The American Soul
The American Soul
Jesus Didn't Say "In Context Only"
What does it mean to truly prioritize God and your spouse in daily life? Jesse Cope cuts through the noise of modern culture to examine how our commitment to biblical principles often falters not because Scripture is outdated, but because our dedication to it is incomplete.
This thought-provoking episode tackles the uncomfortable reality that many Christians have adopted a cafeteria-style approach to Scripture, embracing certain passages while dismissing others as "no longer applicable in context." Jesse challenges this inconsistency with a powerful question: If we can dismiss biblical teachings on marriage and gender roles because society has changed, what prevents us from dismissing core doctrines like Christ's divinity when culture shifts away from those beliefs?
Marriage takes center stage as Jesse explores how both husband and wife must embrace their God-given roles not as burdensome obligations but as pathways to fulfillment. He shares remarkably simple yet profound marriage advice: "Husbands, just be quiet and listen. Wives, just take your clothes off." This straightforward wisdom captures the essence of biblical teaching on meeting each other's needs in marriage.
The episode also examines historical perspectives on militia and community defense, arguing that an armed citizenry without moral character becomes dangerous rather than protective. Drawing from America's founding principles, Jesse advocates for communities that cultivate both practical skill and biblical virtue.
Whether discussing Medal of Honor recipients, historical religious persecution, or the importance of merit-based recognition, this episode consistently returns to one central theme: God's word remains eternally relevant, and our challenge is not to reinterpret Scripture to fit current trends but to boldly live out unchanging biblical principles in our ever-changing world.
The American Soul Podcast
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe
Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are and whatever part of the day you're in. I sure do appreciate y'all joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and day, a little bit of your energy. I hope you are doing well. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast and tell others about it, thank you so much. Very, very grateful for that. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, very grateful for that. I need it, appreciate it.
Speaker 1:So thank you, father. Thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins, for all your many blessings. Father, forgive us when we don't acknowledge those blessings or, in the vanity of our own heart, we imagine that we did those ourselves. Please guide our steps. Help us to do your will above all else, to love your Son Jesus Christ and therefore to follow his commandments, to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to do this in action, indeed, not merely in word. Thank you for the time to record this podcast, father.
Speaker 1:Thank you for the people that listen to it. Please be with them and their families. Bless the marriages of those who are married. Help those who have children to raise them to know you, father, and your Son, jesus Christ. And your son, jesus Christ, guide us, protect us from evil. Surround us with your angels. Heal the hearts of those who are broken. Heal those who are sick, those who are injured. Please bring us home to you and your son Jesus Christ in your timing. Be with our leaders, both in the pulpit and in the state. Give them wisdom and courage and a strong faith. Help them to rule in fear of you, father, not of man. Be with those who are alone, who are scared children, widow and new orphan wives. Help us to comfort them. Be with those who are persecuted for the name the sake of your son Jesus Christ, around the world, whether in Nigeria, syria, china, north Korea, iran, any other places. Father, comfort them, help them to feel your comfort and your peace and help us to help them, father, and please guide my words here. In your son's name, we pray Amen.
Speaker 1:Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to pray, to talk to him and to listen, to actually see what he says? Have you thought about some way to share the gospel with somebody else? Or have you done it?
Speaker 1:And if you're married, does your spouse know it? Are they your top priority? Are you truly cleaving to them, clinging to them? That's a big word, folks, it's not a little word. Are they your top priority each day, second only to God and Jesus Christ throughout the day, just like our faith folks, and I guess it's sad that it took me this long to realize it, but the more I talk about it, you know that relationship, marriage, is supposed to emulate the relationship between Jesus Christ and the church. That's the biggest relationship there. So with our spouse, you know, it's not just a check in the box, it's not something okay. I spent my five ten minutes with my spouse today. I'm good. Now I can go do whatever else I want to do.
Speaker 1:They ought to be the person that you're trying to cling to each day, throughout the day, in the morning, in the middle of the day, in the evening, depending on your schedule Right, maybe you work a 12-hour shift, like I have done in my life, but you still have time before you leave, and you still have time in the evening and before the TV or the phone, or sports or even workouts, which are healthy for you to a certain extent. Before any of those things get your time, god ought to, for sure. Well, both of these are for sure, but God ought to first, and then your spouse ought to. Whatever that looks like for you folks, you work a 12-hour shift five days a week. You work a 12 hour shift five days a week. You work eight hour shift. Whatever, it doesn't matter. The first priority each day ought to be God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and the second priority each day, throughout the day, ought to be your spouse. And for those of y'all that don't really know what that looks like, scripture does a great job. God does a great job. He left us some very clear roles and responsibilities 1 Corinthians 7, titus 2, ephesians 5,. 1 Peter 3, hebrews 13, 4, proverbs 5, 19,. Song of Solomon. Those are some great places to start. There's others, but those are some great places to start.
Speaker 1:And if you're struggling talking to God or reading the Bible, a lot of people recommend the Gospels. They're great places to read. For me as an adult trying to come back in years ago and really work on my faith 10 years ago, and really work on my faith, one chapter of Proverbs each day was a big deal. It helped me a lot. Simple takes three or four minutes. We've recorded Proverbs a couple times over the last two years. You can go back and listen to those each day. There's some wonderful apps out there. Bible app is a pretty good one that I've used before. They've got some reading plans. Or you want something that you can actually put in your hands, which I highly recommend. They have a number of different Bibles with reading plans. Or you can just get any Bible and go through and read Proverbs once a day For a month, but any of those would help. Alright, I think we're going to finish up 1 Corinthians today, Chapter 16.
Speaker 1:Instructions and Greetings Now. Concerning the collection for the saints as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week, each one of you is to put aside and say as he may prosper, so that no collections be made. When I come, when I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem, and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me. But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter so that you may send me on my way wherever I may go. For I do not wish to see you now just in passing, for I hope to remain with you for some time if the Lord mends. But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective service has been opened to me and there are many adversaries.
Speaker 1:Now, if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord's work, as I also am. So let no one despise him, but send him on his way in peace so that he may come to me, for I expect him with the brethren. But concerning Apollos, our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity. Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
Speaker 1:Now I urge you, brethren, you know the household of Stephanas and that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaia, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part, for they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore, acknowledge such men. The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you, greet one another with a holy kiss. The greeting is in my own hand.
Speaker 1:Paul. If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Speaker 1:Do we wish that? Do we hope and pray that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with our fellow believers? That love abound in our relationships with believers in our churches? I don't think I pray for that often enough. Also, though, do we recognize that if anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed? Do we recognize the problem inside the church when people refuse to follow the commands of Jesus Christ and therefore to love the Lord? Do we recognize that in relationships, marriage is a great one? Do we talk about the fact that we have so many people today inside the church, folks who reject and rebel against their God-given roles and responsibilities in marriage and then parade around like it's a badge of honor that they're going against God and Jesus Christ or are indifferent to it? And if you thought I was talking about LGBTQ folks or even adultery, I'm not. I'm just talking about the simple fact that we have so many inside the church who clearly reject their roles and responsibilities and pretend like the writings in the Bible aren't relevant today.
Speaker 1:I don't think, in all the years that, all the decades that I've gone to church in different places around the country and multiple different denominations, that I've heard a sermon firsthand where the pastor has talked about the fact that you cannot follow the feminist ideals that are so prevalent over the last century and follow Christ as your responsibilities as a wife and mother. I've heard quite a few sermons on the fact that men are failing in some capacity of the others, based on those scriptures that we talk about so often that we just listed a while ago. In regard to marriage, I've heard a number of sermons on adultery. I've even heard a few sermons on pornography, though not as many as we probably need, but I don't think I've ever once heard a sermon where a pastor unequivocally and without all of these caveats, ran through the list of expectations from God for a wife, particularly explicitly respect, submission, physical satisfaction at all times, which comes straight out of Proverbs 5.19 and 1 Corinthians 7, right, 19 and 1 Corinthians 7, right, verse 16, that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. You know our pastors, our priests, are there to lead us. Do we actually follow them? And submission has become such a dirty word almost inside the church.
Speaker 1:Going back again to this conversation about feminism and marriage but folks, everybody's under authority. We were under authority in the Marine Corps. You had a platoon commander that was under the authority of a company commander that was under the authority of a battalion commander that was under the authority of a regimental commander. You have children that are under the authority of their parents, a wife who's under the authority of her husband, a husband who's under the authority of Jesus Christ. You go to work. You're an employee. You're under the authority of Jesus Christ. You go to work. You're an employee. You're under the authority of your boss. You're a citizen of the United States. You're under the authority of the Constitution and the government.
Speaker 1:And we'll get into the sermon at some point. I don't know when we're going to start it. Maybe we'll start it when we finish the sermon from Dr Stiles. But we'll get back into Jonathan Mayhew's sermon about unlimited submission. And in none of those cases do you submit to that authority when it goes directly against God. But you not liking what somebody tells you to do is not the same as going against God. You not liking the fact that you have a responsibility to submit to the authority of somebody that's in legitimate authority over you, which all of those cases are. That's not the same as somebody telling you to do something different against God. Those are two very different things, folks, and Mayhew talks about that in his sermon, so we will get back into that.
Speaker 1:One more, verse 13,. Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, let all that you do be done in love. At the end of the day, folks, our responsibility is to God and Jesus Christ. Most of all, are we alert? Are we paying attention to what's going on around us? I have a pretty good friend of mine that I've known for years and years. We were talking about politics the other day. They're not very interested in politics, they don't really feel like it affects their life that much politics. They don't really feel like it affects their life that much. But then when you talk to them about certain things you can see they have a really strong opinion and it's clearly affected by politics. The people in their community, the different organizations, their own family actually. But folks, we have to pay attention to what's going on around us. Christ tells us to pay attention to the signs of the times, to look around and then stand firm in the faith.
Speaker 1:Stand firm in the faith and to me when I read this, it in particular are we sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in whatever way we can and whatever our sphere of influence and maybe you have a huge sphere of influence talking about widespread numbers of people. Maybe you just have a small one, but you have a sphere of influence Spouse, kids, grandkids, friends, cashier, worker at the grocery store, gas station attendant, it doesn't matter folks, co-workers, just people in your community when you go on a walk. My wife and I happened to go somewhere a couple weeks ago and in the mornings there was this couple that walked and one gentleman that walked a few laps around this little neighborhood and they would wave and smile and they'd stop and talk to you just briefly, you know, if you were willing to do that. That's a sphere of influence, folks. That's a place where you can share the gospel and you don't have to be. You know, you don't have to flip out your Bible and start reading scripture to somebody. You can, there's nothing wrong with that but you don't have to. You can just exhibit those principles of God and Jesus Christ Be kind, be compassionate, listen. That's a great one. That reminded me that.
Speaker 1:The best piece of advice, I think early on, from a good friend of ours and she was a woman that's a little older than us and had been married for much longer than us had three or four kids already at this point, some of them getting pretty close to high school, and she told us that once early on in our marriage she said if men would just be quiet and listen to their wives, and that wasn't in this modern feminist sense of men need to, it's co-equal partnership, leadership or whatever. She just meant as a husband, if you would just sit there and and listen to your wife when she needs to talk, when she needs to vent, just kind of be present, that that that was probably a better way to say it each day. And she said, and and, wives, if you'd just take your clothes off each day? And she said that's really it, that's, that's the bottom line in marriage. And it was so simple. You know, just, husbands, just just be quiet and listen. Wives, just take your clothes off. And that was it.
Speaker 1:And and sometimes folks, you know, job, his friends, they just sat there and listened for a while and that was one of those instances where they did a really good job before before it went south. But how often do you just need a friend or somebody to listen to you? How often can you be that for somebody else and not offer a solution, and just just listen and sit with them and and share whatever feelings they're going through. If it's joy, be joyful. If it's sorrow, be sorrowful. If it's joy, be joyful. If it's sorrow, be sorrowful. If it's mourning, mourn. If it's happiness, be happy. You know, just be with that person and share with them in that moment, and that shows people a lot of Jesus Christ folks. All right, let me see. I want to do one. At least one Medal of Honor. I wonder where we left off. Oh yeah, irem Eddings Bears, captain Rank at the time of presentation Colonel, highest Ranked Brigadier General, philippine Insurrection, 1st Marine Brigade, us Marine Corps, november 17, 1901.
Speaker 1:Oof Cadian and Stoughton Rivers Junction, samar, philippine Islands, for extraordinary heroism and imminent and conspicuous conduct in battle at the junction of the Catacan and Chotin Rivers, samar, philippine Islands, 17 November 1901. Colonel Bears, then captain, second in command of the column, upon their uniting ashore in the Chotin River region, made a surprise attack on the fortified cliffs and completely routed the enemy, killing 30 and capturing and destroying the powder magazine, 40 lance guns, rice, food and cardals. Due to his courage, intelligence, determination and zeal, he successfully led his men up the cliffs by means of bamboo ladders to a height of 200 feet. The cliffs were soft stone of volcanic origin, in the nature of pumice, and were honeycombed with caves. Tons of rocks were suspended in platforms held in position by vine cables known as bajuko, by vine cables known as bajuko, in readiness to be precipitated upon people below After driving the insurgents from their position, which was almost impregnable, being covered with numerous trails lined with poisonous spears, pits etc. He led his men across the river, scaled the cliffs on the opposite side and destroyed the camps there. Colonel Bears and the men under his command overcame incredible difficulties and dangers in destroying positions which, according to reports from old prisoners, had taken three years to perfect, were held as a final rallying point and were never before penetrated by white troops and were never before penetrated by white troops. Colonel Bears also rendered distinguished public service in the presence of the enemy at Cuenapunda River, samar, philippine Islands, on 19 January 1902.
Speaker 1:Accredited to Indiana, not awarded. Posthumously. Presented April 5, 1934 by President Franklin D Roosevelt. Born April 13, 1875, peru, miami County, indiana. Died August 26, 1938, peru, indiana, united States. Buried Bear's Family Cemetery, peru, indiana, united States. Location of metal. National Museum of the US Marine Corps, quantico, virginia.
Speaker 1:You don't hear that one very often. Irem Ittings bearers If I'm saying that right Bearer with two S's at the end. Philippine insurrection. That sounds like going through a lot. All right, we'll move on, for today we'll get back into the sermon by israel stylesiles, president of Yale College, the United States, elevated to glory and honor a sermon preached before His Excellency Jonathan Trumbull, esquire, governor and Commander-in-Chief, and the Honorable General Assembly of the State of Connecticut convened at Hartford at the anniversary election, may 8, 1783. Printed by Thomas Samuel and Green New Haven, if I can find where we left off.
Speaker 1:Moreover, as we have seen the wisdom of our ancestors in instituting a militia, so it is necessary to continue it. The Game Act in the time of James I insidiously disarmed the people of England. Let us not be insidiously disarmed the people of England. Let us not be insidiously disarmed. In all our enlargements and colonization, in all our increasing millions. Let the main body be exercised annually to military discipline, whether in war or peace. This will defend us against ourselves and against surrounding states. Let this be known in Europe in every future age, and we shall never again be invaded from the other side of the Atlantic. The militia of this country, says General Washington, must be considered as the palladium of our security and the first effectual resort in case of hostility.
Speaker 1:I really didn't intend to, but we're going to camp out here for just a minute, folks, and there's two things. Well, we'll see how many things it ends up being. Well, we'll see how many things it ends up being I talk about this on the podcast often, those of y'all that have been here for a while you know that but what often we look at voting, for example, and we say, well, my one vote, how much does that really count? And that's not the point anyway, folks. The point is that men and women have suffered and bled and died and cried so that we had the right to vote.
Speaker 1:And whether you think universal suffrage was a good idea or not, or anything else, the point is in our country right now, everybody has the ability to vote and we should exercise that ability because of those who have sacrificed so much. We should exercise it intelligently. We shouldn't just go out and vote because somebody looks the prettiest or the kindest or sounds the greatest. We ought to go out and vote based on ideals and principles. We certainly shouldn't vote just because somebody is a Democrat or Republican or any other party. It ought to be, again, based on ideas and principles, but we need to honor those men and women who have come before us and sacrificed so much so that we had that ability. But you understand, when people get in there and they go, man, why am I even going? My vote doesn't matter. It's just one vote out of millions. So so what can we do? That that really has an impact, although I would argue that your vote really has an impact, especially when you take your children to vote or you teach them about voting, or, as a husband, you lead your family, your wife, and how you're voting it has a huge impact.
Speaker 1:On the local level, though, we can encourage people in our sphere of influence. Hey, we really need to build up our local law enforcement, our local firefighters, our local EMS. We need to increase the number of those that we have, we need to increase their training, we need to increase the quality of their equipment. Right, we need to put more money into those institutions, into those institutions in a quality way, not Not in a D, e, I, c, r, t Affirmative action kind of way, but in a positive, raising the standard, raising the bar for the quality Of individuals and training and equipment kind of way. Right, and part of that also is our militia and our state guards just training in our own local communities, counties, towns, parishes, making sure that we're familiar with firearms, making sure that we know a little bit of something, that we get together and work with those around us, and you see the importance of it here in this sermon. I'm going to go back and read this again.
Speaker 1:But the other comment, folks, is what I hear so often, particularly sadly, from people inside the church. When you start talking about different Bible verses, they'll say oh well, that's not in context anymore. That was applicable 2,000 years ago, but it's not applicable anymore. We don't have to pay attention to that. God didn't really mean that. That's a horrible take, because then, if we're basing it on the current condition of society, we can pick and choose whatever Bible verses we like or don't like and say, well, these are applicable, but these aren't.
Speaker 1:And if you look at society today I always use this example. I think it's the most extreme, but it probably is the easiest to get across A huge chunk of American society today no longer believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and yet the Bible clearly states that. But if we're going to use the argument, well, society has changed, okay. Well, if society has changed and a huge percentage, if not the majority, no longer believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, well, I guess we can just throw those Bible verses out. They don't apply anymore. You see how ridiculous that is, that's the core of Christianity, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who lived a perfect life and died for our sins.
Speaker 1:And so when you get to a lesser subject, which is still hugely important, like roles and responsibilities of men and women in society, in marriage and sex as husbands and wives, and people say, oh well, that was written for a patriarchal society, that doesn't apply anymore. Those people, they were stupid, they didn't know what they were talking about. They were just trying to do it to suck people in back then. No, they weren't, they knew what they were talking about. There may be some verses that we don't understand there obviously will be, because we're not God. There may be some verses that we don't like very much, but that doesn't mean that they're no longer applicable. They're very applicable, in fact. You can argue today, in this particular case, based on the condition of marriage and the family. We need to go back and pretty much read constantly those verses on marriage.
Speaker 1:And so when you read this paragraph again about militia, a lot of people in America would kind of roll their eyes and go, oh, militia, that's so antiquated, that's so outdated, that was so revolutionary war. You know civil war. Maybe we don't need that anymore. We need it, folks, and we need it for the same reasons, and so I'm going to read this again. Need it for the same reasons, and so I'm going to read this again. Moreover, as we have seen the wisdom of our ancestors in instituting a militia, so it is necessary to continue it.
Speaker 1:The Game Act in the time of James I insidiously disarmed the people of England. Let us not be insidiously disarmed In all our enlargements and colonization, in all our increasing millions. Let the main body be exercised annually to military discipline, whether in war or peace. This will defend us against ourselves and against surrounding states, us against ourselves and against surrounding states. Let this be known in Europe in every future age, and we shall never again be invaded from the other side of the Atlantic. The militia of this country, says General Washington, must be considered as the palladium of our security and the first effectual resort in case of hostility. Two more thoughts, folks, that pop up reading this One, if you've ever heard it and I don't really know whether this quote was true, but either a Japanese admiral or general in World War II, I believe talking about the possibility of invading America and said something along the lines of no, that's ridiculous.
Speaker 1:There'd be a gun behind every blade of grass. We would never know from which direction the attack was coming. And that fits pretty well here. The other here is when he's talking about exercise annually to military discipline. Right, you can't just have a random militia. It has to be a trained militia and we need to get back and it has to be trained well and it has to be a militia that has some character. I've said this often the Second Amendment without the First Amendment is worse than useless, because then you just put guns in the hands of a lot of men who are morally corrupt. It's like giving a bunch of weapons to the Nazis with no moral compass or the communists in China. It's like giving a bunch of weapons to the Nazis with no moral compass or the communists in China or the Soviet Union or North Korea. You end up with a lot of men that have weapons that have little to no character, little to no morality or virtue based on their own actions, folks. So we need the militia, we need to get back to where we have training in our communities, in our counties, but it needs to be. You have to train virtue and character. Along with that you have to have the Bible along with that, the principles of Jesus Christ along with that. You know, christ told his disciples at the end to go out and make sure they had to have a sword. We need a militia, but we need a militia that adheres to those principles of Jesus Christ, not Islam, not Buddhism, hinduism, judaism, mother Nature-ism, atheism, that adhere to the principles of Jesus Christ, the general principles, not based on a denomination, based on scripture. It's extremely important, folks. Hopefully it's not too late for us Highlighting this so I can come back to it again.
Speaker 1:Another thing necessary is a vigilance against corruption in purchasing elections and in designations to offices in the legislatures and Congress. Instituting such facious provisions against corruptions as shall preclude the possibility of its rising to any great height before it shall be controlled and corrected. Although in every political administration the appointment of offices will ever be considerably influenced by the sinister private personal motives, either of interest or friendship. Yet the safety of the state requires that this should not go too far. An administration may indeed proceed tolerably when the officers of a well-arranged system are, in general, ordinary characters, provided there is a pretty good sprinkling of men of wisdom interspersed among them.
Speaker 1:How much more illustrious would it be if three-quarters of the offices of government were filled with men of ability, understanding and patriotism. What an animation would it diffuse through a community if men of real merit, in every branch of business, were sure of receiving the rewards and honors of the state, were sure of receiving the rewards and honors of the state. That great and wise monarch, olam Foldla, the Alfred of Ireland, a thousand years before Christ, instituted an annual review and examination of all the achievements and illustrious characters in the realm and, being approved by himself and the annual assembly of the nobles, he ordered their names and achievements to be enrolled in a public register of merit. This continued 2,000 years to the time of that illustrious chieftain, brian O Boreham. I know I pronounced that wrong folks, I'm sorry. This had an amazing effect. I know I pronounced that wrong folks, I'm sorry. This had an amazing effect by this animation.
Speaker 1:The heroic military and political virtues, with civilization and, I add, science and literature, ascended to an almost unexampled and incredible perfection in Ireland ages before they figured in other parts of Europe, not accepting even Athens and Rome. I have a very great opinion of Hibernian merit, literary as well as civil and military. Even in the ages before St Patrick, a number of our founders talked about virtue and also the need to reward based on merit and what we have done I spent way too long on this this morning Y'all can tell that's all right. What we have done is exactly the opposite. We have based reward on who we like, who we know, who has the right skin color, the right number of females versus males. We've based it on superficial so often, which obviously leads to corruption and rewarding based on personal interest or friendship or some other criteria as opposed to merit.
Speaker 1:You can see it in schools really easily in the dilution of academic rigor. You know it used to be that making grade A's, for example, that was a pretty big deal, and maybe it is today for different reasons. Maybe it is today because it means the kids are willing to put in just a little bit of work to make the grades. But, as with sports, you always hear the comment about participation trophies so often today we've diluted, or you can look at men and women in the military today. Right, we've diluted the standards. We've lowered the standards to try and pretend that so many more people have attained this high standard. But we really haven't attained that high standard. What we've done is we've lowered the standards. And then, at some point, the people that would normally really work hard, they look around and they go well, why am I, why am I working this hard when everybody just gets recognized the same? There's no real purpose, there's no merit or achievement or acknowledgement of those kind of like taxing right, the the more you make, the more the government takes. Well, at some point you got to look around and go okay, well, what's the point if I'm going to earn more money and the government's just going to keep taking more and more the more I make, why would I keep striving? All right, we'll move on, we'll come back to it.
Speaker 1:We're going to go back into Fox's Book of the Martyrs and we're talking about the martyrs in different parts of Italy. A young Englishman, who happened to be at Rome, was one day passing by a church when the procession of the host was just coming out. A bishop carried the host, which the young man, perceiving he watched it, he snatched it from him, threw it upon the ground and trampled it under his feet, crying out Ye wretched idolaters who neglect the true God, who adore a morsel of bread. This action so provoked the people that they would have torn him to pieces on the spot, but the priests persuaded them to let him abide by the sentence of the Pope. When the affair was represented to the Pope, he was so greatly exasperated that he ordered the prisoner to be burnt immediately. But a cardinal dissuaded him from this hasty sentence, saying it was better to punish him by slow degrees and to torture him that they might find out if he had been instigated by any particular person to commit so atrocious an act. This being approved, he was tortured with the most exemplary severity, notwithstanding which they could only get these words from him it was the will of God that I should do as I did. The Pope then passed this sentence upon him, one that he should be led by the executioner, naked to the middle, through the streets of Rome. The Pope then passed this sentence upon him that he should have his right hand cut off Five. That, after having been carried about thus in procession, he should be burnt. When he heard this sentence announced, he implored God to give him strength and fortitude to go through it.
Speaker 1:As he passed through the streets, he was greatly derided by the people to whom he said some severe things respecting the Romish superstition. But a cardinal who attended the procession overhearing him ordered him to be gagged. When he came to the church door where he trampled on the host, the hangman cut off his right hand and fixed it to a pole. Then two tormentors with flaming torches scorched and burnt his flesh all the rest of the way. At the place of execution, he kissed the chains that were to bind him to the stake, a monk presenting the figure of a saint to him. He struck it aside and then, being chained to the stake, fire was put to the faggots and he was soon burnt to ashes. A little after the last mentioned execution, a venerable old man who had long been a prisoner in the Inquisition was condemned to be burnt and brought out for execution. When he was fastened to the stake, a priest held a crucifix to him on which he said If you do not take that idol from my sight, you will constrain me to spit upon it. The priest rebuked him for this with great severity, but he bade him remember the first and second commandments and refrain from idolatry, as God himself had commanded. He was then gagged that he should not speak anymore, and, fire being put to the faggots, he suffered martyrdom in the flames.
Speaker 1:An account of the persecutions in the Marquisate of Seleucus. The Marquisate I'm sure I'm pronouncing that wrong folks, I apologize of Seleucus, on the south side of the valleys of Piedmont, was in AD 1561, principally inhabited by Protestants when the Marquis, who was proprietor of it, began a persecution against them at the instigation of the Pope. He began by banishing the ministers, and if any of them refused to leave their flocks, they were sure to be imprisoned and severely tortured. However, he did not proceed so far as to put any to death. Soon after the marquis, it fell into the possession of the duke of savoy, who sent circular letters to all the towns and villages that he expected the people should all conform to go to Mass. The inhabitants of Seleucus, upon receiving this letter, returned a general epistle and answer. The Duke, after reading the letter, did not interpret, interrupt the Protestants for some time, but at length he sent them word that they must either conform to the Mass or leave his dominions. In fifteen days the Protestants, under this unexpected edict, sent a deputy to the Duke to obtain its revocation or at least to have it moderated. But their remonstrations were in vain and they were given to understand the edict was absolute. Some were weak enough to go to Mass in order to avoid banishment and preserve their property, others removed with all their effects to different countries, and many neglected the time so long that they were obliged to abandon all they were worth and leave the Marquisate in haste. Those who unhappily stayed behind were seized, plundered and put to death.
Speaker 1:You just you can't even begin folks to claim to follow Christ and support actions like these, and you can't even begin to claim to be a particular denomination that actually follows Jesus Christ and also claim infallibility when you've had actions like these in your history. And it doesn't matter what the denomination folks is, it doesn't matter if it's Protestant or Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic or anything else in between If your denomination, which pretty much everyone, has had some kind of history where they persecuted heretics by torture or burning at the stake or something grossly just brutal like this. You've got two choices. You can either acknowledge the mistake, acknowledge that that's not the way that people who follow Jesus Christ should ever act, that that's not the way that people who follow Jesus Christ should ever act, or you can reject God and Jesus Christ and claim your own infallibility and pretend like those actions were justified. And here's the kicker, folks, and this goes back to the preface of this particular edition of Fox's Book of the Martyrs. If you're going to claim infallibility, then what happened in 1561, like parading this man naked through the streets and cutting off his right hand and burning him as you walked him through the middle of Rome and burning him to death at the stake? Why aren't you doing that today? If it was infallible and appropriate then, then it should still be infallible and appropriate today, and either you're not doing your job and you ought to be doing that to anybody that doesn't follow your particular denomination or you're showing yourself to be a liar and it kind of goes back.
Speaker 1:We've talked about this on the podcast, right, just talked about it. You look at scripture. You look at the Bible. What Jesus Christ gives us commands whether you're talking about roles for men and women in marriage, or whether you're talking about the greatest two commandments, which obviously involve everything else hinges on those but right Loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, loving your neighbors yourself either those apply all the time or none of the time. At any rate, we'll move on. I think I'll leave you alone for today. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages, if you're married. God bless America. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world. Listen, folks, we'll talk to y'all again real soon. Looking forward to it.