Trump's presidential message for Holy Week

A refreshingly good message from President Trump for Easter this year:

Presidential Message on Holy Week, 2025

The White House (April 13, 2025) – This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity.

Oklahoma Freedom Caucus supports Walters' Bibles in classroom initiative

Oklahoma Freedom Caucus Supports Bibles in Classroom Initiative

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 2nd) – In support of bolstering educational excellence and understanding the formation of the United States, the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus (OKFC), led by Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, and Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, has thrown its support behind the Bible initiative in public schools proposed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters.

The Freedom Caucus applauded Walters' initiative to ensure the availability of a Bible in public school classroom across the state. Walters announced last week he would include $3 million in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request to fund the initiative.

Sen. Deevers comments on Trump assassination attempt, calls on Christians and conservatives to get involved

Deevers Comments on Assassination Attempt on Former President Trump, Calls on Christians and Conservatives to Get Involved

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 17th) — On Saturday, a 20-year-old shooter attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, wounding his ear, killing one man, and injuring two more. Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, released the following statement condemning the attack and encouraging citizens to follow Trump’s exhortation immediately after being shot to “fight” for our principles.

Handel's Messiah: The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Christ in Song

Handle's great oratorio, Messiah, is commonly thought of as a Christmastime work, when in fact, that is mistaken. The famous composer originally performed the music around Easter, and in its entirety, the oratorio fits better with the Easter season than it does Christmas.

In light of that fact, and because Messiah is one of my all-time favorite works of music, I present you with the lyrics of Messiah...

Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey on Thanksgiving Day's origins

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are able to take time today to spend time with loved ones, think back over the past year and forward to the next, and thank God for the many blessings you have been given. In this post, you'll find three videos for the day: Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey on the origins of Thanksgiving Day, and 'Tennessee Ernie' Ford singing an old Dutch hymn of thanksgiving, We Gather Together. I hope you'll listen to them.

Baptist pastors release film on how Pro-Life movement is keeping abortion legal in OK

A Storm Comes Rolling Down the Plain: The Movement to Abolish Abortion Without Compromise in Oklahoma

Powerful New Documentary Reveals How the Pro-Life Movement Keeps Abortion Legal in Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, OK -- A Storm Comes Rolling Down the Plain tells the providential story of the church rising to bring the gospel into conflict with the horrors of abortion in Oklahoma. It presents the church of King Jesus as she proclaims the gospel as the ultimate antidote to modern day child sacrifice.

In contrast, it shows how the super-majority of Republican pro-life politicians have fought to kill bills that would abolish abortion immediately, without exception or compromise.  The storm in Oklahoma is building as the Church repents and rises up to work to end what the pro-life movement has only sought to regulate for the last 48 years.  

Here's what you need to know for 2021

 2020 is blessedly gone, and 2021 is here. 

Here's the deal. God made you. God made everything. Just as this website/app/browser had a designer, the building you are in had an architect, the vehicle you drive had a builder, this entire universe - infinitely more complex - had a Creator. He orchestrated the atoms and molecules that make up everything.

As Creator, He has the right and prerogative for placing laws and rules for His creation to follow. You, and I, and every human being, have fallen short of those laws. 

The Ten Commandments sum up God's Law. We have broken every single one. We have lied. We have stolen. We have had inappropriate sexual thoughts (Jesus called this adultery of the heart). We have been angry without just cause (Jesus called this murder of the heart). We have coveted. We have blasphemed. We are all guilty.

Punishment for offenses increase as the party against which the crime was perpetrated increase in stature. Disobedience to parents require one level of correction/punishment. Crimes against a human government require a higher degree of punishment. Crimes against an infinite God require a greater punishment, namely an infinite punishment. 

Heaven is real, but so is Hell. Hell is a real place, where the full righteous wrath of God Almighty is unendingly poured out on those who rebelled against the most loving and gracious Being in the Universe. You have sinned against God and earned for yourself Hell. I sinned against God and earned for myself Hell.

But, Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, God in flesh, came to earth and fulfilled God's Law on our behalf and paid our punishment with His sacrificial death, wiping away our sin-debt, our criminal fine, and giving us His righteousness. 

We must, by faith, believe and repent. Believe that Jesus is who He said He was, that He died for us and rose again, and repent - turn away from our sin in disgust that we would offend God in such ways, and dedicate our lives to following Him, not in order to earn salvation but in recognition that we cannot save ourselves and in response and gratefulness to the kindness shown to us by God in providing a way of forgiveness.

