From the Garden To the Shack

Posted on by Terry L Brown

From the Garden to the Shack

A few years ago the book, The Shack, was published with great fanfare and excitement among Christians. Now, the movie version of The Shack is premiering with equal fanfare and excitement among Christians. But is this the proper response Christians should be expressing for The Shack? Is this book and movie fit for Christian consumption or is it heresy dressed up in an easy-to-swallow pill?

With no sense of superiority I must confess I have not, nor will I, read the book, The Shack. I also have not, nor will I see the movie, The Shack. Whether you choose to read the book or see the movie is entirely your prerogative. Nevertheless, I will give my opinion as to whether this story is something Christians should embrace and promote as good or at least harmless, or if it is something to be ingested through the eyes and ears with caution.

For those who question what right I have to express my opinion on The Shack having never read it or watched the movie, I respectfully answer by saying I have spoken to one, a Christian, who has read the book and had both positive and negative things to say about it. I also read a review on the book posted on cbn.com by Belinda Elliot who gushes over it. From that information and a few other bits and pieces of information garnered from simply reading the give and take of comments posted online in response to the myriad articles one finds on the internet about The Shack, I feel confident that I know enough about the story to give an educated opinion as to the spirit behind this story.

Of course, there will still be some who believe I have no right to express my opinion on The Shack having never personally read the book. In reply I would say it is not always necessary to have firsthand experience with something to accurately understand the benefits and/or detriments of whatever the “something” is. For example, I do not have to ingest meth or cocaine to accurately discern that they are extremely dangerous and addictive drugs. All I need do is read about these drugs and obverse the consequences people suffer from having become personally acquainted with them from firsthand experience. In other words one need not personally experience the full force of evil to understand and discern that something is intrinsically evil, something I believe is true of The Shack.

But in order to make my point in believing that the essential and intrinsic nature of The Shack is evil I will start, not with The Shack itself, but with an episode in human history when a choice was made by a man and woman to believe a lie rather than the truth because the lie appealed to the legitimate needs of the body and mind and because it was presented to them in a way that fascinated and dazzled them. But the consequence of believing that lie and giving it life by literally ingesting it, poisoning the deepest parts of their beings, resulted in the greatest tragedy in human history.

It is a story worth reading.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

“He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Genesis 3:1-7 ESV).

The story seems simple and straight forward, and on one level it is. Adam and Eve lived in a garden God created for them. It was a place where their every need was provided for. It provided food for the body, beauty for the soul, and an intimate relationship with God for the spirit. And where they got that food for the body, that beauty for the soul, and that relationship with God was abundantly provided for by God. We are told…

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden…” (Genesis 2:15-16 ESV).

“Every tree of the garden.” Adam and Eve had full access to every source of food they needed to live, not just physically, but spiritually as well. But with the abundance of God’s provision came a warning from Him…

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17 ESV).

Along with God’s overwhelming abundance of provision for Adam and Eve came one prohibition. They were not to eat; that is, find their source of food, whether for their bodies, souls, or spirits, from one of the trees: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God made very clear that the consequences of eating from this tree would be death. Simple and straightforward, yes; but also not so simple and straightforward.

Enter Satan, referred to as a serpent in this narrative. His primary goal after God had created man in His image, was to destroy man, to kill him; not just his body, but his soul and spirit as well. And he knew just what he needed to do to accomplish that goal. He began by asking Eve…

“Did God actually say…” (Genesis 3:1)?

Satan began by planting a seed of doubt into Eve’s soul about God’s character. He wanted Eve to question the goodness and fairness of God. He wanted Eve to question why God would prohibit her from eating from this one tree. He wanted her to question if God were intentionally withholding something good from her? He wanted Eve to question God’s motive, the “why”, behind the prohibition.

With the doubt of God’s character now planted within Eve’s soul Satan began to water it by directly accusing Him of lying about her dying if she ate of the fruit of this tree. He then fertilized that doubt by promising her she would actually become like God, knowing (that is, in a very real sense, defining) good and evil. If was as if Satan were telling Eve…

“If you eat this fruit you will no longer need for God to determine for you what is right and what is wrong or what is good or what is evil. You will be able to determine that for yourself. You will be free.”

That is a powerful temptation, one that is today being used with great effectiveness.

