Chuck Baldwin
Where do we go from here?
By Chuck Baldwin
Several friends and supporters around the country have recently asked me the question, "Where do we go from here?" These are people who love and fear God, who love their country, who love freedom, who see the burgeoning abridgments of our liberties by an overbearing and ever-intrusive federal government, and who, frankly, see little reason to believe that either political party will do much of anything to change things – regardless of who is elected. And, frankly, I share their frustration.
For the most part, the two major parties are controlled by the same big-government, Police State-loving, war-mongering, power-hungry, egotistical elitist clubmen whose only aim is to satisfy their insatiable appetite for personal gain. Anyone, and I mean anyone, who isn't willing to lick the boots and kiss the rings of the establishment elite will unleash the wrath of the fire-breathing dragons in both parties – not to mention their toadies in the propaganda media.
Normally, there will be but one anti-establishment candidate capable of upsetting the establishment applecart in a given presidential race. During the last half-century or so, that means men such as Barry Goldwater, George Wallace, John Anderson, Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, and Ron Paul. These men are summarily run over by the combined force of the political and media establishments – or in the case of Wallace, shot – thus ensuring that no matter which major party candidate wins, the establishment wins.
This is why no matter which party controls the White House and Congress, the beat goes on for the establishment elite: more and more government growth and spending; more and more intrusions into our personal lives; more and more jobs shipped overseas; more and more illegal immigration; more and more foreign wars; more and more federal usurpation of State sovereignty; more and more power to overbearing federal agencies such as the BLM and EPA; and more and more economic hardship on the middle class.
The problem for the establishment this year is that there is not one, but two anti-establishment candidates in the hunt: one in each party. The combined candidacies of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are making life a veritable hell for the establishment elite. The fact that so many millions of people from both the left and the right are supporting these two men is definite cause for the establishment to be concerned. The anger and frustration of the American people with the establishment are VERY real.
In addition, millions of people have completely given up on the ballot box. The testimonies of computer hackers claiming to have rigged voting machines or to being eyewitnesses to vote fraud, the overt manipulation of party delegates, rules and procedures, and the track record of nothing changing no matter who is elected (as referenced above) have caused millions of people to give up voting altogether. There are more people who believe that voting is a complete waste of time today than at any time in our nation's history. This does not bode well for our future. Feelings of hopelessness and desperation are usually the things that revolutions are made of.
So, where do we go from here?
Let's begin here: it is absolutely certain that, while Washington, D.C., is a major part of our problem, it is NOT our solution. As the comic strip character Pogo said, "We have found the enemy, and it is us." And the "us" in this equation is mostly those who profess to be "Christians" and those who profess to be "Patriots."
"Christians"
Most Christians are familiar with the Scripture that says "judgment must begin at the house of God." (I Peter 4:17) The problem with Old Testament Israel was NOT the Canaanites or the Moabites or the Girgashites or the Ammonites or the Midianites, ad infinitum. The problem with Old Testament Israel was Old Testament Israel. God's people brought judgment upon themselves. So it is today.
Christians love to curse the sins (mostly the sins of the flesh) of actors, entertainers, celebrities, and even one another. But the greater and more predominate sins of the church are totally and completely ignored. And in the pulpit, the most notable sin is the sin of silence.
Christians are content to sit in front of pulpits that are totally silent on the salient issues facing our country. Oh, some may complain about their pastors not speaking out on the issues, but they continue to support these pastors with their attendance and offerings nonetheless. As long as Christians continue to give aid and comfort to these pandering pulpits, NOTHING will change in this country – no matter who is elected to public office.
Beyond that, the church itself is filled with the things that God hates. When naming the particular sins that He hates, God included:
*Pride
*Lying
*Hands that shed innocent blood
*A heart that devises wicked imaginations
*Feet that are swift to run into mischief
*A false witness that speaks lies
*People that sow discord among brethren
(See Proverbs 6:16-19)
I submit that our churches are literally immersed in the sins listed above. Pride, arrogance, stubbornness, rebelliousness, deceit, backbiting, gossip, slander, character assassination, selfish ambition, insubordination, lying, false testimony, discord, discontent, malcontent, and troublemaking fill our churches. People such as these don't want God's men in the pulpit to be prophets; they want them to be glorified babysitters: coddling and pampering spoiled spiritual babies.
God said he HATES this kind of stuff. Until these kinds of sins (amounting to nothing more than spiritual idolatry or the idolization of self) are judged in the church, God will continue to give us over to our enemies as surely as He did to Old Testament Israel for their idolatry.
