Massive Pastor Shortage

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Steve is an ordinary man who believes in an extraordinary God it on a show, there's plenty of grace and truth. No sacred call Steve now 86 34 true 866-34-TRUTH or check them out online, Steve Noble Joe.com now here's your host Steve Noble over a year now when it comes to COBIT. I've been afraid the word dominoes all these different dominoes lining up behind the impact of COBIT self. The virus itself, mental health, emotional health, spiritual help. What's happening to our economy what's happening to addictions, anxiety, stress, depression, all the other stuff what's going on with our kids school and another of the dominoes that I've been curious about is what's going to happen to the church a lot of churches struggling to hang on in the first place and then you shut them down by unconstitutional government edict and how many of them are actually in a comebacker. How many of them are going to fold the number churches that will close this year is forecasted to double from roughly 8000 to 16,000 LME had an*right there and just say there are some of a decent number of those churches which should close if they're not preaching and teaching the word of God. It's not a church put some air quotes around it and get it out here but there are some good churches with God-fearing biblical preaching pastors that are closing largely due to the impact of COBIT and I will talk about for the first couple segments they not having a pastor.

Many pastors indicating that they feel a higher level of burnout than ever before in their outtake in the offramp from that calling Barna research says that there are more pastors over 65 than under 40. It takes a long time to become a pastor you have to have met multiple degrees that can be difficult. It's very expensive and a lot of them just end up giving up so we don't transition well from a senior pastor to a younger pastor. It is a massive problem that's really not on the radar screen for a lot of us, but it is at the Bob Jones University and Bob Jones seminary and Alan Benson's executive bite vice president there of student development and ministry advancement and has a just a wonderful focus that the new initiative that rare that they're getting after because we have a massive problem in this country in terms of the church. Alan, how are you thanks for calling it good afternoon leave. I'm doing great thank you trip me on your very welcome so that was kind of the bad news, but white white from a Bob Jones perspective with you, Alan there and joining the team, and some other newer folks on the team. Why is this all of a sudden a big deal about that BJ. You you know couple of things. One is it really easy of COBIT secularism in all kind of thing to see that the negative gloom and doom. I think I do think there's another side to that and and and I resented it to the folks talk to them is possibly the greatest legitimate gospel opportunity for the Reformation and and here's why say that one of the last time that the whole world has been tuned in this way to one particular thing like the pandemic that is impacting everybody and impacting them, not just in the day to day, but is impacting them with almost a sense of hopelessness and when they're looking to the normal sources that that and in the good times of life are offering them some kind of hope, secularism, and all of these things.

Now it's time to actually pony up and give an answer really don't have an answer and so this is the time for the gospel because we really have real hope is a time for the church and and we've looked at that and said wow, look at the positive. Where is the church and looking at the church we seen the need we need pastors and so our desire. Bob don't seminary in this new strategic plan is to say we want to serve the church and right now frontline the best way we can serve the church is to make it easier to get well-equipped pastors trained and to the front lines with their churches and that's really what our strategic initiative and vision is all about. Yeah, I think a lot of people are not aware Alan of just how difficult it is to go through the traditional means of becoming a pastor because they need a four-year undergraduate degree than they usually did two years of a graduate seminary were coming.

I got my Masters degree at Southeastern, took me almost 10 years. Just because I'm a father and a business guy have a lot going on but they do two years a graduate seminary worked in a Master of arts degree and we were talking about the Masters of Divinity. This is years and years and years and it's expensive and it can be challenging and then I mentioned this in the opening Alan that lesson.

There are some churches closing that I'm like a praise the Lord because there are not really biblical churches, but I don't think most of the church realizes this is coming our way, this big pastoral shortage and I'm so glad you mentioned. Let's look at what's going on in this crazy environment when right now is an opportunity as opposed to a defeat. Yeah exactly the opportunity is calling for equipping right were looking at a world that is hurting so in addition to being equipped to rightly handle the word of God which is the primary core skill set for someone that is going to be in a shepherding ministry is the word of God actually did that impact parts and we got it we got a handle it rightly present, rightly, but part of that the means of presenting it in today's culture is thoroughly equipped and the ability to counsel to be thoroughly equipped in the area of apologetics to be able to give an answer for the hope that lies within us, because questions are so great in the culture toward the training.

