The Salt of The Earth

I was reading comments regarding Dan and Dawna Wilson’s continued work to expose corruption in Kootenai County. Whether it’s the current occupant of the Sheriff’s office, high-profile churches, or political party failings, a spotlight will be placed To the weary, “you’re just a sore loser – go find a church and become a real Christian” crowd, this one’s for you.

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. ~ Matthew 5:13

The implications of this passage are vast. Salt was used to preserve food and enhance flavor. When Jesus was speaking to his disciples, he was telling them that they would be a force of preservation against moral and spiritual decay. Believers are commanded to conduct themselves to reflect the holiness of God and in so doing are ‘the salt of the earth’.

It’s a thankless task, because while we’ll give a nod to ‘speaking truth to power’, in actuality, it’s bringing out the stone-throwers in force. Still, as we see in Proverbs 27: Open rebuke is better than secret love.

Sheriff Bob Norris Brings The Receipts

Let’s begin with a quick review of the much-vaunted Show Your Proof event put on by Sheriff Bob Norris last year. He knew Dan was bringing up details of backroom deals, possible Disability fraud, violations of law enforcement procedures, and unformulated Sheriff’s Department policies, all of which make our community vulnerable. Bob stood ready to refute these ‘slurs’ and set up a showdown. Dan, sensing an ambush, sagely stayed away. A friend of his went to video the event and was nearly thrown out by the charming Mrs. Mattare. They do their deeds better in the dark.

It turns out that Bob, himself did all the work for Dan. He has now shown ample proof of his lack of law enforcement effectiveness, his lack of comprehension of what constitutes an arrest, his threat of pepper spraying in a crowded room (against his own department’s policy) and his not-so Artful Dodger explanation of the role and chain of command that would have validated the hapless security team. He even managed to bring a national spotlight to bear on whether he should receive $150k/year for his shoulders. Bob accomplished all of this in under an hour. Impressive.

Churchianity Vs. the Body of Christ

The Wilsons are currently not regularly attending a recognized church. I’ve seen the social media instructions that this should be addressed. My question has become: When is a church not the church?

Let’s start with a Biblical definition of what constitutes a church:

And they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and in fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. ~ Acts 2:42

I attended the largest church in Kootenai County for 22 years. It’s also one of the ‘churches’ Dan Wilson was attacked for criticizing. His main thrust, was that strategies were employed that he believed were manipulative rather than godly, to enforce church growth. I’m in the back like a manic 2nd grader who knows the real answer, waving my arm and trying to be heard. Either that or a chubby Southerner instructing him to hold my beer.

The strategy to grow the church is a high-pressure demand from senior pastoral staff. I heard the people involved in leadership discussing the open anger at the loss of congregants and there was a frequent recitation of numbers during services. Not the book in the Bible. Stats, events, growth. It’s clearly one of the highest priorities. Yet if we glance at Acts, what’s the first thing mentioned for a church? Doctrine. Does this ever-growing super church have sound doctrine? I can tell you it does not.

I don’t compare what that church is doing by my own opinion. I compare it to the Word. The following is a brief, incomplete list but it’s still going to make you mad. This is how you know you are not following Biblical doctrine.

You Might Be a Heretic

You might be a heretic if:

• If you have women teaching in the churc
• If you use the Enneagram for staff
• If the “greatest word from God” you’ve ever received was from a Marvel Comic Book
• If you’re outreach includes a production of Godspell
• If you utilize Bethel, Hillsong, etc. in your church service
• If you leave out 30% of the Bible and won’t even mention it
• If you routinely watch The Chosen

Out of the Frying Pan…

Someone asked me what made me so disenchanted with the mega church after all those years of contented attendance. I was stumped until my husband responded, “She retired and started really studying the Word.” Bingo. That was all it took to realize what that church wasn’t doing, digging deeply into the Bible. So, we went in search of a teaching church and walked right into the most politically active hybrid in town, a nexus of political control, personal power, and a Dispensational approach to Christianity.

The mess this church has created is much more subtle because it has the cover of solid doctrine. Yet its essence is as poisonously inbred as the atmosphere of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, which the church supports with monetary largesse.

