Lisa and The Choker          

“I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting,
because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be
disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and
I know I will not be put to shame.”    Isaiah 50:7 

                             by William Santy

The high school teacher made money on the side by creating fashionable necklaces that were worn by many of the girls attending high schools in the area. One day the teacher noticed that a new trend was developing when he saw several girls in the school cafeteria who formerly wore his necklaces, wearing chokers instead.

Lisa was one of seven girls in his classroom who was wearing a choker. The teacher asked Lisa if she would come to the front of the class. Responding to the teacher’s request, Lisa walked to the front of the class and quietly stood facing her classmates.

All eyes were on Lisa as the teacher unhurriedly spoke tenderly to all in the classroom regarding Lisa’s fine qualities. The person of Lisa was gently framed by the teacher as he spoke kindly of her well-groomed hair and pleasing personality. The students in the classroom appeared noticeably impressed, suggesting that they were of the same opinion regarding Lisa’s fine qualities.

After a seemingly long silence the teacher then pointed to Lisa’s choker and, with a  sharp, contrasting, contemptuous chuckle, began debasing and humiliating Lisa for wearing a choker and gestured to the other students sitting in the classroom to join in dishonoring Lisa for wearing a “hideous” choker. The classroom suddenly became charged with emotion as many of the students readily complied and joined the teacher in jeering and scornfully laughing at Lisa. To avoid disgrace, three of the other girls in the classroom who had been wearing chokers slowly inched their hands up to their neck and inconspicuously removed their chokers.
Students in the classroom began pointing their fingers at those who removed their chokers saying, “You were one of those wearing a choker!!” But they repeatedly denied wearing a choker.

News regarding the incident of Lisa and the choker spread rapidly throughout the high school. The vast majority of girls who had been wearing chokers came to school the following day wearing necklaces to avoid what Lisa had to endure. But strangely, a small remnant of the girls who had been wearing necklaces came to school wearing chokers, knowing they would be subject to scorn and shunned by other students.

They wore the chokers because they chose to endure the piercing storm along with Lisa rather than be accepted by their fellow students who allowed the teacher to have his way with their minds. They wore the chokers because Lisa unflinchingly stood in front of her tormentors and did not attempt to hide her choker or sheepishly explain it away. They wore the chokers because they knew it was Lisa’s father who made them, and the love that Lisa had for her father would not allow her to deny the work of her father’s hands. The love that Lisa had for her father was stronger than any desire she might have had to be accepted by her mocking classmates.  ....“True love always manifests itself in sacrifice toward the object of its affection.”    

                 Something prompts everyone

                           to believe what they believe

Satan fully understands that any thing or any idea that is subject to mockery, especially in public, is highly likely to be avoided with varying degrees of emotion by the vast majority and that most people readily warm to and gravitate to anything that is presented as being the generally accepted opinion of society.

The sting of mockery is like napalm to the senses just as identifying with the perceived, generally accepted opinion of society is like soothing salve. One is piercing and causes an individual to draw back while the other serves as a social magnet prompting an individual to embrace it because it is reassuring and confirms that an individual is securely accepted in society.

The sting of mockery used in conjunction with the seducing power of the general consent in the hands of a master social groomer like Satan has, since the 1960s, utterly transformed American culture and spirituality. With the use of modern day media Satan is, with great ease, able to amplify the sting of mockery and readily fabricate what is perceived as the generally accepted opinion of society.

There are striking similarities in the way Satan has arranged and used mockery and the general consent to bring about the maximum swaying power of the masses over the past forty years and on that day in Jerusalem 2000 years ago when Jesus stood before his accusers. 

ABC, NBC and CBS were perceived by many as a three-headed serpent with three long necks attached to one diabolical heart. By the 1960s the entire nation grew accustomed to gathering around the television for the evening news. These three major networks, without question, held the exclusive power to create and declare what the generally accepted opinion would be concerning every issue. Multitudes readily accepted the carefully crafted comments of the evening news commentator without questioning the essence of what was being said nor considering the direction in which they were slowly being led. 

Each day prior to and just after the consensus was established by ABC, NBC and CBS  during the evening news, viewers were in many ways routinely subjected to programming that appeared to be created specifically to mock Christians. In the morning and afternoon the vehicle for the mocking came primarily through discussion groups and soap operas. After the evening news the vehicle for mocking came primarily through situation comedy.

Two thousand years ago a consensus had been established among the two chief priests, the council of elders and makers of the law that Jesus was guilty. Shortly before and after this generally accepted opinion was established by the movers and shakers of that time, Jesus was mocked.

