THE NARROW GATE
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction... Matthew 7:13
Readers and listeners will have realized that one of my favourite films is Hunt for the Wilderpeople, the great New Zealand film made on a shoestring budget and directed by Taika Waititi who later directed JoJo Rabbit - and Thor: Ragnarok. A wonderful scene from Hunt for the Wilderpeople came to mind this week as I was reflecting on the challenges of negotiating our way between truth and lies, information and misinformation, and generally knowing how to stand in the midst of a “perverse and crooked generation” – Deuteronomy 32:5. In the movie, Ricky Baker has been placed by child protection services into foster care with Bella and Hec Faulkner. Bella has “the knack” for dealing with Ricky but in a shocking scene, dies suddenly and unexpectedly while hanging out clothes. At the funeral for Bella, Taika Waititi plays the role of a pastor who gives the eulogy and points out the story of two doors in life:
There is a door in life, he says, where on the other side there are yummy things like “Fanta, Doritos, L&P, Burger Rings, Coke Zero” and it’s easy to get through that door. However, there is another door and it’s more challenging to find and to go through. (NOTE: L&P is Lemon and Paeroa, is a popular drink in New Zealand and was originally made with mineral water from the town of Paeroa but the drink is now made by Coca-Cola).
It is likely that Waititi was drawn back to one of the Bible stories about Jesus that he would have heard in his youth. After Jesus being brought “all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics”, Matthew says simply: He healed them (Matthew 4:24). Jesus then went up on a mountain to teach and there follows in the Book of Matthew an extensive body of teaching by Jesus in Chapters 5 and 6. Towards the end of Jesus’ teaching in this mountaintop sermon, He says:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14).
Jesus tells his listeners in effect, that the gate where there are “Fanta, burritos, L&P, Burger Rings and Coke Zero” is one that “leads to destruction”. There is another door or gate – that leads to life and as Waititi says in the film “Jesus is tricky like that”!
This teaching of Jesus on the mountain has many dimensions but for us in day-to-day living, it is helpful, because if you see many people rushing through a door – embracing a popular issue, new idea, the latest guru – it is likely to be the door or path to destruction. In many cases, this is the door of sin, which looks attractive – something we want (like Burger Rings!) – but the payment required is death (Romans 6:23).
Immediately after this teaching about the narrow gate, Jesus goes on to provide additional clues in that, after warning about false prophets and con men, He says: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” These two critical pieces of teaching are important for us in our day:
1. There is a narrow way that leads to life and difficult to find (the path to destruction is easy and many are rushing through it)
2. With the latest “experts”, “gurus”, philanthropic foundation directors, government authorities and scientists – we need to assess what they are advising by looking to the “fruits” of their advice and work.
Jesus says in this section of His mountaintop teaching that it is only good trees that produce good fruit. So, if you see bad outcomes from what people are doing or saying, it is easy to know that what they are saying is wrong. Some years later, St Paul provides more detail by describing the “fruit of the Spirit” as being “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). It is worthwhile looking for these signs of “fruit” when considering those providing advice and direction.
My attention was drawn to the “narrow gate or door” this week because many have rushed through the “Burger Ring door” into COVID-19 vaccination and in parts of Australia (Canberra, the Washington DC of Australia), there are estimates of 98% of the population being double and triple vaccinated. Of course, this was after extensive government pressure and threats of job loss, together with media appearances by public health “experts” using the phrase “safe and effective” to describe the “vaccines”. It is interesting that Google and similar search engines have doubled down on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and in a variety of searches I have done this week, promote claims that there is misinformation and “false claims” by alarmist doctors, notably the highly-regarded Texas cardiologist, Dr Peter McCullough who speaks out strongly about the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines.
Despite the suppression of any views that the COVID-19 vaccines can have negative health impacts, the medical scientific literature hasn’t been completely hijacked by the Burger Ring crowd. Last month a long scientific paper was published in the journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology - “Innate immune suppression by SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccinations: The role of G-quadruplexes, exosomes, and Micro-RNAs.” Like many technical medical papers, there are terms that are difficult to understand but here are some of the important findings:
The mRNA vaccines (most widely used are those of Pfizer and Moderna) result in continued production of the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
The spike protein, deliberately produced by the mRNA vaccines, are toxic to nervous (brain, spinal cord, nerves) tissue and the spike protein also weakens DNA repair.
