There's No Excuse For Being Clueless

      Given the work that I do, it grieves me to see so many professing Christians who are so ignorant of the days and times we’re living in.  Most don’t know and don’t want to know what’s really going on in this world — or how Christ-followers are to respond to it all.  Truly, those who are not Christians, or are “nominal Christians” at best, are much more well informed than those who claim to be “devout.”  Because most modern American churches today do more harm than good for the Kingdom of God.
 
   Let me give you a case in point.  I know a couple of people who are very devout church-goers.  Literally, whenever the doors to the church are open, they’re there.  These folks receive our newspaper, Wisconsin Christian News, and have for many years, but it’s doubtful they ever read it, or even open it.  Theirs is a typical modern American church, where the pastor is careful to never speak anything that may be construed as “offensive.”  The church only offers the modern praise and worship choruses, and then an “uplifting, feel-good” message as a sermon.  To put it succinctly, it’s a “Your Best Life Now” church.
 
   They teach that God just wants His people to be nice to others, be happy, blessed, financially secure, comfortable and at peace.  Certainly, you can have all, or most of these things as a child of God, but as with most modern American churches, the people are never called to actually do anything, nor are they trained for the work of the ministry.
 
   Now, the people I’m referring to will never read or hear this message, because they listen only to Contemporary Christian Music radio stations, and obviously never open the pages of Wisconsin Christian News or follow any other alternative Christian news sources.  They’re clueless about things like the Globalist “new world order,” the radical LGBTQP+ movement, the demonic “transgender” agenda, the pornographic books and sexually-perverted indoctrination of our children in public schools, the imprisonment of the J6 political prisoners, the deadly hospital protocols, the depopulation agenda with the COVID jabs, the radical pro-death agenda of Planned Parenthood, the invasion of our nation by foreign enemies, and so much more.  Needless to say, they both received all their COVID jabs.  In fact, their church opened up as a “vaccination center” a few years ago.
 
   This past Christmas, these folks gave some framed artwork to someone I know well.  The recipient is a wide-awake Christ-follower who is well informed and active in standing against evil and deception.  As he unwrapped the gift, he was astonished — this framed artwork was a rainbow flag with the words “Love is Love” emblazoned upon it.  This gift, from a couple of extremely devout church-goers, left him and his wife nearly speechless.
 
   As gently and tactfully as they could, they asked, “Don’t you know what this is? Don’t you know what this means?  How could you not know what this is?”
 
   Their response was, “Oh, no...we had no idea.  We just saw it at Target and thought it was a pretty picture that would bless your home with love.”
 
   While their intentions were good, they truly had no idea what the rainbow flag stood for, or that the words “Love is Love” is the clarion call of the same-sex-marriage movement.  It’s been nine years now since the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision.  Nine years, and still these extremely devout church-goers had no idea...nor did they have any idea of Target’s blatant hatred for Christians and conservatives — or Target’s arrogant advancement of the homosexual and transgender movements with products they sell, even for children.  Or Target’s pro-transgender “open restroom” policies.
 
   You see, their pastor has never spoken on any of these things, and the only news they get is from the mainstream media propaganda machine.  They have no interest in topics they deem “political” and so they only know what they hear in their church.  They’re completely clueless.
 
   A few years ago, I was speaking with a friend who had taken it upon himself to distribute Bible tracts and other Christian materials in his neighborhood.  He’d go door-to-door, leaving the materials on the doors of homes.  He told me that it was rare to ever actually speak to anyone — he just dropped off the literature and went on to the next house.  But the occupants of one house, in particular, were very unfriendly to him and actually called the police on him.  He pointed the house out to me as we stood in his driveway.  It was adorned with a rainbow flag on the front.
 
   I asked him, “well, what did you expect?  Didn’t you see their flag?”  He gave me a blank stare.  So I asked, “Don’t you know what that flag is?”  After I told him, he still didn’t believe me — “I just thought it was a pretty yard decoration,” he said.  He was completely clueless.
 
   It astonishes me that so many are so ignorant.  And, over the past 25 years of my work with Wisconsin Christian News, I receive the harshest criticism from professing Christians, and especially pastors.  They want nothing to do with us.  The majority of pastors won’t allow our newspaper in their churches, and if they do, almost none of the people there will pick up a copy.  
 
   In one instance, we had a very dedicated distribution volunteer who would take a bundle of newspapers to a church in her area. The pastor always greeted her with a big, wide smile and always thanked her for dropping the papers off.  This went on for a couple of years before the church secretary called me to say, “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but I feel so badly and so guilty about it, I must.  Our pastor told your delivery person he loves your newspaper, but I’m instructed to throw them in the recycling the minute she leaves.  The bundles are never even opened.”  So, in other words, this pastor was lying — right to our friend’s face — with a big, broad smile, for years.
 
