False Shepherds and False Doctrines

“The sheep in the church may spend their lives fearing the wolf, only to be devoured by a false shepherd.”

Jesus warned:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
—Matthew 7:15, KJV

Paul warned the elders of the church that false teachers would arise even from among church leaders:

“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
—Acts 20:29–30, KJV

A preacher should not be judged by the size of his congregation, the wealth of his ministry, his popularity, or his ability to stir people’s emotions. Every doctrine must be examined by the Word of God.

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
—Isaiah 8:20, KJV

1. The False Prosperity Gospel

Some church leaders preach that financial prosperity is evidence of faith and that giving money to their ministries will bring material wealth. Meanwhile, these preachers become rich at the congregation’s expense.

The Bible directly warns about religious leaders who use godliness as a means of financial gain:

“Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”
—1 Timothy 6:5, KJV

Paul did not say that financial gain is proof of godliness. He said that those who teach such things are “destitute of the truth,” and he commanded believers to withdraw from them.

The desire to become rich exposes people to temptation and spiritual destruction:

“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”
—1 Timothy 6:9, KJV

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
—1 Timothy 6:10, KJV

Peter warned church leaders not to serve for dishonest financial gain:

“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.”
—1 Peter 5:2, KJV

False teachers make merchandise of the people they claim to serve:

“And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.”
—2 Peter 2:3, KJV

Jesus and His apostles did not promise lives of luxury. Jesus said:

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
—Matthew 8:20, KJV

The true gospel offers forgiveness, reconciliation with God, holiness, eternal life, and the presence of Christ. It does not promise that every faithful Christian will become wealthy. Any preacher who uses the gospel to enrich himself at the congregation’s expense is behaving as a false shepherd.

2. The False Promise of Escape From Tribulation

Some church leaders promise Christians that they will be removed from the earth before they experience tribulation. This teaching can create a false hope because Jesus never promised His followers freedom from persecution and suffering.

Jesus plainly said:

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
—John 16:33, KJV

Paul and Barnabas taught Christians that tribulation is part of the believer’s journey:

“Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
—Acts 14:22, KJV

Paul also wrote:

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
—2 Timothy 3:12, KJV

Jesus did not say that His followers would be removed before persecution came. He told them to endure:

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.”
—Matthew 24:9, KJV

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
—Matthew 24:13, KJV

When Jesus described His coming and the gathering of His elect, He placed that gathering “after the tribulation”:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light.”
—Matthew 24:29, KJV

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds.”
—Matthew 24:31, KJV

The Bible teaches that believers are not appointed to God’s wrath:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:9, KJV

However, tribulation and divine wrath are not the same thing. Tribulation is what the saints suffer from an evil world; wrath is God’s judgment upon the wicked. God can preserve His people spiritually during tribulation without removing them from every earthly trial.

Jesus prayed:

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”
—John 17:15, KJV

A doctrine that promises escape when Christ commanded endurance may leave Christians unprepared for persecution, hardship, and testing.

3. “Once Saved, Always Saved” Used as Permission to Sin

Some church leaders teach eternal security in a manner that allows people to believe they may continue deliberately in sin without repentance and still inherit eternal life. That teaching turns the grace of God into permission to live wickedly.

Jude warned of teachers who would misuse grace in precisely this way:

“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.”
—Jude 4, KJV

Paul rejected the idea that grace permits a Christian to continue in sin:

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
—Romans 6:1–2, KJV

The Bible commands believers to pursue holiness:

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”
—Hebrews 12:14, KJV

Jesus said that those who remain in Him must bear fruit:

“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered.”
—John 15:6, KJV

Paul warned believers against believing that they could live according to the flesh without consequences:

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
—Romans 8:13, KJV

He also warned that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived.”
—1 Corinthians 6:9, KJV

Grace does not merely pardon sin; it teaches us to reject it:

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”
—Titus 2:11–12, KJV

Salvation is by grace through faith, not by human works. Nevertheless, the faith that saves produces obedience and a changed life. Any doctrine of security that gives people permission to continue in willful, unrepentant sin is a corruption of biblical grace.

4. Refusing to Preach Eternal Punishment

Some church leaders speak of God’s love but refuse to preach His holiness, judgment, and eternal punishment. They give sinners comfort without calling them to repentance.

Jesus spoke plainly about everlasting punishment:

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
—Matthew 25:46, KJV

In the same verse, Jesus described punishment as “everlasting” and life as “eternal.” If eternal life is without end, then the punishment described by Christ must also be taken seriously.

Jesus also warned:

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
—Matthew 10:28, KJV

Paul described the punishment awaiting those who reject God and refuse the gospel:

“Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.”
—2 Thessalonians 1:9, KJV

John recorded the final judgment:

“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
—Revelation 20:15, KJV

The coming judgment is the reason the church must preach repentance:

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.”
—Acts 17:30–31, KJV

A preacher who refuses to warn people about judgment is like a watchman who sees danger approaching but remains silent:

“When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
—Ezekiel 33:8, KJV

We must preach God’s love, but we must not use His love to erase His justice. The message of eternal punishment is not preached because we hate sinners. It is preached because we love them enough to warn them and point them to the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.

The Responsibility of a True Shepherd

A faithful shepherd must proclaim the whole counsel of God:

“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”
—Acts 20:27, KJV

True shepherds do not exploit the flock for money. They do not promise an escape that Jesus never promised. They do not turn grace into permission to sin. They do not hide the reality of judgment in order to avoid offending people.

They preach Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. They call sinners to repentance, believers to holiness, and the church to faithful endurance.

Jesus said:

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
—John 10:11, KJV

The true Shepherd gave His life for the sheep. False shepherds use the sheep to build better lives for themselves.

Do not judge a shepherd merely by his title, personality, popularity, wealth, or promises. Examine his doctrine, character, conduct, and fruit according to the Word of God.

“Ye shall know them by their fruits.”
—Matthew 7:16, KJV

A Letter of Support for Andrew Horning for the United States Senate

Dear Fellow Hoosiers,

I am writing to express my support for Andrew Horning for the United States Senate from Indiana.

I have spent most of my life as a minister, teacher, and student of history. I believe government must remain accountable to the people and operate within the limits established by the United States Constitution. After examining Andrew Horning’s positions, I find that many of his principles are closely aligned with my own political convictions.

