Wesley’s Writings

I recently watched the 1984 film, The Killing Fields, for the first time. It is a deeply profound movie which changes you and stays with you long after you see it.

It is the story of a friendship between two journalists, an American (Sydney Schanberg) and a Cambodian (Dith Pran), set against the backdrop of the horrors of the Khmer Rouge’s tortuous and oppressive reign in Cambodia. The cast includes Sam Waterston as Schanberg, Haing S. Ngor (a Cambodian gynecologist who endured living under the Khmer Rouge and won an Oscar for his role as Dith Pran in the film), John Malkovich, Julian Sands, and Craig T. Nelson. It was directed by Roland Joffé. The name of the movie comes from Pran’s term for the site of the mass killings in the Cambodian genocide. The movie is rated R. It contains a lot of violence and some foul language so it’s not appropriate for children. The lessons of the film, however, still need to be passed down to the next generation.

There may not be another film that so clearly captures the horrors of communism as well as The Killing Fields. For those unfamiliar with the history of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge was the name given to the communist regime which ruled Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) between 1975 to 1979. It was a time of great suffering for the Cambodian people. Nearly 2 million people are estimated to have died under the murderous policies of Pol Pot, the prime minister.

“We must be like the ox, and have no thought, except for the Party. And have no love, but for the Angka. People starve, but we must not grow food. We must honor the comrade children, whose minds are not corrupted by the past.” Haing S. Ngor, The Killing Fields

Hundreds of thousands of people also died from starvation and disease. Cambodians were taken out of the cities and forced to work on collective farms. They were indoctrinated in Communist reeducation camps. Private property, religious freedom, and individual liberty were all eliminated. Family ties were severed, and snitching on others became commonplace. A “Year Zero” policy was instituted in which old customs were forbidden. Intellectuals like doctors and other professionals were killed. The only thing that was allowed was loyalty to the party. It was truly a nightmare, and the movie does a superb job of portraying the hopelessness of the people under this harsh regime.

“The wind whispers of fear and hate. The war has killed love. And those that confess to the Angka are punished, and no one dare ask where they go. Here, only the silent survive.” Hang S. Ngor, The Killing Fields

I won’t give away any spoilers, but the bulk of the movie deals with Dith Pran trying to survive the extreme hardships of forced labor, starvation, and torture at the hands of the communist leaders of the Khmer Rouge. Pran’s friendship with Schanberg adds warmth and humanity to a film whose brutal realities might otherwise overwhelm the viewer.

After I watched the movie, I reflected upon what I had just seen. I worried about a similar tragedy happening here in America. At one time that seemed far-fetched, but sadly that is not the case anymore. One thing that I kept thinking about was how many young people seem to be unaware of communism’s murderous past. Socialism and communism seem to be in vogue these days, and I think that is largely due to both ignorance and indoctrination. Many of our youth are not only failing to learn the history of communism, but they are also being taught to hate America, capitalism, and Western Civilization.

It should probably be noted that the film doesn’t present the United States in the best of light, either. It offers harsh criticism of Nixon’s bombing campaign in Cambodia and even suggests that he was partly responsible for what happened there. But that is a minor aspect of the film. The vast majority of the movie deals with the terrible conditions under the Khmer Rouge.

If we take a look back, communism has resulted in horrendous suffering, mass murder and violence, starvation, and the loss of personal liberty nearly everywhere it has been tried. Just look at the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin, Cuba under Castro, and China under Mao, who interestingly supported the Khmer Rouge (Mao even met with Pol Pot in Beijing). This evil ideology has been a complete disaster.

Communism has killed at least 100 million people (The Black Book of Communism) since the Bolsheviks took power in Russia in 1917, with 45 million of those dying under Mao in his Great Leap Forward (The Washington Post, “Remembering the Biggest Mass Murder in the History of the World”).

Communist China looms large in geopolitics these days as power seems to be shifting from the West to the East. China poses a real and serious threat to the United States of America. Its communist leaders have no interest in personal or religious freedom. They have one concern–loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.

