I don’t know if you caught the bug of the This Is Us craze at some point during its first season. The television series follows adult siblings Kate, Kevin, and Randall as their lives intertwine. Kate and Kevin were originally part of a triplet pregnancy. Their biological brother was stillborn. Their parents, Jack and Rebecca Pearson – determined to bring home three babies – choose to adopt another baby boy. Randall is an African American child who came into the world on the same day as Kate and Kevin, having been brought to the same hospital after his biological father abandoned him at a fire station. The series takes its viewers to L.A., New York, and New Jersey, with flashbacks to Pittsburgh and occasionally Memphis. But – wherever the action is – the drama surrounds family.

In my opinion, the widespread appeal of This Is Us stems from its ability to connect generations. For example, in one of the fall episodes, the Pearsons are serving up Thanksgiving dinner. Randall particularly loves Thanksgiving, as evidenced by his getting up at 6:30 to make it happen, with Paul Simon’s Graceland playing in the background. Traditions abound, including cheese dogs. Cheese dogs, why? No one knows until a flashback to the ‘80s, when Jack had to fight to keep his family happy after a mishap on the road en route to spend the holiday with extended family. Tire popped … car through fence … we’re not gonna make it to Grandma’s. The family walks exactly 3.4 miles down the road to the nearest gas station. Long story short: a long walk, a cruddy motel, and cheese dogs for Thanksgiving. Happiest. Thanksgiving. Ever.

It’s those traditions which keep the family memories alive: “There’s no one else I’d rather be too hot or too cold with.” That’s Thanksgiving. And connecting the generations explains the life of the family today.

If you’re in Christ, you have a family. This is us. We’re fallen, frail, and fallible, but we’re family. Sometimes we stumble. Sometimes we wear out. And sometimes our hearts break to the point of utter grief. We understand that we’re to be consistently heavenly-minded as we embrace a life of faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:2), but every one of us knows what it means to falter along the way.

This is why the church is invaluable! Sometimes our situations and circumstances get very heavy. And, when one of us buckles under the weight of life, we are not alone. Other believers are right there to help steady the load. The family of God becomes just that: a family. Our culture, and even our flesh, scream: “Take care of yourself. It’s all about you!” But God sees our lives very differently. Because He loves us, He is ridding us of our natural self-absorption.

Galatians 6:2 is, in many ways, the centerpiece of the Apostle Paul’s instructions to the Galatian churches. In this great epistle, Paul has defended the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. And he has combatted a series of popular doctrinal onslaughts against the gospel – including the notion that believers are under the Law. In terms of establishing the proper context for understanding what Paul means in this verse, an earlier verse (5:14) is highly instructive for us: “The whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” So we know that Paul is now explaining how that is to be done in real life – how we are to live out the word of Christ. How we are to love.

Galatians 6:1 is about how I am to humbly and gently seek to restore a brother or sister who has erred, but Galatians 6:2 is even broader in its application. It’s about my compassion and self-sacrifice when I see a brother or sister who is weighed down by a trial of any kind. I’m to be there for him. I’m to be there for her. In that moment, or even in that long season, I become the love of Christ for a member of my family – a member of Christ’s family.

I don’t know if you’ve thought about it before, but – unlike the Law of Moses – the law of Christ is nowhere written down. The exact details escape us, as this is an internal law – not an external one (Jeremiah 31:33; Second Corinthians 3:3). I want to encourage you to find this freedom to love liberating and exhilarating! God knows exactly where you are. He knows exactly who you live with, and who you work with. He knows all of the encounters that will be on your agenda today and tomorrow. And, in each of those divinely-appointed situations and circumstances, CHRIST is going to teach you how to love.

And that’s exactly who we need you to be.

I’ll share more thoughts on this subject in my next blog posting. Please stay tuned.

This is us.

Pastor Charles

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and protests abounded across the globe. Some were visual statements about basic rights for women, some were expressions of gender solidarity, and some were just downright angry. It’s great to celebrate women. What is not great, however, is to protest in such a way that we dishonor Christ. I was saddened as I read about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s commitment to spend $650 million dollars on “reproductive health rights,” as I know from talking with many women over many years that such “freedoms” do not in the end bring joy, relief, or prosperity on any level.