The level of training is so necessary for the time you go through that and you pay for that the path would hold that gets really mighty because do I take five years and try to work pay off school debt because I get hired by a church, 100 people. Don't ever feel the pain enough to do that and you actually make it in on existing pastor how the world why my congregation or that word is the time come from. It just makes the pathway seem really difficult and a lot of guys are bailing yeah and they see you know, one of the challenges in our current day culture here in America is anti-Christian efforts in that kind of a general anti-Christian environment and the people don't like to hear this Alan but but I would call America at this point pretty much a pagan nation as a secular nation. The actual church, the, the needle can conviction all regularly attending Bible believing spirit filled follower is if you know born-again people in America Barna research I mentioned earlier might be somewhere between eight and 12% and so we have to realize we really are pilgrims in this place in the real own the only true answer for American society American government. American culture is going to be the gospel and so we have to kind of rise to that challenge. I want to talk to her about up up up against the break, but I want to talk about the specific initiative that Bob Jones seminary has in place 500×5 x 5, and in there's a way that all of us can be involved in this and this really is a significant problem and we need to be up to the challenge because the this America needs more preaching, not less, but it needs preachers that know how to rightly handle the got the word of God.

And Alan, like you said, they have to, not just no theology but applied theology you actually take this book and apply it to what's going on in the world were talking to Alan Benson, Executive Vice President, student development and ministry advancement Bob Jones University, and specifically the seminary today Alan to put on hold and will become back. What can we do about this problem. This is Steve Noble will be right and Nami coming at us driver to see roughly going from 8000 to 16,000) were running out of pastors. We've got more pastors over 65 and under 40.

Most pastors go through the seminary training round there that doesn't mean you have to be seminary trained to be a pastor but that's kind of the norm these days and so what we do about that.

Do we even realize we had that problem and like I said earlier, there are deftly some cortical churches that need to close.

There are some: quote pastors that need to not be in the pulpit anywhere at any time were talking about Bible believing churches and Bible preaching pastors and one organization here in America.

That's sees the problem and is getting on it getting busy about it is Bob Jones University Bob Jones seminary Alan Benson's executive vice president of student development in ministry advancement and taking on this formidable challenge, and it is a formidable challenge and something that we can't let sneak up on us again. Alan, thanks much for spending the time with us today. We appreciate it great to be here with you, Steve, and I believe that God is given a real vision for how we can serve the church by helping with this pastor shortage. Amen. So that that takes us right into really this initiative that you guys have undertaken which I think is just awesome 500 x 5 x 5 help us understand what Doug got is called you guys to hear what our goal is in addition to everything else we do in our inner seminary training quickly. The 500 pastors on the pathway to the pulpit in the next five years, and every five years after that kind of the central focus of all that were doing in ministry training in healing. That's a significant number and it's a significant undertaking. It's not easy. First of all, fine students get prayed through that and in and communicate effectively, but the fine number of the young men that are willing to step up is not easy, it's not and so our heart really is to serve the church. I'm putting out today. A call to pastors who are are feeling the heat feeling the pressure and then wondering where does this go after me for them. Tilt tote to look within their congregations. Just as really churches make pastors, not seminaries, not not not Bible colleges is produced. Pastors and and our desire is to go to them and uphold her hand and say, hey, what do you have a young man that that you see that has potential for ministry maybe has that desire implanted in their heart and you want to encourage them. We want to come alongside you. If your church can help. We want to match what you can do to help pay for a Bible college degree or for seminary training want to go to the church is that you look pastor that you know is discouraged and needs more equipment we want to partner with you. Can you help and will match what you will do the work trying to raise $1 million a year in scholarships to actually make getting the kind of training that are pastors need more affordable and working on her actual training to make it more accessible. We developed five modalities to say you don't have to leave your church to get the training you need, you can do it online you comfort block classes you can come in as part of Lifestream or if you can come sit in in a class because you're nearby, you can do that but we don't want accessibility to be the roadblock to getting that the training that you need yeah and that's just the digital world that we live in. That's just the norm now and to not be operating.