Andrew Horning understands that our federal government has grown far beyond its constitutional boundaries. Both major political parties have contributed to an enormous national debt, excessive federal spending, foreign military interventions, and the steady loss of individual liberty. We need a senator who will challenge this system rather than simply become another part of it.

I especially appreciate Andrew Horning’s commitment to:

• Restoring constitutional and limited government.

• Reducing federal spending and confronting the national debt.

• Returning authority to states, local communities, and the people.

• Protecting religious liberty and individual freedom.

• Ending unnecessary foreign wars and military interventions.

• Refusing to send American money and weapons into conflicts that do not defend our nation.

• Protecting our borders while treating peaceful immigrants humanely.

• Returning control of education to parents, communities, and the states.

• Opposing government mandates that violate personal liberty and conscience.

• Challenging the influence of powerful corporations, special interests, and the military-industrial complex.

As a Christian minister, I believe our enemies are souls to be won—not merely people to be bombed, sanctioned, or destroyed. America cannot bring peace to the world through endless warfare. Scripture says, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, KJV).

Supporting Andrew Horning does not mean that I must agree with him on every detail. No two people agree on every issue. It means I recognize in him an independent voice who is willing to question the political establishment, defend constitutional government, and speak against policies that have burdened our children and grandchildren with debt and conflict.

Indiana needs a senator who represents Hoosiers rather than political parties, foreign governments, wealthy donors, or Washington special interests. We need someone willing to tell the truth, even when that truth is unpopular.

For these reasons, I support Andrew Horning for the United States Senate, and I encourage my fellow Hoosiers to study his positions, listen to him speak, and give his candidacy serious consideration.

This endorsement represents my personal political convictions and is not an official endorsement by my church or any other organization with which I am associated.

Respectfully,

Larry G. Truitt
Pastor, educator, and concerned Indiana citizen
Thorntown, Indiana

I Will Not Support Candidates Who Continue Funding Endless Wars

Here is a letter I sent to Sen Todd Young.

Subject: I Will Not Support Candidates Who Continue Funding Endless Wars

Dear Sen Young,

I am writing as an American citizen, taxpayer, Christian minister, and voter. I want to state my position plainly: I will not vote for any elected official who continues supporting, funding, or enabling the wars being fought by the government of Israel.

This is not opposition to Jewish people, nor is it support for Hamas, Iran, or terrorism. Every human life—Jewish, Palestinian, Iranian, Arab, Christian, and Muslim—has value before God. I condemn terrorism, the killing of civilians, the taking of hostages, collective punishment, forced displacement, and attacks upon innocent people, regardless of who commits them.

The United States has provided Israel with enormous military, financial, and diplomatic support while the conflicts have spread throughout the Middle East. American weapons and taxpayer dollars have helped sustain military operations that have killed and displaced civilians and increased the danger of a much larger regional war. Supporting an ally must never mean granting its government unlimited authority to wage war without accountability.

It is time to put America first—not as a slogan, but as a responsible national policy.

Putting America first means:

• Protecting American servicemen and women from unnecessary and unauthorized wars.

• Requiring Congress to fulfill its constitutional responsibility before committing our nation to hostilities.

• Ending blank-check military assistance and demanding accountability for the use of American weapons.

• Investing American tax dollars in our veterans, infrastructure, farms, small businesses, healthcare, border security, and struggling families.

• Pursuing diplomacy before bombing and peace before escalation.

• Refusing to allow any foreign government to determine when, where, or against whom America goes to war.

Israel has the right to protect its citizens, but that right is not unlimited. No nation has the right to disregard civilian life, international law, or American interests while expecting the United States to provide unlimited weapons, money, and political protection.

Our country is already burdened by enormous debt. Our veterans often struggle to receive the care they were promised. American families face high costs for food, fuel, housing, medicine, and insurance. Yet Congress continues finding billions of dollars for foreign military campaigns without clearly explaining the objective, the limits, or the exit strategy.

America’s military should defend the United States—not serve as an instrument for another nation’s regional ambitions. American soldiers must not be placed in harm’s way because foreign leaders choose escalation over negotiation.

I am asking you to support:

1. An immediate end to American participation in unauthorized hostilities involving Israel and Iran.

2. A halt to offensive military assistance that may be used against civilians or to expand these wars.

3. Full congressional debate and recorded votes before any further American military action.

4. Strict oversight and public accounting of every dollar and weapon supplied.

5. Sustained diplomacy aimed at a ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners, humanitarian relief, and a just peace for all people in the region.

Scripture declares, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, KJV). It also commands us to “do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8, KJV). Justice cannot be selective, and mercy cannot be limited by nationality.

My vote will be guided by these convictions. I will not support any candidate—Republican, Democrat, or independent—who continues to provide unconditional backing for these wars. I will support candidates who defend the Constitution, protect American lives, demand accountability, and possess the courage to work for peace.

Please tell me specifically whether you will vote to end unauthorized American involvement, restrict offensive military funding, and require congressional approval before further military action. A general statement about supporting peace will not be sufficient. I am asking for your position on actual votes and policies.

It is time for Congress to recover its constitutional authority. It is time to stop writing blank checks for war. It is time to put the lives, security, resources, and constitutional interests of the American people first.

Respectfully,

Larry G. Truitt
Thorntown, Indiana
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When the Church No Longer Blushes The Growing Indifference Within Christianity Today

There was a time when the pulpit was a clear and unmistakable voice against sin. The preacher may not have been highly educated, polished, or popular, but when he opened the Bible, everyone knew where he stood. Sin was called sin, repentance was demanded, holiness was preached, and eternity was treated as a reality.

The church was not perfect in those days. No generation of Christians has ever been perfect. Some preachers were too harsh, some congregations were legalistic, and sometimes human traditions were confused with the commandments of God. Nevertheless, there was a general understanding that the church was supposed to stand for righteousness and speak against evil.

Today, something has changed.

In many churches, sin is no longer confronted. Repentance is seldom mentioned. Judgment has almost disappeared from the pulpit. Holiness is treated as an old-fashioned doctrine, and the fear of God has been replaced by the desire to make everyone feel comfortable.

We have not stopped believing in God; we have simply become indifferent toward what God has said.

A Church That Has Lost Its Voice

The church was never called to echo the world. It was called to be a light in the darkness and salt in a decaying society.

