Days of Praise – Not This Man

 

by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.” (John 18:40)

Unfortunately, this is the attitude of every generation toward its Creator and Redeemer. Jesus Christ “was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:10–11).

“Not this man!” they cried and still cry today. “We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). Even in a nation founded as a Christian nation, the name of Jesus Christ is banished from the schools, ignored in the halls of government, and blasphemed on the streets.

And whom did they choose instead of “this man”? They preferred Barabbas, who was not only a robber but also a revolutionary and murderer (Luke 23:19). Today, they idolize the atheist Darwin, or the robber Lenin, or the revolutionary Mao, or the murderer Hitler, or any one of a thousand antichrists; but they will not have Christ.

What, then, will they do with Christ? “Away with him, away with him, crucify him” (John 19:15), was the cry even of the religious leaders during His life here on Earth, and it is little different today. “Ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you,” proclaimed Peter (Acts 3:14). “The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ” (Acts 4:26).

The rejection of Christ today is often more subtle, but it is just as real. Rulers, industrialists, scientists, educators, and commentators all say in deed, if not in word, that “[they] will not have this man to reign over [them]” (Luke 19:14). “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). HMM

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer – Moving Forward

 

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.”

Isaiah 48:17 (ESV)

An important aspect of the healing of the soul is finding the courage to move beyond our pain. We may not be able to avoid all the hurts we face in life, but we can decide that we will not let them keep us from moving ahead. Sometimes when we are very wounded, we are tempted for various reasons to stay stuck in the pain, even though we can see that life is moving forward all around us. We can join in and go with what is happening, or we can stay behind, stuck in bitterness, resentment, hard-heartedness, and pain.

There are many reasons why people stay stuck in their pain. Maybe the “wounded person” has become their identity, and they even use it to get attention. Maybe they fear they will fail if they try to do something new. Maybe they do not feel strong enough to move forward. Or maybe their self-image has been damaged to the point that they have no confidence in themselves and no confidence that God will take care of them if they move into something new.

We can always choose to stay in our pain, but that will not lead to the good things God has for us. Jesus died to give us a life of abundance, but we can choose whether to embrace it or not. If we want what He has, we have to make the choice to move beyond our pain and risk following Him.

I once saw a movie about a very talented woman who suffered such deep wounds in her soul that she completely withdrew from life and from other people. After a stay in a mental health facility, she literally parked her van in someone’s driveway and lived in it for the rest of her life. The movie was a powerful picture of what can happen to people who either don’t know how to or will not deal with their pain, leave the past behind, and move ahead.

God will never park us in our pain and leave us there, and I hope we never allow ourselves to park in it either. He is always calling us forward. He never leaves us alone to figure out on our own how to move ahead. He makes the path clear to us and leads us, as Isaiah 48:17 says, in the way that we should go. He promises to bring hope, healing, strength, and restoration to our lives if we will believe His Word and trust Him to lead us. Plenty of people in the Bible chose to leave their pasts behind and follow God into something new. And you can too!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, give me courage to move beyond past pain. Heal my soul, restore my strength, and lead me forward into the new, abundant life You’ve prepared for me, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado – Your Worst Fears 

 

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What’s your worst fear? Jesus did more than speak about fear. He faced it. In Mark 14:35-36, Jesus prayed in Gethsemane’s garden, “Abba, Father,’ everything is possible for you.  Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT).

The cup equaled Jesus’ worst-case scenario— to be the recipient of God’s wrath, to experience isolation from his Father. And what Jesus did with his fear shows us what to do with ours. He prayed.  He even requested the prayer support of friends. Jesus’ prayer was brief. It was straightforward and trusting.

Do likewise.  Be specific about your fears.  Call them out in prayer.  Make them stand before God and take their comeuppance!

 

 

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Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – 1 Peter: Be a Pilgrim

 

Read 1 Peter 2:11–25

When someone leaves the country of their birth and moves to a new country, they leave all that is familiar behind. They have to learn how to survive in an unfamiliar world. Often, they struggle to fit in. Their behavior signals to everyone that they “aren’t from around here.”

When the apostle Peter wrote this letter, he urged his readers to take on the perspective of spiritual “foreigners and exiles” in their daily lives (v. 11). As the young Christian community began to grow, they were out of place because their values as Christians conflicted with the values of this world. They were trying to fight sin in their lives, but the world encouraged sinful behavior. What is more, the good things they valued were hated by the world so much that they were accused of wrongdoing (v. 12)!

Peter’s exhortation is that they lean into living like people who have left the place of their birth and are living in a new home. This advice is true for us as well, living as Christ followers in a secular culture. We are to live in such a way that we do not conceal our true citizenship. People of God are to honor God by doing good, submitting to authorities, showing respect, loving other Christians, and honoring authority (vv. 12, 17). “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (v. 15).

Peter warns: “[D]o not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves” (v. 16). Like an accent that lingers, our behavior identifies Christians as different. This may cause suffering in our current life, but it is the kind of behavior that God promises to reward when Christ appears (v. 12).

Go Deeper

Does your behavior identify you as a Christian? Do you stick out like someone who isn’t from around here? What specific challenges does Peter give that stand out to you? Extended Reading: 

1 Peter 1-2

Pray with Us

Dear Jesus, help us not to be too attached to the things of this world. But if that happens, remind us that we are citizens of Your kingdom, that our hearts belong to You.

