April 21, 2025
Parallel Polis Publishing
by Rory Feek, Plain Values
Here in the middle of Tennessee, the arrival of March signals the return of spring. The long-awaited blooming of yellow daffodils that encircle our family cemetery here on the farm lets us know that winter is wearing thin and that warmer weather will soon be on its way. The pretty daffodils are also a gentle reminder of my beautiful bride Joey’s passing this month six years ago.
In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in the New World with a mission to conquer the Aztec Empire. He arrived with a small army of 600 men, but he faced a significant challenge. His men were afraid and they were not sure that they could succeed in their mission. To inspire his men Cortés did something radical – he burned his ships. By doing so he eliminated any possibility of retreat and forced his men to fight for victory or death. This act of burning the ships became a symbol of determination and commitment.
Jesus Christ is the king of kings and ruler of this world. And He has brought His people into His kingdom to rule with Him. Believers are saved from sin, death, and hell, and saved to rule as kings under King Jesus. He wants His people to mature into people capable of wielding authority. Whether that is in the home, the workplace, or the civil realm, He has created you to take dominion. David’s story is given to us as an example of God’s anointed king demonstrating righteous rule. It is an example for God’s people 3,000 years later in our own time and place.
David has been tested repeatedly, and throughout the trials he has proven himself worthy. His suffering has produced wisdom that he has used well. He has avoided scandalous sin like regicide. He has carefully navigated being a fugitive on the run from a king he refuses to fight, as well as being a defector to the enemy without harming his own people. But now, David is in trouble. He’s been called out to war with the entire Philistine army against Israel. He cannot fight Israel. But he cannot rejoin Saul. He is stuck. And there is no amount of cleverness or wisdom that will get him out of this mess. So what is he to do?
By Ferree Hardy, Plain Values
“Oh, I don’t mean to be talking over and over about me,” worried the widow sitting next to me. “I don’t know why I find myself telling you all this.”
I assured her she was fine. “It’s what I do. I let people talk to me. I loved hearing your story.”
“I don’t want to bore anyone or seem prideful. And sometimes when I mention my husband, I see the alarm on their faces,” she continued. “But we made so many memories together, and I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Yes, I know. Tell me more…”
Telling the story is something most grieving people do, whether they intend to or not. It just comes out. I smile now, a little embarrassed, when I remember how one of Bruce’s friends called me a month after the funeral. After he asked the innocent question—“So, how are you?”—he got a 45-minute earful! I’m not a talker, but I needed to talk that day.
Recently there has been criticism of the idea of Christian Nationalism from some corners of ostensibly conservative evangelical church. For instance, Executive Vice President of G3 Ministries, Scott Aniol posted the following:
“After God, let us have our own conscience as our mentor and rule for all things, so that we may know which way the wind is blowing and set our sails accordingly.”
–St. John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent, Chapter 26.6
All of my text messages were monosyllabic. Yes. No. K. Cool. Thanks. I had to look up or print out directions at the house before driving somewhere new. My music selection was limited to CDs. I had to go buy a camera.
With these inconveniences came a sweet type of freedom. I was more often alone with my thoughts. I was more often surprised by the world around me. I spent more time looking people in the eye. And I noticed, for the first time, how many people glued their faces to their phones, in all kinds of public places. When I used a smartphone myself, I hadn’t really ever noticed that – my own face, too, had been glued down.
Last week a member of the trans community unleashed a wave of devastation upon Christians in Nashville that ended the lives of six of our brothers and sisters in Christ including three young children. I noted in my last post on this subject how we must learn to hate evil again as it continues to creep up in the world around us being endorsed and praised by the mainstream press, academics, culture, and major multi-national corporations.
By Joel Salatin, Plain Values Five hundred years ago, North America produced more food than it does today. That should stir your imagination and make…
Psalm 118 by Pastor Andrew Isker Introduction Psalm 118 is about Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem to do battle with Satan, sin, and death. But it…
As Christians we are called to stand firm in our faith even in the midst of turmoil and chaos of the world around us. Recent news of the horrific massacre of six Christians including three young children in Nashville, the news of President Trump’s sham indictment, and the conviction of Douglas Mackey may be discouraging and disheartening, but in these moments we must remember that our hope and our strength come from a higher power.
This week was a difficult week for me both as a Christian and as a father of young children. I looked everywhere for a response from so-called “Christian leaders” and at best I found silence while at worst I found those supporting the “trans community” instead of our own brothers and sisters in Christ.
by John Moody
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have the government show up at your door? To come to your business or your homestead? To your farm or your house? To shut you down or take your stuff or even arrest you?
On Monday, March 27, a woman who believed she was a man deliberately attacked a conservative Christian school in Nashville, murdering three nine-year-old children and three staff members. It was a deliberate terror attack by a transgender on Christians and their children. A 28-year-old woman named Aubrey Hale, who also went by “Aiden” and demanded others use male pronouns to refer to her, was shot dead by police minutes after the attack began.
Given these circumstances, any reasonable person can safely conclude this was an ideological attack. Whether Hale’s manifesto recovered from her vehicle ever sees the light of day is another story, especially if it is damaging to the transgender narrative the regime has devoted massive resources to prop up. What can be pieced together is that:
