Deprogram

We can have confidence in the Lord and press into Him, even when we find opposition or hostility that is expressed against us. In Psalm 118, we can read these verses:
4 Let those who fear the Lord now say, "His mercy endures forever."
5 I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Our God strengthens His people, and when we encounter those who do not know or respect or revere the Most High God, we have to rely on the Spirit to empower us and direct us in our response. We can certainly become fearful when we see instances in which people of faith are being harassed and mistreated, even persecuted for their deeply-held beliefs. God will give us the strength and the wisdom we need in order to speak His truth.

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In the 31st chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, we find that Moses is giving what might be called a "farewell address," and encourages his successor, Joshua, saying:
6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.
8 And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."

In 2016, Josh Hawley ran for Attorney General in Missouri and won. Two years later, he ran against and defeated an entrenched U.S. Senator. In 2021, he is running against fellow members of Congress who want him to depart the hallowed halls of DC, simply because he held a different view than they about what he saw were irregularities in the 2020 Presidential election.

Can we agree that people will disagree about that subject? And, if a person who claims to be a Christian chooses to believe what has come to be known as The Big Lie, does that disqualify him or her from being considered a Christian? Are people disqualified from public service because they have examined the evidence and concluded there were irregularities?

Hawley is considered to be one of those people, and has faced some unfortunate consequences.  By the way, Hawley got to know Washington while serving the Judicial Branch, as a clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts, apparently not a place where there are very many evangelical Christians, like himself.  A WORLD Magazine article from 2016 stated:

Hawley said he felt the Supreme Court was “very welcoming,” even though he and his wife were among the few evangelicals.

“In general evangelicals are underrepresented in the law, and certainly in the practice of constitutional law,” he said. “We need more evangelicals to enter that field and to pursue constitutional law in its dimensions.”

Next he went to work at Roberts’ old law firm before serving as counsel on several major religious liberty cases with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, including Hobby Lobby as well as Hosanna-Tabor v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Hosanna Tabor, concerning a Christian school’s personnel decision, was a unanimous win for religious liberty advocates.

While some are attempting to hold Hawley and other colleagues culpable for the lawless attack on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month because of their viewpoint on alleged irregularities in the 2020 election, Hawley has fought back in a New York Post article, likening American cancel culture to the "social credit score" in China. He writes:

...social credit scores are new. They’re the latest corporate import from Communist China, where government and big business monitor every citizen’s social views and statements.

And they’re the latest form of cancel culture in this country, as corporate monopolies and the left team up to shut down speech they don’t like and force their political agenda on America. For those who still believe in free speech and the First Amendment, this is the time to take a stand.

Hawley has faced other reprisals:

In my case, it started with leftist politicians demanding I resign from office for representing the views of my constituents and leading a democratic debate on the floor of the Senate.

Taking that cue, a corporate publishing house then canceled a book it had asked me to write. Ironically enough, the book is about political censorship by the most powerful corporations in America. (And will be published by an independent publishing house.) Now corporate America is cancelling my political events...

And, he warns: "It will get worse."  Already, one of Hawley's colleagues in the House, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for federal funding for de-radicalization efforts. The New York Post relates:

AOC said there is a spectrum of radicalization that ranges from sympathizers to conspiracy theorists, to Neo-Nazis. Such radical ideology could lead to violence and domestic terrorism.

She said the conspiracy theory wrongly pushed by Trump that the election was stolen from him radicalized his supporters who invaded the Capitol last week, leading to violence and the death of five people. AOC said she felt her life was threatened.

So, who gets to decide what a domestic terrorist is?  Certainly, white supremacists and neo-Nazis are a threat to society, but does that condemnation extend to people who supported Trump actively, or passively just by casting a vote for the former President?  And, when you consider that 8-in-10 white evangelicals voted for Trump, does that place evangelical Christians in that range?

Count Katie Couric on board, seemingly - CBNNews.com reported last week that:

During an appearance Friday on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” former CBS News anchor Katie Couric rebuked Republicans who failed to vote in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump and suggested the 74 million Americans who voted for the outgoing commander-in-chief need to be “deprogrammed.”

“The question is how are we going to really almost deprogram these people who have signed up for the cult of Trump?” Couric asked.

Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post, seems to be on board, saying on Morning Joe on MSNBC that there are "millions of Americans...who somehow need to be deprogrammed.”

And, as CBN.com reports:

Then, on Sunday, during an appearance on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” with host Brian Stelter, former Facebook executive Alex Stamos said social media platforms and even television service providers need to quash “the capability of these conservative influencers to reach these huge audiences.”

A FoxNews.com article registered the response of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee:

Huckabee asserted that there is "no cult" of Trump supporters, but rather people who "appreciate the many" actions that President Trump made for the country such as "standing up for the sanctity of life, standing with Israel by moving an embassy into that country, and resetting the Middle East."

"I'm glad he cut taxes, deregulated for businesses so that people had the highest number of jobs among Hispanics, Blacks and women in the history of the country. I'm glad that he pushed back against China so we're not rolling over as these Communists continue to steal everything, including our information and our data and every single secret and innovation we've created," Huckabee said.

It's very concerning when you consider that Christians now face the real possibility of being tossed from social media simply for seemingly innocuous political choices or perhaps even stating a Biblical position on a cultural issues. Perhaps making statements that can be considered to be consistent with a Christian worldview perspective.  Realistically, there seem to be people that do not allow for disagreement from their position on a variety of issues and have set out to silence and even punish the opposition.  

This is not a cause for backing down and retreating into our Christian enclaves. I believe we have a responsibility to continue to speak the truth.  Fear can cause us to descend to silence, but if we have a strong faith, we can make it public. There are matters of the human heart that can certainly be considered private, but I think there is a public element to being a Christian, so that the world can see and know the love and truth of God. 

It can be a scary time when you consider hostility toward people of faith, but we can be confident in the Lord and know that He goes with us.