That being said, we who are Protestant were born out of protest. The very idea that each one of has access to God through the mediatorial work of Christ – and that access independent from any intervening human priest (Hebrews 7:26 – 8:2) – was a scandalous concept in the face of a powerful, wealthy, and doctrinally askew church. People gave their lives for the truth of salvation “by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.”

Theism is intrinsically connected to human rights. We see this in our nation’s founding documents: “… all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights …” Thomas Jefferson chose to use words which appeal to an awareness of a Creator God. And we find even deeper roots of “human rights” in the Hebrew Scriptures, in Christianity proper, and in the gospel of Jesus.

So, in our world where everyone wants a voice, as you decide personally what to protest – and perhaps what not to protest – I’d like to humbly offer a few suggestions for followers of Christ.

1. We must make sure that we’re speaking up for what is right, and not just for that with which we’ve grown comfortable.

It’s really hard at times for us to differentiate between our political leanings and our Biblical moorings. I hate to burst your bubble, but they don’t always align with perfect precision. Likewise, sometimes we misinterpret the “tried and true” as the automatic “right and best.” We have a plumb line, but it isn’t our experience. It’s God’s Word (Second Timothy 3:16-17). As a matter of fact, the Protestant Reformation was all about restoring the Bible to its proper place in our lives – that all of our experiences might be subjected to its final authority.

2. We must remember that we need each other.

In history, and in American history particularly, not every Christian believer landed on the exact same issues at the exact same time. Sometimes, as in the case of slavery, the Lord awakened a few people first. Others were much slower to be convinced that slavery was wrong, even though they also were committed to the Scriptures. This ought to be a lesson for us. We need humility. We need patience. We need to remain open-minded, in the best sense of the term (Proverbs 18:13; John 8:31-32). Perhaps we’ve been wrong on a particular point. We need to make sure that we’re not screaming so loudly in “protest” that we can’t hear the still, small voice of God.

3. It is better to speak up for the well-being of someone who has no voice than to demand our own way.

“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute …” (Proverbs 31:8-9). Those are our marching orders. But, here’s the reality: as a movement for sweeping cultural and social change, Christianity rarely thrives in the halls of uncontested power. We do far better when we feel weakened and marginalized – when we’re desperately dependent on our Savior for His strength and His persevering grace (First Corinthians 13:4-7; Second Corinthians 12:10).

That doesn’t answer every particular question, and it doesn’t fully settle the issue of whether or not you should support Disney when they make a poor choice in the world of entertainment, but it does give you a little food for thought.

You are loved!

Pastor Charles

O.K., I know we’re not a big city. But I’ve been reading about the Little Caesars Arena and “The District Detroit.” It’s a 50-block span of sports, entertainment, dining, business, and public parks. If you’re a hockey fan, you probably know that – upon completion – this will be the new home of the Red Wings. It’s a $1.2 billion development. Some have already dubbed it the “Pizzarena.”

According to Amy Eckert, the goal of the whole project is to create an “athletics nirvana.” Hmmm. Paducah. Hmmm.

I know that we don’t have the Tigers or the Lions around here, except for an occasional performance at Market House. But, Paducah’s got spunk! We also love eating out and strolling our own riverfront. We’re also very proud of our downtown, and we’re really enjoying our own Midtown renaissance. Good things are happening.

But here’s what struck me in my reading: Paducah loves sports! Despite our limitations of size, can we think outside the box? Ponder with me, downtown dreamers. Is there any way that we can bring sports into the downtown vision here? That would allow us to dramatically expand the horizons of our own city center. And, if we could get really creative about some mixed-use spaces like Detroit is doing, the sky could be the limit! I’m imagining creative tentacles into LowerTown. Picture this: a building that becomes an art gallery by day, and a large space for community theater rehearsals at night, and a “curb appeal” locale for an FBC “LovePaducah” event on Sunday. Imagine more hotel space, and a decisively “destination” feel, albeit with our own version of small-town Southern charm.

Lots of walkable area for sports fans, singles, families, athletes, and even those who would otherwise be couch potatoes. A vibrant setting for Paducah to connect at its core. And how cool would it be to add to our community all of the new jobs – and all of the people those jobs would represent – in order to make even some of this begin to happen?

