254 Advent 2: The Grotesques - Modern Paganism on Parade
“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul.” ~ Psalm 66
The Grotesques - Modern Paganism on Parade
Don’t buy into the term “Judeo-Christian,” and don’t equate Allah with the God revealed in Jesus Christ. These are modern fabrications that blur the truth and dilute the clarity of biblical revelation. God’s Word leaves no room for ambiguity—He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His fulfillment is found in Christ alone. Any attempt to merge the holy with the unholy is a betrayal of the distinctiveness God Himself revealed in Scripture.
Look around. The grotesques of our age—whether they parade under the banners of queer ideology and worldly-expressionism—are not true adherents of Judaism, Islam, or Christianity. They wear titles and play roles, but their actions, philosophies, and fruit reveal the truth. They are not followers of any faith that honors God.
These people are pagans. That’s the word. Pagans. They worship mammon—whether he takes the reins through their own intellect, unchecked power, or religion itself. They are the “godless” that the Bible speaks of, and Scripture doesn’t mince words. Psalm 14:1 describes them perfectly: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt; their deeds are vile.”
They can wear any mask they want—academic approvals, political clout, or even spiritual jargon—but their allegiance is clear. Their idols, whether the stomach, the pocket, the state, or some twisted hyper-feminized divine-idealism, have no place in the Kingdom of God.
Let’s get something straight: the word godless isn’t an insult. It’s not a cheap jab. It’s a biblical descriptor. It exposes a spiritual condition—a life without reverence, fear, or submission to the one true God.
Culture has softened the word, reduced it to mean irreligious or secular. But the Bible uses it with razor focus. To be godless isn’t just to lack belief—it’s to live in open rebellion against the Creator, to exalt the self above God, and to walk in darkness. This is what unites the grotesques of our time, no matter what labels they wear.
The Path Forward: Clarity, Courage, and Christ
If we’re going to fight back against this godlessness, we need Scripture and conviction:
Speak Without Fear or Confusion
Enough with vague language and alliances that dilute the truth. Terms like “Judeo-Christian values” blur the exclusivity of Christ’s Lordship. Let’s call it what it is: the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only answer to the brokenness of this world. Let’s name the godless for what they are and invite them to repentance without compromise.
Expose the False Gods
The grotesques rely on deception. Their idols—whether personal autonomy, the state, or trendy concepts like “equity”—are nothing more than false gods dressed up as virtues. We need to unmask these lies, confront them directly, and call them what they are: rebellion against God.
Stand Apart, Even When It’s Hard
The Church has one job: to be holy, set apart, and unapologetically faithful to Christ. We don’t align ourselves with those who deny Him—not for political gains, cultural acceptance, or any other reason. We’re called to proclaim the light of the One who brought us out of darkness, not to blend into the shadows.
Point Everyone to Christ
The solution to godlessness isn’t moralism or some watered-down version of cultural conservatism. It’s Christ. Only in Him can the godless find forgiveness, the lost find their way, and the pagan find eternal life.
The Final Word: Christ Alone Will Stand
In this age of grotesque confusion, we must cling to the clarity of Scripture and the singular truth of Jesus Christ. Remember, our battle isn’t against flesh and blood—it’s against the spiritual forces of evil that fuel this rebellion (Ephesians 6:12).
Here’s the good news: the godless will fall. Their ideals will crumble like poorly built statues. Their lies will be exposed. And in the end, only one name will remain—the name of Jesus. He alone is King, and He alone will triumph.
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
R.J.M.F
The Hebron Collegium Advent Devotional has been turned into a post at Madpxm.com, if you like scrolling or reading online.
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In this edition:
the shocking execution of a insurance CEO
Boeing’s plea deal rejected
Men, start writing!
Plus all the usual flotsam and jetsam from internet land.
Note: There is a very significant case which is being heard by the Supreme Court of the USA. The Biden administration has joined a suit against Tennessee laws which protect children from transgender procedures. But we are out of time for this issue, so look out for our write up in a day or two!