Immune function, important in our daily lives for health because it is the body’s natural mechanism for fighting disease, is suppressed because of the mRNA vaccines negative impact on type I interferon responses.
There is potential for the mRNA vaccines to increase the risk of some infectious diseases and also cancer.
The authors undertook their study and review because of “the increasing evidence that the vaccines do little to control disease spread and that their effectiveness wanes over time make it even more imperative to assess the degree to which the vaccines might cause harm.”
They demonstrate widespread impacts on health and immunity from the mRNA vaccines and what is horrifying is the number of body systems that can be affected: nervous tissue, brain, spinal cord, heart, blood, bone marrow and liver. Other studies have shown adverse effects on reproduction. The authors also note a negative impact on immune function, evident from large numbers of cases of reactivation of the virus that causes shingles. Also there is the potential for tumour formation because of what the authors describe as: “dysregulation of the system for both preventing and detecting genetically driven malignant transformation within cells and the consequent potential for vaccination to promote those transformations”. The authors also evaluate data from the Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting Database (VAERS) in the US and note that despite the likely under-reporting of vaccine problems, there are very large numbers of serious adverse events (now more than 2 million). These include problems affecting: major nerves (hearing, brain, swallowing, breathing), heart and liver, blood clotting, neurodegenerative disease (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, etc) and increased risk for a range of cancers. The article concludes by stating:
“In the end, billions of lives are potentially at risk, given the large number of individuals injected with the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines and the broad range of adverse outcomes we have described. We call on the public health institutions to demonstrate, with evidence, why the issues discussed in this paper are not relevant to public health, or to acknowledge that they are and to act accordingly. Furthermore, we encourage all individuals to make their own health care decisions with this information as a contributing factor in those decisions.”
Truly this is a horrifying wake-up call that the “Burger Ring door” is not always a pathway to bliss and nirvana!
So – we need to be alert and look carefully when we see people rushing towards the “wide gate” and the popular way. Currently, the wide gate is inviting people to embrace: LGBTQ+ rights, “social justice”, “critical race theory”, transgender affirmation, “equity” rather than “equality”, a climate emergency, “safe and effective” vaccines, “a woman’s “right to choose”, polygamy, euthanasia, animal liberation, “no fault” divorce, elimination of national borders, multifaith religion, and various of the other “cause du jour”.
In each of these, media organizations, educational and political establishments seem to be not only themselves rushing but also pushing people towards the “Burger ring door”. Most people don’t wish to go down this wide road to destruction but are increasingly being pressured to follow the crowd and not to make any fuss. The wide road is a dangerous road and according to Jesus, if you find yourself on the road with many, you may be on the road to destruction.
I read a short book this week by Edward Kleinguetl called “The Narrow Gate”, which is a devotional book for a prayer retreat. He asks a couple of excellent questions at the beginning of the book:
“What do I truly desire in life? Consider the evidence: What do I prioritize? Where do I spend my time? With whom do I associate? What is my North Star that drives me day-in and day-out?”
These are all questions that are worthwhile us taking some time out for reflection. He goes on to consider the challenges and significance of entering by the “narrow gate” and I have reproduced a table from the book here:
So – the gate is narrow and the path to destruction is wide. As an example for my readers outside Australia, I think that you will be interested in an issue that became prominent in the last week in Sydney. A leading rugby league football club – Manly-Warringah – organized new football jerseys with a “pride rainbow” logo on them. The club consulted with everyone in the world, except any of the players. Seven of the players- now dubbed “The Manly Seven” who are Christians, objected and refused to wear the football jerseys. Of course, there was widespread outrage on social media, the Manly-Warringah football club management and the National Rugby League organization. However, these 7 men were entering via the “narrow gate” and they took a stand that will be costly to them but will have eternal consequences. Martyn Iles, the Managing-Director of the Australian Christian Lobby has posted an excellent analysis of the situation on YouTube where he highlights the challenges of “inclusivity”
As I surveyed “the Burger Ring gate” versus “the narrow gate”, my mind was drawn back to a book I read a few years ago called “The Benedict Option” by Rod Dreher and published in 2017. In surveying the trajectory of society, Dreher proposed “The Benedict Option”, which is about “creating intentional Christian communities in a post-Christian world”. He calls this “BenOpping”. Here is a brief overview of “The Benedict Option”, an interview with Rod Dreher in 2020
The book is worthwhile reading as Dreher provides the background and also some case studies for “The Benedict Option”.