Jesus said:

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?”
—Matthew 5:13, KJV

Salt preserves what would otherwise decay. Light exposes what darkness attempts to hide. If the church refuses to speak plainly about sin, who will warn the sinner? If the pulpit becomes silent concerning righteousness, judgment, and repentance, where will people hear the truth?

Many preachers today are under tremendous pressure. They are expected to increase attendance, protect the budget, avoid controversy, please the church board, and make visitors feel welcome. None of those things is necessarily wrong, but they become dangerous when they are more important than faithfulness to the Word of God.

The preacher is not called merely to fill the pews. He is called to proclaim the truth.

Paul told Timothy:

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
—2 Timothy 4:2, KJV

Notice that Paul included reproving and rebuking along with exhortation. Biblical preaching comforts the brokenhearted, but it also confronts the rebellious. It offers mercy to the repentant, but it never redefines sin to make the unrepentant comfortable.

We Have Learned to Excuse What God Condemns

Our society has developed softer words for sinful behavior. Drunkenness becomes a lifestyle. Greed becomes ambition. Pride becomes self-esteem. Adultery becomes an affair. Dishonesty becomes political strategy. Hatred becomes patriotism when it is directed toward the right enemy. Gossip becomes a prayer request, and compromise becomes tolerance.

Changing the word does not change the sin.

The prophet Isaiah warned:

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness.”
—Isaiah 5:20, KJV

The problem is not merely that the world excuses sin. The world is spiritually blind and behaves according to its fallen nature. The greater tragedy is that the church has learned to make the same excuses.

We condemn the sins that offend us while overlooking the sins that benefit us. We speak against immorality but remain silent about greed. We denounce dishonesty in the opposing political party while excusing it in our own. We condemn violence in the streets but justify cruelty when it is carried out by governments we support.

Sin does not become righteousness because it wears a flag, carries a Bible, belongs to our political party, or contributes to our church.

God is not a respecter of persons.

Indifference Is More Dangerous Than Opposition

The greatest enemy of the church may not be persecution. Persecution has often purified the church and strengthened its testimony. Indifference is more dangerous because it puts the church to sleep while convincing us that everything is all right.

Indifference says:

“It is not my problem.”

“Everybody is doing it.”

“We do not want to offend anyone.”

“That subject is too controversial.”

“We must keep politics out of the pulpit”—unless the politics agree with us.

“We should just preach love.”

Yes, we must preach love. But biblical love does not remain silent while people destroy themselves. A physician who refuses to tell a patient about a deadly disease is not loving. A watchman who sees danger approaching but refuses to sound the alarm is not compassionate.

God told Ezekiel:

“When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
—Ezekiel 33:8, KJV

The church has been appointed as a watchman. We do not warn people because we hate them. We warn them because their souls have eternal value.

The Falling Away Begins in the Church

Many Christians are watching world events and looking for signs of the last days. They study wars, political alliances, earthquakes, economic instability, and events in the Middle East. Yet one of the clearest signs may be taking place inside the church.

Paul wrote:

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.”
—2 Thessalonians 2:3, KJV

A falling away does not begin when unbelievers behave like unbelievers. It begins when those who claim to believe no longer take their faith seriously.

Jesus warned:

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
—Matthew 24:12, KJV

Cold love produces indifferent Christianity. We continue attending services, singing songs, and using religious language, but we are no longer deeply troubled by sin. We can watch injustice without speaking, see suffering without helping, and witness spiritual decline without praying.

We are entertained but not convicted. We are informed but not transformed. We are religious but not burdened.

Judgment Must Begin at the House of God

It is easy to preach against the sins of the world. The world does not sit on the church board, pay the pastor’s salary, or place money in the offering plate. It requires much greater courage to confront sin inside the congregation.

The Bible says:

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.”
—1 Peter 4:17, KJV

Before the church points its finger at the government, it must examine its own heart. Before we condemn immorality in the community, we must address compromise in the congregation. Before demanding national repentance, Christians must be willing to repent personally.

The church cannot call the world away from hatred while Christians despise one another. We cannot condemn dishonesty in government while practicing deception in business. We cannot preach family values while neglecting our spouses and children. We cannot condemn violence abroad while refusing to be peacemakers at home.

Revival does not begin at the courthouse or the White House. Revival begins at the house of God.

Truth Must Be Spoken With Love and Tears

Calling sin by its name does not give us permission to become hateful, self-righteous, or cruel. Some people remember the old-fashioned pulpit as a place of conviction, but others remember it as a place where they were humiliated or wounded.

The answer to indifference is not harshness. The answer is truth spoken in love.

Jesus never treated sin lightly, but neither did He treat sinners as worthless. He ate with publicans and sinners. He touched lepers. He forgave the fallen. He showed mercy to the guilty. Yet His message always called people away from sin and into a changed life.

To the woman taken in adultery, Jesus said:

“Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
—John 8:11, KJV

That is the balance the church must recover. Jesus offered mercy, but He also commanded change. Grace does not pretend that sin is harmless. Grace forgives us and gives us power to live differently.

Truth without love can become cruelty. Love without truth becomes permission. The gospel gives us both truth and grace.

Where Are the Weeping Preachers?

We need preachers who will speak against sin, but we also need preachers who will weep over sinners.

Jeremiah was not pleased when he announced judgment. He was known as the weeping prophet because the condition of his people broke his heart. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Paul spoke of those who were enemies of the cross “even weeping.”

The faithful preacher does not stand above the people as though he has never needed mercy. He stands among them as a sinner saved by grace, warning others about the pit from which Christ rescued him.

We do not need angry preachers trying to win arguments. We need brokenhearted watchmen trying to win souls.

The pulpit must once again declare that sin is real, judgment is certain, repentance is necessary, grace is available, and Jesus Christ still saves to the uttermost.

Strengthen the Things That Remain

Not every church has surrendered. Not every preacher has compromised. God still has faithful congregations, courageous pastors, praying saints, and young believers who hunger for righteousness. As in Elijah’s day, God has a remnant that has not bowed the knee.

Christ said to the church at Sardis:

“Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.”
—Revelation 3:2, KJV

That is our responsibility today. We must strengthen what remains.

Let the pulpit preach the whole counsel of God.

Let the church become a place of prayer and repentance.

Let Christians demonstrate holiness, mercy, justice, and compassion.

Let us care about the unborn child, the neglected child, the poor, the elderly, the immigrant, the prisoner, the war victim, and the person trapped in sin.

