Meet the man building the Christian answer to Fortnite



The word “programming” gets tossed around often when talking about TV — and it carries two meanings. One is obvious. The other is more insidious.

What you and your kids watch is programming. Not just what’s on the screen, but what’s being impressed upon them.

To some people, especially tech giants like Google, the message of the Bible runs counter to much of what they are pushing onto kids today.

The same can be said about the video games children play. And in many cases, it’s worse. Far too many video games marketed to children numb them to violence or undermine traditional values. This isn't just a game. Kids inured to violence grow into adults inured to violence. Children taught to regard other people as objects — whether as targets in a first-person shooter game or as targets of lascivious attention — tend to grow into morally calloused adults.

These kinds of games, like the smartphones and tablets they’re played on, are everywhere. It seems every kid has either one or both devices, making it difficult for parents to protect them or prevent access to violent, unwholesome material, including interactive online games.

Some of these platforms offer more than just harmful ideas. Predators have been known to use online games to reach unsuspecting children by disguising themselves as other players.

A new solution

But what can parents do?

Parental controls only go so far, and today’s tech-savvy kids often know more about computers and the internet by the time they’re 13 than their parents ever will. Taking away devices is a clumsy — and worse, ineffective — tool. Your kids’ friends almost certainly have devices, and access to them can circumvent any boundaries you try to set at home.

One thing parents can do is provide their kids with an alternative.

Enter TruPlay, a new gaming platform created by Brent Dusing to bring “high-quality, fun, and biblically sound” entertainment to kids.

Dusing, a Harvard graduate and pioneer in Christian gaming through his previous venture, Lightside Games (which reached over 7 million players worldwide), also serves on the board of Promise Keepers — the organization dedicated to “Making Dads Great Again.”

The TruPlay suite of apps includes Bible-based games, such as “King David’s Battles,” which allows kids to role-play biblical characters. The Comics and Videos app illustrates scriptural themes in a graphic novel, similar in theme to “The Dark Knight Rises” but without the darkness. Other games resemble classic hits like the iconic block-building game Tetris — but using stained glass pieces instead.

Counterprogramming vs. censorship

This, too, isn't a game. It's counterprogramming.

Dusing says "there’s a lot of awful content" out there and “almost nothing … delivers God’s truth or hope or joy or Jesus Christ to children at all in the gaming space.” In fact, anything that dares to mention Jesus or the Bible, whether in gaming or any other space, without mocking it, is itself mocked. Compare that to the media frenzy around the release of a new first-person shooter. Coverage is wall-to-wall, as if it were the second coming.

But wholesome, family-friendly platforms like TruPlay get crickets — and sometimes worse than crickets.

According to Dusing, Big Tech platforms like Google have blocked or limited the visibility of TruPlay ads, claiming "sensitive interest" as the justification — as if promoting Jesus and biblical values were somehow dangerous.

To some, it is.

To some people, especially tech giants like Google, the message of the Bible runs counter to much of what they are pushing onto kids today — including, in some cases, the explicitly demonic, as opposed to an action game about King David or an adventure game about a little girl who believes in Jesus.

Dusing says TruPlay is being suppressed by Google because "the algorithms themselves view the content we make, encouraging biblically inspired games for children, as a threat."

RELATED: Can ditching DEI save the failing video game industry?

gremlin via iStock/Getty Images

Of course it is — and that's precisely the point.

"There has been this sea change generationally in America — and really throughout the world — of people playing games as a common part of entertainment and cultural understanding,” Dusing says.

Indeed.

We went from innocent, fun games like “Space Invaders” and “Pac-Man” to hyper-realistic first-person shooter games like “Call of Duty,”designed to realistically convey what it's like to shoot another human being. Games like “Grand Theft Auto” make sport out of stealing, and games like “Doom” and “Quake” present satanic material as “fun.”

It’s a cultural rip current — pulling kids along while they don't even realize they’re in the water. And here we are.

“What world do we live in where fun, inspirational games with Christian principles are offensive but sexual content for small children, including sex trafficking, is permitted with no problems on Google?” Dusing asks.

It's a question that demands answers.

TruPlay’s response is "to transform generations of children in such a profound way that it will shape culture” in a different direction.

‘The darkness hates the light’: Why Christians must persevere in the public sphere



While a majority of Americans identify as Christians, many of them have been misled to believe in a version of Christianity that is not biblical — for fear of how they’d be treated in the public square.

“We are told over and over again that if you, as not just a Christian, but a conservative Christian, bring your worldview into the public square, into politics, if you allow what you believe about the Bible to influence your politics, you are a fascist, you are a dictator, you’re trying to bring in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ you are a Christian nationalist,” Allie Beth Stuckey tells author and apologist Natasha Crain on “Relatable.”

However, the opposite is true for progressives.


“If you’re a progressive that uses some decontextualized Bible verse to support your immigration policy or your abortion policy or your socialistic policy, that’s not Christian nationalism, that’s fine, that’s true, good Christianity,” Stuckey continues.