But as powerful as that temptation was (is) it is likely it would have been resisted if not for two other components associated with Satan’s lie. What two components?

Notice that when Eve looked at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, after having her conversation with Satan, she saw that is was good; she did not see that it was evil. She saw that it was good for food; that is, it was a source that she believed would fulfill the legitimate need of the body to be nourished. She saw that it was good in that it was a delight to the eyes; that is, it was a source that she believed would fulfill the legitimate need of the soul to be nourished by beauty. And she saw that it was a source of wisdom; that is, it was a source that she believed would fulfill the legitimate need of the spirit to be nourished by truth.

Eve looked at this tree and saw goodness and beauty (truth), encapsulated in a fruit that was perfect in ripeness and firmness. Imagine if Eve had looked at the tree and instead saw evil and ugliness (lies), encapsulated in a fruit that was rotten and worm infested. That would have been a strong deterrent for overcoming Satan’s temptation to question God’s character and His motives for prohibiting the eating of this fruit.

How often do we look at evil and ugliness (lies) and see goodness and beauty (truth) because we want the evil and ugliness to be true because we want to be God, defining good and evil for ourselves?

The first component Satan used to entice Eve to eat from this tree was to deceive her into seeing its fruit as good for her instead of laced with evil that would kill her.

The second component associated with the Satan’s temptation is similar to the first.

Just as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and its fruit appeared as something to be desired, when in fact, it was poison, so was the creature that spoke with Eve. This creature in the Garden of Eden, referred to as a serpent, was not a hideous looking creature. The Hebrew word for “serpent” is nachash. It is a word that means “shining one”, implying a being, if not beautiful, at the very least, a being that fascinates and attracts not only the eye, but the mind.

Whether this serpent was a literal snake or not is a discussion for another time. Suffice it to say that the being that tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit was Satan disguising…
“himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV).

It is important to note that the Bible says nothing about Eve being frightened in the least by this serpent. She saw only light, not darkness, and certainly not 50 shades of grey.

All too often we associate Satan and evil as being ugly and terrifying, and it is. But Satan knows the way to ensnare his human prey that he might kill him is much more effective when the snare is baited with perceived pleasure and beauty rather than pain and ugliness. Thus, Satan appeared to Eve as a Shining One, striking and dazzling in appearance with a voice that was no doubt very pleasant to the ear.

This was the snare Eve was being drawn into, a snare that was not only baited with what appeared to be pleasure and beauty, but a snare set by a creature that appeared equally pleasant and beautiful.

The combination of Eve’s desire to be as God knowing (defining for herself) good and evil made possible by her eating a fruit that was very appealing to her entire being to achieve that knowledge and presented by a creature of other-worldly beauty, sealed the deal.

The lie was made palatable because the fruit in which the lie was packaged to look like “health” food for the body, soul, and spirit. Further, the lie was made desirable because the one telling it was mesmerizing to look upon and listen to.

Satan’s goal was to mar God’s character, to make Him appear as something He was not in the souls and spirits of Adam and Eve. It was to get them to question God’s motives as to why He would prohibit them from partaking of something that (appeared) good and beneficial. If he could get them to believe something about God that was not true it would be easier to deceive them into believing other, more outrageous lies in the future.

And Satan’s tactics have not changed from that fateful day in the garden of Eden to today. We still find him lurking around where Christians can be found – Christian bookstores and Christian movies – such as the book and movie, The Shack.

The Shack tells the story of a man who has experienced a depth of pain far deeper than most of us will experience in our lifetimes, the pain of having one of his children abducted and murdered. Thus begins his quest to have his questions answered concerning pain, suffering, and forgiveness toward the one responsible for his pain and suffering. And there is nothing wrong with these questions. In fact they are quite normal. What is wrong is where he looked for the answers to such questions, just as Adam and Eve looked in the wrong place to satisfy the legitimates needs of their bodies, souls, and spirits when enticed to do so from a “Shining One” rather than from the One who is the true Light of the world.

For the man in The Shack the Shining One appeared to him after he received a mysterious note telling him to come to the shack where his daughter was murdered. He was not sure what to expect, but in an attempt to get the answers he was so desperately looking for, and thus satisfy the hunger that his pain was producing in his soul and spirit, he chose to go to the shack. And did he find God waiting there for him? Ah, there is the dilemma with this story.

