There is a huge difference between being agreeing with the Daniel Penny verdict and claiming Christian should "exult in joy."

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But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. - Amos 5:24 (ESV)

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Protestia, formerly Pulpit and Pen, has long enjoyed the niche of being the bad boy of discernment. They have always embraced some of the more extreme views and clearly cannot see how NAR dominionism infects their own coverage. They are rabidly pro-republican America. This also results in blatantly racist tropes that are common on the republican NAR side of the world. Recently, Protestia also welcomed back their disgraced founder JD Hall into the fold and published articles defending him to the hilt. Never mind that he was arrested for DUI while carrying a concealed weapon. Never mind that he legally admitted that he made up a story to defame someone he perceived as a political enemy, while being a pastor addicted to Xanax. Mind you, this is not about being judgy. We celebrate that it appears that JD has overcome his struggles. The issue is from a discernment perspective, he is disqualified. Protestia's whitewashing of his record is exactly what we all complain so vociferously about when the NAR defends their fallen leaders and cry about "restoration." The above link is the latest from JD, weighing in on the not guilty verdict for Daniel Penny. If JD wished to become a political commentator for the right wing, there would be no issue. The problem is he packages this as a Christian issue and distorts what true discernment is in the process. So, let us reason once more beloved.

"The Holy Bible has an important arc of justice written throughout its pages. Christians naturally have a hope that scores are settled and wrongs are righted, and every time justice prevails on this side of eternity's veil, we are reminded in the justice that will ultimately be done by God at his judgment. The Scriptures are replete with calls and pleas for justice. Consider Amos 5:24"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream This verse was quoted by Martin Luther King, Jr. in his I Have a Dream speech on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. King was not a Christian, of course, because he denied the deity of Christ (he called the deity of Christ "detrimental and harmful"), denied the Holy Trinity, and denied Scriptural inspiration, but he was well versed in certain Biblical narratives. King famously preached" Just as the Abolitionist movement in the United States - as well as the Civil Rights Movement - were propagated primarily by those who professed the Christian faith, Christians today are largely invested in justice that comes from God. And that's exactly why we are so enthusiastically relieved to see the 'not guilty' verdict in the case of Daniel Penny." - JD Hall

If you scrutinize this opening paragraph closely you should come to one obvious question. Why does JD Hall reference MLK at all? It has nothing to do with the thesis of the article. It has nothing to do with his conclusions. It appears the sole purpose is to malign the African American preacher and his incorrect theology. Don't get me wrong. If Hall wished to do an expose on MLK and how incorrect his theology was, this would be completely appropriate, but this is supposed to be about the not guilty verdict for Daniel Penny and how Christians should "celebrate." The inherent racist NAR dominionism at the heart of Protestia however is always about the political message they seek to deliver. Additionally, one of the pet rewrites of history that the right wing always traffics in is this romanticized version of the abolitionist movement. While it is true that many in the abolitionist movement were Christian, there were just as many if not more who were using the bible to defend slavery at the very same time. There were many on the opposite side of the Civil Rights movement who also used the bible to defend their inherent racism. These are simply historical facts, but facts do not trouble ideologues.

"For those unfamiliar, Daniel Penny was a then-24 year-old veteran of the United States Marine Corps, who was charged with manslaughter for the death of violent criminal, Jordan Neely. Neely - who had 42 arrests for various offenses - had assaulted exclusively women in the New York subway system, in all unprovoked incidents. On May 1, 2023, Penny became physically erratic, and lashed out at bystanders while threatening them with death. Penny, seeing Neely's behavior and hearing his threats, put Neely in a choke hold until the police could come. Neely later died from a combination of Penny's restraint and health complications caused by drug use (and possibly, health complications exacerbating breathing difficulty among those with Sickle Cell Anemia). Penny, who heroically acted to prevent the victimization of innocent women around him, was then arrested and charged with his death. Yesterday, a jury of his peers absolved Penny of guilt in the matter. And today, criminals are vandalizing the New York subway system, massive protests are taking place in the streets, and Black Lives Matter is gearing up for more looting if, for no other reason, stealing electronics and cigarettes is the best way to grieve. I would image the riots will really kick off after pallets of bricks mysteriously start to appear in the streets. But for those who are capable of independent thought, general literacy, familiarity with laws, and not instantly empathizing with the worst, most derelict and depraved criminals known to man (like George Floyd), we are celebrating that justice is done." - JD Hall

Obviously, Hall means that Neely became erratic, and this case has divided people greatly over the past year. Now let me be clear. Based upon what I have seen in this case, I agree with JD that not guilty was the appropriate verdict. It just does not seem biblically correct to infer that Christians specifically should be somehow rejoicing in the death of another individual, who as disturbed as Neely appeared to be, was still someone Jesus died for. There is little reason to pretend that it was not the actions of Penny that actually killed Neely, as opposed to muddying the waters by bringing up Sickle Cell Anemia or to disparage the dead by discussing his prior drug use. Likewise, it is entirely unchristian to smear an entire people by mocking them as Hall does here. It is such a tone deafness that JD employs to not even try to understand that there is inherent bias and racism throughout our system. That some might see the abject killing of Neely, regardless of his actions, as a statement of race relations. That maybe Penny could have used his training to subdue Neely without actually killing him? Instead, Hall makes the outrageous claim that Black Lives Matter is "gearing up for more looting." This is another racist trope the right has used since the George Floyd murder. The absolutely stupid inference that some mysterious power will start leaving pallets of bricks for rioters to use. This is not "independent thought." It is abject racist thought, wrapped up in Jesus. Even if somehow you honestly think George Floyd was one of the most depraved criminals known to man, which is absurd, - does that means he deserved to have a cop kneel on his throat for ten minutes until he died? Is that the society that JD Hall thinks God wants? What if Floyd or Neely had just been caught DUI while addicted to Xanax and carrying a concealed weapon? Oh, mercy and understanding would be in line then, right? Because Xanax is a white person's addiction. It hearkens back to when Rush Limbaugh used to rail against drug users while addicted to Oxycodone. There is no humility. I expect none from a political blowhard like Rush but JD keeps writing these articles from a "Christian" perspective. Therein lies the rub.

