Eloquence with Shabby Intentions

The Sharlet Invasion

Jeff Sharlet is a journalist with a chip on his shoulder. The chip takes this form: “We keep trying to explain away American fundamentalism. Those of us not engaged personally or emotionally in the biggest political and cultural movement of our times—those on the sidelines of history—keep trying to come up with theories with which to discredit the evident allure of this punishing yet oddly comforting idea of a deity, this strange god. His invisible hand is everywhere, say His citizen-theologians, caressing and fixing every outcome: Little League games, job searches, test scores, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the success or failure of terrorist attacks (also known as “signs”), victory or defeat in battle, at the ballot box, in bed. Those unable to feel His soothing touch at moments such as these snort at the notion of a god with the patience or the prurience to monitor every tick and twitch of desire, a supreme being able to make a lion and a lamb cuddle but unable to abide two men kissing. A divine love that speaks through hurricanes. Who would worship such a god? His followers must be dupes, or saps, or fools, their faith illiterate, insane, or misinformed, their strength fleeting, hollow, an aberration. A burp in American history. An unpleasant odor that will pass.”

Like an imp with the gift of genius, Jeff Sharlet insinuates himself into Christian groups and succeeds in writing beautifully crafted denigrations using a kind of gossamer affirmation as a weapon. From the preceding first paragraph of his recent Harpers article entitled “Through a glass, darkly: How the Christian right is reimagining U.S. history” his passionate disdain for Christianity and Christians is clearly apparent. The article goes on to describe his time with a group of Christian men and their visit to the site of the Baptist Church in Danbury, CT. where Thomas Jefferson directed his letter that contained the phrase “wall of separation”. Read the article here.

Several years ago Sharlet penned another piece for Harpers entitled “Jesus plus nothing: Undercover among America’s secret theocrats”. Near the beginning of this piece he wrote: “It is April 2002, and I have lived with these men for weeks now, not as a Christian—a term they deride as too narrow for the world they are building in Christ’s honor—but as a “believer.” I have shared the brothers’ meals and their work and their games. I have been numbered among them and have been given a part in their ministry. I have wrestled with them and showered with them and listened to their stories: I know which man resents his father’s fortune and which man succumbed to the flesh of a woman not once but twice and which man dances so well he is afraid of being taken for a fag. I know what it means to be a “brother,” which is to say that I know what it means to be a soldier in the army of God.” In this piece he lampoons the activities of a group of Capitol Hill Christians. Read the article here.

Jeff Sharlet would have done well in the shoes of Jonathan Pollard. He has a talent for joining Christian groups without creating enough suspicion to get expelled while gleaning enough information to attack them with brilliant prose and vicious innuendo. He is a spy for those who are gleeful over trashing Jesus; one of many pagans in the United States who dislike Christians and Christianity.

A recent article received this pungent response: “al, stick your bible b-lls–t up your a-s, ok.??…that godd–n sh-t is exactly the stupidity that brought the niggers here in the first place…. Freemasonic bullsh-t and bible bilge !!! your stupid british freemason brothers were just so so greedy for cheap labor and the triangle slave, rum, etc. money schemes to overlook the long term ramifications of your stupid actions… Piss on the scummy brits….their heirs from the fortunes gained thru their trade should be executed right after they round up all their greed induced NIGGER infestation and herd them back to africa…”

If Jeff Sharlet and the author of the foul-mouthed comments had uttered such Blasphemy when the ancient nation of Israel was obeying God’s Laws they would have incurred the death penalty.

United States is going through an apostasy similar to those of the Old Testament era when the people were still God’s chosen. The reflection of God’s Laws that crept into our legal system is quickly being replaced by a secular system that will eventually make Christianity a crime warranting death or worse. A newly emerging, tolerant, all encompassing, world religion being crafted for future generations will be government sanctioned and as intolerant of competing religions as Christianity should have been. It will be the product of the minds of human beings who were created to live under God’s Laws and who are incapable of producing a legal structure that will provide freedom, justice, peace, and prosperity. The anarchy in the human minds being used to produce the new super world state will quickly be quelled by tyranny designed to produce an exterior peace at the point of a gun rather than the willing interior peace of Christianity. There will be no freedom, no justice, and the only prosperity will be at the top of the pyramid.

Rebellion is defined as “a defiance of or opposition to any kind of authority or control.” Rebellion in all of its forms is sin. The legal remedy for rebellion began early for the Israelites living under God’s Laws. “If any man has a rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chasten him, he will not even listen to them then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of the city at the gateway of his home town. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear of it and fear.” Deuteronomy 21: 18-21

Non-believers who read this portion of scripture will brand it ridiculous and immediately mock it as being unfair and untenable. Evangelical Christians will follow closely reminding their brethren they are living by Grace and disobedience to The Law has been forgiven by Christ. Both of these rebellions are seriously in error.

