An Interview With Presidential Candidate Tom Hoefling

I had the privilege to interview Tom Hoefling, a Christian husband, father, grandfather and Presidential candidate for 2020.

Mr. Hoefling

Mr. Hoefling stands firm upon the Word of God, and brings his Christian views and convictions to his campaign for President of the United States. In America, we need a strong leader who will lead by example to protect and preserve our God-given rights and liberties, pointing to God as the Giver and Sustainer of our life, rights, and freedoms.

VC: Why did you decide to run for President of the United States?

Mr. Hoefling: Because, for the third election in a row, I saw no one running who understands, much less consistently advocates for, the fundamental moral and constitutional principles upon which the survival of the American republic depends.
VC: What is your position on abortion? Is it acceptable in any circumstance?

Mr. Hoefling: The word “abortion” is itself a euphemism, one that tries to hide the fact that “abortion” doesn’t just stop, or abort, any old thing. When you commit “abortion” you are intentionally ending a precious human life. That’s called murder, and murder is never acceptable, in any circumstance. God’s command to all mankind, “you shall not murder,” is quite easy to comprehend. All court opinions, laws, or public policies that fail to provide equal protection for the God-given right to life of every person, born or unborn, are immoral and unconstitutional.

VC: We often hear pro-life organizations calling to overturn Roe vs. Wade, what are your thoughts on this? Is Roe vs Wade the law of the land?

Mr. Hoefling: Roe vs. Wade is nothing but an immoral, unconstitutional, opinion from the Supreme Court. As such, it is not the law. According to the moral, constitutional principles upon which our republic was originally based, such opinions are legal nullities. They can and MUST be ignored.

VC: If you are elected, what do you plan to do to work for the abolition of abortion in our country?

Mr. Hoefling: All officers of government in this country, in every branch, at every level, have as the first obligation of their sacred oath the protection of all innocent lives within their jurisdiction.

If I were elected to the office of President of the United States, I would keep my oath.

Justice Blackmun, in Roe vs. Wade, admitted that “of course” the child in the womb is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment, if they are a person.

Since it is self-evident that they are a person, my first act as President, after having sworn the oath, would be to publish a presidential finding to that effect.

My second act would be to ask for the resignation of anyone in the executive branch who would not act accordingly.

My third act would be to order the closing of every abortion facility in the country, as per the explicit, imperative requirement of the Supreme Law of the Land.

“No person shall be deprived of life without due process of law.”

“No State shall deprive any person of life without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

That’s the platform I ran on in 2012 and 2016, and that's the platform I am running on in 2020.

Please visit:http://prolifeprofiles.com/tom-hoefling-americas-party or https://www.tomhoefling.com/home/tom-hoefling-i-will-shut-down-every-abortion-facility-in-the-country

VC: In our culture today we see much discussion on marriage and homosexual relationships. What is your position on marriage?

Mr. Hoefling: From the beginning of the creation, marriage has been the sacred union of one man and one woman. That’s the way God made it, period.

Marriage is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind, the nexus of His eternal plan and all true, lasting, earthly riches. It is the foundational building block of all decent civic, governmental institutions. It is the basis of all true economics. It breeds peace and prosperity. It is the great stabilizer of civilizations. It is the well-spring and nursery of posterity. It must be restored and protected, or America will fail and fall.

The starting point is to destroy the fallacy of judicial supremacy. Immoral edicts from the courts are legal nullities and must be ignored.

VC: What is your position on mandatory public education?

Mr. Hoefling: Mandatory public education is communist in conception. Karl Marx included it in the Communist Manifesto. No American should ever put up with such a thing for a single minute. And, personally, I would like to see government out of the business of education entirely.

VC: What is your position on mandatory vaccines, including a vaccine for Coronavirus, as our country continues to discuss this topic?

Mr. Hoefling: I oppose mandatory vaccines. I also strongly oppose any use of any vaccine that contains cells derived from the broken bodies of murdered unborn children. Frankly, I would be very surprised if any corona virus vaccine they could come up with would be free of these cannibalized cells.

VC: In recent years we have seen discussion of whether women should have to register for the draft. What is your position on this?

Mr. Hoefling: I absolutely oppose subjecting women to any draft. I also oppose women being put in any combat situation.

VC: After the death of George Floyd, we have seen a lot of discussion about defunding the police, and anger over systemic racism. What is your response to these views?