"But it should also be clear what we aren't celebrating. We aren't celebrating that someone is dead. We aren't celebrating that the justice system failed to protect the public from Jordan Neely. We aren't celebrating that Alvin Bragg unjustly charged and prosecuted Penny. We aren't celebrating America's disinterest in helping the country's mental health crisis. But, as the prophet Amos wrote, justice will eventually roll down like great waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. However, perhaps, it's not best to allow heretics like Martin Luther King to apply Bible passages without careful consideration of the way those verses were intended to be taken. Let's reevaluate that passage from Amos and let it tell us if there's anything else about justice we should understand. Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light".²¹ I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies".²³ Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. ²⁴ But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Amos was prophesying against the people of Israel, telling them to be careful when they ask for justice. They may not understand what they're asking for. Justice, you see, is poured out upon the guilty. And we are all, according to the Bible, guilty. The Scripture tells us that "all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). There is certainly an earthly justice that will be poured out on crime. But there is a heavenly justice that is awaiting us, and it will be poured out on sin. And all of us, in that respect, are criminals." - JD Hall

But this is celebrating the death. By the way, I agree that the system failed to protect people from Mr. Neely. Just as much as they failed to help Mr. Neely. I also agree that Alvin Bragg overreached with the manslaughter charges. Negligent homicide might have garnered a conviction. What sneaks by JD's analysis is that prosecutors overreach every single day. They overcharge people every single day and disproportionately, this affects people of color. It is laughable that JD refers to MLK as a heretic while butchering Amos 5:24. The issue for the prophet Amos was not that the people were asking for justice while not understanding what that meant. That is not supported in the text. The issue was with the hypocrisy of the people who routinely oppressed the poor yet made solemn appeals in worship as if they were righteous. Why hold feast days if you are going to unfairly tax the poor? Your worship is but noise in the ears of God if your judges are unjust and your witnesses accept bribes. So, heretic or not, MLK was much closer to the truth about these verses than JD Hall is. King quoted this in his famous I have a dream speech, where he was lamenting the injustice in society, as Amos was. The stark difference is that Amos was railing against the religiosity of people who pretended to be righteous but carried out acts of injustice against people every day.

"If you're unfamiliar with the Biblical categories, they work like this: Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve, if you deserve punishment. And grace is getting what you do not deserve, if what you get is a reward. Liberation Theology, the type that has so ravaged the Black church in America, teaches that the gospel is about demanding justice. But the gospel is precisely the opposite; the gospel is about us avoiding justice poured out on our sins, because it was poured out on Christ instead, so that we might be shown grace and mercy. If you exulted in joy when you heard of Penny's acquittal, you're not alone. All Christians and all reasonable people should be happy that a man will not be punished for preventing a criminal from carrying out his promises to harm innocent bystanders around him. Penny provides for us, in that incident, a picture of Christlikeness, who put himself on the line to save people who didn't even know him. There is something, down in your heart, that is resonating with that. I'd submit to you, God put that joy in your heart. Don't feel guilty about it, but rather, embrace it.

Daniel Penny's civil rights were maintained yesterday. He had a right not to be punished for doing good deeds. And for that reason, it's a victory worth celebrating." - JD Hall

What JD Hall is doing here is mixing the judgment of God, for our sins, with the judgment of a single man, in Daniel Penny. That is not to Monday morning quarterback what Penny did and if I was in that same subway car, I would probably be thankful that he tried to help. There is no hiding the fact that his help however took the life of another human being, just as Derek Chauvin snuffed out George Floyd's life for the crime of being black. Look, I can say that when I heard of Penny's acquittal, I was relieved. It seemed the system worked, and a jury of his peers agreed that this prosecution was an overreach. I think that is a perfectly understandable reaction, as would be outrage that the system did not provide any help to Jordan Neely, even in death. The problem is that it is not enough for the theology of JD Hall to be relieved. He had to be exulted in joy! Consider that for a moment! Exult means triumphant jubilation! There is a vast difference between being happy that Penny would not be punished for trying to help people and rejoicing in triumphant jubilation. What is absolutely despicable is in comparing Daniel Penny's killing of Jordan Neely to Jesus! That is beyond horrific theology. Jesus laid down His life for us, He did not take someone else's life! A murderous chokehold is not a picture of Christlikeness beloved. I agree that Penny should not be held criminally negligent but that is a far cry from making him a type of Christ. This is why JD Hall should not be writing Christian material anymore. He had many valid political points and some that were pretty standard right wing racist fare. None of it however had anything to do with the prophet Amos, our faith or the cause of Jesus Christ.

Reverend Anthony Wade - December 12, 2024

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.