H A R M

 "Be as gentle as doves, but as wise as serpents".

Matthew 10:16.

"I come not to bring peace, but a sword".

Matthew 10:24.

"We grow by (challenging) ideas coming at us from outside. Harm, in this context, shouldn't be defined by those with the best lobby groups - those with their hands on the levers of cultural power. What is evidenced then is a cultural totalitarianism. What we are witnessing now is big business controlling speech. Expression is restricted by people for whom there is no democratic accountability.

The printing press created an explosion of freedom. Technology is now at a point which is leading directly to free expression's restriction...

If you are affirming the values of those in control, then you can expect to be safe, but if you are in any way critical of these forces, you can expect to be crushed. 

It is pure pragmatism that is organising our society at this time, and that is a very precarious place to be. Much of the instability we witness derives from the fact that we can only appeal to the way things are - there is nothing greater or larger we can reference in order to justify what we're doing. We (as Christians) must therefore seek to model the way we act in relation to others that conveys a deeper reality".

Professor Carl Truman (in discussion with John Anderson).

I want to kick off today by recommending to you one of the latest videos by David Wood over at Acts 17 apologetics.

David posted this cracking send-up a few days ago when You Tube were on the verge of removing his channel (again) for entirely non-sensical reasons (actually, reason or even community guidelines didn't even come into it - they were clearly just purging anyone they didn't agree with - as you'll see, it wasn't just David's channel that was targeted by this purge).

Thankfully, the viewing community gave the admin at the channel a pummelling, and David has informed us this morning that the channel... for the present at least, has been restored, but he clarifies that this is far from over - the problem we all face here is much larger than a few over zealous algorithms or a handful of woke facilitators at a media channel. The trouble, as Professor Truman states, is far more endemic, and it's everywhere.

To stay with You Tube for a moment, just take a look at the manner in which it has behaved toward Dr Bret Weinstein's Dark Horse Podcast channel in the last few months because he and several of his guests sought to 1) Question the mainstream narrative in respect to the actual safety of MRNA vaccines and 2) Examine the possibility that other treatments may actually be commonly available to assist against the virus. Because of an attempt to have open and frank discussion on such matters, the channel was de-funded and came so close to being deleted that it now has to platform anything 'controversial' (reasonable) on these matters on another channel entirely.

This example matters, because the issues Dr Weinstein and company sought to examine are front and centre continually in the present crisis. A typical example of this was seen again this week in the popular Podcast and Radio host's, Joe Rogan's recovery, without vaccines, from the virus in the American media, so brilliantly unpacked by another popular host here.

What Rogan and others seeks to confront by their words and actions is a very serious underlying problem not being addressed in the popular narrative. If there is, indeed, safe and reasonably priced alternative treatments readily available to alleviate the worst aspects of the virus, and these have been available for decades, then this would mean the emergency powers employed to facilitate the global production and employment of the vaccines was unnecessary and thereby probably illegal.

Clearly, there's a case to be made, at the very least for openly examining and evaluating these options, so why do we have Governments now shutting down the option of employing extremely safe medicines?

As was evidenced in Joe Biden's speech to America this week, what we are witnessing is a doubling-down of those in power against those seeking to express their freedom of choice, seeking to force compliance or wilfully bring about their expulsion from mainstream society.

The Christian response to all this is not, as evidenced in a Canadian Anglican Church this week, to BAN anyone from service, even fellowship, who rejects or even questions the mainstream approach to the present troubles. As Jesus notes, we have to be kinder and smarter about this, and the truth we seek to convey is going to be sharp and cutting when employed against the folly of the day.

We reject the employment of cells from murdered children as a solution to our troubles.

We reject the imposition of state power which deems the faith as 'non-essential' in times of crisis.

We reject the mutilation of the essential Christian message of our being made free entirely by the precious truth of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15) alone, and any impositions which rob us of this gift.

We will content for the faith once delivered to the world in Jesus Christ, and we will not concede to any form of order or control that deems it necessary to incarcerate that faith.

That is the 'line in the sand', and it's time for us to stand fast.