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Nov 27
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To Whom Are You Thankful?

By America, Christian Living, Gratitude, Thanksgiving No Comments

Without diminishing the various religious festivals that preceded it across the ocean, most recognize the holiday called Thanksgiving as a uniquely American tradition. Before appreciating the role of US presidents who helped to normalize the observance of the holiday, however, we would do well to commemorate the noble intentions of Separatist Puritans who, due to their inability to reform the Church of England, sailed across the Atlantic in search of the freedom to establish an English-speaking society that was robustly committed Scripture. Despite efforts of modern revisionists to downplay the distinctly Christian motivations of the pilgrims, their stated mission in the Mayflower Compact was “for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.”

When the Puritans arrived in the New World in November of 1620, the harsh New England winter coupled with starvation and disease nearly did them in. Before the cold months subsided, only 53 of the 102 pilgrims on the Mayflower survived. Thankful to be alive, they, according to the first governor of Plymouth Colony, “fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over this vast and furious ocean.” From the very beginning of the American experiment, gratitude to Almighty God, even in the midst of tremendous hardship was at the forefront of colonial life.

Realizing the continued theme of God’s faithful provisions, our first president, George Washington, declared a National Day of Thanksgiving in order to offer prayers to the “Lord and Ruler of Nations.” In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, after extolling the divine blessings upon our country, offered a Thanksgiving Proclamation wherein he encouraged the last Thursday of November as a day of praise to our “beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” Following the same pattern during World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt sought national gratitude in the midst of a difficult season even as he formalized the federal calendar to include the Thanksgiving holiday. He pleaded with Americans to “bear more earnest witness to our gratitude to Almighty God.”

If nothing else, these historical realities remind us that Thanksgiving is more about WHOM we give thanks to than WHAT we give thanks for. Each year I always chuckle when I read about atheist and humanist groups attempting to express appreciation to no one in particular when the fourth Thursday of November rolls around. Some will merely voice gratitude to family and friends (we can learn much about the value of esteeming the people in our lives). The notion of secular grace, however, leaves many worshipping the universe or luck in general. Not only is this logically and theologically inadequate, but it is also a colossal waste of time. Giving thanks, by its very nature, requires that someone be there to receive it.

Even with a cursory reading of God’s Word, the theme of thankfulness emerges. King David instructed, appointed, and admonished leaders in Israel to offer thanks to God after settling the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16). He tells the people to make God’s deeds known (16:8), to speak of God’s wonders (16:9), to glory in God’s name (16:10), to remember God’s work (16:12), to proclaim the good tidings of God’s salvation (16:23), and to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name (16:28-29).  Then, at a high point of praise, David admonishes: “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting (1 Chronicles 16:34).”

Neither time nor space will permit me to cite all the verses extolling the virtue of thankfulness. My personal favorite simply reads, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:18).” Thanklessness is a form of independence from God, which is nothing more than practical atheism in disguise. Giving thanks not only reminds us that God is real, but also that He is both active and benevolent in our lives.

So, join me this week, and every week, in giving thanks to the Lord for the magnificent work of His hands. Count your blessings and voice your love and appreciation to the Father above (Psalm 105:1). On your good days and on your bad days, remember the will of God and give Him thanks through everything season of life. (Eph. 5:20).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Adam B. Dooley
November 27, 2025

Sep 17
Love0

Charlie Kirk and the American Soul

By America, Evil, Murder, Politics, Trials, Truth No Comments

Like so many of you, I am still trying to process the horrific reality of Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University on September 10. Words escape me as I wrestle with both the loss of a generational voice and the seeming death of our cultural conscience. Only time will tell if this tragedy is the beginning of America’s needed renewal or its impending ruin.

While I recognize that political violence stems from both the right and left, the tragedy surrounding Charlie Kirk is almost as predictable as it is painful. We should welcome calls to “turn down the rhetoric,” but doing so without recognizing the patterns that preceded this tragedy is futile.