This salvation is a free (and permanent, ever-lasting) gift of God, and is fully of Him. We contribute nothing to it except the sin that made it necessary. We can do nothing to earn it or maintain it. No amount of good deeds or prayers or pilgrimages or sacraments is sufficient -- only Christ is.

I cannot convince you of the Gospel. Only God can. My responsibility is to share it with you. 

You must determine whether you will believe it to be true or not.

But know this: if all this is true, you will one day stand before your Maker and be held to account for the works you did and did not do during your life. And, you will be held to account for how you respond(ed) to the free offer of the Gospel that was presented to you, for better or for worse. 

If 2020 teaches anything, it is that life is short, and Man is not guaranteed tomorrow. Eternity is forever. God offers salvation freely to those who will believe. Receive it while you have opportunity to do so and do not tarry.

Happy Reformation Day!

Today marks 502 years since Martin Luther (according to legend) nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. His writings and preaching fanned the wildfire of Reformation across Europe that had been slowly smoldering for several hundred years.

The foundational teachings of the Protestant Reformation have been summed up in what is commonly called the Five Solas:

• Grace Alone (Sola Gratia)
• Faith Alone (Sola Fide)
• Christ Alone (Solus Christus)
• Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura)
• Glory to God Alone (Soli Deo Gloria).

The revival of these Biblical beliefs brought the Christian church out of the shadows and drew a stark contrast with the corruption of Roman Catholicism. Rather than examining their erroneous doctrines as called on by Luther and others, the Vatican has since instead embraced and developed even more perverse teachings, and anathematized and persecuted those who turned away from the Roman Catholic religion and embraced Biblical belief.

Justification by faith alone, apart from any works of man to attain or maintain, is the crux upon which true Christianity stands. Anything less, or anything more, is a perverted gospel, and thus no gospel at all.

“This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of justification, is the chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which comprehends the understanding of all godliness.” - Martin Luther

It can be argued that Roman Catholicism, with its works-based doctrines, its idolatrous and blasphemous worship, has dragged more souls to Hell than any other single religion with the exception of Hinduism. Those who adhere to the teachings of Catholicism for their eternal salvation do so at the risk of eternal damnation, as they run counter to the clear teachings of the Bible.

God has always preserved a remnant of true belief throughout history. The Protestant Reformation allowed that remnant to blossom and flourish, spreading the light of the Gospel to the four corners of the earth.

Today, we celebrate the Reformation, and the reclaiming of Biblical truth that it brought. Soli Deo Gloria!

I hope this post has gotten you thinking about things. Almost everyone likes to think they're headed to to Heaven when they die. Odds are, you do as well. Do you think your good works will get you there? Are you counting on being a good church member, your family heritage, your baptism, or something else being sufficient? Do you think you're a good person?

Click here to find out the truth. The answer may surprise you.

Chinese pastor arrested, pens incredible letter of resolve

On December 9th, the Chinese government arrested an evangelical pastor under charges of "inciting subversion of state power", along with 100 members of his church.

Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu is a prominent member of the underground or unregistered church movement in China. The Communist regime routinely persecutes and tries to suppress these unsanctioned churches. In recent years, there has been a growing crackdown on "illegal" Protestant churches that do not belong to the tightly-monitored and controlled government-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement.

Christian prisoners routinely face mistreatment at the hands of the Communist government, and are known to simply "disappear" when taken into custody.

Knowing the likelihood that he would eventually be arrested, Pastor Wang Yi penned a letter to be published 48 hours after his arrest, assuming he was not released before that time.

This letter from a true soldier of Christ is astounding in its boldness, humility, and Biblical submission to government authority while standing firm on Christian conviction. You can read it below:

My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience

On the basis of the teachings of the Bible and the mission of the gospel, I respect the authorities God has established in China. For God deposes kings and raises up kings. This is why I submit to the historical and institutional arrangements of God in China.

As a pastor of a Christian church, I have my own understanding and views, based on the Bible, about what righteous order and good government is. At the same time, I am filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience. But changing social and political institutions is not the mission I have been called to, and it is not the goal for which God has given his people the gospel.

For all hideous realities, unrighteous politics, and arbitrary laws manifest the cross of Jesus Christ, the only means by which every Chinese person must be saved. They also manifest the fact that true hope and a perfect society will never be found in the transformation of any earthly institution or culture but only in our sins being freely forgiven by Christ and in the hope of eternal life.

As a pastor, my firm belief in the gospel, my teaching, and my rebuking of all evil proceeds from Christ’s command in the gospel and from the unfathomable love of that glorious King. Every man’s life is extremely short, and God fervently commands the church to lead and call any man to repentance who is willing to repent. Christ is eager and willing to forgive all who turn from their sins. This is the goal of all the efforts of the church in China—to testify to the world about our Christ, to testify to the Middle Kingdom about the Kingdom of Heaven, to testify to earthly, momentary lives about heavenly, eternal life. This is also the pastoral calling that I have received.

For this reason, I accept and respect the fact that this Communist regime has been allowed by God to rule temporarily. As the Lord’s servant John Calvin said, wicked rulers are the judgment of God on a wicked people, the goal being to urge God’s people to repent and turn again toward Him. For this reason, I am joyfully willing to submit myself to their enforcement of the law as though submitting to the discipline and training of the Lord.

At the same time, I believe that this Communist regime’s persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely. The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws.

But this does not mean that my personal disobedience and the disobedience of the church is in any sense “fighting for rights” or political activism in the form of civil disobedience, because I do not have the intention of changing any institutions or laws of China. As a pastor, the only thing I care about is the disruption of man’s sinful nature by this faithful disobedience and the testimony it bears for the cross of Christ. 

As a pastor, my disobedience is one part of the gospel commission. Christ’s great commission requires of us great disobedience. The goal of disobedience is not to change the world but to testify about another world.

For the mission of the church is only to be the church and not to become a part of any secular institution. From a negative perspective, the church must separate itself from the world and keep itself from being institutionalized by the world. From a positive perspective, all acts of the church are attempts to prove to the world the real existence of another world. The Bible teaches us that, in all matters relating to the gospel and human conscience, we must obey God and not men. For this reason, spiritual disobedience and bodily suffering are both ways we testify to another eternal world and to another glorious King.

This is why I am not interested in changing any political or legal institutions in China. I’m not even interested in the question of when the Communist regime’s policies persecuting the church will change. Regardless of which regime I live under now or in the future, as long as the secular government continues to persecute the church, violating human consciences that belong to God alone, I will continue my faithful disobedience. For the entire commission God has given me is to let more Chinese people know through my actions that the hope of humanity and society is only in the redemption of Christ, in the supernatural, gracious sovereignty of God.

If God decides to use the persecution of this Communist regime against the church to help more Chinese people to despair of their futures, to lead them through a wilderness of spiritual disillusionment and through this to make them know Jesus, if through this he continues disciplining and building up his church, then I am joyfully willing to submit to God’s plans, for his plans are always benevolent and good.

Precisely because none of my words and actions are directed toward seeking and hoping for societal and political transformation, I have no fear of any social or political power. For the Bible teaches us that God establishes governmental authorities in order to terrorize evildoers, not to terrorize doers of good. If believers in Jesus do no wrong then they should not be afraid of dark powers. Even though I am often weak, I firmly believe this is the promise of the gospel. It is what I’ve devoted all of my energy to. It is the good news that I am spreading throughout Chinese society.

I also understand that this happens to be the very reason why the Communist regime is filled with fear at a church that is no longer afraid of it.

If I am imprisoned for a long or short period of time, if I can help reduce the authorities’ fear of my faith and of my Savior, I am very joyfully willing to help them in this way. But I know that only when I renounce all the wickedness of this persecution against the church and use peaceful means to disobey, will I truly be able to help the souls of the authorities and law enforcement. I hope God uses me, by means of first losing my personal freedom, to tell those who have deprived me of my personal freedom that there is an authority higher than their authority, and that there is a freedom that they cannot restrain, a freedom that fills the church of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

Regardless of what crime the government charges me with, whatever filth they fling at me, as long as this charge is related to my faith, my writings, my comments, and my teachings, it is merely a lie and temptation of demons. I categorically deny it. I will serve my sentence, but I will not serve the law. I will be executed, but I will not plead guilty.

Moreover, I must point out that persecution against the Lord’s church and against all Chinese people who believe in Jesus Christ is the most wicked and the most horrendous evil of Chinese society. This is not only a sin against Christians. It is also a sin against all non-Christians. For the government is brutally and ruthlessly threatening them and hindering them from coming to Jesus. There is no greater wickedness in the world than this.

If this regime is one day overthrown by God, it will be for no other reason than God’s righteous punishment and revenge for this evil. For on earth, there has only ever been a thousand-year church. There has never been a thousand-year government. There is only eternal faith. There is no eternal power.