Human law is the only alternative to God’s Laws . Since those who rebel against God’s Laws are seeking freedom they believe that a legal void will allow them to fulfill their dream. If there is anything that can be learned by studying history it is surely the fact that fighting, killing, war, torture, and other inhumanities have been continuous throughout history and the brief periods of peace have usually been accompanied by despotic governments. Peace at the point of a gun has been much more common than peace that emanates from the heart.

God’s Legal System is designed to produce peace in a milieu of freedom. In contrast to recorded history, when God’s people begin to obey His Laws the death penalty will not only bring justice but will activate a system of eugenics that will cleanse the social order of rebellion and usher in a peace in the human heart that can be sustained without tyranny.

Human beings cannot survive without a proper punishment for murder, nor can they endure without the family. When the blank slate that makes up the sinful human mind is allowed to reign, individual opinion creates an evil chaos that can only be quelled by tyranny or by the Ordnances of The One True God.

Jeff Sharlet is on target with some of his critique. “His invisible hand is everywhere, say His citizen-theologians, caressing and fixing every outcome: Little League games, job searches, test scores, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the success or failure of terrorist attacks (also known as “signs”), victory or defeat in battle, at the ballot box, in bed.” It is difficult to imagine a better description of the triumphs the servant god they call Jesus accomplishes for those who claim to control him! Sharlet is certainly right about the prevalence of citizen-theologians; in United States every Christian reads his Bible and produces his own interpretation. All unity is quickly lost when the determinations of our forefathers are ignored in favor of our current arrogant opinion.

A fellow Christian accuses me of these infractions:. “You’re trying to change things that you can’t change. You don’t know the difference between the things you can change and the things you can’t change. Yours is the sin of pride and presumption — all in the guise of spirituality. You’re just as deluded as those “faith” preachers whom you (rightly) expose. Stop trying to play God. Be obedient by evangelizing and discipling others in His name. Jesus Christ is the One who died for us; He’s the One who forgives us; the One who is coming again to judge and to rule. Once you recognize your proper place in the grand scheme of things, you’ll wonder why you moved out of your own lane and tried to get into the lane that is occupied by Christ alone. You accuse the U.N. of trying to usurp God’s role. I know you’ll never believe me, but you are doing precisely the same thing. The worst part of it is, you don’t even realize it. And you’re too old to ever get it. Read Revelation 2:1-4. (You probably won’t.) It talks about men who expose those who are evil — but have succumbed to the evil of leaving (not losing) their first love. That’s what you’ve done. I doubt that you can ever find your way out of that abyss. Here’s hoping that you’ll know how to get a hold of the Lord in such a way that you can taste His mercy once again. You’re a bitter old man, and only God Himself can help you.”

I am a big supporter of rebuke and seriously consider corrections from whatever source.

It seems to me that Christians whose zeal to evangelize overcomes their discernment not only make themselves vulnerable to allowing interlopers to publicly denigrate their Faith but are hopelessly naïve as well.

God has provided the Christian community with many who have the gift of evangelism. Their labor should be in fields that are fertile and they should engage their new converts in the task of serving the King. Jesus is King and kings may dispatch gifts at their whim but their position does not allow them to be on call to serve their constituents.

Christians in service to the King should be employed in bringing His dominion into all of society by obeying His Laws and seeking to enjoin civilization to do likewise.

My goal as a writer is and has been to expose fallacy and bring truth into the open. I am a critic. In the Old Testament Prophets filled the critical role. That office has not been affirmed in this era but the objective is still necessary. Rebuke is an agent of correction; it also enhances truth.

I am not bitter, I sleep in peace, but I am angry. Any astute Christian who has witnessed the activities of the United States Church of Jesus Christ during the past forty years, seen the major increases in the numbers of attested conversions, and is not disappointed with the cultural fruit needs to re-evaluate his opinion.

Jeff Sharlet calls it “the biggest political and cultural movement of our times”. This massive, so called Christian movement has succeeded in bringing us to the brink of world government; it has presided over our transition from a Biblically based legal system to one of humanism; it has trashed the historic pillars of sound doctrine; elected and re-elected a President who is conducting an illegal war and is creating a police state; supported a rogue foreign nation to the detriment of our own; arrogantly ignored the sound theology of our forefathers; and, allowed its leaders to become wealthy, corrupt, and heretical. Unfortunately, the list could be extended.

Christians should be circumspect before allowing men like Jeff Sharlet to infiltrate their ranks. But conversely men like Jeff Sharlet are useful in pointing out the ludicrous actions of many United States Christians.

It is the day we celebrate Thanksgiving, a practice that dates back to Colonial America. I have much to be thankful for: The Father drew me, Jesus saved me, He delivered me, He converted me, He brought me peace, joy and prosperity, His blood covers the sin that still resides in me and because of that covering, my petitions to the Father are heard. I have a wonderful Christian wife who has been mine for 32 years and whose love for me is as fresh as it was at the beginning. Though the clouds are already above us, we live in peace, with plenty to eat, adequate medical care, and an affluence not known by my depression endowed parents.

Patty and I are greatly blessed and we wish my readers the same blessings.

Al Cronkrite is a guest columnist for Novakeo.com
Al Cronkrite is a writer living in Florida, reach him at: