Who’s Gonna Fill Frank Wolf’s Shoes?

George Jones once asked through the lyrics of a country song, “Who’s gonna fill their shoes?” Released in 1985, the song pays homage to country music legends like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Patsy Cline. For a country music purist, the question is a pertinent one.

Empty shoes Frank Wolf PersecutionHowever, many upstarts have volunteered to fill the famous shoes of country music superstars. Indeed, there will be more legendary performances by future legendary singers. Fame (and fortune) will always draw a crowd.

Truly legendary character is much harder to replace. Take, for instance, the retirement of Representative Frank Wolf of Virginia. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, recently said of Representative Wolf, “No one fought harder for the persecuted church around the world.” Moore rightly termed Frank Wolf “a hero.”  Who in congress will replace Frank Wolf?

Sure, there will be plenty of suitors for the office of representative. The Washington Post reports,

The battleground district, which stretches from McLean to the Shenandoah Valley and whose seat has not been vacant for more than three decades, has attracted a host of potential contenders from both parties.

But filling an office is not the same as filling Wolf’s shoes. Just as a great many country music wannabes have sought to become famous for their abilities to entertain, so, too, there will be a host of hungry politicians seeking to increase their political influence through possessing congressional office. But who will fill his shoes?

Who will use the influence of his office to call attention to lowly, politically disconnected Christians suffering injustice around the world? Why bother speaking up for Christians? The media do not care about their plight. Some would say the current administration does not care about their welfare. And a cynical observer of church activities might even make the case that professing Christians themselves are unconcerned. Representative Wolf famously called out Christian leaders as a result of their silence on the issue.

Caring for the persecuted church is not in vogue. It isn’t sexy. It won’t win you very many friends. It might even get you castigated from some social circles of influence. So, again, why bother? It seems to me there is no politically motivated reason to bother. There is no popular reason to bother (as there is with lobbying for gay marriage, subsidizing green energy, or providing birth control and abortion funding through federal healthcare legislation).

Who indeed will care for the most severely mistreated minority on earth? I don’t know, but I am glad Representative Frank Wolf did. His office will be filled, his shoes?

It’s About to Get Real









What Foley is admitting is what Jesus taught His first followers:



Christian Persecution

Source: Reuters




Are People Worth More than Plants?

Are human beings exceptional? Is there something about humans which makes them intrinsically superior to dogs or ants or even poisonous stinkweed?

If you saw my post yesterday, then you will already know the answer is, “Yes!”  Human beings are intrinsically of greater value than weeds and wildlife. Jesus once told His Human exceptionalism Image of Godfollowers, “Do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).  The Bible is plain that human beings alone are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6).

Having jettisoned the Bible and the God of whom that book speaks, many people now are not sure that humans excel plants and animals.  Just the other day, a friend told me of an incident concerning his dog. A colleague at work insisted that the dog was a part of his family. My friend held firm to the categories he uses to classify animals: Pets, Predators, and Food.  Never do animals attain the status of persons in his classic taxonomy.

Another friend of mine from back in the swampland moved to Colorado for his job, which happens to be surveying land. I asked him what the difference was between surveying in Colorado as opposed to surveying in Louisiana. His response was simple: In Louisiana, you must plan about two hours of machete work chopping away still unclassified weeds before beginning the survey work. In Colorado, not only can you not machete any living thing—including weeds, but you must also be extra careful not to damage anything growing on the land.

Now, don’t take the concept of human exceptionalism to mean that you can run roughshod over everything on the earth that isn’t human. That is not the point. The point is simply to affirm the undeniable reality that taking a machete to stinkweed is not a crime, while taking a machete to a child is heinous murder.

I am sure there are some who think this point is too simplistic and represents a straw man argument. After all, no one believes that weeds are equal to humans, right? Wrong.  Increasingly, countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, along with cities like Pittsburgh, Santa Monica, and, now, Yellow Springs, Ohio, are passing ordinances to recognize the “rights” of plants and animals.

Wesley J. Smith—a man who has done more than nearly anyone to uphold the intrinsic value of human beings—has detailed the Yellow Springs city ordinance calling for equal “rights” for nature.  As Smith points out, more than 20 cities in the U.S. have adopted similar ordinances, giving the equivalent of human rights to plants.

The aim of those passing such laws is to elevate the value of nature, but the arrow they shoot is off the mark. The result of their efforts is not to elevate nature but to denigrate humankind. Here’s a part of the Yellow Springs ordinance:

In addition, the ordinance recognizes the legally enforceable Rights of Nature to exist and flourish. Residents of the village shall possess legal standing to enforce those rights on behalf of natural communities and ecosystems.

Isn’t it interesting that it requires human beings to uphold the rights that are supposed to belong to the plants?

Blind Unbelief: China and Chen Guangcheng