Let us refuse to excuse wrongdoing merely because it is committed by our favorite leader, political party, denomination, or nation.

Let us recover the fear of God and the love of our neighbor.

The Church Must Awaken

I believe indifference is one of the greatest spiritual dangers facing Christianity today. We have become accustomed to conditions that once would have driven the church to its knees. Sin no longer shocks us, suffering no longer moves us, and compromise no longer embarrasses us.

The church must awaken.

We do not need more entertainment, clever programs, political speeches, or motivational sermons. We need the presence of God. We need conviction in the pulpit, repentance at the altar, holiness in the home, honesty in public life, compassion in the community, and courage in the face of evil.

The answer is not to spend all our time condemning the world. The world needs the gospel. The church must first humble itself and repent of its own coldness.

Before we point through the church window at the darkness outside, we must ask whether the lamp inside is still burning.

The prayer of this hour should be:

“Lord, search me. Forgive my indifference. Awaken Thy church. Restore conviction to the pulpit, repentance to the altar, holiness to Thy people, and compassion to our witness. Help us to speak the truth in love and to remain faithful until Jesus comes.”

The church does not need to become louder merely for the sake of being heard. It needs to become faithful enough that when it speaks, the world recognizes that it has been with Jesus. 

When the Church Rejoices at Destruction: A Sign of the Falling Away

There is something happening within the church that deeply troubles my spirit. The message of forgiveness is no longer central in many congregations. The call to love our enemies is seldom heard. Instead, there is an increasing spirit of anger, political hatred, and even rejoicing when those identified as enemies are humiliated, harmed, or destroyed.

Political opponents are no longer viewed as lost souls who need to be saved. They are treated as enemies who must be defeated and destroyed.

This is more than a change in political attitudes. It is a departure from the teachings of Jesus Christ, and I believe it may be part of the spiritual falling away Scripture warns will characterize the last days.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.”
— 2 Thessalonians 2:3, KJV

A falling away does not necessarily begin when people abandon church buildings. It can happen while churches remain crowded, preachers remain popular, religious music continues, and people still claim to believe the Bible.

The most dangerous apostasy may be one in which people retain the name of Christ while rejecting the spirit and teachings of Christ.

When Love Grows Cold

Jesus warned that conditions in the last days would affect the spiritual condition of many:

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
— Matthew 24:12

Notice that Jesus did not merely warn that the world would become more sinful. He warned that love would grow cold.

We are witnessing that coldness. There seems to be less compassion, less forgiveness, less patience, and less sorrow for the lost. Some professing Christians appear more excited about the destruction of their enemies than about the possibility of their salvation.

Cruel words are excused because they are directed toward the “right” people. Hatred is renamed courage. Vengeance is called justice. Political rage is mistaken for righteous indignation.

But changing the name of hatred does not change its spirit.

Jesus said:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
— Matthew 5:44

That is not a suggestion for unusually spiritual Christians. It is a command from the Lord to every disciple.

If we love only those who agree with us, vote like us, worship like us, or belong to our political movement, we are not demonstrating the supernatural love of Christ. Jesus said even publicans could love those who loved them.

The true test of Christian love is how we treat those who oppose us.

Jesus Wept Over Those Who Rejected Him

Jesus knew that Jerusalem would reject Him. He knew He would be mocked, condemned, and crucified. He also knew that judgment was coming upon the city.

Yet when He looked upon Jerusalem, He did not celebrate its coming destruction.

“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it.”
— Luke 19:41

Jesus wept.

He did not laugh. He did not mock. He did not boast that His enemies would soon receive what they deserved. He wept because He saw people who had rejected the day of their visitation.

That is the heart of Christ.

When we hear of suffering, war, death, or destruction, do we weep—or do we cheer because we believe the sufferers belong to the wrong nation, religion, race, or political party?

There is a place for justice. Evil must be confronted, victims must be protected, and rulers must be held accountable. Forgiveness does not mean calling evil good or allowing abusers to continue harming the innocent.

But there is a great difference between seeking justice and enjoying vengeance.

God said:

“As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
— Ezekiel 33:11

If God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, His people should not rejoice over it either.

We Have Forgotten That We Were Once Enemies

The gospel is not the story of good people being rewarded while their enemies are destroyed. It is the story of God extending mercy to people who were themselves His enemies.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8

Paul continued:

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son…”
— Romans 5:10

We were the enemies.

We were not saved because we deserved mercy. We were saved because Jesus Christ loved us while we were still sinners. When we remember that truth, there is no room for pride, cruelty, or self-righteousness.

The Christian does not stand above lost humanity shouting for its destruction. We stand among the pardoned, pleading with others to receive the same mercy that saved us.

The person we consider an enemy may yet become a brother or sister in Christ.

Stephen understood this. While he was being stoned, he prayed:

“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
— Acts 7:60

Standing nearby was a young man named Saul. At that moment, Saul was an enemy of the church. He consented to Stephen’s death and later persecuted Christians.

But Saul did not remain an enemy. Christ met him on the Damascus road, and Saul became Paul the Apostle.

The enemy standing before us today may be tomorrow’s servant of God.

The Spirit of James and John

When a Samaritan village refused to receive Jesus, James and John wanted judgment to fall immediately:

“Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?”
— Luke 9:54

They wanted destruction. Jesus answered them with a rebuke that the modern church desperately needs to hear:

“Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
— Luke 9:55–56

“Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”

A person can use biblical language and still be operating under the wrong spirit. James and John were disciples. They believed in Jesus. They were zealous for His honor. Nevertheless, their desire for destruction did not come from the heart of Christ.

Zeal without love becomes cruelty.

Truth without mercy becomes a weapon.

Religion without the spirit of Christ becomes dangerous.

A Form of Godliness Without Its Power

Paul described the spiritual condition of the last days:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”
— 2 Timothy 3:1

He then described people who would be proud, boastful, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, false accusers, fierce, and despisers of those who are good.

What makes this warning particularly serious is that Paul was not merely describing open unbelievers. He said they would be:

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
— 2 Timothy 3:5

They would retain a form of religion.

They might know religious language, attend services, quote Scripture, and defend Christian traditions. Yet they would deny the transforming power of the gospel.

The power of godliness is not merely the power to win arguments or elections. It is the power to transform a hateful heart, forgive an offender, love an enemy, control the tongue, walk humbly, and become like Jesus.

