The “Sound of Freedom” To Ask …

We live in an age full of deception and lies.

We are almost overcome with propaganda from all parts of the political spectrum…all with the purpose not of informing us, but to gather our support to achieve power and wealth.

We live in a culture where good is called evil and evil called good…and there are sanctions for calling evil, evil.

Christians rightfully want to call evil for what it is and we long for righteousness to prevail.

This desire leaves us vulnerable to being manipulated for those who would take advantage of our godly desires to see justice and righteousness prevail.

We too easily throw our support and money to people who know how to punch our buttons with the promise of setting things right.

Then, we allow no one to question the righteousness of those who claim to champion our causes.

This…should not be.

God’s work can only be accomplished God’s way…and God’s ways are always transparent and true and open to examination.

I say all this because  there are legitimate questions being asked about the organization featured in the movie “The Sound of Freedom”.

Because of some of my own sources, I’ve asked some of these questions for years myself.

Asking them now is dangerous when asked among my brethren.

These questions are not about the truth that trafficking is a real issue, or even that the story told in the film is true…I believe it is.

However, that story is also being used to raise millions of dollars and the public profile of the protagonist…and there are real questions about the wisdom of contributing to that.

We shouldn’t be afraid to ask…and that organization should not be afraid to answer with transparency and honesty.

Accusing the media and allegedly opposing political views is not an answer…it’s a deflection and a red flag.

Our friend Kevin H spoke well to this and I don’t want him to stand alone…because what he writes is written out of a love for God and His people.

“I was strongly reminded once again of the harmful and destructive effects of being devoted to partisan politics  last week on another person’s Facebook posting.

I had raised concerns about something being promoted as truth which had lots of legitimate questions around it, and greater so I raised concerns about how the championing of this legitimately questionable subject was being used to falsely accuse and slander others.

The people I was interacting with, seemingly all confessing Christians, refused to address any of my concerns, refused to address any of the credible questions around the subject, and consistently kept using the desired ends to justify (or even ignore) the means to get there.

Ultimately I was unfriended, being told just before that my greatest sin was that I had “sided” with the “media”. (My “siding” with the media had wholly consisted of me saying we shouldn’t denigrate and falsely accuse the media of doing something they very well may not be doing, due to the debatable and unclear subject being discussed, and nothing else whatsoever in defense or support or “siding with” the media.)

If you are a Christian, and even if you are not, please check yourself if you have allowed partisan politics and/or conspiracy theories to dominate or even substantially influence your thinking….. because the stuff is toxic to the soul.

…..If you are unable to address or even acknowledge the concerns of someone who opposes you on a political issue, you may have the toxicity in you.

…..If you automatically assume the guilt or wrongdoing or wickedness of political opponents regardless of the subject or circumstance, you may have the toxicity in you.

…..If you regularly criticize or bash those on the “other” political side, while rarely raising a peep about wrongdoing that occurs on the side you support, you may have the toxicity in you.

…..If the justification you give for the means you or others on your political side use is the supposedly good ends being attempted to be achieved, with no discussion of the morality or ethicalness of the means themselves, you may have the toxicity in you.

…..Especially as a Christian, if you take actions to win political or cultural battles that violate God’s teaching and principles, but are unable to or refuse to recognize these violations, you may have the toxicity in you.

…..If you are constantly finding yourself at odds on everything with commonly accepted ideas and practices and/or the experts in said fields, you may have the toxicity in you.

…..If you are always questioning the legitimacy and motivations of anything that doesn’t line up with your preconceived political beliefs, you may have the toxicity in you.

The list can go on and on, but the point has been made. Our society is sick right now and partisan politics, and extremes, and rampant conspiracy theories are a big contributor. We are in need of a physician.

“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'” – Mark 2:17″

Make your own application…