IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

(1:32) Son of the Highest; Son of David (Christ’s heavenly and earthly fathers are named in this verse)
(1:69) The Horn of Salvation
(1:78) The Dayspring
(2:11) Christ the Lord, Saviour
(2:25) The Consolation of Israel
(2:30) Salvation
(4:34) Jesus of Nazareth, Holy One of God
(6:5) Lord of the Sabbath

THEME OF THE BOOK OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

To present to the Greeks and the world the Perfect Man, Perfect Messiah, Perfect Saviour. The Hellenists respected strength, wisdom, natural and inner beauty. Jesus was perfect, even as a twelve year old, speaking to the wise men at the Jerusalem temple. With the carpenter’s son from Nazareth, the reader of Luke’s Gospel gets a perfect picture of strength, compassion, inspiring humility, a man who works with his hands, receives outcasts, cares for women and children, and can even show manly emotion.

KEY VERSES OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

‘For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost’ (19:10)

TIMING OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

It is probable that the Gospel of Luke and Book of Acts were written before 70 AD, when Jerusalem fell to the Romans and Herod’s magnificent temple was destroyed. These events are not mentioned at all in Luke’s writing. As a great historian, they would have been included had these books been written later. Some sources date Luke’s Gospel around 60-63 AD.

TO BE CONTINUED

The Ninth Commandment: Winning the Battle for Truth – Part 04 Summary and Review

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour — Exodus 20:16

A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies – Proverbs 14:5

We have been examining – from several angles – the ninth commandment, which prohibits lying and false witness. Here in the fourth and final part of our series, we provide a summary of the challenge and opportunity that the battle for truth brings.

One of the key features of the last days leading up to the return of Jesus Christ to planet earth, and the establishment of His kingdom, is the issue of truth. When asked by key disciples at a special briefing about the signs of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus’ very first words were these: … “Take heed that no man deceive you” — Matthew 24:4.

Here’s an insight for last days living: Cleave to the truth as you would life itself, while simultaneously rejecting deception.

One of the greatest dangers we face in our world, especially today, is the war on truth. False ideologies have spread the notion that all truth is ‘relative:’ You have ‘your truth,’ I have ‘my truth,’ all truths are ‘equally valid’ and no one’s truth is superior to another. Inherent in this notion is that truth comes from within and then moves outward. This teaching can be distilled in some of the following ideas:

We are told we live in a ‘post-truth age;’ feelings and perceptions have replaced verifiable facts.

Truth is relative; there are no absolutes (definition: absolute truth applies to all people and all times);

The results of this mindset has led to confusion, dysfunction, proliferation of lying, mendacity, spin, half-truths, fake news, and perjury;

Of special concern is false witness, which is a serious violation of the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16; 23:1); it can destroy reputations and lives.

Worse than any pandemic, (re)newed and virulent strains of falsehood are rampant. We already learned about disinformation campaigns, gaslighting, and double-speak; 2 Timothy 3:13: But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. Deceivers end up becoming the most deceived of all.

People are becoming more experienced at lying, and are doing so convincingly;

When presented with true, irrefutable facts – the truth – the post-truth person rejects it in favour of their favoured narrative; they love the lie while rejecting the real thing.

Danger: No civilisation can continue to stand if it is built on continuous and unrelenting falsehood. Remember the price Ananias and Sapphire paid when the lied to the holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). The eternal consequences of lying are dire beyond words (Revelation 21:8; 22:5).

It is not that lying is anything new. It has been around since the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. What is new is the expansion of lying across the board, including a spirit of deception and strong delusion.

Paul reiterates this exact warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, also in the context of last days. Heeding the words and ways of deception are more than an inconvenience; they can be deadly. The apostle speaks of the coming of the ‘wicked one,’ also known to the world as ‘antichrist,’ ‘man of sin,’ and ‘son of perdition’ (and many more titles). He comes with ‘signs and lying wonders.’ People who rejected the ‘love of the truth’ will embrace the ‘deception of unrighteousness.’ Without repentance and saving faith, this leads to a state of spiritual and eternal death.