“It’s only when a Christian might say, ‘Well, you know, Psalm 139 makes it pretty clear that babies inside the womb are valuable or made by God, so I don’t think that it should be legal to murder them,’ all of a sudden that is prohibited in a form of tyranny,” she adds.

“I think Christians get very confused on this because we see that there’s so many different ideas out there of what is good. People start saying that what we believe is harmful and toxic and that we’re misogynous and we’re oppressors,” Crain says. “We have all these insults that are hurled at us because of our ideas about the common good.”

“What the world calls good may be evil, and what the world calls evil may be good,” she adds, noting that many Christians get dissuaded from preaching what they believe is good because others don’t like them for it.

“Jesus said, ‘If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own,’” Crain says. “So he was warning his disciples before they went out on mission. He didn’t give them warm and fuzzies and say, ‘Hey, this is going to be great.’”

“He actually gave an explanation for why they would be hated by saying, ‘If you were of the world,’ and to be ‘of the world’ literally means to be under the governing rule of Satan. Scripture is very clear that you are either of Satan or of God. You’re a child of Satan or a child of God,” she continues.

“Those who are children of Satan, they want to go their own way. It’s their own wills, their own desires. They are slaves to sin. And people who are slaves to sin are always going to hate those who are slaves to righteousness, who are children of God, because the darkness hates the light,” she adds.

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Most Kansas lawmakers side against the devil, pass resolution denouncing satanists' 'Black Mass'



The Kansas state House voted 101-15 on Thursday in support of a resolution denouncing the satanic worship ritual scheduled to take place outside the state Capitol on March 28.

This denunciation, although an important signal to Kansans and the nation, is not law and does not amount to a cancellation of the event. In fact, the satanists still intend to flock to the state grounds and to flout Democrat Gov. Laura Kelly's directive to remain outside the Capitol building.

However, the Satanic Grotto's planned desecration of the Eucharist is now in doubt, given recent indications that the satanists may not actually be in possession of a consecrated host as well as new guidelines adopted for use of the Capitol grounds by the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council, which would make the unlawful possession of a consecrated host grounds for removal.

It appears, therefore, that the satanists' planned "Black Mass" might end up being nothing more than insubstantial anti-Catholic theater exemplifying their bigotry and uniting lawmakers from both parties, Christians from various denominations, and even some nonbelievers in affirming the state's "identity as one nation under God."

Former Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), who has been involved in the efforts to prevent a real Black Mass from taking place at the state Capitol, told Blaze News that the satanists' efforts to provoke Catholics and draw attention to themselves may serve as "spiritual kick in the pants to Christians across Kansas," prompting them to "say, 'Hey, wait a minute — this our state too.'"

Lawsuit

The Satanic Grotto, a leftist anti-Christian hate group that appears to be little more than an unpolished knockoff of the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple, received a permit to hold a "Black Mass" at the Kansas Capitol building in Topeka on March 28.

The group's event listing states that the group will "dedicate the grounds and our legislature to the glory of Satan" and notes further that members "will be performing rites to the black mass and indulging in sacrilegious blaspheme [sic]."

Michael Stewart, the leader of the anti-Christian hate group, told KSNT-TV that he would lead the "Black Mass," noting that he would "heavily lean into the four blasphemies, kind of representing an alternate to the stations of the cross."

The satanists are expected to break crucifixes, tear up at least one Bible, and mock Catholics' central sacrament — intended actions Stewart confirmed in a Wednesday op-ed. A flyer for the event further indicates that as part of their "theuraputic [sic] blesphemy [sic]," the satanists will denounce Christ, desecrate the Eucharist, and corrupt "the Blood."

'God takes Satan to court. Satan wins.'

There has been intense backlash, particularly from Catholic groups in the state who were led to believe by self-identified members of the Grotto that the group had stolen a consecrated host and sought to "use its desecration to manifest the link between Satan and the capital [sic] building."

In addition to social media posts, Chuck Weber, the executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference — a group that leads public policy advocacy efforts on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Kansas — stated in a sworn statement that Stewart told him in a March 8 phone call that he was in possession of one or more consecrated hosts.

In addition to encouraging prayer, inviting the faithful to attended a Eucharistic Holy Hour at a church near the statehouse on March 28, and calling for state officials to cancel the event, the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City  filed a lawsuit demanding the return of consecrated hosts the satanists suggested they had stolen.

It is the conviction of the Catholic Church that "at the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood." The archdiocese noted that given the highest importance of the consecrated host and wine to Catholics, any attempt to "desecrate or attempt to destroy or otherwise harm these items is a grave concern to Archbishop [Joseph] Naumann, the Catholic Church, and countless of the Catholic faithful."

Archbishop Naumann demanded resolution through a civil jury trial.

The Leavenworth County District Court dismissed the lawsuit Thursday, prompting the Grotto to state on Facebook, "God takes Satan to court. Satan wins."

Stewart told WIBW-TV that the supposed hosts he has in his possession were not obtained by criminal means.

"We didn't do it," Stewart said, referring to the allegation that he or his compatriots stole consecrated hosts.

Stewart suggested to the Oklahoma Voice that his anti-Christian hate group has its own consecration rituals and will mockingly "consecrate" some unleavened wafers purchased online.

"I find it very entertaining that [Archbishop Naumann] is convinced that I have Jesus trapped in a cracker and he would take it to court," said Stewart.

The Satanic Grotto similarly did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News. The anti-Christian hate group did, however previously provide this response: "The Satanic Grotto says get f**ked blaze news."

Voting against the devil

Gov. Kelly appeared reluctant early on to condemn the planned event or acknowledge the Grotto as bigots; however, she indicated on March 12 that in order to "keep the statehouse open and accessible to the public while ensuring all necessary health and safety regulations are enforced," the group's anti-Christian demonstration would have to take place outside.

The satanists maintain that they will enter the state Capitol building to perform their dark ritual, even if that means they'll end up in handcuffs.

The governor's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Huelskamp told Blaze News that like Gov. Kelly's "really weak" response to the "Black Mass," the response from the Kansas legislature was also "pretty timid."

"The general philosophy was, 'Well, if we ignore evil, it will go away,'" said Huelskamp. "But what I've seen in the last couple days — I've been in touch with a lot of legislators who are really stepping up, saying, 'You know what? We need to take a stand on this.' And they have."

Kansas House Resolution 6016 states that the "planned satanic worship ritual is an explicit act of anti-Catholic bigotry and an affront to all Christians. It blasphemes our shared values of faith, decency, and respect that strengthen our communities."

Those who voted for the resolution affirmed that they denounced "the planned satanic worship ritual scheduled to take place on the grounds of the people's house, the Kansas state Capitol grounds, on March 28, 2025, as a despicable, blasphemous, and offensive sacrilege to not only Catholics but all people of goodwill, and it runs contrary to the spiritual heritage of this state and nation."

"We call upon all Kansans to promote unity, mutual respect, and the values that uphold our identity as one nation under God," added the resolution.

The resolution passed in a bipartisan 101-15 vote.

While some Democrats voted for the resolution, all 15 state legislators who voted against denouncing the satanic ritual were Democrats, namely Reps. Wanda Paige, John Carmichael, Ford Carr, Jo Ella Hoye, Heather Meyer, Silas Miller, Brooklynne Mosley, Melissa Oropeza, Dan Osman, Jarrod Ousley, Susan Ruiz, Alexis Simmons, Lindsay Vaughn, Valdenia Winn, and Rui Xu.

The Kansas Catholic Conference stated, "We are shocked and appalled that 15 Democrats voted NO," adding, "Anti-Catholic bigotry is alive and well in Kansas."

'It's the same arguments that the pro-KKK people had in the 1920s.'

Kansas state Rep. Sean Tarwater, a practicing Catholic, said, "What eats at me the most is that I fear for the souls of those that are going to be involved with this Black Mass, and especially for those that are supporting the Black Mass in this room and on that committee," reported the Kansas Reflector.

Huelskamp told Blaze News that "we're still looking for a little more from the legislature," underscoring that the matter at hand is plainly a battle between good and evil.

Huelskamp, a Catholic with four adopted black children, noted that Kansas has a really proud history of repelling bigots, highlighting the battle that made it the first state in the union to ban the Ku Klux Klan.

"In the 1920s — 100 years ago — the KKK tried to make a big entrance into Kansas. There was a significant political battle," said the former congressman. "They refused to recognize the KKK and they kicked them out of the state."

"All of the arguments of the left on this, on the satanists, it's the same arguments that the pro-KKK people had in the 1920s. 'Hey, it's free speech.' 'Let them come in, free to organize.' Eventually, the State of Kansas — I think the '24 election — said, 'No. We will not let the KKK in the state,'" continued Huelskamp. "I mean, at that time, there were rallies of 50,000 Kansans that were KKK supporters demanding recognition by the state."

"I'm still upset the [Kansas] secretary of state, Scott Schwab, recognized the satanists when he gave them nonprofit status," said Huelskamp. "We might like to go back and re-examine whether any group, you know, any hate group just receives automatic recognition by the State of Kansas. So 100 years ago, we said the KKK didn't qualify. So how did the satanists qualify? It's obviously a hate group in my books."

Catholics and Christians from other denominations plan to protest the "Black Mass."

TFP Student Action has, for instance, invited counterprotesters to attend a rosary rally of reparation at the south side of the Kansas state Capitol building at 10:15 a.m. on March 28.

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'Face of evil': Church ransacked, vandalized with satanic message days ahead of dark ritual at Kansas capitol



Police responding to a reported burglary Saturday morning found "extensive vandalism" at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Wichita, Kansas. In addition to broken windows, toppled statutes, and a torched American flag, police found "hate speech" of an apparently diabolical nature.