That way, even before COBIT to not be operating online was kind of a deathknell to do any good institution of higher learning, especially with something like this where we have such a spiritual need. And I think that's a great way to go to churches and challenge them because Alan, it would appear to me that most churches are pastored by gentlemen that are older and there's not really is a secession plan. Only we deal we do that in the corporate world. We talk about you know someone is gonna retire there to move into the Board of Directors. But in the in the church world. It seems like people and really think about that. So how do you engage churches you mentioned that as part of the initiative. How do you you have that conversation with the 100 things that we have done as part of this initiative is we are starting a community that were calling all in for ministry and and you can you can look up Peter you seminary on Facebook on Twitter on Instagram or you can actually find a new group, all in form for ministry education on Facebook and what were trying to do. There is build a community where the conversation is happening or will supply free resources any of the current issues were writing on our seminary cross are going to put out there were going to have opportunity for discounted conferences for connection digitally and virtually, as well as even offering free classes bring out today. I can I can state your listenership, there's a pastor sitting out there. You feel like you need help.

If you've never taken a class for Bob Jones seminary if you will look us up to date Google us. I am offering you a free class and if any of our class.

You just need apply to the seminary you get a class in apologetics initial language expository preaching.

We really we just wanted serve the church in all in for ministry community is a way to build a support group to stay we we are to help the church by helping provide quick pastors yeah I just shared the link for the Bob Jones website to get to the seminary register shared the link on Facebook live so that's there be GU.edu and you can get to the seminary easily enough that that way.

How cow can just regular folks are are so many that say maybe my son, my grandson has a cult feel like they might have a calling you you want to get involved. We want to help and be a part of the process. What can we do for not pastors Alan, how can we come alongside what God is called you guys to do it. Bob Jones seminary. I would encourage anybody that's interested to become a part of this all in for ministry community. It's not just for pastors but it is a a community that that we are going to provide regular information to about what is happening. Ministry training community where they can share with us hate look this is going on in our church. We got some guys that are interested. Is there a way that we can start working on sermon prep or what it takes to be a pastor will provide those resources and actually in the coming days. There's going to be a survey for anybody that joins that to get back information dictate what you need. What content could we provide. How could we encourage this process that they can take that survey so that we know what were actually needed. Meeting the need of providing the resources that are necessary and then that all in for ministry community has an opportunity if people want to come alongside you not provide monthly support anything from five dollars to tell what ever a month and be a part of that community and all of that funding is going to be used to further the strategic plan yet that's awesome and so did you say that there's all in for ministry is actually a group now on Facebook. Yeah there's there's there's two groups are to want to just all in for ministry on Facebook and one that community for pastors, so there's a pastors group.

In addition, so there's there's two available and then how do what's easiest way for folks to find those and get connected. You know what, if you go on looking right now and I will.

The best thing I will do is send you out link that that you could make a belter plotting and I think that will be the best thing then then you can follow-up make the actual links available right I'll do that yet you get to those that do pretty quick. I'll do that even if I am working for them over to me before the show's overall put them up on Facebook or my worlds put them up on the regular show page.

When the show is over today, but let's make sure we keep in touch Alan in and talk about and continue this conversation and reminding everybody. There are some resources here in a path for if you're pastors older, your pastors, 55, 60, 65 years of age asked that question, and engage in say, what are we gonna do when you retire. And in the because there's a path here that Alan is talking about that we need all do our part in making people aware of it or perhaps your son or grandson would be a candidate as well.

Alan Benson, executive vice president, student development and ministry advancement of Bob Jones seminary. Thank you so much Brother for telling and will talk to you real soon. Thanks so much Steve got flushed. God bless you to think so much in such an important effort really is some plan. I found out about it he thinks to Patrick's radio up for let me know about that follow-up on those links more to talk about love me some good rose.

I use specially when it comes out every text going to take you there to talk about that and I will walk you through an article good friend of mine used to be on my board Bruce Asper Dr. Ashford is been on the show many many times on theology Thursdays and he just just written a new article that came out the Carolina Journal Carolina Journal.com called I pledge allegiance to the flag now whenever I see an article like that.