Here is an important admonition: the devil and his minions are working overtime to lie, deny, and deceive. Yet, God commands us to avoid being deceived (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Should we fall for the lie, it is we who will be held responsible – not the devil – particularly because we have been exposed to God’s truth and He expects us to use it.

Deception leads to condemnation and death; believing truth leads to salvation and life. No wonder Psalm 91 describes God’s truth as a ‘shield’ and ‘buckler’ (Psalm 91:4). God’s secret place, which is the subject of this psalm, is a sanctuary of His enduring truth.

With lying and falsehood proliferating on an industrial scale, we need a Holy Spirit pushback, aided by our full cooperation. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth (John 16:13).

It takes courage to be a person of truth; any coward can lie. In the coming revival, expect a recovery of the majesty of truth – God’s truth. Then people will discover that truth does not come from within our warped unregenerate perceptions; it comes from outside, namely, from God.

The living God is the source of all truth. He will never lie to us. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” – Numbers 23:19 and “… it is impossible for God to lie…” Hebrews 6:18. Three times in Romans we find the phrase “the truth of God” (Romans 1:25; 3:7; 15:8).

So if you are sincerely looking for truth, you need go no further than the Lord God Almighty. He has bestowed His truth into three sources: Christ (John 14:6); the Holy Spirit (John 16:13); and the Word of God (John 17:17). In the meantime, value truth as you would value life itself and teach others likewise. The coming revival will be the rediscovery of God’s truth and when it comes, we will all be better because of it.

Fear Not: Truth will prevail.

(NOTE: We will soon have a look at the tenth commandment and its prohibition against covetousness

LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM THE KYLE RITTENHOUSE TRIAL

The persistent narrative: A seventeen year old ’white supremacist,’ ‘gun-mad,’ ‘active shooter,’ ‘mass shooter,’ ‘vigilante,’ and ‘white terrorist,’ was driven by his mother across state lines. Using an illegal AR-15, he violently intervened in a ‘fiery but mostly peaceful’ Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He wantonly killed two innocent black BLM supporters, that, indeed, was his purpose all along. The youth went to trial, was acquitted, thus proving yet again ‘white privilege’ and ‘racial inequality’ continue unabated in ‘systemically racist’ America.

The young man in question was Kyle Rittenhouse from Antioch, Illinois. For fifteen months, the above narrative was the continual drumbeat of the mainstream media and Democratic party. Presidential candidate Joe Biden had a campaign ad, narrated by Chris Wallace of Fox News, attacking President Donald Trump as a supporter of ‘white supremacists.’ It featured a photo of Rittenhouse with the gun, thus implying he was one.

With all the negative press, what really happened in Kenosha, Wisconsin on the night of 25 August 2020, which propelled Rittenhouse into international prominence?