When asked about the incident, President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order last month directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to "eradicate anti-Christian bias" in the federal government, told reporters, "I think it's a terrible thing."

"We're going to take a look. I love Wichita," said Trump. "I'm going to take a look at it."

The Wichita Police Department announced Sunday that they arrested a 23-year-old Saline County man in connection with the anti-Christian attack.

"Recognizing the severity of this crime, WPD officers and investigators — alongside the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives] — immediately launched a full-scale investigation," the police department noted in a statement. "Our dedicated Crime Scene Investigation team worked diligently to analyze evidence, leading to the swift identification of a suspect."

'Attacks against churches are disgraceful.'

Sedgwick County booking records indicate that the suspect, Michael Gonzalez, has been slapped with multiple charges in connection with the church attack, including criminal desecration, burglary, and criminal damage to property.

According to the Kansas Catholic Conference, the vandal scrawled a satanic website link on the wall — timely because the Satanic Grotto, an unpolished knockoff of the Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple, plans to hold a "Black Mass" at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka on March 28, mocking Catholics, their faith, their central sacrament, and the Stations of the Cross.

The Grotto, which asserts that "only might is right and violence is the ultimate source of all authority," indicated in a listing for its anti-Catholic event that it plans to "dedicate the grounds and our legislature to the glory of Satan" and will "be performing rites to the Black Mass and indulging in sacrilegious blaspheme."

The Grotto joked about the church attack, writing, "I really thought he'd be wearing a cape."

"This is the face of evil," said the KCC in reference to the vandalism at St. Patrick's.

Chuck Weber, executive director of the KCC, told the Catholic News agency that there is presently no evidence linking the vandalism at St. Patrick's in Wichita to the Satanic Grotto but indicated that Michael Stewart, the leftist leader of the Grotto, has been calling the KCC with the aim of "taunting me and the bishops" and boasting of his intent to "kill Jesus."

The KCC noted that parishioners at the predominantly Hispanic parish in the working-class neighborhood of North-Central Wichita were unable to attend Mass at the church on Saturday evening as a result of the vandalism. However, WPD Chief Joe Sullivan said after attending the St. Patrick Catholic Church St. Patrick's Day parade on Sunday that the "congregation and the community came together in celebration."

"Their resilience was evident, especially after the heartbreaking burglary and vandalism that occurred yesterday," added Sullivan.

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran (R) noted, "The parish of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Wichita has demonstrated faith & fortitude these last few days. Attacks against churches are disgraceful. I appreciate @WichitaPolice acting quickly to investigate & arrest a suspect connected to this crime."

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Is Andrew Tate a role model — or doing Satan's work disguised as one?



The controversial influencer Andrew Tate has taken the helm of a ship that’s steering young conservative men in a direction sold as greatness — but it’s a ship young men should be jumping instead.

“I think he is the overreaction, the pendulum is swinging so far the other way that young people are looking at him and going, ‘You know, it’s time for men to be men,’” Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” tells BlazeTV hosts Stu Burguiere and Allie Beth Stuckey.

“But that’s not what men are. That’s not what a good man is,” he adds.

Stuckey is in full agreement.


“Of course, he says things that we would agree with about feminism, about the emasculation of men, and how men need to be providers, they need to be tough, they need to take care of women, but at the same time, he is a self-proclaimed pimp who has prostituted young girls on video,” Stuckey says.

“And yeah, he is on tape beating women with a belt and threatening them,” she continues. “He might say he’s different now, but I don’t know how anyone could say he’s redeemed, because he became a Muslim, which is basically just a religious justification for oppressing women.”

“I would say that no, no young man should follow him. Do we need strong male leadership examples for men? Yes. Andrew Tate is not that,” she adds.

“This is what Satan does. He’ll take a little bit of truth and then mix it in with a whole bunch of lies and pervert everything,” Glenn agrees. “And that’s what’s happening with these things. You’ll see the truth of, yeah, you know what, men should be strong.”

Rather than a leader, Glenn calls Tate a “bully” who is the “exact opposite of what a man is.”

Stu notes that it’s not just women Tate has targeted, but underage girls.

“That is the allegation we’re talking about, 14- and 15-year-old girls in some cases,” he tells Stuckey and Glenn.

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Satan's target: Confronting the spiritual battle threatening your pastor



Is your pastor biblically unqualified? Then that situation pleases the devil while at the same time displeasing God.

But if your pastor is biblically qualified, then you should know that Satan hates him. Godly, qualified pastors are a particular source of demonic rage.

Ministry is spiritual warfare, and the God-hating devil takes aim at the leaders of Christ’s churches.

Let’s think about a few lines from 1 Timothy 3 that point to the devil’s plans. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul tells Timothy about the qualifications for church leaders (called “overseers” in 3:1, a term synonymous with “pastors” or “elders”). In 3:6, the leader “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” In 3:7, “he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”

In back-to-back verses, Paul mentions the devil, and this observation reminds us that pastoral ministry is spiritual warfare.