“We are not waging war against individuals. We are exterminating the bourgeoisie as a class….Do not look for evidence that the accused acted in word or deed against Soviet power. The first question should be to what class does he belong….It is this that should determine his fate.” –Martyn Latsis, an official of the Cheka, Lenin’s secret police, in a 1918 instruction to interrogators

Most alarming of all is what is currently taking place within the United States. American films are regularly censored by the studios to placate Chinese officials, cancel culture seeks to punish people for “unorthodox” non-woke views, freedom of speech is no longer valued, people are encouraged to snitch on each other for not wearing masks, and vaccine mandates are promoted. In some places, those who don’t comply are expelled from college, prevented from entering restaurants, and generally shamed. In addition, Marxist philosophies such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) are being taught in schools and also in books like Ibram X. Kendi’s, How to Be an Antiracist.

Private property has even been attacked by the Biden administration when the CDC attempted to halt evictions during the pandemic. Thankfully, the Supreme Court ruled against the CDC’s power grab, saying it needed Congressional approval.

Woke General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, in the context of the January 6 Capitol Riot, that he wants to understand “white rage.” He went on to say that he has read Mao, Stalin, and Lenin, but he made it clear that that didn’t make him a Communist. He seems more concerned about diversity than getting all the Americans out of Afghanistan.

Social media companies routinely ban conservatives for their political views as well as anyone who posts information about COVID that doesn’t line up with what Anthony Fauci has said. President Trump was banned from Twitter and Facebook while he was still President.

And wokeness isn’t limited to secular institutions. It has entered the evangelical world. Woke leaders abound, and running down America or hating on Trump now seem commonplace among preachers. Left-wing ideologies and agendas which were once reserved for the world have now, sadly, entered the church house.

One could not be blamed for thinking that we are in the middle of a Marxist revolution. Many don’t see it because the changes to our society are often subtle. The revolution sometimes takes the form of Cultural Marxism, which originated in the Frankfurt School in the Weimar Republic in Germany. Since Marxism seems to have failed in the economic sphere, its proponents now seek to first transform the culture. The proverbial frog in the slowly boiled water comes to mind as we observe the incremental changes in our society which seem to align with Marxist ideologies at the expense of traditional American values.

“A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.” –Mao Zedong

Sadly, many Americans have given into fear and seem to value safety and Big Brother’s handouts more than they value freedom or liberty. Businesses and churches alike were forced to shutter their doors for months last year during the pandemic but were promised aid by the Federal government. Many went along with it in the name of loving your neighbor or public safety. Those who didn’t comply were sometimes harassed and even arrested by authorities drunk on power.

What everyone needs to realize is that communism and freedom cannot coexist in the same place. They are antithetical to each other. Communism has no place for freedom because it interferes with obedience to the state. Communism has no place for religion because it is a competitor to people’s loyalty to the party. And communism has no place for freedom of thought or speech because the party must suppress the truth in order to stay in power. Communism’s shortcomings and failures are evident to all. That is why it is always enforced with violence. It never wins in a battle of ideas.

We must do a better job of teaching the next generation about the horrors and history of communism. We must remember the sufferings and miseries it inflicted upon others so that we do not have to learn the dangers of such ideologies the hard way like millions before us. We must speak out against the encroachments upon freedom that we see taking place in the West while we still can. And we must prefer liberty over safety, for as Benjamin Franklin said:

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

Last Thursday on August 26, thirteen U.S. servicemen were killed, along with many Afghan civilians, in a suicide bombing near the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. These brave servicemen and women were part of the heroic effort to evacuate as many Americans and Afghan allies as possible before the withdrawal of U.S. troops on August 31. Below are the names, ages, and hometowns of these heroes:

• Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, assigned to 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

• Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California, assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

• Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah.

• Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California, a rifleman.

• Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska, a rifleman.

• Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana, a rifleman.

• Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas, a rifleman.

• Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri, a rifleman.

• Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming, a rifleman.

• Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, a rifleman. 

• Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California.

• Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio, assigned to 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California.

• Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee. Knauss was assigned to 9th PSYOP Battalion, 8th PSYOP Group, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

Let us not forget the sacrifice of these American heroes. We should also keep their families in our prayers, as well as the Americans who are stranded in Afghanistan and yet to come home.

Source: MilitaryTimes.com

PAW Patrol: The Movie is a great film for the family to see together. Young kids will love it. The animation is beautiful, the plot is satisfying, and the soundtrack is upbeat. The movie keeps the essence of the television show while updating it in a way that keeps the show fresh and exciting.

The plot of the movie centers on the Paw Patrol’s move to Adventure City to counter Mayor Humdinger’s antics, with a subplot about Chase overcoming his fears of the big city. There is also a backstory about Chase and Ryder introduced at the beginning of the film which comes into play in a key scene later in the movie.

One of the things I like about Paw Patrol is that it is clean and appropriate for kids. And unlike other kids’ shows these days, it doesn’t really have an agenda other than to entertain and uphold positive values. There are some environmental themes, but they are done in a balanced manner and not at all preachy or in your face.

It was refreshing to get out and go to the movie. I think the last time we saw a movie in the theater was pre-COVID. It made for a nice family outing.

So if you have young kids, I encourage you to take them to this movie. They will be entertained; and unless it’s in the previews before the movie, you won’t have to worry about inappropriate content, which is sadly becoming commonplace these days.

“The Afghan troops have 300,000 well-equipped — as well-equipped as any army in the world — and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable. … The Taliban is not … the North Vietnamese army. They’re not remotely comparable in terms of capability. There’s going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy in the — of the United States from Afghanistan. It is not at all comparable.” –President Biden to reporters on July 8, 2021

I was sad for America and for the Afghan people as I heard reports of diplomats scrambling to leave the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan and as I watched the chaotic scene unfold at the airport in Kabul on Sunday. It’s hard to forget the images of Afghans running alongside and clinging to the outside of a C-17 cargo transport plane as it took off. They were desperately hoping to escape the brutal rule of the Taliban. The reason for the sudden panic, of course, was the fall of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, to the Taliban on August 15, which was preceded by the complete collapse of the Afghan army, the flight of Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, and the Taliban’s lightning fast takeover of the rest of the country.

A little background on the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan might be helpful at this point. President George W. Bush had originally sent troops to Afghanistan in 2001 after the terrorist attacks of 9-11 to prevent the Taliban from providing safe haven to terrorists, namely Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. But Bush’s focus on Afghanistan was soon eclipsed by the war in Iraq. When President Obama took office, his administration ramped up operations in Afghanistan, until Osama bin Laden was killed, at which time it gradually drew down the number of troops.

President Trump, eager to end America’s longest war, made a deal with the Taliban for the U.S. to leave the country by May 1, 2021. There were conditions to the agreement such as:

The Taliban was not to “allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.”

When President Biden took office, he pushed back the withdrawal date to September 11, 2021, the 20th anniversary of 9-11, and then moved it up to August 31. The Taliban considered this to be a violation of the agreement.

We can debate whether it is wise policy for America to leave Afghanistan now after 20 years and whether nation-building is a futile endeavor, but there is no doubt that the manner in which we are leaving shows the utter incompetence and callousness of the Biden administration. To neglect the safety of our own citizens in the withdrawal process is shameful. After seeing the disaster that took place in Kabul over the weekend, one could be excused for thinking that this administration cares little about its own citizens and even less about its Afghan partners. This debacle is evidence of the failure of the Biden administration to fulfill its most basic duty–protecting American lives.

CBS News reported that Americans in Afghanistan received a message over the weekend from the State Department instructing them to make their way to the airport in Kabul but that the U.S. could not guarantee safe travel to the airport.

It seems that our government has also neglected the Afghan interpreters who helped the U.S. military for the past 20 years. Since they currently do not have visas to leave the country, they are stranded at the airport in Kabul. Obviously, they feel betrayed by an American government which they spent two decades helping.

“We are not withdrawing, we are staying, the embassy is staying, our programs are staying … If there is a significant deterioration in security … I don’t think it’s going to be something that happens from a Friday to a Monday.” —Secretary of State Blinken on July 7

What do these failures indicate to our allies around the world? They show our friends that they can’t trust the United States government to keep its word. This loss of confidence in America’s ability to defend her allies won’t be easily repaired.