Crime and Punishment
The leadership of UnitedHealthcare Group have expressed shock and sadness at the execution-style killing of CEO Brian Thompson. A masked gunman appears to have waited for Thompson, to catch him as he walked into a Manhattan hotel to attend an investors’ meeting last Wednesday morning. Thompson’s wife said he had been receiving threats, perhaps from customers over lack of insurance coverage for treatments. Police noted that the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose” had been written on bullet casings found at the scene, leading to speculation that the gunman was a disgruntled customer or was working on behalf of one. UnitedHealth has one of the highest denial rates of any American insurance company. Health companies took photos of their executives off websites in the wake of the murder. Police have released new photos of the suspected killer but he remains at large. (ZeroHedge, Daily Wire, The Guardian)
Former Marine Daniel Penny has had a manslaughter charge against him dropped after a New York jury could not reach unanimity. The jury has been sent away for the weekend and will continue deliberating on Monday over a second charge which carries a four year prison sentence. Penny was charged with killing a vagrant who was threatening subway riders. Pray for justice. This should have been an easy case to dismiss, but with activist prosecutors and protestors outside demanding Penny’s conviction, it is uncertain what the outcome will be. (Washington Examiner)
A Texas federal judge has rejected a plea deal from Boeing in a trial around two fatal crashes of its 737 Max jetliner aircraft back in 2018 and 2019. Judge Reed O’Connor objected to a provision in the deal which would allow the Department of Justice to pick a monitor to assess Boeing’s safety standards, saying he suspects that diversity, equity and inclusion policies will play a role in the appointment. “In a case of this magnitude, it is in the utmost interest of justice that the public is confident this monitor selection is done based solely on competency. The parties’ DEI efforts only serve to undermine this confidence in the government and Boeing’s ethics and anti-fraud efforts,” he wrote. (AP)
Washington DC’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing Amazon for “secretly” excluding certain neighborhoods from its expedited delivery, although subscribers pay the same Prime fee. Amazon admitted dodging some areas: “In the zip codes in question, there have been specific and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages.” Critics of Amazon also noted that black neighborhoods are more likely to be excluded than white ones. (CNBC)
Coming to America
Colombian drug lord, Fabio Ochoa Vásquez has been released after completing 25 years of a 30 year sentence in the US. Vásquez was implicated in the killing of Drug Enforcement Administration informant Barry Seal in 1986 and made a fortune running cocaine into the US in the 1980s. He is set to be deported back to his home country. (AP)
Politics
Republicans will have a slim House majority when the next Congress is seated. A flip in California's 13th congressional district brought the final tally to 220-215 for the GOP. However, two Reps (Elise Stefanik and Michael Waltz) have been nominated for cabinet positions and Congressman Matt Gaetz has said he will not return next year. (Newsweek, BBC)
Justice for all: As the implications of the President’s blanket pardon of his son Hunter are still being elucidated, Politico has reported that senior White House aides are discussing whether to advise President Biden to “preemptively pardon” a number of Democrats and officials, including Dr Anthony Fauci. Staff are reportedly “carefully weighing the extraordinary step of handing out blanket pardons to those who’ve committed no crimes, both because it could suggest impropriety, only fueling Trump’s criticisms, and because those offered preemptive pardons may reject them.” (Politico, ZeroHedge)
Religion and the Church
Several villages in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have given Christians an ultimatum to renounce their face or leave. Although police have been called to intervene, they have received very little help. (Christian Post)
At best, the world sees Advent as a countdown to Christmas presents. But sometimes even we Christians can feel the pressure to be focused on perfect preparations and jolliness, missing the season’s tension that is hope in this dying age. Advent reminds us that “we do in fact live, between hope and fulfillment, and in contested territory where all that distorts, disfigures, and destroys life is yet real and powerful…We live, says Advent, on the battlefield.” (Mockingbird)
A moment we love to see: during a punch up between Michigan and Ohio State NFL, a few players from both teams gathered to pray on their knees on the field. The world will wonder what is the use of such a thing at such a time, but why would it make sense to those who are blind? (Not the Bee)