Some would say he did find God because as the story unfolds his questions were answered; his hunger for understanding was evidently satisfied by the fruit produced by the words “God” spoke to him at the shack. Others would say he did not find God at the shack even though he found some comfort and understanding from the words spoken to him by the Trinity of beings he encountered there because this Trinity – Father (an African woman), Son (a Middle Eastern man), and Holy Spirit (an Asia woman) – was not the God – the Trinity – of the Bible.

So, how do we discern which of these two beliefs is true? We turn to the one place where we should look to discern whether anything we believe is true or false; to the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word to us. In it we find the Truth; in it we find how God has chosen to identify Himself so that we can discern if the One “speaking” to us is actually the Lord God (Yahweh) or a Shining One who presents himself as God, or at least, as god-like.

And how does God identify Himself to His creation? Part of His identity is revealed to us right at the beginning of His Word as He was actively creating the Universe and everything in it. The Bible tells us…

“God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Genesis 1:5 ESV).

What does this tell us about the One True God? First, it tells us that God is the Creator of everything, including you and I. But it also tells us something a little more subtle, but just as important. It tells us that God has chosen to identify Himself as male…

“The darkness he called Night” (Genesis 1:5).

Of course, we know that God, in His essence, is neither male nor female. But that does not minimize His decision to identify Himself to us as male – not just here at the beginning of the Bible, but throughout the Bible. Near the end of the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, an angel is speaking to John concerning why God chose him to reveal the events that are to take place at the end times. The angel, referring to God, says…

“The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place” (Revelation 22:6 ESV).

God is here again identified through the use of male pronouns.

Further, God is referred to as “Father” scores of times in the Bible, but not once as “Mother”. Jesus Himself, referred to God as His “Father” over 150 times. Also, of great importance concerning how God has chosen to identify Himself as male to us is reinforced by Jesus when His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Jesus responded by saying…

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father… (Matthew 6:9 ESV).

What is my point? Just this.

We now live in a time when gender is believed to be fluid; that is, male and female are not concrete attributes of our being. Being biologically male does not mean one is actually male if one self-identifies as female; being biologically female does not mean one is actually female if one self-identifies as male. In essence we are being told that neither society, nor our DNA, has the right to impose its identity upon us. Transgender has become the latest rallying cry of deceived men and women who have taken up arms against God by attempting to shout down the truth that mankind was created by God as male and female (Genesis 1:27).

I believe with all my heart one of Satan’s primary objectives when he lured Eve into a conversation with him concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was to blur the uniqueness of maleness and femaleness because once that blurring reached critical mass the primary building block of human society – the family – would be destroyed and along with it the image of God would be destroyed, for man would then bear the image of Satan. And what is the image of Satan?

The first thing I noticed when watching The Passion of the Christ was the appearance of Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane (notice he was back in a garden again) as he crouched down a little way from Jesus as He prayed to the Father. I looked closely at this person portraying Satan and said to myself…

“I can’t tell whether this person is male or female.”

Then I thought of how much truth was wrapped up in that image of Satan; neither male, nor female, but rather an androgynous being seeking to create man in his image. And as transgenderism takes more and more hold upon us as a nation and as individuals we are more and more beginning to shed the image of God and clothing ourselves with the image of Satan. The danger is very real, but very subtle.

We are beginning to not only see the lunacy of the lie of transgenderism as the lines of maleness and femaleness become more and more blurred as males now openly and proudly (think of Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner) put on the mask of femaleness and females openly and proudly (think Chastity/Chaz Bono) put on the mask of maleness, but we are beginning to experience in real life situations the dangers of this lunacy as more and more corporate and government entities chose to allow, if not insist, that males in female bathrooms and locker rooms and females in male bathrooms and locker rooms is good rather than evil. We have returned to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. With this in mind let me turn directly to The Shack.

The Shack is the transgenderization of the Trinity. Rather than Father (male), Son (male), and Holy Spirit (identified by the use of male pronouns in the Bible), the “god” in The Shack is Mother (black woman), Son (male), and Holy Spirit (Asia woman). This may seem like a trivial matter. It is not. No doubt Eve believed eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was trivial compared to the actual consequences of her action. And no doubt those who ingest through their eyes and ears the story of The Shack think it is a trivial matter, mere entertainment. I strongly believe that is a mistake.