...There is nothing new under the sun. (Luke 2:53-65 & Luke 23:11) 

Mary Poppins Meets Jack The Ripper 

The sudden and vigorous campaign by Satan to transform the hearts and souls of Americans fell on a people that had just experienced the tranquility of the 1950s and on a church that was obviously nominal.

With little or no resistance to the onslaught instigated by Satan through the powerful and newly formed secular media, Christians began reeling back in defense. “If you are a Christian who is attempting to advance the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, get back, get down and get quiet” was the underlying theme of the antichrist movement beginning in the 1960s and it is still very much intact today.

There was a sense, however, that Christians were somehow allowed to win the world with positive thinking or with a smile. But Satan had readily snapped the teeth out of the head of the Christian church in America and the church lost whatever influence or “bite” its smile might have had. By the mid 1970s churches in America seemed to appear as strategically located bubbles on the American landscape, isolated from the mainstream. In a few short years the disarmed, see-no-evil-hear-no-evil church of the 1950s was taken utterly by surprise and made submissive through Satan’s exploitation of America’s spiritual vulnerability.

Over the past few decades the realization that American society was undergoing a  systematic makeover at the hands of the enemy of man was, for many discerning Americans, gnawing and nightmarish. Yet, the tranquil and innocent perceived it as a seemingly endless series of festive and celebratory events-a protracted Mardi Gras of sorts.

                     “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.

                      Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great

                      number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

                                                                                                                      2 Timothy 4:3-4 

The young wife of a Civil War soldier had received word that her husband would soon be coming home after three years. She knew that when he approached the rural valley where they lived that he would give a loud shout signaling his return. Her ears were keyed and itching as her heart was given over in yearning to hear the sound of his echoing voice.

Likewise, as evening fell throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s,  America gathered around the television set and tuned into the evening news on any of the three major networks. The ears of America were keyed and itching as the heart was given over in yearning to hear the sound of the newsman declare what the generally accepted opinion of the nation was on any given issue. There were three networks, but they all harmonized the same opinion to give the viewer the impression that  “They’re all in agreement--what they’re saying must be true!”

Multitudes never questioned this opinion which fell every evening of every day of the year like a ball-peen hammer on the malleable consciousness of the nation. The key to being accepted in American society and perceived as a normal, upstanding and thinking individual was, without question, to agree with the consensus established by the three major networks.

There is much evidence to suggest that those who display an intense craving to be cuddled by society and whose yearnings to be accepted are continuously soothed by unconditionally embracing the consensus will, over a period of time, gradually succumb to an acceptance addiction and ultimately be given over to do Satan’s will. “I believe it because it was said” in many cases quickly advances to an itching of the senses and a driven passion to embrace the consensus with an automatic reflex action.  

This super-keyed hearkening and itching to embrace whatever everyone else is believing, causes the fabricated consensus to spread throughout society like an infusion, much like yeast in a batch of dough.

If You Draw Close To Me, I WILL Draw Close To You

There is no question that Satan, using the tools of electronics over the past few decades, has developed and insidiously worked his own rendition of  “If you draw close to me I will draw close to you.” 

With multitudes of individuals keyed up with all of their body juices and every beat of their heart ready to mechanically respond at the behest of Satan, an all-powerful tool was firmly in the hands of the enemy of man to be used against anyone who would attempt to advance godly values. Those who would advance Satan’s agenda would not only be spared the sting of mockery and defamation via  the fabricated consensus, but also were in a position to be rewarded with the assurance of a favorable public image

While Satan targeted Christians and Christianity in general throughout the electronically enhanced antichrist movement beginning in the 1960s, special attention was given to individuals who held godly values and who were in powerful positions to influence and shape national and international policy. Among the many who were exposed to Satan’s intense fury and cruelty over an extended period were Edwin Meese, Col Oliver North, Clarence Thomas, Dan Quayle and President Ronald Reagan.

In the case of Ed Meese (U.S. Atty. General 1985-88), Satan proved to the discerning world that he is the Master of Ire and that he can dance on the lips of those he holds captive to do his will and to manufacture indignation and rage toward an individual where there is no cause for rage or indignation to be expressed.

During Ed Meese’s trial by fire, his every move was stalked and his background thoroughly scrutinized with the hope of discovering something that could be worked into a fabricated consensus. But miraculously, Ed Meese withstood this intense scrutiny. Although nothing concrete could be found to stir the juices of those who were at the ready to mechanically respond with their every breath at the behest of Satan, Satan called forth their ire anyway. and many obediently expressed ire and indignation toward Ed Meese.

