INTERVIEW WITH MINISTER, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, AND AUTHOR SAM ROBB

JR: It is not often I get to interview a former Presidential candidate (probably never). What was it like? What lessons did you learn, and anything that has made a lifetime impact?

SR: It was really a once in a lifetime experience. I mean, even if I never run for that particular office ever again… how many people can say they’ve even tried? My biggest lesson came not just from my own particular race, but from working on Jo & Spike’s campaign last year. It’s really simple, but pretty profound: like Wayne Gretzky said, you really DO miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. What I learned in that campaign is to take a shot. Run for office. Write that book. Volunteer for that cause. Ask for that raise. Call that person. Ask for the interview. Sure, sometimes the answer will be “No”… but you will be amazed and surprised at how much you can accomplish just by showing up and doing something. Be someone who makes decisions and makes things happen instead of someone who waits to see what’s going to come down the line.

JR: Another hat you wear is being a minister. How did you come to know Christ and get into the ministry?

SR: I was saved at the age of 30. It was a long path to get there. I was raised Catholic, and went to a Catholic high school, so someone who’s been there can probably understand what I mean when I said I came out of there wanting nothing to do with religion! I was more or less an agnostic through college and my twenties. I’ve heard an agnostic described as “someone who doesn’t know the nature of God, and is sure that you don’t, either.” That was me. It was something that might be fun to argue about, but not something that was real to me, you know? It wasn’t until my wife and I returned to PA from my time in the Navy out in California that I found myself someplace different. My wife grew up in a Christian and Missionary Alliance church, and when we got back to PA, we started going there. It was pretty obvious that the people there took God seriously, and they were happy about it. It was also my first exposure to expository preaching, which really made me sit up and take notice. People who read the Bible and paid attention to what it says, not what someone says it says? Whoa! We went from there to an independent Baptist church where we found an amazing group of people and a fantastic preacher by the name of Kurt Skelly. By that point, pretty much every message I heard was convicting me of my need for a savior. So it was Easter weekend in 1999 that I finally admitted what I already knew, and accepted Christ as my savior. After that, I wanted to learn, I wanted to help, I want to do, I wanted to teach… so it wasn’t long before I started helping out with Sunday school classes, taking college courses on the Bible, and working towards understanding theology and apologetics well enough that I could do my best to communicate the Gospel message to others.

JR: I remember that one of your rivals on the campaign, Dan "Taxation Is Theft" Behrman, invited you to speak at a rally he had one Sunday. How has your involvement in the Libertarian Party expanded your ministry? Also, has anyone suggested you are mixing church and state or has questioned if Libertarianism is compatible with Biblical Christianity?

SR: That was a wonderful time! Dan is a fantastic guy, Meeting people like him and Ken Armstrong and Jo and Spike (in photo with Sam)… that was all just so wonderful, getting to know all those great people. I was delighted that he asked me to speak, because I think there’s such an unseen overlap between Biblical Christianity and Libertarian thought that the two might as well be different sides of the same coin. God gives us freedom of choice, and then uses his Word to show us that following His way is the best way… Libertarian thought is that you have freedom of choice, and if I want to convince you that I have the best way, I need to use my words - not force! - to get you to follow my advice. I mentioned Ken Armstrong earlier - Ken’s a pastor, and one of his comments really stuck with me. The idea that the Libertarian Party is his mission field. My wife reminds me of that often, that this is my mission field. I’m here for a reason, and ultimately, that reason is to see lives changed by the Gospel. I’ve had a few people push back on the idea of a preacher as a politician. Usually die-hards who oppose any and all religion, and not necessarily on Libertarian grounds. So long as I am not seeking to use the power of the state to force people to believe what I believe, where is the conflict with Libertarian philosophy? I don’t understand why we would want to use force in any case, not when we have the power of the Gospel and God’s word. I think that Christians need to get away from “There ought to be a law” and back to “We ought to preach Christ to the world”.

JR: Do you believe Christian Liberty is at risk here in the US? Why or why not? What are practical ways we can defend it?

SR: Yes. Not necessarily because of any one thing, but because it has always been at risk. Like I said above, I think that Christians need to get away from “There ought to be a law” and back to “We ought to preach Christ to the world”. As the body of Christ, we have too often gone for the easy route of using the state to force people to behave a certain way - then we declare that victory over immorality, when in fact, we’ve changed behavior but not hearts and minds. Legislating behavior the junk food version of salvation. It looks good, it tastes good, it may even feel good for a while… but ultimately, it doesn’t provide the spiritual nourishment that people need, and it kills them. Which is eerily close to the description of how sin works in our lives, isn’t it?

JR: You recently were a part of the Perspectives of Freedom event. What was your role there, and anything of interest dealt with?

