Bacon was a committed Christian who wrote his own epitaph which was etched on his gravestone when his body was buried at Whitefield’s Tabernacle in Tottenham Court. That gravesite (as well as the church itself) was destroyed by Nazi bombs in WW II but the epitaph nevertheless echoes through history: “What I was as an artist seemed of some importance while I lived; what I really was as a believer in Jesus Christ is the only thing of importance to me now.”
The above paragraph was written, not by William Jennings Bryan or Billy Sunday, but by the decidedly irreligious author of Lolita and Pale Fire (and, more importantly for my money, the translator of Pushkin), Vladimir Nabokov.
It turns out that Nabokov served as the curator of lepidoptera (butterflies) at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology in the 1940s. In fact, according to his biographer, Nabokov “became the authority on the little-studied blue butterflies (polyommatini) of North and South America” and was “a pioneer in the study of butterflies’ microscopic anatomy, distinguishing otherwise almost identical blues by differences in their genital parts.” And besides his novels and short stories, he published articles in such scientific journals as The Entomologist, The Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, The Lepidopterist News, and Psyche: A Journal of Entomology.
Of course, this creates a problem of embarrassment in the secular academic circles where Nabokov’s literary work has been so highly regarded. I mean, what’s with a renowned liberal humanist vigorously disputing evolution -- and doing so from the most intricate and informed scientific reasoning?
Richard Dawkins, call your office.
Believing the gospel of salvation results in many supernatural and ongoing effects in a person’s life. And one of the most glorious and comforting is the truth the apostle Paul describes in the verse quoted above; namely, that the Christian is sealed with the Holy Spirit to guarantee the ultimate redemption he will receive in heaven. You see, the New Testament explains that when a person places his trust in Jesus Who died on the cross to pay the penalty of mankind’s sins, that sinner is forgiven – completely and forever.
And that salvation comes with three effects. 1) The person, at the very instant of his belief in Christ’s atoning death in his behalf, is saved from the penalty of sin. That’s right; the judgment of God against sin no long rests on the sinner because it was poured out instead upon Jesus. This is the “substitutionary atonement” – Christ died in our place to pay the price of our sin. It is the aspect of salvation that is called justification.
2) The Christian can also be saved from the power of sin in his life for he has been “born again” and is a new creature, indwelled by the Holy Spirit Who gives the believer the ability to resist temptations and live in holiness. This is the aspect of salvation that is called sanctification. And 3) The Christian will one day experience a salvation from the very presence of sin. The Christian who receives Christ as his Savior immediately experiences the first two effects of salvation. But the third effect will be realized when Christ receives His adopted child into His presence and ushers him into the heavenly home He has prepared for him. This is the aspect of salvation that is called glorification.
3) It is the third aspect of salvation that Paul highlights in the Ephesians 1:13-14 passage. And he repeats the point later in verse 30 of Chapter 4: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” But these aren’t the only times Paul underscores how the destiny of the Christian has been sealed by the power of God. For instance, he comforts the church members of Corinth (2 Corinthians 1:22) by reminding them that they are sealed, representing God’s pledge (literally, a down payment) on their heavenly inheritance. Also, in 2 Timothy 2:19, Paul’s young protégé is exhorted to remember that God’s seal is not only related to a believer’s eternal standing but also to his present experience. In that verse Timothy is told that the seal of God is a “firm foundation” reflecting not only God’s ownership and protection of His children but also the motive and empowerment for their holy living.
The basic Greek word translated “seal” in these instances is sphragis. It is a word connected with ownership, security, authority, and permanency. Therefore, its use by the apostle Paul is a dramatic illustration of how wonderfully secure is the believer’s position in Christ – fully forgiven, redeemed, empowered for holiness and service, and yes, guaranteed an entrance into God’s heaven. For, of course, the seal of God is unlike any earthly counterpart we can imagine. We’re not talking about Saran Wrap, Tupperware, or latex caulking here! Oh no; the gifts which God seals in us will never evaporate, never leak out, never be contaminated or weakened by a foreign substance, never lose power. Our relationship with God including, of course, all three aspects of salvation (justification, sanctification, and glorification) can be thoroughly and joyfully depended upon. The deal is truly sealed.