Marc Guehi, a soccer player for England's Crystal Palace FC, was formally reprimanded for writing Christian messages on the rainbow armband he is mandated to wear by the team. (Daily Mail)
The Digital Age
Protecting undersea cables is a headache. “Much of the global communications and financial system hinges on a few hundred cables of bundled glass fibers that are strung across ocean floors around the world, each cable about the same diameter as a garden hose.” Countries such as Denmark and Norway, looking to protect their communications infrastructure, are being advised to patrol using underwater drones and calling on their navies to intercept saboteurs if necessary. (Spectrum)
A US appellate court has denied TikTok’s request to overturn an earlier ruling that it be divested from its Chinese-owned parent company. (Reclaim the Net)
Researchers tasked ChatGPT with designing an e-commerce website and what it produced contained every manipulative trick in the book. (Fast Company)
iPhone features to set up in case of an emergency. (Popular Science)
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Money, Markets and Jobs
Bitcoin briefly hit a value of $100,000 USD before retreating. (Seeking Alpha)
A Delaware judge has once more ruled that Elon Musk may not receive a multi-billion dollar Tesla pay package. Even though shareholders voted to endorse the payout Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick upheld her previous ruling that the deal was never properly negotiated. (CNBC)
Can you copyright a “vibe”? A woman who reviews Amazon products on social media is suing another for copying her style. Here’s a question that comes to mind: in a world awash with images and algorithms, how can you know your own style is yours? (The Verge)
Health, Medicine and Food
The Republican-lead Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has produced a lengthy report about its findings around the covid pandemic. The Committee concluded that the origin of the SARS-Cov2 virus was likely a Chinese laboratory, which was performing gain-of-function experiments funded by the American government. The report also criticized vaccine mandates and said that school closures lead to significant learning loss. (Daily Wire, Report)
The Democratic Republic of Congo says a mysterious “Disease X” has claimed the lives of 79 people. The sickness is “characterised by fever, headaches, cough and sometimes difficulty breathing.” (Health Policy)
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, a medical insurer which covers has walked back its decision to put caps on pay outs to anesthesiologists. A policy change in November meant that no extra money would be forthcoming even if the procedure took longer and required more anesthetic. While trying go cut costs is an understandable aim for an insurance company, anesthesiologists argued that whether a surgery went longer was not really up to them. (CBS, Snopes, CNN)
A new study has found that the liver converts fructose into usable nutrients for cancer cells. Fructose doesn’t feed cancer directly, but is made into fuel for them. “The idea that you can tackle cancer with diet is intriguing,” says one researcher.“When we think about tumors, we tend to focus on what dietary components they consume directly…But humans are complex. What you put in your body can be consumed by healthy tissue and then converted into something else that tumors use.” (Futurity)
Sitting for long periods of time is bad for you, even if you’re young, according to a new study. “If you sit for long periods, the standard exercise recommendations are not enough.” (Futurity)
A new study has found that short bursts of intense exercise (1.5 - 4 minutes) lowered the risk of adverse cardiac events. (Medical News Today)
God’s Green Earth
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy have been working to detect any efforts at “solar geoengineering” around the globe. “Sentry” balloons spot aerosol concentrations which might indicate someone is tinkering with the weather. (Futurity)
Denmark is introducing a flatulence tax for cattle farmers in the name of fighting climate change. Some farmers are turning to “a feed additive designed to reduce methane by up to 30 percent” which has not been studied for long-term effects humans and animals. We found a great blog post outlining that cow flatulence is not really a contributor to climate change, (how about wetlands?) especially in the case of pastured animals. As the author says, “it’s the how, not the cow”. (Epoch Times, Praise the Ruminant)
Chemical engineers have devised a way to capture methane and turn it into useful polymers. (MIT News)