"Patriots"
A sizeable percentage of the professing patriot community today is doing more to cause their own enslavement than they are to prevent it. They create self-fulfilling prophecies and then refuse to take any responsibility for it.
The Internet is awash in half-truths, rumors, hearsay, baseless accusations, and downright lies. In the name of God, so-called prophecy "experts" repeatedly predict divine pronouncements that never come true. And without retraction or apology, they continue to spew forth more and ever-exaggerated predictions. False reports are regurgitated ubiquitously. And even worse, there is an element within the patriot community that has NO desire to be objective and honest; there is no room in their minds for critical thinking. If the truth doesn't fit their preconceived agenda, they make up a lie that will.
If we are going to make any progress toward the restoration and reclamation of constitutional government in this country, the patriot community must start being honest with itself. Hyperbole, sensationalism, self-aggrandizement, and pandering only serve to accommodate oppression. They do nothing to further the cause of liberty.
Many patriot Internet bloggers and radio talk show hosts seem to pander as much to their audience as politicians in Washington, D.C., do to theirs. Rather than facing issues objectively and honestly, they slant or spin the story to fit what the audience wants to hear. It's the same thing the SPLC and the politically correct establishment do – only in reverse.
The dark side of government and the media spin stories to fit their agendas. Many patriots do the exact same thing.
Big Government toadies love to lump all patriots (those could include Ron Paul supporters, Donald Trump supporters, pro-life people, conservative Christians, military veterans, people who believe in the Constitution, creationists, Second Amendment advocates, ad infinitum) into one big "anti-government" group. And many self-serving patriots love to lump all policemen, federal agents, and public servants into one big "tyrant" group.
And please remember, many of these so-called "patriots" who are continually promoting their own particular brand of hatred for government are in reality agent provocateurs who are attempting to incite people with strong emotions and weak minds into doing something criminal so as to further categorize all of us as "anti-government extremists." And far, far too many of us are far, far too easily manipulated.
The problem in the patriot community, as I see it, is the same as it is in the big-government community: a herd mentality. It seems that almost no one is willing to distance him or herself from the crowd. Whatever my peers expect me to be, I will be. Whatever they expect me to do, I will do. Whatever they expect me to say, I will say. This is a problem on both sides of the aisle.
Too many good people in government are not willing to stand against the tide of popular opinion among their peers. Even when they recognize that the popular opinion of their peers is wrong, they sheepishly surrender to it. Many professing patriots do the exact same thing. They are unwilling to stand against the tide of popular opinion among their own peers. Even when they recognize that the popular opinion of their peers is wrong, they sheepishly surrender to it. So, who is worse?
Until we who call ourselves patriots are willing to be honest and objective with ourselves and have the personal courage and integrity to truthfully follow that honesty and objectivity wherever it leads us, and until we stop sheepishly acquiescing to the tide of popular opinion of our peers for the purpose of self-aggrandizement and personal profit, we only contribute to the advancement of our own enslavement.
We also need to become much smarter in the way we present ourselves to our uninformed neighbors and fellow citizens in our local communities. Hot-headed, knee-jerk, overly emotional outbursts and tantrums are NOT helping the cause. In the world of marketing and salesmanship, for example, bad breath and body order are NOT assets. A lot of what goes on in the name of the patriot community is tantamount to bad breath and body order. IT STINKS!
Our Founding Fathers convinced the Body Politic of Colonial America (in great part because of the preaching of the Colonial pastors) as to the legitimacy and righteousness of independence from Great Britain. When those delegates voted for the Declaration of Independence, they acted as duly elected representatives of the Body Politic within the thirteen colonies. They were not a mob leading an insurrection; they were statesmen representing the will of "We the People." That could not have happened without decades of intelligent and indefatigable reasoning that ultimately convinced enough of the citizenry to support the cause of independence.
Of course, King George and the British Crown regarded our secession from England as treasonous, but that was irrelevant. Our founders were on the right side of the higher law of Nature and Heaven. And it was to the laws of Nature and Nature's God to which they appealed their cause. So must we.
I recently delivered a lengthy message outlining the principles of Natural Law. I quickly found that those principles are as distasteful to many so-called "patriots" today as the Gospel is to many unrepentant sinners. We will reject the principles that Heaven has enshrined in Natural Law to our own political destruction as surely as men who reject the Gospel message will do to the destruction of their own souls.