Live such good lives among the pagans that…they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.1 Peter 2:12

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

Hillary Clinton Says White Christian Men Are the Problem

No, Mrs. Clinton: Christian Men (and Women) Are Part of the Solution to the World’s Woes

 

Earlier this week, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said out loud what many socially conservative Christian believers have long suspected radical factions of culture contend to be fact:

White, Christian, heterosexual men are the cause of all kinds of problems, and maybe even behind the collapse of Western Civilization itself.

Speaking on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe,” Mrs. Clinton stated:

We haven’t gotten to the more perfect union, and we fought a civil war over part of it. And people have been protesting, you know, for hundreds of years that, you know, things were not as they should be, given our ideals and how we should be moving toward them. So I think that’s what makes us so special as a country.

Then came the kill shot:

And the idea that you could turn the clock back and try to recreate a world that never was, dominated by, you know, let’s say it, white men of a certain persuasion, a certain religion, a certain point of view, a certain ideology, is just doing such damage to what we should be aiming for. And we were on the path toward that, I mean, imperfectly, lots of, you know, bumps along the way. 

Mrs. Clinton’s claim that conservatives are trying to go back to a time that didn’t exist belies a fundamental fact:

In most cases, it’s the radicals who are trying to jump ahead and reimagine a world that never was.

Since the beginning of time, it’s been established there are two genders — male and female. Suggesting that one’s biological sex at birth is malleable is pure lunacy. There is no such thing as a “trans” anybody. It’s made up. It’s make believe. It’s rooted in mental illness.

The sexual revolution that strived to separate sex from marriage has wreaked unspeakable harm and wrecked countless lives and families.

Redefining the family is a radical act that seeks to shake upside down and inside out multi-millennia-old norms. Commodifying children via surrogacy and reckless fertility treatments is something that’s never been done before, and not simply because the technology to do so hasn’t previously existed.

Regardless of political ideology, it’s long been understood that children thrive in a family with a married mother and father. In fact, it’s been a given for thousands of years that no child should be deliberately deprived of having one of both. It’s been common sense. Until now. It’s now increasingly uncommon for the radical revolutionaries to put the interests of children in front of their own selfish lusts and desires.

Hillary Clinton’s broad swipe attack on biblical Christianity is curious in its lack of specificity. We’re left to speculate on what she meant, but she presumably doesn’t approve of the way many of us have sought to see the world through the truths of scripture: the sanctity of life, the exclusivity of one-man, one-woman marriage, two genders, etc.

But if not for Scripture’s teachings, the world would be in far worse shape than it currently is. Christianity has brought enormous advances in education, medicine, human rights, science, the arts and numerous other areas. Christian philanthropy has eased suffering and served countless people through the ages. It has been a bright light in an otherwise darkening world.

One of the great ironies surrounding attacks on America’s Judeo-Christian heritage is that the people attacking it almost all have their platforms because of it.

Yet, Hillary Clinton is right about this one thing: Biblical Christianity is doing damage to the radical ideas that comprise the agenda of those who seek to upend the teachings of God’s timeless Word — and that is a very good thing.

 

 

by Paul Batura February 19, 2026 | Culture – Daily Citizen

Source: Hillary Clinton Says White Christian Men Are the Problem

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – When Perplexed

 

NEW!Listen Now

Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city.
Ecclesiastes 7:19, NIV

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 8:1-6

If you know Jesus as Savior, you may not have all the answers. But you already have more wisdom than someone who doesn’t know Christ. We cannot know how to navigate this chaotic world without the wisdom that comes from Christ. When we don’t know what to do, we can ask for His guidance (Proverbs 3:5-6), we can search His Word (Proverbs 8:8), and we can claim His wisdom (James 1:5).

In the hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God,” Martin Rinkart wrote, “O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us, to keep us in his grace and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ills of this world in the next.”

Though we face problems, perplexity, and pressure all the time, we find answers in God. We can face all these things with confidence because we know our God. Give thanks that He allows us to have an abiding relationship with Him.

No mind, no wisdom—temporary mind, temporary wisdom—eternal mind, eternal wisdom.
Adoniram Judson

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread – Living for Jesus

 

[Jesus] died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:10

Today’s Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:12-23

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Today’s Devotional

In 2023, Kenyan police intervened to end what’s being called the “Shakahola Massacre”—in which hundreds died after following a cult leader’s directions to starve themselves to meet Jesus. The leader had allegedly promised he too would leave earth in this way after his followers did. After his arrest, he denied ever teaching this.

The tragedy is a troubling example of how dangerous it is to blindly trust those claiming to be spiritual leaders. Cult members were so deceived that they resisted those who came to save them from starvation. One survivor described getting “addicted” to the leader’s teachings.

Jesus Christ is the true leader of those who trust in Him. He loved us so much He was willing to die for us to have life (1 Thessalonians 5:10). He calls us to live for Him, “awake and sober” (v. 6) and to test any teaching of others against His teaching (vv. 20-22).

We respond to Christ’s love not by harming ourselves or others but by “encourag[ing] . . . and build[ing] each other up” (v. 11). By living “in peace with each other” (v. 13) and striving “to do what is good for each other and for everyone else” (v. 15). Through daily reliance on and trust in Christ’s Spirit (v. 19), we can live a life of love as we eagerly await Christ’s coming (v. 23).