In a world where gender-confused individuals demand the right to self-identify rather than conform to the image God created them to bear and to be addressed with pronouns reflective of their self-perceived gender, God is denied that same respect. God has plainly, consistently, and unequivocally chosen to be identified as male. The Shack is an attempt by Satan to strip God of His identity as God and take His place.

The Shack is like a magician’s sleight of hand as he attempts to make you believe something that is false, such as cutting a woman in half with a saw, by subconsciously drawing your attention away from what is going on in the background. The Shack does the same thing as it attempts to divert attention from how he is going to introduce a heretical portrayal of the Trinity (what is going on in the background) as a black woman, a Middle Eastern man, and an Asia woman – which may seem innocent, but it is not – by using the diversionary tactic of focusing one’s attention away from this Trinitarian lie by appealing to the strong emotional, and legitimate need to find peace and understanding in the midst of incredible pain and suffering.

I will close with this question. What is the most lethal poison you know of? Cyanide? Arsenic? Strychnine? They are all deadly, but there is one that is potentially much more lethal than any of them or all of them put together. The most lethal poison known to man is the one that tastes good.

Satan is in the business of making poison taste good, because it is the only poison you will eagerly ingest.

In my opinion The Shack is one such poison so if you decide to read/see it please make sure you have the antidote handy.

Gender Wars

Posted on by Terry L Brown

Satan is the commander of the Gender Wars and these wars have been focused upon the destruction of traditional marriage since Adam and Eve were wed by God in the Garden of Eden. Satan hates traditional marriage and is doing everything in his power to destroy it. And he’s fighting these wars on two fronts.

The main front of the Gender Wars in the last 50 years has been to normalize the homosexual lifestyle. In the last 10 – 20 a new front has been opened up by Satan – the normalization of transgenderism.

Does that sound crazy? Allow me to quote a couple of excerpts from the sermon. Then if yoou want a CD of the sermon all you need to do is ask for one. They are free and I will not ask you for money.

“First, Satan, by approaching Eve rather than Adam, (in the Garden of Eden) was subtly disrespecting and attempting to disrupt the headship/submission structure of the family as created by God…

“Second, I believe Satan purposefully chose to approach Eve when Adam was near to see if he would step and be the man, the husband, God created him to be by protecting her from the lies he was going to tell Eve to get her to eat of the forbidden fruit. He was going to see if Adam would step in and speak the truth to Eve by reminding her what God had actually said about feeding the fruit. Satan was testing Adam as much as he was Eve.” Terry L. Brown – Gender Wars

The Gender Wars began in the Garden of Eden with Satan’s attempt to distort and even destroy the headship/submission roles within the marriage covenant as created by God in the very beginning. And he has been highly successful in doing this in the last 50 years through a group of warriors waving the flag of Radical Feminism.

Thanks to these warriors male and female roles within marriage and the Church have become so blurred that so-called marriage between two males or two females is now legal. Satan’s victories on the homosexual front have been highly effective in weakening traditional marriage. But traditional marriage is still not dead. So, Satan is now moving to not just normalize homosexuality, but to blur maleness and femaleness to the point of androgyny – neither male nor female.

Androgyny may not seem as dangerous a weapon as homosexuality, but it is, and Satan knows it.

“Satan has opened up a second front in the Gender Wars. If two men or two women having the legal right to marry each other wasn’t powerful enough to destroy traditional marriage, Satan is counting on the immoral radiation from so-called same-sex marriage to do so. What is that immoral radiation?

“Androgyny, the blurring and blending of the sexes until the terms male and female are no longer relevant, which is feminism’s (and Satan’s) ultimate goal.” Terry L Brown – Gender Wars

Satan hates maleness and femaleness and has an army who shares this hatred: radical feminists.

“Radical feminism is the spirit behind the Gender Wars and it must be defeated.” Terry L Brown – Gender Wars

Don’t’ believe it? Listen to the sermon “Gender Wars” and you just might change your mind.

Insanity is the New Normal

Posted on by Terry L Brown

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27 ESV).