Any religion that gives us permission to hate our enemies while convincing us that we are righteous has become a counterfeit form of Christianity.

Political Power Has Become an Idol

The church went wrong when it began seeking political power more earnestly than the power of the Holy Ghost.

It exchanged the cross for a sword, discipleship for party loyalty, and the teachings of Jesus for the anger of the age.

Jesus plainly declared:

“My kingdom is not of this world.”
— John 18:36

The church should speak truth to government. We should oppose injustice, defend the helpless, and call rulers to righteousness. But we must never confuse the kingdom of God with a political party, earthly government, or national identity.

When the church binds itself to political power, it becomes tempted to overlook the sins of its allies while condemning the same sins in its opponents.

Dishonesty is condemned—unless our side benefits from it.

Immorality is denounced—unless our preferred leader commits it.

Cruelty is opposed—unless it is directed toward people we have been taught to fear.

This is not biblical righteousness. It is political idolatry.

God does not have one standard for our friends and another for our enemies.

The Spirit of Jonah in the Church

Jonah preached that judgment was coming upon Nineveh. The people repented, and God showed mercy.

Jonah should have rejoiced over their repentance, but instead he became angry because Nineveh had not been destroyed. He wanted his prophecy of judgment fulfilled more than he wanted lost souls saved.

God asked him:

“And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city…?”
— Jonah 4:11

The spirit of Jonah is present whenever Christians are disappointed by mercy.

It appears when we become so committed to a message of destruction that we no longer want sinners to repent. It appears when we would rather see our predictions fulfilled than see our enemies saved.

We may be doctrinally correct that judgment is coming and still have a heart that is far from God.

The message of judgment should always be delivered with tears. Noah’s flood, Sodom’s destruction, Jerusalem’s fall, and the final judgment are solemn realities. They should never become entertainment or an excuse for hatred.

How Long Will God Permit This Drift?

I do not know how much longer this spiritual drift can continue before the Lord says, “Enough.”

No man knows the day or the hour of Christ’s return. We must not set dates or claim knowledge God has not given us. Nevertheless, Jesus commanded us to watch, and the condition of the professing church should deeply concern us.

Peter wrote:

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.”
— 1 Peter 4:17

Before we point toward the sins of the world, the church must examine itself.

Have we lost our first love?

Have we replaced the gospel with political propaganda?

Have we confused anger with anointing?

Have we become entertained by destruction?

Do we desire the salvation of our enemies, or do we secretly hope they perish?

Have we retained the name of Jesus while abandoning His way?

These are not small questions. They concern the spiritual condition of the church.

God’s patience should never be mistaken for His approval. Christ warned churches in Revelation to repent. He commended what was faithful, exposed what was corrupt, and warned that continued rebellion would bring judgment.

The Lord sees His church. He hears what is preached from its pulpits. He reads what Christians write on social media. He knows whether our hearts are filled with mercy or malice.

There comes a time when God says, “Enough.” We do not know when that moment will come, but we dare not presume upon His patience.

The Church Must Return to Jesus

The answer is not for the church to become more Republican or more Democratic. It must become more like Jesus.

We need to return to the Sermon on the Mount. We need to recover the message of repentance, reconciliation, holiness, forgiveness, and enemy-love.

We must preach Christ rather than personalities.

We must seek the kingdom of God rather than political control.

We must speak truth without hatred.

We must defend the innocent without surrendering to vengeance.

We must remember that every political opponent has an eternal soul.

At Calvary, Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him:

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
— Luke 23:34

If Jesus prayed for His executioners, surely we can pray for those who disagree with us politically.

The church of the last days must decide whether it will follow the Lamb or join the angry spirit of the age.

Jesus did not call us to destroy our enemies. He called us to take up our cross, follow Him, preach the gospel, love our neighbors, forgive those who wrong us, and pray for those who persecute us.

The falling away may not always look like atheism. It may look like Christianity without Christ’s character—religion without mercy, truth without love, prophecy without tears, and judgment without any desire for repentance.

That is why the church must awaken.

The Lord is still calling His people to repent. The door of mercy remains open, but we must not assume it will remain open forever.

May God restore to the church the tears of Jesus, the prayer of Stephen, and the forgiveness of the cross.

May we look upon our enemies and see not people to be destroyed, but souls for whom Christ died.

And may the church return to Jesus before the Lord finally says:

“Enough.”

The War With Iran Is Reaching the American Farm and the Grocery Store

A war may begin thousands of miles from an Indiana cornfield, but its consequences do not remain thousands of miles away. They travel through oil pipelines, shipping lanes, fertilizer plants, farm fuel tanks, grain elevators, trucking companies, food processors, and finally into the neighborhood grocery store.

The continuing war with Iran is no longer merely a foreign-policy issue. It is becoming an energy issue, an agricultural issue, and potentially a serious food-price issue.

The Bible says, “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3, KJV). Prudence does not mean panic. It means looking down the road far enough to recognize where present events may lead.

The Importance of the Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important energy passages in the world. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments normally pass through this narrow waterway.

When shipping through the strait is threatened, delayed, or blocked, the oil may still exist underground, but it cannot easily reach the refineries and nations that need it. Tanker insurance rises. Ships must wait, accept greater risks, or travel by longer routes. Those additional costs are eventually passed along to businesses and consumers.

The danger has become even greater because attacks have not been limited to shipping. During this conflict, refineries and other energy installations in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar have reportedly been struck or disrupted.

Some attacks were conducted directly by Iran. Others were carried out by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen. That distinction matters when assigning responsibility, but it does not make much difference to the energy market. A damaged refinery produces less fuel regardless of whose drone or missile struck it.

The recent attack upon Saudi Arabia’s Jazan refinery was especially troubling. Jazan can process approximately 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. It is located near the Red Sea, along the alternative route Saudi Arabia uses to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

If the Persian Gulf route is restricted and the Red Sea alternative is also threatened, the world begins losing both its main route and its detour.

Why the American Farmer Should Be Concerned

Modern farming depends upon energy from the time the ground is prepared until food reaches the consumer.

Diesel powers tractors, combines, grain carts, irrigation equipment, and trucks. Propane and natural gas dry corn and manufacture fertilizer. Petroleum is used in producing and transporting chemicals, machinery parts, seed, and packaging.