My concern is always is this going to be over the top of the gonna lose balance is the Christian that cares more about saving America than seeing Americans saved will be in a nationalistic slant to it, but not a gospel slant and not a discipleship slant and so believe me 10 years ago. Anything he can a pro-US a patriotic family. Yes, but not much more discerning about that because I know in the human heart, we can turn the idol and anything I don't know if it was CS Lewis. Kimberly said the human heart is an idol factory, but indeed it is and that can happen even with this nation that most of us love far from perfect but still one of the greatest nations in the history of the world so when I read through this article earlier today is like man I need to share this excellent and very well-balanced and I want to make a bunch points as we go through that. But first I want to get to this Texas heartbeat act. By the way, when Alan Benson I put those links. I just put those links up on the Facebook live page 4 thereto Facebook groups. One is called all in for ministry education. That's just a follow-up on that being of the get some education and I think first class accounts.

I would be free. Whether your pastor, I just want to start looking into that world. I got a Masters degree in theology, culture, and ethics, and so I I highly recommend that and then the other one is all in for ministry education. The pastoral communities of both those or close groups. I put links up there.

So you have to deal want to join the group and then you can I get connected with like-minded believers out there, so that's excellent. I put those up right now in the Facebook live feed on the Steve Noble show page of Facebook. You can also watch the show right here in the studio on YouTube live. If you been kicked off or your off of Facebook and you're still able to access YouTube you can join us in the studio there as well during the radio show.

Okay Texas heartbeat act signed into law banning elective abortions after detectable heartbeat which is pretty early. This is a major shot across the bow of Roe versus Wade will see where it goes. Concern the other probe ports can file suit probably today or tomorrow happen fast.

Greg Gov. Greg Abbott has signed the Texas heartbeat act into law, this just broke earlier today an email from Texas right to life, noted the Texas heartbeat act as the first pro-life priority bill this legislative session, the path passed both chambers and to be signed the law when the Texas heartbeat of act takes effect on September 1. That's this year all elective abortions after the pre-born child heartbeat is detectable will be prohibited. The act aims outlaw elective abortions as early as six weeks in a pre-born child heartbeat is detectable the human heart begins to beat between 16 and 22 days of life after fertilization solicits really early is effectively, they generally won't do abortions prior to 8 to 10 weeks because they needed detectable heartbeat. They need to be able to see it on ultrasound so they can size it so they can charge you correctly and it also needs to be big enough so that they know they got all of it is that they leave anything inside the womb ahead and arm legs arms whatever then you can get an infection and die so they can't do in super early right. That's why this is such a big deal, Texas right to life at called the act, the strongest pro-life build ever reach the Texas House floor. A recent poll of 1200 registered voters by the University of Texas, revealed that 49% of Texas voters support a ban on abortions after six weeks, which is essentially all of okay other than the day after pill and even RU-486 are usually getting that because they don't, you don't know you're pregnant right away. It takes a little time for pregnancy testing shows up, except in the case of medical emergencies so down there that that pull their people, allowing for the what's quote called the exemptions. The poll also found that about 1/3 of Texans would support an outright ban on abortion in the event that Roe versus Wade throughout all nine months pregnancy is overruled. So today the country at large is more pro-life than it was 20 years ago and mostly that's because of science because even the young ladies volunteering outside the clinic that I see every Saturday they know what the deal. It's they're not ignorant.

Most of them are college-age. They know that that's a human life is not a blob. It's not some nebulous thing they know they still care and they they have elevated a woman's autonomy to do whatever she wants about the sanctity of human life. But praise the Lord for the Texas heartbeat act that the Supreme Court, which I mentioned the other day is taking up another a big abortion bill that could go right at the throat of Roe versus Wade that there to hear that sometime in October and that decision will come out sometime next spring. But this one, the Texas heartbeat act will surely make its way up to the court system as well so we'll keep an eye on that okay for my good friend Bruce ashford@thecarolinajournalcarolinajournal.com will put a link up for this specific article I pledge allegiance to the flag game. Like I said as soon as I see kind of robber system by patriotic title to an article to get nervous now, in this case because it's Bruce on Mike okay I know it's going to be a good gospel balance. But this is absolutely exceptional so I'll put the link up and I want to work us through it gets that good and I want to make sure that if you don't take the time to read it to force you to listen to it you can always change the channel. But that's between you and the Lord in order to be loved, a country must be lovely and need not be flawless. In fact, no society accepting the eternal city is flawless, but to garner affection, it must be lovable. The World War II generation recognized our nations loveliness and gave everything they had to defend it. In fact, the sacrifices of that generation of the reason we 20th century, Americans can live as free people in a sovereign country World War II generation was grateful for our nation willing to spill their own blood on his behalf, and generally happy to get on with life within its borders. Once they return.