SR: That was a great event organized by Liz Terwilliger. She’s an incredible lady who’s seeking the LPPA nomination to run for the US House of Representatives in her district next year. She’s been incredibly active in her community and region these past few years, and this is an example of that. She brought in a number of different speakers (Spike Cohen, Noel Olinde, Nick and Valerie Sarwark, and others) to have round table discussions about how freedom directly impacts our lives. We talked about health mandates, the military, police reform, education - you name it. There were a couple of common themes across all the discussions. The big one for me was very much related to what I see as a desperate need within the LP. We need people who are able to preach liberty. That means getting out and finding people where they are, then talking to them about the problems they are having, and then showing them how liberty is the solution to their condition. I may be biased, but I think the last 2000 years have shown this is a pretty successful model for reaching people! Folks like Liz and Spike and Jo Jorgensen have done a fantastic job of leading the way here, and I am excited to see us continue on that track as we grow the party here in PA and across the country.

JR: Most of my interviews are with people in the arts, and especially authors. You are an exception... or so I thought. Actually, you have written a short story in the sci-fi collaboration "Exploring Infinity." Would you like to tell us about your contribution and any other writing goals you have?

SR: I’ve got a couple of short stories out there now, plus a book of Dad Jokes :) You can find them all on my Amazon Author page. Hopefully there will be more to come. The past year has been busy, but I do like storytelling. My story in “Exploring Infinity” is about an alien who gets trapped on Earth thanks to an errant time-traveller. My other stories focus on “Weird Pittsburgh”, a setting where faeries, the undead and even angels sometimes wander through the City of Bridges. It’s still hard for me - I’m not a 10k word a day guy like Larry Correia, by any means! - but I do enjoy telling an entertaining story. Really, I’m just glad that some folks out there think they’re worth spending time on. That makes me happy :)

JR:Thank you for your time. What is on your schedule? Do you have a blog or webpage for those who want to follow your activities?

SR: I’m getting more involved with the newly formed Pro LifeLibertarian Caucus and with several crisis pregnancy centers in our region. I will stay involved in LP politics, though perhaps in more of a peripheral or supporting role as time goes by. I love being able to help people accomplish their goals, and contributing to or supporting a campaign or effort is one of the real joys I’ve found in the LP. You can find me on Twitter as @Samrobb4liberty, or on Facebook as SamrobbForLiberty. I also have a Substack blog named “Political Perceptions”  that I will write longer pieces for once in a while.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DONNA FLETCHER CROW, 2021 MODEL

 

Author Donna Fletcher Crow, with her latest book series

Since starting this blog, I may have had interviews with an author in one installment and review their book in another. But up to this point, I've never had a return interviewee, until now. Which not surprisingly is the same person I interviewed for this blog. Also, the first novelist I interviewed when I was blogging for Hoosier Ink, the blog of the Indiana Chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers. So I'm pleased to welcome Donna Fletcher Crow back to my blog. 

JR: Let me start off with something that caught me by surprise. Do you know you have an entry on Wikipedia? I've tried to find some of my other favorite authors, and they didn't make it (though, unsurprisingly, Kerry Nietz did). Besides that major accomplishment, what other claims to fame do you have, such as writing awards or organization memberships, etc.?

DC: Oh, Jeff, my real claim to fame is my grandchildren—15 of them—and all stellar. But in the writing world, my first award, being named “Writer of the Year” at the Mount Hermon Writers’ conference in 1983, was such a thrill. I suppose my biggest awards have been having Glastonbury and The Fields of Bannockburn each named “Best Historical Fiction” for the years they were published. And then, if you’re looking for surprises, not many people know that I was Miss Rodeo Idaho in 1960. Yes, I know—before most of you were born.

JR: Before I get into reality, let me take a trip into the fiction zone, where fictitious characters spend their lives when not being written about. This particular day, Lord and Lady Danvers happen to have a table at the banquet with Elizabeth and Richard and Father Antony and Felicity. What do you think they'll be talking about? Literature? Theology? Classical music? History? And do you think your ears would be burning?

DC: Ah, well, since my current project is writing a collection of short stories using these characters in mysterious adventures on the Riviera and in Switzerland, I expect they’ll be sharing notes on their favorite places and how things have changed since Victorian times. Elizabeth and Richard, of course, will be most interested in the literature and Father Antony is sure to bring things around to theology. I do wish I could sit in on the conversation—that would make writing the up-coming stories much easier. If readers are interested in seeing the background to all this, I’m doing a blog series on my research trip now.

JR: I believe your latest endeavor is the Celtic Cross Series. Could you tell us about this look into the history of Scotland and Ireland?

