Jeff Talks About the Modern Culture

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Now, you've all heard us mention many times that we are living in a culture of death.

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Now, I have to grant that that has the potential to come across as alarmist or to be taken as an attempt to be shocking or unjustly provocative, of course.

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Now, however, when I've said it, I've said it in an attempt to be honest and even courageous. Courageous enough to be truthful about our current circumstances.

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Now, don't get me wrong, I do loathe the sometimes cringey behavior of some professing

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Christians when they display what seems to be an obsession with finding persecution or problems where it may not really exist or matter all that much.

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Now, call this a persecution complex and call this Exhibit A. What's up, Josh Ferstein here.

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You know, I think in the age of political correctness, we become so open -minded, our brains have literally fallen out of our head. Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take

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Christ and Christmas off of their brand new cups? That's why they're just plain red.

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In fact, do you realize that Starbucks isn't allowed to say Merry Christmas to customers? Well, I decided, instead of simply boycotting, well, why don't we just start a movement?

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So when I went in and I asked for my coffee, they asked for my name and I told them my name is

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Merry Christmas. Now, look, when I've pointed to the culture of death,

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I've pointed to what ought to be obvious to all of us. Now, we're living on the precipice of a complete reversal of much of what the

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Christian message built in the West. Culture of death is a proper way to describe it.

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Now, since Roe v. Wade, we've killed about 60 million children, about 10 times the victim count of the

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Holocaust. If this were a competition, we're winning by a landslide. Only in this case, we're guilty of doing it to ourselves.

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Now, add to the 60 million, about 3 ,000 more babies killed every single day, and you'll get a better picture of what

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I'm getting at when I call it a culture of death. Next, we've all had to face the attack upon the very fabric of society with our nation's perverse redefinition of marriage.

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I call it death because when we try to undo the very first institution that God created to build a culture in the world, we have only one destination, death.

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The United States government, by way of an evil Supreme Court, decided that a mirage is better than a marriage and that circles might actually be squares when they decreed that marriage is limitlessly malleable.

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Children don't need a mother and a father. One of those two is expendable, according to our death -loving government.

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I call it death because if you build a house without the kind of foundation that God told you to build it with, then when the wind and rains come or the earth shakes, that roof only has one place to land.

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I call it death because we have left the vigorous and well -known Protestant work ethic that produced this nation to a theory of economics that rewards not -existent work ethic.

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A biblical society recognizes that if we don't work, we don't eat, and it prizes a more fundamental truth, you shall not steal.

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And we've popularized coveting and made successful hard -working people into the enemies. Our new heroes are men like Bernie Hood.

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He loves to steal from the rich to give to the poor, y 'all, and we love him for doing it.

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Never mind the fact that he actually is one of those evil rich people. Now, we're so far in debt as a country because the government has taken on the role of the provider, father, mother, church, family, business partner, and God.

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It's called death because when someone taps out all of their financial resources, at some point they're going to starve and die.

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The Bible says those who hate me love death. There simply cannot be a better explanation for the 21st century

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West. The difficulty we're now having is that this problem is not merely at the individual level, but now it's at the highest level of power and force, the government itself.

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The Bible and Christian civilizations in the past support the idea of a small and limited government.

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Humans are sinful. Therefore, there must be limitations on the kind of power we give to them, and this is why in the

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American experiment there was what some have rightfully referred to as a Presbyterian style of government, checks and balances on power.

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Christians have always taught that only God has ultimate authority and power. Now, at the beginning of the

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American experiment, people essentially said human beings are not angels. Therefore, a constitution is necessary and limitations on power is necessary.

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Now, it seems that the leftists, humanists, and social justice warriors of our day haven't learned from Mao, Stalin, Hitler, and Pol Pot.

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In the Bible, government has only a few important responsibilities. Simple. To punish evil, enforce contracts, and to organize for national defense.

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That's it. Today, government is the business partner, the provider, the physician, the educator, the investor, the parents, and the definer of morality.

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A couple of recent examples need to be highlighted when we talk about the culture of death. In California, legislation

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AB 2943 has been introduced that would criminalize the speech of the

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Apostle Paul in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, Paul referred to people who had once been homosexuals and were no longer there.

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They had been washed, he said, sanctified, justified. Now, this legislation addresses this issue and seeks to do away with so -called conversion therapy.

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And don't get me wrong, there are a lot of strange practices that have come under the name of conversion therapy.

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However, the fundamental aspect of this particular bill is that any suggestion that a person can change their sexual or gender identity is to be seen as fraudulent and criminal.

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Also new here at noon, the California Assembly passed a bill this morning to ban conversion therapy.

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The law would make clear that efforts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity is a fraudulent business practice and exposes people to psychological abuse.

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Now, the state could make history as the first to protect both children and adults from the controversial treatment.

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Even more interesting is the obvious display of the myth of neutrality. We talk about this a lot.

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Nobody is neutral, neither is government. We all have a commitment to an ultimate standard. Now, it's never a question of whether we will impose a morality, but which morality we'll impose.

