F - PEOPLE FILES
- Mary Fairchild - Jonathan Falwell - Peter Fargo - Gregg Fairrington - John Fea - David Feddes - David Felton - Andrew Ferguson - Dave Ferguson - Sinclair Ferguson - John D Ferrer -
==mary fairchild===============
Mary Fairchild has worked full time in Christian ministry since 1988. While in Bible School, she worked for a major city church as the assistant to the dean of Christian education. Next, Mary served on the foreign mission field in Brazil from 1990-1994. Upon returning to the States, Mary became a pastoral assistant and office manager for a large intercity church. Mary worked as the general editor on several Christian books and booklets for Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg from 2006 until 2017. Recently, Mary joined the team of writers for GotQuestions.org, where she provides responses to questions related to the nature of God, the Scriptures, salvation, and other spiritual topics.
Mary Fairchild
As a teenager, before I received salvation in Jesus Christ, I woke each morning with a terrible sense of dread. But all that changed when I encountered the love of my Savior. Since then I have discovered one sure thing I can count on: the steadfast love of the Lord. And I am not alone in this discovery.
Just as people live with the certainty that the sun will rise in the morning, believers can trust and know that God's strong love and faithfulness will greet them again each day and his tender mercies will be renewed every morning.
-Mary Fairchild; Learn Religions; His Mercies Are New Every Morning - Lamentations 3:22-24 8.11.21
Just as people live with the certainty that the sun will rise in the morning, believers can trust and know that God's strong love and faithfulness will greet them again each day and his tender mercies will be renewed every morning.
-Mary Fairchild; Learn Religions; His Mercies Are New Every Morning - Lamentations 3:22-24 8.11.21
==Jonathan Falwell=============
Jonathan Pate Falwell (born September 7, 1966) is the senior pastor at the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and campus pastor at Liberty University. Falwell earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University in 1987, his Master of Arts degree in Religion from the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 1995, and a Juris Doctor degree in 2005 from the Taft Law School in Santa Ana, California He is the son and successor of the late Reverend Jerry Falwell and the brother of former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. His older sister, Jeannie, is a surgeon.
Jerry Falwell Jr. claims brother Jonathan has a conflict of interest in trademark suit against LU
In his quest to hold his former school, Liberty University, accountable for alleged trademark infringement, Jerry Falwell Jr. has shifted gears to his brother, Chancellor Jonathan Falwell. Jerry Falwell Jr. claims Jonathan Falwell has a conflict of interest, according to a petition filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court.
(News & Advance 8/30/23) READ MORE>>>>>
In his quest to hold his former school, Liberty University, accountable for alleged trademark infringement, Jerry Falwell Jr. has shifted gears to his brother, Chancellor Jonathan Falwell. Jerry Falwell Jr. claims Jonathan Falwell has a conflict of interest, according to a petition filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court.
(News & Advance 8/30/23) READ MORE>>>>>
Jonathan Falwell
“Everything is being redefined. Truth is being redefined, and yet we stand here today and recognize that truth has always been truth, and truth will be truth, and truth will forever be truth, and that truth comes from God Himself....It is in Him and Him alone where we find our hope. It’s not going to be found in the White House, or the State House, or the Court House—it will be found in God’s house when God’s house is teaching the gospel and the Word of God.”