The message is entitled "The Right of Revolution As Justified In Natural And Revealed Law." Find it here:
The Right Of Revolution As Justified In Natural And Revealed Law
As with most of America's founders, Thomas Jefferson thoroughly understood the principles of Natural Law. He and the other founders were disciples of men such as Baron Charles de Montesquieu, Sir William Blackstone, and John Locke. In fact, Jefferson borrowed heavily from John Locke's "Second Treatise of Government" when he penned the Declaration of Independence.
I personally believe Locke's "Second Treatise of Government" to be the most succinct explanation of Natural Law ever written.
Find it here:
Second Treatise Of Government – By John Locke
I further believe that God will always preserve to Himself a remnant that He will protect, bless, and prosper. That was true when the entire idolatrous nations of Israel and Judah went into captivity and bondage. Even then, God revived a remnant. And amazingly, this revived remnant owed their liberty to a good-hearted, pagan Persian king named Cyrus. The leaders of Israel were so corrupt, God used a Persian king to restore liberty and peace to His remnant. Throughout history, in the worst of times, God always preserved a remnant.
Last Sunday, I delivered a message on this very subject taken from the Book of Ezra. Watch it here:
"A Little Reviving In Our Bondage"
So, where do we go from here?
*We need to recognize the importance of America's patriot pulpit and start supporting it wherever and however we can.
*We need to recognize the importance of repenting of the sins that God hates within the church and for which He will judge His people.
*We need to recognize the importance of being honest and objective in the way we analyze and judge the actions of people and stop pandering our opinions to the herd – including OUR herd.
*We need to recognize the importance of Natural Law: learn these principles and do our best to teach them to as many people as we can – including our local and State representatives.
*We need to stop gullibly buying into the half-truths, wild accusations, innuendos, exaggerations, duplicity, and downright falsehoods that are regurgitated on the Internet, on many talk shows, and in many periodicals – remembering that many of these falsehoods and hysterical overreactions are actually the work of our enemies posing as our friends.
*We need to recognize the importance of convincing the Body Politic within our states and local communities of the principles of liberty and independence in a reasoned, rational, and righteous manner that well represents the honor and majesty of the principles themselves.
*We need to recognize that God always preserves a remnant to Himself, and we should seek to be part of that remnant.
© Chuck Baldwin
April 7, 2016
Several friends and supporters around the country have recently asked me the question, "Where do we go from here?" These are people who love and fear God, who love their country, who love freedom, who see the burgeoning abridgments of our liberties by an overbearing and ever-intrusive federal government, and who, frankly, see little reason to believe that either political party will do much of anything to change things – regardless of who is elected. And, frankly, I share their frustration.
For the most part, the two major parties are controlled by the same big-government, Police State-loving, war-mongering, power-hungry, egotistical elitist clubmen whose only aim is to satisfy their insatiable appetite for personal gain. Anyone, and I mean anyone, who isn't willing to lick the boots and kiss the rings of the establishment elite will unleash the wrath of the fire-breathing dragons in both parties – not to mention their toadies in the propaganda media.
Normally, there will be but one anti-establishment candidate capable of upsetting the establishment applecart in a given presidential race. During the last half-century or so, that means men such as Barry Goldwater, George Wallace, John Anderson, Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, and Ron Paul. These men are summarily run over by the combined force of the political and media establishments – or in the case of Wallace, shot – thus ensuring that no matter which major party candidate wins, the establishment wins.
This is why no matter which party controls the White House and Congress, the beat goes on for the establishment elite: more and more government growth and spending; more and more intrusions into our personal lives; more and more jobs shipped overseas; more and more illegal immigration; more and more foreign wars; more and more federal usurpation of State sovereignty; more and more power to overbearing federal agencies such as the BLM and EPA; and more and more economic hardship on the middle class.
The problem for the establishment this year is that there is not one, but two anti-establishment candidates in the hunt: one in each party. The combined candidacies of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are making life a veritable hell for the establishment elite. The fact that so many millions of people from both the left and the right are supporting these two men is definite cause for the establishment to be concerned. The anger and frustration of the American people with the establishment are VERY real.
In addition, millions of people have completely given up on the ballot box. The testimonies of computer hackers claiming to have rigged voting machines or to being eyewitnesses to vote fraud, the overt manipulation of party delegates, rules and procedures, and the track record of nothing changing no matter who is elected (as referenced above) have caused millions of people to give up voting altogether. There are more people who believe that voting is a complete waste of time today than at any time in our nation's history. This does not bode well for our future. Feelings of hopelessness and desperation are usually the things that revolutions are made of.