Deceased Blacks: No! The two men who were killed by Rittenhouse, Joseph Rosenbaum 36 and Anthony Huber, 26, were both white. The third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, was injured by Rittenhouse but survived and he, too, is white.
Crossing state lines: Antioch Illinois is only thirty-two kilometres from Kenosha. Rittenhouse did not ‘cross state lines’ with his AR-17 on that fateful night. His job and close relatives were in Kenosha. The gun itself was safely housed in the city – not brought in from Antioch.
Illegal gun: No! Under Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse was allowed to have the AR-17.
Pretext for Rioting – Jacob Blake: Did Rittenhouse come to confront a peaceful protest? No way. Kenosha was having a full blown riot and the pretext was the arrest and injury of a black man named Jacob Blake two nights before. Blake, an accused rapist, accosted a woman. Then he pulled a knife, tried to steal a vehicle with children inside, and resisted arrest. The police shot him. Investigations at the local and federal level examined the circumstances and concluded that the police shooting of Blake was justified. It had nothing to do with racism or police brutality. Yet, the media painted a picture of Blake being ‘unarmed’ and shot for no apparent reason, thus spawning the riots. The next night, rioters ran amok, creating mass damage and burning businesses to the ground. Price tag of the riots: $50 million in damage, more than half of Kenosha’s annual budget. Rittenhouse showed up the night after. Remember, America’s 2020 ‘summer of love’ was actually the ‘summer of George Floyd/BLM’ riots across the nation which killed eighteen people and caused $2 billion in damage.
Another lie: Jacob Blake was killed by the police – No, he is still alive though paralysed by his injuries
Rittenhouse Activities before the Shooting: Contrary to the notion that Rittenhouse, the ‘white supremacist,’ came to Kenosha to shoot peaceful BLM protestors, here’s the real story. He was already in Kenosha serving his shift as a life guard, where he was asked to clean off graffiti (there are photos to prove it). Rittenhouse was asked to stand guard and defend a man’s car dealership. The night before another dealership had one-hundred cars torched. Then, Kyle offered first aid to rioters. Finally, one of the rioters set fire to a dumpster and Rittenhouse tried to put it out. For some reason, the dousing of the dumpster fire triggered rioters; thus came Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz to harm Rittenhouse.
An important point: Had the Kenosha police been properly supported, and if Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers accepted President Trump’s offer to send in the National Guard (he refused), there would have been no need for citizens like Kyle Rittenhouse to guard the dealership or carry a gun. In the absence of law and order, vigilante justice becomes necessary. As imperfect as this is, it sure beats totally mindless anarchy.
‘Ready to Kill’ Rioters: It wasn’t just Rittenhouse who was armed; guns were in abundance among the rioters. Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz all tried to kill, or at least harm, Kyle. Rosenbaum shouted racist rants, threatened murder, and tried to grab his gun when he was fatally shot. Huber hit Rittenhouse with a skateboard before he was shot. Grosskreutz aimed his gun at Kyle, who fired first and hit his arm. All three men have a criminal record and Rittenhouse shot them in self-defence. There is ample high resolution video footage to prove it.
Racism: Even though Rittenhouse and his attackers, the prosecution, defence attorneys, and judge were all white, that did not stop the media and the Left from crying ‘racism.’ Any objective observer would conclude that race had nothing to do with it, considering the ‘whiteness’ of the main characters.
White Privilege: Regarding Rittenhouse’s ‘white privilege,’ remember that he turned himself into the police, was subject to nearly ninety days in jail before being bailed. Normally, clear evidence of self-defence would have closed the case without a trial. Yet Rittenhouse was forced to endure the most heinous campaign of insults, defamation and hatred from well-known elitists on a national scale. On top of that, he went through the glaring spotlight of a high profile trial. How many Americans of any colour had to experience what ‘white Rittenhouse’ did?

Kyle Rittenhouse: What was all the fuss? Why Does it Matter?

False narrative = False witness: The year 2020 was highly unstable, unpredictable, crisis-riddled, and subject to great shakings. The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns wreaked havoc in all areas of society. The death in Minneapolis of George Floyd in police custody triggered rioting and a crime wave across America. The goal of the political/cultural Left was to get rid of Donald Trump, no matter what the cost.  
One tactic was to paint Trump, and his supporters, as white extremists. Kyle Rittenhouse, a white, mid-western, all-American teenager, became the poster boy of this leftist narrative. His prominence was a media creation meant to destroy the Trump presidency, even if it meant damaging an innocent young man in the process. Observers have credited mainstream media, more than any other source, as being the catalyst for the narrative, riots, instability, and slander.

For five years, this service has sought to emphasise the exceedingly strident nature of the ‘culture war’ between traditional values conservatives and left-wing progressivism/cultural Marxists. Traditionalists believe in faith, family, freedom, and the nation state while progressives want a utopian globalist world order of equity, inclusivity, and diversity.

Many left-wing activists are antagonist to the Judaeo-Christian values that made the West great. These include parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, balance of powers, self-government, rule of law, presumption of innocence, trial by jury, equality under the law, human rights, industrial revolutions, and more. The year 2020 exacerbated this conflict with its riots, disputed presidential election, and radicalising of the leftist parties (e.g. Jeremy Corbin in the British Labor party and Bernie Sanders in the American Democratic party).

The problem with ‘narratives’ is that they can be totally disconnected with reality, have a low view of truth, and are willing to ruin others in the process of achieving their goals. Like an idol, the narrative is open to deception and delusion.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (ESV): “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (emphasis mine).