Reflect & Pray

When have you seen damage done through false teaching? How can Christ’s example of love help us recognize untrustworthy leaders?

Loving God, please help me never replace Jesus in my heart with any other leader and help me live for You.

For further study, read Living Right Among Pagans.

Today’s Insights

In addition to Paul’s warning in 1 Thessalonians to reject false teaching (5:20-22), the New Testament warns elsewhere against untrustworthy leaders in harsh terms. Jesus warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). False teachers teach what is contrary to the “sound instruction” of Christ and “are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy [and] strife” (1 Timothy 6:3-5; see Romans 16:17-18). They “pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4). We can recognize good teachers by their “fruit” (Matthew 7:16-20). They teach the doctrine of Christ and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The evidence of a loving relationship with Jesus is apparent in their lives. The Spirit can give us discernment to recognize false teaching and live for Christ.

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum – Stephen Colbert’s ongoing dispute with his CBS bosses

 

It was the unseen interview seen “round the world.” On The Late Show Tuesday night, Stephen Colbert told viewers that CBS told him an interview he taped with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico could not be aired. According to Colbert, CBS was concerned about an FCC rule requiring broadcasters to give “equal time” to opposing candidates when an interview is broadcast with one of them.

The network, however, flatly denied Colbert’s claim, stating, “The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview.” It added that the network “provided legal guidance” and “presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.” The show then presented the interview through its YouTube channel, where FCC rules do not apply.

As of this morning, it has been viewed more than 7.4 million times, roughly triple what the CBS program draws each night. Mr. Talarico also reported that he raised $2.5 million in campaign donations in the first twenty-four hours after the interview.

You may side with Mr. Colbert in this ongoing dispute, you may side with CBS, or you may not care. But it’s worth noting that Mr. Colbert’s show will end in May. We might wonder if the fact that he has little to lose in his conflict with the network contributes to his willingness to stage it.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Stephen Colbert’s ongoing dispute with his CBS bosses

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – The Right Way to Run

 

 ‘How foolish!’ Samuel exclaimed. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.’ 

—1 Samuel 13:13–14

Scripture:

1 Samuel 13:13–14 

The moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are enrolled in a spiritual race. One of the mandates of any competition is that we play by the rules. Otherwise, we will be disqualified. This is true in every race, but perhaps especially in the spiritual one.

The book of 1 Samuel gives us the story of King Saul, a man who did not play by the rules. He began his reign in victory and ended in humiliating defeat. The words of the prophet Samuel, who revealed the extent of Saul’s failure, are among the most devastating in all the Old Testament: “‘How foolish!’ Samuel exclaimed. ‘You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. Had you kept it, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command’” (1 Samuel 13:13–14 NLT).

Saul lost his character, power, crown, and in the end, his very life. Based on Saul’s life, let me share a few principles on how not to win the spiritual race.

First, ignore the little things. Saul’s failure was not immediate, but gradual. He cut a corner here, shaded the truth there. His pride turned into envy. He ignored what God had plainly told him to do. Likewise, it is not for us to pick and choose what parts of the Bible we like and don’t like. We are to obey God even in the smallest matters, because “small” sins turn into big sins. They certainly did for Saul.

Second, never take responsibility for your actions. More than once Saul blamed others for his own bad choices (see 1 Samuel 13:11–12). Saul just wanted to save face. He forgot that no matter what, God always knows the truth.

Third, don’t get mad, get even. Saul’s animosity ultimately destroyed him. He became jealous when God anointed and began using David, the young shepherd boy. We need to understand that God chooses whom He will choose. We must not let hatred or envy destroy us.

As He did with Saul, God has given each of us potential. He has given us certain talents and gifts to use in the race that is set before us. It is up to us to run the race well and play by the rules. Don’t be disqualified. Don’t be prideful. Don’t play the fool. Don’t crash and burn. Don’t waste your life as Saul did.

Reflection Question: What impulses or tendencies might disrupt your spiritual race? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

https://harvest.org

Days of Praise – Fear of Witnessing

 

by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:18)

Every Christian knows that he or she should witness for Christ, but most are very reluctant to speak in His name very often. The most obvious reason for this hesitancy is fear. Sometimes we may be actually forbidden, as were the apostles, to teach of Him, but their courageous answer was: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29), and so they prayed, “Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word” (Acts 4:29).

More common than fear of physical persecution or personal harm, however, is fear of ridicule or loss of prestige or position. Such fear is out of character for real Christians, “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). If we love the Lord and those for whom He died, we must learn to conquer our fear of men.

One of the saddest rebukes that could come to a Christian is the indictment lodged against those believers who, because of their high position, refused to take an open stand for Christ: “Among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42–43). How often do modern professional and business men—even theologians—compromise their stand for Christ and His inerrant Word because of fear of peer pressure in what should be their spheres of influence and testimony?

May God give us the courage of Paul. “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” he wrote, “for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). HMM

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer – God’s Vision for You

 

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC)

Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

God’s plan for the people of the nation of Israel was only for their good. Yet they wandered around in the wilderness for forty years on what was actually an eleven-day journey. Why? Was it their enemies, their circumstances, the trials along the way, or something entirely different that prevented them from arriving at their destination in a timely manner?

God called the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt to go to the land He had promised to give them as a perpetual inheritance—a land that flowed with milk and honey and every good thing they could imagine—a land in which there would be no shortage of anything they needed—a land of prosperity in every realm of their existence.

But the Israelites had no positive vision for their lives—no dreams. They knew where they came from, but they did not know where they were going. Everything was based on what they had seen in the past or what they could presently see. They did not know how to see with “the eye of faith.”

We really shouldn’t view the Israelites with astonishment, because most of us do the same thing they did. We keep dealing with the same problems over and over again. The disappointing result is that it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly.

I come from a background of abuse. My childhood was filled with fear and torment, and my personality was a mess! I built up walls of protection to keep people from hurting me, not realizing that while I was locking others out, I was also locking myself in. I was filled with fear, and believed that the only way I could face life was to be in control so no one could hurt me.

As a young adult trying to live for Christ and follow the Christian lifestyle, I knew where I had come from, but I did not know where I was going. I felt that my future would always be marred by my past. I thought, How could anyone with a past like mine ever be all right? It’s impossible!

But Jesus had a different plan. He said, The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me . . . to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity] (Luke 4:18 AMPC).

Jesus came to open the prison doors and set the captives free—and that included me.

However, I did not make any progress until I started to believe that I really could be set free.

I had to get rid of my negative thinking and replace it with a positive vision for my life. I had to believe that neither my past nor my present could determine my future. Only then could Jesus free me from the bondage of my past—and free me, He did. What a marvelous miracle!

You may have had a miserable past; you may even be in current circumstances that are very negative and depressing. You may be facing situations that are so bad it seems you have no real reason to hope. But I say to you boldly: Your future is not determined by your past or your present!

Most of the generation the Lord called out of Egypt never entered into the Promised Land.

Instead, they died in the wilderness. To me, this is one of the saddest things that can happen to a child of God—to have so much available and yet never be able to enjoy any of it.

Start believing that God’s Word is true. Mark 9:23 assures you that with God all things are possible. Because you serve a God Who created everything you see out of the unseen realm (Hebrews 11:3), you can give Him your nothingness and watch Him go to work on your behalf.

All you have to do is have faith in Him and believe His Word—He will do the rest!

Prayer of the Day: Father, I thank You for loving me and having a vision—a good plan—for my life. I pray that You will help me overcome any negative thoughts of problems, past or present, that come against my mind and make my life what You want it to be, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado – Your Worst Fears

 

Play

What’s your worst fear? Jesus did more than speak about fear. He faced it. In Mark 14:35-36, Jesus prayed in Gethsemane’s garden, “Abba, Father,’ everything is possible for you.  Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT).

The cup equaled Jesus’ worst-case scenario— to be the recipient of God’s wrath, to experience isolation from his Father. And what Jesus did with his fear shows us what to do with ours. He prayed.  He even requested the prayer support of friends. Jesus’ prayer was brief. It was straightforward and trusting.

Do likewise.  Be specific about your fears.  Call them out in prayer.  Make them stand before God and take their comeuppance!

 

 

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Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – James: Just Do It

 

Read James 1:19–27

Have you ever wanted advice on how to do something, whether it was to fix an electrical outlet or lose a few pounds? It is easy to find instructional videos on the internet. But if we spend hours watching someone tell us what to do, and then fail to follow their instructions, we won’t accomplish anything.

James’s readers were people who loved the revelation of God as it was preserved in the Old Testament. These believers were inheritors of the Law of Moses and children of Israel. They understood that God revealed Himself in His Word, and they valued that revelation. But God’s revelation also included instruction for people to obey. God wants those who love Him to behave like Him. In his letter, James addresses those who read God’s Word but fail to do what it says.

If you listened to the Word (which at that time was often read publicly), but didn’t do what it says, James explained that you are deceived (v. 22)! The Word of God was not meant to be merely listened to but obeyed. To illustrate the point, James considers a person who looks in a mirror, but after noticing that they need to change their appearance, just walks away and ignores the sight. Of note are those who “do not keep a tight rein on their tongues” (v. 26). Again, James uses the same word “deceived.”

A mirror reveals what needs to be changed. But what it shows is only valuable if a change is made. So it is, explains James, with the Word of God. He describes God’s Word as the “perfect law” (v. 25). Blessing comes when we do not just listen and then forget what it says but actually do it!

Go Deeper

Are you a good listener, but a not-so- good doer? What is something you have learned from God’s Word that you need to act on? Extended Reading:

James

Pray with Us

Father, may we heed James’s exhortation to do what Your Word says and not just hear it. May we change and grow in You every time we look into the mirror of Your Word and obey You.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.James 1:22

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

The Chomsky Moment And The Cracks In Cultural Hegemony

 

Cultural hegemony = a concept developed by Antonio Gramsci, refers to the dominance of a ruling class that maintains power by shaping society’s beliefs, values, and norms to appear as natural, “common sense” truths. It works through cultural institutions (media, education) rather than force, gaining the consent of subordinate groups to support the status quo.

 

The end of moral asymmetry in American intellectual life.

In 2023, newly disclosed documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein revealed meetings and financial interactions between Epstein and the eminent linguist and public intellectual Noam Chomsky. The disclosures did not accuse Chomsky of criminal conduct. But they confirmed that, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor, Chomsky met with him multiple times and discussed financial matters.

Chomsky’s response was characteristically blunt: his meetings with Epstein, he said, were “none of your business.” The tone may have been legally defensible. Culturally and symbolically, it was something else.