DC: The Celtic Cross Series is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, so I’m thrilled that it is becoming a reality. My Scottish and Irish epics The Fields of Bannockburn and The Banks of the Boyne have been out of print for nearly a quarter of a century, so it was past time to do something about it. Since each of those 800+ page tomes is divided into historical sections, (and since Amazon won’t print books that big) it made sense to give each story its own book. I’m loving the process of completely rewriting these stories with a new editor and I’m thrilled with the covers Ken Raney is painting for them.

JR: Many of your stories have your modern characters learn lessons from the past. With your study of British History, is there any common threads or helpful applications from the past on the other side of the Pond to our COVID affected, politically divided country?

DC: History always speaks to today. I never feel I’m writing about history—I’m writing about today because the basics never change—just the technology. The most important thing that writing Glastonbury taught me was that, no matter how dark things look today, they have always been darker in the past. And humanity has always survived—triumphed, even. The Light always overcomes the Dark.

JR: This may seem like another way of asking the previous question, and pardon me if it does, but what struggles did Britain in the past have with religious liberty? Is that right more secure now, more vulnerable, or about the same in the 21st century than it was here?

DC: Always and everywhere religious liberty has been and is under threat. I’m not sure whether the greatest threat, though, is having political leaders oppose religious faith or try to suppress it. Real faith has always grown when it’s under threat. The important thing is not to look at the depressing statistics about how church attendance is slipping here and in Britain, but to look at all the good things that are happening—and try to be part of that. People often ask me about failing faith in England (and I know there are struggles), but I visit so many thriving churches in the UK, belong to so many super Christian organizations there, and have such wonderful Christian friends all over Britain—including many faithful pastors and priests—that I know there is definitely a strong beacon of light still shining.

JR: Besides the Celtic Cross series, what looms on the agenda with your writing?

DC: As I mentioned above, I am working on a short story collection. When that’s done, I hope to get to a stand-along mystery I have wanted to write for many years using as background the great revival that swept the Hebrides right after World War II. I did the research clear back in 2000, so I think it’s had sufficient time to germinate.

JR: Thank you for your time. For those who haven't taken the opportunity from my previous interviews with you (I believe this is at least the fifth... and interestingly the first that isn't following the release of the latest Monastery Murder), how can we keep in touch with you?

DC: Thank you, Jeff. I always love your interviews because you ask the most surprising, searching questions. I would love to have your readers follow me—and there are lots of options: Subscribe to my newsletter (and receive a free Lord Danvers book), follow my blog, follow me on facebook, or follow me on Amazon. And you don’t have to choose—it’s all free.

When One Of My Heroes Changes Jobs

  

 

Maybe I should make a list of living heroes of the faith. Of course, that would include me taking the time to rank them. And with living heroes, I might debate giving an alphabetic list so if one of those heroes reads it, he (or she) may not be disappointed they weren't higher. If I did a list like that and ranked them numerically, I would be shocked if Russell Moore is not towards the top of the list.

Yesterday, Dr. Moore announced he would be resigning as President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), effective June 1. He has been hired by the magazine Christianity Today as full time Public Theologian and in charge of their new Public Theology Project.

I have had the honor of hearing Dr. Moore on three different occasions while he was dean at The Southern Theological Seminary in Louisville, and even had a chance to ask him a question in person. (The third time was when he was a guest on a live performance of Southern's President Al Mohler's radio program, and they took questions; they answered both my question and Becky's.

I enjoy Dr. Moore's sense of humor. At a Q&A session at an apologetics conference he was part of, someone asked if Mohammed was mentioned in the Bible. Dr. Moore said, "Yes. It says false prophets will come."

In 2013, Dr. Moore succeeded Richard Land as head of the ERLC. In 2015, he authored Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel, which was my favorite non-fiction book that year. 

Another thing I like about Dr. Moore: he's not afraid to be controversial. There was talk about the Southern Baptist Convention defunding the ERLC because Moore committed what was considered the unpardonable sin by many evangelicals - he criticized then candidate and later President Trump. Actually, I had concerns about Trump that matched Moore's concerns. After the DC Riot, Moore dared to say the President should have resigned because of it.

One other controversy occurred when Moore and the ERLC filed a friend-of-the-court brief when a city was requiring a new mosque to have more parking spaces than they asked churches to have (and didn't always enforce it with churches). True religious liberty is not only for my religion, but for all others as well.

Moore has appeared on national programs as well, such as Face The Nation.

I will admit - I'm not a Christianity Today fan. Some consider the magazine too centrist theologically. But I'm still praying for my hero in his new endeavor.

Sources for my story on his new job:

 Russell Moore announces departure from ERLC helm by George Schroeder, Baptist Press

Russell Moore, head of Southern Baptist public policy arm, leaving ERLC for Christianity Today by Holly Meyer, Nashville Tennessean, Wed. May 19, 2021