Mr. Hoefling: "Defunding the police” is nonsensical. The ensuring of domestic tranquility is fundamental to our form of government. And if we have “systemic racism” it is in the U.S. Census, which is being used to divide the people up by race, so that politicians can continue to play divisive race politics with federal programs. I support removing all racial questions or designations from all government forms. I consider this to be a big part of the fulfillment of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream for this country.

VC: What do you believe are the biggest problems facing America today, and how do you intend to address these issues if you are elected?

Mr. Hoefling: The biggest problem facing the country is the loss of our moral basis. I intend to address it in the only way that it can possibly be addressed: by example.

VC: Transgenderism is a major topic in our culture right now. What is your position on this issue?

Mr. Hoefling: There are only two genders, male and female. Chromosomes don’t lie. Our public policies should all reflect that natural reality.

VC: In other countries we have seen attacks on parental rights, such as in England. What do you believe is the role of the parent in making decisions for their children, such as healthcare and educational decisions?

Mr. Hoefling: Parental rights are among our most important God-given, unalienable rights. Our Constitution makes reference to such unenumerated rights in the Ninth Amendment: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

VC: What is your position on the right of the people to keep and bear arms?

Mr. Hoefling: The right to keep and bears arms is the God-given right that ultimately guarantees the preservation of all of our other rights. Samuel Adams rightly called the right of self-defense ‘the first part of the natural law.” I believe that we should immediately repeal every gun restriction that has been instituted since the 1934 National Firearms Act.

VC: An often heard slogan in the last presidential election was "Make America Great Again". We see much unrest, division, and sin throughout our country. What do you believe must happen before America is truly great again?

Mr. Hoefling: Spiritual revival, a sincere general return to God by the people, is our only real hope. Not only is our national greatness at stake, but so is our national existence.

VC: Do you have any final thoughts you would like to share?

Mr. Hoefling: Three quarters of the people of the United States still lay claim to the title, "Christian." If even one third of them would prove it by ceasing to vote for what even they confess is evil, the country would be well on its way back to the moral and physical blessings we once enjoyed. Personnel truly IS policy.

Don’t let anyone bully you out of your vote. The only vote that is "thrown away" is one that is cast for someone who doesn't represent you, and who doesn't represent the moral and constitutional principles of the country.

For more information on Mr. Hoefling's campaign please visit: Tom Hoefling 2020

Vote Tom Hoefling for President 2020.

Biblical Missions in Eastern Europe: An Interview With Don Currin From HeartCry Missionary Society

In this post I have had the privilege to interview Don Currin. Mr. Currin is the coordinator for Eastern Europe with HeartCry Missionary Society.  HeartCry supports 222 missionaries in 44 countries as they work to proclaim the Gospel around the world that God's name may be honored in all the nations.

Don Currin

Below my questions for Mr. Currin are in black, Mr. Currin's responses are in red.