Indiana diesel has already been selling for more than $5 per gallon. If the war pushes diesel to $7, harvesting will not suddenly stop, but the cost of nearly every part of agriculture will rise.

Combines must run when the crop is ready. Farmers cannot leave mature corn and soybeans in the field while they wait for diesel prices to decline. Delaying harvest can bring lodging, grain loss, excessive moisture, snow, and storm damage.

Depending upon equipment, hauling distance, field conditions, and tillage practices, $7 diesel could add approximately $5 to $12 per acre to fall operating expenses compared with recent fuel prices.

That could mean an additional:

• $2,500 to $6,000 for a 500-acre farm;

• $5,000 to $12,000 for a 1,000-acre farm;

• $12,500 to $30,000 for a 2,500-acre farm;

• $25,000 to $60,000 for a 5,000-acre operation.

Those are only planning estimates. They do not include every indirect increase in custom-harvesting charges, grain hauling, machinery service, replacement parts, fertilizer transportation, or interest expense.

Farmers Are Already Facing Poor Profit Prospects

According to Purdue University’s 2026 Crop Cost and Return Guide, the projected full-cost break-even price on average-productivity Indiana soil is approximately $5.34 per bushel for rotation corn and $12.47 per bushel for soybeans.

Purdue’s assumed harvest prices were only $4.35 for corn and $10.20 for soybeans.

Under those assumptions, Purdue projected average losses of approximately $147 per acre for rotation corn and $86 per acre for rotation soybeans after accounting for land, labor, machinery ownership, and other overhead expenses.

In other words, many farmers were already looking at losses before diesel reached $7 and before the full consequences of this energy crisis were known.

Diesel alone will not bankrupt every farm. Farmers who own their land, carry little debt, have modern equipment, and produce high yields may withstand considerably higher fuel prices. But farms paying high cash rent, carrying large operating loans, hiring custom harvesters, or hauling grain long distances are much more vulnerable.

For an operation expecting only $10 or $20 per acre of true profit, $7 to $9 diesel could consume what little margin remains.

Fertilizer May Become an Even Greater Problem

Diesel is not the only concern. Fertilizer production depends heavily upon energy, especially natural gas. Fertilizer must also be transported by ship, rail, barge, and truck.

If the war continues to disrupt Gulf energy production and international shipping, farmers could face higher fertilizer prices or difficulty obtaining the amounts they need for the 2027 crop.

Corn requires substantial nitrogen. When fertilizer becomes too expensive or unavailable, farmers may plant fewer acres of corn and more soybeans. They may reduce application rates, postpone phosphorus and potassium replacement, or leave marginal acreage unplanted.

A farmer can occasionally postpone some fertilizer applications when the soil already contains adequate nutrients. However, nutrients cannot continually be removed without being replaced. Cutting nitrogen too severely can reduce corn yield during that very season.

Poor farm profits also affect fertilizer use. A farmer who loses money in 2026 may enter 2027 with less operating capital and greater dependence upon bank financing. If lenders become cautious, some farmers may be forced to reduce inputs even if fertilizer is technically available.

The 2027 Crop May Be the One Most at Risk

The 2026 crop was largely planned and planted before the complete economic effects of this war were known. The 2027 crop will be financed, fertilized, planted, cultivated, harvested, dried, and transported under whatever conditions this war leaves behind.

The critical period will begin during the fall and winter of 2026.

Farmers will be arranging operating loans, ordering seed, buying fertilizer, contracting fuel, and deciding how many acres of corn or soybeans to plant. If diesel remains extremely expensive, fertilizer is scarce, interest rates stay high, and crop prices remain below production costs, the yield potential of the 2027 harvest could be reduced before the first seed enters the ground.

Weather will then become the great multiplier.

Good rainfall and favorable temperatures might partially compensate for reduced acreage or inputs. Drought, flooding, excessive heat during pollination, or an early frost could turn a difficult agricultural year into a genuine production crisis.

A 5 percent reduction in a 16-billion-bushel corn crop would remove approximately 800 million bushels. A 10 percent reduction would remove about 1.6 billion bushels.

The nation may have carryover stocks to absorb part of such a loss, but eventually somebody must reduce consumption or pay more.

How the Cost Reaches the Marketplace

Higher farm expenses do not appear at the grocery store immediately. The increase moves through the system in stages.

The farmer pays more for diesel, fertilizer, seed, drying fuel, repairs, and interest. The elevator pays more to handle, dry, and store the grain. The trucking company pays more to haul it. The processor pays more for energy, labor, packaging, and transportation. The grocery store then pays more to place the finished product upon its shelves.

Corn is used for livestock feed, ethanol, starch, sweeteners, and numerous processed foods. Soybeans supply cooking oil and soybean meal for poultry and livestock. Wheat becomes flour, bread, cereal, pasta, and bakery products.

Higher grain prices would eventually increase the cost of meat, milk, and eggs. Those increases can take longer because livestock producers may initially sell animals to reduce their feed expenses. That temporary increase in meat supplies can briefly hold prices down. Later, when herds and flocks are smaller, prices may rise sharply.

The likely timeline would be:

• Fall 2026: Higher fuel and fertilizer costs affect planning.

• Winter 2026–27: Farmers arrange financing and make planting decisions.

• Spring 2027: Crops are planted, possibly with reduced acreage or fertilizer.

• Summer 2027: Weather determines the final severity of the problem.

• Fall 2027: A smaller or more expensive crop reaches the market.

• Late 2027 and early 2028: Higher costs appear more noticeably in meat, dairy products, eggs, cooking oil, bread, and processed foods.

Preparation Without Panic

This warning is not a prediction that America will run out of food. The United States remains one of the world’s greatest agricultural producers. Farmers are resourceful, hardworking people who have endured droughts, floods, wars, inflation, and depressions.

However, strength should not become an excuse for complacency.

Families should control unnecessary debt, maintain a reasonable supply of regularly used food, reduce waste, conserve fuel, and prepare household budgets for higher costs. Churches should consider how they will assist elderly people, struggling families, and farmers under financial pressure.

There is no wisdom in panic buying or hoarding. Such behavior creates the very shortages people fear. Christian preparation should always include generosity.

Farmers are not merely businesses on a balance sheet. They are the people who feed us. When farm families struggle, rural churches, schools, equipment dealers, local stores, and entire communities feel the consequences.

