“It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.” – Alfred Adler
Me and my buddies at ClashChurch.com have a regular monthly men’s meeting we call “Warriors and Wild Men.” As you can imagine, it consists of guys being guys. We go hunting and fishing, we work out in the swamps lifting logs and rocks and we burn our quads on coral-choked, overheated, South Florida bike trails. In addition, we portion plenty of downtime to burp, scratch and fart as we enjoy a cold one while roasting a sa-weet puros, or two. It’s a real caveman experience. Why do we carry on like this? Well, because we can.
Like an idiot, however, I decided to switch gears a couple of months ago and add some substance to our zaniness. I decided that since we toss around Jesus’ name quite often maybe we ought to study what He says every now and then.
So . . . me and the boys started diving into Jesus’ first tape series, a.k.a. “The Sermon on the Mount,” as well as a study on SOM compiled by Os Guinness…quot;and boy, did that ruin our evening. All of a sudden, as we poked around at His words, we had to start doing stuff like repenting, begging God and people for forgiveness and asking for His assistance to soften our harden hearts from being self-obsessed Neanderthals.
As much as I thought that I had hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place when it came to Christ, when I/we examined in detail what He demands, we fell shorter than Evil Kneivel did in his ‘74 Snake River Canyon jump. After reading the SOM, I’m convinced that I mirror Jesus about as much as a warthog parallels Laetitia Casta.
Why am I writing to the public about my tarnished and haggard halo? Well, in every election year Jesus’ name gets tossed around more than a drunk midget at a Godsmack concert; and I’d like to know that as I wrangle for His principles in the public square, I’m at least quasi-practicing them in my private life…quot;because it is very possible to be for God while He is against me. I want to make sure that I don’t fight for His principles without really living up to them.
As our church began to really search His word and apply His words to our worlds, we ended up getting whacked. We examined His Se7en Virtues in contrast to hell’s Se7en deadly sins, and . . . uh . . . we found out that . . . well, uh . . . we were . . . uh . . . um . . . a little . . . eh . . . let’s say, lacking. So to speak.
Check it out:
From a cursory glance at the gospel of Matthew, it seems as if Jesus digs . . .
1. The virtue of poverty of spirit (humility and selflessness) more than He does the vice of pride, self-absorption and self assertion.
2. The virtue of mourning (y’know . . . sharing the unhappiness of others) over the vice of envy, which is the resentment of the happiness of others.
3. The virtue of meekness (the refusal to do harm to others) and the desire for peacemaking over and against the vice of anger, which is the willingness to do harm and to destroy others. (Does it feel warm in here? Does anyone else feel toasty? Because I’m getting hot.)
4. The virtue of hungering and thirsting for righteousness (having a passionate pursuit for God, the good and the ideal) in contrast to sloth, which is lethargy toward God, the good and the ideal.
5. The virtue of mercy (the desire to reach and to share with others, even the undeserving) as opposed to the vice of avarice, which is the greedy grasp and the selfish hanging onto of this world’s goods.
6. The virtue of being persecuted for righteousness (having a dedication to that can surmount even the deprivation of even basic necessities) and being distinguished from gluttony, which is the drive to consume an inordinate amount of the world’s goods.
7. The virtue of purity of heart (the true desire for God that centers and unifies the soul) versus lust, which manifests itself as an inordinate and dissipating desire to use other people and their bodies (from a distance or up-close and personal) to gratify ourselves.
In the next few weeks I’m going to do a humble and ham-fisted exposition on the Se7en virutes we need to embrace and the Se7en deadly vices we need to avoid if we really want to speak and work “for God” in a cruddy culture.
Doug’s articles have also appeared on several other print and online news sources, including The Washington Times, The Daily Caller, Fox Nation, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Examiner, The Blaze, American Hunter Magazine and ABC News.
He’s been a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel and Fox Business Channel as well as many nationally syndicated radio shows across the nation — which, he believes, officially makes him a super hero.
In addition, Doug is an occasional guest host on New York City’s WABC (The Jason Mattera Show) and he is a weekly guest, every Friday at 7:45am[et], on America’s Morning News (155 markets).
Giles and his wife Margaret have two daughters: Hannah, who devastated ACORN with her 2009 nation shaking undercover videos, and Regis who is an NRA columnist, huntress and Second Amendment activist.
DG’s interests include guns, big game hunting, big game fishing, fine art, cigars, helping wounded warriors, and being a big pain in the butt to people who dislike God and the USA.
Speaking Engagements.
Doug Giles speaks to college, business, community, church, advocacy and men’s groups throughout the United States and internationally. His expertise includes issues of Christianity and culture, masculinity vs. metrosexuality, big game hunting and fishing, raising righteous kids in a rank culture, the Second Amendment, personal empowerment, politics, and social change. For availability, please contact us.
Props.
“Doug Giles is a good man, and his bambinas are fearless. His girls Hannah and Regis Giles are indefatigable. I admire the Giles clan from afar.”
- Dennis Miller
“Doug Giles must be some kind of a great guy if CNN wants to impugn him.”
- Rush Limbaugh
“Doug Giles is a substantive and funny force for traditional values.”
- Ann Coulter, best-selling author
“Doug Giles speaks the truth … he’s a societal watchdog … a funny bastard.”
- Ted Nugent, rock icon
“Doug is funny and insightful. Giles is always spot-on with his analysis and so incredibly hilarious, as well. Whether you’re 15 or 50, if you love God and America, Doug Giles is for you!”
- Jason Mattera, NYT best-selling author of Obama Zombies and Editor-in-Chief, Human Events
“Doug is a raucous and rowdy mix of old-school, traditional conservative values with the kind of eff-you attitude folks like Ted Nugent have made millions on. He’s one part rebellious rock star, one part crusading missionary, and another part rough rider.”
- S. E. Cupp, NYT best-selling author of Why You’re Wrong About The Right and Host of The S. E. Cupp Show on GBTV.com
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