Biblical discernment is the Spirit-empowered ability to distinguish truth from error, good from evil, and the will of God from the deceptions of the world. The Bible teaches that discernment is essential for every believer’s spiritual growth and protection, and one that is lacking in the church today; in as much as it could very well be it’s number one problem, along with lack of discipleship and evangelism — two things Jesus commanded before He departed to the Father.
About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV
Because of the Post-Metamodernism age in which we are living in, being bombarded by AI, it has frankly made us by all accounts lazy, spoiled, and stupid. Whatever we wanted to know, do, or create can be instantly made within seconds as long as we define what we are looking for. This world, in all it’s pathetic glory wants validation — and that’s what the god of AI will offer.
Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
The enemy is fully aware of this, and may even be orchestrating it. We are witnessing a significant paradigm shift in politics today that demands our attention; failure to confront it could spell disaster for us all. This has been unfolding for nearly a year and is picking up momentum. Modern politicians, particularly within the Democratic Party, are donning their sheep’s clothing, pretending to be genuine Christian believers when they clearly are not. Moreover, they are boldly claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ while endorsing ideologies that lack any basis in the Bible as the Holy Words of God.
James Talarico
Take for instance the following video of Texas State Representative, James Talarico, who is campaigning for U.S. Senate. By quick glance of his homepage: www.Jamestalarico.com, he is young, engaging, eighth generation Texan, and a Presbyterian seminarian. He looks like your typical, corn-fed Christian Republican.
But, he’s not; quite the opposite.
Within the video and on his website, he shares his beliefs and what he supports:
- Infanticide — Abortion on demand at any stage up till birth
- Gay marriage, unions, adoptions, and so on.
- He is currently working to remove the Ten Commandments from Texas classrooms in public education, which he believes is a violation of “separation of Church and State (SCS).” This is opposite of what SCS was intended to do, which is to protect church institutions from being invaded from the government, not the other way around.
- Believes Christianity is weaponized against the freedoms of the people
- His faith in Jesus leads him against the United States being a Christian nation
- Opposes book banning targeted at the indoctrination and grooming of our children
- The DO NOT HARM ACT, which would criminally condemn freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and open-air preaching if one deemed what is being said as “hurtful”
- Legalization of marijuana.
- Fully open borders with Mexico and other countries, while condemning Israel defending itself against attack
But, throughout this video he claims faith in Christ and to be a devout Christian. Even on his website he claims, “My north star will always be to protect innocent life,”1 while claiming abortion on demand is consistent with the Bible and God is ok with it because He needs our consent to create — absurd. Talarico’s beliefs are not only inconsistent with the Bible, it’s downright against the Bible, no matter how he tries to spin it. I don’t know Mr. Talarico, but one thing I do know: he should get his money back from the Presbyterian seminary he is attending. Either they are teaching him this word-salad in the classroom, or he is not attending class at all.
Rob Sand
Iowa Gubernatorial Candidate, Rob Sand is an interesting one too. During interviews he was asked about several issues including abortion, and his faith in Jesus Christ. Like oil and water—they don’t mix. But, let’s see where he gets his information from.
According to Offenburger.com — an online newspaper committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), declared in their article on Rob Sand that he, “grew up Lutheran, and his family now attend Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ (PCUCC) in Des Moines, and they attend regularly.”2
As you can see, Rob is very confused when it comes to what the Bible actually says, and what he, his pastors, and congregation believe. As quoted from the PCUCC about page, it tells you everything you need to know. They “don’t do dogma, don’t take the Bible literally, believe God is still speaking through all different ways, and is an LGBTQ+ open & affirming congregation.”
I imagine much of Rob Sand’s beliefs come from his faith that he learns every Sunday at his church at PCUCC, which believes:
- Abortion on demand and deems it as reproductive healthcare.3
- Marriage is not limited to a biological man and woman.
- LGBTQ+ affirming and inclusive.
- The Bible is not authoritative to be taken literally, but interpreted through reason and lived experience.
- Women can serve as pastors, elders, and leaders.
- Focuses heavily on racial justice, economic inequality, and political engagement.
- PCUCC is adapting the Bible to fit the modern culture; therefore the Bible is constantly changing.
But, that’s the thing about Rob Sand…he doesn’t say much about social issues. It’s mostly focused on finances and feelings. Mr. Sand should take his own advice in which he said in the above KCCI interview, “Honesty is the best policy.”4 A vote for Rob Sand is a vote for shifting sand—a foundation that looks solid on the surface but cannot withstand the tornadic storms Iowa might face. As Jesus warned, ‘everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand,’ and when trouble comes, the house collapses with a great fall (Matthew 7:26-27).
Why Men Like This Can Hide Among the Flock
Men like politicians, James Talarico and Rob Sand, hide in the shadows because the church and society have strayed from the solid moorings found in the Bible. Today, we lack discernment both within the church and at the voting booth. They boldly propagate falsehoods about God’s Word, and they do so unapologetically—they feel they can get away with it because few know what the Bible actually says, and even fewer have the courage to call them out.
William Wolfe from the Center for Baptist Leadership said it best while he was on the Steve Deace Show regarding a clip of James Talarico talking about his blasphemous take on Mary giving God permission to create Jesus inside of her:
“If you took all of the worst Redit threads on Christianity and animated them into a walking, talking meat-sack—you would get James Talarico. His twisting of Scripture there with Luke and the pronunciation of the incredible, miraculous birth of Christ to Mary, is so wrong it could have been written by Screwtape himself. Mary was visited by the angel and she said, ‘Your will be done.’ There was no consent given; so, we gotta beat that guy and beat that demonic sulfuric interpretation of Scripture and abortion pro-life debate.”
William Wolfe of the Center For Baptist Leadership
I couldn’t say it better. I can confidently assert that society cannot thrive with leaders of this kind. The church must take on the role of salt and light, boldly proclaiming the authority of Holy Scripture to a world in desperate need. We are called to diligently read the Bible, interpret its teachings in context, apply them accurately in our lives, and passionately share the gospel, especially given that our churches are filled with individuals like James Talarico and Rob Sand. Use discernment in the voting booth. In an AI world, there are no excuses why we cannot find honest information today about candidates. It absolutely starts with men like us.
- https://jamestalarico.com/issue/foreign-policy/ ↩︎
- https://offenburger.com/index.php/the-rob-sand-road-show-this-independent-minded-democrat-running-for-governor-is-doing-a-different-kind-of-politics-its-fun-and-i-like-it/?utm_source=chatgpt.com ↩︎
- https://www.ucc.org/abortion-is-healthcare-general-synod-says/ ↩︎
- https://youtu.be/d9Xzj9NB1eA?si=ZjQLP3w2hPamXijy ↩︎
Pens & Wrenches 
Leave a comment