The Bible declares that when the world is steeped in darkness, the glory of the Lord will rise brilliantly on God’s people (Isa 60:1-3). In uncertain and trying times like these, we need the manifestation of the fullness of God’s Spirit as never before. As believers, God has grafted us into the Spirit’s fullness by no merit of our own. Jesus paid the price and filled us with His precious Spirit.

Now that we have received “the Spirit without measure” (John 3:34b) along with everything we need for “life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3b), how do we access this power? Since we are blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3b), the church needs to know how to pull from this reservoir of power so we can truly be change agents to the world around us.

There are many varying viewpoints when it comes to manifesting the fullness of the Spirit in our lives. Many focus on the fullness being a grace-gift from God entirely with no effort on our part whatsoever, while others emphasize our participation and cooperation with God in this matter to the neglect of focusing on the grace-reality aspect. On this episode of Awaken Podcast, Michael Lombardo shares how “receiving the fullness as a gift” and “cooperating with the Spirit” are both essential realities when walking out our God-ordained destiny with supernatural empowerment.

It’s vital that we have a balanced and biblical view on fasting, prayer, speaking in tongues, evangelism and more when it comes to releasing God’s fullness through us to transform the world around us. If we’re not careful, we can slip into legalism, trying to earn the anointing and miraculous breakthrough power of God. But on the other hand, if we’re not careful, we can have such a strong revelation on the finished work of Christ that we fall into complacency, expecting God to do everything for us and through us without any work on our part.

Both are ditches we must avoid. Tune into the latest Awaken Podcast episode with Michael Lombardo to find out more. {eoa}

Connect with Michael Lombardo at and on Facebook. Order his book, Immersed in His Glory, here.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Like streams full of divine rain, the prophecies of the Bible concerning the Jews, the Gentiles and Jesus’ return flow into one mighty river of prophecy in the 20th century and into our 21th century. These truths are revealed in Acts 28:11-31.

While studying the book of Acts, I came upon a precious prophecy I had never seen before nor heard applied in any teachings of which I was aware. I was excited as the Spirit began to reveal to me this golden treasure connected to our day and Jesus’ return.

Acts begins in Jerusalem with a promise of power from Jesus and a spiritual explosion on Pentecost that will carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. The book of Acts ends abruptly in chapter 28 as Paul comes to Rome. This speaks volumes of God’s plan to reach the world with the gospel.

Jerusalem is the sacred city of God where Jesus will return to rule and reign over the earth. It is the seat of His authority. Rome was the capital of the ancient world, ruled by Caesar, who was considered a son of god. What a contrast with Jesus as the true Son of God.

With the gospel’s arrival in Rome, God is declaring, “My Son is the true King, not Caesar.” God’s word is planted in the center of Gentile dominion to plant the seeds of life against the reign of Satan’s death. Christ’s kingdom will conquer the Empire of Rome and the empires of the world.

The prophetic word in Acts 28 is clear. The time of the Jews has temporarily ended. The age of the Gentiles has begun. The Jews reject Jesus in Rome, although some believe. But the gospel is now to go to the Gentile world, Paul declares in his last recorded words in Acts. Unlike the Jews, the Gentiles will have ears to hear that Jesus is the Messiah. Study Acts 28:11-31.

Think of how Acts ends in around A.D. 64 with such a prophetic statement. Acts finished before A.D. 70 when Rome destroyed Jerusalem. Historically, Rome conquers Jerusalem, but in the Spirit realm, Rome is conquered by Jesus. It will take another 250 years, but Rome will fall to Christ. The Gentiles will accept Christ’s reign.

The age of the Gentiles begins at the end of Acts 28 and continues for another 1,900 years, which leads us to 20th century when all these streams of prophecy converge for the Gentiles and Jews.

In 1967, the prophetic words of Jesus in Luke 21:24 were fulfilled. The age of the Gentiles ends or begins to end when the Jews take Jerusalem and make the city their capital. Now the focus of God turns to Israel, which was reborn as a nation in 1948, which followed the stream of aliyahs, which started around 1880. By the time all of this is complete, 2,000 years will have passed in 2070.

Paul writes in Romans 11 of his love for Israel and the Jews. Their rejection of Jesus is temporary. Their blindness will be lifted when the age of the Gentiles ends.