   But God has a remnant, even in the “Best Life Now” churches.  Countless times, I’m contacted by people who are so enthusiastic about our newspaper they want to make it available at their church.  I tell them to first show a copy to their pastor and then let me know what he says.  One of two things always happen: either I never hear from this person again, or they call me back to say “the pastor said ‘no.’”
 
   So in order to get the truth — and the whole counsel of God — along with the Gospel message out to those who have never heard, we stock our newspaper in news racks in public places for people to pick up for free. In other words, we have to do an “end-run” around the pastors in order to get information with a biblical worldview to the people.  And the papers literally fly off the shelves.  Grocery stores are great places to distribute the newspaper.  Countless times, I’ve arrived at a store to stock the new edition and before I can even get the first bundle cut open, there are people coming up to me saying, “OH! Wonderful!  I’ve been waiting for this.  I love this paper.  Can I have one of those?”
 
   You see, there are MANY who are starving for the truth.  They’re not getting it in their churches or the mainstream press.  If they go to church, their pastors will never speak on any of the subjects we cover; never anything of real substance, but rather, mere platitudes.  And many people are smart enough to know propaganda and “fake news” when they hear or see it.  So they’re very eager for each new edition of Wisconsin Christian News.  For many, it’s the only source of real news and information — and deep insights into God’s Word they ever get.
 
   Those who are wide awake and know all about the things we cover, can sometimes find themselves overwhelmed, anxious and fearful of the days we’re living in and where this nation is headed under God’s judgment.  It happens to me, too.  A 24/7 news feed of real information, coming from trusted and verified, fact-based sources often leaves me overwhelmed.  I often have “information overload,” and the news is almost never good now.  I understand, it can wear a person out.
 
   But we won’t back down. We can’t afford to.  I believe we owe it to our readers to be here, to persevere and press on — because there are so few who will dare speak the hard truth anymore.  And Christians, especially, should never be ignorant of the devil’s devices, and should always be the most informed and well-equipped of all, in order to be able to explain to others all that is really going on, along with the real hope that we have in Christ.  Not just a “hope,” but a “knowing” that God is in control — and though the world is now enveloped in darkness, deception, delusion and deceit, that He will work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
 
   We can’t be ignorant, but we can’t be fearful either. Not if we’re real Christ-followers, with the Holy Spirit inside us.  We must be knowledgeable, informed and prepared for ministry and evangelism, but we must also be willing to pick up our cross and carry it, no matter the cost.  What I’m saying is that knowledge without action — or knowledge combined with cowardice — is what causes the anxiety, fear, and despair so many struggle with today.
 
   Wisconsin Christian News serves an important purpose.  Perhaps the most important purpose is bringing the Gospel message and a biblical worldview to the unsaved world...and the unsaved among us are often the most intrigued by our newspaper.  As I said, even in churches that do allow our paper to be distributed there, few people ever pick up a copy.  But an average grocery store will easily go through 200 copies in a week.  The world is starving for truth!
 
   But if all you’re doing is reading our newspaper, you’re missing the point.  Most of the articles we publish are meant to direct the reader to further and deeper study of God’s Word, the Bible.  That’s where all the answers are, and that’s what we’re trying to point people toward.  Yes, we must know the news of the day and we must be aware of and understand the latest lies and schemes of the enemy.  But it’s God’s Word that makes what we see in our daily headlines all make sense, and it’s God’s Word that explains the role we have to play in such a time as this, and it’s God’s Word, when properly studied, that moves us to action in His name, boldly calling out the lies, informing the ignorant and leading the lost to the only One Who is able to save their souls.
 
   So in these days, we all need to spend more time making a serious study of the Word of God.  It contains not only the history of the world, but timeless lessons from our Creator Himself on how we should act, what we should do, how we should respond to all that’s coming upon the earth right now and how we overcome the enemy.  Sadly, most pastors today won’t even admit we have an enemy, much less, instruct and equip their people for spiritual warfare.
 
   Along with serious, intentional, deep Bible study, we also need to draw near to the Lord in fervent prayer.  Not repetitious prayer; not compulsory prayer, but real prayer.  Talking with God and doing so without ceasing.  Like the disciples in the book of Acts, we need to go to our “upper rooms” — alone or with other like-minded believers — and fervently pray for wisdom and knowledge of God’s will, for guidance and direction as to what He would have us to do.
 
   Of course, I’m assuming you are one with the Holy Spirit within you, and that you’re not only “pretty sure” you have the Holy Spirit, but you know you do because you can feel Him.  If you don’t know or don’t feel the Holy Spirit within, speaking to you, guiding and directing you, repent and pray for personal sanctification first, and then ask God to fill you with His Spirit.  This is not the time to remain apathetic about the things of God, but rather to get deadly serious about it all. “Business-as-usual churchianity” is not adequate to triumph over the forces of darkness and evil in this world.  The Bible tells us that Lukewarm people literally make God vomit.  So don’t remain in your ignorance. There’s no excuse for being clueless.