According to 1 Timothy 3:6, a pastor must not be a recent convert. A recent convert lacks the maturity and wisdom necessary for pastoral ministry. Moral steadfastness is vital for being qualified for ministry, and such steadfastness becomes evident over time. While a convert may become qualified for ministry at a later time, the timing has not arrived as long as the adjective “recent” still applies.

Self-conceit can grip the heart of a recent convert who is thrust into the responsibilities of pastoral ministry. And then the pastor may “fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6). What is the role of the of here? Is this the condemnation which the devil will experience? Or is this some kind of condemnation that the devil gives? We know that the devil will be condemned (Revelation 20:10), but we also know that this pastor is called a “recent convert” — and converts are not condemned to hell.

Probably, then, this “condemnation of the devil” is “condemnation from the devil,” some kind of accusatory and defamatory activity from the devil against the pastor. Why would the devil act against the pastor in accusatory ways? In order to disgrace the pastor. And a recent convert may be especially vulnerable to the snares of pride and conceit.

In 1 Timothy 3:7, the potential pastor must be well thought of by outsiders. This requirement is “so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” Looking at this purpose statement, we can see that “disgrace” is the devil’s snare that’s in view. If people outside the church could make legitimate accusations about a pastor’s character to show that he isn’t above reproach, then this compromised character will lead to the pastor’s disgrace.

The devil wants pastors to be disqualified and disgraced. The pastor lives a public life, so a pastor’s disgrace has public ramifications. We’ve all seen the headlines of ministers who have a moral failing, and the aftermath is brutal. It’s sorrowful for the pastor’s family, for the pastor’s church, and for those beyond the church who become aware of the moral failing.

The devil knows that a disgraced pastor will dishearten people, and discouragement is a vital tool in the enemy’s arsenal. He wants people to think of the gospel as untrue or, at least, as powerless. He wants people to wonder why they should bother with church when church leaders can be untrustworthy or hypocritical.

The devil also knows that a disgraced pastor emboldens the enemies of Christ. Rather than being discouraged, some people seize upon every story of moral failing and leverage it for their own ends. They may want to spread it like wildfire because they love juicy bits of gossip. They may want to stoke suspicion of organized religion. A pastor’s disgrace becomes fuel for devilish ambitions.

Ministry is spiritual warfare, and the God-hating devil takes aim at the leaders of Christ’s churches. The snare of their disgrace has the potential for widespread damage to the churches and lives of Christ’s people. Pray for your pastor, because Satan hates your pastor.

This essay was originally published at Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack, Biblical Theology.

Spiritual warfare 101: What every Christian needs to know



There is a backstory to the Bible. Behind the scenes of Scripture, a cosmic battle is being waged between God and Satan, between good and evil, light and darkness, the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world.

This battle began sometime in ages past, when an angelic being called Lucifer rose up in rebellion against God. Before there was rebellion on earth and sin in the Garden of Eden, there was revolt in heaven. Isaiah gives us a glimpse of what happened before time as we know it began. Lucifer, the beautiful angel of light, became the angel and prince of darkness and was removed from the heavenly hosts, along with one-third of the angelic beings, who joined him in this rebellion. This is when the war of the ages was launched (Isaiah 14:12-14).

And this is how the devil became the devil, a powerful spiritual opponent to God and his kingdom. The devil is often characterized as a cartoonish character dressed in a red suit with horns, carrying a pitchfork and living in hell. He’s viewed by many as just a myth or as a misunderstood medieval figure who doesn’t literally exist.

You may have been told that Satan is only a symbol of evil, but the Bible — our only authoritative source of truth on the subject — tells us the devil is a real being, the enemy and the adversary of followers of Christ. The devil “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He comes to kill, steal, and destroy, and his name means slanderer or accuser. Stu Weber says, “Know it or not, like it or not, you and I are in a war, and we need to begin living as if we were in a battle for our lives, because in fact we are."

The New Testament is filled with scriptures that warn us of this war, not to scare us but to prepare us to fight spiritual battles. The most well known of these passages is Ephesians 6:10-12: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

We Christians are commanded to be soldiers in God’s army, strong and courageous and victorious in spiritual battle. Our strength for the battle is not our own, but God’s mighty power at work in us.

We’ve been given spiritual weapons for spiritual warfare and are equipped to win. We’re to put on the whole armor of God and take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). The word Paul uses to describe this sword is machaira, which is a short, dagger-like blade made for hand-to-hand combat. It is sharp and deadly in that it pierces the heart. Again, I reiterate Hebrews 4:12, which says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Satan and his demonic minions are no match for the word of God, and they are run through by the sword of the Spirit.

Jesus proved this in the wilderness when Satan tempted him and he used God’s word to ward off the attacks. When trials and temptations come, when Satan attacks you, be ready to defeat him with Scripture, the sword of the Spirit. Satan is overcome when we, like Jesus, use God’s word against him. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Once you read the Bible through, you’ll notice that it is a book filled with battles throughout the history of Israel. God’s chosen people are commanded to take those territories rightfully belonging to them, and even to this day, the Jewish people continue to fight for their survival.