This arrow is perhaps the last time a citizens patriotism was likely to be instinctual and other citizens responses to likely be approving rather than cynical, ironic.

There it is and that we're at now because of the way our children are being educated in America, not so great in fact as I think the 1619 project. Obviously, I took this position I think of Michelle Obama might not even that said this like Americans never been great. We've always been gripping in the slavery issue and racism is never been anything great about America.

That's pretty normal today, but because the World War II generation. We have the right to complain like that and to be spoiled brats back to the article. Yet even today the loyalty and affection of many in our own generation cannot be questioned. I was 26 is Bruce Ashford. When the twin towers were imploded by the Wahhabi coward syndicate and terrorist organization Al Qaeda and the reason at 46 that I live as a free man in a sovereign nation is the courage of our nation special forces and other war fighters. I for one, am grateful that their blood run strong.

Amen. Today however I fear that many Americans are instinctually anti-American. Many of the children of the 1960s are now quite old, have retained their opposition to even moderate strains of patriotism were still many of the so-called millennial's, and generation Z declare our nation's fundamentally unjust. They call for revolution wishing to clear the decks and rebuild our cultural institutions and traditions from scratch. This is not to American 2.0 by the way you guys what they want is America toast gone. Sia and then replace it with something of their vain imagination and misguided.

This, in other words, back to the article USA has a patriotism problem. Many of our fellow citizens, it seems, seem not to admire or be grateful for all the good that is to be found in America's founding ideals and documents they seem not to care for many of their fellow citizens seek justice for them or hope they will flourish. Basic patriotism is simply another symptom of deplorable this among everyday Americans NFL quarterback Colin Or Nick is perhaps the most well-known anti-American claiming that patriotic American such as Frederick Douglass share his disdain while at the same time ignoring, probably because he doesn't know that Douglas honored America's founding documents and principles while refusing to despair of our nation for Her. Nick see the thing about Frederick Douglass when you go read what he said as he was very sober minded about the nation's troubled past. In terms of racism in terms of chattel slavery.

We also understood like Martin Luther King that this nation was founded on a creed and that creed is good to form a more perfect union means striving to be more perfect. It's like sanctification for country versus sanctification for us individuals as followers of Christ to become more Christlike. You won't get there in your lifetime, but you should progress towards the goal right. He doesn't And it doesn't know anything about that for Her neck. As with many internation the path towards progress requires dismantling our nation into something unrecognizable. Under this view, patriotism, impede such progress and must be overthrown is not ring true. Such anti-Americanism demands a response versus talking us okay but we cannot simply be reactionaries baptizing any form of patriotism, blood and soil right wing extremism, though not prevalent, must be rejected have to be thinking people cannot just feel indeed.

Bruce writes we must counter the prevailing winds of anti-Americanism while cultivating a healthy and appropriately self-critical patriotism that can maintain the cohesion necessary for our nation to function as a society we should ascribe significance to the nation as a whole and view the United States is more than an aggregate of isolated autonomous individuals like this should sound kind of Americanism we can best work to protect the rights of the individual and the community is seeking really that good of our own tribe.

We must cohere around the common good of the entire nation, not a novel, so will pick it up there almost Joe Moreau can open up the phones for theology Thursday. I mention this yesterday you get back to the I pledge to the flag article outstanding article to link up Facebook live just now do it again in the second from my friend Bruce Ashford. He wrote this for Carolina journal Carolina Journal.com so if you go to the homepage.

You can find it that way but put it up on Facebook live again and also all I shared it to my regular pages, my Facebook page for the radio show, as was my personal page. So it's there, but if you go to Carolina Journal.com you can find it.