The Bible says, “Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it” (James 5:7, KJV). The husbandman can plant and cultivate, but he cannot command the rain, lower the price of diesel, reopen a shipping lane, or end a war.

The Cost of War Eventually Comes Home

The explosions may be occurring in the Persian Gulf, but their economic shock waves can reach a cornfield in Boone County, Indiana.

War consumes fuel, destroys infrastructure, interrupts trade, increases debt, and raises the price of necessities. The poor, the elderly, the farmer, and the working family usually carry burdens they had no part in creating.

If the war with Iran is not resolved soon, its greatest agricultural consequences may not be felt during the 2026 harvest. They may emerge during the 2027 planting season, when farmers must purchase diesel, fertilizer, and seed while securing operating credit.

Reduced acreage, lower fertilizer application, financial pressure, and unfavorable weather could substantially reduce the 2027 harvest. Those losses would then pass through feed mills, livestock operations, food processors, trucking companies, and grocery stores, resulting in higher food prices during late 2027 and early 2028.

National Security Must Begin With the American People

This is my opinion, and I understand that others may disagree. However, it will not matter whether a family is Republican, Democrat, independent, conservative, or liberal when they can no longer afford the diesel required to harvest their food, the gasoline needed to travel to work, or the groceries required to feed their children.

The price at the pump does not ask how we voted. The grocery-store cashier does not lower the bill according to our political party. Economic hardship crosses every political boundary.

If Americans continue supporting an expanding war with Iran, we should not be surprised when the financial cost comes home. We should not expect Israel—or any other foreign nation—to rescue American farmers, truckers, elderly citizens, or working families when fuel and food become unaffordable. Foreign governments naturally pursue what they believe to be their own national interests. The responsibility of the United States government is to pursue the security and welfare of the American people.

Israel is responsible for the security of Israel. The American government is responsible for the security of America.

That does not mean we should hate Israel, Iran, or any other nation. It does not mean we should ignore human suffering or refuse legitimate diplomacy. It means American soldiers and American taxpayers should not be committed to a war merely to secure the political or military objectives of a foreign government.

I do not believe this is a war America has any business fighting.

Getting the United States out of this war should be treated as a national-security issue. National security is not limited to aircraft carriers, missiles, military bases, and foreign alliances. It also includes affordable energy, dependable agriculture, functioning transportation, secure food supplies, and the ability of ordinary families to purchase the necessities of life.

What kind of national security have we achieved if our farmers cannot afford fertilizer, our truckers cannot afford diesel, our elderly people cannot afford groceries, and working parents must choose between filling the fuel tank and feeding their children?

Protecting the American people must include protecting them from the unnecessary economic consequences of prolonged foreign wars. Our leaders should seek an immediate ceasefire, reopen international shipping, reduce the danger to American service members, and bring this involvement to an end.

That is not isolationism. It is prudence. It is recognizing that a government which neglects the welfare of its own people while financing destruction abroad has misunderstood its first responsibility.

We should pray for peace—not only because war is expensive, but because human lives are sacred. We should pray for American soldiers, Iranian families, Israelis, Arabs, farmers, laborers, and innocent children throughout the region.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, KJV).

May God give our leaders wisdom, bring this war to an end, and teach us again that the way of peace is always less costly than the road of destruction.

What Have the Children Done to Deserve Death?

 There are some pictures that never leave your mind. There are some voices that continue speaking long after the television has been turned off and the videotape has been put away. For me, one of those voices belongs to an Iraqi grandfather whom I never met.

During the war in Iraq, I produced and directed a television program called Issues in Indiana. Someone gave me a videotape showing the destruction the United States government was bringing upon Iraq. The scenes on that tape were not the clean, carefully selected pictures shown on the evening news. They showed what war looked like to the people underneath the bombs.

I watched interviews with ordinary Iraqi citizens. They were no different from the people living next door to me. They were mothers and fathers, grandparents and children. They worked, worried, laughed, prayed, and loved their families. They wanted their children to grow up. They wanted to live without fear.

One interview has remained with me through all the years since.

An Iraqi grandfather was holding the lifeless body of his grandson, a little boy about five years old. With tears in his eyes and grief breaking his voice, he asked why America had killed his grandson. That child had done nothing to America. He had threatened no soldier. He had carried no weapon. He had harmed no American. He was simply a little boy who should have been playing, laughing, learning, and growing up surrounded by those who loved him.

That grandfather asked a question our government could not answer:

“Why did America kill my grandson? What had he done to America?”

His story was not told by the mainstream American media. His grandson disappeared into a casualty total. He became one more number among thousands. Yet behind every number was a name. Behind every number was a family. Behind every number was a mother, father, or grandparent whose heart had been torn apart.

Governments speak of military operations, strategic objectives, national interests, acceptable losses, and collateral damage. Such language makes war sound clean and reasonable. But there was nothing clean or reasonable about that grandfather holding his dead grandson. Political language could not dry his tears, restore that child’s life, or answer his question.

Today I hear that same question rising from beneath the rubble of Gaza.

A Starting Date Without a History

Much of the American public was told that the present story began on October 7, 2023. What Hamas did that day was evil. The murder of Israeli civilians was wrong. The taking of hostages was wrong. No honest defense of Palestinian rights requires us to excuse the killing of innocent Israelis.

But October 7 did not occur in a historical vacuum.

Americans were seldom taught the full history of Palestinian displacement beginning in 1948, the military occupation that followed the 1967 war, the growth of Israeli settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes, restrictions upon movement, imprisonment without trial, or the long blockade of Gaza. We were given a starting date, but not a history. We were shown the explosion, but not the pressure that had been building for generations.

If the American people had understood how Palestinians had been displaced, occupied, restricted, and mistreated for more than seventy years, I believe they would have demanded a different response in Gaza. Most Americans do not like bullies. When they understand the facts, they tend to sympathize with the underdog.

Israel is not the helpless underdog that its defenders have so successfully portrayed. The Israeli government possesses overwhelming military power, receives enormous financial and military support from the United States, and exercises immense control over Palestinian life. Yet a powerful public-relations effort has persuaded many Americans to associate the whole population of Gaza with terrorism.

Hamas is not the Palestinian people.

A child buried beneath a collapsed apartment building is not a terrorist. A mother searching for bread is not a terrorist. A doctor treating the wounded is not a terrorist. A journalist recording the destruction is not a terrorist. Palestinian Christians are not terrorists. Two million people cannot be stripped of their individuality and assigned collective guilt for the crimes of an armed organization.