For now, I have a sermon to finish. So I’ll leave the downtown dreamin’ behind for a while and get back to work. Maybe our friends Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau will dream with us.

But I’ll leave you with this compelling thought from the Lord: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you … and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare (Jeremiah 29:7).”

God bless Paducah. #LandThatILove

Pastor Charles

It was a treat to participate in END IT last night at First Baptist Paducah. Those who led us in worship, as well as those who called us to action, are very passionate about the cause: “Shine a Light on Slavery.” If there were ever an issue where Christ’s gospel is relevant and real, this is it. What we are seeing in the END IT movement is a grassroots viral effort to stop human trafficking in its tracks. This is an impassioned social movement to which – in my opinion – the church must speak.

In advance of yesterday’s events across the globe, U.S. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, convened a hearing to examine progress in U.S. global efforts to end slavery and human trafficking – including recent authorization of legislation for the End Modern Slavery Initiative. The February 15 hearing featured powerful testimony from actor Ashton Kutcher, co-founder of Thorn, and Elisa Massimino, president and CEO of Human Rights First, both sporting the END IT red “X” pin. That red “X” means that “you’re telling the world that slavery still exists and you won’t stand for it.” By using our influence and our hand, we carry the message of freedom on behalf of millions upon millions of victims.

It was so beautiful at our evening gathering to hear Samantha’s testimony. It takes a brave young woman to tell the story of her own depravity, just so she can testify of God’s redeeming grace! May we, like our new friend whom God brought from Los Angeles to Paducah, likewise humble ourselves and speak boldly of His power to deliver and set captives free. Our God is a rescuer, and He is on the hunt for those who are broken, marginalized, abused, and seemingly hopeless.

We who know Christ know freedom – because we’ve been set free – “free indeed” in the language of Jesus (John 8:36)! All Americans should value freedom, as our nation was founded upon the principle of “liberty and justice for all.” Our First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition our government for redress of grievances. Such freedoms form the very underpinning of our civic culture, and political freedom is a priceless blessing, but spiritual freedom is infinitely better.

We who are in Christ owe our spiritual freedom to none other than God, who by the death of His own Son, paid for it in full upon the Cross. Christ is the only Way for any of us to know true freedom (John 8:31-32). Christ’s sacrifice for us was not measured by money or political advance, but He gave and accomplished everything for us because of His great love for us.

Now you and I can enjoy the privilege of loving, as we have been so marvelously and lavishly loved. Love means noticing, caring, embracing, helping, and serving – and sometimes love requires even more. It is an action verb. I need those who are younger than I – and sometimes, I must admit, more energized – to remind me never to allow my love language to be all talk and no action.

As a matter of fact, I look forward to all of the ways in which the young people of our church and community will help us see the needs which are all around us. These are real needs. Human needs. Needs of eternal significance. May we respond like Jesus would have us practically love our neighbor in distress (Luke 10:25-37). Such mercy reflects Christ’s own heart, and so you and I must depend desperately upon His Spirit to make freedom a reality in and through us.

For freedom,

Pastor Charles

It started out as a little fun for Valentine’s Day. Now it’s not so much fun. The Harvard Computer Club created “Datamatch” so that students could find romance for the holiday. Now the eager computer programmers are in hot water. They’ve been officially reprimanded. Their crime? They included only two genders among the options for users of Datamatch.

The Undergraduate Council is fuming, and club funding has been threatened. Where were the options for “genderqueer” and “non-gender conforming”? What self-respecting companionship site would allow for expressions of sexual preferences, but include only two options for self-identifying gender? Students interviewed by the Harvard Crimson were outraged because the website implied that “gender binary” was somehow “normal.” Nicholas Whittaker said that “the idea of it [Datamatch] being romantic does not necessitate that it be stuck upon strict gender bearings.” Another student who happens to be a leader of the Datamatch development team, Raynor Kuang, responded that it’s “impossible to make enough categories to encompass everyone of every gender, particularly those whose gender is highly individualized.”

What’s wrong with male and female, friends? When the phrase is used in the Hebrew Bible, it always indicates a sexual pair – not a “range” of options for a smorgasbord of self-determination. This truth holds even for the animals entering Noah’s Ark “two by two,” which we just studied in our Sunday morning preaching series. According to Mark 10:5-9, Jesus cited “male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27) alongside Genesis 2:24 (“For this reason a man shall … be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh”) in order to establish a duality principle in regard to gender and sexual relations. Jesus predicated a limitation of two persons to a sexual union, and He reestablished God’s foundation of a complementary sexual pair.