Those who lock me up will one day be locked up by angels. Those who interrogate me will finally be questioned and judged by Christ.  When I think of this, the Lord fills me with a natural compassion and grief toward those who are attempting to and actively imprisoning me. Pray that the Lord would use me, that he would grant me patience and wisdom, that I might take the gospel to them.

Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family – the authorities are capable of doing all of these things. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith; no one can make me change my life; and no one can raise me from the dead. 

And so, respectable officers, stop committing evil. This is not for my benefit but rather for yours and your children’s. I plead earnestly with you to stay your hands, for why should you be willing to pay the price of eternal damnation in hell for the sake of a lowly sinner such as I?

Jesus is the Christ, son of the eternal, living God. He died for sinners and rose to life for us. He is my king and the king of the whole earth yesterday, today, and forever. I am his servant, and I am imprisoned because of this. I will resist in meekness those who resist God, and I will joyfully violate all laws that violate God’s laws. 

The Lord’s servant,

Wang Yi


In spite of the persecution, church leaders vow to carry on normal worship practices:

Li Yingqiang, one of the church elders, told The South China Morning Post Li said the church will continue to worship God despite the persecution. 

"Even if we are down to our last five, worship and gatherings will still go on because our faith is real," the elder explained. "Persecution is a price worth paying for the Lord. We would rather live through it than to hide our faith and we hope more Chinese churches will speak up and stand with us."

Here are some additional news and links on this story: 

• 'Persecution is a Price Worth Paying': Chinese Church Resilient After Pastor, 100+ Members Detained (CBN)
• Letter From a Chengdu Jail by Wang Yi (CBN)
• China Closes Megachurches Before Christmas (Christianity Today)
• China: Repression of Christian Church Intensifies (Human Rights Watch)
• Wang Yi's 14-Decisions on what he would do when arrested
• Updates from China Partnership
• Pray for Early Rain update page on Facebook

Happy Reformation Day!

Today marks 500 years since Martin Luther (according to legend) nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. His writings and preaching fanned the wildfire of Reformation across Europe that had been slowly smoldering for several hundred years.

The foundational teachings of the Protestant Reformation have been summed up in what is commonly called the Five Solas: Grace Alone (Sola Gratia), Faith Alone (Sola Fide), Christ Alone (Solus Christus), Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura), Glory to God Alone (Soli Deo Gloria).

Justification by faith alone, apart from any works of man to attain or maintain, is the crux upon which true Christianity stands. Anything less, or anything more, is a perverted gospel, and thus no gospel at all.

“This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of justification, is the chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which comprehends the understanding of all godliness.” - Martin Luther

Today, we celebrate the Reformation, and the reclaiming of Biblical truth that it brought. Soli Deo Gloria!

Blogger: Do Christian beliefs belong in public life?

Blogger Larry Jackson posted the following thoughts on his website today, asking the question, "Do Our Christian beliefs have a place in our public lives?"

I have been pondering the question posed in the title of this post for quite some time. I believe the main source of this pondering is the furor that is ongoing in America over the rights of individual business owners, who happen to be Christians and hold certain religious values, to refuse to service certain segments of our population. I was informed last year in a discussion on this blog that these Christian business owners had no such right, that if they did not want to serve a certain group of people, that constituted discrimination, and they should shut their business down. The person who made those statements was so offended by my views on this issue that she has not visited my blog since that time.

This issue has raised its head again in the last few days. The Republican controlled legislature in Arizona passed a bill that gave business owners the specific right to claim their religious beliefs as a defense, were they to be sued for refusing service. The uproar that followed was amazing to me. No matter how much the supporters of that bill tried to explain what it was all about, it was misrepresented and demonized, to the point that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer had little choice but to issue a veto.

I engaged in a discussion before the veto on a Politico article in defense of the bill by Rich Lowry. When I questioned why liberals didn’t understand that our Christian beliefs were important to us, business owners or not, I was inundated with replies to inform me of the error of my ways. The basic premise was that Christian business owners had no right to allow their religious beliefs in to their business practices. I guess we are supposed to check them at the door, like a hat or coat. I don’t know about you, but my religious beliefs are a part of who I am as a human being. I don’t remove them when I go to work.

Read the rest here.

Blogger Charles Phipps has two recent posts along the same topic: Christians and the Culture War, and Homosexuals vs. Religious Business Owners.

Bill O'Reilly on media-proclaimed Norwegian "Christian terrorist"

In the video below, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly responds to media portrayals of Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian who killed nearly 80 people this week in a bombing and shooting attack, as a "Christian terrorist".