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It's not a question of whether the government will take a side on the issue of righteousness, but which side.

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Proof of this point is in the person who's in charge of this bill. His name is Evan Lowe. In his closing statement, he admits that his bill is founded upon his own experience as a gay man and how hurtful it is to gay people to tell them that something is wrong with their sexuality and that they can in fact change.

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And I just want to let you know, it's important that we play this entire clip. It is long, but I need you to see it.

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And now as we find ourselves here in the state of California, in the state legislature, with an obligation to protect everyone in the state of California, the obligations that we have.

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There is nothing wrong with me. There is nothing that needs to be changed.

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Members of the LGBT community are your brothers, are your sisters, are your parents, are your pastors, our police officers, and everyone in between.

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We are a family. So this notion that we would accept as a practice, as a legal practice, that conversion therapy works is antithetical to my very existence in this body.

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And I can't just tell you how many people are suffering right now in this moment of vulnerability to which they are too trying to find themselves and come out in a society that is very hateful to them.

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In a moment of vulnerability, could I too change? And finding out that they are being charged thousands of dollars, being told that they could change with no remedy, and these practices go against the norm.

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It exacerbates depression and my very own suicidal thoughts growing up too.

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What this bill does is ensure that we as a state of California recognize and go with what every single medical group has similarly stated, which is that conversion therapy does not work, it is harmful, and it is unnecessary.

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And so colleagues again as we've had conversations about freedom of speech and freedom of religion, this is not what we're talking about.

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This is very narrow in scope under a financial transaction. So as we think about this bill before us here today,

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I hope that you will too demonstrate the courage of your convictions and understanding what this bill does and hope demonstrate that members of the

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LGBT community should be cherished, should be celebrated, and most importantly we should be loved.

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Flip the script for a moment. Imagine, if you will, a Christian legislator introducing legislation that would criminalize public acts or displays of homosexual behavior.

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In our current culture, how do you think that would go? Make no mistake about it, this isn't a neutral zone that we're playing in.

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Evan Lowe doesn't believe that homosexuality is anything to write home about, so he's imposing his own morality upon the citizens of California.

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Accept this standard of sexuality and righteousness or be punished by the arm of the state.

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How does a society get to a point in which it accepts a new standard of sexuality? Education and media.

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At the same time this controversy was happening, a letter from a California school district was circulating talking about LGBT, apparently

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Evan Lowe can't say that together, LGBT education being taught in the schools. Now this is the letter itself and I think it's appropriate for me to read this in the state -approved

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California accent. Therefore, parents who disagree with the institutional materials related to gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation may not excuse their children from this instruction.

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However, parents are free to advise their children that they disagree with some or all of the information presented in the instructional program and express their views on these subjects to their children discussing gender identity, gender practice, expression, sexual orientation, discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

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In the letter, the Orange County school district was instructing parents that they did not have the right, get this, to have their children opt out of the class.

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However, by permission of the queen, parents were given the right to disagree at home only after the state got their hands on the kids.

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Thank you, your highness, for your benevolence. Flip the script again. Now imagine the modern school system having a mandatory sexual education training that taught children that homosexuality was sinful and that Jesus could heal and save you.

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You seeing it yet? The myth of neutrality. Nobody's neutral, the family isn't neutral, education isn't neutral, and ultimately neither is the state.

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And in the case of California, we're seeing the results of a state -in -state educational system that's come into its own and it's owning its gods.

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The dangerous part of all this is that the state itself is flexing its power and authority upon those who speak the kind of heresy that Christians do, that we are all broken, every one of us, sexually speaking, and we're all in need of redemption.

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Preach that message and be devoured by the beast of California. Now speaking of being devoured by the beast, this brings us to the recent case of the government -sanctioned murder of Alfie Evans.

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Remember years ago when some Americans were arguing against socialized medicine and government -controlled health care system?

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Some legislators were mocked, literally mocked, for suggesting that death panels would be the result of the state being involved in health care.

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Here's the problems I have with the Affordable Health Care Act. Number one, there is a provision in there that anyone over the age of 74 has to go before what is effectively a death panel.

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Yes they do, yes they do. It's in there folks, you're wrong.

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Okay children, all right children. I am 77 years old and I think it's unconscionable for this politician to tell me that at 74

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I will be facing death penalties. Pam, wrong. I deal with end -of -life issues on a regular basis.

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These are heart -rending decisions and I can tell you there is no such thing as a death panel.

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In the UK, they've had socialized medicine for a while now.

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Alfie was a little boy with a very serious medical condition. At the center of the case was a gay activist judge named

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Justice Anthony Hayden. Never mind his gay activism guys, never trust a man wearing a wig like this.

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Although I will say I thought he was a gay activist and not trans. Now Justice Hayden is a member of the bar lesbian and gay group

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BLAG and co -authored a book on homosexual relationships and their pertinence to children's rights.

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Through the decisions made by Hayden and the government, it was decreed that starving little Alfie and letting slash making him die was the best thing for him.

