Lancaster Stands Up Is Not For ‘All of Us’

Julia Berkman-Hill, campaign manager for Izzy Smith-Wade-El, believes Lancaster Stands Up deserves a lot of credit these days.

“Hard to believe this would have been written without the concerted organizing by @lancstandsup and others. This is what it looks like to actually make ‘hate have no home here,’” she tweeted on July 18 in reference to a July 17 LNP/LancasterOnline editorial entitled “Lancaster County businesses rightly reject Mastriano documentary and other propaganda related to Christian nationalism.”

Among other things, that editorial parroted what Professor Dennis Downey wrote in his July 10 column. I addressed his column in last week’s editorial and will not repeat those comments here.

I will, however, draw your attention to Lancaster Stands Up and the vision they have for our county, commonwealth, and nation.

Lancaster Stands Up claims to be “a grassroots organization fighting for an America that is for all of us.”

“All of us”? Enter the watered-down use of language and euphemisms that allow humanistic groups like Lancaster Stands Up to appeal to people’s emotions.

Who wouldn’t want an America that is for “all of us”?

But, at some point, it behooves us to ask what that means.

Does Lancaster Stands Up really want an America that is for everyone? Certainly not. Case in point: they are more than willing to endorse the killing of babies in the womb. In fact, they deem it an “emergency” that mothers might not be able to murder their children.

And Lancaster Stands Up recently endorsed Mark Temons for 98th State House District. Temons’ campaign page states that he “wholeheartedly and unequivocally support[s] reproductive rights for everyone.” Those “rights” are for “everyone,” except, of course, the babies being murdered, as they will now never have the option to reproduce. Once again, the language of “everyone” and “all of us” is farcical.

So, from the outset, their claim that they want an America for “all of us” is conditional. It is not an America for all of us—i.e., everyone alive—it is an America for the desirables. The rest of the babies can be butchered.

But there’s more.

Lancaster Stands Up believes that documentaries like Turley Talks’ “The Return of the American Patriot: The Rise of Pennsylvania” are full of hate and have no place in the county. On July 8, Jonathan Matthew Smucker, co-founder of Lancaster Stands Up, shared a Turley Talks’ press release regarding the film and commented, “Snowflake whiners, GTFO of town.”

In his 2017 book, “Hegemony How-To: A Roadmap for Radicals,” Smucker calls for a purposeful and calculated effort to “take the helm” as it relates to changing society to fit his humanistic worldview. Lancaster Stands Up is just one part of that vision. Pennsylvania Stands Up, also co-founded by Smucker, is doing the same thing.

Aided by two years of government-forced isolation upon the irresolute in our society, groups like Smucker’s have utilized social media to influence others and grow their base. There is no question that some of their methods have proven effective. Social media outcry led by the likes of Lancaster Stands Up’s Suzy Wurtz caused two Lancaster County businesses to cave and cancel the showing of the Turley Talks’ film. On July 8, Wurtz tweeted, “I’m taking the kids to the movies this weekend just because @PennCinema kicked out these wanna-be fascists.”

The attorney of the other venue said that they had “received numerous threats that, if the screening is held, there will be rioting, property damage, and potentially physical violence.” The exact source of those threats remains unclear, but one thing is certain: these are the sorts of menacing threats that business owners can expect if Lancaster Stands Up continues to influence the county.

Speaking of the Turley Talks’ film, I was able to watch the premiere. I agreed with some of it; I disagreed with other aspects of it. The film did, however, demonstrate some of the problems with leftist ideology. For that, I commend it. And for that, Lancaster Stands Up detests it. 

Make no mistake, the “equality” of Lancaster Stands Up does not include those of us who disagree with their ideology, regardless of whether we support the latest Republican candidate or not.

So, Lancaster Stands Up’s America for “all of us” does not include millions of babies. Nor does it include conservatives who make a documentary that goes against leftist sensibilities.

Truly, Lancaster Stands Up does not want an America for “all of us.” They want an America for abortionists, Marxists, and sexual deviants. And they will be happy to welcome you too, so long as you toe their ideological line and keep your mouth shut. But if you will not bow to them, be prepared for racist pejoratives or worse.

Let’s Be Honest

The cheap trick Lancaster Stands Up plays is to claim that they want equality for everyone. This is not true, as I have already demonstrated. But here is an important point to understand: no society that has ever existed for any amount of time has practiced a “for all of us” mentality. There will always be lines drawn. (Even history itself will end with the great division of the righteous and the wicked.)  

For example, no one should want an America “for all of us” if that means murderers and rapists and kidnappers are not prosecuted and executed. America, or any decent society, should not be “for” them. Nor should anyone want an America “for all of us” if that means thieves are permitted to ransack and loot. America should not be “for” them—at least it should not be structured to allow them to flourish in their criminality (despite what many Democrat mayors seem to think).

Throwing around clichés like “an America for all of us” is dishonest and trite. But in the more lucid moments of Lancaster Stands Up’s leaders, it becomes clear that they do believe certain people should be excluded from society.

And from one standpoint, I can respect the logic of that: if they are going to be true to their humanistic worldview, they must work to rid the land of those of us who refuse to bow the knee to their ideology. Their (successful) attempt to remove Turley Talks’ film premiere from the county demonstrates this: there is no place for any sort of vocal conservatism in the world of Lancaster Stands Up.

But the problem with Lancaster Stands Up is not that they believe America should exclude certain people (which they certainly do believe). The problem is that they are using the wrong worldview to make that judgment.

The question is not if we will have a society wherein everyone can do whatever they want—that is anarchy, not equality. The question is what worldview our society will be based upon. What worldview will provide the framework for us to rightly exclude certain people, even to the point of execution (as in the case of duly convicted murderers, rapists, etc.)? Will it be secular humanism, or will it be biblical Christianity? In the end, those are the only two options, as all false religions are idolatrous, and eventually degrade into humanism.

A just and happy society is one wherein anyone who will live peaceably under a government based on biblical law is welcome. But those unwilling to submit to those just, holy, and good laws should not be welcome. It is one standard for all—the equitable law of God. As the Word of God states, “There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you” (Exodus 12:49).

I reemphasize: the question is not if a society will exclude certain people, the question is whom the society will exclude. Will it be those who presumptuously defy God’s Law, or will it be those who reject humanistic law?

A just society will exclude those who presumptuously defy God’s Law. But Lancaster Stands Up thinks society should exclude millions of babies, Steve Turley, and anyone who presumptuously defies secular humanism.

‘Marriage’ for Everyone

On July 20, Lancaster Stands Up tweeted, “These last few weeks have shown us the tremendous harm that comes when we trust the Supreme Court to protect our rights. The time to codify marriage equality is now.”

But the horrendously named “Respect for Marriage Act” is not about equality. It is about inserting a new worldview when it comes to marriage. And anyone who refuses to recognize this new definition will face legal consequences.

Ladies and gentlemen, behold the worldviews in conflict. One recognizes the beauty of God’s design and plan for humanity. The other will not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord.

The Lord of the Christian worldview declares that “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Matthew 19:5). The lord of the humanistic worldview declares that a man shall leave his queer dads and hold fast to a homo, and the two shall never become one flesh.

Conclusion

Lancaster Stands Up is organized and purposeful, but they are not for “all of us.” And I wouldn’t expect or ask them to be. Rather, my charge to them is to get on the right side of history and submit to Christ as King.

Maybe the folks at Lancaster Stands Up have noticed some problems with both major political parties—I can grant that—but the solution is not to promote an erroneous and idolatrous worldview which elevates mankind and his sinful proclivities. The solution is to repent and submit to Christ.

The broken worldview of the minds behind Lancaster Stands Up reveals itself in the destruction of marriage, the shedding of innocent blood via abortion, and the perversion of human sexuality. And those are just some of the results of their anti-Christian dogma.

As the Lord said, wisdom is justified by all her children. In the case of Lancaster Stands Up, there can be no justification for her vacuous worldview because it does not produce any figurative offspring in the realm of truth, goodness, and beauty—and if it did, we might well expect the group to endorse their destruction as they do with literal offspring.

The time will soon come for the members of Lancaster Stands Up to sit down. More than that, the time will soon come for them to genuflect before the Master. No, that master is not Donald Trump or Doug Mastriano. He is Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. Every knee will bow to him, including every leader of every humanistic group.

Until then, Lancaster Stands Up errs if it supposes the greatest threat to its cause is common conservatism, and conservatives err if they suppose anything other than the faithful application of God’s Law-Word will stop the flood of debauchery and evil being promulgated in our county by Lancaster Stands Up.

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Chris Hume is the managing editor of The Lancaster Patriot. Follow @ChrisHume1689 on Twitter.