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A child of Reason and the 20th Century, she knew that there is a logic of the mind. She did not know that the soul has a logic that may be more compelling than the mind’s. She did not know at all that she had swept away the logic of the mind, the logic of history, the logic of politics, the myth of the 20th Century, with five annihilating words: one night he heard screams.
What Communist has not heard those screams? They come from husbands torn forever from their wives in midnight arrests. They come, muffled, from the execution cellars of the secret police, from the torture chambers of the Lubianka, from all the citadels of terror now stretching from Berlin to Canton. They come from those freight cars loaded with men, women and children, the enemies of the Communist State, locked in, packed in, left on remote sidings to freeze to death at night in the Russian winter. They come from minds driven mad by the horrors of mass starvation ordered and enforced as a policy for the Communist State. They come from the starved skeletons, worked to death, flogged to death (as an example to others) in the freezing filth of sub-arctic labor camps. They come from children whose parents are suddenly, inexplicably, taken away from them – parents they will never see again.
What Communist has not heard those screams?”
(Whittaker Chambers, Witness, pages 13, 14)
From the article -- David Bereit, who serves as executive director of the Life Leadership Conference, concurred, noting that since state reporting requirements for the aftereffects of the abortion pill are so spotty, data from insurance claims has to be used to accurately gauge its health effects.
“That’s where they found all these complications — 10.9% of those who take the abortion pill using the FDA’s own adverse events reports are seeing these complications,” he explained during “Washington Watch.” “… That’s why we need to champion this to Health and Human Services, to the Food and Drug Administration to make sure that they not only look and say, ‘How do we restore the regulations [repealed by the Biden administration] that were there at the beginning, but ultimately look at why was this drug approved in the first place? And now that we have more data, can it be removed from the market?”
Citing the skyrocketing number of abortions that are occurring via mifepristone, which now accounts for upwards of 63% of all abortions in the U.S. according to the most recent data from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, Beret further pointed out that state pro-life laws are being thwarted by pills being sent through the mail in violation of the Comstock Act.
Related article: “As Missouri Sues Planned Parenthood over Abortion Pill, Experts Urge Trump to Protect Women” (Dan Hart, Washington Stand)
2) “The West Won’t Survive Its Own Cowardice” (Lauren Smith, The European Conservative)
From the article -- cross Europe, things feel increasingly fragile. As governments lose control of basic order and the state becomes rapidly incapable of maintaining law and order, this isn’t so much a ‘clash of civilisations’ as the West quietly rolling over and letting itself die.
Today, it was announced that Germany will be working alongside the Taliban. Yes, those same extremist Islamists that NATO forces—including Germany’s—spent years fighting in Afghanistan. The aim here is to facilitate the deportations of Afghan criminals living in Germany. Despite not officially recognising the Taliban regime, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government will allow two Taliban officials to work at Afghan diplomatic missions in Germany. Apparently, the only way Merz can conceive of deporting undesirable migrants and failed asylum seekers from the country is by enlisting the help of a murderous, terrorist regime.
It is a depressing indictment of the situation Europe has got itself into, where a nation must grant de-facto diplomatic representation to a brutal Islamist government in order to deport asylum seekers driven to Germany by the Taliban themselves.
3) “HHS Overhauls Organ Donation System after Review Finds ‘Systemic Disregard for Sanctity of Life’” (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)
From the article -- The New York Times identified that victim as Anthony Thomas Hoover II, then 33 years old, who was hospitalized with a drug overdose in 2021. Hours after a doctor had declared him brain-dead, Hoover awakened to find medical staff preparing to remove his organs. “Even though the man cried, pulled his legs to his chest and shook his head, officials still tried to move forward.” Hospital staff ultimately became “uncomfortable with the amount of reflexes” Hoover showed, and a doctor ultimately refused to remove him from life-support. The man ultimately survived.