If these verses don’t accurately describe our day – with its fables, fiction, and fairly tales – then what does?

The trial and acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse leads us to some important takeaways.

Benefit of the trial: Under normal circumstances – with clear evidence of self-defence – the Rittenhouse case would never have gone to trial. But because of the persistent cries of ‘racism’ and ‘white supremacy,’ Kenosha prosecutors may have felt obliged to take young Kyle to court. Imagine the trauma an eighteen year old faced going to court with the potential sentence of life in prison. On top of that, the entire country was watching with leftist pundits mercilessly slamming him on a regular basis.

Yet, there was a silver lining: it was in the trial that the truth came out and it varied radically from the media-induced narrative. It gave opportunity to present evidence, including the all-important video footage. Also, a composite picture of the tragedy was assembled like a jigsaw puzzle, with both sides contributing their pieces.

Nothing is sacred: While adult white Christian males are the main target of Leftist scorn, this hatred spreads to others who don’t share their doctrine. Blacks, women, and other minorities who hold conservative views experience the same derision as white men. As we have seen in recent years, even teenagers are viciously attack for being on the wrong side of the culture war. This includes Rittenhouse, Nicholas Sandmann, and young Barron, who was frequently ridiculed for living in the White House and having the ‘offensive surname of Trump.’

Guns and self-defence: The American republic was founded by people, many of them God-fearing, who believed that the Lord grants sacred rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The government’s role is to secure and protect those sacred rights; it does not invent or bestow them. While non-Americans cannot understand the Constitution’s Second Amendment, that guarantees citizens the right to keep and bear arms, it’s simple: America’s founders believed that God gave the right of self-defence and the government cannot take it away.

People Power: Though Rittenhouse had powerful opponents in the political / cultural / media elite, his acquittal defeated them all. This included the citizen journalists that took the video footage which vindicated him. One astute commentator said starkly that it was these truth-seeking citizen journalists who ‘saved Rittenhouse.’

Also, his jurors were normal Americans who, like Judge Bruce Schroeder, were under tremendous pressure to render a ‘guilty’ verdict or risk violence. Yet, they still saw that Rittenhouse shot in self-defence, took courage, and unanimously acquitted him. Truth triumphed in the end.

The Master’s Example

‘Glutton,’ ‘drunkard,’ ‘deceiver,’ ‘has a demon,’ ‘born of fornication,’ ‘works with the prince of the devils,’ ‘friend of publicans and sinners.’ Kyle Rittenhouse, verbally and viciously attacked, was in good company. Jesus of Nazareth experienced exactly the same thing – and much worse. If you only listened to His opponents, you would conclude he was a vile individual.

Of course, unlike Rittenhouse, Jesus of Nazareth was denied the presumption of innocence, trial by jury, due process, and rule of law, even though the Romans were in charge. His judge, the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, knew he was innocent, he caved into the will of the mob and condemned Him to be executed. Jesus was crucified in the place of a proven robber and seditionist named Barabbas. His crime? King of the Jews.

Yet this most grotesque of injustices was allowed by Almighty God to fulfil the divine plan of world redemption. When the truth finally came out, we discover that Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God who came to this planet to save us from our sins.

1 Peter 2:23 (KJV): “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously”

We can debate whether we should own guns and exercise self-defence, but let us be clear that truth, justice, and God’s kingdom, will ultimately triumph in the end.

The Ninth Commandment 03: Winning the battle for Truth

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour — Exodus 20:16

The ninth commandment is not just a prohibition against lying and false witness; it is a manifesto on truth itself. In order to win the battle for truth, we also need to compare it with the different aspects of falsehood have infiltrated our language, culture, and society at large today.

So far, we learned about double-speak, spin, mendacity, and ‘smoke and mirrors.’ Here’s a few more tenets of falsehood:

Half-truth: An interesting and deadly variant of the virus of lies. One could be telling a story that is technically factual but the spirit behind it is evil. With half-truths, presentation of ‘facts’ is not given to shed light, as truth does, but to obscure it. For example, ’tell-all biographies’ may actually be reporting ‘facts’ but the question needs to be asked: Why are they telling us these things? Is it for the public good? Does it bring accountability? Does it shed light? Will it make our society better? Or is their real intention to embarrass, harass, or even destroy a public figure? If the latter, then it really should be labelled as a violation of the ninth commandment.