Think of the converging prophecies taking place as God brings the Jews home from the four corners of the earth. Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948. In 1967, the age of the Gentiles started to end as Jerusalem was no longer trampled by the Gentiles. The blindness of the Jews begins to be lifted to prepare the Jews to see their deliverer come out of Zion, and all Israel will be saved.

Combine this with Revelation, as the four horsemen are released upon the earth and the prophecies of world events also converge beginning with World War I, then the Spanish Flu, then the great economic crash of 1929. These are all forerunners of world events set in motion to warn us that the return of Jesus draws close to hand. They all began to come forth in the 20th century.

The global concepts that Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 start in the 20th century: worldwide deception, lawlessness, false christs and false prophets, wars, world conflicts, famines, pestilence and earthquakes. The gospel has been preached to all the nations of the earth.

Luke’s prophetic writings in Acts come to life for us as the prophecies of world evangelism come full circle. It began in Jerusalem in A.D. 33 with the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Then Pentecost takes place with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.

The gospel message begins to go from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, then to the ends of the earth, symbolized in Paul going from Jerusalem to Rome. Now in the 21st century, the circle will be complete as the nations have been reached, which sets in motion the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit since Pentecost to happen in Jerusalem and Israel as they see Jesus as their deliverer and all Israel will be saved.

God, open our spiritual eyes to see Your hand upon world events and the coming of Jesus Christ as declared in Your perfect prophecies.

We cannot know the day or the hour, but Jesus and Paul both stated that God expected us to know the season of His return. May we be about our Father’s business. {eoa}

Once a professional baseball player with the Chicago Cubs Organization, Blake Lorenz was called to Asbury Seminary after a radical encounter with Jesus, where he received his master’s degree. He has pastored in the Orlando area for 33 years and has been blessed with the opportunity to evangelize globally, visiting five continents and preaching the gospel to tens of thousands. Blake has also helped plant 500 churches. He has been working in Israel for the past 20 years, includes serving on the board of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in connection with the Knesset. In 2020, and the Awaken podcast launched to teach and challenge others to join him on a journey of anticipating the return of Jesus. He has used the three books he’s written in his seminars and conferences. He and his wife, Beverly, share three children and six grandchildren.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Here’s a quick summary of the top stories on :

Spirit-Filled Pastor’s Response to Mackenzie Morgan Calling Out Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation

I appreciate Mackenzie Morgan’s boldness to stand against wishy-washy churches in this article titled, “Worship leader no longer supports Hillsong, Elevation, Bethel Music over ‘false gospel message.'” More and more churches may be following suit in regard to her stance.

But I also think it’s important to ask some additional questions.

For example, “Is it possible to not endorse or agree with [such-and-such church] but still listen to their worship in a corporate setting?”

Chaos in Portland, Oregon: Antifa Member Convicted of Assault as Attacks on Churches, Police Escalate

A member of antifa who threw an improvised explosive device at law enforcement in Portland, Oregon, in September has been convicted of five felonies including unlawful possession of an explosive device, first-degree arson, first-degree attempted assault, first-degree criminal mischief, and riot, per the Post Millennial, even as attacks on police and churches escalate in the northwestern city.

Cyan Waters Bass, 21, received a sentence of four years in prison after pleading guilty, the Multnomah County district attorney’s office announced Friday.

“By pleading guilty, Bass admitted to unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally damaging property valued over $1,000, damaging protected property by setting a fire, attempting to cause serious physical injury to another person by means of a dangerous weapon, possessing a destructive device, and engaging in tumultuous and violent conduct with more than five people, the district attorney’s office noted in a press release. Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said, ” “These violent actions endangered the lives and safety of those inside of the Justice Center and the officers present that night. These criminal actions do not reflect the values of this community and will not be tolerated.”

Watchmen Alert: Assassination Spirit Targeting World Leaders

In April 2021, the Lord told me we are going to see mysterious deaths and attempted assassinations, kidnapping and other events like we see in the movies.

Since June, this word is unfortunately manifesting in five assassination attempts of government leaders—one of which was successful.

Within the next three years, a major figure in politics will see an untimely death and suspicion will surround it—unless we can stand in the gap and push it back. {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

America’s Founding Fathers believed only a religious and moral people to be capable of enjoying freedom. An irreligious and amoral people, they believed, would turn freedom into lawlessness and anarchy. They agreed with William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, who said, “Those who will not be governed by God must be ruled by tyrants.”

