Silence in the Shutdown

During this pandemic shutdown, I have come to realize how very LOUD our society was.  Oh there is now less to do, less to watch, and less to fight about, and HEY.. THEY TOOK AWAY MY SPORTS!  But we are still Loud while Home-bound ..  once we turn on the evening news.  

AND in the midst of this Shutdown we are becoming a little (or lot) stir crazy.  The rush is removed from rush hour traffic while the din of sports, entertainment, and misc. life have been reduced to .. sports reruns (zzzz), and movies of the good ol' days before social distancing. I even treat watching Gilligan's Island reruns like it was the original Survivor series! My money is on Gilligan getting voted off.

The blessing for me of this shutdown, is before the government shutdowns are lifted and we return to the 'smack down' of 24/7 Election coverage.. I have been listening to audiobooks 

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One of my current listens is a biography on the life of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who stood up to Hitler and the Nazis. It is very interesting listen, but I have found disturbing parallels between Nazi Germany in the 1930s with America in the year 2020.  While you may think this is a grand conspiracy theory of someone in a state mandated lock-down.. I respectfully disagree, and so let me share a few social parallels..

• Antisemitism on the rise. The hatred of the Jews in 1930s Germany and in the world today has a sobering parallel. There is no Holocaust today, but there is in our society a growing disdain for Israel and for Jewish people in general. We even have openly antisemitic members elected in our US Congress in Ilhan Omar (Mn), and Rashida Tlaib (Mi) to name a few.
• Socialism & Communism was on the rise in 1930s Germany, and Socialism, Marxism, and wealth redistribution are alive and well in America today. Oh sure it is lead to oppressive and deadly regimes throughout history, but we would do socialism, communism better as true Marxists. Just ask Bernie Sanders, AOC, or Venezuala.  Note for those of you scoring at home: Marxism and Christianity cannot coexist.

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• Traditional Christian Values are mocked by the government.  The anti-Christian Nazis manipulated the church to promote antisemitism and obedience to Hitler over obedience to God. Today, there is growing pressure by the government to remove tax exempt status to churches who will not perform same sex marriages. The world even bristles at our core truth that Jesus is THE WAY to Heaven.
• Fascist groups like the Nazis of the 1930s and Antifa today are eerily similar and rage against those who disagree while the police are ordered to stand down. They both consider it 'thought violence' to disagree with them and feel vindicated by responding with physical violence. Both use lies and fuel rage to mobilize the mob mentality.
• The Church is diluted and weak. Just like the church in Germany in the 1930s, churches in America often choose the path of least resistance. The Bible (GOD'S WORD) is redacted and reduced to embrace gay marriage, abortion, other misc issues of morality.. and greed (see prosperity gospel). The church too (or most) often chooses the approval of secular society over the approval of God. We are becoming a 'christian' Mega-church/social club that is 10 miles wide and 6" deep. *Discipleship is an afterthought when compared to attendance numbers and the approval of the masses
  Note: I am not saying all churches are like this, but waaaay too many variations of prosperity Gospel preachers who focus on what God wants FOR YOU($$), rather than what God deserves FROM YOU (our, love, obedience, worship, & service).

In response to Hitler and Nazi Germany Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote..

• "Silence in the face of Evil is itself Evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. 

Similarly Martin Luther King Jr. response to Civil Rights issues of the 1960s said. 

• "Doing nothing is doing something. Saying nothing is saying something."

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So as we move back towards the din and distraction of normalcy let's not lose sight of what God has been teaching us in the Silence of this Shutdown.

As believers we cannot be silent. We need to stand tall and strong in our obedience to God proclaiming the Gospel. And remember part of these loving words and actions is to speak loving truth. We cannot be compromising of God's Truth even when our secular society reacts with any of the above 'Social Parallels' to Nazi Germany.

Finally, remember the words of Jesus

• If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  - John 15:18-25

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May God bless and speak to you in the Silence of the Shutdown. May you fill your stir crazy moments with prayer, and God's Word.  Tune out the voices of the world where blame for the pandemic and the panic of the pandemic can consume our thoughts. Our God is sovereign, and soon this shutdown will be over.  Let's take this time to be a spiritual reset so when the world is running full tilt again.. our spirits compass points to God alone in a way that the din of society cannot alter.

In all things (including shutdowns), to God be the Glory. Amen

​Jeff (Shutdown but not Shut off) Larson

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