JOE BIDEN IS MOVING LEFT BUT THAT ISN’T STOPPING GOP NEVER-TRUMPERS FROM ENDORSING HIM: The Issues & Insights gang noticed this trend and offer some trenchant thoughts on what it means and why it’s happening.

“Not to be overly dramatic, but this is sheer lunacy. Whatever his faults – and they are many – Trump has run one of, if not the, most conservative administrations, including Ronald Reagan’s. From the military buildup to supply-side tax cuts and deregulation, to judicial nominees, to immigration policies and education reform, he’s made a lasting difference on issues these never-Trump Republicans supposedly hold dear. And while he can be and often is his own worst enemy, Trump has been the victim of the most vicious, sustained smear campaign ever mounted by the liberal establishment,” I&I observes.

As usual from these guys, definitely worth a serious read.

IS EARTH JUST A PALE BLUE DOT IN A HOSTILE UNIVERSE? Excellent question for this Sunday after President Donald Trump’s Mt. Rushmore speech in which he said, among much else in what may have been his best ever, “our Founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights — given to us by our Creator in Heaven.  And that which God has given us, we will allow no one, ever, to take away — ever.”

Think about it: If we do live on what amounts to nothing more than a rock, then Trump’s claim may be a noble one, but in the overall scheme of things, it’s just a nice sentiment. Cold-Case Christianity’s J. Warner Wallace offers some challenging insights about why Earth is much more than a tiny pale blue dot among billions of others.

TRUMP’S PPP GIVES HER BIZ $27K, SHE DOES A BIDEN SPOT: Real class

DON’T BELIEVE MEDIA CLAIMING GROUNDSWELL FOR REPARATIONS: In fact, the “reparations” bill they’re pushing doesn’t require reparations, it just studies the possibilities.

LOOPHOLE THAT GOES ALL THE WAY TO CHINA: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) says it’s time to shine light on a provision of the 1984 U.S./China tax deal that lets Beijing avoid levies on the interest it is paid on those U.S. Treasury securities it buys to fund America’s national debt.

WHO IS SUSAN ROSENBERG? Scott Walter of the Capital Research Center (CRC) reminds us that for those who were around for the Weather Underground in the late 1960s/early 1970s, that name might ring a bell. Turns out Rosenberg, who spent 16 years in a federal prison after trying violently to disrupt President Ronald Reagan, has been helping fund Black Lives Matter in recent years.

SURROUNDED BY GOVERNMENT FAILURE, WHY DO PEOPLE STILL BELIEVE? Veronique de Rugy, writing for the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), asks a question that strongly suggests somewhere along the way in her ancestry there is a connection to that Ockham fellow with the razor.

ARE YOU OPPRESSOR OR OPPRESSED? And speaking of hoary liberal myths, Joseph Backholm offers three solid reasons there is nothing biblical about the Critical Theory behind Black Lives Matter, 1619, White Fragility, et. al., contrary to the claims of progressives and even some evangelicals, who seem to be transitioning to progressives.

NO, JESUS WAS NOT A ‘PERSON OF COLOR:’ Tom Gilson of thinkingchristian.org shreds the hoary liberal myth, then reminds would-be co-opters of all stripes that “Jesus won’t let us use Him for our politics.” You don’t have to agree with everything, or anything, in this provocative piece, but I am confident you’ll come away from it understanding these issues with greater clarity.

WHY IS THE MOB WINNING? Not sure I agree that it is, but Issues & Insights makes a disturbingly convincing case for the proposition.

HAVING TROUBLE PERSUADING YOUR FRIENDS? Professor Barry Brownstein explains why facts don’t matter to most people.

THE  BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO GAY RIGHTS IS … THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT ITSELF: Focus on the Family’s Glenn Stanton, writing on The Federalist, explains why the movement’s take-no-prisoners attitude bars acceptance of claims everybody can just get along by going along:

“The queer movement — elsewhere, Rauch recommends using the more concise and inclusive “Q,” or queer, rather than the alphabet soup — cannot employ the end-of-discussion “civil rights” language, consistently label their opponents hateful bigots, and then also speak of good-faith compromise. The two exist in necessarily exclusive universes. Absolute language requires absoluteness, and the queer movement leaders set these terms with great care and intention.”

DID YOU CATCH THE STENCH AT USAGM? RealClearPolitics’ Susan Crabtree, one of the most honest and credible journalists in Washington, D.C. digs deep into the long nomination battle to confirm Michael Pack and the brewing scandal surrounding the Open Technology Fund.

THERE IS NEWS IN D.C. OTHER THAN COVID-19 AND RIOTS IF YOU LOOK CLOSE ENOUGH: Check out the Coalition to Cut Red Tape.

IT’S ALL ABOUT BYTES AND ELECTRONS AND UP QUARKS AND DOWN QUARKS: Put aside the debates about Big Bangs, Multiverses, Evolution, Creationism, etc. etc. Read this analysis, put aside for now the shots aimed by the authors at scientific materialism, and think of the absolutely incredible possibilities for expanding human understanding made possible by the Computer Revolution and the Information Age. So much to get excited about when human civilization is allowed to flourish instead of having to fight to avoid being burned down by rioters.

YES, ECONOMICS DOES HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT STATUE-SMASHING: And Phillip Magness, writing for the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) lays it out for us laymen.

DEFUND THE THOUGHT POLICE: Here’s encouraging evidence that even on elite campuses like the University of Chicago there remain a few intellectually honest and courageous professors.

SURPRISE! SURPRISE? New data analysis shows least restrictive states clearly tend to have lower COVID-19 death rates than the most restrictive states.

ARE ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY THAT DIFFERENT? Well, yes, according to philosopher Kenneth Samples, the world’s two major religions share some superficial similarities, but peer a tiny bit below the surfaces and they are like night and day, on two different planets, in separate universes, occupying opposite dimensions. Did I mention they aren’t alike?

IF YOU WEAR RACIST LENSES, EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE RACISM TO YOU: There’s a reason far-left advocate Shaun King’s declaration about destroying all those stained-glass windows of “white Jesus” should come as no surprise. Sooner or later, Christianity always becomes a target.

HAS CORONAVIRUS GONE FROM ‘AGGRESSIVE TIGER’ TO ‘WILD CAT?’ I’m skeptical, but the guy FAITHWIRE quotes is an Italian doctor, where I am just a simple-minded American journalist. My question is this: Can one country develop herd immunity while another doesn’t?

IF YOU THOUGHT THE FED IS INDEPENDENT, THINK AGAIN: That’s the view, at least, of Thomas L. Hogan, writing for the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER). He is particularly concerned that having the Fed provide municipal and state government loans is a bad idea.

He notes, among much else, that the $3 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Assistance Act (CARES) “gives the Fed permission to pursue these facilities, but it does not require the Fed do so. In contrast to previous Chairs [Ben] Bernanke and [Janet] Yellen, who publicly opposed the Fed funding municipal governments and other fiscal policy actions, presiding Chair [Jerome] Powell seems to be an enthusiastic supporter of such programs. However, it is not too late to close these fiscal-policy facilities before causing further harm to the Fed’s reputed independence.”

YOUR UNION SHORT ON FUNDS? TRY FORGERY! Hey, it allegedly works for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in three states, California, Oregon and Washington, according to the Capital Research Center. Amazingly (or maybe not), a California judge even upheld the practice of forging signatures so that non-union members have dues automatically deducted from their paychecks. The Freedom Foundation has filed five lawsuits against the practice.

5 WAYS CHRISTIANS ARE GETTING SWEPT INTO A SECULAR WORLDVIEW IN THIS CULTURAL MOMENT: Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear and certain other highly visible evangelical leaders should sit down and read carefully this courageous analysis by Christian apologist Natasha Crain. It is a loving, graceful and straightforward warning about the dangers of not understanding why our cities are torn by riots, crime and revolutionaries.

Here’s just one example, Crain’s point four:

“We’re unknowingly getting caught up in Critical Theory: Critical Theory is the ideology that underlies many of the popular responses to racial injustice that we’re seeing today, and it’s a secular view that is unfortunately spilling into the church in shocking degrees.

“This ideology views reality through the lens of power, dividing people into oppressed groups and oppressor groups along lines like race, class, gender, sexuality orientation, physical ability and age. Truth becomes relative based on your status in one of these groups. If you’re unfamiliar with the term Critical Theory, you’ll be blown away when you learn about it and see how it explains so much of what you see happening today.

“Dr. Neil Shenvi specializes in this area and has written extensively on his site about it. PLEASE read the introductory resources he has here. He has also reviewed several books on racial injustice on his site, exposing how they conflict with a Christian worldview given their grounding in Critical Theory (e.g., White Fragility). I highly recommend you search his site and read what he has to say about many of the popular books being recommended right now (even by churches).

“Additionally, I highly recommend the new ministry of Monique Duson, The Center for Biblical Unity. She came out of Critical Theory herself and is now working toward unity from a biblical perspective.”

WHY I SIGNED “THE STATEMENT ON SOCIAL JUSTICE & THE GOSPEL:” No, I’ve not caved to the SJWs, quite the contrary. But knowing there are legions of professing Christians among Instapundit’s fine readership, many of whom are concerned about the “critical theory” turbulence currently afflicting the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention and the wider evangelical community as well, just wanted to make my position clear. Be sure and read the whole statement, as it covers the waterfront of issues that are convulsing the whole nation.