The name traces back to St Benedict, a monk who lived in the 6th Century and was horrified by what he saw on arriving in Rome from his hometown of Nursia in central Italy. This was a period after the Visigoths had sacked Rome and Rome was in decline. Benedict was dismayed at the vice and corruption in Rome and retreated to a forest and then a cave outside Rome, living a life of contemplation as a hermit for 3 years as he prayed and read the Bible. Romanus, a monk from a monastery nearby, brought Benedict food and by the time he emerged from the cave, had a reputation for piety and sanctity. He was invited to be the abbot of a monastic community and eventually founded 12 monasteries in the region. His family must have had a unique upbringing as Benedict’s twin sister, Scholastica founded a similar community of nuns.
St Benedict wrote a small book “The Rule of St Benedict” which is a guide for living in Christian community. It is simply written but profound and below are just a couple of quotes from chapter 4 “Tools for Good Works”:
“Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else. You are not to act in anger or nurse a grudge. Rid your heart of all deceit. Never give a hollow greeting of peace or turn away when someone needs your love. Bind yourself to no oath lest it prove false, but speak the truth with heart and tongue.
…… … Place your hope in God alone. If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself, but be certain that the evil you commit is always your own and yours to acknowledge. Live in fear of judgment day and have a great horror of hell. Yearn for everlasting life with holy desire. Day by day remind yourself that you are going to die. Hour by hour keep careful watch over all you do, aware that God’s gaze is upon you, wherever you may be”.
Benedict had a big impact and within the walls of the monasteries, The Rule promoted life with God and people were taught to pray, to read, to plant crops and to build. Inside the monasteries, constructed to withstand the confusion and debauchery of society after the fall of Rome, the way was prepared for what eventually became the rebirth of Western civilization.
Dreher’s book The Benedict Option takes the viewpoint that the trajectory of Western civilization is clear. Increasingly, what is good is promoted as evil and an anti-God agenda is being embraced by mainstream society. Dreher contends in his book that “Christians besieged by the raging floodwaters of modernity await someone like Benedict to build arks capable of carrying them and the living faith across the sea of crisis—a Dark Age that could last centuries.”
“the Benedict Option, a strategy that draws on the authority of Scripture and the wisdom of the ancient church to embrace “exile in place” and form a vibrant counterculture. Recognizing the toxins of modern secularism, as well as the fragmentation caused by relativism, Benedict Option Christians look to Scripture and to Benedict’s Rule for ways to cultivate practices and communities. Rather than panicking or remaining complacent, they recognize that the new order is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be lived with.”
I believe that The Benedict Option has much in it to recommend as communities are formed to support one another and as Dreher says
“to be faithful where God has planted us and to create these small islands of light and order and the love of God”……..”You can achieve the peace and order you seek only by making a place within your heart and within your daily life for the grace of God to take root. Divine grace is freely given, but God will not force us to receive it. It takes constant effort on our part to get out of God’s way and let His grace heal us and change us.”
At the end of his book, Dreher asks a couple of the essential questions for today: “How do we live in joy and confidence even though the world seems to be collapsing around us? How do we navigate the arks we build safely between the twin illusions of false optimism and exaggerated fear?”
Whatever we do, the “Burger Ring gate” won’t lead us to the right answers but only entering via the narrow gate.
WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP
A Summary of Some Significant Events Around the World in the Last Week
USA
The political left in the US has a gift for naming legislative bills and organizational names the opposite to what they represent. The idea was first highlighted by George Orwell in his book 1984 with the “Ministry of Truth”, whose aim was to promote lies. The Orwellian concept seems to have been taken by the political left as an instruction guide, and just as in the 1984 book, Democrats are attempting to censor opposing ideas and replace them with what the Party deems to be correct. This week it was the amazingly named Inflation Reduction Act - which will pour about US$680 billion into the economy, and therefore definitely lead to higher inflation. Other great con jobs in the past include the Affordable Care Act for healthcare under Obama which more than doubled family costs and resulted in worse healthcare. Black Lives Matter has been a left wing cause that has demonstrated no concern for endemic black violence, there being dozens of shootings in cities like Chicago every weekend. It turns out that similarly to Orwell’s statement at the end of Animal Farm, some black lives are more equal than others.
