There is a satanic thread running through contemporary liberalism, a hideous bloodlust demanding ideological opponents be personally as well as professionally destroyed. This synchronizes with the modern liberal’s devotion to deflection, an insistence they are utterly blameless and only those on the right are capable of committing wrongdoing. Recent examples include Taylor Lorenz doxxing the Libs of TikTok’s account owner while claiming she did no such thing and she is, in fact, the victim of brutal assault. One suspects Lara Logan would like a word with her on that, but I digress.

The conservative mindset, specifically one with roots in Judeo-Christian beliefs and practices, is of a quite different bent. Christ commands His followers to love their enemies, but not with the mindset of meek subservience to bullies. As the apostle Paul notes while quoting Proverbs:

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Jude noted in his brief epistle:

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

It’s not a case of always taking it. Taking action is an option, as Christ Himself demonstrated when He busted out his whuppin’ whip and cleared the Temple. Self-defense? Jesus insisted on it. Yet with these, never discount or discard Christ’s command to forgive, starting with realizing we are but sinners saved by grace and in need of His forgiveness. From this, our ability to forgive emanates.

As I was assembling the most recent Cephas Hour (for the uninitiated, Cephas Hour is a podcast featuring the best of Christian rock and pop from then and now), I found myself thinking more in musical terms than lyrical themes, focusing on some relatively quieter tunes than the show’s standard fare. However, when listening to the show after completion, I discovered a strong theme woven throughout many of the songs. Namely, forgiveness. For example:

Old Sidney was a pirate
He sailed the seven seas
With his cannons charged and crossbones flying high

And for adventure he would rob
The mightiest of ships
And for this life he knew that he would die

Well he’d steal the gold and sink the ships
For murder was he famed
Never did he leave a man alive

And hate was there within his heart
And blood was in his eye
For this life he knew that he would die

Oh Sidney who will save you
From the sin there in your soul
Who is there who can change you
When there’s nowhere else to go

And then one day the sun was setting
Swirled the color red
Sidney sat himself down on his bed

And he heard the Voice so gently
Speaking softly in his ear
Sydney wept and shed a million tears

“I love you,” said the Voice to him
“I died to set you free
I suffered that you might not feel this pain”

“As I bled the life I shed
Has power to make you free
For your deeds I took the total blame”

Oh Sidney who will save you
From the sin there in your soul
Who is there who can change you
When there’s nowhere else to go

Old Sidney’s now a sailor
He sails the seven seas
With his face aglow and spirit flying high
For adventure he does ride the mightiest of ships
That sails the blessed voyage to the sky

When my hands defy You
And my lips deny You
Forgive me
Forgive me

When I close my ears to the words You speak
When my spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
Forgive me
Forgive me

When the truth is followed by a lie
When in my youth I seek to die
Forgive me
Forgive me

When I break a promise that I make
When I seek to serve but only take
Forgive me
Forgive me

Forgive me when love lies bloodied in my hands
Forgive me when no one understands
Forgive me

We must strongly and unrelentingly oppose the present hell-created system hellbent on destroying us on all levels. Yet even as we remain steadfast, we must be prepared to remind our enemies there are consequences for their actions they neither know nor understand. Our warnings should not be from malice but rather concern. As Christ said to the invalid He healed at Bethesda, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” There is an eternity awaiting us all. Even as Christ loves us, He loves those who reject Him. It is up to us to continue witnessing in word and deed. We must practice forgiveness without compromise of what we know is true, both in heaven and on earth.