For thousands of years two genders have existed – male and female. That has not changed. Today two genders exist – male and female. What has changed is man’s suicidal eagerness to turn away from the light of this Truth and embrace and celebrate the darkness of the Lie that one can choose one’s gender.

Why is this happening?

Image yourself walking by what looks to be a large estate. You approach the front door and ring the bell. A man opens the door and invites you in. Once inside he introduces himself as Napoleon Bonaparte. You see other people in the vestibule. Your host introduces them to you: Julius Caesar, George Washington, Moses, and Plato.

Where are you? You are in an insane asylum, a place where reality – Truth – is denied and lies are believed. You are in a place where insanity is the normal. You are in a place of darkness, not physical darkness, but mental and spiritual darkness.

And this is where we are now in America. America is essentially a large estate, an estate blessed with beautiful natural wonders from sea to sea and beautiful manmade structures and buildings, an estate built using the Light of Truth – God’s Word – as her foundation. But that Light of Truth is being replaced with the ever-increasing Darkness of Lies as the Prince of Darkness continues to gain footholds in our government.

It is interesting to me that one of the plagues inflicted upon mankind in the Book of Revelation is darkness.

“The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness” (Revelation 16:10 ESV).

It is important to understand that among other things the “Beast” is Satan’s human agent and/or agency – a man or government – that wars against the Kingdom of God. And the Beast wars against those of God’s Kingdom by calling good evil and evil good, by calling light darkness and darkness light (Isaiah 5:20), by calling male female and female male.

Something else to understand when reading Revelation is that these plagues, the Seals, the Trumpets, and the Bowls, are not necessarily literal. Thus, this plague of darkness does not have to be literal, nor does it have to be limited to the End Times. These plagues have been a part of this world ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and that certainly included darkness, spiritual darkness, when man’s spirit died (Genesis 2:17).

Man’s rebellion against God was a rebellion against the Truth, a rebellion against Light resulting in the beginning of the plague of darkness being poured out, at least in part, upon the spirit of man; man’s rebellion was an act of insanity. And with the fall of man earth became an insane asylum, a place where insanity – a disconnect with reality – was the new normal. Evil was the new good, wrong was he new right, and darkness was the new Light.

Now, consider this, it is one thing for people of little influence or earthly power to walk in darkness, to reject the Truth and believe lies, to be insane, but it is an entirely different thing for those who rule over a nation by passing laws, enforcing laws, and judging laws to be insane. But this is exactly what America is experiencing today.

Notice where the bowl containing the plague of darkness quoted above from Revelation is poured.

“The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness” (Revelation 16:10 ESV).

A throne represents the place of power and authority. This fifth judgment bowl in Revelation specifically speaks of it being poured out on the throne of the beast. In other words this plague, fully poured out as the time of the end draws near, plunges not just those who have little influence upon the “kingdom” (nation) they live in, but upon those who rule over the kingdom itself. This plague is God’s judgment upon the kingdoms of man who have chosen to accept spiritual insanity as normal by giving them rulers who are more insane than themselves.

When Obama first ran for President in 2008 someone asked me who I thought was going win. I said it depended on God’s mercy. I said if God chose to intensify His judgment upon America for her national sins of abortion and embracing and promoting sexual perversion as normal Obama would win. He won, and he won again in 2012. God had chosen to have the bowl of darkness poured out on the throne of America. Insanity was the new normal at the highest levels of American government.

Obama and those of his administration are literally insane in that they believe evil is good, wrong is right, and lies are Truth.

This is why sexual sin that has been known to be sin, even by unbelievers, since the foundation of the world is now celebrated at the highest levels of the American government as normal. This is why Obama and his administration are not only strong-arming schools into requiring them to allow biological males that self-identify as biological females and biological females that self-identity as biological males to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice as normal, but to demonize all those who recognize this condition as irrational – insane – a departure from reality. How deep must the darkness be that believes such obvious lies.

And it will get worse. America has not experienced total darkness, total insanity yet, but unless we repent as a nation and as individuals and return to the Light of God’s Word – the Truth – even the Light, the Truth we still possess will be snuffed out as insanity becomes the new normal for evil that would shock even the most jaded today.