·How did you get involved with HeartCry Missionary Society, and how long have you served
with them?
"My connection with HeartCry was providential. I was introduced to HeartCry
and Paul Washer by a friend while traveling through Hannibal, Missouri, over 20 years
ago."
·As coordinator of Eastern Europe what does your ministry with HeartCry entail?
"I serve our HeartCry missionaries in Romania, Ukraine and Moldova by visiting them once to twice a
year. I teach them in HeartCry Conferences and speak in their churches. Once I’m at their
churches, I obtain a personal update about their ministry, pics for the HeartCry website,
and provide counseling. I receive monthly reports from each missionary, from which I will
post content and prayer requests on the HeartCry website."
·Why does HeartCry support long term indigenous missionaries instead of advocating for short
term "missions trips" by foreigners?
"We believe that no one knows the language, culture, ministry context and people overall any better than missionaries in their country do. Furthermore, we find that it takes far less financial support to sustain someone who is indigenous to the culture than a missionary sent from another country. But please do not
misunderstand. We are not opposed to other churches and organizations sending missionaries. Indigenous missions is how we have been led to carry out missions. Regarding “mission trips”, once again, we are not opposed to them, but because of the limited amount of time that our staff and supported missionaries have, we don’t have the time to coordinate “mission trips.”"
·Here in the U.S. we have seen a progressive shift away from biblical principles to a secular, God-hating society. How does this cultural decline in America compare to the cultural climate in Europe, and does it differ from country to country?
"There is a difference between Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Much of the difference can be traced to Western Europe’s affluence. While both regions of Europe experience the spiritual drift, the rural communities where you find older people who have a traditional mindset have not spiritually digressed as much as the urban areas."
·In the U.S. we see much nominal Christianity and only a small percentage of the "churches" here preach a true Gospel. Is the same true of Eastern Europe as well?
"Yes. Eastern Europe is only a step behind the United States. The indifference is evident, as there are few local churches that preach a biblical gospel."
·What do you believe is the biggest challenge that the Body of Christ in Eastern Europe faces as they seek to establish biblical Churches?
"Three great challenges are an erroneous view of what is a biblical gospel, the wave of pragmatic teaching that comes from the West and an ignorance of what is a biblical church."
·What do you believe is the greatest challenge the European Church faces as they seek to engage
their culture with the Gospel?
"A false understanding of the gospel. Between the Orthodox Church and Western culture, the people have been fed an flawed view of what is the gospel."
·I know that HeartCry does not solicit donations and faithfully relies upon God to provide. How
has this practice of living by faith, impacted you?
"HeartCry’s example, patterned after Mueller, and more importantly, the Apostle Paul, has shown me that God knows what my needs are. While neither HeartCry nor myself are opposed to other ministries making known their financial needs, we do not have the liberty of doing so. HeartCry and our ministry believe that God is our Patron and if He determines it necessary for our work to continue, He will sustain it without our asking for support."
·What biblical principles or passages of Scripture has the Lord brought to mind at various times
that have drawn you closer to Christ, challenged, or blessed you through your years of ministry?
"II Corinthians 2:14 God always causes us to triumph in Christ.
Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things?
Psalm 56:3 At what time I am afraid, I will trust in the Lord.
II Corinthians 1:9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in
ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:"
·What is the most important lesson that God has taught you through your years of ministry?
"Never take on any more ministry than my devotional life can sustain."
·How can people be praying for you?
"1. That I might cultivate a greater measure of love for all people.
2. That my theological understanding would be experiential.
3. That I might have a better understanding of how to persuade men when engaging them
to repent and believe the gospel."
·Do you have any final thoughts you would like to share?
"Christian men and women must learn the art of fighting in faith. Passivity is a deadly
enemy. Only the violent take heaven by storm. Nothing of eternal significance is ever
accomplished apart from aggression in prayer."

I would like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Currin for taking the time to do this interview with me. May God use his example to encourage and spur us on to make God's name known, and to serve our Lord Jesus Christ with all of our lives. Please keep Mr. and Mrs. Currin in your prayers as they seek to serve our Lord in the ministry He has given them.

You can visit HeartCry's website here: HeartCry Missionary Society. You can visit Mr. Currin's ministry website here: Don Currin Ministries.
In Christ,
Virginia

Mormon Quotes To Memorize For Witnessing To The Mormon People

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ.
In this post are some Mormon quotes that are helpful to memorize for witnessing to the Mormon People. If you memorize these quotes, they can be useful as you engage Mormons to show the comparison of the god of Mormonism and the God of the Bible, etc. Mormon quotes will be in blue, and Scripture verses will be in italics. 

"We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see." ~Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!"
~Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse

"It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the Bible." ~Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse

For a biblical response to the King Follett Discourse, please refer to this post: A Biblical Response To The King Follett Discourse By Joseph Smith

"Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test."
~Brigham Young

This is probably my favorite Brigham Young quote. I like using this quote when talking to Mormon missionaries. You can use it in this way: "Brigham Young said to 'Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with it, and see if it will stand the test.' This is what I desire to do." If you have opportunity for further discussion, you can bring up passages of the Bible in comparison to Mormon teaching and show that the "religion of the Latter-day Saints" does not "stand the test" of being compared to the Bible. Always remember to do this is love. Our aim is to share the truth of God with these men and women, not to rudely destroy their religion and send them on their way without having heard the truth of the Word of God presented to them in love. Bashing their religion and prophets and not sharing the truth with them, is not godly, and it is not a good way to build friendships with Mormons either.

"The truth is, my beloved brethren and sisters, man is a child of God—a God in embryo."

 ~Marion G. Romney, Man- A Child of God

This quote is blatantly contradictory to the Bible. The Bible teaches that Man is of a different nature than God, and that their is only one God. Historically Mormonism has taught that men can become gods. This teaching is clearly unbiblical. Let me share some verses that show the truth that their is only One God.

Isaiah 43:10

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.”

Isaiah 44:6

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god."