We’re hearing more and more about the problems of “intersex,” so just a heads up on this one. This is an extraordinarily rare situation, where something goes developmentally wrong, physically (inhibition of testosterone production, XXY in an essentially male child, etc.). The overwhelming percentage of the tiny subset of the population categorized as “intersex” are marked predominantly as one gender or the other in terms of the possession (or lack) of a mostly functioning X chromosome. Even when Jesus discusses “eunuchs” in Matthew 19:12, He maintains maleness and femaleness as binary distinctions, entirely. I would urge you to read that passage starting at Verse 3. Our Lord seems to presume that if “born eunuchs” cannot enter into marriage as men, then they should remain celibate.

You and I must be full of compassion for a confusing time like this. This is Christ’s calling! But we must not lose our Biblical moorings as we attempt to ride these cultural waves. “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). We left that station millennia ago. We’re back.

After reading extensively the report from Harvard’s BGLTQ+ Caucus, I’m frankly exhausted. It was LGB. Then LGBT. Then LGBTQ. Then LGBTQ+. Letters keep getting added, and now they’re getting rearranged. Though I’m trying to keep up, I must admit that I’m happiest with a BLT. A little extra mayo please.

Pastor Charles

It’s snowing in New York City. Today is the first time in history – since reliable weather records were kept at least – that the Big Apple has received more than six inches of snow on a day immediately following a high of 60 plus degrees. Yesterday’s high in New York City was 62. Eight to twelve inches of snow are expected today, with a high of only 28.

Up and down. In the wacky world of weather, we know what that’s like here too, though this year winter has been mostly hard to find. The temps have been more up than down.

Sometimes our spiritual lives are up and down. We can experience something like a spiritual roller coaster ride – especially when we’re driven by our feelings. As we grow up in Christ, we learn with more tenacity to trust the facts of our salvation – what Jesus has already done for us (John 10:27-28; Philippians 1:6) – but sometimes that’s not so easy in the moment (either up, down, or moving at warp speed in either direction).

Now I want to take this a little further, if you will permit me. Now that I’ve urged you not to lean too heavily upon your feelings, I’m going to challenge you to something radical: Don’t completely ignore your feelings either! Sometimes our feelings are designed to alert us, like dashboard warning lights. For example, my sadness may be because I’ve sinned against God, and I need to repent (Ephesians 4:30). That’s a wonderful opportunity to come clean with the Lord (Psalm 139:23-24), and it could be that my sad feeling was in fact very helpful. The Lord will help us sort out our feelings if we will humbly ask.

But even beyond our feelings, sometimes LIFE is just up and down. Though we generally remember the Cross on which Christ died, we often forget the crosses which He expects us to carry. They’re not so easy. Christ is calling us to be salt and light – agents of radical influence on a larger society. A society which is broken and confused. A society which will on occasion bite us even when we’re trying to help. We all like the “city on a hill” part, but my point is that the ride to get there may be more than tumultuous. The same for First Baptist Paducah. If we think we can preach, live, and share the gospel without some chaos along the way, we definitely have misunderstood the gospel.

One reason why the ride gets bumpy is because you and I are driven by faith, justice, mercy, and a whole lot of other countercultural values. We have not boarded a carnival attraction for wimps. We’re in for the grace-ride of our lives!

So if you feel like throwing up, or giving up, don’t. Deep down and for eternity, there is joy on this journey. As you ascend the coaster’s next hill, and you feel that lump in your throat and those butterflies in your gut, consider lifting your hands in reckless abandon. God’s got this. Up, down, and in between.

Pastor Charles

Sunday night I preached from Matthew 16:1-12. My sermon seemed to resonate with the people, so I thought I’d share a few highlights with a broader swath of friends. In a nutshell, my attempt was to unpack some of the spiritual dangers faced by all of us on a regular basis.

