UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES
SCA is taking the challenge to bring Christians, and the churches back into the civic squares of the Shenandoah Valley and beyond. We are calling this campaign: Understanding the Times
Our desire for this campaign is to have an election day turnout of informed Christian voters—informed by their pastors, in overwhelming numbers. By voting their values, we ensure that not only are God fearing leaders and representatives are elected in large numbers, but the power for them to succeed is created. We strive for better days for our families, our neighbors, and future generations.
The only guaranteed way America (our families, communities, and our future) can expect a return to Judaeo/Christian, or Biblical/Christian values on which it was founded, is through God’s divine and powerful intervention. He has blessed this nation for over 240 years, but we, the people of His church, who are called by HIs name, must be willing to fear and honor Him in our government, our schools, our courts, our families, and yes, our churches and houses of worship.
Each and every week through October 29, 2020, SCA conducts an email broadcast designed in mind for pastors, faith leaders, and lay leaders to understand the urgency for renewed preaching and teaching on the decline and death of our culture. We want Christians to register to vote, and to vote according to Christian values. Our website and, by extension our social media assets will provide resources, tools, and inspiration to take on the culture, and rescue it from the dominant narrative of lies, confusion, and destruction by BLM, Antifa, FRU, and other Marxist organizations.
And There Arose Another Generation
Thursday, July 30
Anybody Home? Where is the Church?
Rather than list a tiresome litany of alarming, even frightening current events, we might want to ponder the situation in the long view, at high altitude. Indeed, we might want to take a deep breath and rest for a moment before running back into the game. Besides, when before in American history have major cultural and societal paradigm shifts happened so rapidly as they have in just the last four years? Continue Reading
Signs of the Times Today
Thursday, July 23
Which Signs are Directional, Which Are a Warning?
Today, and perhaps understandably, some Christians believe we are seeing the signs of the times signaling the end of the world. Some may imagine these are the days Jesus describes to His disciples in Matthew 24:3-36. Others may think these are the Days of Elijah, and find encouragement. Continue Reading
Secularism: The God of the Divide
Thursday, July 16
Once again class, do we really know the enemy?
Secularism is a belief system that rejects religion, or the belief that religion should not be part of the affairs of the state or part of public education. The principles of separation of church and state and of keeping religion out of the public school system are examples of secularism. There are, of course many, many others. Continue Reading
How Did We Get Here? From There?
Thursday, July 9
For observers with a firm footing in Christian orthodoxy, particularly Reformed and Evangelical Christians, secularism (and its very evil twin, cultural Marxism) has revealed it’s now ready to swallow whole all “normative” culture, including every mediating agency that serves to ground people in truth and moral absolutes, which most disturbingly, includes The Church. Continue Reading
Be a Good Snake Unto the Lord
Thursday, July 2
So, What’s in a simile?
There is a connection between Hegel’s dialectical theory, Marxism, and the free fall of our culture in this nation, with SCA’s clarion call to Christian pastors, teachers, and faith leaders to urge their church members to register and vote this November. Statistics reveal 25% of Christians do not vote. Continue Reading
Do We Fear God, or Twitter
Thursday, June 25
Why is the Hegelian Dialectic important? Because it influenced Karl Marx, who bequeathed to the earth, the most horrible political world view ever conceived in modern times. Chronicler Rebecca Cooper lists three intellectual influences on Marx, including, but notably: “… that modification of the philosophy of Hegel himself, represented by the Left Movement of the Young Hegelians, in which connection the name of Feuerbach is outstanding.” Continue reading
Without Truth, No One Matters
Thursday, June 18
- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, (born August 27, 1770, Stuttgart, Württemberg [Germany]—died November 14, 1831, Berlin), German philosopher who developed a dialectical scheme that emphasized the progress of history and of ideas from thesis to antithesis and thence to a synthesis.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21) Continue reading
The Battered Nation Syndrome
Thursday, June 11
- The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 9, paragraph 3 provides that: “No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law will be passed.”
Definition: A legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.
Much can be said, and much has, about the condition our nation is in right now. It would not serve our purpose to enumerate all of the problems we are finding ourselves in at this present time—but they are staggering in magnitude. Overarching is the serious impairment of our collective psyche, which can be described as very anxious, unsettled, and certainly very pessimistic. We are worried, or should be, and with good reason. Continue reading
Pastors, Politics, and the Pulpit
Thursday, June 4
- Amendment I of the Constitution of the United States
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Often what is needed to understand a problem is simplification—correctly and directly stated. One of our members wrote this very good primer on the historical understanding of an informed citizenry to be engaged in freely voting their values, or morals, in an open election. Continue reading
So, What Seems to Be the Problem?
Thursday, May 28
- We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Psalm 34:4)
It’s not necessarily a compliment, or for that matter praise-worthy to be called sheep; unless of course, we are called His sheep. If Jesus is our shepherd, we are the sheep of His pasture. In this world, there are 7.8 billion sheep. Of that number, very broadly speaking, there are perhaps 2.1 billion who may be called His sheep. Continue reading
When Did We Become Afraid?
Thursday, May 21
- “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
People seem to live in fear now more than ever. Too many of us are afraid to speak out, or disagree with consensus. We avoid speaking our hearts because we fear someone will take offense. So to avoid trouble, we avoid hot topics. We have become afraid to speak up, or speak out. Has it always been this way, or can we say living like this is a relatively new phenomenon? Perhaps this is the generational feature of the children of the sixties. It was then that we discovered rebellion over every form of ownership of our behavior. What did this do for their children we might wonder? Continue reading
Can Pastors Save a Nation?
Thursday, May 14
It should be quite obvious by now that things just don’t look good for us. They don’t look good for our families, our friends and neighbors, our communities; things just don’t look good for our nation. It shouldn’t be hard to see either, if we are honest. We’re speaking about our future, and the future of our children. Do we see the storm? Do we really understand how grave the situation has become? As a pastor, or a church leader, do you know your flock believes we are in danger too? Continue reading
This is the Call to Action
Thursday, May 7
The Shenandoah Christian Alliance (SCA) is commencing a 26-week campaign of powerful emails to help as many pastors, ministers, priests, rabbis, and church leaders as we possibly can identify: encouraging them to stand in the gap.
These emails will all have a central theme and a singular objective: to educate, support, motivate, and inspire with up-to-date cultural information that is both factual, and actionable in their content. Continue reading