--Jonathan Falwell; Twilights Last Gleaming; New Orleans; 6.13.23
--Jonathan Falwell; Twilights Last Gleaming; New Orleans; 6.13.23
==peter fargo==============
Climate Vigil aims to channel prayer into action
Aney belongs to Climate Vigil, an eastern Oregon organization founded about two years ago. It grew out of a prayer book written by founder Peter Fargo. So far, it’s mainly offered avenues for climate advocacy and reflection modeled on Christian practices, including a worship album and community vigils. But Climate Vigil members felt that the issue’s urgency required them to join people of all backgrounds in fighting for common values: human rights, including the right to a safe climate. “We’ve prayed, we’ve sung, we’ve been inspired, we’ve lamented,” said Fargo. “That’s really deep soul work and hard work, and it creates this potential energy that needs to be channeled into action.” Climate Vigil’s moral and spiritual motivations could strengthen the broader movement for climate action, helping participants find the courage to persist during dark times. They saw youth climate activists in particular as people who shared their values, especially in the way young activists articulate their fundamental rights. (High Country News 1/1/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Aney belongs to Climate Vigil, an eastern Oregon organization founded about two years ago. It grew out of a prayer book written by founder Peter Fargo. So far, it’s mainly offered avenues for climate advocacy and reflection modeled on Christian practices, including a worship album and community vigils. But Climate Vigil members felt that the issue’s urgency required them to join people of all backgrounds in fighting for common values: human rights, including the right to a safe climate. “We’ve prayed, we’ve sung, we’ve been inspired, we’ve lamented,” said Fargo. “That’s really deep soul work and hard work, and it creates this potential energy that needs to be channeled into action.” Climate Vigil’s moral and spiritual motivations could strengthen the broader movement for climate action, helping participants find the courage to persist during dark times. They saw youth climate activists in particular as people who shared their values, especially in the way young activists articulate their fundamental rights. (High Country News 1/1/24) READ MORE>>>>>
The Christian case for fighting climate change is being tested in Eastern Oregon
Like many Christian stories, the origin of Climate Vigil began with an awakening. Peter Fargo, who founded the group, traces the idea back to the birth of his son in 2019. “There was something about that moment with our newborn son that I needed to get my attention,” he said. “That was when I said yes to that calling in my heart and soul.” God was calling Fargo to an uncommon type of missionary work. He left his job to dedicate himself to fighting climate change full-time. And from his home in Baker City, Fargo plans to spread his message across Eastern Oregon. (Oregon Public Broadcasting 2/25/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Like many Christian stories, the origin of Climate Vigil began with an awakening. Peter Fargo, who founded the group, traces the idea back to the birth of his son in 2019. “There was something about that moment with our newborn son that I needed to get my attention,” he said. “That was when I said yes to that calling in my heart and soul.” God was calling Fargo to an uncommon type of missionary work. He left his job to dedicate himself to fighting climate change full-time. And from his home in Baker City, Fargo plans to spread his message across Eastern Oregon. (Oregon Public Broadcasting 2/25/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Is climate change real? Does the Bible say anything about it? Are Christians called to help solve it? Yes. Climate change is already happening. It threatens God’s people—all of us, our children, and generations of unborn children. Climate change also threatens the rest of God’s creation. Although solving climate change can sometimes seem impossible, Christians need not despair. We are people of faith, hope, and love. We believe in God, the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth, and we believe that God answers prayers. Will you join a million other Christians in prayer to help solve our climate crisis? "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). Peter E Farg; A million Prayers (January 3, 2020)
==GREG FARRINGTON===============
Greg and Kathy Fairrington are the lead and founding pastors at Destiny Church in Rocklin, California. It is only by God’s faithful plan that they have pastored a church that started as a small group of people 31 years ago and is now one of the fastest growing churches in Sacramento.
Sept 14, 2022: ABC10: Destiny Christian Church offers support to wildfire survivors
Pastor Greg Farrington says the church community wants those who are experiencing a difficult time to feel welcomed and cared for.
“We want to give people a chance to feel like, 'Hey, there’s a place that cares about me,'” Farrington said.
Pastor Greg Farrington says the church community wants those who are experiencing a difficult time to feel welcomed and cared for.
“We want to give people a chance to feel like, 'Hey, there’s a place that cares about me,'” Farrington said.
Although opposition to COVID vaccines has been tracked more as a political issue than a religious belief, national polling consistently has shown that conservative evangelical Christians tend to be overly represented among the vaccine hesitant and the vaccine refusers.
With the arrival of vaccine mandates, anti-vaxxers are turning to their religious beliefs as a new justification for refusing vaccination.
Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, Calif., now offers “religious exemptions” to anyone who asks for them, according to CBS Channel 13 in Sacramento. Pastor Gregg Farrington said his church is pro-freedom, not anti-vaccine, yet he’s been approached by “hundreds of people who feel morally compromised by mandatory vaccination requirements.” -Mark Wingfield;Baptist News Global
With the arrival of vaccine mandates, anti-vaxxers are turning to their religious beliefs as a new justification for refusing vaccination.
Destiny Christian Church in Rocklin, Calif., now offers “religious exemptions” to anyone who asks for them, according to CBS Channel 13 in Sacramento. Pastor Gregg Farrington said his church is pro-freedom, not anti-vaccine, yet he’s been approached by “hundreds of people who feel morally compromised by mandatory vaccination requirements.” -Mark Wingfield;Baptist News Global
==john fea===================
John Fea is Professor of American History and Chair of the History Department at Messiah.