Related article: “Scandalous Organ Harvesting -- There are terrifying indications that, in some cases, patients’ organs are being taken when they aren’t dead or wouldn’t have died. Medicine without morals is a recipe for disaster.” (Nate Jackson, The Patriot Post)
4) “Digital Landmines: Beijing’s Quiet Invasion” (Kevin Cohen, American Spectator)
From the article -- The real problem? We’re numb to breach. What once triggered national panic now barely scratches the news cycle. But intent has changed. Today’s attacks aren’t about stolen trade secrets — they’re about planting latent explosives in our infrastructure, dormant yet deadly, waiting for political ignition. Volt Typhoon didn’t hack Massachusetts to observe. It nested, silently, ready to flip switches. TechRadar cited government sources warning this is not the endgame. It’s the staging ground.
5) “Christianity and Islam -- two into one won’t go, Your Majesty” (Gavin Ashenden, TCW)
From the article -- With eminent academics such as Professor David Betz of King’s College London warning that the United Kingdom is close to civil war, questions have to be asked about how and why that might be the case. There are three parties involved in this struggle: the liberal elite, the ordinary indigenous British population and Islam (through unlimited immigration).
The liberal elite have, for reasons that are still a little opaque, underwritten and organised high levels of Islamic immigration, not just in Great Britain, but throughout Europe. Such mass migration has reached the point of destabilising civil society and is changing its religious as well as its political character. It could be argued that this is the experiment of multiculturalism which has got out of control, or that it was intended to solve the pensions and demographic crises afflicting the West.
The difficulty is that the experiment has been undertaken without democratic permission, against the will of the people, and this brings us closer to civil conflagration.
Related articles: “The Islamophilia of King Charles: He has long seen Islam as a reactionary corrective to Western modernity.” (Tim Black, spiked!) and “The quiet judgement on the UK” (David Robertson, Christian Today)
Other Recommended Reads:
* “Revenge Or Justice?” (Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Caller)
* “How The False Teaching Of Replacement Theology Sunk Its Claws Into The Church” (David Bowen, Harbinger's Daily)
* “Army Issues Apology for Training Video Portraying Pro-Life Orgs as Terrorist Groups” (Joshua Arnold, Washington Stand)
* “90% of Dem States Sue to Fund Welfare for Illegal Aliens” (Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Mag)
* “The Anniversary They Want You to Forget: TWA Flight 800 and the Deep State’s Deadliest Lie” (David Manney, PJ Media)
We cordially invite you to a couple of important Vital Signs Ministries events that are coming up soon. The first is the next Vital Signs letter-writing party. Well, actually there are two of them, each taking about 90 minutes. One is a morning brunch party on Tuesday, August 5th beginning at 10 o'clock with the evening event beginning at 7 on that same date. The location is at Denny & Claire’s home.
As usual, we will provide recipient options, address sheets, stationery, and stamps as we write letters and cards to government officials, businesses, and Christian ministry leaders about such topics as the sanctity of life, religious freedom, family and moral values, and other biblically-centered concerns. And, of course, along with the opportunity to shine your light through letters, there will be stimulating fellowship with like-minded Christians and plenty of delicious treats to keep up your energy levels!
By the way, your RSVPs are very helpful.
And then the second event is something we did very successfully back in 2017 and that is a home showing on Saturday, August 23 of the outstanding, award-winning, one-man play, An Evening with C.S. Lewis starring David Payne. That DVD showing (informative, entertaining, inspirational) will take the place of Vital Signs Ministries’ quarterly Book Brunch and, though it too will take place at the Hartford home, will be at 7 in the evening with coffee, soft drinks, and desserts served during the intermission of the play. Again, RSVPs are quite important.
So, are you interested? We hope so. Give us a call, text, or email soon.