There is a prophetic verse in the Bible that, though not speaking specifically of America or Obama of course, nevertheless describes exactly what is happening to America today as Obama continues to make insanity the new normal. It speaks of a form of God’s judgment against a nation that has rebelled against Him. What is that judgment?

“For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs” (Zechariah 11:16 ESV).

This is the judgment America is now experiencing. Obama is a shepherd/ruler who is concerned only for himself and recreating America in his image. In October of 2008 just before the election he said…

“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” – Barack Obama, October 30, 2008

Obama Transformation 1 1

“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” – Barack Obama, October 30, 2008

And he has. No one has been more successful in making insanity the new normal.

Time is running out for America as is witnessed by the character of the rulers/shepherds we have freely placed in power over us and the would-be rulers/shepherds who desire to take their place. Obama is just one of those who walk in the shadow of the Beast.

If we are to return America to greatest we must not be fooled into believing any man (or woman) residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave will be able to do it. Rather, we must return to God; we must heed His Word…

“Hear and give ear; be not proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness” (Jeremiah 13:15-16 ESV).

Lastly Brothers and Sisters in Christ, do not fear Obama or any other would-be tyrant that seeks to make insanity the new normal. The Lord has a word of warning for them…

“What shepherd can stand before me” (Jeremiah 49:19 ESV).

Indeed.

Expectations

Posted on by Terry L Brown

Target’s decision to come out of the closet with an official statement proudly proclaiming their commitment of allowing persons to use the bathrooms and fitting rooms corresponding with the gender they identify with at that moment rather than the biological sex they were born with (and is listed on their birth certificates) has amped up the rhetoric on this front of the culture wars America is now fighting.

Part of Target’s statement says…

“In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” (Read the entire statement here).

That’s plain and straightforward. No ambiguity. In a world of politicians and businesses that strain themselves to parse words in an attempt to say all things to all people so they can take credit for being politically correct and deny being politically correct at the same time, depending on who their audience is, Target’s forthrightness to proclaim itself a company that proudly embraces immorality is refreshing. As a Christian it made choosing to boycott Target an easy decision.

But not everyone, including Christians, believe boycotting Target is the best decision. One such Christian is Bethany Berreth, the girl’s minister at the Bay Area First Baptist Church in Texas. I don’t know her, but I have no reason to doubt she is a Christian or to doubt she loves Jesus Christ. And in fairness to her she doesn’t tell Christians to not boycott target. She says…

“If you feel so led, sign petitions, call Target, do what you must do to exercise the rights you hold as an American citizen to make your opinion heard.”

She then quotes Colossians 4:5-6…

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Of course. But gracious speech is not necessarily pleasing speech. It is not necessarily speech that tickles the ear. It is speech that speaks truth and Truth is often described as hate speech by those who have chosen to believe lies. Those who live in darkness hate the light (Truth) and prefer to remain unsalted (preserved by the Truth) because as salt poured on to an open wound stings so Truth “poured” on to a heart wounded with sin “stings”. In fact walking in wisdom, speaking gracious words, being light and salt toward outsiders, got Jesus killed.

Certainly, as Christians we do not want to unnecessarily offend anyone, but neither do we want to remain silent in the face of evil. Truth will always offend someone.

After Berrreth made clear she was not telling Christians to not boycott Target she explained why she would not. She wrote…

“Target has never stated or even pretended to have Christian values and morals at the foundation of their decisions as a company. They have always been a ‘secular’ if you will, company. Why, then, are Christians surprised and angry when such a store holds to standards that are set in direct opposition to God’s ways (not to mention public safety)? Scripture makes it very clear that when we are children of darkness we walk in darkness (Ephesians 4:18-20) and when we are children of light we should choose to walk in the light (Ephesians 5:8). Those who are not of God, and the companies they run, are of the darkness. We shouldn’t expect them to look like those who are of the light. We wouldn’t expect an apple tree to produce oranges, and then rail at it when it failed our expectations. It just wouldn’t make sense. Sure, it’s much more comfortable when a company’s choices don’t step on our morality toes. But at their core, they are no different today than they were in the days, weeks and years before this decision.