This criticism must also be stated with care: I am speaking about the actions of the Israeli government, its military, and the political forces defending those actions. I am not condemning Jewish people. Many Jewish and Israeli voices have courageously opposed occupation, collective punishment, and the destruction of Gaza. Criticism of a government is not hatred of an ethnicity or religion.

Unequal Numbers and Unequal Grief

More than 73,000 Palestinians have been reported killed in Gaza. Compared with the approximately 1,200 people killed in Israel on October 7, that is roughly sixty Palestinian deaths for every death on that terrible day. If Israeli military deaths during the subsequent war are added, the ratio is lower, but the disproportion remains staggering. Thousands of Palestinians may still be beneath the rubble, and deaths caused indirectly by hunger, disease, exposure, and the collapse of medical care are not fully represented in the direct-death total.

Numbers alone, however, do not reveal the deepest injustice. There has also been unequal grief.

Israeli victims have often been presented to Americans as individuals. We learn their names, see their photographs, meet their families, and hear their personal stories. They should be remembered that way. Every innocent Israeli life is precious.

Palestinian victims, however, are too often presented as an anonymous mass. We hear that “the death toll has risen,” as though the dead were numbers rather than people and as though no one caused their deaths. Palestinian casualty figures are questioned while official military claims are often repeated. Israelis are “murdered” or “slaughtered,” while Palestinians simply “die” in an airstrike.

When the children of one people are individually mourned while the children of another people are reduced to disputed statistics, the public is quietly being taught that some lives matter more than others.

God does not accept that distinction.

The apostle Peter declared, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34, KJV). An Israeli child and a Palestinian child possess equal worth before God. Their nationality does not increase or diminish the value of their blood.

The Silence of Evangelical Christianity

One of my greatest concerns is the silence of evangelical Christians. Many who preach that every unborn child is precious have closed their eyes to children killed after birth by American-made weapons. They speak loudly about innocent life when doing so supports a favored political cause, but become strangely quiet when innocent Palestinian children are buried beneath the ruins of their homes.

That is not a consistent defense of life. It is selective morality.

Some evangelical leaders have allowed Christian Zionism to replace the teaching of Jesus. They defend nearly every action of the modern Israeli government as though questioning a nation’s military policy were the same as questioning the Word of God. The modern State of Israel is a government. Like every other government, its actions must be judged by truth, justice, mercy, and the moral law of God.

The Church is not called to give any earthly government unconditional approval. Our allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament prophets did not remain silent when Israel shed innocent blood. They did not excuse injustice because Israel possessed a covenant history. They spoke more forcefully because those who claimed the name of God were accountable to His righteousness.

Isaiah cried, “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15, KJV).

If the prophets refused to overlook innocent blood, how can the evangelical Church overlook it today?

We cannot condemn the murder of Israeli children while defending the killing of Palestinian children. We cannot call one an atrocity and dismiss the other as collateral damage. We cannot claim to follow the Prince of Peace while blessing every bomb dropped by a government we have placed beyond moral examination.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9, KJV). He did not say, “Blessed are those who manufacture excuses for killing children.”

Children Sacrificed to the Gods of War

The United States government has sacrificed far too many children upon the altars of war. We may no longer call our idols Molech or Baal, but we continue offering innocent lives to the gods of military power, national pride, political ambition, and economic gain.

The psalmist spoke of those who “sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood” (Psalm 106:37–38, KJV). We read those words and condemn the cruelty of ancient people, yet remain silent while bombs purchased with our tax dollars fall upon children in distant lands.

We disguise their deaths with respectable phrases. God does not see “collateral damage.” He sees children created in His image. He sees their blood, hears the cries of their parents, and remembers those responsible.

Scripture declares that among the things the Lord hates are “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:16–17, KJV). That condemnation applies to Hamas when it murders Israeli children. It applies to Israel when its weapons kill Palestinian children. It also applies to the United States when our government supplies the weapons, finances the destruction, protects those responsible from accountability, and then pretends that we bear no responsibility.

Many Americans remain silent because the children live far away, speak another language, or follow another religion. Distance does not make their blood less innocent. Nationality does not make their lives less valuable. Silence may protect our comfort, but it cannot hide injustice from God.

The Lord does not look upon the shedding of innocent blood with approval. He looks upon it with righteous anger. Nations may escape human courts through wealth, influence, and military power, but no nation escapes the judgment of God.

“Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!” (Habakkuk 2:12, KJV).

A nation cannot continually sow bombs and expect to reap peace. It cannot shed innocent blood and expect the blessing of God. Judgment may not come according to our timetable, but Scripture gives us no reason to believe that God will forever overlook the killing of the innocent.

What Will the Church Do?

The question is not merely what Israel, Hamas, or the American government has done. The question is what the Church has done while it was happening.

Did we speak for those without a voice? Did we protest the killing of innocent people on both sides? Did we demand that our government stop financing the destruction? Did we pray for Palestinian families as earnestly as we prayed for Israeli families? Or did we turn away because the truth disturbed our politics and challenged our theology?

Proverbs commands us, “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8–9, KJV).

The Church must open its mouth. We must condemn terrorism without blessing collective punishment. We must oppose antisemitism without excusing the oppression of Palestinians. We must pray for Jewish people and Muslim people, for Israelis and Palestinians, remembering that our enemies are souls to be saved—not people to be hated or children to be killed.

I still see that Iraqi grandfather holding his dead grandson. His question has followed me through the years. Today it is repeated by Palestinian fathers and mothers standing amid the ruins of Gaza:

“Why did they kill my child? What had my child done to deserve death?”

Military officials may offer explanations. Politicians may change the subject. News organizations may move on to another story. Preachers may remain silent because speaking could offend members of their congregations.

But God has heard the question.

The blood of innocent children cries from the ground. God hears that cry even when governments, churches, and news organizations refuse to hear it.

It is time for America to repent of its addiction to war. It is time for evangelical Christians to open their eyes, recover a consistent concern for innocent life, and follow the Prince of Peace. It is time to stop asking whether a dead child was Israeli or Palestinian, Iraqi or American, Jewish, Muslim, or Christian.

The question before us is much simpler:

Was this an innocent child created in the image of God?

If the answer is yes, then the Church must care enough to speak.