“I may be wrong, who knows, you can’t predict the future, but I don’t see Saigon 1975 in Afghanistan. The Taliban just aren’t the North Vietnamese Army. It’s not that kind of situation.”  –Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley

We need new leadership in the United States. We need a President who will protect our troops, diplomats, and citizens. We need a leader who will show concern for our allies and keep his word. We need a Commander-in-Chief who will uphold America’s role as leader of the free world.

We also need to make national security a priority again. Allowing the Taliban to take over Afghanistan in a week’s time after twenty years of American investment in lives and treasure is virtually inviting terrorists to attack us.

In the past, America has been a beacon of liberty, a city on a hill, and a land of hope. She has stood up against the enemies of freedom and helped out those who couldn’t help themselves. But sadly, this botched withdrawal from Afghanistan shows the world that America does not currently have the right leadership to fulfill these roles. And that realization is emboldening the enemies of freedom around the world–from the Taliban to Russia to China.

So say a prayer tonight for the Americans and Afghans who are stranded in a country which is now ruled by terrorists. And say a prayer for America–that she would once again be a country which fights for freedom and defends her allies.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day. It was a good day. We enjoyed patriotic music in church this morning, a family cookout with games this afternoon, and fireworks tonight. I really enjoy celebrating America’s birthday. It probably helps that I love the summertime and the extra hours of daylight.

Our country has been through so much the past couple of years–COVID, shutdowns, racial tension, riots, a contested election, moral revolution and upheaval, and whatever that was on January 6.

Sometimes I feel like we our losing the country that I grew up in. Marxist ideologies like socialism and Critical Race Theory as well as a constant degradation of our nation’s history and heritage in our media, schools, and national consciousness threaten to tear apart the fabric of our nation. The most depressing aspect of these conditions is that these beliefs are starting to seep into areas once off limits–like churches.

The reason why our history is being rewritten is because our history has been largely forgotten. Those ignorant of their own heritage are susceptible to dangerous ideologies.

In the novel 1984 George Orwell writes:

“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped.”

That quote hits a little too close to home these days. We see statues being torn down, books being banned or censored, and America being rebranded as an oppressor instead of the land of the free. Our youth are taught to hate our country and its history. Many of these same youth know little of the murderous history of communism in places like China, Cuba, and the Soviet Union. They have largely rejected traditional American values and embraced the tyrannical ideologies of Lenin and Mao.

“Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth.” 1984, George Orwell

One solution to this problem is to get back to our foundations and to remember from whence we came. Let us study and learn our history in such a way that promotes patriotism and love of country rather than cynicism and nihilism. As I read about our Founding Fathers and founding documents, a love of America wells up inside of me. I begin to recognize the long tradition of freedom in which we have been privileged to participate.

Our country is not without fault, but no nation is. It’s all about perspective. Are we going to focus on the positive or the negative? Marxists want to deconstruct Western Civilization to create a utopia that can never exist. We’ve seen the results of such utopias in the 20th century–millions of innocent people killed. Yet, America has done so much good in the world. Its has promoted freedom around the world, vastly elevated the standard of living of its own citizens, and corrected many of its own faults through its ingenious constitutional republican form of government.

We also must remember our Christian heritage. From the Pilgrims to the Great Awakening to Billy Graham crusades, our nation has a long history of faith. But Marxism and communism are antithetical to a Christian society. Much of what is currently taking place in America’s educational system is due to a sustained effort by those on the Left to undermine and tear down the Judeo-Christian foundation of America. They know that if they can replace our Christian roots with their “America as an oppressor” narrative, they can remake the United States into something unrecognizable.

