Blessings on Project 2025

God-approved

I have been reading a series of articles written by Jonathan Larsen whose Substack offers

adversarial journalism and commentary from the former executive producer of Up w/ Chris Hayes, senior producer at Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann, and veteran of The Daily Show, ABCNews, CNN, The Young Turks, and more.

Jonathan Larsen’s Substack

I read Jonathan’s posts regularly, but the articles I am presently referring to are those he has written about Bible studies, attended by some Republicans in the U. S. Senate, the U. S. House of Representatives, the White House Cabinet, and other prominent right-wing partisans. The Bible studies are led by the founder of Capitol Ministries, Ralph Drollinger.

From Wikipedia

In 1997, Drollinger founded Capitol Ministries, a ministry organization that provides Bible studies, evangelism and discipleship to political leaders. The organization has founded ministries in over 40 US State Capitols since then. Drollinger leads Capitol Ministries in Washington, D.C., and what is referred to internally as The Members Bible Study in the US Capitol. Drollinger also leads several senior Trump administration officials in a similar group at the White House, and provides bible study print-outs for Donald Trump. He is not associated with The Fellowship due to what he perceives as their unbiblical teaching.

Capitol Ministries states that its purpose is Making Disciples of Jesus Christ in the Political Arena Throughout the World.

The website shows an extensive network throughout the United States and parts of the rest of the world. What is taught is the interpretation of the Bible of just one man, Mr. Drollinger.

Drollinger is certainly no advocate of the separation of church and state. Quite the opposite. His ministry is to shepherd political leaders, Christian men, to do their work led by Christian principles. Christian only. That is certainly the essence of Christian nationalism.

Since many lawmakers and policy makers in the current Trump Administration are attending Mr. Drollinger’s Bible study, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, it could be important to know what they’re learning.

It’s no secret, and the Rev. Drollinger has extensive information on his website. Each Bible lesson is available for downloading free of charge. I selected “How Best to Understand America’s Deep Divide” to analyze.

The “deep divide” that Drollinger references is easy to spot. There are the real Christians against non-believers whom Drollinger describes as “of the devil.”

The true Christians, as defined by Drollinger’s interpretation, will study particular Bible passages to equip themselves for battle by putting on the “full armor of God” to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

Drollinger names the schemes of the devil, carried out, of course, by the non-believers, the deceivers.

A. Secular Humanism

Secular humanism is a philosophy that emphasizes human reason, ethics, and scientific inquiry while rejecting religious dogma and supernatural beliefs. It focuses on the potential for human beings to lead meaningful lives based on reason and compassion rather than religious faith. This definition is for reference only. It is not part of Drollinger’s lesson.

Under this category Drollinger list the following as satanic: radical leftists, modern Progressives,

1. Same Sex Marriage, Homosexuality, Gender Neutrality, and Abortion

2. Women’s Liberation

“Women’s liberation, akin to male chauvinism, is a scheme of the devil.”

3. The New Morality

   Drollinger says “This is code for “no morality.” Truth is immutable and in this “new morality” that’s not so. Drollinger makes a statement about someone he doesn’t name but it’s no great mystery:

   In his book The Audacity of Hope, a past occupant of the White House spent an entire chapter arguing precisely for this anti-biblical position—that there is no absolute truth.

   The acceptance of such thinking, this scheme of the devil, has a disastrous effect on the credibility and productivity of public servants and the unity and survival of the nation.

Yes, he’s referring to President Barack Obama as falling for a scheme of the devil.

B. False Religions

1. Islam

Whereas in biblical Christianity God gives His life for man, in Islam man must give his life for his false god.

2. Works-Based “Christianity”

   Drollinger says: Works-based “Christianity” deludes people into thinking they can save themselves via their own effort when in reality they cannot. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, states Romans 3:23; it is a deception of Satan to think otherwise. Prideful is Satan, and he always plays to the pride in others.

3. Liberal “Christianity”

   Drollinger says: Liberal Theology’s contrary gospel is a scheme of the devil that plays in and through the arrogant, self-righteous intellectual faculties of man. It serves to elevate his ego and proves hostile and poisonous to biblical revelation and genuine, soul-saving Christianity. Theological Liberalism, aka the Social Gospel, is a huge scheme of the devil—a satanic manifestation of vast proportions rooted in D.C. today.

