Let me begin by asking you, dear reader, a question, before I attempt to answer my own and get on to my response. In the past week, we have learned of the assassination of Charlie Kirk (see here for my thoughts), the Tommy Robinson “Unite the Kingdom” rally (see here for my thoughts) and now we are on to Donald Trump’s still ongoing state visit of the UK (see here for what I wrote about his last visit to the UK) (all my “see heres” are pertinent, btw). My question is: what have all these events got in common?

It is getting on for twelve years since I entered the blogosphere and, thus far, I have posted 2503 times on my website (including this one). Around that time, I began to engage regularly with social media, especially Facebook. In both mediums, I regularly shared my thoughts as a “gospel preaching, community activist, watchman on the wall” on what is going on in the world, and often these were out of sync with what many who take an interest in such things think. I discovered there is a price to pay when putting my head above the parapet in order to speak truth. It’s why I admire others who do so.

While it would be presumptuous, arrogant and untrue to say I have always adopted the ever-gracious approach I should have or wisdom knowing when to turn away from arguing with some, I have not always got it right or knew all I needed to know to come to a fully rounded view, and it has sometimes led to avoidable fall-outs. Yet my concern has usually been to fight for truth in a world full of lies, seeing people (including nice Christians) succumbing to those lies. All of my three events, all happening in the past week, relate to my search for truth and, looking back over 12 years, many of the same people who opposed me back then, including Christians who I felt should know better, do so now on these afore-mentioned subjects.

When I consider what may be the bones of contention, the following spring to mind:

1. Brexit
2. Trump
3. The Covid pan(plan)demic
4. Climate change
5. Election fraud
6. The Deep State
7. Free Speech
8. Wars in Gaza and Ukraine
9. Globalism and Nationalism
10. Immigration
11. The LBGTQ+ agenda
12. Wokeism

And I could go on and, moreover, I could also write reams about my views and why these too often differ from those who believe Charlie Kirk was anything but a hero, that the Tommy Robinson led Unite the Kingdom rally was for anything but a worthwhile cause and that Donald Trump, in a nutshell, is a veritable bad ‘un that shouldn’t be welcomed into the UK.  But I won’t, but rather suggest you go through my previous 2502 blogs if you want to know more about what I really think. I have read from or listened to a range of views concerning my three subjects, especially from serious Christians who have given these subjects thought, who rightly point out the need to address issues such as poverty, inequality and exclusion, whose strongly expressed views led to me to making this response.

While I want to winsomely, respectfully, intelligently engage with any who wish to do so with me, sadly, I have found respectful discourse has often been lacking. I have felt in the “detractor” camp there has generally been a failure to recognise why Charlie Kirk’s legacy is so important. The real reasons why (let’s say) a million, often ordinary, people with a wide range of views joined Saturday’s rally, who were mostly behind Tommy Robinson, whose strongly expressed concerns are often dismissed. As for Donald Trump, despite his many, often pointed out flaws, we needed someone like him to help usher in a Great Awakening of the right kind, including draining a swamp, deeper and dirtier than I once thought, as opposed to the Great Reset of the wrong kind that is being pushed by the powerful, including a hidden cabal, with things such as digital ids linked to social credit scores, more surveillance and control, WHO and Net Zero treaties and the UN Agenda 2030 (see here).

As I watch on my wall it is the direction we are presently heading in. As I see it, these three men were/are far from perfect, do/done daft stuff and say/said things I disagree with. Yet, given where we are in our culture today, they and the causes they represent are important and are to be welcomed. They have been catalysts for change of the right kind. They have courageously entered into places that few have dared enter. They have inspired many, besides myself, to achieve greatness. They believe the UK/USA have been heading in the wrong direction and is at an alarming precipice. While they may not have been overtly pushing the Gospel as I understand it (and have often attracted elements pushing a different gospel), they see the main need to be a spiritual one. Not getting “IT”, more often than not, equates to not recognising and understanding much of this.

It should be pointed out that it is not a simple as one side pitching against the other. As I have found out, often the hard way, there are many differences and variances and I doubt if more than a small minority agree with me on all my twelve points. Also, it is not a matter of the good guys being in one camp, i.e. the pro Charlie, Tommy, Donald one, and the bad guys being in the opposing camp. The issues are far more complex and the truth of the matter is there is lot we don’t know and sometimes the opposition has a point – we live in a messed-up world and there often aren’t pat answers to some of the difficult and contentious issues of our day, e.g. concerning immigration, such as who to let in and then what etc.? It is not even Right/Far Right versus Left/Far Left or nationalist versus globalist. I recognise there are bad ‘uns in both camps and I will leave it to the Almighty to judge the intents of individuals in either. What faces us is not just an earthly conflict but, more significantly, a spiritual one.

But I end by talking to real (born again) Christians, especially them who vehemently disagree with me. I do so because my own biblical understanding is that the true Church who Christ loves has still an important part to play. Obviously, unity is needed, noting the Devil does his worst with his divide and rule strategy, the result of which is all too evident. But unity cannot come at the expense of truth. Here is the crux – deciding between what is essential truth and what is not. What is essential is the Gospel (see here for my own understanding of what that is). I delight to see evidences of a turning to God through the three examples / situations I cited, and it is wonderful to behold. He who ever moves in mysterious ways uses unlikely people to spread the Word and brings unlikely people to true faith. Sadly, unless there is repentance, many of our churches will be bypassed in what God is doing, while He works through His faithful, motley remnant. Then there is the question – do we or do we not get involved outside of what we do in the church or our work or our neighbourhood, e.g. concerning the three scenarios presented at the start, preferring instead to merely watch from the sidelines, giving as a reason that our calling and destination is a heavenly one. My view, despite long being associated with those who believe this is how it ought to be, is since God is over government – yes we must!

I once found myself in a church set-up, back in the Covid lockdown period, when one of my church leaders effectively stifled any discussion on contentious matters, e.g. questioning the narrative as to how we ought to respond, declaring that “we are a people of praise, not politics”. My reaction (and I decided not to push the matter) was sanctimonious hogwash, and while the people of God ought not be about pushing a political party etc., we should take an interest and contribute, if we can (often down the ages it was not possible), to the political process (which is so in my case, despite not being aligned to any political party or looking to any individual) with the aim that we end up doing the most good, i.e. love thy neighbour.

As tempting as it is, we must not be about pushing any ideology or cause, other than that mandated by the Gospel we are commanded to preach to the whole wide world, and that we should be a holy people who fear only God, speaking the truth even when it is unpopular to do so, showing kindness in even the smallest of matters, loving our neighbour, whoever he/she is, including those Christians who don’t get “IT”, faithful to God even unto death.