Happy Thanksgiving too all. What says Thanksgiving more than the NAR telling us we only get to heaven if we vote for Donald Trump...

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Bert Farias lists in his bio that his books are forerunners to personal holiness, the move of God, and the return of the Lord. Which is odd since his idol is one of the most morally vacuous men to ever serve as president. Such is the hypocritical existence of NAR dominionist preachers. While their fare is usually quite common, every now and again they try to rope some new angle in to support their flawed theology. Considering the time of year, it was only inevitable that someone would try to connect Thanksgiving to the cause of NAR Republican Dominionism and Bert Faris stepped up to try and deliver such. He fails spectacularly as linked above and with my ensuing response. So let us reason once more together beloved as we get ready to come together to say thanks this year.

"Thanksgiving is actually critical theme to a spiritual awakening in America. This part of our foundation is specifically Christian, and it is uniquely patriotic. No other nation in the world has a day set aside to give thanks to the God of the Bible for sparing and providing for those early pioneers." - Bert Farias

The NAR insists on a whitewashed revisionist history that cleanses the narrative of all the stuff that isn't really very Christian at all. Their version has colonial America as a Pentecostal Shangri-La, where all shared in the same benevolent faith that would found this great theocracy upon. Except it wasn't a theocracy that they founded, and it wasn't really based on the bible at all. One of the things they were fleeing was in fact religious persecution, which may be why they insisted on freedom to practice religion but not religion to run the government. What Farias neglects to mention is that Thanksgiving as a Holiday was not instituted until the Civil War. Lincoln strategized that it may bring good will to factions opposed to one another to sit down and break bread. He also thought it might ease the anger the Native Americans had at that moment after 38 native Americans were hung by the American Government after the Dakota War of 1862. Pass the stuffing please. Or perhaps he is just referencing the original Thanksgiving, credited to the Pilgrims breaking bread with the Wampanoag Tribe back in the early settler days, long before there was a thought of "America." No need to get into the fact that decades after the Wampanoag helped the settlers survive, they were betrayed, slaughtered and those that survived were sold into slavery. Is there any more gravy? This is not to say that Thanksgiving has not become a fine tradition but the narrative that it was designed to give thanks to God is a bit of an exaggeration. Farias is trying to make this point to leverage it to advance NAR theology regarding dominionism.

"Let's make sure we include the reason for there being a Thanksgiving in our celebration. Let's make sure we give thanks not only for our own blessings, but let us give thanks to God for America and its Christian foundation. Too many people are accusing preachers of mixing Christianity and politics or patriotism. Those who understand how this nation was founded are jealous for her godly heritage. There is nothing wrong with a love for nation as long as it is grounded in a love for Jesus Christ." - Bert Farias

First of all, let's address the "Christian" foundation. America was not founded to be a Christian nation. I say that is a staunch Christian who believes I should not be on the side of a grand lie. The notion that I am jealous of the godly heritage is absurdly stupid. I understand, as a former American History teacher, how this country was founded. Apparently, Bert Farias does not. We were founded based upon economic rebellion, in violation of Romans I might add. The freedom rallied around was economic freedom, not religious freedom. The Boston Tea Party was actually about tea and the taxes levied upon it. Were the majority of the people back then of some sect of Christianity? Of course, so was most of the world and all of England, where the colonists came from. Some however were atheists. Many were deists, which means they believed in "a" God but not Jesus of the bible. Jefferson rewrote the bible, removing all references to the deity of Christ and His miracles. They wanted freedom of religion but that meant ANY religion. The reason why so many accuse preachers today of mixing Christianity with politics and patriotism is that they do exactly that and it is unbiblical, idolatrous and wrong. There are churches in America founded as "patriot" churches. It is obscene. There are NAR preachers condemning Christians to hell if they vote Democratic. When Jesus walked the earth, He was entirely apolitical, and they were under Roman oppression! His kingdom is not of this world! We are supposed to be pilgrims and sojourners! Our citizenship is in heaven and God does not allow dual citizenship - just check the first commandment! The love for this nation displayed by NAR dominionists is absolutely wrong. It is nothing more than idolatry.

"There is, however, something wrong with a professing Christian who voted for a party and an anti-Christian platform that is pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, anti-Israel among many other things and who say that portions of the Word of God are hateful and judgmental. When they utter such things, we know the portions they mean. They are crusading to defend every sexual sin condemned in the Bible." - Bert Farias

Let us deal with the two main fallacies presented here. First of all, the Republican Party platform is pro-poverty and there is no greater subject after salvation in the bible than taking care of the least in society. The Republican Platform is pro war, which leads to the annihilation of countless people who needed the gospel. The Republican Platform in recent years is whatever Donald Trump wants. A man so vile and reprehensible, I am amazed that any Christian could even vote for him. That is not supporting the other party either. I do not fall for the binary choice and hate the other side tactic of the devil. Neither party cares about the cause of Christ so stop pretending that one does. As for sin, Farias' argument cuts both ways. The inherent problem is in conferring righteousness upon one political party that has not earned it. So, in the 1990's one of the staunchest, religious congressmen was Dennis Hastert from Illinois. Years later we would find out that for decades this bastion of Christian morals liked to molest little boys. Oops. Newt Gingrich? Yeah, he was having an affair on his wife, who he would end up divorcing, with a woman half his age. Donald Trump? Three times married, three times unfaithful, including one porn star. So, you may want to save the self-righteous blather. We all sin. We all fall short. Neither party cares for the cause of Christ and do you know why? Because the bible says the things of God are foolishness to them. Wake up and read the bible.