John Fea (PhD, State University of New York at Stony Brook) is distinguished professor of American history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and executive editor of Current. He is the author of several books, including Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump and Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? He writes a popular daily blog, The Way of Improvement Leads Home.
John Fea (PhD, State University of New York at Stony Brook) is distinguished professor of American history at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and executive editor of Current. He is the author of several books, including Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump and Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? He writes a popular daily blog, The Way of Improvement Leads Home.
Two Historic Philadelphia Churches Offer Lessons for an America Divided Today and in Its Infancy
“We tend to think that the early American republic was a time of great unity, but, like today, the political culture was deeply polarized,” says John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah University in Pennsylvania.
During the 1780s, Fea said via email, debate raged about how to apply revolutionary-era principles such as liberty or freedom to all Americans. From the pulpit, the Rev. Jacob Duché, the church’s rector, was seen as a moderate and led prayers as the first chaplain of the Continental Congress. But then he sided with the loyalists.
When the British occupied Philadelphia in 1777, the rector wrote a letter to Washington urging him to surrender and reach a deal with the British. After the letter became public, Duché traveled to England. Pennsylvania officials later labeled him a traitor and banned his reentry. His successor, the Rev. William White, became the first presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He’s praised for keeping the unity of his congregation during times of turmoil. (Christian Post 10/25/24) READ MORE>>>>>
“We tend to think that the early American republic was a time of great unity, but, like today, the political culture was deeply polarized,” says John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah University in Pennsylvania.
During the 1780s, Fea said via email, debate raged about how to apply revolutionary-era principles such as liberty or freedom to all Americans. From the pulpit, the Rev. Jacob Duché, the church’s rector, was seen as a moderate and led prayers as the first chaplain of the Continental Congress. But then he sided with the loyalists.
When the British occupied Philadelphia in 1777, the rector wrote a letter to Washington urging him to surrender and reach a deal with the British. After the letter became public, Duché traveled to England. Pennsylvania officials later labeled him a traitor and banned his reentry. His successor, the Rev. William White, became the first presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He’s praised for keeping the unity of his congregation during times of turmoil. (Christian Post 10/25/24) READ MORE>>>>>
May 27, 2017: New York Post: Ravi Zacharias, Preacher Who Used Reason to Defend Faith, Dies at 74
“Ravi was a kind of philosopher for the church,” said John Fea, a professor of history at Messiah College, a private Christian school in Mechanicsburg, Pa. “His primary audience was conservative evangelicals with college degrees who wanted to give some kind of rational, empirical defense of their faith in the workplace, at the water cooler, with the people they sat next to on the plane.”
“Ravi was a kind of philosopher for the church,” said John Fea, a professor of history at Messiah College, a private Christian school in Mechanicsburg, Pa. “His primary audience was conservative evangelicals with college degrees who wanted to give some kind of rational, empirical defense of their faith in the workplace, at the water cooler, with the people they sat next to on the plane.”
==david feddes================
David Feddes (Ph.D., Trinity International University) is Provost of Christian Leaders Institute and pastor of Family of Faith Church, Monee, Illinois. Formerly he hosted the international Back to God radio broadcast, directed the Center for Advanced Studies at Crossroad Bible Institute, and served as a pastor, evangelist, and church planter.
David Feddes
Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian leader from an earlier generation, told of a man in deep water who wasn’t able to swim. However, there was an expert swimmer nearby. As Nee watched, he expected this man to rescue the other one immediately. But he did nothing. “Don’t you see he’s drowning?” shouted Nee. But still the good swimmer did nothing. Meanwhile, the drowning man grew weaker and fainter. Nee thought to himself, “How awful that this great swimmer won’t rescue a drowning brother.” But just as the drowning man ran out of energy and stopped thrashing around, the swimmer sped to him in a few swift strokes, took hold of him, and brought him safely to shore. Nee scolded the swimmer for waiting so long, but the man replied, “Any earlier, and he would have pulled me under with him. A drowning man cannot be rescued until he is utterly exhausted and stops trying to save himself.” So too, when you and I are drowning in sin, the Lord may let us thrash around for awhile, trying desperately to save ourselves and change our ways. Of course God is not worried that we could pull him under, but he knows that before we are rescued, we must first give up any hope of earning the right to heaven or making ourselves holy on our own. God’s holy law leaves us exhausted and helpless before the face of God. If our only hope of holiness and heaven were our ability to do the good things commanded in God’s law, we would be ruined. But just when we give up and cry, “Who will deliver me?” we may find ourselves saying, “Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2). --David Feddes; Fighting the Flesh
David Feddes
Spiritual adulterers would rather fit in and be approved by the world than please God. Spiritual adulterers find their greatest pleasure in the world’s entertainment, the world’s success, and the world’s enjoyments. They live by the world’s standards. The underlying reason is that their love and desire is focused on the world rather than on God.