So, where do we go from here?
Let's begin here: it is absolutely certain that, while Washington, D.C., is a major part of our problem, it is NOT our solution. As the comic strip character Pogo said, "We have found the enemy, and it is us." And the "us" in this equation is mostly those who profess to be "Christians" and those who profess to be "Patriots."
"Christians"
Most Christians are familiar with the Scripture that says "judgment must begin at the house of God." (I Peter 4:17) The problem with Old Testament Israel was NOT the Canaanites or the Moabites or the Girgashites or the Ammonites or the Midianites, ad infinitum. The problem with Old Testament Israel was Old Testament Israel. God's people brought judgment upon themselves. So it is today.
Christians love to curse the sins (mostly the sins of the flesh) of actors, entertainers, celebrities, and even one another. But the greater and more predominate sins of the church are totally and completely ignored. And in the pulpit, the most notable sin is the sin of silence.
Christians are content to sit in front of pulpits that are totally silent on the salient issues facing our country. Oh, some may complain about their pastors not speaking out on the issues, but they continue to support these pastors with their attendance and offerings nonetheless. As long as Christians continue to give aid and comfort to these pandering pulpits, NOTHING will change in this country – no matter who is elected to public office.
Beyond that, the church itself is filled with the things that God hates. When naming the particular sins that He hates, God included:
*Pride
*Lying
*Hands that shed innocent blood
*A heart that devises wicked imaginations
*Feet that are swift to run into mischief
*A false witness that speaks lies
*People that sow discord among brethren
(See Proverbs 6:16-19)
I submit that our churches are literally immersed in the sins listed above. Pride, arrogance, stubbornness, rebelliousness, deceit, backbiting, gossip, slander, character assassination, selfish ambition, insubordination, lying, false testimony, discord, discontent, malcontent, and troublemaking fill our churches. People such as these don't want God's men in the pulpit to be prophets; they want them to be glorified babysitters: coddling and pampering spoiled spiritual babies.
God said he HATES this kind of stuff. Until these kinds of sins (amounting to nothing more than spiritual idolatry or the idolization of self) are judged in the church, God will continue to give us over to our enemies as surely as He did to Old Testament Israel for their idolatry.
"Patriots"
A sizeable percentage of the professing patriot community today is doing more to cause their own enslavement than they are to prevent it. They create self-fulfilling prophecies and then refuse to take any responsibility for it.
The Internet is awash in half-truths, rumors, hearsay, baseless accusations, and downright lies. In the name of God, so-called prophecy "experts" repeatedly predict divine pronouncements that never come true. And without retraction or apology, they continue to spew forth more and ever-exaggerated predictions. False reports are regurgitated ubiquitously. And even worse, there is an element within the patriot community that has NO desire to be objective and honest; there is no room in their minds for critical thinking. If the truth doesn't fit their preconceived agenda, they make up a lie that will.
If we are going to make any progress toward the restoration and reclamation of constitutional government in this country, the patriot community must start being honest with itself. Hyperbole, sensationalism, self-aggrandizement, and pandering only serve to accommodate oppression. They do nothing to further the cause of liberty.
Many patriot Internet bloggers and radio talk show hosts seem to pander as much to their audience as politicians in Washington, D.C., do to theirs. Rather than facing issues objectively and honestly, they slant or spin the story to fit what the audience wants to hear. It's the same thing the SPLC and the politically correct establishment do – only in reverse.
The dark side of government and the media spin stories to fit their agendas. Many patriots do the exact same thing.
Big Government toadies love to lump all patriots (those could include Ron Paul supporters, Donald Trump supporters, pro-life people, conservative Christians, military veterans, people who believe in the Constitution, creationists, Second Amendment advocates, ad infinitum) into one big "anti-government" group. And many self-serving patriots love to lump all policemen, federal agents, and public servants into one big "tyrant" group.
And please remember, many of these so-called "patriots" who are continually promoting their own particular brand of hatred for government are in reality agent provocateurs who are attempting to incite people with strong emotions and weak minds into doing something criminal so as to further categorize all of us as "anti-government extremists." And far, far too many of us are far, far too easily manipulated.
The problem in the patriot community, as I see it, is the same as it is in the big-government community: a herd mentality. It seems that almost no one is willing to distance him or herself from the crowd. Whatever my peers expect me to be, I will be. Whatever they expect me to do, I will do. Whatever they expect me to say, I will say. This is a problem on both sides of the aisle.