This is why George Washington, in his 1796 farewell address, urged the new nation to maintain “religion” and “morality,” which he called “indispensable” supports for national prosperity. Interestingly, Washington did not see religion as something to be “tolerated,” but as something “indispensable” for the life of the nation.

In this same address, Washington called religion and morality “those great pillars of human happiness” and he warned against indulging the supposition that morality could be had apart from religion. “Both reason and experience,” he said, “forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

By “religion” Washington meant Christianity, and like the other founders, he believed that only Christianity provided the intellectual and moral underpinnings for a stable and prosperous society. John Adams made this clear in a 1798 speech in which he said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

It was for this same reason that Benjamin Franklin refused to print Thomas Paine’s book, The Age of Reason, in which he attacked orthodox Christianity. After reading Paine’s manuscript, Franklin suggested that he burn it and then exclaimed, “If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 138).

Indeed, the founders believed that the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament would awaken the best in the human heart and be a constraining force on the baser elements of human nature. This is why Benjamin Rush, member of the Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence, declared,

“The only foundation for a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 163).

The opening clause of the First Amendment says, ” Congress shall make no law concerning the establishment of religion nor hindering the free exercise thereof.” This was not a rejection of religion, for the day after ratifying the First Amendment, those same Founders proclaimed a national day of prayer and thanksgiving.

The First Amendment merely blocked Congress from ever establishing a European-style, official state church. The First Amendment actually created in America a free and open marketplace for the exchange and propagation of religious ideas and teachings without government interference.

The founders believed such religious liberty to be necessary for a stable and prosperous society. Two weeks before signing the Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his cousin, Zabdiel Adams, a minister of the gospel, and said,

“Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand” (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 164).

Fast-forward to 2021, and we find America rejecting the very things her founders said would preserve her. Crosses and Christian symbols have been systematically removed from public properties. Prayer and Bible reading have been banned from public schools. In 2019 the Democrat National Committee, leaders of the party of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, unanimously passed a resolution affirming atheism and declaring that neither Christianity nor any religion is necessary for morality or patriotism.

Can America recover from this onslaught of secularism, socialism and amorality? It can, but it will not come through another church program, a new church order or the next election. Only another Great Awakening will save America by restoring those “indispensable” characteristics of religion and morality identified by her founders.

We can expect such an awakening, for it is part of our national heritage. The First Great Awakening, for example, morally transformed Colonial America, broke down regional and sectarian barriers and prepared the 13 colonies for statehood. The Second Great Awakening saved America from deism and the negative influences of the French Revolution. The Great Prayer Awakening of 1857-58 sustained her through a devastating Civil War. Another Great Awakening carried America through the turbulent 1960s-70s.

For contemporary America to be saved from this contemporary onslaught of socialism, secularism and Marxism, another Great Awakening is a must. Such an awakening, however, cannot be planned, strategized and organized; it must be birthed in agonizing prayer. Such an awakening is the “one indispensable key” that will save America, and this key is in your hands and mine. {eoa}

For the original article, visit .

Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is the author of Abolitionist Founding Fathers and 1726: The Year that Defined America from which the above article has been derived. These books are available from Amazon and his website at . To schedule Eddie to speak to your congregation or fellowship on this or another topic, send an email to dreddiehyatt@.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Can you imagine what would happen to an Olympic athlete from China or North Korea if he or she decided to protest their national flag at a medal ceremony? That would likely be the last thing that person did as a free human being.

That’s another reason why I appreciate the freedoms we have here in America. At the same time, that doesn’t mean that I have to like such protests at the Olympics. In point of fact, I don’t.

That’s part of my freedom as an American, too. I can dislike such protests and I can say so openly.

The fact is, the Olympics are the only sports event that can truly be called international, even more so than the World Cup in soccer (or, as the rest of the world calls it, football). That’s because every nation can send athletes to compete, and more nations are represented in the Olympics than in any other sporting games.

And, in contrast with, say, the World Cup in soccer where the poorer teams are quickly eliminated, in the Olympics, even the smallest country might take home a medal, bronze or otherwise.

To this day, in countries like Israel, which are not known for sports, a single medal is a cause for celebration. And when the medal is won, the headlines announce, “Israel wins a silver medal!” Or, “Tunisia takes gold!” The athletes name is a subheading to the story. It is the country’s victory that is announced.

Even the U.S. women’s basketball players, well known for not coming onto the basketball court during the playing of the national anthem during their regular WNBA season, have decided to stay on the floor during the anthem.

As explained by four-time Olympic medalist Sue Bird, “You are wearing USA jerseys, and it does change the conversation a little bit and what you’re representing. With that, I don’t feel like a hypocrite in any way. Everyone knows where we stand. I don’t think it contradicts anything since we’re actually doing the work.”

Again, just look at the Medal Tracker on your favorite sports site during and after the Olympics. What do you see? Today, as I write, it reads, “Total Medals by Country: China, 18; USA 14; Japan, 13.” Then, the specifics: “Gold Medals by Country: Japan, 8; USA, 7; China, 6.”

Then the silver medals, then the bronze medals, all listed by country. Not a single athlete is named or mentioned. This is all about national prowess in sports.

Decades back, during the days of the Soviet Union, the competition with America was not just fierce. It was ideological. Which nation can produce better athletes? Which country has better sports programs? Which way of life is more conducive to athletic excellence?

And when East Germany, so small when compared to the larger countries of the world, began to win a disproportionate number of medals, that, too, was lauded as further testimony to the superiority of communism. At least, until the massive doping scandals were revealed, after which all those accomplishments were drowned in shame.

To this day, though, that sense of competition exists when it comes to China versus the USA. Can our freewheeling, capitalistic, independent system beat their super-structured, at times compulsory system?

These sentiments may not be expressed openly (although I certainly remember hearing them as a boy when it came to America versus the Soviet Union), but they are there under the surface. (Do you really think such sentiments are not expressed in China, especially at the highest levels? A triumph over America at the Olympics is an ideological triumph too.)

And that’s why, every four years, we put aside our minor quibbles and root for our national team. That’s why, as much as we face up to our own challenges in America, during the games, we’re happy to chant, “USA! USA! USA!”

It becomes more difficult, though, when we’re aware that some of our athletes despise what our flag stands for. Or if we’re wondering what they’ll do if they medal and get to the platform. Should we be proud of their stunning athletic accomplishment, or should we cringe?

Again, these athletes are free to protest 24/7 in America or wherever they like. That’s part of the beauty of being American. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

And so, as much as I appreciate the past gold medals won by the women’s soccer team, I have mixed feelings about them when they play. Will their next victory be the opportunity for them to make a strong lesbian statement, as in a very public kiss with a partner? Or will they send some other kind of political message?

I do appreciate the courage of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who raised Black fists in protest in the 1968 games in Mexico. And I recognize that this took place just months after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

I also recognize that America then was very different than America today. (Indeed, these two men paid dearly for their actions, both in the public square and professionally. In my opinion, the punishment was far too severe.)

And I am hardly one who refrains from criticizing America’s many weaknesses and sins, to this very day.

But there’s a time and a place for everything. And I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing that, for just a few days, we could join together and cheer on our athletes who, in turn, will feel proud to be Americans. Is this too much to ask? {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the late evangelist Billy Graham, asked for prayers over the weekend after her son, Jonathan Lotz, was hospitalized with COVID in critical condition.

“Fifty years ago I could hold my son in my arms. Now I have placed him in the arms of Jesus. He has been hospitalized with COVID and is in critical condition,” she wrote in a Facebook post.

“The verses last night in the Daily Light were perfect: ‘Brethren, pray for us’ 1 Thessalonians 5:25. And James – ‘Pray for one another that you may be healed.’ I am asking you to please pray for Jonathan’s swift healing and recovery. For the glory of God’s great name. Thank you.”

Later, the evangelist and founder of AnGeL Ministries in Raleigh followed up with another post saying Jonathan had been moved to the ICU.

Incredibly, Lotz relayed that her son has been focused on his faith and ministering to others even while in the ICU battling COVID, reading a text he sent her in the morning.

According to Lotz, her son wrote the following from the hospital: “He is being fruitful in the land of his affliction: ‘I am physically exhausted yet Spiritually overflowing! I am continually pouring over the Psalms of Ascent (120-134) in ICU. I have had the privilege of sharing Jesus with the ER & ICU staff! What a Savior! God is so good!'”

