News
Saturday Selections - Nov 5, 2022
The power of Nazi propaganda (6 min)
As Remembrance Day approaches, it's worth remembering the way the Nazis won people over with their propaganda. They pointed to the Jews as the source of their nation's ills, and to a special elite - whether that was Aryans, the Nazi Party, or the Fuhrer – as the savior, not even being subtle about the Messianic nature they were ascribing to Hitler. Are we vulnerable to the same scapegoating, the same misdirection?
Johnny Horton in a 1960 appearance on The Ed Sullivan show singing "Sink the Bismarck"
In this 1960 appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, Johnny Horton sings about the sinking of the German battleship Bismark in World War II. It was the biggest battleship the Nazis had ever made, and was involved in the sinking of the British battlecruiser, HMS Hood, one of their biggest warships. "The Mighty Hood" went down with almost all hands. This could be one to show the kids to, in a kid-appropriate way, introduce them to the sacrifices and bravery involved in defeating this enemy.
On the "banality of evil"
The world wants to believe the Nazis were very different from us. That's why many were very angry when Jewish author Hanna Arendt reported during Nazi Adolf Eichman's trial that he was "terribly and terrifyingly normal."
In Proverbs God warns us that while there is a type of evil – the way of the wicked (Prov. 14:5, 14:17, 21:29) – that takes effort, there is also another kind – the way of the sluggard (Prov. 19:24, 25:26) – that comes of simply not standing up for what is right, not pursuing righteousness. This is the banal sort that requires nothing but apathy and indifference to what is good.
Cannibalism onscreen is a strange evangelism opportunity
Today's scriptwriters seeking to shock their audiences have to go further and further into the outrageous. And that explains why cannibalism is being increasingly featured as a plot device. But, as John Stonestreet writes, "Those who find a worldview in which bodies have no purpose or boundaries a bit nauseating should wonder why. Christians can tell them, and offer the alternative..."
Conscience rights are a must in medicine
The Left wants to force Christian doctors and nurses to participate in abortion and euthanasia. Some Christians think that, while they should refuse to participate, they can refer the patient to someone else who will do the deed. That's better only to the degree that it is better to be an accessory to murder than rather than the murderer yourself - better yes, but still really wicked.
The Left gets that there can be a time when it is good to refuse to participate, as evidenced by some who've proudly refused to serve former First Lady Melania Trump. They believe in conscientious objection... just not for Christians.
Laura Klassen is preaching to the choir so the choir can start preaching (4 min)
Why should already pro-life people watch a video depicting the horrors of abortion? Isn't that just preaching to the choir?
Maybe. Or maybe even we don't understand the true horror of abortion yet either As we approach Remembrance Day, we think also of the Holocaust, and while it wouldn't be accurate to describe the Holocaust as having being a secret during the war, it would be true to say that the extent of the horror was only understood after Germany was defeated – what the Nazis had been doing to the Jews was so terrible as to be unbelievable. And that's true of what is happening to the unborn today. So there is reason t0 watch, to cry, and to be motivated to act, whether that's sharing the video, or speaking up for the unborn in some other way. This is important to see, but it is also very disturbing and certainly not appropriate for everyone, particularly our young children, so parental discretion is very much advised.
