As the guests leave the dining hall, most of them head toward the back of the ship, where the live Christian music concert will start in a few minutes. You stroll in the opposite direction, eager for some quiet. You need to sort out your thoughts.<\/p>\n
Up ahead, you see a small group also heading away from the crowd, and you recognize the blonde woman who\u2019d introduced the captain tonight, and a few men in dark suits. Among them is the captain himself.<\/p>\n
On a whim, you follow them, close enough to hear their conversation, but far enough to be out of sight in the dim lighting of the corridor.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, you sure know how to mesmerize a crowd,\u201d says one of the men.<\/p>\n
The captain replies, his raspy voice animated, \u201cI told you the Christians love me!\u00a0They were eating out of my hand.\u201d He puts his arm around the woman\u2019s waist. \u201cSophie, what did you think? Was I great?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were beyond great,\u201d the woman chuckles. \u201cYou have them right where you want them.\u201d<\/p>\n
What does that<\/em> mean, you wonder. Instantly you realize you must stay with these people as long as you can. Something\u2019s not right, and you need to find out what it is.<\/p>\n As you expected, they head toward the first class cabins. The Captain stops first and opens his door on the left \u2013 Room 337, you recall \u2013 and the others go a little farther and enter room 342 on the right. As soon as both doors are closed, you tiptoe past and slip into the alcove just beyond 342.<\/p>\n Sure enough, you can hear the voices clearly.<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d says Sophie, \u201cthat<\/em> just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d one of the men replies. \u201cYou can make them forget the Golden Rule if you know how to distract them.\u201d<\/p>\n Another male voice adds, \u201cIt\u2019s not rocket science.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Captain told us they\u2019d fall for it,\u201d the woman reminds them. \u201cSome<\/em> of us thought the Christians would reject his whole premise. But some of us were wrong, weren\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n A third male voice replies sheepishly, \u201cMy bad. I will never doubt again.\u201d<\/p>\n Just then, you hear footsteps in the hall, followed by a knock, and the raspy-voiced Captain enters the room to polite applause.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you see me up there?\u201d he asks. \u201cThey loved me. I could have talked all night! Henry?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d the third man answers.<\/p>\n \u201cHalf-wit Henry, you\u2019re fired. Go to your cabin, or go to the concert. I don\u2019t care. Just get out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir, I-I\u2019m\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the rest of you, take note. Nobody can do this but me. You have to trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n There is silence in the room, except for the sound of the cabin door closing, then footsteps disappearing down the hall. Poor Half-wit Henry, you think.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d continues the Captain. \u201cThe Bible people have marching orders for their thing tomorrow? They\u2019ll reinforce what I said tonight. That Romans thing was really something! I couldn\u2019t have written it better myself!\u201d<\/p>\n Sophie confirms, \u201cYes, they will cover all of that tomorrow in the Bible studies and the prayer meetings. We\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The Captain interrupts, \u201cGreat. I need a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n Sophie says in a low voice, \u201cCaptain, we have some things to talk about. Some problems.\u201d<\/p>\n You press your ear against the wall, startled by the mention of alcohol \u2013 but much more by the word \u201cproblems.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive me the condensed version. I\u2019m too tired for a long, drawn-out story.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell sir,\u201d says one of the men, \u201cthere\u2019s some kind of bug going around. A number of crew members have gotten sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it serious?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome have gotten pretty sick, some are not too bad. I think some were sick before we left. People on the mainland are sick too \u2013 quite a few.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we should pray about it!\u201d quips another man. There isn\u2019t much laughter this time.<\/p>\n The Captain is not amused. \u201cListen, we have a lot of important work to do on this voyage, and we\u2019re not going to let a bug slow us down. I don\u2019t want the passengers to know about it. I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll blow over, but meanwhile, keep them happy and focused. Good night.\u201d<\/p>\n And you hear the door close, followed by footsteps and another door. Room 337, you assume.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long day, and you decide to head back to your cabin for some sleep.<\/p>\n After a fitful night, you make your way to the dining room for breakfast and plenty of strong coffee. Most of the tables are strewn with used plates and cups, and the buffet is not well-stocked. Looks like the staff is a bit short-handed, you think \u2013 then you remember the \u201cbug,\u201d and start to wonder whether that\u2019s why.<\/p>\n You notice with alarm that some of the waiters look flushed; a few are coughing stealthily. You decide to skip breakfast, and take your coffee to the Atrium, where there is open prayer time with quiet music. The Bible study will begin shortly.<\/p>\n The room is not nearly as full as yesterday. You take a seat, then notice that projected on the wall up front is the verse from \u201cthat\u00a0section called Romans,\u201d<\/p>\n Obey the government, for God is the One who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the law of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. (Romans 13:1)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Soon, the blonde woman mounts the stage and begins a cheerful welcome. She mentions the small crowd size and suggests gently that the sea was a bit rough overnight, and perhaps a few passengers are feeling a bit under the weather. She introduces the Bible study leader, a pleasant-looking, middle-aged man in a clerical collar.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning!\u201d he exclaims. \u201cAre we ready to dig into the Word of God? Hallelujah.\u201d<\/p>\n The hour is devoted to a discussion of why God puts governments in place, Christians\u2019 responsibility to set an example by submitting and, when possible, being a part of the system themselves. \u201cGod\u2019s kingdom will come to earth when we require it of the people in power, or when we are<\/em> the people in power. We,\u201d he continues, \u201care the majority in the United States. Christians have always been the majority, but we\u2019ve never claimed our rightful place. There is so much we can do for God when we take our rightful place.\u201d<\/p>\n Pointing to the words on the screen, he declares, \u201cGod is placing us in power now. God has given us a chance to turn our country back into the Christian nation it was in the early days. Our captain has a plan\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n As the pastor talks on and on, your mind wanders back to the words of the captain and his entourage. \u201cNobody can do this but me.\u201d\u00a0\u201cYou have them right where you want them.\u201d \u201cThe captain told us they\u2019d fall for it.\u201d<\/p>\n You snap back to attention just in time to hear, \u201c\u2026nobody will be able to stop this move of God if we play our cards right in the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n You shake your head and, to your surprise, you realize that your hand is in the air.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are we sure this is a move of God?\u201d you hear your own voice saying. \u201cJesus is the Prince of Peace, and he taught us to love \u2013 but this sounds like a hostile takeover, almost like a\u2026a coup.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bible study leader looks surprised. He takes a deep breath and responds, \u201cJesus\u2019 love can be revealed in power \u2013 when we use it to demand a return to holiness in our land. We are the majority now, and that brings responsibility with it. Are you ready to step into this opportunity to draw our nation close to God?\u201d<\/p>\n He looks at the audience, some of whom are uneasy. \u201cAre you all ready to step into this opportunity? As the number of Christians increases in America, poverty will decline, unemployment will decline. Crime, persecution of Christians, the erosion of our God-given rights \u2013 all those problems that have overtaken us since we allowed God to be sidelined \u2013 all those things will be fixed. We have the privilege of leading the way. Are you ready?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Around you are murmurs of assent and a smattering of applause, but you and a few others stay silent.<\/p>\n The pastor asks again, more urgently, \u201cAre you ready to take America back for God?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n You don\u2019t like the way this feels.<\/p>\n It\u2019s going to feel worse than this.<\/p>\n (Subscribe to my newsletter<\/a><\/span> to follow the Come Sail Away series and other topics<\/span><\/a>.)<\/p>\n FEATURED IMAGE:\u00a0\u201cCaptain Cook Cruises: Reef Endeavour\u201d<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Traveloscopy<\/a><\/span>\u00a0is licensed under\u00a0CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (Part One of Come Sail Away is here, Part Two is here.) As the guests leave the dining hall, most of them head toward the back of the ship, where the live Christian music concert will start in a few minutes. You stroll in the opposite direction, eager for some quiet. You need to sort […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4414,"featured_media":1734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[347,448,83],"class_list":["post-1448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parable","tag-christian-nationalism","tag-coup","tag-parable"],"yoast_head":"\nDebrief<\/h3>\n
![\"captain\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1358\/2021\/01\/1-8-boat2-200x300.jpg\")
The \u201cbug\u201d<\/h3>\n
Breakfast and Bible<\/h3>\n
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