This morning is the first Sunday of not only the new church year but the new cycle of the lectionary. And I am in a kind of quarantine: I have been unwell and I do not want to share it with the congregation. So I am staying home, recovering. For some things are not meant to be shared.

But I fear for the church. Not as much for myself — although I have my fair share of troubles at the moment, my health being the least of these — but for the church. We have let the mockers and the foolish set our agenda and — with the great hope that by being gentle we wull not bruise anyone — we have become so fearful of saying the truth that the law is hidden, and no one is able to seek wisdom.

For the fear of the Law and obedience to the commands of God is wisdom.

So you have a man like me, who has a BS, MS, a gapless resume and savings, being lectured by an unsuccessful woman on how to make our children successful by following her plan, which is the opposite of my plan. Why is this an attractive value proposition to a man? Kids cost over $150,000 each, and at least in my case, I expect that I would be the one paying for it because I seem to be the only one with savings as opposed to debts. But there is no humility from single Christian women, in my experience. They want me to earn the money, but they want to make the decisions. And they think that their way will work, even when it hasn’t worked in their own lives.

I just want to point out to those women who are single that “well, I wouldn’t marry you” is not an answer to these concerns. It’s not an answer to a life lived on emotions and impracticability. It’s not an answer to kids raised to do nothing except what makes them feel good. The question is, how do we make successful kids? Do we let men lead, focusing on responsibility, obligation, incremental improvements and practicality? I want a wife who will be a chief of staff to implement my plan. Not someone who doesn’t value and respect my decision making in areas where I am proven to know what I am doing. If all I am getting in this deal is rebellion, then I can just not marry at all.

The Wintry Knight is wise here. As a solo Father, with one son who is going down the STEM path and a second son who is learning from the first with the aim of doing better, I am more worried about their resilience. The courses they take have a high rejection rate — and those who tend to take these courses are less fearful and more able to manage their emotions, because failure is more likely than not.

I pray that I have raised my children not to be scared of failure, because at times we will all fail and all have to deal with the consequences of it.

And we need to remember that truth is not something that changes or is fashionable. Truth, generally, is unfashionable, or modern. But modernism lives with mockery.

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

(2 Peter 3:1-10 ESV)

What we need to accept is that this life is hard, times are challenging, and we need to do what is right, at whatever cost it takes. We will offend. We will be shunned. And we will not please the effete.

The type of Christianity that is being peddled today by most churches is Certainly is for women and deluded males. What the bible has to say generally is not beta.

Modern churches, especially the evangelical are guilty of this, have a very fatalist view in that everything they should “leave everything in God’s hands for him to resolve as he sees fit.” That is so anti-biblical as to raise the question if the congregation or the pastor have ever actually read their bibles. While it says the lord does provide, it also explicitly states that the lord will help those who help themselves.

There were a lot of alpha type Christians down through the ages. This modern Christianity is mostly just a cash cow for certain enterprising pastors. They cater to women because women want to hear that all their problems can be shifted to somebody else. The men mostly have no idea what real Christianity is and react to the real stuff like a puppy eating meat for the first time when it is shown to them.

We have to recall that the day of the LORD will be glorious and terrible. No one can stand his holiness: no one can justify himself before Christ incarnate.

The post modern social justice warriors will have to check their privilege.

Any delay in the coming of Christ is because of mercy. We should not squander the time.

And following the advice of the popular culture, particularly around never challenging a child, is not the way to allow them to be strong. Far better that you spend considerable time patching them up and encouraging them to look again and what they are doing, teaching them that this world is not perfect and never will be. Schools are cruel, and workplaces politically competitive and ruled by the edicts of human resources.

We do not have to approve of this world. We have to withstand it. Doing so will show others that a different way exists.