"Let us be thankful to God for America, and let us pray that the Word of God may continue to have free course and be glorified in our nation. Let us pray also to be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men who do not have faith. " Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may quickly spread and be glorified, even as it did with you. And pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, for not all men have faith" (2 Thess. 3:1-2)." - Bert Farias

I am thankful for living in the United States and all of the opportunity it provides. It is a great verse cited but of course misused because we already have the freedom in this country to spread the word of God. There is virtually no prohibition in this country against that. What has been problematic is when self-professing Christians use the bible to not bake a cake. Or sue a state so that a high school football coach can say Christian prayers, regardless of whether or not all his players are actually Christian. Despite the goals of the NAR, America never was nor should ever be a theocracy. God did not instruct us to create a theocracy. The insinuation here is that men in the Republican Party have faith, and those evil Democrats do not. It is just a lie from the pit of hell. There are Christians of different denominations in both parties. They are few and far between and the majority of those in politics are not saved, including those serving at the behest of the NAR apostate church. We are all unreasonable and wicked before a holy God. Again, stop pretending that your set of politicians is righteous therefore all others must be evil.

"Let us also pray and give thanks for all men, especially for our president and those in authority.

"Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1-4). Notice that thanksgiving is a part of this prayer. Too many have a sense of entitlement when it comes to America. The question now seems to be "What can my country do for me?" not "What can I do for my country?" There are many more ungrateful people living in our nation than ever before." - Bert Farias

How sadly hypocritical that Farias quotes a liberal Democratic president in the same article where he slams anyone who would dare vote for him. There are many ungrateful people living in this country and many are on the Republican side which is now a party of perpetual grievance. They do not like this country. They have a different vision for it and guess what? That is what the political process is for. Just because I may want one thing and my neighbor may want something else does not make my neighbor a sinner and myself a saint. It does not make my neighbor evil and myself righteous. I do not have to hate my neighbor, consign them to hell, all the while propping up other failed men who just fail in areas I tolerate better. The things of God may be foolishness to those who are perishing but they can spot hypocrisy just fine.

"Notice also the reason we are to give thanks and pray for those in authority. It's so strife, division, hatred, conflict and potentially unrest and war can be prevented so we can live in peace. And for what reason? So that the gospel can move, and more people can come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved (v. 4). Those who accuse us of being too political or patriotic and placing American politics before the gospel don't fully realize the connection. America is still the greatest nation on the face of the earth and I am grateful for the many privileges and blessings of my citizenship. There are many enemies from within who want to take those privileges and blessings away from us. There are many who want to transform this nation into something God never ordained or intended. Thanksgiving is a great time of year to remember our roots and rejoice and give thanks for our nation and the many freedoms and blessings we still enjoy." - Bert Farias

I fully understand the connection, but it is not being represented honestly by Farias. The gospel can currently move wherever it wants in America. Nothing has changed that. Nobody wants to take blessings away from you Bert. Sell your silly conspiracies somewhere else. God did not ordain this country to be anything. We are not and never have been in covenant with God. Any fair reading of our history reveals the best human experiment in secular government that has never had a sliver of the righteousness Bert Farias dreams it had. America still held on to slavery too long. It still abused children in sweatshops. It sill plundered other countries for their natural resources. It still started wars based on lies and for greed. It still did a whole lot of good as well, no question. But stop idolizing it and trying to transform it into the theocratic image you worship. Maybe if you spent your energies in the actual preaching of the gospel instead of trying to force culture to codify it, you would find more people willing to listen to what you want to say. Maybe if you spent more effort trying to reach people instead of condemning them and pointing your bony finger of accusation at them, you would see more people come to Christ. Maybe if you spent more effort bringing people together through the love of Christ, rather than dividing them with your carnal politics, we would all be more thankful than we are.

Happy Thanksgiving all. It is a day to be thankful for all God has done and will do. It is a day to be thankful we live in America without extolling it with revisionist history and fabrications. We are passing through beloved on our way to a better place. Our job is not to redeem culture but save people out of the culture. Be thankful we live in a country where we are free to do that and bake a cake if we want to.

Gobble gobble.

Reverend Anthony Wade - -November 23, 2023

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.