First, there is the danger of HAUGHTY OVER HUMBLE. It was a bit unusual for the Pharisees and Sadducees, together, to confront Jesus – because they represented opposite ends of the theological spectrum. But the one thing that seemed to “unite” both groups was their spiritual pride. Religious pretense. Religious pride will make even enemies friends for a season. You and I must make sure that “church work” never lulls us into thinking too much of ourselves. It’s about Christ.

Then there is the danger of SIGN OVER SAVIOR. It’s certainly O.K. for us to ask questions as we seek to grow in our faith, but when our spiritual searching becomes all about the next exhilarating “sign” or experience of goosebumps – or even answered prayer – we’re in trouble. If we have Christ, and if He has us, then we have all that we will ever need. “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign.” Just saying.

Next there is the danger of OBSCURE OVER OBVIOUS. Some things are so right-in-front-of-us that we miss them! Jesus had to explain to the religious elite that – although they were adept at interpreting things like the weather – they were blind to the realities of His kingdom work all around them (“the signs of the times”). They had majored on the temporal while overlooking the eternal. Do you and I really delight in the eternal gospel?

Then there’s the danger of THRILL OVER TRUTH. Sunday night I pointed out a simple fact: we’re on a battlefield, not a playground. The Pharisees believed in resurrection, taught resurrection, and preached resurrection. They represented the very best in Biblical scholarship on the subject of resurrection. But most of them would be totally unmoved by the resurrection of Jesus. Sad and sobering.

Next there’s the danger of AMNESIA OVER ALERTNESS. The disciples had forgotten to bring any bread with them across the Sea of Galilee. This should have been no big deal to them, as they were accompanied by the Creator of all, and in light of the fact that they had just witnessed and experienced the miracles of the feeding of 5000 and 4000. But, when we read Matthew, we get the distinct impression that they’ve forgotten everything that matters! Sometimes we need even more spiritual alertness after a major spiritual victory, as that’s when we tend to fall asleep at the wheel (when “all is well”).

And lastly, there’s the danger of TOMORROW OVER TODAY. Have you ever tried to use your GPS in a large city, only to find out that it couldn’t calculate your desired route because you were too close to your destination? This has happened to me more than once. I was close, but still very much lost. My destination was within reach, but I couldn’t get there because I hadn’t acted soon enough. It’s a silly illustration, perhaps, but it reminds me to acknowledge my “lostness” while I can. When Christ walked the earth, the incessant pride of the religious leaders prevented them from embracing the Savior who was as close to them as their own breath.

“At ease in Zion?” The phrase is stolen from Amos 6:1. Israel and Judah assumed that God was “on their side,” even when He was not. You and I must guard against a false sense of invincibility. Spiritual arrogance and overconfidence are never fitting for those who know Jesus – those who have been captured by His amazing grace.

Pastor Charles

For those of you who asked for an update on Wednesday’s blog posting, here are a few of Eileen’s phone pics from D.C.

The Lord is good (Psalm 100:5)! Have a blessed weekend.

Pastor Charles

I married up. It’s that simple.

If you’ll allow me room for just a little bragging, Eileen has been appointed to serve on the Leadership Council of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. If you had known Eileen as long as I have, you’d understand just how excited she is about this! My wife has felt a strong calling from the Lord to defend religious freedom since before she entered law school back in 1984. As a matter of fact, that’s why she went to law school.

This appointment means that Eileen will be part of the team of pastors and leaders who serve as ambassadors for the ERLC. From the ERLC website: “From coast to coast, from mega church to country church, from men to women, and from various backgrounds, these leaders represent a cross section of evangelicalism in general and the SBC in particular.” Under the leadership of Dr. Russell Moore, the ERLC is the moral and public policy agency of our nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Please pray for Eileen as she takes up her first assignment this weekend, which will be her first opportunity to interact with other members of the Leadership Council. The date has been chosen so that the team can participate in the March for Life, aimed at providing all Americans with a place to testify to the beauty of life and the dignity of each human person. On the anniversary of legalized abortion in the U.S., pro-life leaders will organize, unite, and strategize around a common message, and seek to communicate that message to the government, the media, and the nation in a way that is powerful and life-affirming.

Eileen will leave this Thursday morning for Washington, D.C., where the ERLC Leadership Council will tackle not just the sanctity of human life, but a number of other important issues facing followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re interested, I’ll attach Eileen’s bio from the ERLC’s announcement page. Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone be glory!