“I’ll speak plainly here. It is utterly ridiculous to expect those who are in darkness to display the same characteristics of those who have been saved by the grace and mercy of God and are empowered to walk in light by the Holy Spirit. Not only is it ridiculous, but even if, EVEN IF we could convince them to abide by the principles of light, it is pointless in the face of eternity: they are still without hope and without God in the world. Like I said before, we may feel more comfortable purchasing products from Target when they seem to resemble our values, but that is a false comfort.” — Bethany Berreth (Full blog here).

Unquestionably, unbelievers and “secular” companies have always “walked” in darkness as Berreth points out because they are not saved. They live outside the light of the Holy Spirit. But the darkness they walk in has never been total darkness. Even unsaved man and ‘secular’ companies have walked in partial light since the Fall of man. The Apostle Paul makes that abundantly clear when he says…

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:18-23 ESV).

Therefore, unsaved man and secular companies have always walked it at least partial light. So, when Berreth says that it is utterly ridiculous to expect them to exhibit the same characteristics, values, as Believers she is only partially right.

She is right that we should not expect unsaved man or secular companies to live or operate in the light that Yahweh is the only true God as Believers do in accordance to the 1st commandment…

“You shall have no other gods before me (Yahweh)” (Exodus 20:3 ESV);

or to not expect them to live their lives pursuing money or power or fame or pleasure or any other created thing (idols) while Believers place God first in their lives (forsake all idols) in accordance to the 2nd commandment…

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:3-6 ESV);

or to not expect them to honor and keep holy Yahweh’s name as Believers do in accordance the 3rd commandment…

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:3 ESV).

Obeying these commandments in spirit and truth does indeed require the illumination of the Holy Spirit, an illumination unbelievers and secular companies do not have.

But even unbelievers and secular companies have walked in the shadow of the light created by the commandments that pertain directly to their fellow man. I know of no sane individual or civilization or company that has believed that murder is a virtue. That indicates that they possess at the least a glimmer of the light given in the 6th commandment…

“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13 ESV).

Likewise, they walk in a flicker of the light given in the 8th and 9th commandments…

“You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15 ESV) and “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16 ESV) respectively.

Thievery and lying are despised by non-Christians and secular companies because they know these activities are wrong.
Even the 7th commandment…

“You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14 ESV)…

has universally been regarded as a virtue worthy of esteem even by unbelievers and secular companies. I know of no unbelievers that think unfaithfulness is a virtue nor have I ever known of a company openly praising adulterous relationships.

So, for Berreth to say…

“Target has never stated or even pretended to have Christian values and morals at the foundation of their decisions as a company” isn’t entirely true. The virtues of not murdering or even harming someone (whether willfully or through negligence), of not stealing from someone, or of not lying to someone are Christian virtues that, while not always obeyed perfectly, are nonetheless virtues that Christians and non-Christians and secular companies are rightly expected to obey or at least strive to conform to.

Therefore, I do not think it is ridiculous to expect those who are in partial darkness as Target is to display the same characteristics as those who have been saved and are enlightened by the Holy Spirit do as far as one’s interaction with one’s fellowman is concerned.

My expectations are for unbelieves and secular companies to live by the light, dim though it may be, that has been available to everyone, saved or unsaved, from the beginning of creation.

My expectations of unbelievers and secular companies are to follow the same moral laws Christians do, at least physically speaking. I expect unbelievers and secular companies to not kill (you shall not murder); I expect unbelievers and secular companies to not lie (you shall not bear false witness); I expect unbelievers and companies to not condone or facilitate sexual immorality (you shall not commit adultery – which includes a variety of sexual sins) (Target’s failing); I expect unbelievers and secular companies to not steal (you shall not steal).

I don’t a have problem being salt and light to Target, but they may not like the application of said salt and light. Early in Jesus’ ministry He sent some of His disciples out as missionaries for a short time. Among His instructions to these men He said…

“As you enter the house (to stay in while in a town), greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town” (Matthew 10:12-15 ESV).

I have entered the house of Target many times and greeted it with my money. I have lived in peace with them because they were worthy of it in the sense they did not actively embrace and facilitate evil that has been known to be evil by Christians and non-Christians alike for thousands of years.

Therefore, I will let my peace return to me and shake off any connection I have with Target.

In other words I will boycott Target and pray they return to the light they have turned from while they still can.

#BoycottTarget