Gairney Bridge

On two separate occasions (the dates are May 9 and 16 on the documents), I received faxes at the church regarding the upcoming primaries in Kentucky (actually held tomorrow, May 20th). The faxes were both troubling and confusing. I thought of scanning each and posting the results, but since they are hard enough to read as is, I thought transcribing them would be more beneficial. Here is the body of text in the May 9th fax:

Dear Pastor,

West Virginia and Kentucky hold the keys to our Christian nation’s future.

One the next two Tuesdays [sic], a decision will be made as to which of the two candidates is most suited to become president of the United States.

One of these candidates, in spite of alleged faults, is a believer in Jesus.

The other, in spite of assertions to the contrary, is not.

No person who alleges that our Lord condoned homosexual behavior, who discounts the moral teaching of the Lord’s Apostle Paul, or who demeans the atoning work of Christ, by suggesting that there are other paths to salvation — is, or could be — a believer.

Yes, Christianity may be worn as a politically-correct uniform. Yes, the media may glorify their chosen one, and attempt to bully his opponent into capitulating. But let Christians in Appalachia stand up and say: Enough!

Let West Virginia be the firewall that breaks the brushfire of apostasy, before it devours our nation.

Let Kentucky be the levee that holds against the floodwaters of the antichrist.

Onward Christian soldiers!

With sincerity,

From Concern Citizens

The fax from May 16 was virtually identical. However, since West Virginia had already held its primary, this time the focus was on Kentucky and Oregon. There were a few other differences.

• The paragraph beginning “No person who alleges…” was replaced by a short statement that reads, “Faith in Christ, and in His atoning blood, is the only hope for salvation.”
• A new paragraph, following this shortened statement, reads, “Sure, hope may be preached, and changed may be promised, but without Christ it is a false hope and a deadly change.”
• The last sentence of the paragraph beginning with “Yes, Christianity may…” was changed to read as follows: “But, as they did in West Virginia, let Christians in the Appalachians, and the Cascades, stand up and say: Enough!
• The statement about West Virginia being the firewall has been changed to Oregon.

Now, I must admit, prior to receiving the second fax, I was a little confused. I pretty much got the gist of what was being said, but it was unclear if the assertion involved the Democratic race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, or a future race between Obama and John McCain. Yes, there were indications that McCain was not supposed to be part of the equation (the Republican primary was held in WV months ago, and McCain lost), but it seemed doubtful that Senator Clinton was being touted as the Christian alternative to Senator Obama, since (to the best of my understanding), her stance on many of the same social issues mentioned in the fax is the same as Obama’s.

However, the second fax does clear up the confusion. The references to “change” and the victory of one of the candidates in WV makes things a bit better. There is always the possibility, of course, that this is a covert ruse by conservatives to instigate a “vote against Obama is a vote for McCain” strategy (that doesn’t work in KY, though, since one apparently cannot jump parties in the primary).

The still troubling part, though, is apparently we now have identified the person of the antichrist (this is consistent in both faxes — Kentucky is still that levee against the antichrist):

If you gentle reader, would like to place a contrary vote for the antichrist, please register your choice on this blog. Cast your vote for antichrist in this manner:

• A. Barack Obama
• B. Hillary Clinton
• C. John McCain
• D. Both A and B
• E. All of the above

Also, I am wondering if any other pastors who visit this blog received these or similar faxes in their states.