For years, opponents who disagreed with Kirk repeatedly labeled him as part of the dreaded fringe, a right-wing activist who was divisive, extreme, and incendiary. Fearing his persuasive arguments, many on the left painted Charlie as a xenophobic and homophobic white supremacist unworthy of debate. In other words, they hurled ad hominem insults because they could not counter his ideas.

Think I am overstating it? The sheer glee by some online is the very definition of bigotry. The number of videos with individuals laughing hysterically, shouting enthusiastically, and clapping uncontrollably in celebration is breathtaking. Insensitive one-liners and obnoxious memes littered the feeds of most users on every social media platform. And why? Because a loving husband and father of two is somehow less than human simply because he saw the world differently than his critics. God help us.

The breadth of the cruelty has been staggering. The conversation turned so vile that teachers, college professors, authors, firefighters, journalists, healthcare workers, pilots and Secret Service members necessarily lost their jobs for their calloused, disrespectful remarks. Then, just as predictably, these same mockers are now playing the martyr card in defense of their hateful behavior. Imagine, after grotesquely suggesting that a 31-year-old family man in his prime deserved an assassin’s bullet simply for exercising his First Amendment right, emotionally pleading your victimhood because you lost your job for speaking freely. The disconnect is remarkable.

Though laws vary slightly from state to state, generally employers have every right to terminate employees due to online or social media comments deemed inappropriate. While the First Amendment guarantees our freedom to say what we want, when we want, where we want, it does not prevent businesses from parting ways with workers who violate “company values” (a phrase repeated a lot recently). Conduct seen as damaging to the reputation or profitability of a corporation is grounds for dismissal according to the law. Rightly so.

Among the most visible offenders was Matthew Dowd, a political analyst at MSNBC who had the gall to imply that Kirk deserved to die because he was so divisive. “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words,” he contended, “which then lead to hateful actions.” As an aside, if your rhetoric is too extreme for MSNBC, you really need to tone it down. But what exactly was so malicious about Kirk’s going to college campuses and listening to skeptics and critics alike in order to engage in debate and dialogue?

Herein, we stumble upon the great offense of Charlie Kirk. He dared to speak the truth. And not just greeting card pleasantries. His audacity to share openly biblical positions on gender, marriage, homosexuality, abortion, the role of government, judicial activism, etc. quickly drew the ire of critics anxious to label him as Christian nationalist.

Unfortunately, we live in a generation that not only resists the truth, but also sees it as hateful and cruel. With pinpoint accuracy, Scripture anticipated our current climate. “For the time will come,” wrote the Apostle Paul, “when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths (2 Tim. 4:3-4).”

Though I did not agree with every position Charlie Kirk took, his consistent effort to demonstrate the veracity of Scripture in everyday life was inspiring. Far too many Christians hide their faith in public spaces, fearing the backlash of political correctness and secular priorities. Even after his death, the name calling is wickedly cringeworthy.

Likewise, if you dare to hold and voice a biblical worldview that informs your politics, many will just as rapidly label you a threat to democracy, a domestic terrorist, or even worse, a fascist. The names change, but the playbook remains the same. How do I know? Because Charlie Kirk is not the first Christian to die for boldly proclaiming what God’s Word says.

Both the apostles Paul and Peter also lost their lives for telling the truth. If each were alive today many of the same dissenters would anxiously mark them as political extremists on the far-right fringe for addressing many of the same issues Charlie Kirk spoke so passionately about.

For instance, both apostles promoted a limited government that exists primarily for the punishment of evildoers (Rom. 13:1-6, 1 Peter 2:13-14). While appearing before the Sanhedrin, Paul admonished that the council judges rule according to settled, external law outside of themselves (Acts 23:3). Judicial activism of any kind runs contrary to the established standards of written legalities.

Notions of government handouts or wealth redistribution were also foreign to Paul and Peter. Though they advocated for helping the poor (Gal. 2:10), they also insisted that those who refuse to work should not eat because rewarding laziness is foolish (2 Thess. 3:10-11). Being sensitive to real needs was hardly an endorsement of equity outcomes for all.

