Important!
Hot Springs history is rich with characters profane and sanctimonious. These days, our quirky burg seems inundated with the latter, a roused rabble of “evangelical bloc” letter writers who darken these pages almost daily with religious rants more emetic than evangelistic.
One of the most prolific and pious of these scribes usually just stitches together random quotes from Billy’s boy, the oh-so very reverend Franklin Graham. But then last month he went much further, beyond mere repetitions of Franklin’s frenzies. Turns out this latter-day writer of prattling preachery is also an honest-to-goodness, old-timey prophet! In fact, this brother insists he can divine who among us is a “true” Christian and maybe even – cue the kettle drums now, please – a “non-Christian.”
How? Well, it seems these miraculous divinations are the result of too much exposure to Fox News or hate radio or one of those late-night, gold-leafed, holy-oil, flim-flam, televangelist shows. Our oracle of Hot Springs knows all by asking this simple yes/no question. Do you believe the fervent, fevered prayers of the “evangelical bloc” persuaded Great Gawdamighty! to throw the election, so boorish and bellicose Trump can lead us into the Promised Land of a great-again America? If you answer “yes” you’re in like Flynn. Go ahead and get measured for your wings and halo now. Answer “no” and our prophetic prognosticator smugly suggests your final destination is probably not exactly glory-bound. You won’t be needing those wool socks…
Hate to have to break it to our local wizard, he who can peer into other men’s souls, but there are many Christians, even some “true” ones, who think Franklin Graham is a bigot, an Islamophobe, and a rank opportunist riding on his daddy’s famous coattails. And right now, just like he played Dubya after 9-11, he’s squealing and squabbling with his fellow piglets Jerry Falwell, Jr. and John Hagee and Robert Jeffress for a sweet spot at Comrade Trump’s feeding trough.
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Hot Springs and the rest of our nation’s so-called “evangelical bloc” have an out-of-control wolf problem. But swaggering Trump has promised fantastic wide gates and amazing, so amazing broad ways, and his beguiled believers are too blind to beware false prophets, or much of anything else…
— Monsieur Jacques d’Nalgar, Lundi 27 février 2017 et Dimanche 6 mars 2017
PS — the letter below was in yesterday’s (2/26/2017) Sentinel Record…
The evangelical bloc
Dear editor:
Even though Donald Trump won the presidential election legitimately, the extreme liberal side still cannot understand how he really won, nor can they stop their ugly and harmful opposition. Even though they are loud and very organized, they are only hurting themselves, not helping our nation and certainly don’t represent the majority of Americans who still hold to conservative family values.
These extreme liberals have tried to say that Trump won because of Russia interfering with the election, even though there is no real evidence to substantiate their wild claims. They have tried to discount Trump’s victory in every way they can think of, all to no avail.
“It was a triumph that few predicted — especially the pollsters and media. Trump won 30 states, aided by a significant bloc of evangelical (Christian) support at the polls.”
The liberal mainstream news media “kept asking ‘How did this happen?’ ‘What went wrong?’ ‘How did we miss this?’ Some were in shock. Political pundits were stunned. Many thought the Trump-Pence ticket didn’t have a chance. Few of them understood the God factor — that hundreds of thousands of Christians from across the U.S. had been praying.”
“While the media scratched their heads and tried to understand how this happened, I believe that God’s sovereign hand worked mightily on election night to help stop the godless, atheistic, progressive agenda from continuing its moral assault on our nation.” (Quotes by the Rev. Franklin Graham, Decision magazine, December 2016, Page 4.)
Now, I don’t really expect the non-Christian side to believe all of this. Why do I say that? The Bible says, “But the man who isn’t a Christian can’t understand and can’t accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him, because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can’t take it in. But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can’t understand him at all. How could he? … ” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16).
These things I am writing are mainly for the encouragement of all true Christians, even though I hope and pray that some of you would also trust in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation and spiritual rebirth. “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12).
More recently (Jan. 16, 2107), the Rev. Franklin Graham said, “As God’s people, this is not a time to stand down or drop our guard. Powerful (satanic) forces are opposing any change of direction. Our new leaders need wisdom, strength and guidance from Almighty God. The Bible says, ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). For our nation and its future, that admonition never had more urgency. Our faith and hope is in God, not human leaders.”
“So, as we enter 2017 with new leadership for our nation, the most critical thing you can do is pray, pray, pray.” (Decision, February 2017, Page 5).
Lloyd Hoffman
Hot Springs
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