Vice President Dan Quayle (VP under President George Bush 1989-93) was exposed to an unusually intense attack on his character with full use of mockery and the fabricated general consent which extended long after he left office. Dan Quayle was widely considered to have been one of the most active Vice Presidents in history. He was a leader in causes from legal system reform to renewal of  basic American values.  It is quite possible that Satan singled out Dan Quayle to set an example and to send a warning message to young, aspiring men and women who were considering entering the political arena with the idea of advancing godly values.

Satan let it be known that he could focus on any mistake an individual might make, no matter how insignificant the slip-up, and magnify it to the diabolical hilt in the arena of mockery to the point where the individual would readily be associated with someone who has earned mocking laughter. The intense and protracted media assault on Dan Quayle certainly must have kept many pro-family individuals at bay and reluctant to enter the public arena.

*           *          *          *          *          *          *           *           *

President Reagan displayed a remarkable talent for deflecting the many fiery darts aimed at him and, in many cases, caused ashes to fly back into the face of his tormentors. It was not until the later part of President Reagan’s second term in office, when he had grown tired and emotionally drained as a result of service to his country, that the fiery darts of mockery were able to take their toll. While he was vulnerable and exposed in this regard, those who stalked his every move, looking for some opportunity to diminish his image, took special delight in deriding him for appearing tired at times and forgetful.

Throughout the ordeal of laying exposed and susceptible to those who delighted in tarnishing his image, a tremendous outpouring of compassion and sympathy was displayed toward President Reagan who had diligently labored  for righteousness. “If one member suffers all members suffer” seemed to resonate in the hearts of many discerning  Americans who had vicariously entered the piercing ring of mockery to stand with their President.

*           *          *          *          *          *          *           *           *

Like a powerful current that tests the structural integrity of a bridge abutment, the flow of electronic messages thrust up against the human mind under the control of Satan since the 1960s has tested the integrity of the heart of man. We have seen many stand firm in the face of the onslaught, yet we have seen so often individuals go with the flow and do anything, say anything and be anything for the assurance of a favorable public image. ”For they loved the praises of men more that the praises of God.” John 12: 43 

Satan understands that if the price is right he can charm many to dance in the “light” of the general consent like a bug in the street lamp, just as he beguiles the unsuspecting to embrace a false sense of righteousness and false sense of security by standing in the company of mockers- Satan’s rendition of  “If you draw close to me, I will draw close to you.”

A Church Built on Mockery

It would be naive to think that Satan’s influence stops

once we enter the walls of the church.

In the name of “The Times They are a Changin’,”  the godless world shouted the church into a siege mentality where a unique culture began to evolve within isolated church bubbles beginning in the 1960s. Nominalism set the course and ruled the roost as many church attendees set out to serve the individual church rather than the Lord. It was this crucial decision by the church of the 1960s and early seventies that rendered the church vulnerable to Satan’s wooing. 

It was obvious at that time that the vast majority of church attendees groped for and embraced the gospel of the secular media to learn what they must do to maintain a favorable public image which was their primary concern. While it appeared that ninety percent of the programming of the secular media focused on politics and religion, the secular media in many different ways (particularly through entertainment vehicles like soap operas) imparted the notion that “it was socially unacceptable to discuss politics or religion.”  ...(nice people don’t do that). 

This notion was readily and unreservedly embraced by a majority of  church attendees and used as a cornerstone on the foundation of the church fortress. The fear of rejection and the yearning to have the outward appearance of right standing in the public eye became the common denominators of an evolving culture within many churches. 

A form of godliness settled in that comforted many within the church fortress as the   notion that they could have both God and the godless world system became a normal way of church life. ...“Keep your religion to yourself” never get involved in controversy nor look favorably upon any public figure who is subjected to mockery, and always rally around and be supportive of the consensus established by the secular media became the by-laws of the church fortress as Satan began his systematic disestablishment of Christian America in the 1960s with the assistance of the transformed and compliant nominal church.

As a reward for obeying the rules and conforming, Satan provided “a seat of honor” for any who allowed their life and living to be a reflection of the consensus established by the secular media. Many are they within the church bubble who love this vicarious “seat of honor.”

They speak in whispers

The year is 2008 and it is apparent that the first order of the day within many churches (even Evangelical Churches) appears to be the preservation of one’s public image. Anything that has been subjected to bad press or mockery within the secular media is shunned.

