Details and Updates and Shadow Banning
I figure I’ve been on an airplane somewhere around four million miles, and who knows how many road miles. Most of these miles have been solitary, but for the last nine days my brown-eyed girl, also known as Dianne, rode shotgun to Kentucky and back where I was privileged to join Frank Friedmann for a conference at The Hill.
The Hill was founded by a friend, Bob Warren, who now resides with Jesus. His wife Kim assumed The Hill’s mission and continues doing forward-thinking Kingdom work. The audience at this conference was the youngest, most vibrant, I’ve spoken to in years. Frank and I addressed our journey with Christ. The conference content will soon be available through The Hill’s website.
The VineLife.us Podcast with Frank and Tony
Speaking of Frank, he and I are hosted weekly on Tony Clark’s podcast at VineLife.us. You can listen via this link. The latest installment is our discussion about Romans 7.
There is a new trend among teachers of grace postulating that Romans 7 is written about a lost person and has no place in the Christian life. Oy vey!
I’ll write more about this later, but suffice it to say, every self-aware individual I know finds themselves asking the question addressed in Romans 7: “Why am I doing the very thing I don’t want to do?” And Scripture has an amazing answer to the question… but not if the question and passage are declared irrelevant!
Friends: Any explanation of Scripture that diminishes it, compromises it, explains it away, relegates it to an artifact of history, a cultural nuance, addressed only to a particular group, or asserts that the obvious message is metaphorical, symbolic, or otherwise jeopardizes the standing of the Bible as God’s inspired word should be analyzed skeptically. Recall what Paul wrote to Timothy: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tm. 3:16-17).
Censorship Update
The tech gods, and most likely the Federal government, continue to throttle my ability to deliver articles to you.
As you know, in Missouri vs. Biden, several State’s Attorney Generals, et al, sued the Biden administration for infringing on the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. The administration has lost twice in court, the latest in the Fifth Circuit’s ruling of September 8, 2023. Of course, as these things go, this verdict has been appealed. In particular, the lawsuit asserts that conservative speech is being negatively influenced, jeopardized, and in some instances blocked, especially on social media platforms. The perpetrators are the FBI, CIA, and Biden administration officials.
The Twitter Files revealed a list of those being blocked or their visibility being throttled, what’s called shadow banning. The list is labeled the “Do Not Trend” list, meaning: If you are on that list, what you post will not be allowed to spread to other readers, i.e., trend.
I would bet my last dollar that I’m on that list.
Since writing a Christian—what would be considered, conservative—opinion about abortion and systemic racism, nothing has worked correctly via my posting platforms. To date, I’ve spent several thousand dollars to secure my ability to deliver my articles to subscribers. To no avail. The delivery platforms simply refuse to deliver my content reliably.
One would think that a copy of the completed form would resolve the IRS’s concerns.
Several months ago, these power brokers realized Anabel’s daily devotional was connected to me and completely blocked the devotional’s delivery to its subscribers. While the devotional’s delivery was reinstated, the cause for the disruption was suspicious and delivery continues to be irregular, just like my blog articles.
You may recall during the Obama years that the IRS was used to target nonprofits deemed unfavorable to the politics of the day. The IRS was outed, apologized, all while claiming nothing of the sort occurred. While there’s no way to prove a correlation, since retaking the reins of Lifetime Ministries in 2019, we have been unable to free ourselves from unrelenting harassment by the IRS.
The Feds assert we have failed to file our annual report and request a copy of our Form 990. This is easy enough to supply… and one would think that a copy of the completed form would resolve the IRS’s concerns. One would think.
In fact, last week I received an IRS notice stating that indeed, they had the return in question, had removed all penalties, and Lifetime owed nothing. Yippee! But last night I opened a letter from the IRS alleging—again—failure to file a Form 990 and requesting a copy of our completed return. This incurs hours of time, certified letters, and so forth. Your tax dollars at work!
Unchecked power and unlimited cash is a difficult combination to fight.
In a recent interview with Jordan Peterson, the journalist Miranda Devine reported that both the CIA and FBI are deeply embedded in the social media networks and primary media outlets such as The New York Times and Washington Post. In fact, the State Department staff is reported to be approximately fifty-percent CIA. Who knows about the IRS, but with all the recent effort to increase their funding for additional agents—along with $10,000,000 for weapons and ammunition since 2020—one can only wonder.
What can you do?
First, assuming you see this article, if either Anabel’s devotional or my articles are failing to deliver reliably, both are available via the websites where we post. You can directly access Anabel’s devotionals here and you can read my articles here.