Lotz said that hopeful message in the midst of trial reminded her of Genesis 41:52 (ESV), “The name of the second he called Ephraim, ‘For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.'”

“Please be encouraged that God is hearing and answering your prayers—just please don’t let up,” she wrote. “Pray he will not have to go on a ventilator, that his oxygen levels would increase, that his lungs will be strengthened, healed and that his health will be fully restored—with no long term complications. My heart is filled with gratitude for your prayers.”

Lotz has dealt with her own share of health issues in the past, ultimately crediting God with healing her cancer.

For the rest of this story, visit our content partners at Faithwire and .

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

I recently took a trip for my birthday with sisters and friends. On this trip, as we walked, talked and shopped, Holy Spirit led me into a fine arts gallery, and while in this space, He spoke to me. We were intrigued by the artwork hanging from the walls of this very prestigious gallery on the magnificent mile in Downtown Chicago. In fact, there was an executive from NBC in that very day purchasing a piece of art for his office. The hostess of the gallery began to tell us about the displayed artwork and its owner. She shared that his work was done through the medium of photography. These were snapshots, and they were beautiful. Yet they were only previews of a bigger scene and setting. I heard Holy Spirit say, “This has been a snapshot season for many.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a snapshot is a piece of information or short description that gives an understanding of a situation at a particular time.

As I pondered this, the Lord shifted my mind to Moses and the children of Israel. Moses sent 12 spies into the promise land, and only two came back full of faith (Num. 13). The Israelite nation had to choose to come up higher in their thinking to lay hold of their promised land. “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7a). God has given many of you a glimpse of what the breakthrough looks like and what your next seasons hold. He has shared intimate details of what’s in your promised land.

The snapshot may appear beautiful yet intimidating. In this space, guard your mouth (Ps. 141:3). Don’t view yourself as grasshoppers in their sight (Num. 13:33). Become determined to set foot on the fullness (Josh. 1:3). Don’t be like the Israel nation and see the big promise and become defeated by the size of it. Believe the Lord and take territory!

Will you step into the snapshot and walk in the fullness? Will you allow your feet to touch every place God has ordained for you? Build your faith for what has been given unto you (Deut. 11:24). Every giant that stands in your way will fall. Many have had to defeat giants of betrayal, anger, unforgiveness, sickness and depression. The Lord our God is the breaker who has gone before us and opens the way (Micah 2:13).

Listen to Kingdom Touch Downs on Charisma Podcast Network now. {eoa}

Sherri Downs is a wife and mother of two. Sherri is the published author of Don’t Be Bullied By The Devil, and Keys to Unprecedented Praying Power. Pre-order Righteous Relationship Reset: Doing Marriage God’s Way here. She is a life coach, conference speaker and host. Sherri is committed to her mandate to teach and instruct in the body of Christ. It is a passion to see God’s power manifest in the pews. Sherri believes in the power of God to walk in newness. Connect with Sherri Downs on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Stephen E. Strang, award-winning journalist, bestselling author and founder of Charisma Media, recently announced the forthcoming publication of his new book, God and Cancel Culture: Stand Strong Before It’s Too Late, releasing on Sept. 7, 2021. Strong advance praise for the book has already come in from Mike Huckabee, Paula White-Cain, Dr. Tim Clinton, Eric Metaxas, Gordon Robertson, and many others.

Says Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, about God and Cancel Culture:

“Stephen boldly confronts the ugly assault that has been unleashed on conservative and Christian voices in our country and offers a fresh perspective of hope and faith for the future. You’ll want to read every word!” Paula White-Cain, president of Paula White Ministries, says the author “does a superb job of urging the church to follow God’s call to understand the times and rise in action against the evil forces coming against us today.”

And Dr. Tim Clinton, president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, notes, “Stephen takes a hard dive into [cancel culture’s] war zone and provides a thought-provoking discussion for the road forward.”

Strang is a widely read author and Christian businessman who wrote God and Donald Trump (2017), among other books on President Donald J. Trump. Additional endorsements of his latest book can be seen here.