(Please refer to "A Biblical Response To The King Follett Discourse By Joseph Smith" and see the discussion on Acts 14:15 on the different nature of God and man.)

"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."  ~2 Nephi 25:23, Book of Mormon.

"3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." ~ Articles of Faith 3

The important phrase in the first quote is: "after all we can do".
The important phrase in the second quote is "by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
The Mormon religion is works based. The true Gospel in contrast is not based on the works of man, but affirms that salvation is through the work of Christ alone.
Romans 3:28 says: "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."
Galatians 3:10-14 says: "For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—  so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."
Galatians 5:4 says: "You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace."
The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is apart from works and that no one can be saved by works of the law. The law is our tutor to lead us to Christ so that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24). The law can never save us, it only shows us our sin and our need for the Savior. It also says in Romans 11:5-6 "So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace."
If as the Mormon Article of Faith teaches we are saved by grace after all we can do, then the grace would be based on our works, and thus would no longer be grace. Rather, the biblical teaching is that we are saved apart from works, based only on the work of Christ in His sacrifice and death for us, bearing our sins in His body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. (1 Peter 2:24) 

Please know that if you present these quotes to Mormons, they may or may not believe these teachings. You may want to present the quotes this way: "Joseph Smith taught in the King Follett Discourse that god is an exalted man, do you believe that?" You can use a similar format for other leaders and quotes. While it is recorded that past Mormons have taught these doctrines, we do not want to misrepresent the Mormons that we are speaking to and tell them what they believe. These quotes however are still good to bring up, especially from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young as they are past presidents of the Mormon church to show the conflict between their teachings and the Bible.

With love in Christ,

Virginia

A Biblical Response To The King Follett Discourse of Joseph Smith

Hello brothers and sisters in Christ.
In this post I will seek to equip Christians to give a biblical response to the false doctrine and false god that is taught by Joseph Smith in the King Follett Discourse as they speak with Mormons. This post will address some of the teachings of this discourse although it is not exhaustive. Let us begin.

Quotes from Joseph Smith are in Blue.

"It is necessary for us to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning. If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong we may go wrong, and it will be a hard matter to get right."

You may wish to bring up this quote when witnessing to Mormons to show that even as Joseph Smith thought that it is "necessary to have an understanding of God himself in the beginning" it is indeed important to get the character of God correct as the basis of our Theology and doctrine. You can then use this as a springboard to go into a discussion of how the god of Joseph Smith is not the God of the Bible and this is a matter that we must get right.

"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!"

"God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"

Numbers 23:19 (Emphasis added)
The Bible is clear that God is not a man. Joseph Smith taught that his god was an exalted man. This is a clear section where the God of the Bible is seen to be different then the god of Joseph Smith.

In Acts 14:15 it says: “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them." 

Let us consider the context of this passage; Paul and Barnabas are at Lystra and a crippled man is healed. "When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, :The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" The priest of Zeus wanted to offer sacrifices with the crowds. When Paul and Barnabas heard this they tore their clothes and cried out and addressed the crowds with the statement quoted above from verse 15. Let us now consider our text with this in mind; people wanted to worship these men, in response to this desire Paul and Barnabas made a distinction between the nature of man and the nature of God. They say that they should not worship them, they are men of like nature with them, however these men should turn from these vain things to serve the Living God. The True and Living God is of a different nature then men. Only the True Triune God of the Bible (Yahweh) The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit, is worthy of the worship and adoration of man. No man, regardless of how exalted they may seem, are worthy of worship. The god that Joseph Smith invented in his imagination is not worthy of worship and cannot save. There is salvation in no one other than the One True God, Yahweh. (Isaiah 43:11)

"In order to understand the subject of the dead, for consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary we should understand the character and being of God and how He came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see."

In Psalm 90:2 The Holy Spirit inspired these words: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

As you can see in a comparison of the text of the Bible and the claims of Joseph Smith, we see an irreconcilable difference between the God of the Bible and the god of Joseph Smith. God never came to be God, from everlasting to everlasting He is God. He was never a man, He never needed to be obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, He never had a god before Him, He alone is God and He always has existed as the Supreme Ruler of all. 

"Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power."

Joseph Smith taught here that "you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves." This is pure heresy. Examine these verses on the fact that there in only one God. 

"“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,“and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me." Isaiah 43:10

"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god."

Isaiah 44:6

"Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”
Isaiah 44:8

The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God. To say that men can become gods is blasphemy and expressly contradicts the teaching of the Bible. 

