In Matthew 10:27-31, Jesus said:
“Therefore, do not fear them, for there is
nothing covered up that will not be revealed and nothing secret that will not
become known. That which I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and
what you hear whispered, preach on the housetops. Do not fear those who
kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear, instead, the one who can destroy
both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a tiny sum? Yet
not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even
all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; your value
surpasses the value of many sparrows.”
According to statistics published in the 2024 annual report from Open Doors (http://www.opendoors.org):
“On average, more
than 13 Christians are killed each day for their faith. … roughly 5,000
people each year. …The research for the 2024 list took place from October 1,
2022, through September 30, 2023.
… Additionally, 4,125 Christians were detained without
trial, arrested, sentenced or imprisoned … 3,906 believers were abducted …More
than 3,200 Christians were raped, sexually harassed or forced to marry
non-Christians … 42,849 followers of Jesus were physically or mentally
abused … And nearly 300,000 Christians were forced to leave their homes,
go into hiding or flee their country of origin.
Since Open Doors’ research teams only use reports they
can verify through on-the-ground networks, these figures are likely significant
undercounts.”
Perhaps, the most prominent Christian martyr in the world, at this moment, is Charlie Kirk. Wikipedia calls Charlie “an American right-wing political activist,” but first and foremost, Charlie was a Christian apologist. It is true that Republicans (vitriolically called “right wing” by the leftist opponents in such publications as Wikipedia) are also targets of assassins. Ask Donald Trump, Steve Scalise, or the late President Ronald Reagan. Nevertheless, despite his political leanings, Charlie primarily challenged those who opposed Christianity and conservative Christian lifestyles.
Charlie was a debater, not a bombastic
asserter (as are some preachers). An autodidact, like Abraham Lincoln and
Kenneth Burke, he decided not to complete a college degree, but he felt very
much at home in a college environment. Even on the day of his death, he was
sitting under a tent at a university, offering a microphone to any college
student or professor who cared to argue against his conservative Christian
positions. I agree with him that colleges and universities are appropriate
forums for debating any religious, philosophical, and political issues.
I taught a successful Argumentation course for years at Florida State University. I detected the same sense of liberal academic bias that others in university environments have also noticed—that universities are dominated by leftist, even anti-Christian rhetoric. I am actually proud of a criticism made of me by a former disgruntled student on RateMyProfessors.com to the effect that I quoted constantly from Kenneth Burke and the Bible. It’s true. What the student didn’t mention is that Kenneth Burke, while a genius in the fields of rhetoric, philosophy (especially, the philosophy of man and man’s language/symbol-use), and literature, was politically a leftist—a liberal Democrat—although he rejected Communism, itself. Religiously, he was an agnostic, not a Christian, but unable to convince himself to be an atheist (the logic did not allow it). Perhaps, the fact that I frequently used examples and quotes from the Bible was notable since so few of the student’s other professors were either inclined to use or capable of using biblical materials. In other words, I am (as Charlie was) perfectly happy to engage both sides of an issue. I wrote a textbook on argumentation, entitled ArguMentor, which was used at FSU for several years (even in my absence).
As did Charlie, I used my adeptness at argumentation as a Christian apologist. I wrote a book, The Logic of Christianity: A Syllogistic Chain, which builds arguments one upon another, beginning with the very question of proof, itself. The book employs logic concerning “matters of which we cannot be 100% certain. Nevertheless, although certainty is impossible, we can logically conclude that something is ‘probably’ or ‘possibly’ true” (4). Concluding “that something is ‘probably’ or ‘possibly’ true” is the definition of faith—something that Aristotle viewed as being just as important as absolute knowledge (perhaps, even more so, since there are so many more things in this world that one can never prove absolutely, but that are essential to our existence).
Taking a cue from the theologian R. C. Sproule, I tackled the supreme atheistic argument that Jesus (and all of the New Testament) incorrectly predicted an early return/Parousia that did not occur. In my book Apocalyptic Apologetic: They’re Digging in the Wrong Place!, I begin “by accepting (at least, for the sake of argument) the premise of these atheists and ‘highly learned specialists in the field of biblical studies’ that the Parousia and related events were predicted to occur ‘within a generation.’” Then I demonstrate “(citing Josephus, Zeitlin, Brandon, and others) that all the prophecies did happen [were fulfilled] within the timeframe in which they were predicted to occur.”
I even use Kenneth Burke’s “definition of [hu]man” in my book Disneology: Religious Rhetoric at Walt Disney World to show that Walt’s acceptance of “scientific” explanations of creation do not contradict Walt’s acceptance of biblical teachings.
At my age, I am not capable of stepping in to take up some of the slack on the college campuses created by the assassination of Charlie Kirk, but there are others, younger than I, who are already doing so. These new apologists are being encouraged by Charlie’s widow, Erika, as the new CEO of Turning Point USA. I am appalled by online attacks on this mighty Christian woman—attacks that are often based on fake news, but are always inspired by rhetorical attempts to character assassinate her motives. (How could she ever have allowed Charlie’s enemies to assassinate not only her husband but also his life’s work! She had to step immediately into leadership.) One thing I will attempt in order to support the Kirks is this: Throughout my life, I have had an avocation as a rather prolific songwriter (sometimes, even published). In that avocation, I have now composed a song dedicated to Charlie and Erika. It’s called: Erika’s Song (Why Did You Have to Go?). The lyrics are printed on slides in the YouTube video and below. My demo recording of the song is available at: https://youtu.be/lOuG7W2FStY I would be delighted, if any professional recording artists chose to cover the song.
When the nights are long
And I look around me to find
That you are not there,
Lie awake and dream
Of the times you kissed me
And softly fingered my hair,
There’s a feeling deep in my heart,
My Dear,
That tells me I miss you so.
Oh, why in the world
Did it happen to me?
Why did you have to go?
When I ride along
On a lonesome highway and you
Are not at my side,
I remember, then,
How you’d sit beside me
And touch my cheek as we’d ride.
There’s a feeling deep in my heart,
My Sweet,
That tells me I miss you so.
Oh, why in the world
Did it happen to me?
Why did you have to go?
When I’m dining out
Or attending movies alone,
I can’t quite explain
The recurring doubt
That I’ll ever truly find peace
In spite of this pain.
There’s a feeling deep in my heart,
My Love,
That tells me I miss you so.
Oh, why in the world
Did it happen to me?
Why did you have to go?
INTERLUDE
In Matthew 10, Jesus said:
“Therefore, do not fear them,
for there is nothing
covered up that will not be revealed and nothing secret that will not become
known. That which I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what
you hear whispered, preach on the housetops. Do not fear those who kill
the body but cannot kill the soul; fear, instead, the one who can destroy both
soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a tiny sum? Yet not
one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even all the
hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; your value surpasses the
value of many sparrows.”
When I pray to God
And I read His Bible,
His Spirit tempers my tears.
When I see the news
Of a great revival,
It somehow lessens my fears.
There’s a God above who is
Over all.
His Son is still in control.
Though men and their strife
Pose a threat to your life,
They can’t destroy
your soul.
Though men, with their vice,
Put an end to your life,
They cannot touch
Your soul.