In these battles of the Old Testament, God often raised up champions and spiritual heroes who, according to Paul, would be examples to us. In Hebrews 11, we meet the heroes who inspire and motivate us as Bible-believing Christians. Consequently, we love God’s people of Israel and prayerfully support their right to exist and to flourish in the land God has given them. Through the Jewish people, God gave us the Bible and our Messiah, the Lord Jesus. This is a thread that runs throughout the scriptures.

Satan’s tactics

The word Satan means “adversary” or “oppressor.” Satan hates and attacks everything and everyone God loves. He is deceptive and dangerous, and he means to destroy you, your family, your faith, and your friends. He inflicts pain and suffering and unleashes hate and hell upon the world. He uses doubt, disappointment, and deceit, and he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

As Christians, we must take this ruthless enemy and our spiritual warfare seriously. Unfortunately, too many don’t seem to realize that we’re living in a war zone, and they risk becoming casualties due to their ignorance.

When we live according to God’s word, we become better equipped for spiritual battle, just as Paul tells us in Ephesians 6. Never forget that the Bible is both trustworthy and authoritative. As you wield the sword of the Spirit (the Bible) in spiritual warfare, you can be sure that “no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed” (Isaiah 54:17). You have the mighty power of God’s word at your disposal. For the weapons of our warfare are not human (2 Corinthians 10:4); the word of God in connection with the Spirit of God is your superpower.

When I preach God’s word, it is with the power of the Holy Spirit. I’m engaging in spiritual battle and taking souls from enemy territory.

What is true for me is true for you. When you share your faith in Jesus, when you share the gospel of Christ, you’re in a spiritual battle and are defeating the enemy. Revelation 12:11 says, “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Our testimony is the word of God and the power of his blood to save us, which is the message of the Bible.

I’ve seen God’s word save the lost, comfort the saved, penetrate the darkness of the devil’s domain, and destroy the strongholds of addiction, setting captives free. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). So put on the armor of God, sharpen your sword, and get in the battle, knowing that “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

The battlefield for warfare is prayer, so take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17-18). There’s an inseparable connection between prayer and God’s word, which we can see in Acts 6:4 as the leaders of the early church gave themselves to the word of God and to prayer. Jesus promised, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).

When we pray according to God’s word, we are praying in alignment with God’s will; our prayers will be informed and inspired by the Bible. The power of his word, together with its principles and promises, guarantees our spiritual victory.

Victory in Christ

Whatever comes against us from the world, the flesh, and the devil is no match for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. When you know the Bible, you’ll be certain of the outcome of this war that has been raging for so long. God has promised us victory and has already given it to us.

I have a T- shirt that says Jesus Won across its front — not “Jesus Wins” or “He Will Win.” Jesus already won, as the enemy, Satan, was defeated at the cross. In Christ we have victory over Satan, sin, death, and hell. The victory that Christ has won is now ours.

I read an interview in the Wall Street Journal that featured the famous novelist John Grisham. It described his habits and personal disciplines of writing, which allow him to produce at least one book per year. I was interested to discover that he writes the last chapters of his stories first. Similarly, we have read the last chapters of God’s word, so we know how this story ends. When Jesus died on the cross, he exclaimed, “It is finished.” Tetelestai. This doesn’t mean, however, that he was finished — he was far from finished. No, Satan was finished, and the work of salvation was accomplished at the cross.

When you know the victory is complete, you can begin living with a new perspective. You can anticipate the day when you will lay down your sword because the battle is over, and you’ll celebrate for all of eternity. Your victory is in Jesus.

No wonder the apostle Paul, though facing execution, was able to say he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which was far better: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

This essay is adapted from "The Jesus Book" by Jack Graham ©2024. Used by permission of Bethany House and Baker Publishing Group.

The Bible's first question: Unmasking the poisonous lie that still deceives



The Bible is full of questions. Sometimes the biblical author himself asks a question, and other times the authors report what a person asks.

Have you ever considered the Bible’s very first question? It’s not a question from the Lord or from his image bearers. It’s a question from humanity’s archnemesis.

The serpent’s goal of misrepresenting God was to increase the appeal of the temptation that would come next.

According to Genesis 3:1, the serpent said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?”

This first question was a sharp sword. It was a pointed tactic of manipulation and deception. It was a strategy aiming to derail the woman’s confidence in God. The serpent said, “Did God actually say ...?” And the goal of his question was to unsettle Eve’s heart. The poisonous lie had begun its work.

Let’s make several observations about the beginning of Genesis 3.

First of all, the serpent didn’t even represent the Lord’s words correctly. And that’s part of the point. The deceiver was doing what he does, misrepresenting what God says and what God means. The reader knows that in Genesis 2:16-17, God said, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” So the serpent starts out, in Genesis 3:1, by acting like he’s quoting what God said, when actually he deliberately misquotes what God said.