If either she or I disappear, you can try unsubscribing and re-subscribing (which resets the subscription algorithm) or you can simply set a reminder to go check the sites for fresh material. Anabel’s devotional is daily. I tend to write an article weekly or so.
Second, I think the probability of getting off the “Do Not Trend” list is slim and none. I think the probability of the tech companies stopping their shadow banning is nil. I think the probability of a conservative government rectifying these abuses of First Amendment rights is unlikely given the degree of power and sums of money flowing through their bureaucratic fingers. Unchecked power and unlimited cash is a difficult combination to fight.
Folks, whether you are conservative or liberal in your societal and political persuasion, it should trouble you immensely that there are millions of Americans whose voices are silenced by censorship. The weaponization of Washington against fellow citizens should cause you angst. That the FBI and CIA are embedded in American media should give you heartburn. These abuses of freedom are undermining the American way of life. Regardless of your political persuasion, these postures are a danger to civil society, freedom, and a healthy populace.
But let’s be clear: As I have written and stated publicly, what appears to be a governmental problem affecting society is nothing of the sort. These societal convulsions are spiritual and what’s at stake is who we as people look to as our source for security. Our choices are government or God.
Therefore, while it is important to engage in politics, we aggressively place our trust in Father God. He alone is our security. It is incredibly disconcerting to see civil society and stable government fraying so dramatically, but I exhort you: Use the civil and political unrest to your spiritual advantage. With every alarm, rather than wring your hands, lift them to your Father in heaven and declare your unreserved reliance upon Him.
Your hope is not in Washington
I worked in Eastern Europe for over twenty years following the collapse of Communism. I saw firsthand the horrid effects of repression and censorship on the human psyche. I also studied the disposition of those who remained triumphant in their souls in spite of injustice and social subterfuge. The steadiest fixed their eyes on Jesus and the provision of their heavenly Father.
Psalm 121 wonders if there is merit in looking to the hills for help. Meaning: looking to the high places where the pagan altars to false gods were located. In answer, the psalm answers, “My help comes from the Lord, / Who made the heavens and earth.”
Friend, your hope is not in Washington, the UN, the economy, the next administration, or those sitting at the pinnacle of power. Prominence is fleeting, but God remains on His throne, far above earthly rulers and potentates, and He is your hope. Period.
So, look to your Father in heaven for security and confidence.
If I disappear, or Anabel’s devotions stop delivering, take the initiative to go read at the websites referenced above. And please understand, you and I are in this situation together. Yes, I write, but you—and only you—can spread the word. Barring something miraculous, this alone is the means to circumvent the “Do Not Trend” list and the disgusting censorship occurring in society.
What am I doing?
God has asked me to write. This is my primary ministry to you and the calling God has placed upon me. My goal is to assemble the best words at my disposal to convey what God has placed in my heart to express to you.
Indignancy is never far from my emotional disposition if I focus on the censorship I’m encountering. However, if I let myself embrace indignancy, I tacitly endorse governmental justice as my hope and quickly taste the bitter bile of resentment toward these harming me.
My alternative is to devote myself to God’s call on my life and His promise of supply to me according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). When I sit down to write, I am obedient and trusting in Father God. Delivering the message is in your court. In this way, we are collaborators in ministry.
As to those harming me and hampering the message of God entrusted to me: I have given them into the hands of God. One of these days, perhaps in this life, perhaps not, God will judge and make all things right. However that shakes out is well above my pay grade, so I leave my concerns with Him. My job is to write words that usher you to the mind and heart of God. Together, we are greater than the sum of our number.
Documentary Update
Rick Fry has posted to YouTube.com the second installment of his documentary with me regarding my book, Rigorous Grace. As you ponder my words above about maintaining a spiritual focus, the practicalities for doing this effectively and consistently are the subject of my book and my conversation with Rick. We met to film at the Lower Mountain Fork River in Southeastern Oklahoma, a river my Grandaddy Hoyle flyfished. His bamboo rods hang on my study wall. Even though I ply the waters with a graphite rod, I sense Grandad Hoyle in the waters of the Lower Mountain Fork.
Next
For the last three weeks or so, I’ve been consumed with preparation for the conference at The Hill. Now that I’m back to my station in Fort Worth, I will render into words my next thoughts on Psalm 37:3-5, specifically, what does it mean to “cultivate faithfulness?” More soon.
As always, thank you for reading. Thank you for praying. Thank you for your financial investment in the ministry of Lifetime-PHG. Knowing I’m in harness with you means the world to me. If you are not yet a financial partner in delivery of the ministry’s message, you can participate via this link.