This will be my next project after I finish Steam & Mettle (Christian steampunk): a Christian Dystopian Science-Fiction multi-book series called The Pavfarah Chronicles. I felt inspired to make a series teaser trailer for it!

I made a new book trailer for my Christian Science-Fantasy novel, Jordan's Deliverance (Book 3 in the Jordan of Algoran Series). I made this trailer with Canva Pro and Speechelo Pro.

Let me know what you think!

I made a new book trailer for Jordan's Arrow (Book 2 in the Jordan of Algoran Series) using Canva Pro and Speechelo. Feedback welcome!

lt has been said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.

But what about those who reject history and seek to rewrite it for their own ends?

There's a racial divide that's been forced upon this country under the guise of professed social justice. People of all races are being conditioned to be racist...by activists calling themselves "anti-racists."

I present as evidence an excerpt from Critical Race Theory: The Cutting Edge (3rd Edition) by Jean Stefancic and Richard Delgado:

"Critical race theory's challenge to racial oppression and the status quo sometimes takes the form of storytelling, in which writers analyze the myths, presuppositions, and received wisdoms that make up the common culture about race and that invariably render blacks and other minorities one-down. Starting from the premise that a culture constructs its own social reality in ways that promote its own self-interest, these scholars set out to construct a different reality."

Originating from the Marxist "Critical Theory" in the 1930s and "Critical Legal Studies" from the 1960s and 1970s, Critical Race Theory (CRT) came into being in 1989 and assumes "racism is normal, not aberrant, in American society" and "because it is an ingrained feature of our landscape, racism looks ordinary and natural to persons in the culture."

I reject this notion wholeheartedly. People are taught about race and racism by family, friends or people they look up to. We are also individuals and have free will. People can reject racism. They can change and become better. We are not "DNA Zombies," unable to act in any other way than what our skin color dictates. That would make us worse than fictional undead monsters.

It's one thing to legitimately recognize the racial injustices that have occurred in this country's flawed past, especially prior to the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. And it is entirely fair to say that the legal framework created as a result of that Movement has not been perfect. It did not remove all racism, it just made it illegal to act in a racist manner. Removing the majority of racism took desegregation and the full integration of a multiracial society over the last fifty years.

CRT claims all of the progress made during that time was a lie, that it doesn't matter. CRT says it knows better than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream...because reasons. And those reasons appear to be rooted in bitterness and racism towards other races, specifically those of European descent, who CRT unabashedly calls "white people."

CRT seeks to impose its activist, racist mentality on the US Government, Academia (where it originated) and society at large by dividing, aggravating, and shaming people based on the color of their skin.

It doesn't even evoke justice, where the law at least gives the opportunity for an accused person to have a trial and the opportunity to present facts. CRT assumes the accused ("white people") are guilty because (to its proponents) it's a given...the accused are white.

That's the very definition of racism, by the way: judging an entire race based on the color of their skin.

CRT doesn't want justice. It wants revenge.

And that is why it should be challenged. And yet, CRT proponents claim that to challenge CRT is to prove oneself racist. It's circular, intellectually dishonest logic. But facts and reasoning tend to get in the way of hate.

As I've said before, any philosophical or intellectual position that says it cannot be confronted is weak and undercuts itself. All knowledge is subject to inspection and reevaluation with time and experience.

If you don't believe me about CRT, do your own research into it. Read the original text, not people's glowing reviews of it. CRT speaks for itself quite well.

Sadly, even the church is not immune to CRT. Too many pastors and people of faith are putting down the Holy Bible and picking up the "Social Justice Bible." Some are actually preaching Critical Race Theory from their pulpits and social media.

I understand the desire to help people, do good in one's community, and fight racism. I have stood against racism for a long time, both online and in day-to-day living. But one has to be led by the Holy Spirit in such things — not CRT, which was originated by flawed human beings.

And yet, this ideology has wormed its way into a lot of ministries, redefining the concepts of sin and redemption based on race, even skin color.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't work that way. God is unchanging and is not swayed by trends, intellectual movements or political ideologies. He is God alone.

Jesus Christ did not come to separate the races. He was not here to overthrow the Romans, though He could have done so by calling on "twelve legions of angels" had He had wanted to. But He didn't.

When confronted by the religious leaders, Jesus didn't resist them. When beaten and whipped by the Roman soldiers, Jesus didn't fight back. He knew His purpose was to die for the sins of all humankind, to be buried, and to be resurrected on the third day, conquering death itself. He ascended to Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to be a Comforter and to offer salvation to those seeking the Lord. It allowed us sinners the opportunity to be redeemed back to God.

In doing so, Jesus fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament and proved Himself the Messiah. He also unleashed a different kind of cultural revolution on the world: a revolution of Peace.


Romans 12: 14-21 (KJV) reads:

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
 

Consider also James 1: 16-20 (KJV):

Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.


None of that said "unless they are Greek" or "unless they are Samaritans." In fact, Paul challenged Peter "to the face" for treating Jews and non-Jews differently.


Galatians 2: 11-16 (KJV) reads:

But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.

For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.


Lastly, Galatians 3: 26-29 (KJV) reads:


For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.


We as a nation need to heal from this racial divide. I don't profess to have all the answers, but I know this much: the poison of Critical Race Theory reduces everyone's merit, potential and indeed our entire existence to the color of our skin.

I'll go one step further: I believe that the activists who promote the racist ideology of CRT are the very types of people which the Civil Rights Movement fought against.

To support this claim, I will quote Dr. King:

"I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day out in the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character.

I have a dream today."

As the racists were challenged then, peacefully by Dr. King and so many others, they should be challenged now. Not with anger, nor with shouting and certainly not with violence.

They should be challenged peacefully — with proof that Dr. King's dream became a reality. That is the best way to debunk the revisionist history lie of CRT.

We can show them that we stand arm-in-arm with people of all races, with respect and dignity towards one another. We are not tainted or consumed by the poison of racism. We are individual people with dreams like Dr. King's. And we outnumber those who would say otherwise.

We are those who have married interracially; birthed, fostered and adopted interracially; and have love and respect for all races and nations. We are those who do not allow skin color to be a determining factor in who we choose to interact with, trust, and learn from.

If you agree with what I've written, please like and share this.

And consider a new hashtag:
#wearemorethanourskincolo

I used Canva Pro to make a 90-second promo video for this website. Let me know what you think!

In 1981, I experienced desegregation for the first time as an eleven-year-old. Many kids from my Austin, Texas neighborhood — mostly Caucasians as well as African-Americans and Asian-Americans — were bused to another school across town. That school was in a Hispanic neighborhood. Some parents were adamantly opposed to the idea and voiced their contentions to the City Council. But most people, like my parents, went along with it, whether they agreed or not.

The idea was simple: kids of different races and ethnicities would benefit from interacting with one another on a regular basis throughout the school year. It wasn't exactly an easy transition. There were some friction at times, a few arguments and fights. As a seventh grader, I was held over a second floor balcony by a group of Hispanic students who wanted to scare me for their amusement. But we got through it.  By the next year, the students and teachers adapted and became used to the new circumstances.

Overall, it was a positive experience. Integration did happen and remained in place...until recent days. So, desegregation was the correct approach to overcome racism.

When people segregate — only hanging around people that look and act like them — that behavior becomes normal to them. And it builds a resistance to being around anything different. Segregation feels deceptively safe, building a wall of the familiar around oneself. It also makes it easy to look at anything different in simple blanket statement terms. It creates an "us versus them" mentality. And that's why it's a self-perpetuating trap. It's also self-isolation.

Quite frankly, it does the racists' work for them.

So, I'll just say it: Segregation is wrong. As a human race, we grow and improve by learning about the world and people around us through our experiences. We decide what's right or wrong for us, but we're ever-learning.

No one is any better than anyone else. We all have our gifts, insights, and relevant ways to contribute to society, if we choose. We can all learn from each other.

But that won't happen if we close ourselves off from one another through segregation. And yet, that's a disturbing trend that's growing in the United States and other places around the world. Schools and universities are having segregated safe spaces and even graduations. A certain racist theory is ever-divisive and actively promoted. People are being encouraged to discriminate against other races in the name of "anti-racism" and to appease heated emotions.

In Matthew 12:25 (King James Version), Jesus said "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."

Segregation is the embodiment of this saying. Our nation is dividing itself by race. It's not based on who we are as people, but by what the color of our skin is.

That is racism.

It's not limited to one race. Any race can discriminate against another. Anyone can hate. Anyone can harm one another through words or deeds. No one is immune.

Past racism does NOT excuse present day racism, no matter who is committing it.

My wife and I are the beneficiaries of desegregation and the original Civil Rights Movement. We found love despite being different races, despite me being White and her being Black. We became friends, learned about one another, discovered our similarities and differences. We fell in love, married and started a family.

Our children are the best of both races. They don't have to choose one race over the other. It's not supposed to be a war of who's better. And if we all dug into our DNA, most of us would be surprised to find out how many racial blends already exist within us.

We are all more alike than different. And it's been that way since early in human history. Take a moment to consider that.

In conclusion, ask yourself this:

Who really  benefits from creating division?

I made a new book trailer for my next work-in-progress: The Steam & Mettle Series! I used Canva and Speechelo to add a little extra to it. Let me know what you think!

I never imagined that, in my lifetime, I would see a figurative (and sometimes literal) "Culture War" in the United States of America. But here we are. From my perspective, it's a war against freedom and liberty on three fronts, which at their core, are all different forms of bullying.

I've never minded a free exchange of ideas, whether I agree with those ideas or not. A healthy, peaceful discussion can lead to learning for everyone involved. Even a spirited debate can be productive, if both sides respect one another. But what we have seen over the last several years in the US is anything but peaceful, healthy or respectful.

Instead, we have seen strong emotions and political ideology override healthy discourse, becoming toxic. We have seen people with the same ideology form online mobs to cancel people and businesses. And we have seen people with the same ideology form real-life rioting mobs to destroy property while they intimidate, injure and even kill people.

And then there's the Big Tech companies who are actively censoring and banning anyone who says, writes or shares whatever doesn't jibe with their political worldview. There's an old saying by Dr. Stephen Franklin: "He who controls the information controls the world." Big Tech clearly ascribes to this philosophy, even though it runs contrary to the freedoms and liberties assured by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. But their actions have made it obvious what they think of that Constitution and the USA.

So, whether on the internet or in person, we have seen a refusal by individuals, groups and even companies to listen to other viewpoints or even negotiate. It is one side's position/perspective or you're wrong. No, not just wrong. You're everything that side despises because you don't see eye-to-eye with them.


That's mob mentality.


"Mob justice" is not justice at all. It is a form of terrorism. Bullies use terrorism, whether they are one person or in a group. And all bullies are cowards at heart. I say this because they resort to intimidation tactics instead of achieving their goals through more peaceful means.

Some might say that the "peaceful means" don't always succeed. Or that progress through peace is very slow. Both statements are true. But that doesn't justify harming others (or their property) to get what you (either personally or collectively) want.

Are there injustices in this world? Of course there are. Shouldn't they be confronted? Yes, but there are well-proven ways that work. They take time and they're not perfect. But attempting to tear down others, harming their careers or putting people in fear for their (or their family's) lives will always be wrong and ultimately fail.

And what if the mob is wrong? Seriously. What if the people participating in a protest/riot/canceling don't have all their facts correct? What if they are so emotionally driven that the facts don't matter? What if, later on, information is made public that paints a very different picture than what they originally believed? How can those wrongs be corrected? What about those harmed or killed? What about the businesses destroyed? Will the trolls, rioters and/or companies reimburse those they disenfranchised?

Sadly, mob mentality is not a new idea. Throughout history, people have engaged in emotionally-driven  destructive group behavior, often politically- or religiously-influenced. It goes back to Biblical days.


Acts 6: 8-14 (King James Version = KJV) reads:

And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.


Stephen responded to them.


Acts 7: 48-60 (KJV) reads:

Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

Hath not my hand made all these things?

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.


Jesus Christ was confronted by a mob comprised of religious leaders and average citizens.


Matthew 27: 11-26 (KJV) reads:

And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?

And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.

Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.

And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?

For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.

When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.

Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.

And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.


To sum up everything, whether it's cancel culture, a group of rioters or Big Tech companies, the underlying element all of them have in common is this: they are bullying others to accomplish a goal. They are claiming their freedom of speech while restricting others' freedom of speech. They deny life, liberty and happinesss as guaranteed by the US Constitution, deeming their cause more important. And when they gain more prominence and power, they will want even more prominence and power.

But God has the final say. He is the ultimate Judge. His Justice is the only true form of justice. So look to God, pray and wait on Him. Be more like Christ, who suffered many injustices but was given ultimate power at the righthand side of God.


Romans 12: 14-19 (KJV) reads:

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

I was interviewed on The Parker J. Cole Show Afterthought - a Facebook Live event - about my debut novel, Mindfire, on April 17, 2021.

Reproduced with permission from Parker J. Cole.