Says Strang of God and Cancel Culture and why he wrote it:

“Today, 64% of Americans believe cancel culture is a threat to their freedom, according to a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll. Among Republicans, that figure is even higher, at 80%. While the term ‘cancel culture’ applies to conservatives who oppose the politically correct crowd, it is part of a bigger effort to cancel Christianity and those who espouse biblical principles. It almost seems this is the beginning of the end—and that Christians are in an unprecedented season of fragmentation, political division, and actual separation on many fronts.

“Yet now is not the time for Christians to be divided,” adds Strang. “The body of Christ is a big, diverse family, and we must choose to cheer one another on. This book will help Christians realize the seriousness of the battle before us and illuminate the present circumstance for the purpose of doing good—to bring hope.”

“Christians must not lose heart,” he emphasizes. “We must stand strong and not be intimidated. We must pray—and we must believe God for a great awakening.”

God and Cancel Culture features revealing interviews with a cross-section of leaders. In clear, authoritative prose, Strang’s new book:

— Documents what is happening in our country right now.

— Shares ways believers can respond.

— Explains why we can look to the future with hope.

— Helps readers understand that no matter how bad things seem, God always comes through.

Strang says, “We are called according to His purpose. A purpose never goes in reverse. This book will reveal what that looks like in its various forms today. It gives a great handle for promoting unity and appreciation of one another when that is breaking down so badly elsewhere. Indeed, maybe the love Jesus spoke about, which makes us recognizable to the world, will be seen as this book illuminates the supernatural unity among people of diverse opinions and approaches—while pointedly addressing various hot-button areas.”

God and Cancel Culture is published by FrontLine, an imprint of Charisma House, which has published books that challenge, encourage, teach and equip Christians, including 15 New York Times bestsellers. The book will be available in hardcover, paperback and e-book formats. It can be pre-ordered at .

Stephen E. Strang is an award-winning journalist who founded Charisma magazine, the only national evangelical magazine to endorse President Donald J. Trump. He is also the bestselling author of God and Donald Trump, God, Trump and the 2020 Election, Trump Aftershock, and God, Trump and Covid-19.

Voted by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America, Strang has interviewed four U.S. presidents—including Donald J. Trump—and has been featured on many media outlets, including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and CBN.

God and Cancel Culture is set to publish on Sept. 7, and you can pre-order it on . When you do, you’ll get $120 worth of free gifts, including four e-books and a subscription to Charisma magazine. {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

When President Bill Clinton signed the Communications Decency Act of 1996 into law, it was a full decade before Jack Dorsey sent the very first tweet on newly created Twitter at 9:50 p.m. on March 21, 2006.

The tweet simply read, “just setting up my twttr.”

When the CDA became law of the land, Mark Zuckerberg was a 12-year-old kid—one year before his Star Wars-themed bar mitzvah. It would be seven years later (2003) that he would create FaceMash, a website where Harvard students could vote on which woman was more attractive from random photos.

When the site was shut down by Harvard’s administration, however, it morphed into Facebook in 2004.

The law came two years before Google was officially launched by two college students—Larry Page and Sergey Brin—in 1998 in a garage in Menlo Park, California. It evolved from a search algorithm they had developed, first known as “BackRub.”

You didn’t click on this article to get a history lesson, but it puts Section 230 into context with the era in which it was created. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time to give online companies protection from civil liability as “distributors of content,” rather than as “publishers.”

This allowed freedom of speech to flow freely in the new, online community that had only become operational in a meaningful way about six years earlier. And the internet probably wouldn’t be what it is today had it not been for those protections.

The Good Samaritan Clause

In order to allow the freedom of speech, and at the same time keep some level of decency on the internet, they placed the burden on the tech companies to restrict access of obscene, violent or harassing materials to their sites. This responsibility given to the tech companies was on the honor system and was referred to as the “Good Samaritan” rule from the biblical account in Luke 10.

So all was well, and Section 230 was in place to regulate the internet companies, which were like cute little orphaned bear cubs with their eyes still closed that needed to be bottle-fed every few hours.

Although this made perfect sense to the lawmakers at the time, they didn’t foresee two things happening in the future: 1) the cute little bear cubs growing up into gargantuan, dangerous grizzly bears; and 2) the horrendous bias and dishonesty of the heads of future internet companies.