To all such people, the Bible says in James 4:4, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Those are strong words. God doesn’t just mildly suggest that worldliness might be a bit of a weakness in the way you relate to God. He says worldliness makes you an adulterer and a prostitute! The Lord doesn’t say that if you’re worldly, you don’t love God quite as much as you should; he says you hate God and are his enemy. Getting cozy with the world is a fatal friendship. It’s fatal to the way you relate to God, and it’s fatal for your eternal soul.
--David Feddes; Seduced By The World
To all such people, the Bible says in James 4:4, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Those are strong words. God doesn’t just mildly suggest that worldliness might be a bit of a weakness in the way you relate to God. He says worldliness makes you an adulterer and a prostitute! The Lord doesn’t say that if you’re worldly, you don’t love God quite as much as you should; he says you hate God and are his enemy. Getting cozy with the world is a fatal friendship. It’s fatal to the way you relate to God, and it’s fatal for your eternal soul.
--David Feddes; Seduced By The World
David Feddes
If you think you may ask God for help only if you’ve earned the right, think again. God doesn’t help people who think they deserve it; he helps those who know they don’t deserve it. God is pleased and honored when we throw ourselves on his kindness and ask him for a lot more than we have any right to expect. Real prayer counts on God’s generosity and promises, not our qualifications.
Jacob confessed his unworthiness and begged God to save him and his family from destruction. All the while, Jacob kept reminding God of his promises to protect and bless him. Like a little child saying to his father, “You promised! You promised!” Jacob appealed to God’s promises again and again (32:9-12). -Dr David Feddes; David Feddes. Originally broadcasted on the Back to God Hour and published in The Radio Pulpit
Jacob confessed his unworthiness and begged God to save him and his family from destruction. All the while, Jacob kept reminding God of his promises to protect and bless him. Like a little child saying to his father, “You promised! You promised!” Jacob appealed to God’s promises again and again (32:9-12). -Dr David Feddes; David Feddes. Originally broadcasted on the Back to God Hour and published in The Radio Pulpit
Jesus is a general. His followers are soldiers. Life is war. You can't avoid spiritual warfare. Every soul and every structure of society is involved in a clash of unseen powers. You might try to be neutral, but you cannot avoid the antithesis. If you are not with Jesus, you are against him and need to switch sides. If you believe in Jesus' victory, you still need to fight. Find out how to defend against evil attacks from the devil, the world, and the flesh. Learn to carry out missions in the Holy Spirit's power that would otherwise be impossible. Get trained on how to wear the armor of God and use divine weapons. Dr. David Feddes invites you to join Jesus in conquering evil. Dr. Feddes draws upon careful Bible study, seasoned by his experience of spiritual warfare and his decades of worldwide ministry in many cultures. Spiritual Warfare by David Feddes; Originally published: October 18, 2013
==david felton==================
David Felton received a music education degree from Arizona State University before attending Boston University School of Theology where he earned his MDiv in Biblical Studies and History. Before completing Chaplaincy training at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, David spent a year studying as a Rotary Graduate Scholar at Perth Theological Hall of Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. There he received an Honours degree and a taste for Promite.
Feb 7, 2022: LGBTQ Nation: Arizona state government is secretly funding an anti-LGBTQ hate group
“What do people not understand about the inappropriateness of this kind of fundamentalist inspired, state-sanctioned discrimination?” says David Felten, a pastor at Fountain Hill United Methodist Church, told the local media.
“This is not just an abstract violation of church-state separation. It’s a very real rejection of Arizona’s LGBTQ people by the very government that is supposed to impartially support and protect all of its citizens.”
“What do people not understand about the inappropriateness of this kind of fundamentalist inspired, state-sanctioned discrimination?” says David Felten, a pastor at Fountain Hill United Methodist Church, told the local media.
“This is not just an abstract violation of church-state separation. It’s a very real rejection of Arizona’s LGBTQ people by the very government that is supposed to impartially support and protect all of its citizens.”