Regarding race, what fundamentally mattered to these leaders of the early church was not the color of a person’s skin but their identity in Christ (Gal. 3:28). For them, creating winners and losers, victims and oppressors, contradicted the unity found in the family of God. Paul sought to preach the gospel to all people without discrimination (Rom. 1:14-16). The Apostle Peter likewise maintained that what makes us distinct is not our skin color but who we are in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 2:10). Fellowship came across socioeconomic and cultural lines, not through obliterating them. In other words, the gospel is more powerful than what the world says should divide us.

When speaking about gender and marriage, Paul and Peter acknowledged that only a man and woman can become one flesh through holy matrimony and that both, as a picture of the gospel, have unique assignments in the home (Eph. 5:22-31; Col. 3:18-19; 1 Peter 3:1-7). Echoing the words of Jesus, Paul taught that divorce was never permissible except for reasons of adultery and desertion (Matt. 5:31-32; Matt. 19:1-12; 1 Cor. 7:10-16).

Additionally, Paul declared homosexuality in all its forms to be unnatural and idolatrous (Rom. 1:26-27), incompatible with sound teaching and Christianity itself (1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:9-10). Peter grimaced over the prospect of such reckless sensuality and the consequences it is sure to bring (1 Peter 2:4-11). According to both men, the freedom promised by the sexual revolution is a deceptive fabrication that only leads to bondage and shame (1 Cor. 6:18; 1 Peter 2:18-9).

When it was all over, Paul lost his head and Peter suffered upside down on a cross for their views. The world was not worthy of these early martyrs for the faith nor the thousands who have come after them (Heb. 11:35-38). Outcomes like these should not surprise us, though. Jesus Himself contended that the world would insult, persecute, and say every kind of evil against His people (Matt. 5:10-12).

But how was He so sure? Because the light of creation experienced the same rejection and hate when He came into the world (John 1:9-10). He, too, spoke boldly about two genders (Matt. 19:4), the permanence of marriage (Matt. 5:31-31; 19:1-12), the reality of hell (Matt. 7:21-23, 8:12, 18:9; Mark 9:43-48), and loving our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48). Perhaps most offensive of all, He claimed to be the promised Messiah who is the only way to God (John 14:6).

Disagreement is part of life. Robust debate and engagement, though, are not threats worthy of violence. Quite the contrary, contending with others is an expression of their value as God’s image bearers (Gen. 1:26). Denouncing bad ideas is not an act of hatred, but an effort to promote human flourishing for those with whom we disagree.

So, even as some voices continue to suggest that Charlie Kirk was a stain on our society, let’s do better. In fact, I encourage you to listen and decide for yourselves. His videos are everywhere. Judge for yourself if you believe he was unkind or harsh. Refuse to listen to partisan voices desperate to spike the ball in this historical moment.

Adam B. Dooley
September 17, 2025

Jul 01
Love0

Happy Birthday, USA!

By America, Christian Living, Church, Future, Persecution, Pluralism, Politics, Priorities, Separation Church and State No Comments

Every birthday is important. The passing of another year is worthy of celebration because each trip around the sun measures the gift of existing and all the blessings that come with it. For the United States, the Fourth of July marks the significance of our national beginning. After months of laboring over its final wording, the Continental Congress delivered the Declaration of Independence, completing the birth of our country. Every fireworks show, barbeque with friends, and national anthem rendition is a fitting observance of America’s birthday.

Remembering the spiritual groundswell that led to our rise is also an important part of our patriotic celebrations. Though some revisionists regularly dismiss Christianity’s profound influence on both the formation of the American colonies as well as their decisive break from Great Brittain, honest historians acknowledge the seminal guidance of biblical faith toward producing a constitutional republic. Of the settlers in our new land, 98% were Protestant believers (admittedly of different stripes), 2% were Catholic, and slightly over 2000 were Jewish.