A problem results, however, when an individual enters these “safe havens” who is not intimidated or moved in any way by bad press and mockery, and upholds something that is considered controversial. There is a sense of “sound the general alarm!!” as sanctuary police or pew cadre report to the church leadership. Soon afterward, that individual’s controversial beliefs are mocked publicly from the pulpit.

The idea is to make it known that if anyone brings controversy into the fortress, that individual will be ostracized. Currently there are many individuals who must speak in whispers within the church fortress regarding “controversial” issues.

In the April 2002 newsletter of Zola Levitt Ministries, Zola describes one woman who held the belief that Jesus is coming soon: “this believer, a member of an evangelical, Bible-believing congregation felt she had to whisper her wonder and excitement at the prospect of the Lord’s soon return, all because her church does not believe in the literal interpretation of Scripture when it comes to Israel and prophecy. How tragic!”

Many high profile individuals who are effective in advancing the kingdom of God and His righteousness have been stigmatized by mockery and or bad press and thereby made to appear controversial. Reinhard Bonnke, Benny Hinn, Hal Lindsay and the late Rev Jerry Falwell are among leaders in the church who have been stigmatized by controversy at one time or another and whose names are shunned within many church fortresses.

Only God knows how many unsaved individuals who enter the church fortress looking for answers regarding eternal salvation are rebuked because they happen to associate with something that is seen as controversial. Many in the church fortress have knowledge of the Bible and untold reams of secular television logged in their gray matter, but the question is: what inspires them?  ...is it Holy Scripture or unholy TV script? If you listen to them long enough, the answer will rise to the surface.

“Stop Blaming The Devil !!!”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” ..but many church attendees whose faith looks up to the consensus spun by secular television have a greater fear of mockery and a bad public image. The secular media routinely portrays those who are active in the occult as credible and those who view Satan as evil and powerful as “spooked” or paranoid. It is not good for one’s image to believe that Satan is evil and a threat to our souls. In many churches, it seems that the only one who views Satan as evil and one that mankind should be on the alert for, is God.

Prisoners of Twit

Among the reasons Pastor Don Wildman of Topello, Mississippi formed the American Family Association in 1976 was to create a clearinghouse of information and to be a rallying point for individuals who wanted to put an end to mockery aimed at Christians by way of secular television, especially during certain prime time sit-coms. Mockery aimed at Christians via secular television rapidly grew in potency and frequency beginning in the late 1960s and into the 1970s.

Throughout the years Christians expressed frustration after seeing images of Christianity raised up and subjected to contemptuous laughter in public via TV, but to no avail. Today it is apparent that the shock and displeasure has worn off and many Christians see the situation as an element of American pop culture. With the assistance of hype many Christians have had their attitudes slowly and incrementally sculpted to blend with the world in harboring a deep and abiding affection for some of the individuals who play starring roles in sit-coms that routinely mock Christians.

Programming that is laced with laugh tracks and clap tracks are the types commonly associated with mockery aimed at Christians. The laugh track, obviously, is geared to stimulate the viewer to believe that something is laughable. The clap track used in conjunction with the laugh track is the icing on the cake, so-to-speak, and geared to excite and goad the viewer to believe that it is socially acceptable to laugh at whatever happens to be the focus of attention during the programming.

Those who have lapsed into a habit of holding open the door of their mind  to programming geared to portray Christians as laughable, social outcasts will have more than a character-altering experience. The sting of mockery has a way of paralyzing the senses and leaves a enduring mark on the subconscious.

The living rooms of America are loaded with individuals that have logged countless hours of  contemptuous twit into their gray matter via television and who exhibit a fear- stimulated inclination to distance themselves from Christians or Christianity because “they’re a bunch of hypocrites.”  

Not surprisingly, these individuals have no reservations going to their place of work, shopping malls, restaurants, sporting events etc where there are plenty of hypocrites. To a degree they, like everyone else, are hypocrites. It is more convenient to use the word hypocrite as an alibi to distance themselves from Christianity than to admit that they have allowed Satan to systematically and successfully have his way with their mind.

The fact that so many individuals are held captive and rendered emotionally and spiritually crippled as a result of television programming geared to mock Christians is in itself an American tragedy. Many are they who live in quiet desperation while in earshot of the television where unsuspecting loved ones pour over and ingest their daily dose of anti-Christian programming not realizing that their eternal destiny is hanging in the balance. 