May 18, 2015: Christianity Today: Theology Feud Pits Half of Town's Protestant Churches Against Another
At issue: the topic of “Progressive Christianity,” taught at The Fountains, a United Methodist church. That church’s pastor, David Felten, is known for supporting LGBT rights and progressive theology.
At issue: the topic of “Progressive Christianity,” taught at The Fountains, a United Methodist church. That church’s pastor, David Felten, is known for supporting LGBT rights and progressive theology.
May 18, 2015: Christianity Today: Theology Feud Pits Half of Town's Protestant Churches Against Another
At issue: the topic of “Progressive Christianity,” taught at The Fountains, a United Methodist church. That church’s pastor, David Felten, is known for supporting LGBT rights and progressive theology.
At issue: the topic of “Progressive Christianity,” taught at The Fountains, a United Methodist church. That church’s pastor, David Felten, is known for supporting LGBT rights and progressive theology.
==andrew ferguson=============
Andrew Ferguson is the Administrative Pastor and Young Adult Pastor for Calvary Chapel Apple Valley. Ferguson received Jesus as personal Savior in April of 1980 while serving in the US Army. In 1981, he began teaching a weekly Home Fellowship and was part of the counseling ministry for Colonial Bible Church in Tustin, CA.
Feb 6, 2023: Gospel Coalition: America’s Not-So-Great Awakening
Comparing identity politics to a religion is nothing new or unusual. Voices ranging from Andrew Ferguson to Voddie Baucham have done so. The very language of being “woke” has religious overtones (cf. Rom. 13:11).
Comparing identity politics to a religion is nothing new or unusual. Voices ranging from Andrew Ferguson to Voddie Baucham have done so. The very language of being “woke” has religious overtones (cf. Rom. 13:11).
==dave ferguson===================
Dave Ferguson is an award-winning author, founding and lead pastor of Chicago’s Community Christian Church, a missional multi-site community considered one of the most influential churches in America. Dave is also the visionary for the international church-planting movement NewThing and president of the Exponential Conference.”
July 14, 2023: NPR: Megachurches are getting even bigger as churches close across the country
"The kind of person that starts a church that ends up being a megachurch is probably ... more of an entrepreneur," says Dave Ferguson, lead pastor at Community Christian, a multisite megachurch based in Chicago. "They probably look around the landscape of what's happening in a lot of denominational churches [and] are like, 'You know, I love these people. I love what they're doing. But you know what? I think I got a better idea.'"
"The kind of person that starts a church that ends up being a megachurch is probably ... more of an entrepreneur," says Dave Ferguson, lead pastor at Community Christian, a multisite megachurch based in Chicago. "They probably look around the landscape of what's happening in a lot of denominational churches [and] are like, 'You know, I love these people. I love what they're doing. But you know what? I think I got a better idea.'"
Dave Ferguson
The reason we need to pay so much attention to our language is that we are responsible for telling the most important story in human history: the gospel. This is the story of a redeeming God who came to live among us in the human form of Jesus before dying for our sins, coming back from the dead, and leaving his Holy Spirit with us to empower us to share this story widely and well. We are all responsible for telling this story in a way that makes clear the fact that all human stories lead back to Jesus’ story. We see Jesus articulate this in one simple statement in Luke 19:10: “For the son of man came to seek and save the lost.” That was Jesus’ mission. And that should be our mission, too. And, therefore it certainly should be the mission of his church. If that was his mission, we should ask ourselves: how did Jesus live out his mission in the story of his life? -Dave Ferguson
==john d ferrer============
John D Ferrer hails from a blue-collar family in the Southeast U.S. He earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion and masters degrees in apologetics and philosophy.
John D Ferrer
In apologetics, the metaphors tend to favor combat and competition – warfare and sports. But, there are other ways to exercise our minds with sharp apologetics without having to resort to these macho metaphors. Our minds also work like a garden insofar as we can plant, water, feed, and care for the various operations of our minds: cognition, perception, discernment, imagination, belief, reasoning, will-power, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, etc. When we can cultivate good and godly minds, we are that much better prepared for the mature demands of Christian living, including the universal commissioning of the church to make disciples (Matthew 27:18-20) and defend the faith (1 Peter 3:15). A well-ordered and well-trained mind is a thing of beauty requiring skillful and deliberate caretaking combined with steady growth and maturity. -John D Ferrer; Intelligent Christian Faith; Redeeming the Christian Mind Part 3-What does the Christian Mind Look Like? 3.3.18
John D Ferrer
Sure, there’s a lot going wrong in the world regarding gender-confusion, grooming, and sex-stuff. But as Christians we don’t have theological permission to be pessimists, not ultimately. For us, realism IS optimism. Or to put it another way, we are optimists because we’re realists about the promises of Christ. If God is who He says He is, then ultimately everything He promised will come true, everything wrong will be made right, and we our hope is anchored in reality, ultimately reality.