Because Chomsky is not merely a professor emeritus at MIT. For over half a century, he has been one of the central intellectual pillars of the American Left — a figure whose authority extends far beyond linguistics into foreign policy, media criticism, and moral judgment on American power. His 1988 book Manufacturing Consent shaped generations of students’ understanding of media, propaganda, and elite influence. To admirers, he has represented intellectual courage against empire; to critics, an implacable critic of Western liberal democracies.

But in either case, he has stood as a moral voice.

And that is precisely why the Epstein association matters — not as a criminal allegation, but as a symbolic rupture.

From the 1960s to Cultural Hegemony

To understand the magnitude of that rupture, one must place Chomsky within the broader intellectual ecosystem that reshaped American academia after the 1960s. While not formally a member of the Frankfurt School, his work converged with its critique of capitalist modernity, mass culture, and liberal-democratic institutions. Thinkers such as Herbert Marcuse and Theodor Adorno helped institutionalize a style of critical theory that viewed Western society as structurally oppressive beneath its democratic veneer.

Overlay that with the influence of Antonio Gramsci and his theory of cultural hegemony: the idea that ruling classes maintain dominance not only through economic power but by shaping cultural norms, education, and moral language. Change the culture, and you change the political order.

The American New Left absorbed this framework. Over decades, it migrated from street protest to faculty lounges, from counterculture to curriculum committees. The result is what we now call Critical Theory’s progeny: identity-centered scholarship, postcolonial critique, and ultimately the framework popularly labeled CRT. While Chomsky himself has often criticized certain excesses of identity politics and has not endorsed every development in “woke” culture, his lifelong assault on American institutions provided intellectual scaffolding for the suspicion of Western norms that now permeates large sectors of academia.

The point is not that Chomsky caused CRT. It is that he helped legitimize a moral architecture in which America is presumptively guilty, power is presumptively corrupt, and Western institutions are structurally suspect.

For decades, that critique carried a tacit moral asymmetry: the critics stood above the system they condemned.

The Weberian Problem

Here is where the scandal intersects with political theory.

Max Weber famously distinguished between the “ethic of conviction” and the “ethic of responsibility.” The former acts from purity of principle; the latter accounts for the foreseeable consequences of one’s actions in the public sphere.

Chomsky’s career embodies the ethic of conviction. He has consistently argued from first principles against war, imperialism, and elite hypocrisy. But when a public intellectual of such stature maintains a relationship — however defined — with a convicted sex offender embedded in elite financial networks, the question shifts from private intention to public consequence.

Even if the meetings were purely intellectual.

Even if the financial discussions were routine.

The symbolic impact is unavoidable.

A figure who built his reputation exposing the moral compromises of power was, at minimum, socially entangled with a man whose entire operation depended on elite protection.

That tension does not prove corruption. It exposes fragility.

The Collapse of Moral Asymmetry

For many on the Right, the Epstein scandal has become shorthand for elite decadence across party lines. But for the American Left, it strikes deeper. The post-1960s intellectual project has relied not only on critique, but on moral differentiation — the implicit claim that progressive institutions and thinkers occupy higher ethical ground than the corporate, military, or conservative establishments they oppose.

The Chomsky episode does not invalidate every argument he has ever made. It does something subtler: it undermines the aura of moral insulation.

If even the most relentless critic of American elite corruption can be found in the appointment book of one of the most notorious financiers in recent memory, then the narrative of unilateral moral superiority begins to erode.

And once moral asymmetry collapses, the logic of cultural hegemony weakens.

Because Gramscian influence depends on credibility. Cultural authority must appear ethically elevated to justify reshaping curricula, institutions, and norms. If the intellectual class is perceived as subject to the same gravitational pull of wealth, access, and prestige as everyone else, its claim to exceptional moral insight diminishes.

A Myth from the Sixties Meets the Twenty-First Century

The myth born in the 1960s was that radical critique purified the critic. That standing outside “the system” conferred immunity from its temptations. Over time, that myth helped fuel a worldview in which America’s sins were magnified, while the critic’s own milieu was presumed enlightened.

The Epstein revelations do not topple Chomsky’s scholarly contributions to linguistics. They do not erase his influence. But they puncture the myth that critique equals virtue.

And that puncture comes at a moment when the intellectual descendants of the New Left are facing growing resistance from parents, voters, and lawmakers who question the premises of CRT and institutionalized “wokeness.”

The Chomsky moment, then, is not about scandal in the tabloid sense. It is about the exposure of a structural paradox: those who claimed to unmask power were not immune to its proximity.

Cultural hegemony depends on the perception of moral altitude. When that altitude drops, even slightly, the entire architecture wobbles.

The collapse is not judicial.

It is symbolic.

And symbols, in politics, often matter more than verdicts.

 

S.R. Piccoli | February 18, 2026

Samuel Robert Piccoli is a blogger and the author of several books, among them Being Conservative from A to Z (2014) and Blessed Are the Free in Spirit (2021). He lives in the Venice area.

 

 

Source: The Chomsky Moment And The Cracks In Cultural Hegemony – American Thinker

President Trump Not an Outlier on Climate

Green activists may be appalled by the Trump administration’s placement of economic growth, national security, and energy affordability ahead of fighting climate change — but they don’t have the final word.