Standing in the Gap

The people of this nation have never seen such selfishness and selflessness dancing side by side on the stage as we are witnessing in these exciting days. The reenlistment rate among American combat soldiers fighting in the war in Iraq is unprecedented. Many soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan who have suffered severe wounds (even amputees) express an eagerness to return and join their units. 

In stark contrast, there is a driven passion among many Americans to undermine the efforts of our soldiers in the field. The bandwagon mentality, which is a by-product of the consensus fabricated by the liberal secular media, has a way of stimulating and bribing anyone who wants to appear compassionate and sweet in the public eye to join voices in betrayal. Many have been bribed.

Surely there is spiritual warfare taking place below the surface. The self aggrandizing sugar predator vs. the self-denying, gallant soldier appears to be one of the underlying themes of this war. The current administration in Washington and our soldiers in Iraq appear to be the only significant forces that are holding back a maniacal effort to envelop the world in horror, yet those who are standing in the gap for us are relentlessly opposed and  peppered with scorn from within our nation.

The people in 1st Samuel chapter 8 clamored for a king and the Lord granted them their wishes by giving them King Saul.  It is time to draw close to the Lord in fasting and prayer and to do everything possible to lend our voice in support of our efforts to defeat the enemy so that those who are clamoring for our troops to leave Iraq will not have their wishes fulfilled.

      ....How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? ..I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you. Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. ...Since they did not choose to fear the Lord. Proverbs 1: 22, 26, 28 

EPILOGUE 

The people of  this nation are in the process of coming out of a forty year trance after having experienced a technological barrage against the human mind that no other generation in the history of the earth has had to endure. Two thousand years ago in a courtyard in Jerusalem Satan used mockery in conjunction with the fabricated consensus to corral the emotions of the crowd.  These very same tools were the driving force that resonated like a lumbering freight train throughout the past four decades in an attempt by Satan to lull the crowd in America to accept his agenda and to goad and maneuver the unsuspecting to enter upon the broad road that leads to destruction.

If the Christian church had run to the arms of Jesus when the serpent gave out his electronically enhanced roar beginning in the mid 1960s, the church would have drawn close to the Truth and the Light. The darkness and error spun by Satan would have been readily discerned and Satan’s diabolical ploy to bribe the crowd to worship at the altar of the electronic trinity of ABC, NBC and CBS would have been in shambles.

Over the past forty years many heart-broken Christians have expressed concern and have been mystified over the fact that they rub elbows with religionists who diligently and fervently cry “Lord!“ “Lord!“ yet display every indication that they are deeply wedded to the liberal secular media which they look to for information, inspiration, justification and direction.. There is a fascination with and obedience toward the consensus spun by the reptilian secular media which we are currently witnessing among many church attendees that is a spectacle to see and the very reason many in the church vigorously and habitually support a gospel-resistant political platform designed to elect people to public office who are diametrically opposed to the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  “Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4

Slowly and incrementally over the years many church attendees have been carried away by strange teachings and lulled into lending their voices, time and energy to insure that abortion (even partial birth abortion) remained legal as though it were a sacrament. There is a sense that the more fervently one supports child sacrifice through abortion, “the more grace may abound.” This would have been unimaginable in the 1960s. It is quite apparent that those who continuously and readily yield to the one who deceives them will, over time, develop the character and heart of the deceiver.

For the past several years there has been somewhat of a move to unite black and white Evangelicals together in worship, but this unity movement appears to be only skin deep. There is no sense of coming together for the purposes of turning from our wicked ways. There is no fear of the Lord. There is a fear, however, of standing in opposition to the consensus spun by the liberal media and a fear of aligning oneself with whomever or whatever is mocked. 

Scripture tells us in many ways that goodness is good and badness is not good. With the use of modern day technology Satan is equipped as never before to get nice people to believe that badness is good. While it is obvious that there has been a great falling away and that there are churches in America that have, over time, evolved into image-protecting societies rather than a Christ-centered body of believers, there is a precious remnant who have stood firm and refuse to be a prisoner of someone else’s expectations There is a precious remnant that has stood firm on the solid Rock in the face of electronically enhanced mockery and the contrived consensus  knowing that all other ground is sinking sand. 

   ...“He (Herod) plied him with many questions , but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there , vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him.”  

(Luke 23: 9-11)                                                         

Something prompts everyone to believe what they believe. The sting of mockery is a powerful prompter, but Jesus by His example,  prompts us to endure momentary affliction and focus on our everlasting to everlasting reward.

                                                                                            True love always manifests itself in sacrifice toward

                                                                                                                                                the object of its affection.