Pastor Charles

Eileen Moore

Eileen Moore graduated with honors from Northeastern University with a B.A. in biology and a certification in respiratory therapy. She attended Wake Forest University School of Law and graduated in the top of her class. Following law school, Eileen clerked for the Honorable Eugene H. Phillips on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Subsequently she has worked primarily for the federal government in the Department of Justice; Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection; and the Federal Judiciary. She also had the privilege of working Of Counsel with the firm of Mauck and Baker while living in the Chicago area. Eileen trained as an Allied Attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, and volunteered in that capacity during the period she was not working for the federal government.

Eileen is married to Charles, who serves as the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Paducah, Ky. Charles also earned a law degree and shares Eileen’s passion for religious liberties. They have one son who is in high school. Together they have served congregations in North Carolina, Kentucky, greater Chicago, and Southern California. Eileen enjoys leading in women’s ministry, mentoring pastors’ wives, and planning special church events.

Someone in Illinois just sent me Ed Stetzer’s blog posting for January 16. You can find The Exchange at christianitytoday.com (“November 8th Is Long Gone, So Where do Christians Find Themselves?”) if you’re interested. In his blog, Dr. Stetzer – always the astute observer of culture – unpacks the aftermath of the 2016 national election from an evangelical perspective. This particular claim caught my eye: “20 years from now, we are going to look back at this election as a last gasp in which some Evangelicals thought that they could get their influence and culture back.”

I agree with much of Ed Stetzer’s reasoning, but I would like to add a few of my own thoughts not as rebuttal but as “further reflection” (if you’ll allow me to call it that). First of all, I think that you and I must guard against a mindset which is so pessimistic about the future of Christian influence in America that we lose the hope of real revival here and now. America can change only one person at a time, and one heart at a time. Got it. But there is surely no harm in hoisting our sails and begging the Spirit to blow triumphantly upon our churches for such a time as this! The 2016 election did not, and does not, define us. It is our Sovereign God who writes every chapter of human history, and He has used stranger things than last year’s election to accomplish amazing things for His glory. We as His people must remain unwaveringly hopeful, not in the political process but in the God who rules over it.

Secondly, I understand that the USA is not a special covenant “land” in the sense that “we pray, and so God must bless America.” But here’s why I’m not going to stop praying for America as a nation: God purposes to use His people to bless even “lands” which are thoroughly pagan. The first Biblical example which comes to mind is Jeremiah 29:7, where God calls His people who are living in exile to pray for their godless government. We must pray for God to bless America, but we must recognize that we’re praying for Him to make needed spiritual change first and foremost. We must hold out hope that real revival can happen here – and I am uncomfortable simply accepting the fact that our nation will slide more and more into post-Christian thinking. Can’t our salt be salty and our light shine like halogen on steroids? Further cultural deterioration may be our future, and God will still be good if that happens, but sometimes real revival does intervene and impact multiple generations for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lastly, as I’ve come to better understand the thinking of many of the people who supported President-elect Donald Trump from the beginning, I recognize that many of them were not motivated by the lure of political power or prestige – or even by a desire to re-create some notion of “Christian America.” Yes, political influence can be an illusion and a trap – and even an idol. But many Trump supporters saw their candidate practically as the only person who could win against “the other side” – which they viewed as a sure and rapid slide into widespread cultural demise. Like it or not, friends, here’s the reality: older Christians are more pragmatic than Millennial Christians, and many of our more senior saints recognized full well that they were supporting someone for President who would not be the best choice to lead their Sunday School. What some younger believers saw as an impossible choice, they saw as their only choice. Now we need grace to move forward.

I guess that what I’m trying to say is that the 2016 election caused a lot of Americans to label other Americans grossly unfairly – and that I saw this happen throughout our Christian community as well. Consider the ongoing post-election struggles within our own denomination in the areas of religious liberty and free speech. Much of the continuing debate – let’s face the facts, friends – all boils down to Trump vs. never-Trump. There is harsh judgmentalism on both sides, if I may be so blunt, and I pray that it stops now. For Christ and His honor.

We are gospel people. Period.

I’ll close my own blog posting with my closing line from my response to my friend in Illinois: We need Christ’s grace to hold our tongues long enough to try to understand each other.

Pastor Charles