A Quick Story
Last week, I had an interesting occurrence in the middle of a very busy day. A prior patient, one who had been under my care for many years, returned to speak with me. I was already behind schedule. I did not truly have the three minutes that she requested of my time but I paused what I was doing to speak with her. She started the conversation by telling me how much she loved my practice and my staff, how she thought I was the greatest dentist she has ever had BUT…..the Bible verse on the wall was what made her leave.
The Scripture (Philippians 4:13) is new to our office decor and has elicited several negative reactions over the past 18 months. Some reactions were in an email or an online review, others were verbalized in person. What was different about this conversation was that she told me she was a Christian and admonished me for not being silent about my faith. Per her comments, we live in an isolated and hurting world and the Scripture might be offensive to people who are not part of the Christian faith. The summary of my response was that we, as followers of Christ, are called to be a light (Matthew 5:15) in the darkness that surrounds us. Our faith is what gives hope and comfort as we deal with the challenges of living in a fallen world. And as Christians we are called to love….EVERYONE (John 13:34).
Being Silent
I have not written in a while because I have been so overwhelmed with the truths I am unpacking through books, interviews and documentaries. I set out to author this blog as a way to awaken people to the lies we have been told during the COVID fiasco. Like an onion and its layers, the lies of our history has many layers. These layers have helped to shape and mold where we are today and it has a scary similarity to atrocities of past generations. I am going down rabbit holes of COVID and Communism, of Fluoride and the Atomic bomb, of Climate Change and One World Government, of Nutrition and the Food Pyramid. There is one underlying theme to all and that is: much of the evil of our past could have been prevented if truth tellers had not been forced into silence whether by the hand of totalitarian regimes or by the peer pressure of society.
In early 2021, I read an amazing book about the damaging history of silence. Christian author, Rod Dreher published Live Not By Lies (2020). Mr. Dreher writes as a wake up call to Christians who are sleeping through the erosion of our freedoms because they assume totalitarianism can’t happen in America. The book warns of the impact of ‘soft totalitarianism’….think of the frog on the stove. We’ve witnessed a slow march against the Christian values that this country was founded upon as progressives marginalize and sneer at conservatives, as technology moves ever closer to a surveillance state and as consumerism has dulled spirits making us more willing to accept secularism.
When I read this book, most of us were directly experiencing ‘soft totalitarianism’ in the form of lockdowns, coerced masking and forced vaccinations. Live Not By Lies is an excellent account of how Christian dissidents helped to shape the future by resisting and surviving Communist/Totalitarian oppression. Rod offers his book as a manual for Christian dissidents, sharing history as a guide to help us resist and shape a better future for our children. I would strongly encourage you to read and share this book with others. We can no longer stay silent!
Angel Studios
Angel Studios (the ones who brought us Sound of Freedom) is considering crowd sourcing a docuseries based on this book:
The survivors of Soviet Communism have a warning for us: The seeds of totalitarianism are sprouting in our society today. Live Not By Lies, based on the bestselling book of the same name, is a docuseries giving voice to the living survivors of the USSR and their fears about our future. It will be a cinematic, moving, and educational series that encourages hope and inspiration amidst our contemporary struggles. This episodic documentary will follow Live Not By Lies author Rod Dreher to Europe and beyond, where he’ll walk us through the streets of 20th century Soviet terror and interview the men and women who survived the deadliest century the world has ever known. We will learn from their stories, in order to better equip ourselves, as people of faith, to resist the lies that constantly confront us.
God has a magical way of sending us messages when we need them most (John 16:13). The following video was shared with me a couple days after this incident in my waiting room. I hope you will find this brief summary as a taste of how this docuseries can bring understanding to the dangers of not taking a stand for truth. May it it help you to be bold and break the silence as time is running out if America is to remain a beacon of freedom…..
Click this link to watch video:
Excellent post, Jessica! I agree that much blame for our current situation can be attributed to our silence as believers in Jesus Christ. The video is a cautionary tale about what comes next if we don't stand up. I commend you for taking a stand. It's only going to get worse from here. We need to remember that whatever comes next, DO NOT COMPLY.
I’m sure that it’s difficult to lose patients or receive negative reviews for you standing up for your faith. But like you said if Christians who are called to be the light, do not shine the light of Jesus in this dark world, who else will do it. I am proud of you for standing for Christ and I encourage you to keep on doing it!!
For the past 8 or 9 years we have been playing K-Love or other Christian radio in our office and we have a prayer jar in the waiting room. I have Christian devotional books that I have written for sale at the front desk. A lot of our social media posts have Christian ideals embedded in them. When someone spends time in our practice, they undoubtedly know what we are about. My practice is in a small rural town where my patient base is mostly Christian so it’s easier for me to take a stand for Christ compared to Chapel Hill where there is a more liberal population. I don’t say all this to boast but only to encourage you to keep fighting the good fight because you are not alone. I have had some negative comments over the years and had some patients leave because of it, but mostly the Christian atmosphere that we provide is met with positive reactions. Again, it’s a lot easier where I practice compared to your location.
I don’t see you changing your message or shying away from standing up for your faith. But I did want to send you a message to encourage you to continue your fight and let you know that you are not alone. I would rather offend someone by standing up for Jesus, than try to appease someone and push Him to the side. I’m sure you feel the same.