"It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ Himself did; and I will show it from the Bible."

While the above statement is false, I like the fact that Joseph Smith taught that this is the first principle of the gospel. The LDS people that you witness to, may not want to discuss the character and nature of God and prefer to speak of the restoration of the gospel and other topics. You may choose to bring up this section where Joseph Smith put such a great emphasis on this teaching. You can also point out the importance of knowing the character of the True God of the Bible as the basis for all of our Theology and Doctrine and that we must establish Who God is, before we can have a proper understanding of salvation and the Gospel.

I would also suggest finding the King Follett Discourse and other quotes that you discuss with Mormons, on www.churchofjesuschrist.org as the Mormons are more likely to accept the church's website as a trusted resource. 

While there is more that can be discussed from the King Follett Discourse, I hope that this post will give you some insight into topics and quotes to discuss and how to respond to this discourse biblically. 

With love in Christ,

Virginia

Malachi John Cowperthwaite

Hi everyone,
On October 13th our family welcomed my youngest brother Malachi John Cowperthwaite here to the outside of the womb. Malachi has been a human being created in the image of God since his conception and we have acknowledged his personhood ever since we found out that Mommy was pregnant. As abortion abolitionists we acknowledge the value and dignity of every human being from the point of conception, and we know that they are human persons. There is always much rejoicing in our household whenever we find out that God has blessed us with another child in our family.

Baby names are discussed by the family and we enjoy suggesting names although Mommy and Daddy always get the final say of course. Our family has been very purposeful in choosing names with good meanings for my youngest siblings. We had thought of the name Malachi John when my second youngest sibling was only a couple weeks old. Malachi John means "messenger of the grace that YHWH has shown". May God make Malachi to live up to his name. All of us are greatly enjoying our time with Malachi.

We enjoy sharing pictures of this little guy, so here are baby pictures.

He is super cute isn't he? Children certainly are a blessing from the LORD!
With love in the Lord,
Virginia

Persecution May Be Closer Than You Think: David Benham

Hello everyone,
Some of you may have heard of the twin brothers David and Jason Benham. You may seen their names in the news when HGTV canceled their show because of their Christian views. You may have also seen them as moderators on the National Bible Bee Competitions. Or others of you may be more familiar with their father Phillip "Flip" Benham and his work in the abolitionist movement over the past decades. These two brothers have been active voices in the Christian community.

Left to right: Jason and David Benham.
Photo taken from Benham Brothers Facebook page.

David  Benham is the co-founder of Cities4Life, a Christian ministry in Charlotte, North Carolina, that is active on the sidewalks in front of abortion facilities to proclaim the Gospel, to speak for the unborn, and to offer help to women.

On Saturday, April 4th, David Benham heard that there were a lot of police in Charlotte outside the abortion facility and that they were threatening to arrest some of the sidewalk counselors. Mr. Benham took his sons and one of their friends and went out to the abortion facility. Mr. Benham had talked to an attorney on the way to the abortion facility and knew his rights. Cities4Life is a federally recognized organization that provides essential services and is allowed to operate even under the stay-at-home order.

When Mr. Benham arrived at the abortion facility, there were many police officers there already. He was told that he was not allowed to be there. Mr. Benham did not give up his rights, but respectfully explained to the officer that he was allowed to be there, and continued reminding the officer that the officer himself knew that Mr. Benham was well within his rights to be there. The officer did not uphold Mr. Benham's constitutional rights, nor his rights under the stay-at-home order and Mr. Benham was unjustly and unconstitutionally arrested.

You can view the video of Mr. Benham's arrest here: David Benham Unjustly Arrested

Mr. Benham was taken to the jail and booked. He was released 4 hours later. While he was in jail, he had the opportunity to minister to 2 young men who were there. He was also joined in jail by his father "Flip", and his son, both of whom were also arrested for their stand for the Gospel and for the unborn.