   Make no mistake, even though Theological Liberalism wears the name “Christianity” it is far from what the Bible says is Christianity! It is a false religion masquerading—deceptively so—as Christianity. It is not in any way Christian as defined by the Bible!

C. Political Ideologies

Mr. Drollinger states:

Socialism/Communism, in its atheistic political ideology…[it] persecutes the Church wherever and whenever it roots itself as do Islamic ideologues…

America needs mature-in-Christ political leaders who can stand firm against such schemes of the devil! Ronald Reagan is a great example: he possessed spiritual discernment when he stood against Russian Communism during his presidency. Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo are two others who exposed the reality of the atheistic Christianity-hating, Church-persecuting Chinese Communist Party.

Don’t be misled: Socialism/Communism persecutes God’s called-out ones. Socialism/Communism is darkly satanic.

D. Personal Temptations

Mr. Drollinger asks: How many are caught in immorality, pride, worldliness, self-reliance, the quest for significance, the pursuit of power, and self-indulgence today? Luke 8:12 adds to our study on demonology: “The devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.”

Drollinger lists those temptations as immorality, pride, worldliness, self-reliance, the quest for significance, the pursuit of power, and self-indulgence as coming from a demon, specifically the devil.

My thoughts

1. I support the right of individuals or communities to practice their religion or belief without interference from the government, including the right not to follow any religion.This principle is included in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion and protects the free exercise of religion.

2. This melding of one belief system, (Christianity,) one slant (conservative) as interpreted by one man (Drollinger) whose teachings are targeted toward one group (Republican men who identify as Protestant Christians) for the purpose of making them “Disciples of Jesus Christ,” and to bring that narrow perspective to their legislating is not only dangerous but the antithesis of what has defined The United States of America. We are not a Theocracy.

3. I believe that the teachings at this Bible study consciously or unconsciously serve to justify Project 2025 and its egregious plan to dismantle the government. It can also now be used to put a blessing on Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill passed with all Republican votes. Anyone opposed to these teachings are led by a demon, the devil.

4. This not only turns the time back to the 1950s Communism scare, courtesy of Senator Joseph McCarthy Republican of Wisconsin, it brings us back even further to 1692 -1693 in Salem, Massachusetts, where 19 people were executed by hanging, and one man was pressed to death. They were innocent, of course, but I’m sure they were said to be demon-possessed— like, as Mr. Drollinger says, modern Progressives.

5. If the historical Jesus of the Bible lived among us in 2025, he’d be a Democratic Socialist. Several of his teachings resonate with its principles, particularly those emphasizing social justice, community support, and care for the marginalized. Here are some key teachings that align with democratic socialist values:

Care for the Poor and Marginalized

• The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12): Jesus blesses the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek, highlighting the importance of uplifting those who are marginalized.

• Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37): This parable emphasizes the importance of helping those in need, regardless of their background, which aligns with the democratic socialist focus on community support.

Sharing Resources

• The Feeding of the 5000 (John 6:1-14): This miracle illustrates the importance of sharing resources and ensuring that everyone’s needs are met, reflecting the democratic socialist ideal of equitable distribution of wealth.

• Acts 2:44-45: Early Christians shared their possessions and resources, which mirrors the democratic socialist emphasis on communal ownership and support.

Justice and Equity

• Jesus’ Teachings on Wealth (Matthew 19:24): Jesus speaks about the difficulty for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, suggesting a critique of wealth accumulation and advocating for a more equitable society.

• The Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25): While not directly a teaching of Jesus, he references the spirit of this practice, which involved debt forgiveness and land redistribution, aligning with principles of economic justice.

Love and Compassion

• The Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40): Jesus teaches to love God and love one’s neighbor as oneself, which can be interpreted as a call for social responsibility and caring for the community, central to democratic socialism.

Advocacy for the Oppressed

• Jesus’ Mission Statement (Luke 4:18-19): He proclaims good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, emphasizing advocacy for the oppressed, a key tenet of democratic socialism.

These teachings reflect values of compassion, community, and social justice, which can be seen as compatible with the goals of democratic socialism in promoting a fair and equitable society.

Thanks for dropping by.