Too many good people in government are not willing to stand against the tide of popular opinion among their peers. Even when they recognize that the popular opinion of their peers is wrong, they sheepishly surrender to it. Many professing patriots do the exact same thing. They are unwilling to stand against the tide of popular opinion among their own peers. Even when they recognize that the popular opinion of their peers is wrong, they sheepishly surrender to it. So, who is worse?
Until we who call ourselves patriots are willing to be honest and objective with ourselves and have the personal courage and integrity to truthfully follow that honesty and objectivity wherever it leads us, and until we stop sheepishly acquiescing to the tide of popular opinion of our peers for the purpose of self-aggrandizement and personal profit, we only contribute to the advancement of our own enslavement.
We also need to become much smarter in the way we present ourselves to our uninformed neighbors and fellow citizens in our local communities. Hot-headed, knee-jerk, overly emotional outbursts and tantrums are NOT helping the cause. In the world of marketing and salesmanship, for example, bad breath and body order are NOT assets. A lot of what goes on in the name of the patriot community is tantamount to bad breath and body order. IT STINKS!
Our Founding Fathers convinced the Body Politic of Colonial America (in great part because of the preaching of the Colonial pastors) as to the legitimacy and righteousness of independence from Great Britain. When those delegates voted for the Declaration of Independence, they acted as duly elected representatives of the Body Politic within the thirteen colonies. They were not a mob leading an insurrection; they were statesmen representing the will of "We the People." That could not have happened without decades of intelligent and indefatigable reasoning that ultimately convinced enough of the citizenry to support the cause of independence.
Of course, King George and the British Crown regarded our secession from England as treasonous, but that was irrelevant. Our founders were on the right side of the higher law of Nature and Heaven. And it was to the laws of Nature and Nature's God to which they appealed their cause. So must we.
I recently delivered a lengthy message outlining the principles of Natural Law. I quickly found that those principles are as distasteful to many so-called "patriots" today as the Gospel is to many unrepentant sinners. We will reject the principles that Heaven has enshrined in Natural Law to our own political destruction as surely as men who reject the Gospel message will do to the destruction of their own souls.
The message is entitled "The Right of Revolution As Justified In Natural And Revealed Law." Find it here:
The Right Of Revolution As Justified In Natural And Revealed Law
As with most of America's founders, Thomas Jefferson thoroughly understood the principles of Natural Law. He and the other founders were disciples of men such as Baron Charles de Montesquieu, Sir William Blackstone, and John Locke. In fact, Jefferson borrowed heavily from John Locke's "Second Treatise of Government" when he penned the Declaration of Independence.
I personally believe Locke's "Second Treatise of Government" to be the most succinct explanation of Natural Law ever written.
Find it here:
Second Treatise Of Government – By John Locke
I further believe that God will always preserve to Himself a remnant that He will protect, bless, and prosper. That was true when the entire idolatrous nations of Israel and Judah went into captivity and bondage. Even then, God revived a remnant. And amazingly, this revived remnant owed their liberty to a good-hearted, pagan Persian king named Cyrus. The leaders of Israel were so corrupt, God used a Persian king to restore liberty and peace to His remnant. Throughout history, in the worst of times, God always preserved a remnant.
Last Sunday, I delivered a message on this very subject taken from the Book of Ezra. Watch it here:
"A Little Reviving In Our Bondage"
So, where do we go from here?
*We need to recognize the importance of America's patriot pulpit and start supporting it wherever and however we can.
*We need to recognize the importance of repenting of the sins that God hates within the church and for which He will judge His people.
*We need to recognize the importance of being honest and objective in the way we analyze and judge the actions of people and stop pandering our opinions to the herd – including OUR herd.
*We need to recognize the importance of Natural Law: learn these principles and do our best to teach them to as many people as we can – including our local and State representatives.
*We need to stop gullibly buying into the half-truths, wild accusations, innuendos, exaggerations, duplicity, and downright falsehoods that are regurgitated on the Internet, on many talk shows, and in many periodicals – remembering that many of these falsehoods and hysterical overreactions are actually the work of our enemies posing as our friends.
*We need to recognize the importance of convincing the Body Politic within our states and local communities of the principles of liberty and independence in a reasoned, rational, and righteous manner that well represents the honor and majesty of the principles themselves.
*We need to recognize that God always preserves a remnant to Himself, and we should seek to be part of that remnant.
© Chuck Baldwin
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