Some may object to Mr. Benham's actions and some may believe that he should not have been out there at that facility on that Saturday morning. Mr. Benham however was within the laws of the land, he was within the stay-at-home orders, he had every legal right to be on that sidewalk, and he took precautions and practiced social distancing. What he did not do however, is stay home while innocent children were being murdered in his city, without standing up and being a voice for them. Mr. Benham was not disrespectful to the governing authorities, he told them even as they were arresting him that he appreciated them, and he was sincere in saying that. This is not a case of rude Christians being disrespectful to police and ignoring the law. They obeyed all the laws that applied to them. There were less than 10 people from Cities4Life present at the abortion clinic when Mr. Benham was arrested, and they followed all the guidelines they needed to in light of Covid 19. Mr. Benham was kind and respectful to the police officers, he obeyed when asked to step over to a different part of the sidewalk, and he did not resist arrest. Mr. Benham honored Christ in his actions, and serves as an example to others in balancing respecting the authorities, and yet obeying God even if that means they will be arrested. Mr. Benham's desire for going out to that abortion clinic on Saturday, not knowing when he got there what was going to happen, was to honor and glorify Christ and to fulfill his responsibility to speak up for the unborn who were being killed at that facility.

Mr. Benham has shown by example what it looks like to honor God and to respect the authorities while being an ambassador of Jesus Christ on the streets. As Mr. Benham has said, this situation can be boiled down to two words; Rights, and Responsibilities. Mr. Benham had the legal and constitutional right to be on that sidewalk that day. He also had a responsibility to stand up for the innocent children who were being slaughtered at that facility. The Church, as the body of Christ, has the duty to love their neighbors and to honor Christ and serve him with their lives. We as Christians are to "Rescue those being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter." (Proverbs 24:11) We are also to make disciples of all nations and to preach the Gospel to every creature. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15).

Mr. Benham followed these commands of God. He spoke for the voiceless, and stood up to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Although he was unjustly arrested, he was willing to endure persecution for the sake of obeying the commands of Christ. Even in the midst of a pandemic or healthcare crisis, the government does not have the right to exercise tyrannical, unjust and unchecked power. The governing authorities will have to answer to God for all of their actions, even those that took place in the midst of a crisis. Mr. Benham exercised his rights, and fulfilled his responsibilities.

I would also like to note that Mr. Benham and the other Christians who were arrested, were targeted, as there were other people out at a local park who were not arrested under the stay-at-home order. A man drove around Charlotte to see if the stay-at-home order was being enforced. What he saw, was crowded parks and riverbanks. There were clearly people in Charlotte who were out in public doing things, yet they were not arrested. Who was arrested? The Christians who were going about doing essential business in accordance with their rights and responsibilities. Those who were arrested were the ones who stood up to protect the rights of the unborn, who stood for justice, and stood up for the Gospel.

So was Mr. Benham right to go out to the abortion facility on Saturday? YES! He knew that babies were being murdered and that justice was not being served, and he was willing to give up his rights to defend the God-given rights of the unborn.

Was Mr. Benham going against Romans 13, and not submitting to the governing authorities? No. He was fulfilling the responsibility that he had been given to rescue those being taken away to death and to proclaim the Gospel. He was obeying God rather than man. (Acts 5:29) Remember that many Christians throughout the centuries have been arrested, persecuted, and even killed by the authorities for the sake of Christ. We are supposed to obey the governing authorities, however when the authorities unjustly tell you that you cannot stand up for the unborn, Mr. Benham chose to obey what he believed God wanted him to do, and obeyed God rather than man.

Was Mr. Benham not loving his neighbor by going out in public in the midst of Covid 19? No. He did love his neighbor, he kept his distance from others and had cleaned his hands. He was not doing anything that could have spread Covid 19. What he was doing was loving his pre-born neighbors as well and was pleading for their lives.

What good has come from this arrest and what should we as Christians learn from this? Mr. Benham has served as an example to Christians to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ even to the extent of giving up your freedom in order to obey God. He has also served as an example in how to show respect to the governing authorities even when you have to disobey unjust orders in order to obey God. Mr. Benham showed that he truly believed what he teaches about the value of the unborn and has lived out his words by his actions. We can all learn from this example in not just talking about what we believe, but actually obeying the commands of God in our actions.

May we as Christians be encouraged by Mr. Benham's example and seek to honor and glorify God in all of our actions.

Please be praying for Mr. Benham as this legal situation continues, and please be praying for all the Christians around the country and around the world who are standing for the Gospel and facing persecution for doing so.

In Christ,
Virginia

An Encouragement to Young Women To Be Preparing For Marriage With Our Attention On God, Not Man

Hi everyone,
In this post I would like to address the topic of preparing for marriage even before a man comes along that you may think you want to marry. As a young woman, I will be addressing this issue as regards women.