This is not a naive, escapist fantasy either. We can fully admit hardship and sin-struggles. We know that “in this world you will have trouble” but we need not despair because Christ “has overcome the world” (John 16:33). We have a Christian hope:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13.
That Christian hope isn’t just an emotion either. It’s a reassured knowledge, bolstered by evidence (for the Bible, for the resurrection, for Christian living), and it’s enlivened by active life in Christ (i.e., pray, Scripture, Christian fellowship). -John D Ferrer; Intelligent Christian Faith; Christian Hope Vs Pessimissm 10.22.22
This is not a naive, escapist fantasy either. We can fully admit hardship and sin-struggles. We know that “in this world you will have trouble” but we need not despair because Christ “has overcome the world” (John 16:33). We have a Christian hope:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13.
That Christian hope isn’t just an emotion either. It’s a reassured knowledge, bolstered by evidence (for the Bible, for the resurrection, for Christian living), and it’s enlivened by active life in Christ (i.e., pray, Scripture, Christian fellowship). -John D Ferrer; Intelligent Christian Faith; Christian Hope Vs Pessimissm 10.22.22
John D Ferrer
To everyone saying that Joe Biden’s “loan forgiveness” proposal is “Christ-like” and the federal government is reflecting the Gospel by modeling forgiveness and grace, I hear you guys. Grace, forgiveness, freedom from bondage – that’s all part of salvation. Jesus did forgive our debts. He calls us to forgive our debtors. Scripture scolds people for charging certain kinds of interest, and for being greedy debt-collectors. And Scripture warns against getting into debt. There’s a lot in Scripture about debts, interest rates, and loans. And the Gospel is often described, rightfully I think, in terms of “debt” and “forgiveness.” ..........First, when a debt is owed, there are two parties who have a right to “forgive” that debt – the person financing that loan and God Himself. Now, the gov’t isn’t God. Biden isn’t Jesus, and we’re not a theocracy merging church and state either. So, while Federal authorities might sometimes be PLAYING god, they aren’t God. In that way, redistributed debt is a false analogy to the Gospel.
Second, that leaves one rightful party who can forgive the debt – the financer. In this case, that would be tax-payers. Now, there’s a good chance that this Biden proposal falls apart precisely because Biden lacks the authority to do this, in part because he’s working (with the gov’t) as the broker/steward of our tax-dollars, and he’s not financing the loans the way the American people are broadly. Biden and his entire administration aren’t qualified to “forgive” those loans since it was never their money. The gov’t works for us – the American people. We employ the federal gov’t. They are our servants. We’re not their servants. We have no king – but Christ alone (sola Christus). As such, the federal gov’t is disqualified on two counts: they aren’t God and they aren’t even bankrolling the loans – they’re just brokering the loans. As such, they aren’t qualified to forgive loans, strictly speaking. In this way, redistributed debt is a false analogy to the Gospel. --John D Ferrer; Intelligent Christian Faith; DEBT FORGIVENESS AND THE GOSPEL 8.27.22
Second, that leaves one rightful party who can forgive the debt – the financer. In this case, that would be tax-payers. Now, there’s a good chance that this Biden proposal falls apart precisely because Biden lacks the authority to do this, in part because he’s working (with the gov’t) as the broker/steward of our tax-dollars, and he’s not financing the loans the way the American people are broadly. Biden and his entire administration aren’t qualified to “forgive” those loans since it was never their money. The gov’t works for us – the American people. We employ the federal gov’t. They are our servants. We’re not their servants. We have no king – but Christ alone (sola Christus). As such, the federal gov’t is disqualified on two counts: they aren’t God and they aren’t even bankrolling the loans – they’re just brokering the loans. As such, they aren’t qualified to forgive loans, strictly speaking. In this way, redistributed debt is a false analogy to the Gospel. --John D Ferrer; Intelligent Christian Faith; DEBT FORGIVENESS AND THE GOSPEL 8.27.22