Then there are the hundreds of areas of funding by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations including groups like: Alliance for Justice, America Votes, Campus Progress, Center for American Progress, Center for Reproductive Rights, Free Press, Human Rights Campaign – the list goes on and on. On further examination, all these organizations do exactly the opposite of what the name suggests. There seems to be a long-term Democrat strategy of deception which will be hard to counter with “shadow banning” of alternate views on social media and increasing censorship of so-called “hate speech”. Not surprisingly then, the Biden administration has redefined the term “recession” - which was always taken to be two quarters of negative growth. Various spokesmen have said that this was just an old technical definition and that the US is not in a recession. The public knows otherwise and more than 80% of people polled believe that the US is headed in the wrong economic direction. However, there is no possibility of anyone in the Biden administration admitting that the policy direction is wrong. Erroneous economic, social and immigration policies will continue and accelerate unless there is a realization by the electorate of the danger to foundations of the US and one hopes that there may be a reckoning in November.
There has been a lot of talk in the media about whether Nancy Pelosi would start WWIII because of her visit to Taiwan? Having been and gone using an air route that avoided the South China Sea, we all seem to be safe – for the moment. It is unclear why Pelosi, the 82 year old Speaker of the House, decided to visit Taiwan but I did hear an funny perspective yesterday. One commentator said – it is well known that the elderly love to travel!
It seems as though China will up the ante now and increase incursions into Taiwan airspace and now test missiles are being fired across Taiwan. Also there are threats to boycott Taiwanese produce. It does appear that an elderly President and House Speaker are stumbling into territory where their actions make conflict with China more likely and Taiwan may be less secure.
United Kingdom & Europe
There have been a few stories buried in various newspapers in the last 6 months about Prince Charles accepting large amounts of cash stuffed into shopping bags - and also from the Bin Laden family. The funds, which total close to US$5 million and given to Prince Charles’ charities, call into question Charles’ judgement. Even more so when the “donations” seem to be associated with various royal honours given to shady Middle-Eastern potentates.
Charles is a promoter of the “new world order” and embraced by Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum. There is likely to be a coming constitutional crisis in the UK with the Queen’s demise. An activist King Charles is sure to come into conflict with a future UK Government. This has already been an issue as Charles indicated his displeasure over the Johnson government’s plan to send illegal asylum seeker to Rwanda. The goodwill towards the Queen and Royal Family is likely to disappear very quickly in the face of Royal activism. One suspects that the UK is on a challenging trajectory with decisions about the role of the monarchy, a push for Scottish independence, ongoing issues between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and almost half of the UK inclined towards socialism.
Nevertheless, two candidates are fighting it out over the next month to be Prime Minister and one wonders if they have any understanding of the real challenges that they face? “Great” Britain has declined in power and influence during the course of the 20th century and has become “Not So Great” Britain. There is an ongoing power struggle in the UK between those who want to see the UK chart an independent course and those who are still emotionally clinging to the European Union.
In the meantime, the Labour Opposition Leader, Sir Keir Starmer is unable to step into the vacuum provided by the turmoil in the Conservative Party because of internal strife in his own Party. Essentially this is a fight between the left and the far-left and the far-left are prepared to take no prisoners, including themselves.
In the battle for the Conservative Party leadership, it seems likely that Liz Truss will take over from Boris Johnson as Prime Minister on 6th September but one can see trouble ahead. The fallout from Johnson’s removal will continue to have an impact and a poll amongst Conservative Party members found that more than 50% thought that Boris should not have resigned. Also there are big policy differences between the moderates and right wing of the Conservative Party. Daniel Hannan had a column in the UK Telegraph this last week - and I thought that he provided a good overview of the current challenges for the UK. He wrote:
“Britain is on the verge of a breakdown. Our economy has not recovered from being put into an induced coma for the better part of two years. Our currency has been debased. Our tax levels are at a 70-year high. Our bureaucracy is dysfunctional. Our healthcare system is an international embarrassment. Part of our country is governed by the EU – and the rest retains most of the Brussels regulations which we were supposed to have scrapped by now. Our trade unions threaten aggressive strikes. We may be heading for a full-scale sterling crisis. Things badly need to change”.
Hannan is right – things badly need to change but one wonders if there is an appetite for change by the Conservatives which have become a high taxation and Big Government Party. Perhaps Liz Truss has the leadership skills and character to lead Britain out of the morass but there is no indication from her past performance that she can do so.
Russia and Ukraine
Pope Francis has called on Russia and the Ukraine to “stop and negotiate” - which is sensible but unlikely to occur. The war has been continuing now for 5 months and it seems likely that Western leaders will tire of financial aid, which will be increasingly difficult to justify to electorates. Even the Biden administration seems to be providing “leaks” to the NY Times and indicating that the administration doesn’t trust President Zelensky .
In the last few weeks, Zelensky has fired the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General and the head of the intelligence agency. This has occurred amidst claims of Russian infiltration of the Ukrainian government. Attacks continue on various Ukrainian cities and most recently there have been reports of shelling close to the country’s largest nuclear plant. Fighting has reached a stalemate but it does seem likely that Zelensky fever is subsiding and that in the next few months that the West could fall out of love with Zelensky. Accurate information is hard to obtain but the Ukrainians are claiming almost 40,000 Russian troops have been killed and more than 100,000 have been wounded. The war can’t continue forever and there is talk by various Russian personnel about the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
The West’s plan to destroy Putin economically by the use of sanctions has not been successful and the main outcome has been the creation of instability in Europe because of threats to energy supplies.
China vs The West
China is in a precarious position economically with latest reports indicating youth unemployment of almost 20%. A number of commentators have noted difficulties in the Chinese property market and remarkably, this market accounts for between 20 and 29% of China’s GDP. The Spectator Magazine had an excellent podcast
last week with Cindy Yu of the Spectator interviewing George Magnus – Magnus is the author of Red Flags: Why Xi’s China is in Jeopardy. Property ownership is still a relatively recent event in China and any downturn in the market and financial losses could spell trouble for President Xi and the Party leadership. Lockdowns across China because of the coronavirus have had severe impacts on the Chinese economy and the West is waking up about its dependence on Chinese manufacturing. With the 20th Party Congress coming up, President Xi cannot be seen to be presiding over a failing economy.
It may look attractive therefore for the leadership to distract by promoting conflict with Taiwan but most experts don’t anticipate an invasion in the immediate future. Nevertheless, China has instigated a number of military exercises around Taiwan. Interestingly, almost half the world’s container ships passed through the waters between Taiwan and mainland China in the first 7 months of the year. This demonstrates the impact that conflict could have on international supply chains so make sure you are well stocked on non-perishable food.
Israel
Israel appears to be at the forefront of technocracy and the New World Order. The Pfizer vaccine was mandated in Israel and most of the population has now had two to three booster shots. Despite serious side effects being found in Israelis from the mRNA vaccine - vaccine mandates continue. Now Israel is conducting a “war on cash”. According to the article by Tyler Durdan in ZeroHedge, it will be a criminal offense to pay more than the equivalent of US$1,700 in cash to a business or more than US$4,360 to an individual. This has been a long-planned strategy as there was a law passed in 2018 called Law for the Reduction of the Use of Cash.
Policies against cash also will be instituted in all Western countries over the next few years. Such policies are a prelude to implementation of central bank digital currencies which allow high degrees of government control over how and where money is spent by the general public.
After being stalled for many months, it is interesting that nuclear talks have just resumed between Iran and the European Union in Vienna. Iran has expanded its nuclear enrichment capability and it appears that the West is prepared to turn a blind eye to Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions. The Biden administration is desperate for a deal and is likely to compromise and give Iran most of what it wants. Israel however will not tolerate further expansion of Iran’s nuclear capability which would threaten its existence. There is trouble ahead in the Middle East which will turn attention from Russia and China.
Summary
The US is losing its mantle as the leader of the “free world” and totalitarian forces are gathering strength around the world. Various versions of “the green new deal” will destroy Western economies and supply chain issues are likely to lead to food and energy shortages. Destructive effects of inflation together with increasing interest rates, will impact living standards. Also, there is an attempt to promote a new monkeypox crisis as well as threats about COVID-19 variants. As all the issues circle us, it seems as though we are in a period of calm before a new storm that will lead to further government control and regulation. We need to be prepared for more instability and to stock up on basic food supplies.