From the article -- Many of us can recall when Barack Obama eagerly proclaimed on the eve of his election "we are five days away from transforming the United States of America" to thundering cheers of adoration back in 2008. Very few failed to ask why America, a constitutional republic, with self-governance as its cornerstone, would need a transformation; and what would America be transformed into?
What if Barack Obama was a fraud, a communist Muslim plant ensconced into the highest echelons of our government by the U.N. and the World Economic Forum to advance a totalitarian Marxist/Islamic New World Order under the auspices of today's new ruling class of billionaires (oligarchy) akin to the old feudal system of yesterday? America, a superpower, would need to be destroyed from within for their mission to succeed.
What steps would need to occur for their mission to become reality?
2) “Tulsi Gabbard Releases Evidence Of ‘Years-Long Coup’ On Trump” (Derek VanBuskirk, Daily Caller)
From the article -- “This was politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more,” the statement continued.
“Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup with the objective of trying to usurp the President from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people,” Gabbard said. “Their egregious abuse of power and blatant rejection of our Constitution threatens the very foundation and integrity of our democratic republic.”
“No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” Gabbard continued. “The American people’s faith and trust in our democratic republic and therefore the future of our nation depends on it. As such, I am providing all documents to the Department of Justice to deliver the accountability that President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve.”
Related articles: “Declassified: Obama Admin Manufactured Intelligence to Push Fake Trump-Russia Collusion Narrative” (Olivia Rondeau, Breitbart); “Here’s How the Obama Admin ‘Manufactured’ Bogus Russia Hoax Intelligence” (Matt Margolis, PJ Media), and “The Bombshell Tulsi Gabbard Just Dropped on the Russian Collusion Hoax Should Terrify Every American” (Jeff Charles, Town Hall)
3) “Why was a schoolgirl punished over a Union Jack dress?” (Hugo Timms, spiked!)
From the article -- British schoolkids have long been encouraged to be ashamed of their nationality and history. They’re taught ‘anti-racism’ lessons and to constantly check their privilege as Brits. They study ‘decolonised’ curricula, shorn of ‘triggering’ British authors. Now, it seems, even dressing up as a Spice Girl and praising Shakespeare are being treated as beyond the pale.
This was what 12-year-old Courtney Wright was shocked to discover last week. She was hauled out of her lessons at Bilton School in Rugby in the West Midlands during so-called Culture Day. According to a Facebook post from her father, she was told that her dress – featuring a sequinned Union Jack – was ‘unacceptable’. She was placed in ‘isolation’ and given a choice: she could wait for her parents to collect her and take her home, or she could put on a school uniform and return to school. She was effectively treated as if she’d arrived in an SS uniform.
Courtney, like all Bilton School students, had been encouraged to wear ‘traditional’ outfits for Culture Day, and to ‘proudly represent their heritage’, including their ‘nationality or family heritage’. You might say Courtney’s outfit was not exactly ‘traditional’, inspired by Geri Halliwel’s famous Union Jack dress from the 1997 Brit Awards. But that was clearly not the issue. What the school’s instructions really meant was that she should dress as any nationality or heritage, so long as it’s not British. According to Courtney’s father, Stuart Field, the school also turned several other pupils away at the gates on Culture Day, including a boy with a St George’s flag, a boy with a Welsh flag and a boy dressed as a farmer with a checked shirt and a traditional flat cap.
4) “The World Woke Up: In half a year, the impossible became obvious: borders closed, recruits returned, Iran retreated, and elites were exposed—all because people finally said, ‘Enough.’” (Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness)
From the article -- How about the “end of the NATO crisis,” supposedly brought on by a bullying U.S.? Now the vast majority of NATO members have met their pledges to spend two percent of GDP on defense, which will soon increase to five percent. Iconic neutrals like Sweden and Finland have become frontline NATO nations, arming to the teeth. The smiling NATO Secretary-General even called Trump the “daddy” of the alliance.