I pledge allegiance to the flag I get back to that in the second because are just so many great points inherent in summoning Facebook live said, I'm glad I'm old enough to remember when most Americans were patriotic. Praise the Lord me to, and I'm not talking about jingoism which patriotism gone bad. Okay jingoism not talk about that talk about just good God honoring thankful levels patriotism and that for a significant and growing percentage of the population is gone even for them. Kind of antithetical now. They don't like patriotism so I'm to get back to that article but in terms of tomorrow on Facebook live so there is a little bit about. I want to bring this ethical dilemma to you and take your calls tomorrow as we discussed.

Okay, so now bunch of these businesses are saying okay hey we see what's here in North Carolina with the governor lifted the mask mandate okay cool input stores and like. It still has a sign up in a lot of these places are saying officially eight if you if you come in the store in you Donna mask on as long as you been vaccinated, that's fine. Cool.

We have no problem but if you haven't been vaccinated, we would ask you to continue to wear your mask so let's say you are not vaccinated you not planning on getting vaccinated, and you see that sign on the door at the grocery store or wherever. And you know that you're not vaccinated, and so what you do are you are you misrepresenting yourself well seem that nobody asked me. Note no blood, no foul will okay maybe if no human being ask you but what you think the Lord thinks about that is that an issue is that an honesty issue.

Are we bearing false witness. If you want to go to the 10 Commandments is that a lie because are you to say no. I'm going to just blow it off to do what I want. Now you may say I'm not in a shop shop at that store. Okay, that's an easy way to do it. Just don't go it, but if you go in knowing and in some he says all of you been vaccinated. What would you do because the temptation is there to say yeah sure, yeah, that matter is Christian or nobody asked, no blood, no foul, no problem. Do you wrestle with that at all or just go ahead and forget management mass to set aside all is lying stop and decide whatever I just knock aware mask. I have order mask in your sleep. Okay you can call in and talk about that as well but really do that tomorrow on theology Thursday. Okay back to I pledge allegiance to the flag talking about anti-Americanism in this country, written by my good friend Bruce Ashford Carolina Journal.com if we cannot cohere around some type of agreement about the common good. Our society will no longer be capable of producing its members. The character qualities necessary to maintain the greatness of our nation.

That's absolutely true. I said that before. It's kinda like that to. It reminds me of the Tower of Babel. We don't have a common language in this country anymore. Number one, we don't have a common Judeo-Christian language we've lost that is largely gone because basically you live in a pagan nation. Okay, it's true.

Get over it so that the common tongue of the Judeo-Christian worldview is gone okay in. We don't even have the common tongue of our founding principles. Liberty, freedom, justice, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution founding fathers we don't have that. So it's like the Tower of Babel and God confused.

Everybody's language and then they couldn't work together. That's the problem that Bruce is alluding to hear some anti-Americans overreact to our country's real flaws historical or contemporary, but the fallibility of a nation is not a reason to disown it so good indeed. No society but heaven is without flaw.

Others overreact to the sort of gross and uncritical patriotism champion champion by some of their fellow citizens.

Yet two wrongs don't make a right response to uncritical love must not be unbridled negativity. Again, it's not can you walk and chew gum at the same time can I love the nation in deal with its flaws.

Yes you can. Can I support a Donald Trump presidency while decrying some of the things about Donald Trump's behavior.

Yes, I can't. Well I can do both is an amazing still other Americans.

Bruce writes many of them elite influencers in academia, religion and politics engage in anti-Americanism as a rite of passage and an opportunity for virtue signaling for locating the Academy, especially as a lush environment for national self-hatred to flourish in about talk about colleges mostly but now public school in general. Far too many of today's scholars are about enemies of our cultural heritage, viewing themselves as prophets in the University is a breeding ground for revolutionary activism by the way, that's now down in the high school middle school level, where through a lot of like the BLM curriculum that was discovered going on in here in wake County reference loan rack method North Carolina allowing alliance Federation for education In the name exactly right now but Sloan's been on the show many times they found that not just developing little activists little activists to do what look out for their fellow man. No destroy the country. Essentially celebrities talk about it.