Black market: Could a fluke lab discovery undermine the illegal timber trade? Superblack wood produced in a laboratory might help protect centuries-old ebony trees from being harvested for the underground trade. Ebony is coveted for its hardness and blackness, but most of the trees felled are not truly black and are discarded. (Ambrook Research)
Science
Autonomous robot balloons, empowered by AI, can capture highly-detailed aerial photographs of large areas in a single flyover. (Interesting Engineering)
An interesting factoid: most every species gets about one billion heartbeats in a lifespan. (Kottke)
Chinese astronauts have brought fruit flies on to the International Space Station to study the effects of magnetic radiation on insects. (Space)
It’s not your imagination, headlights are actually a lot brighter than they used to be. [Warning: there are a few swear words in the attached article] (The Ringer)
Arts, History and Sport
Where are all the male writers? Women are writing (and reading) books at higher rates than men. Whether or not publishing houses are biased against promoting new male authors is a good question, but why men stopped reading books may be related to that answer. “Gen Z boys grow up with educational books that unsubtly scold them for being white men, advance girls as leaders, and humiliate stand-ins for their race and sex at every turn. By the time that they’re ready for YA books, they’ve already checked out and are no longer reading.” (Front Page Mag)
Masakatsu Sashie’s oil paintings of dystopian spherical buildings look strangley like digital art. (Colossal)
Movie studios are using CGI in their behind-the-scenes and “making of” bonus footage to actually hide the amount of CGI they have used in the movie itself. (The Movie Rabbit Hole via YouTube)
War and Rumors of War
Insurgents have captured the Syrian capital of Damascus, causing Bashar Assad, whose family have ruled for almost 50 years, to flee. According to reports, Syrians took to the streets to celebrate. Assad could not call on his allies, Iran or Russia as they are both tied up with various conflicts, but he has reportedly gained asylum in Moscow. The US launched dozens of strikes against ISIS targets and camps in Syria in wake of the news. (Just the News, The Hill)
Stories from Far Away
🇫🇷 France's National Assembly has voted to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a no-confidence vote. Bernier was leading a fragile coalition government of progressive and conservative parties but lost their support after proposing tax hikes and other money saving measures. President Macron has vowed he will not step aside, although he cannot call another election until next year. (Politico) (USA Today)
🇰🇷 South Korea’s ruling People Power party (PPP) has refused to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over a botched declaration of marital law. Last week, Yoon said that North Korean infiltrators were trying to take over the government. Martial law was declared but overturned hours later. (The Guardian, AP)
🇮🇳🇧🇩 Relations between India and Bangladesh are tense, after India refused to extradite former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina who was ousted in August. “New Delhi has frequently demanded better protection for Bangladesh's Hindu minority population, which faced reprisal attacks in the chaotic aftermath of Hasina's ouster because of its perceived support for her government.” (Die Welt)
🇨🇳 China has announced a ban on exports of some rare earth metals to the US on the grounds of national security. The move seems to be a response to Washington’s recently expanded list of companies (many Chinese-owned) which are excluded from purchasing American made computer chips. (AP)
🇵🇾 Paraguay has booted out a Chinese envoy who was in the country for a UNESCO conference. Xu Wei skipped the conference and instead invited himself to Congress where he urged lawmakers to ditch Paraguay’s recongition of Taiwan’s sovereignty and get on board with Beijing. (CNN via Yahoo)
🇧🇪 Belgian prostitutes have won a maternity pay deal. (Sky)
🇰🇷 Starbucks has opened a South Korean store overlooking North Korea. (Reuters via YouTube)
🧇 One guy made a really tiny Waffle House
🍳 America’s most unruly recipe site
👀 An interesting list of 52 things you probably didn’t know
♟️ 14 records from the world of chess
🐦⬛ The Arctic island with 20 people and a million birds
🇯🇵 Japan is set to trial “drinking mayonnaise”. Even the advice to think of it as savory eggnog doesn’t help..
🚀 NASA’s idea of a cozy fireplace
👶🏻 Track your name’s popularity over time
🪥 Extreme close ups of everyday objects for a very different perspective
🇺🇸 Snowy American towns to visit
Rev Fisk discussed the triple layer game – Starfall2029 – on last week’s show. Watch on YouTube or Rumble, or listen here.
This Week Preached:
Podcast Release:
Let us pray. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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