Furthermore, the prevalent claim that most of America’s Founders were deists is verifiably false in light of their frequent appeals to divine providence. After recognizing endowed rights from our Creator, the Declaration of Independence concludes with “a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence.”

It was no accident that later, the very First Amendment codified into the US Constitution (1789) guaranteed the freedom of religion, insisting that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Sadly, many recklessly abuse this sacred right by insisting on the freedom from religion rather than freedom of religion. With frequent appeals to a separation between church and state, today’s common refrain is that faith has no place whatsoever in the public square.

Historically, Baptists have been the greatest proponents of the “the separation between church and state,” but few phrases suffer more misuse than this one. If you expose the atrocities of the abortion industry, offer a biblical definition of marriage and gender, or appeal to the morality of any public policy, many will quickly lament the mixture of religion and politics as if the two cannot coexist. Ironically, the loudest voices claiming that the church is becoming too political have no problem at all when their politics becomes more and more theological.

We need to acknowledge that the concept of “separation between church and state” is not found anywhere in our U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson coined the phrase in 1802 while writing to Danbury Baptists in Connecticut. These believers expressed concern that the ratification of the First Amendment did not go far enough in protecting religious minorities from governmental intrusion.

Remember, many of America’s earliest citizens sought freedom from the oppression of the state sanctioned Church of England, and Baptists in particular were fearful of similar overreach in their new land. For smaller denominations, the rising influence of early Congregationalists and the taxes funneled to them felt eerily similar to the missteps of their previous experience.

Thus, Jefferson sought to reassure these Christians of their freedom to practice and verbalize their faith without interruption from the government. Rather than exile Christian ideas out of political debate, our third president sought to preserve their expression by eliminating the fear of legal blowback. From his perspective, the First Amendment successfully prevented the federal government from espousing a preferenceof religion without eliminating the presence of religion from our budding republic.

Tragically, our modern sensibilities erroneously maintain, contrary to Jefferson, that Christian influence is more dangerous than governmental interference. Religious liberty is the foundational cornerstone upon which our nation was built. Our founders understood that the best ideas will rise to the top when we persuade, not punish, those with whom we disagree.

Discriminating against distinctly Christian ideas because of their morality is a failure to recognize that a code of ethics governs ALL expressed views. Divorcing morality from public policy is impossible. Thus, the issue becomes whose virtues we applaud and prioritize. Even the most secular adherents are often quite religious about their atheism! In doing so, nonreligious elites ironically insist on a separation between church and state for everyone but themselves.

Christians rightly understand that government is a gift from God established for the good and safety of society (Rom. 13:1-7). The kingdom of God, however, is not of this world (John 18:36), so the former has no jurisdiction over the latter. As salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16), followers of Jesus are to contend for the souls of men and women first (Matt. 28:19-20), followed by the welfare of the cities wherein they live (Jer. 29:7). We have every right to express our views concerning morality, legislation, and the people who lead us. The world would be even more frightening if we did not. Regardless of outcomes, we should rest knowing that the kingdom of our God will prevail over the kingdoms of this world (Rev. 11:15).

Adam B. Dooley
July 1, 2025

Oct 29
Love0

A Prayer and Promise for Our Nation

By America, Faithfulness, Politics, Prayer No Comments

I cannot remember a more heated presidential election in my lifetime. The stakes are so high that folks on both sides of the political aisle are anxious and afraid concerning the future. With only a few days remaining before we choose our next leader, I find myself offering a simple prayer on behalf of our nation while, at the same time, holding on to an eternal promise in order to steady my heart.

With confidence that God hears the cries of His people, I am asking the Lord the be merciful and lead us back to our national roots. Despite the efforts of many historical revisionists anxious to deny the spiritual influences that helped to birth our nation, the seeds of our budding republic were watered by the principles of Christianity.

The earliest pilgrims who came to these lands in 1620 stated their purpose on the Mayflower Compact as being “for the glory of God and for the advancement of the Christian faith.” These ambitions soon led to a Declaration of Independence, where America’s founders recognized that only our Creator can endow the basic human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You could say that our independence from another country was only as good as our dependence upon Almighty God.

