CCM001- Let Us Change Our World

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Conservative Christian Movement Podcast Episode 001  Let Us Change the World

Welcome.  Here I motivate the Christian community to action. Join me today for a look at what I believe is the source of all the fake news, bitterness and contempt for conservatism today.  We will learn why people think their vote doesn’t count and I’ll give you a brief background on how this show came to be.  Join me on this, the inaugural episode of the Conservative Christian Movement Podcast.

Verse of the Day:

2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This simply means people of faith, don’t be prideful.  Ask God to help people, especially those leaders in government to be faithful to the past, ask forgiveness and guidance and He will heal our land.

Saul D. Alinsky:

You don’t have to look very hard to see protests, As I record this on January 20, 2018 Women across the nation are protesting for women’s reproductive rights.  Additionally, what I will call fake news and a general disdain for our president runs rampant.  This hatred is placed upon anyone perceived to represent conservatism, the Constitution and yes, Christianity.  This is by design as I will show.

The first lesson for Christians involves how those against conservative Christian think about Tactics.  Saul D. Alinsky remains widely credited as the father of community organizing.  Educated at the University of Chicago, he is the author of several books pertaining to radical acts which build his kind of world through coalition building and hardball campaigns for many issues, not just one.

His premise was three-fold

1. Communities face inner-city problems due to a lack of power to implement solutions;
2. The only way to build long-term power is through money and common vision
3. Viable organizations can only be achieved through broadly based indigenous (Native or local) leadership–and not one or two charismatic leaders.

On the surface his premise is sound, however coupling them with his 13 rules, a Christian minded person might think differently– a slightly inverse set of rules.  His rules are as follows.

• The first rule of power tactics: Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.
• The second rule is: Never go outside the experience of your people. When an action is outside the experience of the people, the result is confusion, fear, and retreat.
• The third rule is: Wherever possible go outside the experience of the enemy. Here you want to cause confusion, fear, and retreat.
• The fourth rule is: Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.
• The fourth rule carries within it the fifth rule: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage.
• The sixth rule is: A good tactic is one that your people enjoy. If your people are not having a ball doing it, there is something very wrong with the tactic.
• The seventh rule: A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. Man can sustain militant interest in any issue for only a limited time, after which it becomes a ritualistic commitment, like going to church on Sunday mornings.
• The eighth rule: Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.https://eagleholic.wordpress.com/
• The ninth rule: The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.
• The tenth rule: The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. It is this unceasing pressure that results in the reactions from the opposition that are essential for the success of the campaign.
• The eleventh rule is: If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counterside;
• The twelfth rule: The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative. You cannot risk being trapped by the enemy in his sudden agreement with your demand and saying “You’re right — we don’t know what to do about this issue. Now you tell us.”
• The thirteenth rule: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.

In coming episodes I will analyze each of the thirteen rules and formulate a conservative corollary.  For now I will focus on Alinsky’s assumptions.

Sadly, in American politics, there is but a small subset of politicians, specifically at the national level who seek something other than long-lasting power.  This is true of both Republicans and Democrats.  To a lesser extent, at least what I know about the it, the Libertarian Party seeks freedom from government over reach, seeks to be an island in the world, yet lacks social or biblical values.  Yes, the social conservative caucus in both the House of Representatives and the Senate are small and lack power.  Of course both parties outside this small circle seek to belittle and shame conservative members at every turn.

What we see in Washington DC and at the state level is legislating to increase the voter base in an effort to retain power.  This is an example of the first assumption.TheOf interest to me, of his three assumptions is this– in general inner city politics are as far from conservative values as possible.  Sadly, power soaks people in darkness.  Consolidating power in down trodden areas keeps people beholden to their government, far from free.  Conservative values are the basis of our Constitution which was written to conform to Christian principles, whether you agree or not.  Granted the verbiage is not Bible-centric, yet nothing in the original language contradicted any principle held dear to Christians at the time.  The Bible has not changed, only American culture has, therein lies the plight of Conservative Christians and the Alinsky movement.

It does not take money to build long-lasting power.  It takes a strong, well communicated message and a thought of benefit to all.  Any time money and politics join together, surely evil will follow.  Money simply buys power while true power is given to those who earn the respect of the electorate.

As for viable organization.  Today we see many organization in the political and religious realm.  It is true one needs not be “charismatic” in order to produce change.  It certainly helps, however.  Today we have a president from New York, a vice president from Indiana, a speaker of the house from Wisconsin and a Senate Majority Leader from Kentucky.  Our system is not built around what Alinsky refers to as “Native” leaders.  More to the point, leaders with a resonating message are selected.  Often times however the message is less than respectful, more often than not delivered by Liberal minded candidates as we saw in the Alabama special election for Senator in late 2017.  It was ugly and we may never know the whole truth in that situation.  It smelled pretty bad though.