What about indomitable, all-powerful, theocratic Iran, the scourge of the Middle East for nearly fifty years? Although it had never won a war in the last half-century, its terrorist surrogates—Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis—were supposedly too dangerous to provoke. Now? Most of their expeditionary terrorists are neutered, and their leaders are in hiding or dead. Iran has no air force, no real navy, no air defenses, and no active nuclear weapons program. Its safety apparently depends only on the mood of the U.S. or Israel on any given day, not to fly into its airspace and take out its missiles, nuclear sites, generals, or theocrats at will.
5) “Tucker Carlson’s Jeffrey Epstein obsession is an antisemitic conspiracy theory: The bizarre case and suicide of a sex trafficker seemed designed to foment over-the-top speculation. And that has inevitably led to it becoming a focus of Jew-hatred.” (Jonathan S. Tobin, JNS)
From the article -- Not only was he willing to hurl such an accusation at an administration made up of his presumable political allies. He went further by claiming to an audience cheering his supposed courage in making such charges that Epstein was an agent of the government of Israel, whose vile actions were somehow part of an effort to blackmail politicians and celebrities. Unsatisfied with such slander, he also invoked the notion that the entire financial industry is some sort of scam...
Nor was Carlson alone in trying to make this about Israel and the Jews. Podcaster and former Fox News and NBC journalist Megyn Kelly, who is generally far more responsible than Carlson when it comes to flinging around conspiracy theories, echoed the allegation, also voicing the belief that Epstein was probably a Mossad agent.
Why are they -- and their legions of imitators and followers -- latching onto the idea that the Israeli government is at the heart of one of the most notorious sex crimes in recent history? The answer is obvious. For podcasters and social-media “influencers” who thrive only to the extent that they can feed their audiences’ hunger not just for simple answers to complex problems but the kind of conspiratorial thinking that confirms their desire to view every bad thing as a diabolical plot, the Epstein case is a gift that never stops giving. To attach Israel to this sort of topic is a guarantee not only of millions of clicks on videos and podcasts, but also gives those saying such things an instant mass audience that is always willing to believe anything awful that can be said about the Jewish state or the Jews.
Other recommended reads from this week:
* “France and Europe: Increasingly Submitting to Islam” (Guy Millière, Gatestone Institute)
* “There Is No Doubt About What the Libraries Are: The Left has made a near-total capture of libraries across the country.” (Scott McKay, American Spectator)
* “Beware ‘Ragebait Engagement Farming’” (Clarice Feldman, American Thinker)
* “A Generation So Lonely, It Fell in Love With Furniture: From soulmates to simulated love with a smoothie maker.” (John Mac Ghlionn, American Spectator)
* “Hatred Of Jews: The Devastating Aftermath Of Martin Luther’s ‘Wrong Turn’” (Tom Gilbreath, Harbinger's Daily)
Dear Senator Fischer,
I wrote last week on behalf of Vital Signs Ministries here in Omaha, asking for your energetic support of the pro-life priorities which remain after the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill” -- the complete and permanent de-funding of the mega-abortion profiteer that is Planned Parenthood, repeal of the F.A.C. E. Act, a serious scaling back of the poisonous abortion drugs that are killing millions of preborn children as well as severely injuring so many of those children’s mothers, and increased conscience protection for those who refuse to perjure their souls by supporting in any way such blasphemous actions as abortion or sexual perversion.
Thank you, Senator Fischer, for your prayerful attention to those concerns.
However, I also wanted to send along my concerns about a few other important issues, issues that are of grave concern to conservatives across the nation. 1) Would you please co-sponsor and work for the passage of S.669, Disengaging Entirely From the United Nations Debacle Act of 2025 or the DEFUND Act of 2025.
And 2) Would you please join in the move to reverse the historical revisionism, leftist ideologies, and anti-religious trends which have marked the progressives’ control of the Smithsonian, the National Art Gallery, and the National Park Service?
Again, thank you.