The head honcho, a self-proclaimed “pretty big deal” in this town, has the facade of a humble pastor. His cover was blown when two attendees of his congregation asked for a meeting to talk to the pastor about candidate Dan Wilson’s positive attributes believing that Dan’s conservative positions aligned closely with their pastor’s. The combination of unctuous grandiosity and duplicitous dissembling was on full display since the meeting was being recorded. I listened to every single word as presented in the Power Pastors episodes of the Liberty Without Compromise podcast. Oddly enough, the outcry centered not on the disparaging conduct of the pastor but on the surreptitious and legal recording.

Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. So then, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in broad daylight, and whatever you have whispered in private in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops. ~Luke 12:2-3

During the meeting, the pastor’s obnoxious sidekick, or possibly a controller, dominated the conversation. This woman has a long history as a Federal employee of DHS (Department of Homeland Security). Now that Kristi Noem is in place, that might be considered honorable work, but not under Obama or Biden. This woman has insinuated herself into many local organizations as a stalwart Christian conservative. In one meeting for the Security Team of a community support volunteer force, she was quoted by an attendee as blurting out, “If I even see a Fed, I’ll shoot ’em right in the forehead!” I couldn’t decide if that was “Me thinks she doth protest too much” . . . or if she suffers from suicidal ideation. If it’s the second one, she’ll have to keep Bob Norris’ cameraman at a distance if she wants to end her life peacefully. At any rate, she’s been a Fed and the possibility she’s still operating as a Fed under contract is a matter of discussion. Who’s calling the shots at that church, the pastor or the Deep State?

I’ve been a church-goer all my life, but after the one-two punch of my last experiences, I rely on our home group for fellowship, study, prayer, and breaking bread. I have realized that by the definition of Acts, the small group is far more accurately a church than any of the prominent places whose door I’ll no longer darken. The accusers can rail, but I’m forced to question their validity. So possibly Dan should hie (go quickly) himself to church, or perhaps he’s already there.

The Republican Party Reigns

For years, Idaho has only had one political party. I don’t need to belabor the point, everyone knows it. The joke is that Democrats could hold a quorum in a phone booth. So liberals pretend to be Republicans, and you only identify them by the company they keep and the policies they push. It’s akin to the difference between a rattlesnake and a Gaboon viper. A rattler is a polite snake and unless they are currently shedding their skin, which makes them slightly blind, they are fairly unflappable. That’s your local Liberal. They announce who they are. We can live with that.

Let’s move on to the Gaboon viper. This S.O.B. pretends to be a pile of leaves so the camouflage keeps you comfy as you step right on him. The bite is frequently fatal. He’s not particularly aggressive, just sneaky.

What happens when these two species combine to attack the true conservatives? A lethal dose of venom got injected into the conservative movement, and they appeared to start biting themselves, and by themselves, I mean actual conservative candidates. It was surprising and those of us who have an affinity for a certain Constitutional Sheriff candidate were flumoxxed. The aggressive attacks, the knee-jerk evisceration of a candidate who offered himself for the good of a community were as unreasoning as they were relentless.

Now we see the same “Don’t think, close ranks” response to a nationally embarrassing KCRCC town hall event, with repercussions that will last for years.

Should Dan Wilson be a watchman on the wall and call out a warning? He sees clearly how far we’ve fallen from both the Constitution and established law enforcement standards, so he gives us fair caution. If you’ve ever read Ezekiel 33 you’ll know where I’m going. As long as the watchman warns, he’s done his job. Ignore him at your peril. “But, but Christians don’t judge”, you say. “He ought to keep it private”, you declare. Both are departures from Biblical instruction.

You want him to shut up, I get it, but perhaps he was born for such a time as this. He’s warning good people of imminent peril. Just like salt, he’s warding off social decay. I say we leave him alone and let the man work.

The opinions expressed by contributing authors or Op-Ed submissions to the Liberty Without Compromise Network do not necessarily reflect those of the founders of LWC, the hosts of the Liberty Without Compromise broadcast, or Dan Wilson for Kootenai County Sheriff. It is LWC's position to offer a forum for the marketplace of ideas, discussion, and at times, opposing viewpoints. With this in mind, the comment section contained in this website is open for all ideas and viewpoints provided the discussion remain productive and respectful of others.