Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, August 7, 2015

WHAT HITLER KNEW

Hitler, Stalin, Mao, or Kim Jong-il in Germany, Russia, China, or North Korea--they all knew they had to do one thing to establish their totalitarian rule: their government must come between and isolate every individual in society.

Therefore, they established national health care systems to come between the patient and his doctor. They nationalized education by giving the schools the official, government approved curricula. They came between the customer and merchant by creating agencies to regulate business. (Stella Moribito)

In education, the nationalized curricula centered on racial indoctrination.  This included teaching young children how to spot a Jew by describing the physical traits which Nazis believed were associated with inferior peoples. In some classrooms, where Jews were still present, a Jewish child would be brought to the front of the class. The teacher would then use a pointer, highlighting certain facial characteristics.

The motto of the Nazi's national education policy was: "The supreme task of the schools is the education of youth for the service of the state in the National Socialist spirit." Teachers taught Nazi propaganda as fact which was then recited by their students as unshakable points of view with no room for disagreement or discussion. The teachers themselves were inferior teachers, since the only ones qualified by the government were those who were members of the party. 

ONE OTHER "MUST BE" 

But, no matter what, all totalitarian regimes must accomplish one thing--if the state is to command the total loyalty of the citizenry, it must crush God's institution of the family and the citizen's loyalty to it. Therefore, the government must come between and isolate each each member of the family from the other.

To this end, the Nazi's instituted the Hitler Youth, the totalitarian answer to family loyalty and  America's Boy Scouts. Ten-year-old boys entered the Hitler Youth by swearing an oath: "In the presence of this blood banner which represents our Führer, I swear to devote all my energies and my strength to the savior of our country, Adolf Hitler. I am willing and ready to give up my life for him, so help me God." The child's loyalty to the government, not the family is paramount.

To further crush the family, Nazi Germany planted informers everywhere, even the home. In each household there was the ever-present dread that someone may be listening. Children told authorities about disloyal remarks they heard over dinner. Every family came to fear the knock on the door in the early morning hours. It meant their child, a relative, or a neighbor had turned them in; they had heard some remark, real or imagined. This usually meant the arrest of a family member. The secret police arrested and executed millions of so-called traitors.

WALTER HESS, A NAME WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY

One case involved a teenager named Walter Hess who turned in his father for calling Hitler a crazed maniac. The authorities hauled him off to Dachau. For setting such an example, Hess was promoted to a higher rank within the Hitler Youth.

This represents an ultimate betrayal, the betrayal of the parents by the child; the betrayal of the child by the parents. Sitting at the dinner table or in the den, the question is always: "Whom can I trust?"

DINNERS OF TENSION

The problem is, you don't know; you can't know. Will your wife report you if you make a disloyal remark after reading some news article in the evening paper? Who knows? Will your child overhear some criticism you make at the dinner table and report it at tomorrow's Hitler Youth meeting? Will you hear the knock? This is DIVISION and ISOLATION in all caps. The constant question on everyone's mind is: "Is this conversation safe?" 

Children spy on their parents and shatter the family, sons-in-law spy on their fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law,grandchildren on grandparents. Nephews turn uncles, aunts, and their cousins over to the authorities for misstatements. 

The state reigns. Long live the state!

But the Bible exalts the family and gives it sacred responsibilities. The book of Proverbs places the education of children in the cozy and loving confines of the home under the instruction of fathers and mothers. Ephesians tells fathers to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The allegiance of the child is to his parents whom he is to obey. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church.

DID WE NOTICE?

Did we notice when President Kennedy said at his inauguration in January 1961: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country." Say what?

Did we notice that that's a statement to which all dictators would give a hearty, "Amen."  At the time, both Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand heard that inaugural statement and stood aghast, seeing it as one which encouraged citizens to be subservient to the state. Friedman said both halves of the sentence were wrong: “Neither half of the statement expresses a relation between the citizen and his government that is worthy of the ideals of free men in a free society.”

An infuriated Ayn Rand put Hitler's words and Kennedy's words side by side and dared people to see any difference. She saw the words as a demand that man live for the state.

No, we didn't notice. Our press and our elites told us it was grand rhetoric for the ages.

DO WE NOTICE?

Do we notice those who teach our children. Just who is teaching your child? Who's the Sunday school teacher? Who's the children's church leader who guides? Do those teachers present the accurate gospel given in I Corinthians 15:1-4? "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand . . . For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . ." Do those teachers realize that John 3:16 calls for faith alone in Christ alone and nothing more or do they corrupt the good news of grace with the bad news of works, vows, and performances? 

Those who teach your children don't stand above you, elevated six feet above contradiction. Have you questioned them? Why not?

Do we notice when churches separate and segregate family members from one another--separate classes for husbands and wives, children and adults, the older from the younger, children's churches, children's activities centers, children's this and children's that. Subtle and accepted without critique. 

Do we notice movements abroad in the land, movements to divide, isolate, and destroy the family? One leader of the same-sex marriage rebellion said, "We lied. We've been lying all along. Our goal has not been 'marriage equality.'  Our goal has been the destruction of marriage." (paraphrase)

In view of this trend to isolate, separate, and destroy familial relationships, the Christian family seeks to bring family members together--grandparents together with grandchildren, cousins with cousins, uncles, aunts, and parents together--in as many ways (dinners, trips, education, vacations, activities both serious and recreational, discussions and the ceremonies of life) as they can imagine. 

Those movements which seek to divide, separate, and isolate always come cloaked with good and moral intentions, well-phrased, but Vergil's ancient warning applies: "Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes!" "I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts!"

 








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