We must show the destructive nature of this sort of self-anointed prophecy and virtue, signaling anybody thinks that people wandered in darkness until Marx, Freud and phone call took us by hand will do nothing but injure the hearts and minds of our civilization, no matter how good his or her intention may be these professor activists are corrupting the hearts and minds of our young people in unfortunately cannot be reasoned easily out of their American anti-Americanism. We are talking about this yesterday with Alan and Bob from iron Academy exact same thing. Bob is been teaching for years, and was in the military for years America's educational system, public education, has no soul has no heart. This is exactly what's happening. For this reason, as Joseph Epstein put it, quote one must leave them as they are shimmering in the superiority of their dark view that in being born Americans. They were given a frighteningly raw deal while trying to win over the young, who do not have Lockton views on quote.

Indeed, we must focus our efforts on the younger generation. The students of our profit activist professors.

What must we tell them what must we tell the younger generations we must say that yes, the United States could have been found in a way more consistent with its own high ideals of justice, equality and freedom for all that must be recognized clearly our nation could do better than it does who would argue with that fact that our country possesses real flaws and shortcomings. No society short of heaven exists without blemish but no these flaws.

In short, comforting coming. Cummings do not justify our adoption of the sort of self loathing that exist today among many of our nation's elite and the activists on the left.

Instead, we must cultivate a robust but sufficiently critical patriotism that unites around the good that is found in our founding ideals and documents around the beauty that is in our nation's diverse peoples so that we can continue to live as free people in a sovereign nation under which citizens can's pursuit life, liberty and happiness right that's just logic. There's nothing wrong almost done and there is everything right about having a properly ordered love for this particular nation.

The United States, to whom God has entrusted us with citizenship are. Yes, of course, is qualified not only should we love our nation enough to admire and preserve the good and it but also enough to resist and stand guard against whatever injustices and instabilities we find within our borders.

By the way, this is exactly how we should live our lives as individual believers as it misses sanctification not being like in the book of James.

You look in the mirror and see what you look like in a couple minutes later you forget that's not self reflective. That's not sober mindedness last paragraph.

A significant challenge for our nation. Bruce Ashford writes therefore is to cultivate in the younger generation a proper admiration for our nation, including appreciation not only for its founding ideals and forebears, but also the exemplary persons and communities that exist in our country today before we start pulling specs out of our forebears eyes. We contemporary Americans need to remove some planks from our own. We must love our neighbors and our God by embracing the solid foundation upon which our nation is built while sober mindedly working to shore up where it is weak.

Okay. Bruce Ashford, my good buddy Carolina journal.com I pledge allegiance to the flag brilliant article incredible writing in so many salient points, just hits the nail on the head across-the-board enough now as for me and my house.

This is like right here is probably the main reason that I teach I been teaching high school age homeschoolers for the last three years. This fall will be my ninth year I teach a two semester civics class and Constitution class I teach a one semester Christian ethics class and is fallen adding US history at two semester US history class, why, why, because people perish for lack of knowledge in our young people don't have that kind of knowledge then understand how the country works.

They just get kind of digitally breast-fed if you will buy digital the digital media world Facebook twitter Instagram tick-tock Snapchat whatever schools are doing it. Schools are just indoctrination camps sunset around it wasn't even my idea home school friend of ours mom. Thank you. Ellen mentioned to my wife Gina hey Steve should really be teaching of government classes like in her nine years ago and on activist guy dealing with government stuff and fitness. I was on the radio. By this time, and so Gina said hey honey I agree with Alan.

You should really be teaching high schoolers civics class like you know what your right I should so I started exploring curriculum.

I found a Bob Jones curriculum that I liked and that I Steve Noble that and in kinda made it more suited to the way I teach it started doing in this year I had.

I don't know I probably had 50 students go to the government class last year I had were like 80 or 90 who knows how many will have this fall will be a lot all seven classes is that time-consuming yes. Is it laborious. Sometimes it doesn't feel like work as I know it's important to us is going to do it is not happening in the public school system is deftly not having knowledge level we need to reach the young generation, our own generation are posterity and teach them the truth, I'm not to give them some lags rate warped view of US history to be accurate through the lens of Scripture truthful and let the cards and the chips fall where they may leave and then still the greatest country in the world. This is Steve Noble and Michelle God willing I thought you always used to say another program powered by the Truth Network