I am a young woman who is preparing myself for marriage whenever God sees fit for that to happen. I have been seeking to prepare myself for my husband and future union to him for years even though I have never been asked to enter a relationship. Young women: I believe it is important to prepare ourselves for marriage even before we have a man in mind. 

Let us look at 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 "I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord."

I would like to use a principle from this passage to support my position. "And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. " I believe that this principle can be applied to women who are preparing for marriage before a man comes along, and those who are preparing themselves thinking of a certain man whom they have already decided they will marry. 

The unmarried woman without a man in mind.

The woman who has not decided who she will marry can be busy about preparing herself for marriage without her emotions being as distracting and clouding her discernment as much. She can more fully evaluate her own heart and whether or not she is ready for marriage, without the clouded judgment that could occur if she had already grown attached to a specific young man. She can also set herself to preparing herself for marriage without trying to please a certain young man and devoting herself to spending time with him, etc. Instead of trying to prepare herself for marriage at the same that she is trying to decide whether or not a specific young man is the one that God has for her to marry, she can be setting her mind to make sure that she will be ready whenever that man does come along. One list of characteristics that we should seek to be cultivating in our lives is the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

A good godly wife will be mature in her spiritual walk and will strive to live a holy life and to please God in all that she does. A woman who is kept for her husband alone will be pure, and when she is married she will be faithful to her husband as long as they both shall live. The single years are a great time for a woman to devote herself fully to growing in her spiritual walk and living a holy and pure life, while serving within her family and preparing to be a suitable helpmeet to her future husband. In Proverbs 31:12 it says: "She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life." One way that we as young women can do our husbands good all the days of our lives is to keep ourselves for him, and to prepare ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually to be his helpmeet.

Quite a while ago now, I began preparing a list of questions for potential suitors. This list consists of important questions ranging from questions of doctrine and Christian living, to questions of personal preferences that would matter on whether our personalities and lifestyles are compatible. Even without a man in mind, I am putting together this list in order to be able to evaluate any potential suitor that may come along in the future. I believe that this is useful in order to help us in our judgment as young women to ask a broad range of important questions to see whether a man will make a suitable husband, and to not have our judgment as clouded by only considering a small area of his character. 

If you have a broad range of questions you can hopefully avoid the error of desiring a man because he has really good _______ (fill in the blank,) while having horrible Theology or doctrine. The questions on my list are things that I have thought of over the years that I want to know the answers to before I marry a man. Having a list like this will also hopefully save me from regrets. I never want to regret allowing my heart to be attached to a man before I know whether he is a godly young man and would make a suitable husband. I never want to regret that I did not first evaluate his character and spirituality before I grew attached to him. I will specify that I believe that the advice of godly parents and strong Christian advisors are important in discerning who a woman should marry. I will discuss this more later. (The Bible teaches that children are to obey their parents and that we are to honor our father and mother. Ephesians 6:1-3)

I can devote my time to growing in my relationship with God and cultivating the qualities and skills that I will need in marriage without being distracted by a certain man. This is a great benefit to preparing before that special man comes along.

Another benefit to preparing for marriage before a man comes along is that you have more time then if you wait until a man asks your father to court you. Imagine the stress and how overwhelming it could be if you are not prepared for marriage until you are courting! Imagine all that you would have to get done during that time. Also, marriage is a lifelong commitment. Preparing for it for many years may seem like forever when you are in the midst of the preparing stage, but even without being married, I am sure all the preparation will pay off.
In Luke 14:25-33 Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship. I do not want to take this passage out of context, but I do want to see the principle of counting the cost. We as young women should sit down before we start a courtship and evaluate whether or not we are ready to enter a relationship.

Preparing for marriage before your husband comes along can also be helpful to avoid long courtships that could cause more temptation. If you want to be ready for marriage you should prepare yourself before you start courting so that you are not stuck unprepared for marriage, yet waiting to marry the man you are courting. Think again about counting the cost to see if you have what you need to be ready for a relationship. Instead of being stuck unprepared, if a young woman is prepared before she starts courting, she can then be ready and her courtship can be a time of evaluating whether this is indeed the man for her to marry, and once that is decided marriage can take place quickly since she is ready to be married. Long courtships can cause temptation as a man and woman grow attached to one another. There are many examples in Scripture of people falling into sexual immorality. I also know for me that I wouldn't want to spend years thinking about marrying a man and spending time with him and growing closer to him and becoming emotionally attached to him and yet knowing that we won't be married for a long time. I am advocate for taking however much time it needs to know whether a man is the right one or not, but once that is figured out, just get married. No more temptation, no more longing, just marriage. My parents have taught me the value of this. I have also seen that even David who is called a man after God's own heart gave in to temptation; even Christians can fall into temptation and it is best to avoid temptation.

