By Scott Patton
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19
In 1894 God gave a vision to an Illinois public school teacher Mrs. D. T. Miles. Her dream was simple—teach the Bible to Children. Mrs. Miles believed time constraints limited her from teaching the Bible in her public school classroom. So, she devised the novel idea of teaching the Bible to children during the Summertime. She organized the curriculum into four-week lessons focusing on grammar school-aged children—Vacation Bible School (VBS) was born. Fast-forward one hundred and twenty-six years, and hands down, Vacation Bible School is one of the most significant Christ Kingdom-building ventures in America and worldwide!
So why would Nebraska Democratic Senator Megan Hunt introduce a Bill to outlaw Vacation Bible School? The answer is as simple as the Holy Spirit-inspired vision God gave Mrs. Miles to start the first VBS! Protect and care for our children. Satan hates our children; it’s that simple and that complicated. Satan delights when his pawn politicians attempt to make laws that affect our children by turning them against God and the church. If Satan can’t talk you out of your faith or mock you out of your faith, he will outlaw your faith! Hence this Bill! Satan wants to take out every opportunity of disciple-making away from our Children. Why? Because, as always, everything with Satan is a zero-sum game, and the impacts of VBS every Summer is daunting to the Devil!
Satan wants to take out every opportunity of disciple-making away from our Children. Why? Because, as always, everything with Satan is a zero-sum game, and the impacts of VBS every Summer are daunting to the Devil!
Lifeway magazine says VBS reaches over 25,000 churches and 3 million people annually. A “short-term event with long-term results ."Research indicates that connections made during VBS result in salvations, the discovery of church prospects, and potential workers for other ongoing children's programs. In a 2018 Courageous Christian Father website report, 25% of Baptisms reported by Southern Baptist Churches come from VBS, 70,135 Salvation Decisions, and 155,344 salvation prospects. Can you see a trend? This is why the Hunt Amendment would go much further than VBS; it would also outlaw all youth group activities, including Fellowship of Christian Athletes Camps and any religious camp, because the bill would ban all children under 19 years of age from attending a "religious indoctrination camp,"
Hunt introduced this as a counter-measure to kill the republican bill, “LB 371”. LB 371 would ban minors from attending drag queen performances. Really? So we are equating Drag Queen performances in front of minor children to attending Vacation Bible School? This is how wicked and warped our society has become. Senator Hunt admits she doesn't have the votes for the measure to pass after receiving enormous backlash. GOP lawmakers charged Hunt with not taking her job seriously and, at worst, displaying condemnable intolerance. As Republican state Sen. Julie Slama stated: "The bigotry she's shown in thinking this amendment (and – perhaps – her job?) is a joke is alarming,". Sen. Dave Murman stated, "That amendment is a great example of the far left's repeated attempt to demonize Christian patriots across Nebraska." Hunt later told Fox News: "This is an amendment that I will use to make a point,” she further said: "This amendment obviously won’t pass, and I would withdraw it if it had the votes to pass. It’s a device to make a point, so there is no need to worry."
“No need to worry”? Really? This measure comes on the heels of a Fox News report that the FBI is deliberately targeting Churches and Pro-Life groups that hold a biblical view on marriage, abortion, and transgenderism. In today’s world, openly worshiping Satan at the Grammys on CBS is considered religious tolerance. Where the CBS Network is openly celebrating Satan on Twitter. On the contrary, if you hold a biblical worldview, you are sarcastically termed a “Christian Nationalist” and lumped in with Nazis and White Nationalists.
As Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated in the Republican response to the State of the Union, "Every day we are told we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags and worship their false idols, all while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is, your freedom of speech.” Sanders would also state that” “we are mired in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.” Respectfully disagree with Sanders’s assessment of a “left-winged culture war ."This is not a "culture war"; it’s an all-out war started by Satan, his Demons, and his pawns. Regrettably, in today's America, people often rebel against our Maker and carry the water of Satan. Our society has drifted so far from God's glory that it is hard even to consider that someone with a straight face would introduce a bigoted anti-religious bill outlawing VBS as the one posed in Nebraska.
Indeed, as the Proverbs says: a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,… Disciples of Jesus, don't fret at the wicked plans. Remember what the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write? The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20