Second, the effect of the serpent’s question is to portray God as stingy, as miserly, as a poor provider for the creatures he’s made. Can you imagine a scenario where God creates these fabulous and fruitful trees and then forbids Adam and Eve to eat from all of them? That’s exactly what the serpent’s words convey: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1).

Third, the serpent’s goal of misrepresenting God was to increase the appeal of the temptation that would come next. The forbidden tree certainly had fruit that looked good to the eyes and looked good for food (Genesis 3:6). If the serpent could frame God’s command as stifling, the temptation would appear more freeing and alluring. The serpent needed to start by casting doubt on what God had (allegedly) said — though we know the serpent didn’t accurately represent God’s words.

Fourth, the woman’s response to the serpent’s question shows that she wasn’t immediately taken in by his words. She corrected the serpent by saying, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden” (Genesis 3:2). She learned this either from Adam (see Genesis 2:16) or from divine revelation to her that the biblical author did not report.

The Bible’s first question still echoes through the ages: Did God actually say?

And the serpent’s strategy still echoes as well. He misrepresents the Lord and distorts what the Lord has actually said. He calls God’s character into question. He wants God’s commands to seem stifling and oppressive rather than soul-nourishing and life-giving. He wants temptation to shine with the deceiving light of intrigue and possibility.

Jesus said that the devil “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

The serpent cast doubt on God’s words because the serpent is a liar. He misrepresented God’s words because he is the father of lies. He impugned God’s character because he spoke out of his own malicious character.

The very first question in the Bible was full of poison, spoken by the enemy of God and of God’s people.

This essay was originally published at Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack, "Biblical Theology."

'Horrifying message': The new 'Dear Santa' kids movie is literally satanic



It’s the Christmas season, and with it comes new Christmas movies. One of those supposedly kid-friendly films is called “Dear Santa” — which stars Jack Black as Satan.

And the latter should come as no surprise, as Jack Black has been incredibly outspoken over the past few years regarding his progressive politics and support for Kamala Harris.

In the film, his character is summoned by a dyslexic 6th-grader named Liam who had accidentally written “Satan” instead of “Santa” on a letter. Satan then attempts to get Liam to sell his soul for a few granted wishes. Liam then mistakes Satan for the actual Santa Claus and is told that any three wishes he wants will be granted — but the cost is spending eternity in hell.


The child reportedly says in the film, “Just because Satan’s come into my life doesn’t mean I worship him now. Meeting Satan may have been the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” is absolutely disturbed.

“What is it about children and demonic ideologies and witchcraft that so many progressives and Hollywood seem to love?” Stuckey comments, adding, “I know there is a dark history there.”

“Children are always the un-consenting subjects of progressive social experiments. Satan has always had it out for children. He loves to prey upon children, that’s why there is such a sweet and ironic and beautiful twist to Jesus coming to Earth as a baby and being the one to crush Satan’s head,” she continues.

The film attempts to depict Satan, who brings Liam’s brother back from the dead, as having “occasional good will.”

“This is a horrible, horrifying message that you should not flirt with at all. You should not even allow your teenagers to watch something like this. It would get them excited about trying to communicate with Satan,” Stuckey says, adding, “I can not think of a worse message to convey to anyone — in particular, children.”

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Medusa lurks in Tulsa, Oklahoma



In Steven Spielberg’s 1993 adaption of Michael Crichton’s popular novel “Jurassic Park,” there’s a scene in which Muldoon, the game warden, explains to the group that the velociraptors understand their caged predicament as a problem to be solved.

“They were testing the fences for weaknesses systematically,” he says, as the group peers anxiously into the pen.

So was McAdams really praying in earnest to the mythical snake-haired goddess you probably learned about in eighth-grade English?

Of course, later in the film, when the park’s security system is shut down, the raptors do manage to escape their cage, leading to Muldoon’s bloody death.

I bring this up because it reminds me of what just happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, earlier this month.

The Demon Star

On November 20, an unremarkable woman named Ms. McAdams approached the podium at a Tulsa city council meeting. She was invited there to open the meeting with a prayer. And pray she did, but not to the God whom the state of Oklahoma recently decided to reinstate in its public school system by including the Bible in American history studies.

Ms. McAdams prayed to Medusa.

Introducing herself as a “priestess of the goddess,” she recited the following invocation.

I invoke the Gorgonea, champions of equality and sacred rage. I call to Medusa, monstrous hero of the oppressed and abused. I open the eye of Medusa, the stare that petrifies injustice. I call upon the serpent that rises from this land to face the stars, the movement of wisdom unbound. May these leaders find within themselves the embodied divine, the sacred essence of the spark of the universe and the breath of the Awen.

Place in the hands of these leaders the sacred work of protecting the sovereignty and autonomy of all our people. Gorgon goddess, make them ready and willing to be champions for all in this city, not just those in power. Shine a light for them that they may walk the path of justice protected and prepared, illuminating the darkness. Endow them with the fire of courage, the waters of compassion, the air of truth, and the strength of the earth itself. As above, so below; as within, so without; as the universe, so the soul. May there be peace among you all, and so it is.