A good rule of thumb against half-truth: If the words are true but the spirit behind it is false, then it is wrong … no matter how accurate the wording may be. Remember, a positive (factual accuracy) and a negative (spirit of defamation and destruction) equals a negative. Only when the facts are true and the spirit behind them is good will you hear the truth.

A good example of ‘half truth,’ ‘right words, wrong spirit,’ was the girl with the spirit of divination in Acts 16. She followed Paul and Silas while declaring “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” There was no untruth in her statement; however, she kept following and harassing the apostles with this unwanted ‘commendation.’ Inspired by an evil spirit, her words were vexatious to Paul and the Holy Spirit; thus he cast out the spirit from her and she was set free (Acts 16:16-18).

Gaslighting: This is particularly insidious. It is a form of manipulation, often incessant, to cause a person to doubt their sanity, memory, perception and judgement. A good example was the 2005 movie called Flightplan, starring Jodie Foster. In the film Foster boarded a plane with her daughter, who simply vanished during the flight. The flight attendants and passengers all denied ever seeing the daughter on the flight. Her name was not even on the passenger list! Foster was about to go crazy, doubting her own sanity. Eventually, she found her daughter in the hold of the plane.

Post-Truth Age: An often used phrase that speaks of shaping public opinion from universal objective truth to personalised, subjective, and emotional truth. It fractures reality into tiny pieces.This is a recipe for societal destabilisation and anarchy.

Relativism: This is a hallmark of postmodernism. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines it as: “The doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.” Relativism can only be true if there were no timeless, universal truth that applies to all people at all times. From a Biblical perspective, we know that this notion is false. God’s truth is for all people, all time, all places.

Lying is the bedrock of evil; it is the devil’s mother tongue. The good news is that God’s truth – universal, enduring, liberating – is readily available. Through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God, you have access to the full gamut of divine universal eternal truth. Receive and retain His truth and you will be set free (John 8:32).

In our next article on the ninth commandment, we will listen to the prophetic warnings from Jesus and Paul.

TO BE CONTINUED

Are the Magi (Wise Men) Part of the Christmas Story?

It is a familiar and welcome scene during the Christmas season. Three men, with a star above them and camels beneath, rode from the East and came to visit the Christ child. In order to meet the new-born infant, they had to crowd into the ‘maternity barn’ full of shepherds and livestock. Many an olive wood nativity scene has replicated this setting millions of time.

This Christmas, we want to explore the story of the wise men and their divinely appointed visit with the young Jesus. While we are respectful of tradition, we are even more respectful regarding what is written in God’s Word.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him Matthew 2:1-3

Background: A little background information would be helpful. The land of Israel was under Persian and Hellenistic rule during the 400 year period between the end of the Old Testament (Malachi) and beginning of the New (Matthew).

Around 164 BC the Jewish people became autonomous under the Maccabee / Hasmoneans. Yet they were so disunited and prone to internal feuding that a century later Rome stepped in 63 BC to stop the squabbling. Once they took over, Rome would not leave. They appointed Herod as ‘King of the Jews’ around 40 BC.

At that time Judaea was invaded by the Parthians, predecessors to the modern Iranians. They were a chief rival to Rome and a thorn in its side. Judaea was a buffer state between the two enemies. Herod, newly-installed, had to flee to Alexandria until Rome retook the country in 37 BC.

It was at this point his reign began in earnest. Though he built the Jews the magnificent temple in Jerusalem – the one Jesus knew – they loathed their puppet king and would happily work with the Parthians or anyone else who would overthrow him.

Magi & Herod: Knowing these facts will help you understand Herod’s crazed reaction. The wise men, known as magoi in Greek, came from the East. The most likely place of origin was Persia / Parthia, which had the Zoroastrian religion. It believed in one God Ahura Mazda and was superficially similar to Judaism. We don’t know their names, though in the sixth century AD three names emerged: Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar.