 

Qn February 12, President Donald Trump rescinded the “endangerment finding” by the Environmental Protection Agency which asserted in 2009 that so-called greenhouse gases were a threat to public health. It became the legal basis, absent action by a divided Congress, for efforts to rein in emissions for vehicles, power plants, the oil and gas sector, high-energy manufacturing, methane from landfills (and perhaps cattle), even aircraft; anything the EPA wanted to target. This recission supports three of the pillars of the “Powering the Great American Comeback” initiative the EPA announced last February: supporting energy “dominance,” the domestic auto industry, and AI data centers with their massive demand for electricity.

The EPA deregulation followed an executive order issued the day before “directing the Department of War to prioritize long-term Power Purchase Agreements with America’s beautiful, clean coal fleet to ensure military installations and critical defense facilities have uninterrupted, on-demand baseload power.”

A day earlier, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility (and sixth largest utility in the country), to which President Trump has just appointed four new board members, announced it would not close two coal-fired power plants it had planned to shutter. TVA explained, “As power demand grows, TVA is looking at every option to bolster our generating fleet to continue providing affordable, reliable electricity to our 10 million customers, create jobs and help communities thrive.” Emphasis will be on new generating capacity based on natural gas and nuclear power.

Green activists are appalled by the Trump administration’s placement of economic growth, national security, and energy affordability ahead of fighting climate change. However, the U.S. President is not an outlier among world leaders on setting these priorities, as was demonstrated at the 30th annual United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties (COP30) held in Belem, Brazil last November. Ambitions had been lowered as expressed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres when reporting on the release of the 2025 Emissions Gap Report. It concluded that even if Nationally Determined Contributions are fully implemented by 2035, global warming would reach 2.3 degrees Celsius, well above the UN target of 1.5 C or the 2.0 C rise developing countries wanted the UN to shift to so as not to impede their economic growth. However, Guterres still claimed that “1.5 degrees by the end of the century remains our North Star.” Yet everyone knows “end of the century” goals are not serious.

The UN remains a membership organization, whose members are nation-states endowed with sovereign authority over their own actions. The UN has no authority to mandate anything, nor should it have. Even President Barack Obama held to this core principle. Though given the Nobel Peace Prize in the hope that he would embrace the UN climate campaign, he ended the notion that the UN could mandate national actions even though he expressed support for meeting UN goals. The result are Nationally Determined Contributions which can vary widely between countries and within countries when governments change as demonstrated by President Donald Trump’s rejection of the UN climate agenda and the U.S. boycott of COP30.

The target for Net Zero — the cutting of greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any continued emissions being reabsorbed by carbon “offsets” — has been moved from 2035 to 2050, with many major emitters (including China and India) saying they cannot meet that goal because improving living standards and building economic strength are higher priorities. India’s coal consumption will likely double by 2050.

Bill Gates made headlines less than three weeks before COP30 by reversing his former views on climate. In his memo he wrote, “Although climate change will have serious consequences — particularly for people in the poorest countries — it will not lead to humanity’s demise. People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future.” And even in the poorest countries, Gates noted climate “will not be the only or even the biggest threat to their lives and welfare. The biggest problems are poverty and disease, just as they always have been.” The way out is more economic growth driven by innovation and the expansion of resources which Gates finds more finite today than they should be. He wants policy to “be prioritized by its ability to save and improve lives cost-effectively” which is what all those who have objected to the restrictions posed by the Greens want.

Green activists had hoped there would be a “roadmap” of policies nations would have to adopt to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. This idea was discarded early as the developing countries know this is impossible. The real world intruded with the annual report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) which was released during COP30. It projected that oil and gas demand will continue to grow until 2050 at least. Between today and 2035, half of the growth in the global automotive fleet comes from emerging and developing economies outside China, while Chinese growth will continue as well. Whether motive power comes from gasoline or electricity, energy demand will go up.

Coal will continue to be a major generator of electricity. While renewable energy, particularly solar, is growing as its technology evolves, it is being used to expand output more than replace existing fossil fuels use. China leads the world in both new solar energy and expanded coal use as it seeks every way it can to expand and do so with domestic sources for security reasons. Across Asia, coal generates half of the electricity. Natural gas has been used as a replacement for coal, but the Greens count is as a fossil fuel to be eliminated, but it won’t be.

The IEA had good news for the nuclear power industry. Surging demand for electricity means that “after more than two decades of stagnation, global nuclear power capacity is set to increase by at least one-third to 2035.” Nuclear is a clean power source. On the sidelines of COP30, the World Nuclear Association confirmed continued expansion of its nuclear coalition of 33 nations (including the U.S.) supporting the global tripling of nuclear power by 2050. Last month, German chancellor Friedrich Merz admitted it had been a “huge mistake” to close all of his country’s nuclear power plants, driving up costs and weakening national security. COP28 had listed nuclear power as one of the “low emissions” technologies that needed to be accelerated (see my earlier reports on COP27,  COP28 and COP29).

The Economist reported “COP30 ends with a whimper.” This was shown by Secretary-General Guterres when in a late plea to the conference asked, “how much more must we suffer?” He was referring to the planet, but it was more accurately aimed at the UN itself, which again found its expensive, anti-growth Green agenda not to the liking of leaders of nations operating in the real world where people expect their living standards to continually improve.