Why Medusa?

McAdams opens by invoking the “Gorgonea,” a group of stars that make up part of the northern constellation Persesus. Consisting of four stars, the Gorgonea represents Medusa’s severed head. The brightest star among the four is named Algol — the “Demon Star.”

According to the myth, of which there are several versions, Medusa was once a beautiful priestess who was turned into a snake-haired gorgon by Athena after she was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. From that point forward, men (there’s no record of women) who gazed upon her would be turned into stone. The hero Perseus was sent to kill Medusa. Using a mirrored shield, Perseus was able to avoid her stony gaze and behead her. However, her severed head maintained its powers and proved to be a valuable weapon.

So was McAdams really praying in earnest to the mythical snake-haired goddess you probably learned about in eighth-grade English?

Yes and no.

“Many Christians equate any reference to snakes or serpents directly with Satan, but I am referencing the serpents that makeup [sic] Medusa's hair. This is classical mythology and before Christianity, snakes were ancient symbols of feminine divinity, healing, and transformation," McAdams reportedly wrote in a Facebook post after her prayer sparked immediate backlash.

So in a sense, yes, McAdams was really praying to the serpentine Medusa from Greek lore.

However, those of us who know the truth understand that there is no snake-haired goddess dwelling among the stars who can assist the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in its battle for “equality” and “justice.” There is another serpent who could and would trick people into carrying out his sinister will under the guise of empathy and empowerment, but we’ll get to him in a minute.

McAdams is an occult priestess, meaning she serves a specific deity — in this case, the goddess Medusa. Theoretically, all rites and rituals she performs are aligned with the will of Medusa. To do this, she must be deeply connected to what the occult calls “the otherworld” or “the spirit realm.”

Modern priestesses are specifically concerned with raising consciousness and activating humans to carry out the will of the deity they serve. Notice how McAdams asks Medusa to inspire the city council members to act on behalf of certain “humanitarian” causes.

During my research, I was surprised to discover that McAdams’ worship of Medusa as a powerful goddess of femininity is very common among occultists. They write and speak about her as if she is real and can be called upon for help and guidance. Many report that Medusa appears to them in dreams; others find that snakes seek them out. This is how they know that Medusa is calling to them.

As I was reading, I came across multiple sources that instructed readers on how to “work with her.” It involves casting hexes on your abusers (remember: Medusa was raped), learning water magic and creating altars of seashells, coral, driftwood, and other oceanic items (Medusa was a sea deity), presenting blood sacrifices in the form of menstrual blood (Medusa is associated with feminine energy and power), and — surprise, surprise — collecting snake-related items, such as shed skin, amulets, etc.

Those who engage in these types of rituals all report the same thing: Medusa will come.

I believe them. I just don’t call her by that name.

Beyond the Gorgon

If it isn’t obvious already, Ms. McAdams and those like her are worshipping and carrying out the will of Satan — the shape-shifter who probably does appear or call to them in the form of a snake-haired goddess falsely promising righteous revenge on the male oppressors of society and deliverance for their female victims.

And for the record, it doesn’t have to be Medusa. The occult worships many different deities and supernatural entities with names you’re probably familiar with. They’re all satanic.

McAdams' prayer is a fusion of demonic and progressive ideologies, which are one and the same, as progressivism inverts biblical truth. She positions herself as all modern liberals do — a champion for the oppressed, in this case for women.

That’s why she specifically invokes Medusa, a goddess of feminine power and the ideal figurehead for the radical feminist movement that lauds abortion and trans inclusivity but despises masculinity and the nuclear family — and wraps these ideas in deceptive platitudes of equality and freedom so that they’re widely appealing. Satan loves the modern feminist for these reasons.

Breaches in the fence

Like the raptors testing the security of the fences that prevent them from devouring the park tourists, Satan and his demonic legions are constantly testing the boundaries that have been erected to keep evil at bay. Their intention is also to devour.

A decade ago, in Town of Greece vs. Galloway, the Supreme Court ruled that prayer before a legislative session was constitutional, so long as the opportunity was available to all faiths. I’m not surprised that Satan saw this as a chink in the fence. I’m also not surprised that we’re seeing him utilize this opening now, given Oklahoma’s recent decision to bring the Bible back into its classrooms. Further, Satan’s message is far more likely to land in this toxically empathetic society that rewards radicalism and fringe groups while demonizing anything that would fall under a Christian worldview.

But Oklahoma is not the first place the demonic has brazenly shown its ugly face to the public. Last December, the Satanic Temple erected a statue of the demon Baphomet in the Iowa Capitol building in the name of religious freedom. In fact, there are multiple examples of the Satanic Temple worming its way into the political arena.

These incidents are becoming more frequent as society’s “fences” become weaker and weaker. I hope we will not write off McAdams’ prayer as the dismissable ravings of a middle-aged woman who thinks Medusa is real. Medusa is real. His name is Satan.