The Biblical text says that when the wise men arrived, Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. How could three men on camels be considered a threat? That answer: they can’t. These wise men were high officials, if not ‘three kings,’ and they probably came with an armed escort of dozens, perhaps hundreds of men. Herod, a paranoid man in the best of times, well remembered his near escape from the Parthian invasion of 40 BC and this large contingent from Persia would have no doubt spooked him. One false move and the ‘wise men’ and their guards, coupled by many Herod-hating Jews, could have overthrown him.

Yet the purpose of their visit was not for war but for worship. The wise man paid a courtesy call to Herod, being the host of the land, and asked of him a simple question: where is He who was born king of the Jews? Whether this was an innocent inquiry or calculated insult is not easy to say. But what is for sure was that Herod, the able administrator, master builder, and obsessively anxious puppet king, was highly incensed. Despite all the trappings of royalty, he knew in his heart of hearts that he really was not the legitimate king of Israel. The young child now became his greatest rival yet.

Of course, Herod was not Biblically literate, so he had to find out from the scholars where Messiah would be born. They gave him an immediate answer: In Bethlehem of Judaea, a mere ten kilometres from his Jerusalem palace. How did they know? The prophet Micah said so seven hundred years earlier in his famous passage Micah 5:2. So Herod dispatched the Magi to Bethlehem. Before they left, Herod asked them to return and tell him where Christ was located so he could worship Him, too. It was a deadly lie.

At this point, we realise that the Magi probably need not bother Herod at all. Like a supernatural ‘GPS,’ the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ lead them from the East was poised to lead them all the way to Messiah. While there are some famous mentions of stars in Scripture, one commentator said that the ‘Star of the King of the Jews’ (Matthew 2:2) was probably God’s shekinah glory, courtesy of the Holy Spirit.

Here’s where the story gets a little tricky so we need to balance the narrative in the Gospel of Matthew with that found in Luke’s Gospel. In Luke 2:39, within days of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, He was presented in the temple. From there the holy family returned with the infant to their home in Nazareth of Galilee. No mention of the flight to Egypt, which happened much later.

Matthew 2:11 says the wise men came into a ’house,’ not a barn or cave with a manger. Joseph and Mary were unlikely to have a house in Bethlehem, if they had one, they would not sought accommodation in a cave since there was ‘no room at the inn’ – Luke 2:7. So where did the holy family have a ‘house?’ Nazareth.

Therefore where did the Magi’s visit occur?

“When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was” — Matthew 2:9.

The star took them to the exact location of the holy child. While the Bible is silent on the precise location, it had to be with a house. With that criterion, Nazareth may be the more likely location than Bethlehem.

And ‘when’ did the visit occur? Herod’s murderous rampage against the male toddlers of the Bethlehem region, “ … from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men” — Matthew 2:16ff. So Jesus could have been a year and a half or two years old when the famous visit occurred.

Wherever the visit happened, the wise men gave their gifts directly to the young Jesus and worshipped Him wholeheartedly. Frankly, the only reason we say, ‘three wise men’ is because three gifts were given: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold stands for royalty, incense is for divinity, and myrrh for embalming the dead. After their historic visit, they returned to the East another way, ignoring Herod altogether. As a result, the mad monarch felt mocked and swore to kill all male toddlers in the Bethlehem region, two years old or younger. So the holy family escaped to Egypt and possibly supported themselves by the gold Jesus received. They stayed put until they heard the news that Herod was dead (Matthew 2:15).

It is not our intention to spoil anyone’s Christmas or dismiss their nativity scene, but the chances are very high that the visit of the Magi did not happen at the time of Christ’s birth, they did not meet the shepherds of Bethlehem, nor is it likely that they gave their worship and gifts in Bethlehem.

At the same time, we strongly affirm that the visit of the Magi did occur and is a valued part of the Biblical narrative. With this in mind, let us remember that oft quoted motto:

Wise men still seek Him!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s.

Has Australia Gone Covid-Mad? Part 02