The frying pan or the fire?

For a number of years I have been impressed by the continuity between conservative thought and biblical doctrine. As I was finishing my reading of Francis Schaeffer's "How Should We Then Live," I was brought up short by something he said.

"...the words left or right will make no difference. They are only two roads to the same end. There is no difference between an authoritarian government from the right or the left; the results are the same. An elite, an authoritarianism as such, will gradually force form on society so that it will not go on to chaos. And most people will accept it--from the desire for personal peace and affluence, from apathy, and from the yearning for order to assure the functioning of some political system, business, and the affairs of daily life. This is just what Rome did with Caesar Augustus."

Frankly, conservativism still marries closely to what God's word says, but that's not Schaeffer's point.

Our government for years has had a conservative form because that is what was imposed upon it by the founders. It was the natural form because the people of America were a deeply religious (in the good sense) people. There was a deep devotion to the God of the Bible, and that manifest itself in all aspects of their lives to include the founding of a new nation. That's why George Washington said,

"Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

Here's the friction: we are no longer a Christian people. I know that's not a new revelation, but it bears upon what is happening around us.

Bob says conservatism is best. Joe says liberalism. Who's to say? Who will win? The stronger (or the majority) will always win and impose their position upon the other. That is the authoritarianism of which Schaeffer speaks.

When our nation was founded, the debate in the first century was over varying degrees of rule with the overwhelming majority bending their knee to Christ. The people were already ruled by a far greater Motivator than any government could ever be. In submission to Christ and His hand, the people essentially governed themselves.

As we (America) has rejected God, government has exploded in size, laws have increased in quantity, and we have shaken off any constraint within.

And so the conservative forms of our founded government no longer exist within the hearts of the people. For them to be implemented again, they would have to be imposed upon a people who do not want them. Tragic.

What will become of our nation? Left or right? Unless we recognize our rebellion against our Creator and submit ourselves under His hand through the finished work of Jesus Christ, government that should come from within will be imposed from without.

"I am sure that never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them."

George Washington, March 11, 1792

Cheap imitations

As I read through Augustine's Confessions, my soul stirred reading so intimate and passionate a love letter of one man to His God.

My mind had been released--from dreams that ate at it, dreams of pride, of greed, of filth, of lusts inflamed with scratching. I was giddy with addressing you, my purity, my riches, my rescue, my Lord God.

Wow. Within the pages of Confessions, Augustine explodes with adoration for God and what He has done in his life. He experiences, and shares, the deepest love a human can know, the restored intimacy between the creature and his Creator. It is a love that surpasses the familial, the fraternal, and the marital. There is no draught as deep, as delicious, and as satisfying.

And it is only a glimpse of what we will know when we see our God and Savior face to face.

That is why I am disappointed with the end of the film version of Prince Caspian. Most reviews have been favorable (to include those of my chil'uns). Some have not. In full disclosure, I have not yet seen the film but most certainly will.

I have read The Chronicles to my children a number of times. If you are a parent, you will thrill the hearts of your kids if you read these wondrous tales to them (be sure to use different voices). While Prince Caspian is not the best in the series, the end of the book is superb behind only The Last Battle and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

**SPOILER WARNING** For those who have plowed through these books, you know full well that after the climax, the most poignant part of the book follows, the home-going of the Pevensie children. The heart-ripper is that Peter and Susan know that they will not return to Narnia. With that knowledge, departing from the majestic Lion is more than they can bear. As they are about to cross over to their own land, they stop and tear back to the mighty King and embrace Him with their whole being. I've not read a more vivid account of wholesale agape love than this.

The problem is that it is missing from Prince Caspian. In its place? The consummation of flirtations between Susan and Caspian throughout the film. Before stepping through to her dimension, she runs back and plants a big wet one on Caspian.

When I heard that, my heart broke. Once again, we have substituted a cheap imitation for the real thing. Our appetite for Turkish Delight is never satisfied, and that is the problem.

Muzzling the freedom of speech

Six miles south of McConnell AFB, just southeast of Wichita, Kansas, sits Mulvane, population 5,155. It seems Mulvane, in keeping up with the Joneses, is looking to erect a casino in or near their township.

As would seem prudent, the town's leadership called a townhall meeting about the proposal. Problem was, citizens weren't allowed to voice concerns. They could only ask questions about the proposal. Seems the deal was already done.

Check out what went down from this Alliance Defense Fund article:

When Jacque Farnsworth, a resident of Mulvane, attempted to address the city council about her economic concerns about the casino’s impact on her town, she was told by the mayor that her question was out of order. When she inquired as to why she was out of order, the mayor ordered that she be escorted out of the meeting by two armed police officers. Later, when another resident tried to speak against the casino, she was silenced by the mayor as well. Residents in favor of the casino were allowed to present their viewpoints without interruption.

Seems like a bit of syndicate strong-arm in middle America. Who says casinos aren't good for the community???

By the way, the proposal was put on by Harrah's and MGM, to of the establishments that light up the Vegas strip and various other increasingly (sadly) similar locales throughout our nation.

Ten tribes

An interesting tidbit from overseas. Like most daily e-periodicals, the on-line version of the Jerusalem Post (certainly not a Christian periodical) has a poll its readers can take. Today's question:

Do you believe the descendants of all ten tribes will eventually be discovered?

Most interesting because prophecy indicates that during the time of the tribulation that there will be over 100,000 witnesses of Jesus Christ...many from those specific lost tribes (Revelation 7:1-8).

When we say "we support our troops," we must support it all.