The unmarried woman with a man in mind.

The unmarried woman with a man in mind can be tempted to please her future husband, like the married woman is anxious to please her husband. I am not saying that a woman who is courting a man should not try to please him. (She should however do this as serving a brother in Christ in all purity. 1 Timothy 5:2) However, in preparing for marriage we must be mature spiritually and also mature in how we conduct ourselves and care for that which has been entrusted to us, and also growing in our relationship with God and not putting those things on the back burner or lower on our priority list because we are trying to please a man. Pleasing God should be our highest priority.

Our judgment could also be clouded as to our preparedness for marriage if we already have our mind set on a certain man and want to be with him. If you don't have a man in mind you can prepare for marriage to whomever God may have for you without even knowing who he is; whereas if you have a man in mind you could be tempted to be preparing yourself just so that you can mark off everything on your list and finally be allowed to marry him already. Our first priority as single women should be to please God and to prepare ourselves to be a suitable helpmeet to whomever He has for us to marry.

Hopefully this can be an encouragement to single women who are desiring marriage, to be preparing themselves even now. There are downfalls to waiting to prepare and benefits of starting to prepare yourselves now. 

I would also like to encourage young women to start conversations with your parents about what you desire in a spouse. Let them know the things that are important to you. That list of questions that I mentioned earlier, have your father read that and let him add questions. It is important to have godly advice from people such as your parents when it comes to preparing for marriage and going through a relationship. God has given us parents to guide us and has given fathers the duty to both train their children in the fear and the admonition of the Lord, (Ephesians 6:4) and to protect their daughters. The advice and encouragement of other Christians that are closely connected to you are good too. I mean, for us young women it doesn't hurt to have extra brothers in Christ to examine a young man and grill him with all the hard questions! (In love, in love.) The Bible says that there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. Proverbs 11:14 says: "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." I would like to apply this principle to marriage and the wisdom in having an abundance of counselors in whether a man would be a suitable and godly husband. 

What are some ways that I have been preparing for marriage?

• I have conversations with my parents. I ask them what they see in my life that I need to work on to prepare myself for marriage. This can include character qualities that they see that I should be cultivating.
• I spend time with my family. I have many younger siblings so I get practice with babies and younger children which prepares me for caring for any children that God may give me in the future.
• I help around our home with cleaning, chores, cooking, etc, which gives me practice for being a keeper at home after marriage.
• I do Bible memory, personal prayer time, and family worship which grow me in my walk with God.
• I do evangelism within the context of my family which gives me a better understanding of my worldview and how to defend the faith and also drives me to study more so that I can give a reasoned defense of my faith. I do this under the the authority of my parents, yet they also give me the ability to study to build my own convictions based on Scripture and they guide me and teach me along the way.
• I minister alongside, and fellowship with mature Christian brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage me in my walk with God, in my evangelism, and in looking to God's Word. One good way to prepare for marriage is to strive to be a solid Christian and brothers and sister in Christ can be a benefit in this. The Bible teaches about the importance of the Church. The body of Christ is important to the Christian and Christians walk alongside one another and point one another to Christ our head.
• I ask God to be preparing me to be a godly wife and mother. 
• I have a good relationship with my parents and we discuss marriage and courtship often. We discuss these things beforehand so they won't seem like completely foreign concepts whenever I may start a relationship. (I am the oldest daughter, so I get to be the test case. I don't mind, I think they will do great leading me through a relationship as they have done amazing leading me so far in other areas of my life.)
• I listen to sermons, Christian radio shows, and read good Christian books to grow in my understanding of God and His Word.

I would encourage young women to keep yourselves pure in body and mind and to save yourself completely for the one special man that God has for you. I know for me that I do not want to have regrets about giving my heart away to a young man who will not be my husband. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2 it says to encourage younger men as brothers, and younger women as sisters, in all purity. This should be our attitude toward young men, we should encourage them as brothers in all purity, and avoid inappropriate relationships, affections, or desires.  Evaluate a man and have others evaluate him too, be constant in prayer, and be prepared for when the right man comes along.

May God keep us pure for our future husbands and be preparing us even now for our future marriages, with our hearts set on pleasing God in all we do.

~Virginia