The father of our US Constitution and fourth president of our nation, James Madison, said unapologetically, “We’ve staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government. Far from it. We have staked the future upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the 10 commandments of God.” Our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, similarly declared, “The Bible is the rock upon
which our republic stands.”

Our drift away from convictions like these is so stark today that many will label similar statements as dangerous and extreme! The same Judeo-Christian values that gave rise to our flourishing nation are repeatedly maligned and dismissed. Our unstable economy, compromised security, secularized media, and growing government are all symptoms of a nation in rebellion against its Creator.

We have forgotten the biblical reality that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people (Prov. 14:34).” Apart from a spiritual awakening, our country is deep trouble. I am asking God to humble us and bring us to repentance. While I do not believe that this year’s presidential election is inconsequential, neither do I accept that a new leader in the White House is the only solution we need.

Thus, even as I intercede on behalf of the land that I love, I do so remembering an eternal principle that overrules every election cycle. Namely, God is sovereign over all governments, no matter who leads them. He establishes all governmental authority in order to accomplish His purposes (Rom. 13:1).

Sometimes He raises up godly leaders to be a conduit of His blessings on a people. Or, He may choose a wicked ruler as a means of judgment on a citizenry. Our tendency to believe that God loses when an unbeliever wins an election or makes bad decisions is patently false. The Bible doesn’t suggest that God tolerates wicked leadership despite His desires otherwise, but that He ordains leadership according to His greater plan.

Take for example, a wicked Pharaoh who became a testimony of God’s glory throughout the earth (Rom. 9:7). Then there was the first king over Israel, who God appointed as an act of judgment against them (1 Sam. 10:1; 10:18). Thankfully, the same God later chose David (1 Sam. 16:12) to establish the throne of the Messiah and bless the nations forever. But in both instances, the Lord can, and did, use good and evil leaders to achieve His goals for history.

In other words, there has never been, nor will there ever be, panic in heaven over our political woes. God establishes all authority that exists. Or, to use scriptural language, He changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings (Dan. 2:21). No matter who our next president might be, the Lord remains thoroughly purposeful and perfectly in control.

Do you remember what Jesus said before Pilate? No governmental atrocity in history compares to the reckless, shortsighted decision to crucify the Son of God. Yet, Jesus refused to wilt in the face of the injustice unfolding before Him because He understood God the Father was sovereign and the cross was necessary. Therefore, with confidence our Savior declared to Pilate, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin (John 19:11).”

Don’t be fooled by the corruption of Washington, D.C. or the genuine disappointment you feel toward our politicians – God is still in control. I refuse to tremble in the shadow of a misguided electorate when the Lord of heaven and earth reigns on high. The kingdom of Christ marches on even as the nations of the earth rise and fall. When the principles of liberty and freedom are in jeopardy, God’s plan and purposes are not.

Don’t misunderstand, Christians have a sacred obligation to live out our faith in the public square and to vote according to Scriptural guidelines. I cast my ballot early and pray people of faith will flood the polls on election day. Additionally, we should work with our whole hearts for the betterment of our community and our nation. Even as we do, however, we should continually remind ourselves that this world is not our home.

Like Abraham, we desire a better country that only eternity can provide (Heb. 11:16). We are looking for a city whose architect and builder is God (Heb. 11:10). I don’t ever want to be so at home here that there is no longing in my heart for the world that is to come. We must be sure that our current lament over the direction of our nation is not a reflection of misplaced treasure rather than a biblical love for country (Matt. 6:19-21). My heart breaks for America, but it does not belong to it. So, no matter what this next election brings, I rest knowing that the Lord is not shaken.