The Ugly Evolution to the Here and Now

Fast-forward to our present-day dilemma. The tech giants have become so big and powerful that they threaten our very way of life in America. For instance, Google and Facebook’s total revenues in 2020 were $181 billion and $86 billion, respectively. For context, Google’s 2020 total revenue was more than the budgets of the Departments of Homeland Security, HUD, State and NASA combined!

That brings us to one more bear analogy. Newborn cubs weigh less than a pound and are smaller, relative to their mother’s size, than the young of any other placental mammal. I would say that comparison is apropos to a company that was birthed in a garage and grew to a $181 billion annual revenue company.

In recent years, these giant liberal tech companies—particularly, Facebook, Twitter and Google—have weaponized their platforms for political purposes. They have allowed Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei to call for the “genocide of Israel” and “death to America,” while removing a pro-life post containing a quote by Mother Teresa. They allowed posts of Kathy Griffin holding a bloody head of Trump but kicked off Trump himself, a sitting president of the United States, supported by half of the country’s voters.

They certainly affected the 2020 election and, along with the mainstream secular media, arguably swung the election for Joe Biden. They allowed every lie and conspiracy theory against Trump, while burying every story that would have hurt Biden.

A poll of 1,750 Biden voters in seven swing states found that 45% of them had never heard the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop, and 35% were unaware of the sexual assault allegations of Tara Reade. A whopping 17% (way more than enough to swing the election) said they would not have voted for Biden had they known about just one of those stories.

When confronted on Capitol Hill about this outrageous censorship of conservatives, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said, “People from around the world come together on Twitter in an open and free exchange of ideas. We want to make sure conversations on Twitter are healthy and that people feel safe to express their points of view … We must ensure that all voices can be heard … The protections offered by Section 230 help us achieve this important objective.”

In the words of President Biden, “C’mon man.” An “open and free exchange of ideas”? Only liberal ideas, Jack. And why should conservatives “feel safe to express their points of view,” Jack? You’ve banned more than 60,000 conservatives. “All voices be heard?” How about President Trump’s voice? And James O’Keefe’s voice? Lin Wood’s? Mike Lindell’s? Prager U? Asking for a friend. And no, Jack, the protections offered by Section 230 do the opposite of helping you “achieve this important objective;” it removes all incentives for you to do so.

While being grilled by Senator Ted Cruz for censoring conservatives, Zuckerberg replied, “This is actually a concern that I have and that I try to root out in the company, is making sure that we do not have any bias in the work that we do, and I think it is a fair concern that people would at least wonder about.”

We don’t “wonder” about it, Mark. It’s glaringly obvious that you don’t want any more diversity of ideology on your platform than you want diversity in your attire—the signature grey T-shirt every day.

On July 15, Jenn Psaki openly admitted, “We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation” (that’s Democrat speak for any view different than theirs). This is beyond outrageous.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

Now that social media platforms have become full-grown, savage grizzly bears, Section 230 has become as obsolete as floppy disks and Polaroid Instant Cameras. Grizzly bears can stand as tall as nine feet, weigh over 1,000 pounds and kill a mountain lion with one swipe of the paw. And yet Congress is still trying to pet and bottle-feed them like it once did the cute little cubs.

The way I see it, we have only four possible options for Section 230:

— Leave it as is.

— Terminate it.

— Modify it.

— Break up the giant tech companies.

My main objective in this article is to sell the idea that we must eliminate option No. 1. We cannot leave it as is! We gave them a chance to abide by the “Good Samaritan” rule. They’ve acted more like the thieves in that story! Luke 10:30b says they “stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.”

These tech giants have indeed “stripped” tens of thousands of conservatives of their right of freedom of speech, “wounded” them financially, and left their political campaigns or livelihoods “half dead” (and in some cases, the mainstream secular media took care of the other half).

As far as the other three options, space doesn’t allow expounding on them. Maybe Congress will do their job and act on one of these remaining three options. In the meantime, I recommend an article by The Heritage Foundation’s Klon Kitchen, “Section 230 ̶ Mend It, Don’t End It.” {eoa}

Nolan Lewallen is a retired pilot of a major airline and lives near Stephenville, Texas, with his wife, Kim. Together, they have seven grown children and four grandchildren. Nolan’s two greatest passions are the Bible and politics. His new book, The Integration of Church & State: How We Transform “In God We Trust” From Motto to Reality, brings the two together.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.