Sadly, America has turned its back on God of late and embraced many wicked ideas, behaviors, and policies. There is definitely a need for repentance and revival. One of the best things you can do for our country is to pray for her. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 the Bible reminds us of this principle:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

So on this Independence Day, let us rediscover our history as well as our love of country. Read the Declaration of Independence. Teach our traditions to the next generation. Set off fireworks and eat some hot dogs. America should be celebrated. We have a rich history and heritage of freedom and faith. Don’t let those who hate her rob you of your patriotism. And don’t let ignorance of the past cause you to slacken your resolve in defending the freedom you now enjoy.

https://anchor.fm/wesley-provine/episodes/Psalm-38-e13su30

We’re losing our country, and it saddens me. The worst part is that we are doing it to ourselves. Or we are at least allowing it to happen. I’ve often been disappointed by the lack of people who take a stand or speak up about what is going on these days in the land of the free. Yet, there are some faithful patriots who refuse to give in to the woke communists and the leftists. God bless them.

The primary problem I see is that there are too many silent Americans who value their jobs, reputation, or friendships more than they value freedom or truth. We need more to speak out against the leftist takeover of our nation.

The worst silence is the silence in the pulpits. You would think that preachers would be screaming as loud as they can about the dangers posed to our families and freedoms, but sadly that is not the case for the most part. Everyone is afraid.

We need more sons of Issachar who understand the times. We need more Davids to fight the Goliaths. We need more Pauls who will boldly speak the truth.

Before the 2021 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in Nashville last week, I thought that the new President would probably be Georgia pastor and outgoing Executive Committee (EC) Chairman Mike Stone or Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler. I really liked Stone’s conservative stances. As for Mohler, he represented the establishment, which opposes false teaching like Critical Race Theory (CRT) publicly, but seems to allow it to be taught in the seminaries.

Northwest Baptist Convention Executive Director/Treasurer Randy Adams was also running. I liked Adams’ platform which pushed for transparency and local control, but I wondered whether he had the name recognition to win the race. The person I least expected to win was Alabama pastor Ed Litton. I really didn’t think he had a shot. I considered him the woke candidate, and I felt like he would bring the same left-wing policies of his predecessor, J.D. Greear.

So I was surprised and very disappointed when I heard that Ed Litton had won. In the first round of voting, Albert Mohler received 26.32% of the vote, Mike Stone received 36.48%, Ed Litton received 32.38%, and Randy Adams received 4.71%. In the runoff (the winner had to get a majority), Ed Litton won with 6,834 for 52.04% of the vote, and Mike Stone had 6,278 for 47.81% of the vote.

Many people think that former Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore was to blame for Stone’s loss. In the days leading up to the annual meeting, there were two letters written by Moore which were leaked. They painted Stone and the Executive Committee in a very negative light. The first letter was written to the ERLC trustees; the second one was written to former SBC President J.D. Greear. In the first letter, Moore said that SBC leaders wanted him to live in “psychological terror.” In the second letter, Moore slandered Stone by accusing him of stonewalling investigations into abuse allegations.

Many suspect that Moore leaked the letters himself. Moore’s sleazy actions appeared political and vindictive. Moore was likely upset with Stone and the EC for assigning a task force to investigate the ERLC’s effectiveness in February 2020. Some see Moore’s actions as an act of revenge. It seemed to work in the short term. Stone lost the election, and the woke candidate won.

It wasn’t just the presidential election that was a disappointment. SBC leaders were also dismissive of messengers on the floor. A motion to rescind 2019’s infamous Resolution 9 (which approved CRT as an analytical tool) was rejected on procedural grounds. A motion on women’s responsibility in abortion was also rejected. And Kevin Ezell deferred to someone else when a messenger asked him about transparency of salaries within the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

So it was more of the same from a denomination that continues to drift leftward. Even though 15,726 messengers showed up to Nashville (the most since 1995), conservatives within the SBC continue to feel like the elites at the top refuse to listen to them and are doubling down on their woke ideologies, though at times they may throw us a bone by giving lip service to conservative causes.

Next year’s meeting is in Anaheim. It will likely be harder for conservatives to gather in large numbers there since it’s on the West Coast. In addition, many conservatives are already fleeing the denomination. At this point, we may have to also consider pulling out of a denomination which no longer listens to or respects the people sitting in the pews–people who just want to be faithful to the Word of God.