 

Adam B. Dooley
October 29, 2024

Oct 23
Love0

The Selective Separation of Church and State

By America, Christian Living, Liberalism, Politics, Separation Church and State No Comments

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The Selective Separation of Church and State

I recently watched with amusement as Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta on Sunday where she was likened to the biblical Esther because of her readiness to rescue her people from annihilation. Pastor Jamal Bryant went on to address what he perceived as the threatening policy agendas of the Republican ticket before insisting that Harris was born to be president and to lead a nation for such a time as this. The pastor then claimed that God had “anointed” them to flip Georgia in 2020 and that He would do so again.

When the Vice-President assumed the podium, she declared that our country is at a crossroads and that we should all ask what kind of nation we want to live in. Our answer, she asserted, must come by way of action and voting rather than mere words. Remarkably, the presiding pastor also chastised black men who were unwilling to support a sister in an effort to drum up additional support for the Democratic presidential nominee.

Now, to be clear, the arguments being made were not what made the scene humorous to me, nor did I find it offensive. Admittedly, I see the vision of the Democratic platform as a contradiction to the Christian faith rather than its fulfillment. In my view, comparing Mrs. Harris to Esther is laughable. Yet, these disagreements notwithstanding, I maintain the right of any politician and any pastor to contend their point of view with others. What is mindboggling, however, is how many secular elites on the left bemoan what they call a lack of separation between church and state for everyone but themselves. By doing so they remind us of what we already knew, namely – you cannot separate morality from policy.

Historically, Baptists have been the greatest proponents of the “the separation between church and state,” but few phrases suffer more misuse than this one. If you expose the atrocities of the abortion industry, offer a biblical definition of marriage and gender, or appeal to the morality of any public policy, many will quickly lament the mixture of religion and politics as if the two cannot coexist. Ironically, the loudest voices claiming that the church is becoming too political have no problem at all when their politics becomes more and more theological.

Though the First Amendment guarantees that Congress will pass no laws respecting an establishment of religion, it also guards against prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Sadly, many recklessly abuse this sacred right by insisting on the freedom from religion rather than freedom of religion. Today’s common refrain is that faith has no place whatsoever in the public square.

We need to acknowledge that the concept of “separation between church and state” is not found anywhere in our U.S. Constitution. Thomas Jefferson coined the phrase in 1802 while writing to Danbury Baptists in Connecticut. These believers expressed concern that the ratification of the First Amendment did not go far enough in protecting religious minorities from governmental intrusion.

Remember, many of America’s earliest citizens sought freedom from the oppression of the state sanctioned Church of England, and Baptists in particular were fearful of similar overreach in their new land. For smaller denominations, the rising influence of early Congregationalists and the taxes funneled to them felt eerily similar to the missteps of their previous experience.

Thus, Jefferson sought to reassure these Christians of their freedom to practice and verbalize their faith without interruption from the government. Rather than exile Christian ideas out of political debate, our third president sought to preserve their expression by eliminating the fear of legal blowback. From his perspective, the First Amendment successfully prevented the federal government from espousing a preference of religion without eliminating the presence of religion from our budding republic.

Tragically, our modern sensibilities erroneously maintain, contrary to Jefferson, that Christian influence is more dangerous than governmental interference. Religious liberty is the foundational cornerstone upon which our nation was built. Our founders understood that the best ideas will rise to the top when we persuade, not punish, those with whom we disagree. Discriminating against distinctly Christian ideas because of their morality is a failure to recognize that a code of ethics governs ALL expressed views. Even the most secular adherents are often quite religious about their atheism!

Christians rightly understand that government is a gift from God established for the good and safety of society (Rom. 13:1-7). The kingdom of God, however, is not of this world (John 18:36), so the former has no jurisdiction over the latter. As salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16), followers of Jesus are to contend for the souls of men and women first (Matt. 28:19-20), followed by the welfare of the cities wherein they live (Jer. 29:7). We have every right to express our views concerning morality, legislation, and the people who lead us. The world would be even more frightening if we did not. Regardless of outcomes, we should rest knowing that the kingdom of our God will prevail over the kingdoms of this world (Rev. 11:15).

Adam B. Dooley

October 23, 2024

 

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