Consider the basis for the thirteen rules.  A true conservative will see some truth in the thought processes, but flawed actions have left cities in shambles, broken and destitute.  In spite of his writings in 1971 and beyond, the thirteen rules for radicals often leave a trail of destruction in American cities.

Does your single vote count?

I hear so many people make a blanket statement, considering their vote a waste of time.  What I find is people have the wrong attitude about voting and elections.  Take for instance, if you were to live by yourself in your home or apartment, your vote would be ultimately powerful.  This of course limited by your own ability to fund your choices, the law, etc, wink wink.  Get married and your vote could possibly be split between two opposing sides of an argument.  Add children to the mix, the vote generally remains the same, however the forces pushing the decisions one way or the other multiply.

My thinking about politics in general is similar to playing chess.  Each move is strategic, much like Alinsky’s rules.  The way I move through the process.  Keep score along the way.  Did your candidate of choice win?  If not, why?  Look at voting records to see if your actions moved the needle versus other areas.  There are many ways to impact elections.  There are also ways to measure your effectiveness.  You can’t win ever chess match, or every election.  However, What if I (or you) understood the process, the dynamics and the players well enough to cut through the noise?  Could you change the hearts and minds of others?  I think so… If so, you may well see your influence grow along with your effectiveness.

If you spend time learning about politics, politicians and policies, you can explain what you know to others.  Then all of a sudden, you might take your one vote and parlay it into additional votes of your spouse, your neighbors, your community, etc.  Now is your vote wasted?  Does it count?  You betcha…  What if you were to take it one step further and start a blog, record videos for Youtube, start a podcast or even run for office?  These options give you more ability to reach others, influence their opinions and multiply your own vote.

Why this podcast?

Today on the Conservative Christian Movement Podcast, I’ll give a brief background on the purpose, scope and goals of this podcast.  I’ll talk about how the United States became a Christian Nation and the philosophical differences which fight to change our History.  It’s been a long road getting to this point but it will be a long journey of learning for the future.

I am Jeff Stipe, your host.  Join me on this walk as I present to you the knowledge and tools which help you be an educated, active and principled voter; one that changes the world for the good.

This is a Christian Based podcast first and foremost.  That is not to say it is a Bible Thumping show.  Rather I will use this show to present the compatibility of the Bible and the US Constitution.  From the time the Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower through today, Biblical values have served as the basis for our laws in one form or another.  The very foundation of our nation is at a minimum based on a search for freedom to practice religion and a freedom from the government proscribed Church of England.  Yes, it may be a lightning rod topical show, BUT the importance is of great concern to Christian Americans.

Now for some background into how this show came to be.  Conservative Christian Movement was at one time an organization within churches with the goal of sharing the Christian Nation Heritage which had been held so dear, but fading.  Christians across the globe are more likely than ever to suffer persecution for their belief.  What had been called the Seven Mountain Strategy by so many pastors served as the basis for turning back to Christian principles.  This strategy involved placing believing citizens into positions of influence, such as Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media, Arts & Entertainment and Business.

What we know is for some forty years, non-believers have occupied these positions with the express purpose of limiting religious influence (Call it a dumbing down of faith).  One needs only to pay attention to see how all the seven mountains have degraded into a condition sorely lacking a moral compass and it’s just growing worse.

My belief is two-fold.  First, focusing on the benefits a solid, Biblical-based moral code applied to the seven mountains can do wonders for the United States.  Second, sound reasoning will always win out over in your face disagreement.  To that end, this is not a Republican versus Democrat show.  Just watching the news will prove both parties have their fair share of anti-religious sentiment.  Through these episodes, I will attempt to share how a conservative philosophy is the best hope for America just as it was intended by the founding fathers.

What this show is NOT.  It is not a push to create a Church of America.  It is also not about beating down those of different opinions.

A Biblical Based and political discussion will undoubtedly touch on lightning rod issues for sure, however it should not diminish the rights of those who disagree, especially those who remain friendly.  Yes, this is an audio program consumed by people away from the provider, yet it is quite possible and very much important to have dialogue.

The topics in this show fit into three groups or buckets- Be Educated about the process, Know how you influence others and Do what it takes to coach others and change your world.

Welcome again the the first episode of the Conservative Christian Movement Podcast, I am Jeff, your host.  Let’s begin!

In the next episode, I talk about why the Pilgrims left their homeland and what they were looking for. How about those Pilgrims?  Additionally we’ll look at Alinsky’s first rule and what inverse logic can benefit the Christian Conservative on the public stage.

Join the discussion at www.CCMPodcast.com.  I look forward to your comments.

Until next time, be blessed.