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This went against the wishes of the parents who wanted to fight for his life. Can you believe that my son's just been sentenced to a death penalty with two days to go with the system worked against me?

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Can you believe that Kate weren't representing herself nor was I representing her? Can you believe that their barrister had their judgment before me?

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So whilst I was traveling up here all the hay knew the verdict already before me. Is this right? Is this right?

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I'm not crying because I know how wrong they are. I don't know how strong my boy's doing. My strong, my boy's strong.

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He's comfortable. This isn't over. This is just a start. I want to take this absolute NHS down. I'm not giving up.

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My son ain't giving up. No one. And I repeat no one in this country has taken my boy away from me. No one.

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And they're not violating his rights and they're not violating my rights. My son is two years of age and he's being sentenced to the death penalty.

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How wrong is that? The Italian government gave Alfie citizenship and offered to fully pay for his transport and his medical treatment in their country.

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A helicopter was on standby to bring Alfie and his parents to fight for his life. The state death panel not only said no against the wishes of the parents, but the state sent guards, actual guards to stop

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Alfie's parents from leaving with their own child. In this case, the not neutral state flexed its power over life itself and over the rights of the parents and guaranteed the death of little

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Alfie. He died and that was tragic. Now let's look at a kid that got sick in America around the same time.

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A 16 -year -old named Jeremiah Thomas was diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago. The cancer was so aggressive that his hospital in Texas could not give

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Jeremiah the treatment he needed. Instead of accepting the low chance of survival they were given, they went to Tijuana to try a holistic medicine.

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If he were in the UK he would not have been able to do that. In Tijuana they tried everything they could but the cancer was aggressive and his chances were even lower.

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They could have accepted a doctor's diagnosis then but again they chose to fight. They flew to San Diego seeking an important surgery and finding only one hospital that would agree to do it.

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By that time his tumor on his spine had grown and he was told that he would not be able to walk again.

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His chance of survival was again low. They've chosen to fight and have reached out to brothers and sisters in Christ asking for prayer.

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Jeremiah's story spread quickly over social media and a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, Sean Lee, sent

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Jeremiah a video message. Take a look at this. I've actually got somebody that wants to say hi to you.

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What's that? Yeah, so that could go. There you go. Oh my gosh.

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Oh my gosh. You can replay it if you want to. Sean Lee, linebacker with the

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Cowboys. You are an inspiration to our organization. Thank you. Keep fighting.

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God bless. We'll be praying for you. Awesome. We'll send that to your tablet but check this out.

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Check this out. Check this out. So look at that. It says to Jeremiah, God's got this.

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Keep fighting. Dude. Jeremiah. Yeah. Not only that but Jeremiah was just given a make -a -wish.

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He had the option to go anywhere and to do anything. Instead of going to Disney or seeing a football game,

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Jeremiah is using his make -a -wish to meet with the governor of Texas to discuss ending abortion.

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That's a huge beautiful thing. Great job, Jeremiah. We're proud of you, brother. Imagine if the government forced

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Jeremiah to stay at the first hospital just because his chances were low. These opportunities never would have happened.

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Please pray, everyone, for Jeremiah. And if you feel led, you can also donate to his medical expenses.

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To learn more, search hashtag pray for Jeremiah. Today, we have the opportunity to decide which hospital we want to go to and what care our loved ones receive.

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But what's coming next if Christians don't start being bold enough to confront and resist the beast?

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Early in Christian history, we were killed by the Roman government. We weren't killed because we wanted to worship

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Jesus. Rome was pagan. They didn't care what you worshipped. We were killed because we would not recognize the ultimate authority of Caesar.

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All Christians had to say in early century in Rome was Kaiser Curios. Caesar is

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Lord. Say that and live. Just a little pinch of incense. That's all.

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Christians recognize Christ's authority and law above the law of the state. And for that, they were killed.

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We are living in a time far removed from the kind of Christian resistance and Christian ingenuity of our forebears.

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It was Christians that created hospitals. That's right. We did that. It was the Christian worldview that built the civilization of the

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West. That's right. We did that too. However, over the last few generations, we have bought into the fiction that escape is the ultimate goal.

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Rather than occupying until he comes and being a city on a hill, we're more comfortable with leaving the world to the devil and sin.

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Ultimately, it's like we don't even pray or even believe the Lord's prayer. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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We've stopped working for that. And because of it, we don't live in a moral vacuum. We live in a world that has recognized a different ultimate.

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And that ultimate is being enforced by a godless and out of control state that will exert its power upon Christians to protect its gods.

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Just like the beast of Rome in the past, the beast is looking to devour anyone that will subvert its ultimate authority.

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My prayer is that we will give the same kind of bold and love -soaked resistance to the modern tyranny that we did to the old one.

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We defeated it in history. We outloved it. We out -created it. We out -served it.

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And we out -truthed it. I pray that we do that before Christians are seen as enemies of the state.

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Wait, it's too late. It's time to fight, brothers and sisters. Next week with Jeff Durbin, the late night show with the unpopular opinion.