Her name was Elena, my wife and I called her Helen. She was a Russian spitfire that had no problem speaking her mind…and on one particular day, her fury was aimed squarely in my direction. I deserved it! I was an arrogant and ignorant American who was clueless about Russian history, and she had no problem letting me know.


The day was May 9, 1996 when Helen, our Russian interpreter and good friend, took my wife and I around the Russian city of Stavropol to watch the Russian people celebrate the victory over the Nazi’s in WW2. The celebration is called “Victory Day”, and on this day the whole town shuts down. No one works and everyone comes out to the main square of town wearing their best suits, military uniforms, long dresses and the shiniest shoes they have. Long lines of weeping mothers and grandmothers laid down bouquets of flowers on war memorials while bands marched the plaza playing Russian songs of the Motherland under the shadow of a 35 foot statue of Lenin. People were everywhere and the somber celebration lasted all day.


Helen took us to one impressive monument that was in the center of town where a perpetual flame was always lit in remembrance of the fallen dead. Hundreds if not thousands of flowers were laid in front of it. It was quite impressive. But in my complete utter ignorance I said to Helen, “Why do you call this Victory Day, America won the war?”


I should not have said that, oh no, that was not smart! Instantly I realized that I stuck my foot fully down to the base of of my mouth and Helen was not about to let me forget about it. 


“What did you say?” Helen turned staring daggers directly at me.


“Um, well, I was taught that it was our landing at Normandy beach that changed the whole tide of the war. If we didn’t attack from the west, Hitler would not have had to fight a two front war. And plus we lost a lot of soldiers taking the beachhead.”
GULP! I could still see she was not happy.


“So,” Helen slowly said with arms crossed, “How many Americans do you think died in the war?”


I wasn’t too sure, but I tried to make my answer sound impressive, “I’m pretty sure over 400,000 soldiers died to stop the Nazi scourge.”


“Well,” said Helen with tears forming in her swollen eyes, “I lost a few uncles in the war. In fact, look around, almost everyone you see lost a father, brother, husband, friend or loved one in that atrocious war. In fact, the Nazi’s invaded our town and destroyed many of our neighborhoods.” And then she rhetorically said, “Do you know how many Russians died? 11 million soldiers and that doesn’t even mention the 26 million civilians who died from starvation, disease and displacement. And 3/4 of the German army died at the Red Army’s feet. So tell me, who sacrificed the most for the victory?”


I hung my head. 


Arrogance and ignorance, it snared me again. I opened my mouth when I didn’t even know what I was talking about, and it forced me to eat some large, thick bitter pieces of humble pie. I am better for it, I didn’t like it, but I sure did deserve it.


All over social media and in our popular culture, this kind of arrogance and ignorance can be found everywhere. People are saying things they know nothing about, acting smug, sounding superior. They have been sold a truckload of progressive lies which celebrates certain dangerous behaviors, painting them as if they are good and healthy when they are not. And blinded by arrogance and ignorance they fail to see the actual carnage that is left behind.


As a pastor, I see it, firsthand almost every week and often I am the only one let in the living room of a shattered life after the lie comes full circle.


Just as I thought America sacrificed the most in WW2, when they clearly didn’t, Social Justice Warriors think they are being so kind and loving when they support a lifestyle that is killing people. By being so focused on trying to alleviate the immediate discomfort by trying to sound caring and accepting, these arrogant and ignorant people are actually setting people up for a lifetime of misery.


So what am I talking about? Our current obsession with, and tolerance for, gender fluidity, homosexuality, and overt sexuality because we don’t want to say anything to offend anyone. I was told by a 14-year-old just this past week that I had no right to judge these behaviors and it wasn’t loving to share my opinion online. If a seven-year-old boy who wanted to change his sex to a girl, let him, it is none of your business or anyone else’s for that matter. She has been sold a bill of goods by the progressive stew she lives in. The new ignorant mantra being spread everywhere is that we all should leave people alone to make those life-altering choices, even having our government pay for those choices, painting them as if they are good, clean, healthy choices when in fact those choices are killing the people.

Arrogance and ignorance is tossing them into a danger-filled world that will never get better.


Because we don’t want to say no, or hurt anyone’s feelings in the present, we will no longer confront the arrogance and ignorance that lies behind those popular sentiments of tolerance and sappy love for all.


Work as a pastor for a few years and you will see how lives are being destroyed by political correctness. When people tell young men the gay lifestyle is good, healthy, and normal they forget to mention the multitudes of sick, depraved bathhouses , gay bars, and extreme loneliness that ensues after older gay men prey on younger men, taking advantage of their perverted sexual proclivities and destroying their soul in the meantime. Pastors and counselors are the ones who have to pick up the pieces, not the cool fashionable Robyn Roberts from Good Morning America.


What happens to the five-your-old boy who wants to be a girl, and then you let him alter his body all because you think it is cute and kind, and then when they turn 16 they are having severe buyers remorse? Where are the experts when the child is no longer liking who they are and as a result blame the world of adults for not fitting in?

It is cool to say you like progressive freedom online or watch a CNN town-hall that sounds compassionate, or watch a sitcom on Disney that has funny transgendered characters, but in real life these types of decisions are devastating in the long run. Depression becomes the norm with people  who are allowed to act out on their gender dysphoria. Suicide rates climb exponentially in the gay and transgendered community.


God doesn’t restrict homosexuality because he is mean or cruel, he doesn’t say being a transvestite is wrong because he hates, he says it because he knows it will eventually destroy the person and our society as a whole. When a mom dresses their eight-year-old boy up as a drag queen, it may be cute in the moment watching Jonny put on red lipstick, but never forget, it will effect them for life. Once you cross a line, you will never get it back. And that line is innocence.


Let me tell you about another lady who is my friend. She is from Grand Rapids and she too is a spitfire. She was abused as a young girl and overtime she learned to hate men. So early in High School she decided she was gay and pursued a lesbian lifestyle. It never satisfied, but she tried to deny her feelings and she acted like she was born that way.


One day she met my sister-in-law who is a Christian mentor of young women. This girl met my sister-in-law when she started coming to bible studies to learn from her, and after a few years of love and honesty she realized that God designed a man for a woman, and a woman for a man. It was both good and right. But she still hated men, who could blame her? One day, during the study an old friend that she knew for a long time, came in to the class. He just so happened to be a strong Christian man. They started talking. Then hanging out. Playing basketball together. 


And eventually they fell in love. The lesbian loved a man. Can it be possible? I thought you were born that way? Arrogance and ignorance strikes again!


Well after a few years they got engaged, went to marital counseling, and had a crazy fun wedding. To this day, 10 years later, they are more in love than ever. 4 years ago God allowed this couple to have a child, even though she was told she physically was unable to. Arrogance and ignorance. They love their boy, and yes, she calls him a boy…because he is a boy.


I didn’t really know about WW2 history because I was arrogant. I didn’t know the pain of the Russians because I was ignorant. I am afraid arrogance is ignoring science and as a result it is destroyIng people. So, like Helen, we need more people to be spitfires and speak up. Ask the hard questions, you might just wake someone up like me. A man once blinded by arrogance and ignorance.