 

 

William R. Hawkins | February 19, 2026

William R. Hawkins is a former economics professor who has worked for several Washington think tanks and on the staff of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. He has written widely on international economics and national security issues for both professional and popular publications including for the Army War College, the U.S. Naval Institute, and the National Defense University, among others. 

 

 

Source: President Trump Not an Outlier on Climate – American Thinker

Using Biblical Reasoning, Rubio Pinpoints Why Globalism Is A Recipe For Disaster

‘Ignoring Human Nature’: Using Biblical Reasoning, Rubio Pinpoints Why Globalism Is A Recipe For Disaster

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s powerful message at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has garnered well-deserved attention. Standing before a room of European and Western leaders, Rubio boldly exposed the folly of globalist policies and how they have been used to undermine sovereignty, national strength, and the Judeo-Christian foundation of Western civilization.

One particular statement was truly profound, and its tremendous accuracy stems from being bred out of a Biblical worldview.

Discussing the collapse of communism in Germany, Rubio warned that the celebration of this success in the West quickly morphed into an ill-conceived fantasy about the future of nations.

“The euphoria of this triumph led us to a dangerous delusion: that we had entered, ‘the end of history;’” Rubio emphasized, “that every nation would now be a liberal democracy; that the ties formed by trade and by commerce alone would now replace nationhood; that the rules-based global order – an overused term – would now replace the national interest; and that we would now live in a world without borders where everyone became a citizen of the world.”

This globalist mentality, he stressed, “was a foolish idea that ignored both human nature and it ignored the lessons of over 5,000 years of recorded human history. And it has cost us dearly.”

The Secretary of State correctly pinpointed the fatal flaw of today’s globalism: “human nature.”

This vital truth is confirmed by Scripture.

By man’s naivete, globalism sounds like a perfect ideal. What could be wrong with a world united together in harmony? Even popular science fiction series like Star Trek envision a future in which we have “evolved” past the supposedly barbaric concept of individual nations into a global system of governance. No more bloody wars, corruption, violations of human rights, hunger, and wicked regimes. Surely no one could argue against a future like that!

To many, especially the young, those who fight against globalism are viewed as selfish, power-hungry, and lacking humanity. This is not reality. Those who resist globalism do so out of wisdom.

Equipped with an understanding of human nature and history, we know that globalism would not produce a worldwide “utopia” but rather the creation of a global regime—equipped with all the wicked qualities of human nature—whose power would be limitless. The danger is obvious.

Unfortunately, despite the discernment of Rubio’s warning from Munich, his impactful words will ultimately fall on deaf ears.

God, who knows the future, told us that a day is coming when there will be a global government—and it looks nothing like the appealing picture of peace and harmony presented from the buildings of Davos.

This global government will fall under the leadership of an individual whom the Bible refers to as “the anti-Christ.” While he will come with lofty and deceptive words promising “peace,” his global regime will be blood-soaked and freedom-crushing (Daniel 9:27Rev. 6:2). Its leader will impose his own religious system, and, like all good tyrants, he will demand to be worshipped as god (2 Thess. 2:3-4). Those who refuse will be unable to buy and sell and will be systematically killed (Revelation 13:15-18). Jesus Christ will be the only one with the power to decisively end his rule—and He will do just that (Rev. 19:202 Thess. 2:8).

Even prior to this global government, as Rubio highlighted, globalist-driven policies have “cost us dearly.” The Secretary of State said plainly that the push for open borders has resulted in disastrous mass immigration, the “climate cult” has impoverished societies, and the hostility toward national sovereignty has weakened the West and emboldened global bad actors.

Far from bringing harmony and peace, the agenda-driven goals of globalists have sown instability and catered to the power-hungry.

Which brings us to the other side of globalism. Is “ideal globalism” possible? You might be surprised to learn that it is… but only when sinful human nature is no longer a factor. The Bible tells us that after the collapse of the anti-Christ’s regime, Jesus Christ will establish a global kingdom for a thousand years, with Himself as the head. Those who rule and reign with Him will be resurrected saints—those who, through Christ’s shed blood, have had the chains of sinful human nature broken.

During this time, the world “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4).

There will be no need to train for war, no injustice or government corruption, and no ideology driven supression of freedom. People are not wrong to want to live in a world like that; however, ignoring sinful human nature and attempting to bring it about with the exclusion of Christ is a recipe for a disaster that is global in scope.

 

 

 

 


 

Source: ‘Ignoring Human Nature’: Using Biblical Reasoning, Rubio Pinpoints Why Globalism Is A Recipe For Disaster – Harbinger’s Daily

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Better Than Money

 

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Wisdom is good with an inheritance…. For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, but the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom [preserves the life of] those who have it.
Ecclesiastes 7:11-12

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 8:33-36

The late primatologist Jane Goodall was the first to provide evidence that some primates made and used tools. Her discovery reversed the long-standing belief that only humans were capable of making and using tools.

Almost everything humans do is accomplished with tools, all of which are inanimate objects. Tools have no life or mind of their own; they are employed by a human facilitator. Whether tools are used for positive or negative ends depends entirely on the wisdom of the owner. Take money, for example. It can serve good ends and bring positive benefits to the owner. But compared to wisdom, tools like money are limited. Money can be used for many things, but it cannot ultimately preserve, protect, or provide life to those who have it. Solomon, who made this observation, knew what money could and couldn’t do—he had more than anyone in his day.

