Are We Insane or Standing Fast?

Written by Pastor Calvin Lindstrom

Supposedly, Albert Einstein gave this definition for insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Whether Einstein actually said this or someone else conceived it, it is a profound definition.

Does this definition apply to all situations? What is the context that needs to be considered? Are we as Christian conservatives in Illinois guilty of insanity?

I am going to answer this question in two ways: first in the negative and then in the positive.

No, Christian conservatives in Illinois are not insane, even when it seems we keep losing so many political and moral battles. Our first calling is not to “win,” but to witness to the truth of God’s Law and gospel. This is not a popular calling. If we are faithful in this witness, we can expect to receive the hatred of the truth.

Further, we have no room for compromise when it comes to life and death, or the definition of marriage and family. There is absolutely no leeway to enlarge the tent on these issues. Compromise on these issues would be insanity.

We must also consider that the situation in Illinois has shifted steadily in a very radical direction. Unfortunately, consistent Christian voters in our state are a demographic minority. There are no easy solutions when it comes to effecting the change that is desperately needed in our state.

Illinois’ last gubernatorial elections took place in 2018. In the primary, J. B. Pritzker easily won the Democratic race with 597,756 votes, a margin of 244,131 votes. No dead people had to vote in this election I heard.

Contrast this to Jeanne Ives who ran against the feckless sell-out, Bruce Rauner. It was a close race, but Ives lost by 22,086 votes. She received 244,718 fewer votes in the primary than Pritzker.

Pritzker went on to easily defeat Rauner in the general election, trouncing him by 713,995 votes.

The Illinois electorate, in general, is guilty of insanity in that we keep electing politicians who will only, in the end, bring further judgment to our state in terms of moral and financial issues.

On the other hand, Christian-conservatives can be guilty of insanity if we do not properly consider what we can do better in terms of the witness we are called to bring and how we can best oppose the wickedness of our age.

For example, how many Christians believed the lie that Rauner was the candidate to solve the problems in Illinois? When a politician’s wife is a Platinum-Planned Parenthood donor, we are insane if we think this politician will guide us through Valley Forge and onto victory.

We are still living with the scourge of Rauner, despite the attempts of IFI and others who warned publicly that he was not a good choice.

Isaiah 6 describes the awesome vision that Isaiah was given of the glory of the holy, holy, holy God. Isaiah initially thought this glorious vision would end in his death. How could he encounter the holy God when he was a sinner and was living in a rebellious nation?

But the LORD assured Isaiah of his cleansing. And when the LORD rhetorically asked, “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Isaiah immediately responded, “Here am I! Send me.”

The LORD then gave Isaiah the details of what this call meant:

Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

Isaiah might have felt like this was an insane calling. What point was there if this would be the outcome? But Isaiah did not hesitate or waver in his calling. Likewise, there is no room for us to back down as we seek to be witnesses of God’s truth. According to some extrabiblical sources, Isaiah was sawed in half. Do we fear God more than we fear the fire, sword, or saw?

Let us never give into pressure to compromise, even if there is a promise of victory in such. Let us also seek to be better witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ and His truth.