You see, this little fracas in the Middle East has been going on long enough for the youngest folks who took the oath of military service to fully understand into what they were getting themselves. In other words, they supported the cause of our government or they would not have raised their hands. To say they didn't understand or that they didn't comprehend insults their dignity as Americans. To say they had not alternative diminishes their dignity as humans.

If we don't support a war, we cannot support the troops for they are complicit. They follow to the death the orders of their commander in chief (read: President of the United States). You can't support soldiers but oppose the war or support the troops and oppose the commander. That's just goofy. Forgive the Nazi references but hyperbole often best illustrates a point; that would be like supporting the soldiers who fired the ovens at Bergen-Belsen.

So why the dissonance? It prevents those who don't support a particular conflict from sounding unpatriotic on days such as these. This is particularly the case for politicians, pacifists, and university professors. Were they to come out and boldly state their position in the current situation, you wouldn't see a blue-state president through 2050.

And so on the day after Memorial Day, I proudly support our troops, I support the fight against the Islamic purists that would seek to destroy Western civilization, and I support the commander who leads them...as I will support whoever that commander is beginning in January 2009 should they continue our defense against those who seek our demise.

Exercising trust

"I know God can heal me but it's really hard to have faith that He will when I know that He might not."

The life struggle of my hospitalized son. His life is not in danger, but his body, for the moment, has stopped behaving like it's supposed to. And so after three days in bed (a pittance by the measures many have endured), the natural frustrations bubble to the surface. He's not sick enough for drastic measures. He's not well enough to go home.

Between IV's and NG-tubes, x-rays and ill-sleep, his soul bubbles with theological anxiety. "Do I ask for healing or do I rest content in His will?" Wow.

• Godliness with contentment is great gain... And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. - 1 Timothy 6:6, 8
  
• I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content - Philippians 4:11
• Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." - Hebrews 13:5

On the flip side of that, it seems that most of the healings in the Gospels took place upon those who besought it. Jairus for his daughter, the centurion for his servant, Mary & Martha for Lazarus, blind Bartimaeus, and the ten lepers to scratch just the surface. Now if it were only these, we might simply dismiss them as discontents, folks unwilling to abide the cards that God had dealt, but Christ Himself while on the earth and God Himself in the word pleads with us to ask.

• Give us this day... - Matthew 6:11
• Ask! - Matthew 7:7-12, John 16:19-26, Ephesians 3:20, James 1:5-6, 4:3
  
• Cast your anxiety upon him because he cares for you - 1 Peter 5:7
• Make your requests known unto God - Philippians 4:6-7

And so abide these together. God calls us to trust Him completely. He is God; we are not. His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and much that He does is beyond knowing (Job, Deuteronomy 29:29).

At the same time, He calls us to ask, to ask the One who is the Provider. The world is broken. Blindness is not normal. Deafness is not normal. Paralysis is not normal. Cancer is not normal. Name the malady...it...is...not...NORMAL! Our loving God calls to those who will hear His voice to come to Him out of the abnormality. He loves us. One day, He (only He) will restore all things. And only He has the power to restore things in the middle of the fallenness. Even though He might not, we know that amidst the fallenness, His good, glorious, and gracious work continues to the completion of all things.

So we ask knowing that He can heal and knowing that He might not. And we trust Almighty God for whatever outcome He deems best.

Just another day? Twister version

China's experiencing aftershocks touching 6.4 on Herr Richter's scale. Aftershocks!

Eight more dead in our country from twisters today. The video shot of yesterday's tornadoes provided such graphic detail of the phenomenal power behind such storms. On live television we witnessed a huge farm warehouse turn to debris easier a child would sweep away Lincoln Logs.

Am I alarmist? Here's a graphic from NOAA showing the tornado count over the last four years:
We're 250 tornadoes ahead of the highest previous three seasons...with no signs of abating.

Alarmist? I do know that God controls the winds and the rain. God has seen fit to unleash meteorological and geological calamities in the last few years of magnitudes that I've not seen. Things seem to be packing far more tightly than in times past. Is it a portent of Christ's return? Possibly. At the very least, it should cause serious examination about whether we, our families, and our nation are right with God.

We can mock the Hagee's, Falwell's, and Robertson's until the cows come home, but God does use "natural" disaster to get the attention of His people. But will we listen? And if we hear, will we understand?

Count your blessings...

...Name them one by one.

Most of you won't care about this blog. That's okay. In light of current events, I just wanted to take a moment to thank my God and Savior for some very nifty things he's deposited into my life.

A family of greater quality than a man could ever imagine

Sisters. Sweet sisters.

Why?

As you can see from the post beneath this one, good families are facing unspeakable horrors. To a lesser degree (perhaps not so much lesser to the parents), our tiny church is facing sudden and unforeseen storms as well.

• A baby boy has had an unbreakable fever. Not being able to find a vein in his arms, the IV was fastened to his scalp.
• An eleven year old girl fainted. She's in a different hospital than the baby boy.
• My eighteen-year old son has been hospitalized with a severe intestinal blockage and may be facing surgery.
• Relationships are being buffeted on every side.

Then Job answered the LORD and said:

“I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.

You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Listen, please, and let me speak;
You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.

Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.”

Job 42:1-6

Why? I still don't know. What I do know? God is good.

"I will praise you in the storm..."

In Memory

Even while many of us are undergoing times of testing within our own families, we know that there are others out there who face fiercer storms. Today the Chapman's are having the funeral for their daughter Maria. It is directly because of the ministry of Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman that our daughters are with us today.

Maria Sue Chapman with her daddy

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

A fun video of daddy and daughter here. I don't quite do my dishes like that. :o)