Whatever amount of money God has entrusted to you, pray for even more wisdom. Whoever finds wisdom finds life (Proverbs 8:35).

We may love money without having it, just as we may have money without loving it. 
J. C. Ryle

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread – Lavish Love

 

If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty . . . allow him to live with you. Leviticus 25:35 nlt

Today’s Scripture

Leviticus 25:35-43

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Today’s Devotional

Todd invited his younger brother Alex, a recent college graduate, to come live with him in the house he’d built. He wanted to help his sibling gain some financial footing by allowing him to live rent-free for a while. After six months, Todd asked Alex to begin paying rent. Years later, Alex made an offer on his own home. When the offer was accepted, Todd surprised him by telling him that he’d deposited Alex’s rent payments in a savings account over the years and that the substantial sum of money was now his! Alex wept as he received the lavish gift.

In Leviticus 25, God gave Moses commands for the Israelites that included allowing those in need “to live with you” (v. 35 nlt). This command was part of God enacting “a jubilee year” (v. 10 nlt)—when debts were forgiven, those in poverty were helped, and the enslaved were freed (vv. 23-55). He declared that He’d lovingly led His people “out of Egypt to give [them] the land of Canaan and to be [their] God” (v. 38). He’d provided a new homeland, and now they were to imitate Him by showing love and opening their homes to others.

The apostle John would later write, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). By Jesus’ sacrifice we can receive the fullness of that lavish love (v. 16). And as He helps us, we can lavish it on others.

Reflect & Pray

How have you experienced God’s lavish love? How can you extend it to others?

 

Loving God, please help me pour out Your amazing, lavish love on others.

God’s very nature is love. Learn more by reading this piece by Oswald Chambers.

Today’s Insights

As the nation of Israel began to take shape, God wanted them to understand how they were to treat each other. Enslaving fellow Israelites was never to be part of the equation. “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you,” He said, “help them as you would a foreigner and stranger” (Leviticus 25:35). And if any of them “become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves” (v. 39). Even this arrangement of indentured servitude wasn’t permanent. God said, “They are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee [every fiftieth year]. Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors” (vv. 40-41). It’s God’s desire that we never exploit one another but look out for each other’s interests. Because He lavished His love on us by sending Jesus, He’ll help us lavish His love on others.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum – Why are the new voter ID laws so controversial?

 

 

Republicans have been trying to pass some version of voter ID laws for years, with the latest attempt set for a vote in the Senate coming soon. Few expect the bill to pass, though, despite overwhelming popular support. And the reasons why have less to do with the ID requirements than with the rest of what the law is trying to change.

Why it matters: Election integrity remains a focal point for the Trump administration and many in the Republican Party. If Democrats continue to oppose the SAVE America Act, it could prompt Republicans to remove or alter the filibuster in ways that would have a profound impact on how laws are passed down the line. Or, if the bill stalls, President Trump has promised to push it through via executive order, even though a similar attempt was already deemed illegal last year. Either way, the issue doesn’t appear to be headed toward a resolution anytime soon.

The backstory: Third time’s a charm?

For the third consecutive year, the House of Representatives has passed a version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act for short. So far, it has died in the Senate each time without even getting a vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised that it would not happen again, given that he now has the support necessary to bring it to the floor and force representatives to go on record as either supporting or rejecting it.

Still, few expect the law to pass. It would need sixty votes unless Republicans either get rid of the filibuster—a step leadership has repeatedly said they will not take—or change the requirements to oppose the bill. There’s a lot of risk either way, though, and it’s unclear if Thune will be willing to take that step.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why are the new voter ID laws so controversial?

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – You Serve

 

 Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment. 

—1 Samuel 30:24

Scripture:

1 Samuel 30:24 

In 1 Samuel 30, we find the story of David leading his men to victory in battle against Amalekite raiders who had plundered and burned the town of Ziklag. As David and the four hundred soldiers who had fought with him were returning home, those who had stayed behind to guard the camp and the supplies met them. Some of the troublemakers who had fought in the battle didn’t want to give any of the spoils of the battle to those who stayed by the camp. David said to the troublemakers, “Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment” (1 Samuel 30:24 NLT).

Those who fought in the battle assumed that their role in God’s plan was more important than those who didn’t fight. David didn’t see it that way—and neither did God. And that principle still applies today to people who answer God’s call.

Whether God has called you to serve Him in such a way that people see you or whether He has called you to serve Him by supporting others who are seen, God will bless you and reward you for your service.

Maybe you feel as though your life isn’t really making a difference or that what you have to offer God doesn’t mean all that much. If so, you’ll be in for some surprises in Heaven, because what may not seem very valuable on earth will be of great value in Heaven.

God’s Word leaves little doubt as to our worth in God’s eyes. The apostle Peter wrote, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9 NLT).

We also have immeasurable value because we are God’s creation. The apostle Paul wrote, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

I read a story about a man who found an old, blue-and-white vase while he was cleaning his attic. He took it to an auction to sell it, thinking he would probably get twenty or thirty dollars from it, maybe one hundred dollars if he was lucky. To his utter amazement, the vase turned out to be an original fifteenth-century work of art from the Ming Dynasty. It sold for $324,000.

What may not seem especially valuable now will prove to be extremely valuable later. Until then, we need to be faithful with what God has given us to do.

Reflection Question: What value does God see in your acts of faithfulness and service? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie