There is little that sickens me more than to see photos in the newspaper of legislators slapping each other the “high five” or patting one another’s behinds as the governor or president signs a tax increase into law (most recently in Arkansas). In the case of Arkansas, the latest tax increase on tobacco is just that: a tax increase. The funds are not attached in any way, so we are completely at the mercy of the legislature and the governor as to where this money will actually end up. And political promises being what they are, consider that the grocery tax is still there in spite of talk and promises during a political campaign. And make no mistake: this government would much rather see you go without than they.
Having said this, however, I find myself becoming increasingly agitated at the ever-expanding, yet inconsistent, role of government in daily life. Take, for instance, the recently passed tobacco tax increase. Out of one side of the mouth, the government wants us to stop smoking. Out of the other side, however, this money is already spent (at least in the governor’s own mind) on new or expanded health-related programs (it must be noted, however, that the money will simply be collected. These programs do not currently have legislation to fund or create them). According to proponents of this tax increase, “all” Arkansans will benefit, yet only a few Arkansans are being burdened with the responsibility of paying for it. And all the while, these same proponents are secretly hoping all tobacco usage will stop? Puhleez.
An adult does not have to wear a motorcycle helmet, but this same adult must wear a seat belt when riding in an automobile. A parent can no longer buy an off-road ATV or motocross motorcycle for a child under 12 (or parts for already-owned bikes!), but these same parents can buy their 16-year-old a street-legal “crotch rocket”, a racing style motorcycle that has power to spare, so that “Junior” can go tearing down the road at 100mph and put MY life, or the lives of those whom I love, in danger with his youthful exuberance, testosterone, and corresponding stupidity.
I am a Republican in a sea of Democrats. It is clear that I can climb aboard their life raft but only if I am willing to compromise what I believe for the sake of “unity”. My thoughts and opinions are not welcome, I am not allowed my say (except on a “blog” few read anyway), and I effectively have no representation because I will write to a state or US representative or senator and “might” get a response several months later, if at all.
I am surrounded by abortion proponents who refuse to acknowledge the certain reality about life but will, instead, celebrate the “right” to destroy that life. Yes, you have a right to have an abortion (even while refusing to exercise a right not to reproduce), but you do not have the right to buy your 11-year-old child an off-road vehicle. And we are reaching a critical state in which it may soon become a government “obligation” (read, against my Republican will) to sustain one’s “right” to destroy a human life, even if unborn, by offering full funding (Obama’s executive order) against my wishes and in spite of my objections on any grounds.
Additionally, we may well be coming to a point in government services in which artificial birth control will also be deemed a “right” so much so that government would financially obligate itself to pay for it, but only for poor folks.
In the midst of the gloom and doom of the worst recession to hit this nation in 25 years (or since the Great Depression, depending on who is doing the talking), our state legislature gives itself a raise with the governor’s blessing and all but gives the people of Arkansas the finger while it does so. And then to “help” us, they raise taxes on tobacco in conjunction with a pending federal tobacco tax increase, and create new spending programs to “save lives” even though such salvation does not include unborn (read, unwanted) children.
This is only a drop in the bucket. I am not sure how the immediate future is going to unfold, but I am quite certain that government will soon own us all lock, stock, and barrel unless or until we draw a line in the sand. The only ones who will have any freedom will be the very rich and the very elected. The worst part is that a complacent electorate will continue to reelect these who are slowly and surely chipping away at what we once knew as “free to live our own lives”.
Silly people.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
Interesting Comparison
Interesting perspective in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial (Perspective, please) on 2/6/09 regarding Dr. Dan Hawkins’ appointment to the governor’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Advisory Committee and his idea that lawmakers can possibly be held criminally and civilly liable for “pro-tobacco (pro-death for profit) votes injurious to the public health”. More interesting still is the reference to the post-WWII Nuremberg trials of the Nazis without reference to the Nuremberg Code of Medical Ethics, which came as a result of the findings of these trials and the horrific medical experiments conducted on unwilling human subjects.
Could it be possible, then, that such lawmakers who can be held accountable for such “pro-death” legislation as allowing tobacco consumption can then be expected to answer, both criminally and civilly, for pro-abortion legislation, up to and including President Obama’s recent executive order that essentially puts the US government in the unique position of financing and exporting this particular mode of death internationally?
A comparison to Carrie Nation “busting up a saloon” is not fair. Government revenue for a new spending program in the midst of a massive recession that is getting worse by the day was not at stake. The ideal and goal was the prohibition of alcohol consumption, not new or additional taxes to finance new and expanded programs while “hoping” people stop drinking. That movement was not talking out of both sides of the proverbial mouth. Arkansas legislators and the governor are.
Could it be possible, then, that such lawmakers who can be held accountable for such “pro-death” legislation as allowing tobacco consumption can then be expected to answer, both criminally and civilly, for pro-abortion legislation, up to and including President Obama’s recent executive order that essentially puts the US government in the unique position of financing and exporting this particular mode of death internationally?
A comparison to Carrie Nation “busting up a saloon” is not fair. Government revenue for a new spending program in the midst of a massive recession that is getting worse by the day was not at stake. The ideal and goal was the prohibition of alcohol consumption, not new or additional taxes to finance new and expanded programs while “hoping” people stop drinking. That movement was not talking out of both sides of the proverbial mouth. Arkansas legislators and the governor are.
Last Word
How much more can be written about the proposed tax increase on tobacco in Arkansas? Once this measure passed the state House, I was tempted to simply give in and stop worrying about it. It is clear that Democrats in this state legislature believe it is the government’s task to save us from ourselves, and it seems clearer still that too many Republicans would rather go along than to stand up for a clear political philosophy that distinguishes one party from the other. It is not a matter of being “obstructionist”, as the accusations go, but it must necessarily be a distinction that holds firm to the premise that there is only so much government can do and that no matter how much government takes from a staggering economy, ostensibly to “help” us, they still cannot save us from ourselves.
Trauma is trauma, wounds resulting from, more often than not, avoidable accidents that will continue to occur, some still resulting in death, in spite of a government decree to the contrary or even the greatest trauma system on the face of the planet. We still cannot help but to drive drunk, or drive too fast for conditions, or apply makeup while driving, or talk on cell phones while driving, or fail to take all precautionary measures as “bothersome” before undertaking a dangerous job. And let us not forget that drug dealers will still shoot other drug dealers, and anyone else for that matter, if things don’t go the way they expect them to go.
None of this is to say that we cannot take reasonable action to enforce safety measures, and none of this is to say that we simply write trauma victims off as deserving of whatever befalls them as the result of their carelessness or neglect.
Still, people die. It is an incontrovertible reality that mortal humans are faced with every single day. No government spending program, no tax increase, no bureaucratic mandate will change this. We as individuals can take reasonable measures and precautions to avoid dangerous situations and we as individuals can take responsibility for our own health situations, but we cannot avoid death. It is not even reasonable to suggest that we can delay death because we do not know when or where or even how our lives will end. This is well outside our realm.
Let us be more reasonable about what we ask and expect of our government. Let us be mindful of the current environment in which normal citizens have stopped spending money out of fear and uncertainty about tomorrow, and let us demand of our government that they, too, be mindful of certain realities. Our Arkansas legislature gave itself a raise, secure in the knowledge that in two years when they are up for reelection, they will be either termed out of office or we will have long forgotten.
Let us, finally, be mindful that we are not only responsible for our individual choices, but we are also responsible for the members of the legislature. We put them there, and we can take them out. They work in our behalf, and they need to be reminded of this absolute. No more incumbents; no more lifetime, career politicians.
Now give me a minute while I hold my breath till this all comes to pass.
Trauma is trauma, wounds resulting from, more often than not, avoidable accidents that will continue to occur, some still resulting in death, in spite of a government decree to the contrary or even the greatest trauma system on the face of the planet. We still cannot help but to drive drunk, or drive too fast for conditions, or apply makeup while driving, or talk on cell phones while driving, or fail to take all precautionary measures as “bothersome” before undertaking a dangerous job. And let us not forget that drug dealers will still shoot other drug dealers, and anyone else for that matter, if things don’t go the way they expect them to go.
None of this is to say that we cannot take reasonable action to enforce safety measures, and none of this is to say that we simply write trauma victims off as deserving of whatever befalls them as the result of their carelessness or neglect.
Still, people die. It is an incontrovertible reality that mortal humans are faced with every single day. No government spending program, no tax increase, no bureaucratic mandate will change this. We as individuals can take reasonable measures and precautions to avoid dangerous situations and we as individuals can take responsibility for our own health situations, but we cannot avoid death. It is not even reasonable to suggest that we can delay death because we do not know when or where or even how our lives will end. This is well outside our realm.
Let us be more reasonable about what we ask and expect of our government. Let us be mindful of the current environment in which normal citizens have stopped spending money out of fear and uncertainty about tomorrow, and let us demand of our government that they, too, be mindful of certain realities. Our Arkansas legislature gave itself a raise, secure in the knowledge that in two years when they are up for reelection, they will be either termed out of office or we will have long forgotten.
Let us, finally, be mindful that we are not only responsible for our individual choices, but we are also responsible for the members of the legislature. We put them there, and we can take them out. They work in our behalf, and they need to be reminded of this absolute. No more incumbents; no more lifetime, career politicians.
Now give me a minute while I hold my breath till this all comes to pass.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Who's In Control?
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
These past several weeks as I have been thinking through a particular situation, I have had to constantly remind myself that none of us is enslaved to any particular thing or person or concept – unless we choose to surrender to that thing or person or concept. We have minds that can reason and a free will that can respond according to what pleases us or that suits a particular situation. So even though we are bound to a certain degree by legal and moral obligations, for instance, we are simultaneously free at any time to do as we please, go where we please, believe as we please, and love whom we choose – all in spite of any legal or moral obligations. It is that we are in complete control, right? We just have to be willing to live by the consequences that come as a result of our choices.
I am reminded of a woman I knew years ago who got caught up in an adultrous affair. “Caught up”? How about “jumped in”? She reasoned that their illicit union must surely have been the will of God because, she reasoned, they couldn’t help falling in love. She says they didn’t mean to (the affair destroyed a marriage, by the way) but that it just happened. What she was tellling me, then, was that she and her boyfriend had been compelled by something beyond their nature and ability to reason and had essentially forced them to act against their will. Oh, if I had known then even what little I think I know now.
She was talking smack, and her thoughts and ideas were pure rubbish. She was an adulteror, and her boyfriend was no less guilty. He left his wife and children to be with this new “love” – this “love”, incidentally, which did not last a couple of years. But between the two of them, they just could not help themselves. What did actually make this thing worse was that while the man claimed no real religious affiliation, she was all too quick to point out that she was a “saved” Christian. I guess that’s how she figured everything she would do is pretty much ok by the Lord because, after all, do we not pray the Lord to “lead us NOT into temptation …”?? So if something tempts us beyond our perceived ability to resist, it must be the Lord’s fault … or His will. Right? Because do we not believe, overall, that the Lord is ultimately in control of all things?
It is downright blasphemous to insinuate on any level that the Lord is the author of sin or that He would allow us to lead such a sinful life that is biblically prohibited from everyone else. It is the epitome of arrogance to suggest that the Lord makes exceptions for some when the Bible clearly says otherwise.
But is there a certain level at which the Lord functions entirely on His own and independently of man’s desire and will? For instance, the United Methodist Church, among many others, teaches that the baptism of an infant, as a Sacrament of the Church, is as valid as the baptism of an adult who is making his or her profession of faith for the very first time. The reason is simple: the baptism is an act of God, not of man. Therefor if He does it at all, He does it right. There is no valid reason to require such a thing to be done again.
John Wesley once taught, and United Methodists still believe, that prevenient grace is that act by which the Holy Spirit is at work within us long before we call out to Him. It is a matter of Who loves whom … first. Even still, fundamental control might still be an issue especially on this level. I think there is no question that in the grand scheme of things, clearly the Lord God is ultimately in charge. Jesus Himself tells us that “the end” as we may think of it will come only when the Lord God decrees it, and not one moment before. No doubt, then, about who is “large and in charge” and clearly in control ... of the big picture.
Moses reminds the Israelites in Deuteronomy that there will come an end to his time but that another prophet “like him” will come from among them who “shall speak to them everything that I [the Lord] command.” (18:18) Here’s the kicker, though: “Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in My name, I myself will hold accountable.” (18:19) There is an element of man’s free will to decide for himself whether he will receive and embrace the prophet’s words, but there may also be consequences depending on man’s response.
What defines Christianity, however, is not a matter of who is ultimately in control. Christianity, instead, is relational without coercion. That is to say, this incredible thing which took place some 2000 years ago is that thing we commemorate today. In spite of our sinful nature and in spite of the harsh reality of man’s rejection, the Lord still chose to redeem us in an incomprehensible way. It was HIS act then; it is HIS act now. Our response, or lack of response (which is a response in itself) does not change the essential element of what took place – or why it took place. And yet we are still entirely free to choose. That’s love. And our response will determine whether we were ever His to begin with, as the saying goes: “If you love something, set it free. If it returns to you, it is yours and always will be. If not, it never was.”
It is important, particularly on any occasion in which the Sacrament of Holy Communion is to be shared, that we bear in mind what it means to make a choice to come forward and receive the Body and the Cup of Christ. Such an occasion must never be reduced to a mere act we choose to do because we are “supposed” to. Rather, this must necessarily be for us the ultimate reminder that even as evil seems to triumph – remember that man tortured and murdered Jesus because they didn’t like what they were hearing – in the end the ultimate control over life and death is clearly and firmly in the hands of the Almighty God and Author of Life.
He chose Life when He chose you. And He chose you when He asked Christ to go to the Cross. This must be known and embraced before this Bread and this Cup will ever mean anything to you or me. And He is FIRMLY IN CONTROL because this was HIS CHOICE for you … and even for me.
AMEN.
These past several weeks as I have been thinking through a particular situation, I have had to constantly remind myself that none of us is enslaved to any particular thing or person or concept – unless we choose to surrender to that thing or person or concept. We have minds that can reason and a free will that can respond according to what pleases us or that suits a particular situation. So even though we are bound to a certain degree by legal and moral obligations, for instance, we are simultaneously free at any time to do as we please, go where we please, believe as we please, and love whom we choose – all in spite of any legal or moral obligations. It is that we are in complete control, right? We just have to be willing to live by the consequences that come as a result of our choices.
I am reminded of a woman I knew years ago who got caught up in an adultrous affair. “Caught up”? How about “jumped in”? She reasoned that their illicit union must surely have been the will of God because, she reasoned, they couldn’t help falling in love. She says they didn’t mean to (the affair destroyed a marriage, by the way) but that it just happened. What she was tellling me, then, was that she and her boyfriend had been compelled by something beyond their nature and ability to reason and had essentially forced them to act against their will. Oh, if I had known then even what little I think I know now.
She was talking smack, and her thoughts and ideas were pure rubbish. She was an adulteror, and her boyfriend was no less guilty. He left his wife and children to be with this new “love” – this “love”, incidentally, which did not last a couple of years. But between the two of them, they just could not help themselves. What did actually make this thing worse was that while the man claimed no real religious affiliation, she was all too quick to point out that she was a “saved” Christian. I guess that’s how she figured everything she would do is pretty much ok by the Lord because, after all, do we not pray the Lord to “lead us NOT into temptation …”?? So if something tempts us beyond our perceived ability to resist, it must be the Lord’s fault … or His will. Right? Because do we not believe, overall, that the Lord is ultimately in control of all things?
It is downright blasphemous to insinuate on any level that the Lord is the author of sin or that He would allow us to lead such a sinful life that is biblically prohibited from everyone else. It is the epitome of arrogance to suggest that the Lord makes exceptions for some when the Bible clearly says otherwise.
But is there a certain level at which the Lord functions entirely on His own and independently of man’s desire and will? For instance, the United Methodist Church, among many others, teaches that the baptism of an infant, as a Sacrament of the Church, is as valid as the baptism of an adult who is making his or her profession of faith for the very first time. The reason is simple: the baptism is an act of God, not of man. Therefor if He does it at all, He does it right. There is no valid reason to require such a thing to be done again.
John Wesley once taught, and United Methodists still believe, that prevenient grace is that act by which the Holy Spirit is at work within us long before we call out to Him. It is a matter of Who loves whom … first. Even still, fundamental control might still be an issue especially on this level. I think there is no question that in the grand scheme of things, clearly the Lord God is ultimately in charge. Jesus Himself tells us that “the end” as we may think of it will come only when the Lord God decrees it, and not one moment before. No doubt, then, about who is “large and in charge” and clearly in control ... of the big picture.
Moses reminds the Israelites in Deuteronomy that there will come an end to his time but that another prophet “like him” will come from among them who “shall speak to them everything that I [the Lord] command.” (18:18) Here’s the kicker, though: “Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in My name, I myself will hold accountable.” (18:19) There is an element of man’s free will to decide for himself whether he will receive and embrace the prophet’s words, but there may also be consequences depending on man’s response.
What defines Christianity, however, is not a matter of who is ultimately in control. Christianity, instead, is relational without coercion. That is to say, this incredible thing which took place some 2000 years ago is that thing we commemorate today. In spite of our sinful nature and in spite of the harsh reality of man’s rejection, the Lord still chose to redeem us in an incomprehensible way. It was HIS act then; it is HIS act now. Our response, or lack of response (which is a response in itself) does not change the essential element of what took place – or why it took place. And yet we are still entirely free to choose. That’s love. And our response will determine whether we were ever His to begin with, as the saying goes: “If you love something, set it free. If it returns to you, it is yours and always will be. If not, it never was.”
It is important, particularly on any occasion in which the Sacrament of Holy Communion is to be shared, that we bear in mind what it means to make a choice to come forward and receive the Body and the Cup of Christ. Such an occasion must never be reduced to a mere act we choose to do because we are “supposed” to. Rather, this must necessarily be for us the ultimate reminder that even as evil seems to triumph – remember that man tortured and murdered Jesus because they didn’t like what they were hearing – in the end the ultimate control over life and death is clearly and firmly in the hands of the Almighty God and Author of Life.
He chose Life when He chose you. And He chose you when He asked Christ to go to the Cross. This must be known and embraced before this Bread and this Cup will ever mean anything to you or me. And He is FIRMLY IN CONTROL because this was HIS CHOICE for you … and even for me.
AMEN.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I Wish ...
I wish I knew (or cared) more about the situation with Illinois’ governor and his impeachment so that I could make an intelligent commentary on it. That’s the rub, though, and it is what the national media should observe: that it is Illinois’ problem and that the Illinois legislature is dealing with it in due process.
I wish I knew all the details of this massive, $819 billion stimulus package that has passed the US House because I care deeply. The nation overwhelmingly elected a new president, leaving no doubt as to preference, but the give-aways this package is said to contain – such as funding for Medicaid to give away birth control – seem to have little to do stimulating the economy to create jobs, which was (or is) the stated purpose of the package in the first place.
I wish people had not booed when President Bush took the stage at Mr. Obama’s inauguration, and I especially wish that House Speaker Pelosi had not made her comment that “a 10-pound anvil had been lifted from her head”. Some people in this country are just plain nasty and are ungracious even in victory.
I wish we could just let Mr. Obama be “the” president, period. That he is the first African-American elected to the nation’s highest office is a bright spot in American history, but that moment has passed. We now have a man – just a man – serving as president. Why not leave it at that? To me, it is further evidence that even his supporters clearly qualify (and sometimes marginalize) human beings based purely on the color of another’s skin. Dr. King would not be pleased, I should think.
I wish I knew why Democrats have such a problem with Rush Limbaugh. Again, we’re talking about a mere mortal man, though “with brains on loan from God” (Limbaugh’s line). Reckon the Democrats really believe this to be true? I suppose this might explain why one media person can upset the entire party from the president on down.
I wish I knew why it is that during WWII, POW’s captured by the US were put in POW camps and held for the duration of the war without trial, but the detainees at Guantanamo Bay as POW’s are somehow entitled to a fair trial, having been captured by US forces during a battle. I am especially confused in knowing that some have been released only to turn up in similar battles elsewhere.
I wish I knew why Christians seem more intent on pointing out the flaws of others than in spreading the Good News.
I wish I knew (or cared) more about global warming.
I wish I knew why the world shows virtually no concern for Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli citizens but gets completely bent out of shape when Israel, after giving a week’s worth of firm warnings, finally gets enough and retaliates.
I wish I knew what the Arkansas legislature was thinking in giving itself a raise in the middle of the worst recession, some say, since the Great Depression. Now I am truly depressed.
I wish I knew why the Arkansas legislature and its governor thinks raising any tax during such an economic crisis and creating new spending programs is a good idea.
I wish I knew why governments and individuals seem so intent on eradicating death. With so many life-saving measures and other programs designed to save people from themselves, it is as if the government thinks it can outsmart the inevitable.
I wish I knew why we voters don’t pay more attention to our elected officials and their records at re-election. If we really knew or cared, my guess is most of the incumbents would not be incumbents.
I wish I knew why military deserters who object to the war in Iraq, or war in general, don’t change their status to “conscientious objector” and face that music rather than spending the rest of their lives running and hiding.
I wish I knew what convinces young people that alcohol can solve anything or is “fun”. And I wonder this as a former “believer” in the wonders and powers of alcohol. I guess I don’t remember because, well, I might have been drunk at the time.
I wish I knew why politics has to be so nasty rather than an honest debate and discussion about public policy. I suspect it has more to do with the corruptible nature of man, but I would like to believe there could be more.
I wish I knew why Pope Benedict would restore a cardinal who apparently at one time denied the reality of the Holocaust.
I wish I knew why the Catholic Church refuses to allow priests to marry. Sure would take care of that priest shortage we hear so much about.
I also wish I knew the intelligence level of those who believe that priests in the past would not have been child molesters if they had been married.
I wish I knew why anyone thought credit was a good idea.
I wish more writers would admit to what they don’t know.
I wish I knew all the details of this massive, $819 billion stimulus package that has passed the US House because I care deeply. The nation overwhelmingly elected a new president, leaving no doubt as to preference, but the give-aways this package is said to contain – such as funding for Medicaid to give away birth control – seem to have little to do stimulating the economy to create jobs, which was (or is) the stated purpose of the package in the first place.
I wish people had not booed when President Bush took the stage at Mr. Obama’s inauguration, and I especially wish that House Speaker Pelosi had not made her comment that “a 10-pound anvil had been lifted from her head”. Some people in this country are just plain nasty and are ungracious even in victory.
I wish we could just let Mr. Obama be “the” president, period. That he is the first African-American elected to the nation’s highest office is a bright spot in American history, but that moment has passed. We now have a man – just a man – serving as president. Why not leave it at that? To me, it is further evidence that even his supporters clearly qualify (and sometimes marginalize) human beings based purely on the color of another’s skin. Dr. King would not be pleased, I should think.
I wish I knew why Democrats have such a problem with Rush Limbaugh. Again, we’re talking about a mere mortal man, though “with brains on loan from God” (Limbaugh’s line). Reckon the Democrats really believe this to be true? I suppose this might explain why one media person can upset the entire party from the president on down.
I wish I knew why it is that during WWII, POW’s captured by the US were put in POW camps and held for the duration of the war without trial, but the detainees at Guantanamo Bay as POW’s are somehow entitled to a fair trial, having been captured by US forces during a battle. I am especially confused in knowing that some have been released only to turn up in similar battles elsewhere.
I wish I knew why Christians seem more intent on pointing out the flaws of others than in spreading the Good News.
I wish I knew (or cared) more about global warming.
I wish I knew why the world shows virtually no concern for Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli citizens but gets completely bent out of shape when Israel, after giving a week’s worth of firm warnings, finally gets enough and retaliates.
I wish I knew what the Arkansas legislature was thinking in giving itself a raise in the middle of the worst recession, some say, since the Great Depression. Now I am truly depressed.
I wish I knew why the Arkansas legislature and its governor thinks raising any tax during such an economic crisis and creating new spending programs is a good idea.
I wish I knew why governments and individuals seem so intent on eradicating death. With so many life-saving measures and other programs designed to save people from themselves, it is as if the government thinks it can outsmart the inevitable.
I wish I knew why we voters don’t pay more attention to our elected officials and their records at re-election. If we really knew or cared, my guess is most of the incumbents would not be incumbents.
I wish I knew why military deserters who object to the war in Iraq, or war in general, don’t change their status to “conscientious objector” and face that music rather than spending the rest of their lives running and hiding.
I wish I knew what convinces young people that alcohol can solve anything or is “fun”. And I wonder this as a former “believer” in the wonders and powers of alcohol. I guess I don’t remember because, well, I might have been drunk at the time.
I wish I knew why politics has to be so nasty rather than an honest debate and discussion about public policy. I suspect it has more to do with the corruptible nature of man, but I would like to believe there could be more.
I wish I knew why Pope Benedict would restore a cardinal who apparently at one time denied the reality of the Holocaust.
I wish I knew why the Catholic Church refuses to allow priests to marry. Sure would take care of that priest shortage we hear so much about.
I also wish I knew the intelligence level of those who believe that priests in the past would not have been child molesters if they had been married.
I wish I knew why anyone thought credit was a good idea.
I wish more writers would admit to what they don’t know.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Making Sense of Nonsense
It is difficult to conceive of an Arkansas legislative session in which some tax and/or legislative pay is not raised in some way; thank goodness for consistency in 2009. I had suggested earlier that the people of Arkansas would be better served during this time of extreme economic challenge if the members of Arkansas’ legislature would at least pretend they have a clue about what is happening across the state and the nation, indeed the world, but it appears by recent actions that not only are they seemingly unaware (or unconcerned) of dangers lurking but that they may in fact be incapable of seeing beyond the end of their collective nose. What is even worse is the level of arrogance that has been on display in some of the comments made by the alleged “leaders” of this state and its General Assembly.
A 3.8% pay raise has been approved by the General Assembly for all elected officials and signed by the governor who also stated that he would refuse his raise “because of the economy”. Puhleeze, Gov. Beebe. Leadership would have demanded that if you truly believed this, you would have vetoed the entire package as inappropriate for the time. House Speaker Robbie Wills is equally clueless when he says that he and his wife are expecting a new baby soon and that he “needs” this raise, which comes to about $400 per year for him. I wonder how many expectant parents in Arkansas have recently lost their jobs with no new job prospects or who are about to lose their jobs who will not see any raises anytime soon; that is, if they are lucky enough to keep their jobs? For that matter, how many Arkansans will see raises this year at all?
Sorry, Gov. Beebe, but you completely missed the boat on this one. You showed total disregard for certain reality even while acknowledging this very same reality, you made a feeble attempt to show some sense of solidarity with the working folk of this state, and you showed the people who entrusted to you the keys to the entire state that you will do only what is in the best interests of the legislature. After all, you never know when you may need them to return the favor, huh? That kind of trickery does indeed show how all your legislative experience helps. I sincerely hope all those who supported you come to realize they are getting exactly what they asked for and that all those who supported someone else knew exactly what would come sooner or later.
There is another certain reality among Arkansas households that when things are tight and jobs scarce, the last thing to do (if at all) is to take on a new financial obligation or expand current obligations, no matter how badly it seems to be needed. Each member of the Arkansas General Assembly, as individuals, is probably no exception to this general rule. However, put all these particular individuals in the same room, and suddenly conventional wisdom takes a back seat to standard government practice: think up ways to spend money, and then do the “responsible” thing by raising taxes to pay for it. And let’s not forget that folks hate smokers, so that’s an easy tax to go after. And to show the soon-to-be-fleeced that the legislature really has their best interests at heart, statements will be made to the effect that, “well, we really hope you quit smoking.” Let’s top it all off with a rally at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Who’s gonna say no to the kids?
I have never seen anything in history or civics classes that ever held that one of the state’s enumerated purposes for existence was to serve itself or purposely seek to enhance its own revenue. My understanding has always (apparently very wrongly) been that the state’s income is incidental to what is happening in the real world; that if things are not going so great out there, the state may actually have to tighten its own belt while citizens are forced to do the same. Apparently this is not true in Little Rock AR. I’m just gratified that they care so much and that I can perhaps take some solice and comfort in the fact that some things never change.
A 3.8% pay raise has been approved by the General Assembly for all elected officials and signed by the governor who also stated that he would refuse his raise “because of the economy”. Puhleeze, Gov. Beebe. Leadership would have demanded that if you truly believed this, you would have vetoed the entire package as inappropriate for the time. House Speaker Robbie Wills is equally clueless when he says that he and his wife are expecting a new baby soon and that he “needs” this raise, which comes to about $400 per year for him. I wonder how many expectant parents in Arkansas have recently lost their jobs with no new job prospects or who are about to lose their jobs who will not see any raises anytime soon; that is, if they are lucky enough to keep their jobs? For that matter, how many Arkansans will see raises this year at all?
Sorry, Gov. Beebe, but you completely missed the boat on this one. You showed total disregard for certain reality even while acknowledging this very same reality, you made a feeble attempt to show some sense of solidarity with the working folk of this state, and you showed the people who entrusted to you the keys to the entire state that you will do only what is in the best interests of the legislature. After all, you never know when you may need them to return the favor, huh? That kind of trickery does indeed show how all your legislative experience helps. I sincerely hope all those who supported you come to realize they are getting exactly what they asked for and that all those who supported someone else knew exactly what would come sooner or later.
There is another certain reality among Arkansas households that when things are tight and jobs scarce, the last thing to do (if at all) is to take on a new financial obligation or expand current obligations, no matter how badly it seems to be needed. Each member of the Arkansas General Assembly, as individuals, is probably no exception to this general rule. However, put all these particular individuals in the same room, and suddenly conventional wisdom takes a back seat to standard government practice: think up ways to spend money, and then do the “responsible” thing by raising taxes to pay for it. And let’s not forget that folks hate smokers, so that’s an easy tax to go after. And to show the soon-to-be-fleeced that the legislature really has their best interests at heart, statements will be made to the effect that, “well, we really hope you quit smoking.” Let’s top it all off with a rally at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Who’s gonna say no to the kids?
I have never seen anything in history or civics classes that ever held that one of the state’s enumerated purposes for existence was to serve itself or purposely seek to enhance its own revenue. My understanding has always (apparently very wrongly) been that the state’s income is incidental to what is happening in the real world; that if things are not going so great out there, the state may actually have to tighten its own belt while citizens are forced to do the same. Apparently this is not true in Little Rock AR. I’m just gratified that they care so much and that I can perhaps take some solice and comfort in the fact that some things never change.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Exporters of Death
President Obama, according to Fox News, is going to sign an executive order today which will provide federal funds to international agencies that provide and promote abortion, effectively overturning President Bush’s ban on such funds being made available to international abortion providers. It is bad enough that the US has this scourge on our national consciousness; do we really have to export such vile practices and “values” to other nations as well?
I had written earlier that Mr. Obama became my president on 20 January 2009 even though I did not support him among the Democrats nor did I vote for him in the general election. His political ideology and relative inexperience were the deciding factors for me, and I make no apology for either. In spite of my objections, however, I was prepared to accept the winner because it is how our system works. I am compelled to respect the wishes of the majority.
Now I am not so sure that I can support this man on any level, and I will try to explain why. Life is fundamental to our very existence as a people and as a nation. Our very Declaration of Independence hails life as the “unalienable” right of each human person. Such a right is infallible and inseparable; it is the core of our being. We are divinely called into life and no man, no government may remove from our being the “unalienable” right to exist not according to our wishes and desires but according to Divine Law which calls us into being. To deny the “unalienable” is to deny our humanity.
Because life is the foundation of existence, anything after this revolves around enhancing not only our own lives but the lives of others, especially those who stand defenseless against a world that seems inclined toward anarchy, the natural tendency seemingly bent toward that most base instinct of “survival of the fittest”. Without protections as they are, we are at the mercy of men and/or governments who may decree that some lives are more or less valuable than others according to arbitrary standards, standards that shift from generation to generation or, in the case of the United States, from Republican president to Democratic president (President Reagan instituted this abortion ban in 1984, and it stood until the time of President Clinton, was re-instated by President Bush and now is about to be removed by President Obama).
It is also a very curious, if alien, act when considering that such a move commits the United States (that’s you and me) to the financial burden of providing these abortions against our religious objections. This comes at a time when the US Treasury is 10 TRILLION dollars empty, the Congress and the President are debating on how to pay bills AND put Americans back to work AND fund Social Security AND provide universal health care and/or insurance … AND … AND …
It is difficult to support a man whose priorities include promoting death as a means of enhancing life. The issue of government involvement in such an endeavor goes far beyond the “choice” argument that supposedly applies to individuals according not to the will of the people but by judicial fiat. We are actually exporting the slaughter of innocents as a product of the United States. King Herod would be so proud to know us.
I had written earlier that Mr. Obama became my president on 20 January 2009 even though I did not support him among the Democrats nor did I vote for him in the general election. His political ideology and relative inexperience were the deciding factors for me, and I make no apology for either. In spite of my objections, however, I was prepared to accept the winner because it is how our system works. I am compelled to respect the wishes of the majority.
Now I am not so sure that I can support this man on any level, and I will try to explain why. Life is fundamental to our very existence as a people and as a nation. Our very Declaration of Independence hails life as the “unalienable” right of each human person. Such a right is infallible and inseparable; it is the core of our being. We are divinely called into life and no man, no government may remove from our being the “unalienable” right to exist not according to our wishes and desires but according to Divine Law which calls us into being. To deny the “unalienable” is to deny our humanity.
Because life is the foundation of existence, anything after this revolves around enhancing not only our own lives but the lives of others, especially those who stand defenseless against a world that seems inclined toward anarchy, the natural tendency seemingly bent toward that most base instinct of “survival of the fittest”. Without protections as they are, we are at the mercy of men and/or governments who may decree that some lives are more or less valuable than others according to arbitrary standards, standards that shift from generation to generation or, in the case of the United States, from Republican president to Democratic president (President Reagan instituted this abortion ban in 1984, and it stood until the time of President Clinton, was re-instated by President Bush and now is about to be removed by President Obama).
It is also a very curious, if alien, act when considering that such a move commits the United States (that’s you and me) to the financial burden of providing these abortions against our religious objections. This comes at a time when the US Treasury is 10 TRILLION dollars empty, the Congress and the President are debating on how to pay bills AND put Americans back to work AND fund Social Security AND provide universal health care and/or insurance … AND … AND …
It is difficult to support a man whose priorities include promoting death as a means of enhancing life. The issue of government involvement in such an endeavor goes far beyond the “choice” argument that supposedly applies to individuals according not to the will of the people but by judicial fiat. We are actually exporting the slaughter of innocents as a product of the United States. King Herod would be so proud to know us.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day 2009
Is it sour grapes? Am I a sore loser? Do I really have a problem only with Mr. Obama’s policies, or can I honestly disagree with his ideology? Surely I am not dismissing him before he even gets started exclusively because of his political party affiliation, and heaven have mercy if I truly am writing Mr. Obama off only because of the color of his skin! Do I wish him ill in the hopes that Americans will wake up and recognize that Democrats are bad altogether and very expensive to maintain?
These are questions I have been forced to honestly assess for myself on this Inauguration Day 2009 when Barack H. Obama will be sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. I wish I could be as excited as so many seem to be, but I also cannot grasp that so many Obama supporters are as much supporting him as they are grateful that Mr. Bush’s administration has ended. This is what I get from a friend who refuses to let go of the Supreme Court’s involvement in the 2000 election when Florida apparently could not count or could not distinguish a “hanging chad” and determine if the vote that chad represented was legitimate or not.
I am as ambivalent as I have ever been about a new president coming into office. I was excited when Mr. Reagan was elected and then re-elected. I was pleased when George H.W. Bush was inaugurated, and I was sorely disappointed when President Clinton came into the office. I was gratified when George W. Bush was ELECTED (not appointed, you people who cannot seem to let that one go!), but his successor was not so distinguishable early on within the Republican ranks. John McCain was written off early on but came back to finally secure the Republican nomination, Republicans failing to remember the days of the elderly and somewhat crusty Bob Dole’s failed challenge to a younger and far more charismatic Bill Clinton. Needless to say, I was not a John McCain supporter.
Now I will support Mr. Obama not because I “must” as a last or only alternative but, rather, as an opportunity and a privilege. I take this position as a citizen grateful for the genius of this republic’s founders, whose shared vision and common experiences enlightened them to recognize the success of some and the failures of other, societies and governing bodies that embodied ideals or violated basic principles. I am privileged that I “get to” respect the wishes of the majority of Americans and embrace our new president as further evidence of the success of this which is commonly referred to as the “great experiment”.
This is also a unique time in American history only in that Mr. Obama is the first African-American to be sworn in as the US president, but it is also a time of intense economic challenge, not so unique; we’ve been here before. Such as it is, Mr. Obama has referred often to the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt who took office while the nation was in the grip of the Great Depression. In his first inaugural address, Mr. Roosevelt said, in part, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
If ever there was a time in US history when we need to put aside our political differences and personal prejudices, it is now. We can no longer afford to pretend, for instance, that unregulated markets will police and correct themselves, witnessing as we have the painful reality that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. We have seen too many among the rich and powerful clamor for more at the expense of the many who entrusted to these the fruit of their life’s work. We have witnessed a government intent on creating such a housing market and opportunity for ownership open the door to intense greed and sense of entitlement to rich and poor alike.
We have seen, and are still seeing, hundreds of thousands being put in the unemployment lines and out of their homes because of many corporations protecting the profit margins, and we have seen thousands upon thousands of jobs shipped to overseas, and substantially less expensive labor markets manufacturing the products they ultimately intend to sell back to the very workers they put out of work.
Our economy is upside down, and our government for the past two years during a particularly brutal and grueling presidential campaign seemed intent only in fixing the blame rather than the problems. Now that a new president is sworn into office and after all the din of the parties and celebrations subside, may we get down to the business of our business. May we put aside our ideological differences and work in unison toward a common objective. May we offer prayers and support to our new president, and hold to the proverbial fire the feet of our elected representatives and senators to stay focused on the matters at hand.
And may we remind them all, as we remember ourselves, that if one is not part of the solution, one is surely part of the problem. Anyone can point a finger, but it takes a real leader to step up to and face the challenges ahead. May we be so blessed that we have truly elected a leader.
These are questions I have been forced to honestly assess for myself on this Inauguration Day 2009 when Barack H. Obama will be sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. I wish I could be as excited as so many seem to be, but I also cannot grasp that so many Obama supporters are as much supporting him as they are grateful that Mr. Bush’s administration has ended. This is what I get from a friend who refuses to let go of the Supreme Court’s involvement in the 2000 election when Florida apparently could not count or could not distinguish a “hanging chad” and determine if the vote that chad represented was legitimate or not.
I am as ambivalent as I have ever been about a new president coming into office. I was excited when Mr. Reagan was elected and then re-elected. I was pleased when George H.W. Bush was inaugurated, and I was sorely disappointed when President Clinton came into the office. I was gratified when George W. Bush was ELECTED (not appointed, you people who cannot seem to let that one go!), but his successor was not so distinguishable early on within the Republican ranks. John McCain was written off early on but came back to finally secure the Republican nomination, Republicans failing to remember the days of the elderly and somewhat crusty Bob Dole’s failed challenge to a younger and far more charismatic Bill Clinton. Needless to say, I was not a John McCain supporter.
Now I will support Mr. Obama not because I “must” as a last or only alternative but, rather, as an opportunity and a privilege. I take this position as a citizen grateful for the genius of this republic’s founders, whose shared vision and common experiences enlightened them to recognize the success of some and the failures of other, societies and governing bodies that embodied ideals or violated basic principles. I am privileged that I “get to” respect the wishes of the majority of Americans and embrace our new president as further evidence of the success of this which is commonly referred to as the “great experiment”.
This is also a unique time in American history only in that Mr. Obama is the first African-American to be sworn in as the US president, but it is also a time of intense economic challenge, not so unique; we’ve been here before. Such as it is, Mr. Obama has referred often to the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt who took office while the nation was in the grip of the Great Depression. In his first inaugural address, Mr. Roosevelt said, in part, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
If ever there was a time in US history when we need to put aside our political differences and personal prejudices, it is now. We can no longer afford to pretend, for instance, that unregulated markets will police and correct themselves, witnessing as we have the painful reality that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. We have seen too many among the rich and powerful clamor for more at the expense of the many who entrusted to these the fruit of their life’s work. We have witnessed a government intent on creating such a housing market and opportunity for ownership open the door to intense greed and sense of entitlement to rich and poor alike.
We have seen, and are still seeing, hundreds of thousands being put in the unemployment lines and out of their homes because of many corporations protecting the profit margins, and we have seen thousands upon thousands of jobs shipped to overseas, and substantially less expensive labor markets manufacturing the products they ultimately intend to sell back to the very workers they put out of work.
Our economy is upside down, and our government for the past two years during a particularly brutal and grueling presidential campaign seemed intent only in fixing the blame rather than the problems. Now that a new president is sworn into office and after all the din of the parties and celebrations subside, may we get down to the business of our business. May we put aside our ideological differences and work in unison toward a common objective. May we offer prayers and support to our new president, and hold to the proverbial fire the feet of our elected representatives and senators to stay focused on the matters at hand.
And may we remind them all, as we remember ourselves, that if one is not part of the solution, one is surely part of the problem. Anyone can point a finger, but it takes a real leader to step up to and face the challenges ahead. May we be so blessed that we have truly elected a leader.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
By the Few for the Many
So for all these many years there has not been a statewide trauma system in place, and the need is now so great for “all” Arkansans according to Gene Shelby, Mike Beebe, Bob Johnson, and Robbie Wills, that the relatively few smokers in Arkansas will be required to pay for it and sustain it with an additional .50 cents per pack of cigarettes. To further complicate the situation, according to Gene Shelby, it is hoped that ultimately the added tax will actually encourage smokers to quit and discourage others from picking up the habit in the first place. Noble cause perhaps and noble intent for sure, but what happens if the ideal is eventually attained and a large enough group gives up the habit after the tax is raised, this new program is launched, and the money is appropriated? Where will the funding come from then for a program that presumably “all Arkansans” are in desperate need of? Another added “sin” tax, perhaps on beer? Again, targeting a defined and limited group doing something they perhaps should not be doing in the first place but the state allowing such practice or lifestyle to continue if only for the revenue it will produce?
Dr. James Graham, chairman of the Governor’s Trauma Advisory Council, was quoted in Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (1/10/09) as having said, “There’s an enormous public knowledge gap. A lot of people think this already exists. They think if they’re in a car accident today, they would be taken to the right hospital and get that superior care.”
All due respect intended to the good doctor for his obvious knowledge and experience, but in cases of such trauma as auto accident or gunshot victims in which bleeding control is likely to be the priority, will there ever be a time in which the victim will be taken to a “wrong” hospital, one that is incapable of bringing such bleeding under control but whose care is still much closer for the sake of time and blood loss? My limited medical knowledge notwithstanding, it seems to me that EMT’s and other emergency rescue workers as well as hospital personnel have done a pretty fair job in emergency situations so far in deciding where a trauma victim should be taken and treating them adequately once they have arrived. That some die due to sustained injuries and that some survive is still going to be a reality. How can we be convinced that an addition $30 million is somehow going to change this? And in the certain reality of the current economic situation, how can we be convinced that now is a good time to raise any tax or create any new spending measure that will require sustained funding?
As it currently stands, the economy is faltering because people are losing jobs and have quit spending or borrowing money. The president-elect is proposing a diminished tax withholding schedule so that workers will have more take-home pay to spend in an effort to provide some relief to consumers who are still lucky enough to even have jobs and to provide a boost to the downward spiraling economy, but Arkansas legislative “leaders” suppose that a trauma system is needed more. Even in such a climate in which uncertainty is the key word, some members of Arkansas’ legislature are considering delaying the elimination of the grocery tax for these very reasons of uncertainty. This number includes House Speaker Robbie Wills who is reportedly “lukewarm” to the elimination of the grocery tax due to “the uncertain economic climate”.
It is in such times as these when genuine leadership is essential. If such revenue is so desperately needed to fund a brand-new program that “all” Arkansans need and might benefit from but have so far been able to live without, then genuine leadership is going to require that these presumed “leaders” actually lead the way rather than merely point. This is to say, these “leaders” will be required to raise taxes on “all” Arkansans and convince us of the need rather than pick on an unpopular group. If such a trauma system is so desperately needed, these “leaders” will not only be willing to help finance it from their own pockets but will also be able to convince Arkansans that a more stable revenue source will be required in order to ensure the survivability of the desperately needed program that some seem to think we can no longer live without.
One cannot help but to wonder exactly what these legislators actually know about the current economic environment and if they are as free-spending with their own household budgets as they are willing to be with the state’s. If they cannot afford something for themselves under existing conditions, do they have some source of income from which they can demand more simply because they have discovered something they can no longer live without even though they have lived their entires lives without it? I doubt it. I suspect they would be more prudent with their own than they are willing to be with the state’s.
The economic crisis is real and will, according to many, get much worse before it will get better. Our state legislators need to plug in and at least pretend they are aware of this certain reality. We have enough taxes and we have enough programs. Our legislatures can only take so much from the people before they start cutting into the bone and muscle that will ultimately revive and sustain this economy. It is time for us and our legislators to realize that it is ok not to raise any tax on an already overwhelmed population.
Dr. James Graham, chairman of the Governor’s Trauma Advisory Council, was quoted in Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (1/10/09) as having said, “There’s an enormous public knowledge gap. A lot of people think this already exists. They think if they’re in a car accident today, they would be taken to the right hospital and get that superior care.”
All due respect intended to the good doctor for his obvious knowledge and experience, but in cases of such trauma as auto accident or gunshot victims in which bleeding control is likely to be the priority, will there ever be a time in which the victim will be taken to a “wrong” hospital, one that is incapable of bringing such bleeding under control but whose care is still much closer for the sake of time and blood loss? My limited medical knowledge notwithstanding, it seems to me that EMT’s and other emergency rescue workers as well as hospital personnel have done a pretty fair job in emergency situations so far in deciding where a trauma victim should be taken and treating them adequately once they have arrived. That some die due to sustained injuries and that some survive is still going to be a reality. How can we be convinced that an addition $30 million is somehow going to change this? And in the certain reality of the current economic situation, how can we be convinced that now is a good time to raise any tax or create any new spending measure that will require sustained funding?
As it currently stands, the economy is faltering because people are losing jobs and have quit spending or borrowing money. The president-elect is proposing a diminished tax withholding schedule so that workers will have more take-home pay to spend in an effort to provide some relief to consumers who are still lucky enough to even have jobs and to provide a boost to the downward spiraling economy, but Arkansas legislative “leaders” suppose that a trauma system is needed more. Even in such a climate in which uncertainty is the key word, some members of Arkansas’ legislature are considering delaying the elimination of the grocery tax for these very reasons of uncertainty. This number includes House Speaker Robbie Wills who is reportedly “lukewarm” to the elimination of the grocery tax due to “the uncertain economic climate”.
It is in such times as these when genuine leadership is essential. If such revenue is so desperately needed to fund a brand-new program that “all” Arkansans need and might benefit from but have so far been able to live without, then genuine leadership is going to require that these presumed “leaders” actually lead the way rather than merely point. This is to say, these “leaders” will be required to raise taxes on “all” Arkansans and convince us of the need rather than pick on an unpopular group. If such a trauma system is so desperately needed, these “leaders” will not only be willing to help finance it from their own pockets but will also be able to convince Arkansans that a more stable revenue source will be required in order to ensure the survivability of the desperately needed program that some seem to think we can no longer live without.
One cannot help but to wonder exactly what these legislators actually know about the current economic environment and if they are as free-spending with their own household budgets as they are willing to be with the state’s. If they cannot afford something for themselves under existing conditions, do they have some source of income from which they can demand more simply because they have discovered something they can no longer live without even though they have lived their entires lives without it? I doubt it. I suspect they would be more prudent with their own than they are willing to be with the state’s.
The economic crisis is real and will, according to many, get much worse before it will get better. Our state legislators need to plug in and at least pretend they are aware of this certain reality. We have enough taxes and we have enough programs. Our legislatures can only take so much from the people before they start cutting into the bone and muscle that will ultimately revive and sustain this economy. It is time for us and our legislators to realize that it is ok not to raise any tax on an already overwhelmed population.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Contrasts of Faith: those who know vs. those who should know
Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12
Reading a commentary the other day on Matthew’s story about the wise men, it never occurred to me how much we’ve inserted into this text over time. For instance, the wise men became “kings”, a definitive number of “kings” was assigned (three), and then these kings were eventually given names and assigned to the countries they supposedly ruled over. These items are distinctly lacking in Matthew’s narrative even if they can be inferred from other texts and prophecies, but I’m willing to bet there are many Christians who would defend these notions to their dying breath! That these items are perhaps insignificant is not nearly as important to us as are our cultural traditions, even if we come by them honestly. Whether we actually enhance the story with our embellishments, however, is a matter of perspective. And Faith.
From this narrative comes also a natural tendency to move right into Herod’s order of execution in his quest to rid himself of the perceived threat which comes to him and his status at the news of this newborn “King of the Jews”. Fair enough since it is still part of the continuing narrative. After all, Herod may never have become aware of Messiah had it not been for the wise men asking for directions, at least not so soon. Then the wise men were warned in a dream to avoid Herod, so they left the country by an alternate route. Once Herod became aware that he had been deceived, he panicked. Since he now could not know the location of only One, he ordered instead the destruction of many.
We Christians are big on symbolism. We see a text in Scripture and simply assume there has to be some deep, underlying meaning to it far beyond what the mere words point out. For instance, some try to explain the star and its significance to the story, but there is no real way of knowing whether the wise men saw a natural phenomenon or a supernatural one except by faith. What is also missing is how they came to know exactly what they were searching for since the text states that “we observed His star”. How did they come to know that this star was of divine significance? If these were truly Gentiles, as scholars have assigned them, they had no religious background and certainly no way to know of this newborn “King of the Jews”, this promised Messiah. Yet they not only came but also thought enough of what they expected to find to bring gifts.
Naturally faith is going to play a significant role in our understanding and acceptance of the story, but there is much more going on than what each gift, the star, or the identification or the number of wise men may or may not represent. What we are being shown, maybe even without trying to read too deeply into the text, is acceptance of the Messiah by Gentile, if unidentified, strangers and rejection by a sufficiently Jewish ruler (Herod); sufficient in that, while Herod may not have been purely Jewish, he is enough so that Messiah is not completely foreign to him even as he is also sufficiently hostile to such an arrival that he would feel compelled to destroy this “King of the Jews” which he may have perceived only as purely political and not theological. Even if political, there is still a constrast which exists on a certain level, a contrast which exists even today.
Douglas Hare, a theology professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, summarizes this contrast between acceptance by strangers and rejection by Herod in this way: “For us, the contrast can serve to symbolize the internal contrast between that part of the inner self which willingly and joyfully accepts the Lordship of Christ our King and that darker side of the self which firmly and persistently rejects His right to rule.”
It may not be entirely fair to allow Herod to represent “believers” or even the Jews since Herod’s faith or even sense of religion seems highly questionable. However, it must be noted that Herod thought enough of this newborn “King” to order Him destroyed, no matter the cost. Sort of brings to mind James’ reminder that “even the demons believe … and tremble …” like Herod is doing at the notion that his way of life is perhaps being threatened. But I suppose the contrast – or comparison – between Herod and contemporary Christians more acurately defines either our ambivalence … or our outright hostility to Christ and His Holy Church.
Think about it. Knowledge of the Lord is all well and good as long as we’re being “saved” or as long as we are getting what we think we want or need - but demand of us to forgive someone who has done us wrong … well, that is not being very reasonable, is it? Pray for our enemies? Bless those who persecute us? Forgive as we have been forgiven? Not very reasonable if there is still a score to settle. Turn the other cheek?? Outrageous! Not a very realistic ideal, is it?
But there it is. I would suggest that this internal conflict is one that has been going on within us almost since birth when our Christian parents warned us not to allow others to “run over” us, or when they taught us that when someone hits us, we are to hit them back. Few parents can escape this guilt because we cannot bear the thought that our children are defenseless in a very cruel world, a world in which we cannot always be there to protect and defend. And it gets worse as we get older because the conflicts become somewhat more sophisticated, and the consequences more dire. This world will eat us alive if we do not toughen up, right?
If such conflict exists within us and we are consciously aware of these conflicts, it is a blessing because we still seem to know right from wrong. We know that the Lord blesses those who bless, and we should have sufficient faith to know that when the time is right, the Lord will answer for all those wrongs that have been heaped upon us.
We know – or should know - that we are the voices, the shepherds; not the victims. We are heirs to the Heavenly Throne as co-heirs with Christ. And this world is not our home.
Reading a commentary the other day on Matthew’s story about the wise men, it never occurred to me how much we’ve inserted into this text over time. For instance, the wise men became “kings”, a definitive number of “kings” was assigned (three), and then these kings were eventually given names and assigned to the countries they supposedly ruled over. These items are distinctly lacking in Matthew’s narrative even if they can be inferred from other texts and prophecies, but I’m willing to bet there are many Christians who would defend these notions to their dying breath! That these items are perhaps insignificant is not nearly as important to us as are our cultural traditions, even if we come by them honestly. Whether we actually enhance the story with our embellishments, however, is a matter of perspective. And Faith.
From this narrative comes also a natural tendency to move right into Herod’s order of execution in his quest to rid himself of the perceived threat which comes to him and his status at the news of this newborn “King of the Jews”. Fair enough since it is still part of the continuing narrative. After all, Herod may never have become aware of Messiah had it not been for the wise men asking for directions, at least not so soon. Then the wise men were warned in a dream to avoid Herod, so they left the country by an alternate route. Once Herod became aware that he had been deceived, he panicked. Since he now could not know the location of only One, he ordered instead the destruction of many.
We Christians are big on symbolism. We see a text in Scripture and simply assume there has to be some deep, underlying meaning to it far beyond what the mere words point out. For instance, some try to explain the star and its significance to the story, but there is no real way of knowing whether the wise men saw a natural phenomenon or a supernatural one except by faith. What is also missing is how they came to know exactly what they were searching for since the text states that “we observed His star”. How did they come to know that this star was of divine significance? If these were truly Gentiles, as scholars have assigned them, they had no religious background and certainly no way to know of this newborn “King of the Jews”, this promised Messiah. Yet they not only came but also thought enough of what they expected to find to bring gifts.
Naturally faith is going to play a significant role in our understanding and acceptance of the story, but there is much more going on than what each gift, the star, or the identification or the number of wise men may or may not represent. What we are being shown, maybe even without trying to read too deeply into the text, is acceptance of the Messiah by Gentile, if unidentified, strangers and rejection by a sufficiently Jewish ruler (Herod); sufficient in that, while Herod may not have been purely Jewish, he is enough so that Messiah is not completely foreign to him even as he is also sufficiently hostile to such an arrival that he would feel compelled to destroy this “King of the Jews” which he may have perceived only as purely political and not theological. Even if political, there is still a constrast which exists on a certain level, a contrast which exists even today.
Douglas Hare, a theology professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, summarizes this contrast between acceptance by strangers and rejection by Herod in this way: “For us, the contrast can serve to symbolize the internal contrast between that part of the inner self which willingly and joyfully accepts the Lordship of Christ our King and that darker side of the self which firmly and persistently rejects His right to rule.”
It may not be entirely fair to allow Herod to represent “believers” or even the Jews since Herod’s faith or even sense of religion seems highly questionable. However, it must be noted that Herod thought enough of this newborn “King” to order Him destroyed, no matter the cost. Sort of brings to mind James’ reminder that “even the demons believe … and tremble …” like Herod is doing at the notion that his way of life is perhaps being threatened. But I suppose the contrast – or comparison – between Herod and contemporary Christians more acurately defines either our ambivalence … or our outright hostility to Christ and His Holy Church.
Think about it. Knowledge of the Lord is all well and good as long as we’re being “saved” or as long as we are getting what we think we want or need - but demand of us to forgive someone who has done us wrong … well, that is not being very reasonable, is it? Pray for our enemies? Bless those who persecute us? Forgive as we have been forgiven? Not very reasonable if there is still a score to settle. Turn the other cheek?? Outrageous! Not a very realistic ideal, is it?
But there it is. I would suggest that this internal conflict is one that has been going on within us almost since birth when our Christian parents warned us not to allow others to “run over” us, or when they taught us that when someone hits us, we are to hit them back. Few parents can escape this guilt because we cannot bear the thought that our children are defenseless in a very cruel world, a world in which we cannot always be there to protect and defend. And it gets worse as we get older because the conflicts become somewhat more sophisticated, and the consequences more dire. This world will eat us alive if we do not toughen up, right?
If such conflict exists within us and we are consciously aware of these conflicts, it is a blessing because we still seem to know right from wrong. We know that the Lord blesses those who bless, and we should have sufficient faith to know that when the time is right, the Lord will answer for all those wrongs that have been heaped upon us.
We know – or should know - that we are the voices, the shepherds; not the victims. We are heirs to the Heavenly Throne as co-heirs with Christ. And this world is not our home.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Faith or Fear: the only real choice
Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Galatians 4:4-7 Luke 2:21-40
The 1st Sunday after Christmas almost always seems anti-climactic because the festive fury of Christmas reaches a particular crescendo and then suddenly dies down – or completely out. It is as if the Story that began to unfold with so much excitement and anticipation only came about in a few short weeks and then abruptly ended. To make matters worse, at least according to the church calendar, we will move into Lent in a few short weeks. So what began as the fevered pitch of excitement and anticipation at our welcoming the birth of Messiah will come to a somewhat sinister conclusion at Calvary when man utterly rejects Him, even as we know how that turns out.
This is one of the reasons why I am not entirely comfortable with the Advent season. Lent is another story and another sermon altogether, of course, but the anticipation of what will come in Advent with a BANG and a CRASH will die out as soon as everyone realizes that the Christmas season is over. The only regrets will be in saying goodbye to loved ones who came to spend the holidays with us or figuring out what to do with the ugly neck tie or the fruitcake some “thoughtful” soul gave to us.
Life goes on, however. Even during the time of Jesus’ birth, there was still much to be done and years to come before Jesus would enter into His public ministry. Until His appointed time, He is raised in the faith of His parents. In order to enter into the faith of His parents, He is brought into the Covenant by the faith of His parents. Few seem to notice or care that Jesus’ parents did not decide to “let the Boy wait until He can make His own profession of faith”. Jesus the boy, the child of Mary and Joseph, was very intentionally and rightly brought forth by His parents and was given into that about which is written, “an everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7, 13b) established by the Lord God. According to what is written in Genesis, it is a Covenant with no shelf life, no expiration date. It is, according to the Lord God Himself, “everlasting”.
What far too many misunderstand about the nature of a Covenant is that such a Covenant is a divine promise. It is, by its very nature, the essence of the Lord, and each Covenant the Lord has offered has come by its very nature: eternal and divinely imparted to man regardless of man’s actions. That is to say, the Lord’s Covenant is His promise, His Word. If we believe in the eternal nature of the Lord God Himself, then we must surely understand that His promise is as eternal as He is; it does not stand only until He changes His mind, for it is written: “I am the Lord; I do not change.” Malachi 3:6
Something to remember in exploring the nature of a Covenant: one might suggest that Mary and Joseph were under the threat of LAW and would have been bringing the Boy regardless. Such a thought is not consistent with the reality, however, that the Holy Father entrusted Himself as a Child, as a helpless infant, into the care of such faithful and favored souls. For everything that has been and will be asked of Mary and Joseph, these are persons who obviously live by faith, not fear.
In Luke’s reading, it is also notable that “the Child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him” (Luke 2:33) by Simeon, a man blessed by the Holy Spirit. He was promised by the Lord Himself that he would not see death until he had placed his own eyes upon the Messiah. So we are not dealing with people of the Law here who are involved in a legalistic “baby dedication”; we are dealing strictly with people of faith. The Child is being brought into THE COVENANT by his parents. The unusual circumstances of the Child’s birth seem not to be so fresh in the minds of Mary and Joseph; they are only doing the right thing by their God and their Child according to their faith.
The mark of that Covenant, which still exists among our Jewish brethren, happens to be circumcision. And in the continuing traditions and practices of the Jewish faith, the child will make his own proclamation at his Bar-Mitzvah at the age of 13. Obviously a boy cannot be re-circumcised nor is there any need to be, not because the foreskin will have grown back and not because the child did not remember the event, but because the Covenant he was brought into was GOD’S PROMISE, not man’s.
The Covenant came to life because GOD MADE IT, not man. And the Covenant is the real deal because GOD MADE IT SO, not man. And the Covenant is everlasting and a done deal because GOD MADE THE PROMISE – it is irrelevant whether the child was old enough to remember it though at Bar-Mitzvah, the child is called upon to recall the Covenant – again – that GOD MADE. The parents, at the child’s bris, merely brought the child into GOD’S PROMISE because they … believed in the Covenant which already existed. It would become, for the child, a Covenant to freely walk away from if the child would so choose; but it was not, and is not, a Covenant the parents are free to withhold from their children.
So Paul challenges the practice of circumcision according to his understanding of the New Covenant and grace, so this is not necessarily about the validity of the physical act and certainly not about Paul’s understanding of the need for circumcision. We are, indeed, people of the New Covenant; the mark of this New Covenant is baptism. It is our duty and privilege as Christians and parents of the New Covenant to bring our young children into that New Covenant – GOD’S PROMISE, not ours, to offer all people of faith eternal life.
But even this is not about the difference between Calvinists who refute the validity of infant baptism and Arminians who uphold ALL baptism – including that of infants. It is about the sacramental nature of the Covenant. And, ultimately, about our faith.
Being a Sacrament of the Church, it is understood that Baptism, the mark of the New Covenant, then, is evidence of the Lord’s giving of Himself. It is understood that a Sacrament is HIS ACT, not man’s. Just like Holy Communion as a gathering of all Covenant people – and yes, incidentally, though “legally”, unbaptized children should not be allowed to participate in Holy Communion. There again, however, is the tricky part about explaining to a young child why he or she cannot have some Jesus! To explain to a young child why he or she is excluded from GOD’S PROMISE, especially when Jesus said: “Let the little children come to Me and DO NOT PROHIBIT THEM …”
Before us as reasonable persons, then, is but this one choice and has nothing to do with man-made traditions. We can continue to live in FEAR of doing the wrong thing the wrong way at the wrong time … or we can choose to live in FAITH that the Right Thing has already been done and is divinely imparted to us. Finally and completely. No apologies, no doubts. No Fear.
It is, ultimately, the choice responsible Christian parents make not for their children but for their GOD to bring all whom we are responsible for and entrusted with to Him and into Him through the New Covenant, the Promise He has made for all time. It is our duty and privilege to share – but it is NOT ours to withhold.
The 1st Sunday after Christmas almost always seems anti-climactic because the festive fury of Christmas reaches a particular crescendo and then suddenly dies down – or completely out. It is as if the Story that began to unfold with so much excitement and anticipation only came about in a few short weeks and then abruptly ended. To make matters worse, at least according to the church calendar, we will move into Lent in a few short weeks. So what began as the fevered pitch of excitement and anticipation at our welcoming the birth of Messiah will come to a somewhat sinister conclusion at Calvary when man utterly rejects Him, even as we know how that turns out.
This is one of the reasons why I am not entirely comfortable with the Advent season. Lent is another story and another sermon altogether, of course, but the anticipation of what will come in Advent with a BANG and a CRASH will die out as soon as everyone realizes that the Christmas season is over. The only regrets will be in saying goodbye to loved ones who came to spend the holidays with us or figuring out what to do with the ugly neck tie or the fruitcake some “thoughtful” soul gave to us.
Life goes on, however. Even during the time of Jesus’ birth, there was still much to be done and years to come before Jesus would enter into His public ministry. Until His appointed time, He is raised in the faith of His parents. In order to enter into the faith of His parents, He is brought into the Covenant by the faith of His parents. Few seem to notice or care that Jesus’ parents did not decide to “let the Boy wait until He can make His own profession of faith”. Jesus the boy, the child of Mary and Joseph, was very intentionally and rightly brought forth by His parents and was given into that about which is written, “an everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:7, 13b) established by the Lord God. According to what is written in Genesis, it is a Covenant with no shelf life, no expiration date. It is, according to the Lord God Himself, “everlasting”.
What far too many misunderstand about the nature of a Covenant is that such a Covenant is a divine promise. It is, by its very nature, the essence of the Lord, and each Covenant the Lord has offered has come by its very nature: eternal and divinely imparted to man regardless of man’s actions. That is to say, the Lord’s Covenant is His promise, His Word. If we believe in the eternal nature of the Lord God Himself, then we must surely understand that His promise is as eternal as He is; it does not stand only until He changes His mind, for it is written: “I am the Lord; I do not change.” Malachi 3:6
Something to remember in exploring the nature of a Covenant: one might suggest that Mary and Joseph were under the threat of LAW and would have been bringing the Boy regardless. Such a thought is not consistent with the reality, however, that the Holy Father entrusted Himself as a Child, as a helpless infant, into the care of such faithful and favored souls. For everything that has been and will be asked of Mary and Joseph, these are persons who obviously live by faith, not fear.
In Luke’s reading, it is also notable that “the Child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him” (Luke 2:33) by Simeon, a man blessed by the Holy Spirit. He was promised by the Lord Himself that he would not see death until he had placed his own eyes upon the Messiah. So we are not dealing with people of the Law here who are involved in a legalistic “baby dedication”; we are dealing strictly with people of faith. The Child is being brought into THE COVENANT by his parents. The unusual circumstances of the Child’s birth seem not to be so fresh in the minds of Mary and Joseph; they are only doing the right thing by their God and their Child according to their faith.
The mark of that Covenant, which still exists among our Jewish brethren, happens to be circumcision. And in the continuing traditions and practices of the Jewish faith, the child will make his own proclamation at his Bar-Mitzvah at the age of 13. Obviously a boy cannot be re-circumcised nor is there any need to be, not because the foreskin will have grown back and not because the child did not remember the event, but because the Covenant he was brought into was GOD’S PROMISE, not man’s.
The Covenant came to life because GOD MADE IT, not man. And the Covenant is the real deal because GOD MADE IT SO, not man. And the Covenant is everlasting and a done deal because GOD MADE THE PROMISE – it is irrelevant whether the child was old enough to remember it though at Bar-Mitzvah, the child is called upon to recall the Covenant – again – that GOD MADE. The parents, at the child’s bris, merely brought the child into GOD’S PROMISE because they … believed in the Covenant which already existed. It would become, for the child, a Covenant to freely walk away from if the child would so choose; but it was not, and is not, a Covenant the parents are free to withhold from their children.
So Paul challenges the practice of circumcision according to his understanding of the New Covenant and grace, so this is not necessarily about the validity of the physical act and certainly not about Paul’s understanding of the need for circumcision. We are, indeed, people of the New Covenant; the mark of this New Covenant is baptism. It is our duty and privilege as Christians and parents of the New Covenant to bring our young children into that New Covenant – GOD’S PROMISE, not ours, to offer all people of faith eternal life.
But even this is not about the difference between Calvinists who refute the validity of infant baptism and Arminians who uphold ALL baptism – including that of infants. It is about the sacramental nature of the Covenant. And, ultimately, about our faith.
Being a Sacrament of the Church, it is understood that Baptism, the mark of the New Covenant, then, is evidence of the Lord’s giving of Himself. It is understood that a Sacrament is HIS ACT, not man’s. Just like Holy Communion as a gathering of all Covenant people – and yes, incidentally, though “legally”, unbaptized children should not be allowed to participate in Holy Communion. There again, however, is the tricky part about explaining to a young child why he or she cannot have some Jesus! To explain to a young child why he or she is excluded from GOD’S PROMISE, especially when Jesus said: “Let the little children come to Me and DO NOT PROHIBIT THEM …”
Before us as reasonable persons, then, is but this one choice and has nothing to do with man-made traditions. We can continue to live in FEAR of doing the wrong thing the wrong way at the wrong time … or we can choose to live in FAITH that the Right Thing has already been done and is divinely imparted to us. Finally and completely. No apologies, no doubts. No Fear.
It is, ultimately, the choice responsible Christian parents make not for their children but for their GOD to bring all whom we are responsible for and entrusted with to Him and into Him through the New Covenant, the Promise He has made for all time. It is our duty and privilege to share – but it is NOT ours to withhold.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Christmas 2008
It’s been a tough year for many with the US economy in a tail spin and jobs being lost by the thousands. As pastor of a church that administers a food pantry, I’ve become more acutely aware of the challenges so many face in such a harsh economic climate. I’ve also become more aware of those who spend most of their time attempting to get something for nothing and will do or say most anything to get what they want. I suppose I could say more about these but they are merely incidental, if something of a pain. If we give groceries to one-hundred persons but only one among these many is that one who is genuinely in need (and does not hesitate to express such profound gratitude), then I suppose it will all have been worth it.
It is both heart-wrenching and somewhat encouraging to hear news reports about how the American Christmas shopper is being much more cautious about holiday spending and traveling; heart-wrenching in that so many of these are either about to lose their jobs or are living in fear of what may happen tomorrow at work, and encouraging in that perhaps some of these are rethinking the notion that Christmas must be expensive in order to be good. Though many of these who are being tight-fisted are likely being more practical than spiritual, it is always good that we get reason to pause so that we may reconsider the priorities of our lives. Still, it is sad to hear of so many who consider Christmas Eve or Day worship services to be obstacles to be planned around in favor of family or friendship gatherings.
I often wonder if I expect too much. I lost my secular job earlier this year and suddenly found myself caught up in the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty that this economy produced. I was in the big middle of a constantly shrinking job market and wondering where my own future would take me. Thankfully, I was able to make the transition from part-time to full-time ministry, but there was a lot of financial ground lost in the interim. I find myself now being somewhat tight-fisted and questioning my reasoning: am I in spiritual protest against the consumer-driven Christmas rush, or am I also caught up in the fear of uncertainty when even I begin to question my own faith?
I recall Christmases past as a small boy with mixed emotions. I always loved Midnight Mass and the wonderment of the Christmas story, but I also remember that it was a great way to help the time pass between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And I remember all the brightly colored packages under the tree, more than any should have, and my parents almost always put a special present somewhere else. For instance, I will never forget the Christmas when I got my first shotgun. I didn’t even ask for it, and my dad had it hidden behind the couch! What a great Christmas that turned out to be, although I soon found myself a little bored with the whole thing because I could not “play” with the shotgun just any ol’ time I pleased. It was, after all, a weapon.
As I came of age and began playing Santa for my own children, the reality of those abundant Christmases we had enjoyed as children began to hit home. I never realized what a financial burden my parents had placed upon themselves to give us a “good” Christmas until I soon found myself up to my ears in debt. And for what? Worthless crap that would not last. Oh, there would always be the occasional toy or special prize that would be remembered and cherished and valued, but for the most part the presents were just additional packages to be unwrapped to somehow make Christmas more fun.
Soon enough I became more spiritually aware of how far away from the Lord we actually move during what is supposed to be the holiest day of the year when we spend all we have – and then some! - giving our children more than they could ever possibly need or even appreciate and then dropping some left-over change in the Salvation Army buckets as a mere afterthought. It began to haunt me that the financial pain I was feeling may have been more a judgment against me than merely a result of carelessness on my part.
Even now, however, I still feel a little inadequate that I cannot give to my children all that MY own heart desires. They are old enough to understand the challenges we faced this past year, so they’ve not asked for much at all. And because they seem to “get it”, I want to give them even more.
What my wife and I have managed to give our children over the years, however, is a stable home and an abiding faith. We have raised decent children who are turning into decent adults who will one day make positive contributions to church and society and will soon enough raise up children of their own. Most importantly, however, my wife and I finally wised up and gave our children the Greatest Gift any child can receive from a parent: we gave Christmas back to Christ.
Always remember that there is no such thing as a “better” Christmas than any Christmas past, for the real Christmas – the birth of Messiah – will always stand as the best Christmas of all. For this reason alone, such a holy day deserves all our hearts, minds, souls, strength, and will.
Merry Christmas,
Michael
It is both heart-wrenching and somewhat encouraging to hear news reports about how the American Christmas shopper is being much more cautious about holiday spending and traveling; heart-wrenching in that so many of these are either about to lose their jobs or are living in fear of what may happen tomorrow at work, and encouraging in that perhaps some of these are rethinking the notion that Christmas must be expensive in order to be good. Though many of these who are being tight-fisted are likely being more practical than spiritual, it is always good that we get reason to pause so that we may reconsider the priorities of our lives. Still, it is sad to hear of so many who consider Christmas Eve or Day worship services to be obstacles to be planned around in favor of family or friendship gatherings.
I often wonder if I expect too much. I lost my secular job earlier this year and suddenly found myself caught up in the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty that this economy produced. I was in the big middle of a constantly shrinking job market and wondering where my own future would take me. Thankfully, I was able to make the transition from part-time to full-time ministry, but there was a lot of financial ground lost in the interim. I find myself now being somewhat tight-fisted and questioning my reasoning: am I in spiritual protest against the consumer-driven Christmas rush, or am I also caught up in the fear of uncertainty when even I begin to question my own faith?
I recall Christmases past as a small boy with mixed emotions. I always loved Midnight Mass and the wonderment of the Christmas story, but I also remember that it was a great way to help the time pass between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And I remember all the brightly colored packages under the tree, more than any should have, and my parents almost always put a special present somewhere else. For instance, I will never forget the Christmas when I got my first shotgun. I didn’t even ask for it, and my dad had it hidden behind the couch! What a great Christmas that turned out to be, although I soon found myself a little bored with the whole thing because I could not “play” with the shotgun just any ol’ time I pleased. It was, after all, a weapon.
As I came of age and began playing Santa for my own children, the reality of those abundant Christmases we had enjoyed as children began to hit home. I never realized what a financial burden my parents had placed upon themselves to give us a “good” Christmas until I soon found myself up to my ears in debt. And for what? Worthless crap that would not last. Oh, there would always be the occasional toy or special prize that would be remembered and cherished and valued, but for the most part the presents were just additional packages to be unwrapped to somehow make Christmas more fun.
Soon enough I became more spiritually aware of how far away from the Lord we actually move during what is supposed to be the holiest day of the year when we spend all we have – and then some! - giving our children more than they could ever possibly need or even appreciate and then dropping some left-over change in the Salvation Army buckets as a mere afterthought. It began to haunt me that the financial pain I was feeling may have been more a judgment against me than merely a result of carelessness on my part.
Even now, however, I still feel a little inadequate that I cannot give to my children all that MY own heart desires. They are old enough to understand the challenges we faced this past year, so they’ve not asked for much at all. And because they seem to “get it”, I want to give them even more.
What my wife and I have managed to give our children over the years, however, is a stable home and an abiding faith. We have raised decent children who are turning into decent adults who will one day make positive contributions to church and society and will soon enough raise up children of their own. Most importantly, however, my wife and I finally wised up and gave our children the Greatest Gift any child can receive from a parent: we gave Christmas back to Christ.
Always remember that there is no such thing as a “better” Christmas than any Christmas past, for the real Christmas – the birth of Messiah – will always stand as the best Christmas of all. For this reason alone, such a holy day deserves all our hearts, minds, souls, strength, and will.
Merry Christmas,
Michael
Friday, December 19, 2008
For Better or Worse
It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve written anything seriously. The plain truth is that I have been somewhat under the weather and have just not had much to seriously contemplate. Even my sermons these past couple of weeks have been, in my own opinion, completely lacking in substance. Maybe they’ve been adequate at least for some, but I certainly didn’t walk away feeling very good about any of it.
It doesn’t help much that we are in the midst of the Christmas season which is, for most, a joyous and happy time. Not so much for me, though. I’m not a Scrooge or a Grinch, but I am more of a quiet, “Silent Night” sort of person who likes a home that is tastefully decorated for Christmas with maybe some candles burning here and there, a faint and almost imperceptible, glowing flicker of light but not the loud, flashing, multi-colored lights that challenge a city’s power grid. The hustle-and-bustle I absolutely loathe. The mindless spending and grabbing and buying and selling I detest.
I am even at an awkward place geographically that will require that I spend virtually the entire holiday season on the road driving from one end of the state to the other if I want to see everyone in the family, some I’ve not seen in at least a year. Truth be told, it matters more to my wife than to me because I am not a “this is what Christmas is all about” kind of guy. Christmas is about Christ, pure and simple. It is about the New Covenant that the Lord God has offered to all of mankind. It is a promise He has made to us all, and we repay Him by twisting and turning this holy day into anything but a holy day. Christmas is now exactly what we have made it to be.
It is amusing to me that so many “militants” will demand that Christ be put back into Christmas, but these same people will not be in churches on Christmas Eve and certainly not on Christmas Day because they have other plans. Oh, there are exceptions as there must always be, of course, but far too many have re-created for themselves a new Winter Solstice with Christmas being merely incidental, not the other way around.
Experts have suggested that there is no way Jesus could have been born in December, that He was likely born in May or June based on what is written in Scripture and maybe a few other sources of information. If this is true, or if December 25 can even be absolutely ruled out, then let the Church return to the time closest to that of the actual birth date of Jesus and “retake” (as my militant friends would say) Christmas for what it is supposed to be: the celebration of the birth of Christ.
I remain convinced that people are leaving the Church overall not because one church is lacking this or the other church is lacking that but because the Church is not a consistent voice of integrity. Too many churches have helped the Church Universal to compromise its moral integrity and authority by bowing to the whims and wishes of a people at large who have no idea what they really want or need, so they bend and sway according to the latest trends or go running to the church with the shiniest baubles. And they are always unsettled because fads fade in favor of something else, anything else so long as it is different.
For these who bend and sway, the foundation they sorely lack – but sorely need - is constantly shifting and is never stable. A sudden shift to the right or to the left they might notice and even resist, but subtle changes made almost imperceptibly over time will help them to shift right or left according to design of the entertainment or the skilled leader. Think about it: how can a nation as the US, which claims to be over 80% Christian, be so mindlessly consumed at Christmas about everything except Christ-mass? The so-called “commercialism” is only being noticed this year because so many have lost, or are losing, jobs and homes and cars and … and ….
For the sake of reclaiming what was once the holiest day of the Christian calendar, this economic melt-down could not have come at a better time. My prayer is that we may see this time not as a curse but as the True Blessing we’ve been lacking for so long.
It doesn’t help much that we are in the midst of the Christmas season which is, for most, a joyous and happy time. Not so much for me, though. I’m not a Scrooge or a Grinch, but I am more of a quiet, “Silent Night” sort of person who likes a home that is tastefully decorated for Christmas with maybe some candles burning here and there, a faint and almost imperceptible, glowing flicker of light but not the loud, flashing, multi-colored lights that challenge a city’s power grid. The hustle-and-bustle I absolutely loathe. The mindless spending and grabbing and buying and selling I detest.
I am even at an awkward place geographically that will require that I spend virtually the entire holiday season on the road driving from one end of the state to the other if I want to see everyone in the family, some I’ve not seen in at least a year. Truth be told, it matters more to my wife than to me because I am not a “this is what Christmas is all about” kind of guy. Christmas is about Christ, pure and simple. It is about the New Covenant that the Lord God has offered to all of mankind. It is a promise He has made to us all, and we repay Him by twisting and turning this holy day into anything but a holy day. Christmas is now exactly what we have made it to be.
It is amusing to me that so many “militants” will demand that Christ be put back into Christmas, but these same people will not be in churches on Christmas Eve and certainly not on Christmas Day because they have other plans. Oh, there are exceptions as there must always be, of course, but far too many have re-created for themselves a new Winter Solstice with Christmas being merely incidental, not the other way around.
Experts have suggested that there is no way Jesus could have been born in December, that He was likely born in May or June based on what is written in Scripture and maybe a few other sources of information. If this is true, or if December 25 can even be absolutely ruled out, then let the Church return to the time closest to that of the actual birth date of Jesus and “retake” (as my militant friends would say) Christmas for what it is supposed to be: the celebration of the birth of Christ.
I remain convinced that people are leaving the Church overall not because one church is lacking this or the other church is lacking that but because the Church is not a consistent voice of integrity. Too many churches have helped the Church Universal to compromise its moral integrity and authority by bowing to the whims and wishes of a people at large who have no idea what they really want or need, so they bend and sway according to the latest trends or go running to the church with the shiniest baubles. And they are always unsettled because fads fade in favor of something else, anything else so long as it is different.
For these who bend and sway, the foundation they sorely lack – but sorely need - is constantly shifting and is never stable. A sudden shift to the right or to the left they might notice and even resist, but subtle changes made almost imperceptibly over time will help them to shift right or left according to design of the entertainment or the skilled leader. Think about it: how can a nation as the US, which claims to be over 80% Christian, be so mindlessly consumed at Christmas about everything except Christ-mass? The so-called “commercialism” is only being noticed this year because so many have lost, or are losing, jobs and homes and cars and … and ….
For the sake of reclaiming what was once the holiest day of the Christian calendar, this economic melt-down could not have come at a better time. My prayer is that we may see this time not as a curse but as the True Blessing we’ve been lacking for so long.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Commercialism and Christmas: the curse and the blessing
I always get roused up this time of year watching people fleeting from here to yonder, worrying about creating for themselves and their loved ones “the best Christmas ever”. By the time Christmas actually arrives, these same people are so wrung out and exhausted from all the anxiety that the end of the Christmas season is quite a welcome sight. It occurs to me, however, that it is not the commercialism, per se, that is the problem with Christmas; I think the problem we have goes much deeper than this, but it is much easier to blame stores and a faceless concept for trying to lead us away from the “reason for the season”. In actuality, it is we Christians who make deliberate choices that lead us away from what Christmas should be about. Commercialism, for better or worse, always has been and always will be. It is how we earn our bread and butter.
Commercialism in and of itself is not inherently evil though it could be construed as the curse brought upon us by Adam’s failure in the Garden of Eden to abide by the Word of the Lord. Because of his disobedience, man was put out of Paradise where all his needs were met and was forced to fend for himself in a world filled with thorns and thistles. Commercialism, then, is an extension of that curse which man has brought upon himself for his disobedience. We live outside of Paradise and must fend for ourselves. Perhaps it is, then, that we simply try to make the best of it.
Christmas brings to us the greatest Gift of all: the Lord’s fully and completely giving of Himself to all of humanity, to walk among us, to teach us, to guide us, to heal us, and to show us the way back to Paradise, our true Home. Because of this tremendous and remarkable Gift we’ve been given, we in turn give. It is our tradition, a tradition that we have tried to pass from generation to generation in trying to teach our young what Christmas is all about: giving. Clearly, however, the concept of what it means to give of oneself has been lost, entirely surrendered to the world of thorns and thistles.
The problem begins when we fall prey to this mindless, senseless demon better known as “consumption” or, more specifically, mindless consumption. It begins to overtake us when we, for instance, decide that our current TV (which is working just fine, by the way) is no longer good enough and we opt for the bigger, better, more technologically advanced model. And since such electronic devices have virtually no resale value, we either give the old one away or put it in the bedroom or wherever. Soon enough, this newer, bigger, better TV will be obsolete (at least in our consumption-driven mind) and in need of replacement. And Lord help us when marketers convince us of the newest “must-have” toy. Whether we need it or not, we will seek it out and pay top dollar for it. As evidenced in the past, some are willing to take a beating – or give a beating – over the last one on the shelf. We have no real need for it and have done quite well without it, but we will have allowed ourselves to be convinced that the value of our lives, or the lives of our loved ones, will somehow be forever diminished for lack of it.
Commercialism is not the problem; it is our mindless consumption mentality that leads us farther away from the true Spirit of Christmas, that Spirit being the Lord God. Without Him and His grace and mercy, there is no Christmas … period. And truly, theologically, the farther removed from Christmas we are, the farther removed from Him we are.
Christmas, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists within our contemporary society. And because Christmas is exclusively a Christian Holy Day, we Christians have no one to blame but ourselves because we are fully on board with what has become nothing more than a Winter Solstice and have fallen in line with the pagans who have overwhelmed us and influenced us rather than the other way around. And we have fallen victim to such nonsense almost mindlessly, certainly blindly, because we have believed commercials over the Bible.
I wish I had an answer that would be palpable for Christians. If a suggestion is made to parents of young children that each child get only one toy and perhaps one article of clothing and nothing else in favor of more generous gifts to a charity, these parents will likely react as if someone had lost complete control of their senses. How can “my” child face other children after Christmas who got this and this and those and that, but “my” child ONLY got this? What will the neighbors think? How our children would come to hate us if we somehow “cheated” them on Christmas! How they would soon come to hate Christmas!!
The truth is our children and our children’s children are being cheated out of Christmas and are being handed over to the pagan festival that has no mind, no soul, and no purpose. The only celebration is that of being capable of spending money for one’s own pleasure. One feels “cheated” only if there is not enough money to buy all the stuff our hearts desire, failing to realize that the birth of the Christ is still very real. Somehow, though, without the newest, latest, biggest, best device or toy, Christmas just isn’t the same, not quite so shiny or even desirable. How sad.
The bright spot in all this is that we did not arrive at this point overnight, so we will not be able to overcome the mentality overnight, but it can be done. Over time, if Christians are willing to lead by example and show the joy that Christmas is, to prove it beyond any doubt, the evidence abundant in our hearts would be compelling to many, those who need to hear it most. After all, who would desire all the cultural anxiety we only bring upon ourselves? Certainly not I.
The dull spot is that as long as Christian churches forego the Christmas services because far too many will opt out of worship in favor of parties and family gatherings (after all, this is what Christmas is really all about, right?), the Church herself will have surrendered her moral authority as the herald of the Gospel. The message will have been completely lost, and the flicker of the lighted candle of hope will be finally snuffed out.
One must still believe in miracles to have hope enough that this can change. My prayer is that there is sufficient faith among Christ’s disciples that we can one day claim and proclaim Christmas for what it truly is: a Divine Message of Hope and not a shopping season.
Commercialism in and of itself is not inherently evil though it could be construed as the curse brought upon us by Adam’s failure in the Garden of Eden to abide by the Word of the Lord. Because of his disobedience, man was put out of Paradise where all his needs were met and was forced to fend for himself in a world filled with thorns and thistles. Commercialism, then, is an extension of that curse which man has brought upon himself for his disobedience. We live outside of Paradise and must fend for ourselves. Perhaps it is, then, that we simply try to make the best of it.
Christmas brings to us the greatest Gift of all: the Lord’s fully and completely giving of Himself to all of humanity, to walk among us, to teach us, to guide us, to heal us, and to show us the way back to Paradise, our true Home. Because of this tremendous and remarkable Gift we’ve been given, we in turn give. It is our tradition, a tradition that we have tried to pass from generation to generation in trying to teach our young what Christmas is all about: giving. Clearly, however, the concept of what it means to give of oneself has been lost, entirely surrendered to the world of thorns and thistles.
The problem begins when we fall prey to this mindless, senseless demon better known as “consumption” or, more specifically, mindless consumption. It begins to overtake us when we, for instance, decide that our current TV (which is working just fine, by the way) is no longer good enough and we opt for the bigger, better, more technologically advanced model. And since such electronic devices have virtually no resale value, we either give the old one away or put it in the bedroom or wherever. Soon enough, this newer, bigger, better TV will be obsolete (at least in our consumption-driven mind) and in need of replacement. And Lord help us when marketers convince us of the newest “must-have” toy. Whether we need it or not, we will seek it out and pay top dollar for it. As evidenced in the past, some are willing to take a beating – or give a beating – over the last one on the shelf. We have no real need for it and have done quite well without it, but we will have allowed ourselves to be convinced that the value of our lives, or the lives of our loved ones, will somehow be forever diminished for lack of it.
Commercialism is not the problem; it is our mindless consumption mentality that leads us farther away from the true Spirit of Christmas, that Spirit being the Lord God. Without Him and His grace and mercy, there is no Christmas … period. And truly, theologically, the farther removed from Christmas we are, the farther removed from Him we are.
Christmas, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists within our contemporary society. And because Christmas is exclusively a Christian Holy Day, we Christians have no one to blame but ourselves because we are fully on board with what has become nothing more than a Winter Solstice and have fallen in line with the pagans who have overwhelmed us and influenced us rather than the other way around. And we have fallen victim to such nonsense almost mindlessly, certainly blindly, because we have believed commercials over the Bible.
I wish I had an answer that would be palpable for Christians. If a suggestion is made to parents of young children that each child get only one toy and perhaps one article of clothing and nothing else in favor of more generous gifts to a charity, these parents will likely react as if someone had lost complete control of their senses. How can “my” child face other children after Christmas who got this and this and those and that, but “my” child ONLY got this? What will the neighbors think? How our children would come to hate us if we somehow “cheated” them on Christmas! How they would soon come to hate Christmas!!
The truth is our children and our children’s children are being cheated out of Christmas and are being handed over to the pagan festival that has no mind, no soul, and no purpose. The only celebration is that of being capable of spending money for one’s own pleasure. One feels “cheated” only if there is not enough money to buy all the stuff our hearts desire, failing to realize that the birth of the Christ is still very real. Somehow, though, without the newest, latest, biggest, best device or toy, Christmas just isn’t the same, not quite so shiny or even desirable. How sad.
The bright spot in all this is that we did not arrive at this point overnight, so we will not be able to overcome the mentality overnight, but it can be done. Over time, if Christians are willing to lead by example and show the joy that Christmas is, to prove it beyond any doubt, the evidence abundant in our hearts would be compelling to many, those who need to hear it most. After all, who would desire all the cultural anxiety we only bring upon ourselves? Certainly not I.
The dull spot is that as long as Christian churches forego the Christmas services because far too many will opt out of worship in favor of parties and family gatherings (after all, this is what Christmas is really all about, right?), the Church herself will have surrendered her moral authority as the herald of the Gospel. The message will have been completely lost, and the flicker of the lighted candle of hope will be finally snuffed out.
One must still believe in miracles to have hope enough that this can change. My prayer is that there is sufficient faith among Christ’s disciples that we can one day claim and proclaim Christmas for what it truly is: a Divine Message of Hope and not a shopping season.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
State of the Union ... not so good
I am continually haunted by the image invoked in my mind whenever I read about Jdimytai Damour of Queens NY who was trampled to death by a crowd at a Wal Mart store on Long Island NY. Mr. Damour was a temp worker who made the mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time: being among a bunch of brutal savages who were determined to beat the person behind them to items that was being marked down for Black Friday’s special sale. “Brutal savages” may seem harsh until one reads further to find that whenever store management was preparing to close the store at the request of the police and had announced over the PA that the store would close because an employee had been killed, shoppers only expressed anger that they had been waiting in line for so long. Absolutely no remorse over the knowledge that some of these angry, “inconvenienced” shoppers might have actually and directly contributed to this innocent man’s death.
There were others who were hurt in the stampede as well, including those who tried to go to the aid of Mr. Damour. One can only imagine the mayhem that must have been so apparent … over a few lousy dollars. If anything, and in light of the sorry state of our economy, one might have been better off just holding on to the money instead of being in such a rush to spend it, in such a rush that the well-being of a fellow human being was not even incidental except that perhaps others could have tripped over him and shared his fate. Or being slowed down so as to miss that special, marked-down item. Pitiful is not adequate to express my feelings toward these “humans” who were reduced to nothing more than animals without emotion.
Those who actually felt the man beneath their feet are absolutely and unequivocally accountable to the law and to this man’s family for their part in his death, and it is extremely unsettling to know that these mindless animals would do the very same thing to your loved ones or mine. These people actually knocked the doors off the hinges once the store opened, so large and unruly and unmanageable was the crowd. Surely stores have to take their part in all this and consider what will be required to make absolutely certain such a thing never happens again.
Still, it is not the first time such things have happened – at Christmas time, no less – and what happened on Long Island will not likely be the last. Each year produces that one special “must have” toy or item that has actually seen adults come to blows over the last item on the shelf. Think of the anarchy of such a situation: it is not matter of who got there first; rather, it becomes a battle over who is stronger and more willing to harm another human being … over a friggin’ toy.
Rest in peace, Mr. Damour. I wish I could say with confidence that your untimely death will not have been in vain, but I am afraid your name will soon enough be forgotten and the only thing those responsible will be sorry about is whether or not the law catches up with them.
There were others who were hurt in the stampede as well, including those who tried to go to the aid of Mr. Damour. One can only imagine the mayhem that must have been so apparent … over a few lousy dollars. If anything, and in light of the sorry state of our economy, one might have been better off just holding on to the money instead of being in such a rush to spend it, in such a rush that the well-being of a fellow human being was not even incidental except that perhaps others could have tripped over him and shared his fate. Or being slowed down so as to miss that special, marked-down item. Pitiful is not adequate to express my feelings toward these “humans” who were reduced to nothing more than animals without emotion.
Those who actually felt the man beneath their feet are absolutely and unequivocally accountable to the law and to this man’s family for their part in his death, and it is extremely unsettling to know that these mindless animals would do the very same thing to your loved ones or mine. These people actually knocked the doors off the hinges once the store opened, so large and unruly and unmanageable was the crowd. Surely stores have to take their part in all this and consider what will be required to make absolutely certain such a thing never happens again.
Still, it is not the first time such things have happened – at Christmas time, no less – and what happened on Long Island will not likely be the last. Each year produces that one special “must have” toy or item that has actually seen adults come to blows over the last item on the shelf. Think of the anarchy of such a situation: it is not matter of who got there first; rather, it becomes a battle over who is stronger and more willing to harm another human being … over a friggin’ toy.
Rest in peace, Mr. Damour. I wish I could say with confidence that your untimely death will not have been in vain, but I am afraid your name will soon enough be forgotten and the only thing those responsible will be sorry about is whether or not the law catches up with them.
A New Reality
Eschatology; aka, “doomsday prophecy”, or “last things”, “last days”, return of Christ, end of the world. Call it what you will, but one day time and life as we currently know it will come to an end. It sounds ominous, but the truth is this is probably the very best news throughout the entire Bible. No one knows exactly what these times or days will look like, and it is actually probably for the best. Mark offers a visual of Christ descending from heaven “in clouds”, but there is not much else besides this.
The several images from The Revelation are not much help as it pertains to what we are looking for or even should be looking for since much of what John offers in The Revelation is heavily dependent on symbols and incomprehensible images. Clearly there is a message in all this imagery, but I sometimes wonder how important that particular message must be if it is so written in such a “code” that most of us cannot figure out.
It may also seem strange that the lectionary will offer such “end times” readings on the first Sunday of Advent as what is offered in Mark, but the reality is we have already experienced the birth of Christ. It is fitting and right that we should remember and celebrate that moment in time when perhaps the earth stood still and silent if but for a brief moment to welcome the Prince of Peace, but it is also appropriate for Christians to look forward with eager anticipation when the reality we have come to know as “normal” will be suddenly and completely changed … forever. This is a GOOD THING!
Thinking about the season we are about to enter into and what it must mean to all of humanity, Moses and the Exodus came to mind. Something incredible is about to take place, but not even Moses knows exactly what it will look like. The Lord clearly has something in mind, but it is not for man to know or even try to overthink such a divine mission. It should be enough for the faithful that it is in the Lord’s hands; sadly, however, this is not always true for us.
What is most astounding about the Exodus is its very essence. It would have been easy enough to make dramatic changes in Egypt itself, but the framework would still have been confined, if not downright restricted, within the borders of what must surely have been an unclean land. Rather than push for social and religious change within an existing society, it was to be that an entire New Reality would be created. So by the mighty hand of the Lord and with the mass of an entire people, Israel was freed from its 400-year bondage. There still lay ahead a 40-year journey before arrival at the destination, but the journey is part of the story – THEN and NOW.
There is a journey ahead for the faithful, and it is not conducive to the journey that we look behind us. We can and should be mindful of the mighty acts of the Lord on this incredible journey of faith, but we must never look back. And if we do not learn to look beyond the end of our noses, Christmas will always be anti-climactic.
Advent is a time of preparation, and we certainly cannot prepare ourselves for something that has already taken place. We must look forward and be prepared to forge ahead toward what will certainly become for the Lord’s faithful a New Reality, a reality in which shoppers will not storm the doors of a store and trample people to death as happened this past week in Long Island NY. A lady will not be punched in the mouth by another over the last Cabbage Patch doll, and no one will ever have to worry again about whether there is enough money to give the kids all the “stuff” their little, innocent hearts would desire to be under the tree.
Who would want to remember all that or prepare and hope for more of the same? These things are certainly in the past, but they are also our currently reality; it is where we are. Yet most of us have fond memories of Christmases past and many of us look forward to our family gatherings and celebrations, but think about how much time and energy is put into preparing for a 21st century Christmas – and how uppity we get when folks try to remove Christ from Christmas – and then give the Lord so little of ourselves. If we were to actually log each moment of each day during the time of Advents past and perhaps even now and then read it on Christmas Eve, I think we would be shocked at how little time was actually devoted to the Lord – especially in light of what we claim to believe about the birth of the Christ.
I think perhaps the birth of Messiah was the beginning of a New Reality but rather than accept it for what it was meant to be for us and for His Glory, we turned it into something else and we sufficiently “secularized” it as something much more pleasing to ourselves and our loved ones. Our “celebration”, as it is, is like what my family experienced over Thanksgiving. My wife spent HOURS preparing the menu and cooking the food. Once we finally got settled at the table, it took all of TEN MINUTES for everyone to say, “I’m full”. Then it was over. Except, of course, for the mess.
If Advent is used by the Church as nothing more than a prepatory time of remembrance, then it will be over almost before it has truly begun. Once the presents and packages have been opened, it’s over. The spirit of Christmas is no more, and we will actually BE GLAD that another busy, sometimes overwhelming Christmas, is past. Poof. Just like that. It will be as if merely getting through it with our sanity intact is destination enough for us.
All of this is solid evidence that we are in desperate NEED for a New Reality; our souls are virtually crying out for this madness to end, but we continue AND DEFEND our secular practices as if our very lives are dependent upon them. And we will call the preacher a kill-joy … my own family does … but deep down inside the very depths of the soul, you know I am speaking nothing but truth. You may not like it … my own family doesn’t … but you cannot deny it.
If there is some such thing as a “Christmas Wish”, mine would be that we would finally and completely have the courage to stand firm in our faith and say, “ENOUGH”. I get it now; I finally get it. CHRISTmas really is about the Christ, not Sears or Wal Mart or Bloomingdale’s. My Dear God in Heaven, it’s not even about my family or friends. It is solely and completely about my Lord; nothing more, nothing less. My wish, you see, is that I will truly and finally come to understand this. My prayer is that you will, too.
AMEN.
The several images from The Revelation are not much help as it pertains to what we are looking for or even should be looking for since much of what John offers in The Revelation is heavily dependent on symbols and incomprehensible images. Clearly there is a message in all this imagery, but I sometimes wonder how important that particular message must be if it is so written in such a “code” that most of us cannot figure out.
It may also seem strange that the lectionary will offer such “end times” readings on the first Sunday of Advent as what is offered in Mark, but the reality is we have already experienced the birth of Christ. It is fitting and right that we should remember and celebrate that moment in time when perhaps the earth stood still and silent if but for a brief moment to welcome the Prince of Peace, but it is also appropriate for Christians to look forward with eager anticipation when the reality we have come to know as “normal” will be suddenly and completely changed … forever. This is a GOOD THING!
Thinking about the season we are about to enter into and what it must mean to all of humanity, Moses and the Exodus came to mind. Something incredible is about to take place, but not even Moses knows exactly what it will look like. The Lord clearly has something in mind, but it is not for man to know or even try to overthink such a divine mission. It should be enough for the faithful that it is in the Lord’s hands; sadly, however, this is not always true for us.
What is most astounding about the Exodus is its very essence. It would have been easy enough to make dramatic changes in Egypt itself, but the framework would still have been confined, if not downright restricted, within the borders of what must surely have been an unclean land. Rather than push for social and religious change within an existing society, it was to be that an entire New Reality would be created. So by the mighty hand of the Lord and with the mass of an entire people, Israel was freed from its 400-year bondage. There still lay ahead a 40-year journey before arrival at the destination, but the journey is part of the story – THEN and NOW.
There is a journey ahead for the faithful, and it is not conducive to the journey that we look behind us. We can and should be mindful of the mighty acts of the Lord on this incredible journey of faith, but we must never look back. And if we do not learn to look beyond the end of our noses, Christmas will always be anti-climactic.
Advent is a time of preparation, and we certainly cannot prepare ourselves for something that has already taken place. We must look forward and be prepared to forge ahead toward what will certainly become for the Lord’s faithful a New Reality, a reality in which shoppers will not storm the doors of a store and trample people to death as happened this past week in Long Island NY. A lady will not be punched in the mouth by another over the last Cabbage Patch doll, and no one will ever have to worry again about whether there is enough money to give the kids all the “stuff” their little, innocent hearts would desire to be under the tree.
Who would want to remember all that or prepare and hope for more of the same? These things are certainly in the past, but they are also our currently reality; it is where we are. Yet most of us have fond memories of Christmases past and many of us look forward to our family gatherings and celebrations, but think about how much time and energy is put into preparing for a 21st century Christmas – and how uppity we get when folks try to remove Christ from Christmas – and then give the Lord so little of ourselves. If we were to actually log each moment of each day during the time of Advents past and perhaps even now and then read it on Christmas Eve, I think we would be shocked at how little time was actually devoted to the Lord – especially in light of what we claim to believe about the birth of the Christ.
I think perhaps the birth of Messiah was the beginning of a New Reality but rather than accept it for what it was meant to be for us and for His Glory, we turned it into something else and we sufficiently “secularized” it as something much more pleasing to ourselves and our loved ones. Our “celebration”, as it is, is like what my family experienced over Thanksgiving. My wife spent HOURS preparing the menu and cooking the food. Once we finally got settled at the table, it took all of TEN MINUTES for everyone to say, “I’m full”. Then it was over. Except, of course, for the mess.
If Advent is used by the Church as nothing more than a prepatory time of remembrance, then it will be over almost before it has truly begun. Once the presents and packages have been opened, it’s over. The spirit of Christmas is no more, and we will actually BE GLAD that another busy, sometimes overwhelming Christmas, is past. Poof. Just like that. It will be as if merely getting through it with our sanity intact is destination enough for us.
All of this is solid evidence that we are in desperate NEED for a New Reality; our souls are virtually crying out for this madness to end, but we continue AND DEFEND our secular practices as if our very lives are dependent upon them. And we will call the preacher a kill-joy … my own family does … but deep down inside the very depths of the soul, you know I am speaking nothing but truth. You may not like it … my own family doesn’t … but you cannot deny it.
If there is some such thing as a “Christmas Wish”, mine would be that we would finally and completely have the courage to stand firm in our faith and say, “ENOUGH”. I get it now; I finally get it. CHRISTmas really is about the Christ, not Sears or Wal Mart or Bloomingdale’s. My Dear God in Heaven, it’s not even about my family or friends. It is solely and completely about my Lord; nothing more, nothing less. My wish, you see, is that I will truly and finally come to understand this. My prayer is that you will, too.
AMEN.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Freedom of Choice: the destruction of a generation
In the midst of an economic crisis in which hundreds of thousands of Americans have already lost jobs and many thousands more are in danger of losing their jobs with no reasonable prospects in the near future, the president-elect of the United States offered to the Planned Parrenthood Action Fund on July 17, 2007: "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."
Whether his comment was nothing more than empty campaign rhetoric directed at a particular crowd or a solemn vow made to a nation, it is difficult to believe that in the middle of such a melt-down in which so many are losing so much and face an uncertain future, the soon-to-be-inaugurated president of this nation can only believe that furthering the cause of abortion is a prudent and urgent priority. And if there are those who might suggest that candidate/senator Obama could not have known then how serious the economy would be today, I would suggest that he might have spent more time in the Senate doing his job than being on the road seeking another job.
Back on track, however. The very idea that such a proposal as the so-called Freedom of Choice Act could even be seriously discussed among civilized people is an affront to everything we claim to hold near and dear. The bill effectively stipulates that no state can restrict access to abortion on any level. This means no waiting periods, no questions, no exams, no warnings. By its wording, it could come down to the government obligating itself to actually financing, building, and staffing abortion clinics due to the fact that there are so many counties lacking in such facilities across the nation. The language would further obligate the US government to begin financing abortions through Medicaid. In other words, the government would be obliged to move beyond protecting the “culture of death” and into the actual business of promoting and facilitating death.
Within the wording of this bill, there is even the risk that minor children (not “women” in any sense of the word) who cannot obtain an abortion without parental consent or who cannot be transported across state lines by another adult will, under the guise of this bill, find themselves flush with new opportunities to obtain an abortion (not to mention the possible adult male who made such pregnancy possible in the first place, who can then take the CHILD to another state to eliminate the evidence). The possiblilities which exist under the wording of this proposal are endless, including the deliberate termination of the life of a child who survived the abortion procedure. And we think there are cultures less civilized than our own?
The whole rationale driving this bill to so-to-be President Obama’s desk is faulty, to say the least. Most of the existing restrictions pertain to underaged minor children making such decisions without the knowledge and/or consent of her parents. This is allowing the intercession of courts or other adults with no real stake in such a monumental decision except maybe a misguided concept of what “liberty” really means (or making such damning evidence disappear). These same adults will not be around to help clean up the emotional mess that is sure to follow, as statistics and testimony from countless women will attest to. These adults who would presume to know better than a girl’s own parents what is best for the pregnant child would be no more responsible than to see to it that the child is delivered safely back home.
Parents whose children will have endured such a traumatic event will have no clue why their daughter’s grades have begun to fall or why their child has suddenly withdrawn from life altogether. This child will be without the needed help because her parents will have been clueless as to what took place. If the parents were to find out that their child was taken across the state line, they would have no legal recourse.
If we are going to go this route and if this bill can actually make such things possible, then we may as well end the charade of differentiating between adult and child by such an arbitrary measure as biological age and make adulthood contingent upon puberty. Then the former child can quit school if desired, can get married, can enter into legal contracts, buy booze, or join the military. Such scenarios are not completely outside the realm of reason if we are going to allow minor children to take on such decisions as deciding whether to obtain an abortion without parental consent.
If such a bill actually becomes law, we parents will have relegated to the government our God-given, divinely ordained duties and responsibilties and surrendered our children to strangers, the same strangers we will have taught them to be leary of. By such actions it will not be exclusively the thousands of aborted children who will never see the light of day. The generation that was to be are those whose innocence will have been sacrified … for the sake of “liberty”.
Whether his comment was nothing more than empty campaign rhetoric directed at a particular crowd or a solemn vow made to a nation, it is difficult to believe that in the middle of such a melt-down in which so many are losing so much and face an uncertain future, the soon-to-be-inaugurated president of this nation can only believe that furthering the cause of abortion is a prudent and urgent priority. And if there are those who might suggest that candidate/senator Obama could not have known then how serious the economy would be today, I would suggest that he might have spent more time in the Senate doing his job than being on the road seeking another job.
Back on track, however. The very idea that such a proposal as the so-called Freedom of Choice Act could even be seriously discussed among civilized people is an affront to everything we claim to hold near and dear. The bill effectively stipulates that no state can restrict access to abortion on any level. This means no waiting periods, no questions, no exams, no warnings. By its wording, it could come down to the government obligating itself to actually financing, building, and staffing abortion clinics due to the fact that there are so many counties lacking in such facilities across the nation. The language would further obligate the US government to begin financing abortions through Medicaid. In other words, the government would be obliged to move beyond protecting the “culture of death” and into the actual business of promoting and facilitating death.
Within the wording of this bill, there is even the risk that minor children (not “women” in any sense of the word) who cannot obtain an abortion without parental consent or who cannot be transported across state lines by another adult will, under the guise of this bill, find themselves flush with new opportunities to obtain an abortion (not to mention the possible adult male who made such pregnancy possible in the first place, who can then take the CHILD to another state to eliminate the evidence). The possiblilities which exist under the wording of this proposal are endless, including the deliberate termination of the life of a child who survived the abortion procedure. And we think there are cultures less civilized than our own?
The whole rationale driving this bill to so-to-be President Obama’s desk is faulty, to say the least. Most of the existing restrictions pertain to underaged minor children making such decisions without the knowledge and/or consent of her parents. This is allowing the intercession of courts or other adults with no real stake in such a monumental decision except maybe a misguided concept of what “liberty” really means (or making such damning evidence disappear). These same adults will not be around to help clean up the emotional mess that is sure to follow, as statistics and testimony from countless women will attest to. These adults who would presume to know better than a girl’s own parents what is best for the pregnant child would be no more responsible than to see to it that the child is delivered safely back home.
Parents whose children will have endured such a traumatic event will have no clue why their daughter’s grades have begun to fall or why their child has suddenly withdrawn from life altogether. This child will be without the needed help because her parents will have been clueless as to what took place. If the parents were to find out that their child was taken across the state line, they would have no legal recourse.
If we are going to go this route and if this bill can actually make such things possible, then we may as well end the charade of differentiating between adult and child by such an arbitrary measure as biological age and make adulthood contingent upon puberty. Then the former child can quit school if desired, can get married, can enter into legal contracts, buy booze, or join the military. Such scenarios are not completely outside the realm of reason if we are going to allow minor children to take on such decisions as deciding whether to obtain an abortion without parental consent.
If such a bill actually becomes law, we parents will have relegated to the government our God-given, divinely ordained duties and responsibilties and surrendered our children to strangers, the same strangers we will have taught them to be leary of. By such actions it will not be exclusively the thousands of aborted children who will never see the light of day. The generation that was to be are those whose innocence will have been sacrified … for the sake of “liberty”.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Expectations and Demands
The separation of church and state is an ideal that was expressed by Thomas Jefferson in a letter he wrote in 1802 in which he offered his interpretation of the First Amendment, the intent of which he believed was to “build a wall of separation between Church and state”. Contrary to certain opinion, that particular phrase is not used in the US Constitution; rather, it is expressed and implied. It is not clear that Mr. Jefferson intended much more than to express his belief that the government must remain absolutely neutral in matters of religious faith and practice, believing, as he wrote, “that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship.”
Also contrary to popular opinion, Thomas Jefferson was a diest rather than a Christian. He believed in the morality of Bible, but he did not seem to embrace Christian doctrines of man. He even actually rewrote his own version of the Bible and removed the “miracles” among other things. Long story short, especially since this is not about Thomas Jefferson, not only did he believe that government must stay out of the religion business completely; he also believed that the Church should not expect to use government to enforce its doctrines.
Believing that this nation was founded solely by those seeking religious freedom is not entirely accurate. Oh, there were some who did flee Europe in search of a place in which to be free from religious persecution, but it was not in Puritan Massachussetts where Governor John Winthrop’s ideal of a “shining city upon a hill” was the very essence of religious Intolerance, meaning that it was the Puritan way across the board or no way at all. Even in religious matters among religious people it had become necessary for preacher Roger Williams to flee from THAT religious eutopia for the sake of his very life because he believed that government and religion are not compatible.
The concept of the separation of Church and state is both comforting and problematic. In one sense, it reminds us that the power of our government is constitutionally restricted in several matters, religion being but one. It is comforting to know that we are free to attend the church of our choice without fear. It is problematic in that our religion is our primary source of moral value. We typically “do” or “don’t” because the Bible says so. Our understanding of ethical behavior stems in no small measure from our understanding of what the Lord requires of us. Christians generally do not concern themselves with what Plato or Socrates may have thought or taught.
How can such understandings be problematic on any level? It is much in the same way that some Christians will deny the legitimacy of infant baptism while others will defend it. One will insist that the other is WRONG, refusing to acknowledge that a difference of opinion and understanding exists. And this is just one particular religious doctrine. Imagine some of our social hot-button issues! If we thought partisan politics was a mess, imagine adding religious doctrine to it! In Puritan Massachussetts such disagreements over religious doctrines as a matter of state policy could become a matter of life or death by the decree of a single person. So much for “religious freedom”; just ask Roger Williams! It would be more accurate to express the ideal that one would be “free” only to agree with the prevailing human authority according to that authority’s understanding.
The separation of Church and state is problematic also in that a religious “litmus” test is expressly prohibited by Article VI of the US Constitution. Such a prohibition suggests that we are not supposed to even consider a person’s religion as we determine his or her fitness for office. Well, good luck with that one. Because we do. Measure. A Person’s Value. According to whether that person’s religious point of view is compatible with our own.
When we do begin to apply or even impose our standards of religion in such ways, it is possible that we blur what should be a distinct line of separation not between Church and state but between that which is holy and that which is not and become downright unreasonable in our demands and expectations. So then it is not a matter of secular constitutional requirements. Instead it becomes a matter of actually taking from the Lord and giving over to “Caesar” rather than merely separating one from the other.
The Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus into either alienating Himself from the people or from the Roman government, and they mistakenly used the one thing that has absolutely no real value in the kingdom of Heaven. Even still, I don’t think money or taxes were themselves the real issues that the Pharisees were trying to raise with Jesus. The real problem, or the real challenge, for Christians is in making a distinction between that which really does exclusively belong to the secular government and that which is exclusively holy.
The main difference between such separations in what we offer comes down to a difference between that which is given freely and that which is compulsory under threat of law. Would we freely and voluntarily withhold from our income a portion set aside exclusively for the government? The reality is that we must contribute to our society in such a way but the other truth of that reality is that if we DON’T, we could go to prison and/or have our assets and property confiscated. Whether we like it or not, the taxes WILL be paid.
What happens, however, when we withhold from the Lord? And please know that I am not talking exclusively about tithes or money. What happens if we do not go to church? What happens if we do go to church, but we expect to be entertained rather than to come with an open and willing heart, ready to worship? What happens if we withhold our financial support from the Church because we don’t like the music or we don’t like the preacher or we don’t like a particular person or we don’t like the color of the choir robes?
Nothing. In this life and in the moment, absolutely nothing will happen. The world will not stop spinning on its axis, and the stars and moon will remain right where they are. Life will pretty much continue as before. For as long as that life lasts. We will remain wrapped in our own cocoon of self-preservation, and we will live according to our own desires, expectations, and demands. No one will be the richer for our behavior, to be sure, but no one will be any poorer for it.
In that self-sustaining world, however, Love does not exist except the love we might have only toward those things and people who suit us, those things we can actually see and feel or taste and touch. And those things exist solely for the purpose of pleasing us. That is not Love; it is a life sentence.
That which belongs to the Lord God is that which has already been offered and is freely given for no reason other than love. It is that we are consciously aware that such a thing took place some 2000 years ago for no reason other than love. And if any among us are so geared in such a way that the word “love” makes us uncomfortable, then call it a Remarkable Gift. It is a Gift with no strings, no demands, no expecations. Only an offer of Life. There is nothing we have to do before we choose to receive this Remarkable Gift except to believe it possible. After that, the Lord will take care of the rest … IF we are willing.
There is no document that requires the Lord to offer this; there is only His heart. Shall we break that Heart, or shall we fulfill it?
Also contrary to popular opinion, Thomas Jefferson was a diest rather than a Christian. He believed in the morality of Bible, but he did not seem to embrace Christian doctrines of man. He even actually rewrote his own version of the Bible and removed the “miracles” among other things. Long story short, especially since this is not about Thomas Jefferson, not only did he believe that government must stay out of the religion business completely; he also believed that the Church should not expect to use government to enforce its doctrines.
Believing that this nation was founded solely by those seeking religious freedom is not entirely accurate. Oh, there were some who did flee Europe in search of a place in which to be free from religious persecution, but it was not in Puritan Massachussetts where Governor John Winthrop’s ideal of a “shining city upon a hill” was the very essence of religious Intolerance, meaning that it was the Puritan way across the board or no way at all. Even in religious matters among religious people it had become necessary for preacher Roger Williams to flee from THAT religious eutopia for the sake of his very life because he believed that government and religion are not compatible.
The concept of the separation of Church and state is both comforting and problematic. In one sense, it reminds us that the power of our government is constitutionally restricted in several matters, religion being but one. It is comforting to know that we are free to attend the church of our choice without fear. It is problematic in that our religion is our primary source of moral value. We typically “do” or “don’t” because the Bible says so. Our understanding of ethical behavior stems in no small measure from our understanding of what the Lord requires of us. Christians generally do not concern themselves with what Plato or Socrates may have thought or taught.
How can such understandings be problematic on any level? It is much in the same way that some Christians will deny the legitimacy of infant baptism while others will defend it. One will insist that the other is WRONG, refusing to acknowledge that a difference of opinion and understanding exists. And this is just one particular religious doctrine. Imagine some of our social hot-button issues! If we thought partisan politics was a mess, imagine adding religious doctrine to it! In Puritan Massachussetts such disagreements over religious doctrines as a matter of state policy could become a matter of life or death by the decree of a single person. So much for “religious freedom”; just ask Roger Williams! It would be more accurate to express the ideal that one would be “free” only to agree with the prevailing human authority according to that authority’s understanding.
The separation of Church and state is problematic also in that a religious “litmus” test is expressly prohibited by Article VI of the US Constitution. Such a prohibition suggests that we are not supposed to even consider a person’s religion as we determine his or her fitness for office. Well, good luck with that one. Because we do. Measure. A Person’s Value. According to whether that person’s religious point of view is compatible with our own.
When we do begin to apply or even impose our standards of religion in such ways, it is possible that we blur what should be a distinct line of separation not between Church and state but between that which is holy and that which is not and become downright unreasonable in our demands and expectations. So then it is not a matter of secular constitutional requirements. Instead it becomes a matter of actually taking from the Lord and giving over to “Caesar” rather than merely separating one from the other.
The Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus into either alienating Himself from the people or from the Roman government, and they mistakenly used the one thing that has absolutely no real value in the kingdom of Heaven. Even still, I don’t think money or taxes were themselves the real issues that the Pharisees were trying to raise with Jesus. The real problem, or the real challenge, for Christians is in making a distinction between that which really does exclusively belong to the secular government and that which is exclusively holy.
The main difference between such separations in what we offer comes down to a difference between that which is given freely and that which is compulsory under threat of law. Would we freely and voluntarily withhold from our income a portion set aside exclusively for the government? The reality is that we must contribute to our society in such a way but the other truth of that reality is that if we DON’T, we could go to prison and/or have our assets and property confiscated. Whether we like it or not, the taxes WILL be paid.
What happens, however, when we withhold from the Lord? And please know that I am not talking exclusively about tithes or money. What happens if we do not go to church? What happens if we do go to church, but we expect to be entertained rather than to come with an open and willing heart, ready to worship? What happens if we withhold our financial support from the Church because we don’t like the music or we don’t like the preacher or we don’t like a particular person or we don’t like the color of the choir robes?
Nothing. In this life and in the moment, absolutely nothing will happen. The world will not stop spinning on its axis, and the stars and moon will remain right where they are. Life will pretty much continue as before. For as long as that life lasts. We will remain wrapped in our own cocoon of self-preservation, and we will live according to our own desires, expectations, and demands. No one will be the richer for our behavior, to be sure, but no one will be any poorer for it.
In that self-sustaining world, however, Love does not exist except the love we might have only toward those things and people who suit us, those things we can actually see and feel or taste and touch. And those things exist solely for the purpose of pleasing us. That is not Love; it is a life sentence.
That which belongs to the Lord God is that which has already been offered and is freely given for no reason other than love. It is that we are consciously aware that such a thing took place some 2000 years ago for no reason other than love. And if any among us are so geared in such a way that the word “love” makes us uncomfortable, then call it a Remarkable Gift. It is a Gift with no strings, no demands, no expecations. Only an offer of Life. There is nothing we have to do before we choose to receive this Remarkable Gift except to believe it possible. After that, the Lord will take care of the rest … IF we are willing.
There is no document that requires the Lord to offer this; there is only His heart. Shall we break that Heart, or shall we fulfill it?
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Certain Realities
As I was reading over some previous thoughts I’d written recently, I came across one tidbit that caught my eye and mind even more now than when I wrote it: lotteries never made problems disappear. Now that the lottery initiative has passed in Arkansas, I am left to wonder exactly what is important to Arkansans in the midst of an economic meltdown in which thousands of Americans are losing jobs each month but few new jobs are being created. Many are losing their homes through no fault of their own, and there are no real prospects for recovery until we figure out how to put Americans back to work.
In the midst of this certain reality, Arkansans decided that we need a lottery. Amazing. Incredible. Unbelievable. There is widespread financial calamity, banks are failing, people have no savings (and subsequently, no money for banks to loan), and Social Security is on the verge of collapse; yet Arkansans decided that a lottery, a game of chance that will benefit the very few (those who might win and those who wanted to go to college but were unable to acquire grants, loans, or scholarships in the past), has been what Arkansas has been lacking all this time. Arkansas has never been a real booming state for employment opportunities yet through due diligence and determination, Conway AR landed a 1200-new-jobs employer … without the benefit of a lottery.
I cannot adequately express my profound disappointment in this lottery initiative being approved, but my disappointment has little to do with my own personal or religious objections. It has more to do with the fact that one of this state’s constitutional officers has devoted his entire political existence to this lottery’s passage; I’m not aware that he has done much else such as using his office and its resources as well as his obvious sales talent to figure out new ways to help Arkansas businesses expand their operations and HIRE MORE PEOPLE. Or figure out what it will take to attract even more new businesses to set up shop in Arkansas.
I will live with it, of course, and I do have a certain level of respect for the process that allowed citizens to vote on the measure. There is little else I can do now beyond hope and pray that we will not be led to burning incense or sacrificing animals at the altar of the gaming gods as if we have finally discovered our true salvation. I think in the end, though, every objection that was raised will soon enough be realized as we come to discover that all we did was to create another state agency whose sole purpose of existence will be to convince Arkansans to spend more of what little money many have on a one-in-several-million chance of maybe hitting “the big one” … as if money ever solved any real problems.
My presidential choice did not win, yet this great republic has endured and come Jan 20, Mr. Obama will become my president and yours. My choices for the US Senate and the US House didn’t do much better (can I pick ‘em, or what?), but this lottery initiative I find to be gravely disappointing. As with any other election, however, we get what we ask for and in the end, we are called, as a civilized people, to respect the choices of the majority.
In the midst of this certain reality, Arkansans decided that we need a lottery. Amazing. Incredible. Unbelievable. There is widespread financial calamity, banks are failing, people have no savings (and subsequently, no money for banks to loan), and Social Security is on the verge of collapse; yet Arkansans decided that a lottery, a game of chance that will benefit the very few (those who might win and those who wanted to go to college but were unable to acquire grants, loans, or scholarships in the past), has been what Arkansas has been lacking all this time. Arkansas has never been a real booming state for employment opportunities yet through due diligence and determination, Conway AR landed a 1200-new-jobs employer … without the benefit of a lottery.
I cannot adequately express my profound disappointment in this lottery initiative being approved, but my disappointment has little to do with my own personal or religious objections. It has more to do with the fact that one of this state’s constitutional officers has devoted his entire political existence to this lottery’s passage; I’m not aware that he has done much else such as using his office and its resources as well as his obvious sales talent to figure out new ways to help Arkansas businesses expand their operations and HIRE MORE PEOPLE. Or figure out what it will take to attract even more new businesses to set up shop in Arkansas.
I will live with it, of course, and I do have a certain level of respect for the process that allowed citizens to vote on the measure. There is little else I can do now beyond hope and pray that we will not be led to burning incense or sacrificing animals at the altar of the gaming gods as if we have finally discovered our true salvation. I think in the end, though, every objection that was raised will soon enough be realized as we come to discover that all we did was to create another state agency whose sole purpose of existence will be to convince Arkansans to spend more of what little money many have on a one-in-several-million chance of maybe hitting “the big one” … as if money ever solved any real problems.
My presidential choice did not win, yet this great republic has endured and come Jan 20, Mr. Obama will become my president and yours. My choices for the US Senate and the US House didn’t do much better (can I pick ‘em, or what?), but this lottery initiative I find to be gravely disappointing. As with any other election, however, we get what we ask for and in the end, we are called, as a civilized people, to respect the choices of the majority.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Right Where We Are
Another election has come and gone, and I cannot say that I am surprised at the outcome especially as we continue to endure the current economic environment. The various results of this election were not as I had hoped, but I understand that people are tired and more than a little fearful as jobs are disappearing by the thousands with no end in sight. Markets have taken such a beating that many among the elderly are afraid that all they have to live on could disappear in one bad decision before they would even realize what happened. And let’s face it: these are the majority of citizens who voted. I do not necessarily believe in the “change” that was the mantra of a successful campaign, but of this I am sure: we cannot continue on the current course.
Capitalism unchecked (that is, without sufficient regulation) is akin to anarchy: only the strong survive. The rest are at the mercy of those who make the rules and call the shots. Falling gasoline prices is solid evidence that a free market will respond to a certain reality, but our economy as it is right now is in a freefall into an abyss. The “experts” are unable to tell us where the bottom is or what that bottom may look like, so it is little wonder that voters chose to go in another direction, hoping to reverse the downward spiral.
Make no mistake. Mr. Obama is not going to be able to wave a magic wand and make all the bad stuff go away. He is only a man; he is not a messiah or Moses or Martin Luther King incarnate. President-elect Obama faces some rather daunting challenges that can be seriously addressed only if the entire Congress, Republicans included, will focus on the matters at hand and not on the mid-term elections of 2010.
There is much to be done in the coming years, but citizens of this republic are going to have to do more than simply show up to vote. We are going to have to become better informed (in an age in which being uninformed is simple complacency or sheer laziness) and more involved in the political process. Our voices in the Congress must know what we expect from them; that they are required to represent us and not attempt to lead us. In this and in many other areas, we must be willing to take responsibility for the future of our nation as well as to prepare to suffer the consequences that will surely come if government is left to its own.
This is where we are. Whether we got what we wanted in this election is not nearly as important as making the most of what we have. Expect debate and disagreement, but demand and offer respect. And know that in the end, we will get exactly what we asked for. Let us continue to hope, for this is the ideal of America herself. All is well if we want it to be.
Capitalism unchecked (that is, without sufficient regulation) is akin to anarchy: only the strong survive. The rest are at the mercy of those who make the rules and call the shots. Falling gasoline prices is solid evidence that a free market will respond to a certain reality, but our economy as it is right now is in a freefall into an abyss. The “experts” are unable to tell us where the bottom is or what that bottom may look like, so it is little wonder that voters chose to go in another direction, hoping to reverse the downward spiral.
Make no mistake. Mr. Obama is not going to be able to wave a magic wand and make all the bad stuff go away. He is only a man; he is not a messiah or Moses or Martin Luther King incarnate. President-elect Obama faces some rather daunting challenges that can be seriously addressed only if the entire Congress, Republicans included, will focus on the matters at hand and not on the mid-term elections of 2010.
There is much to be done in the coming years, but citizens of this republic are going to have to do more than simply show up to vote. We are going to have to become better informed (in an age in which being uninformed is simple complacency or sheer laziness) and more involved in the political process. Our voices in the Congress must know what we expect from them; that they are required to represent us and not attempt to lead us. In this and in many other areas, we must be willing to take responsibility for the future of our nation as well as to prepare to suffer the consequences that will surely come if government is left to its own.
This is where we are. Whether we got what we wanted in this election is not nearly as important as making the most of what we have. Expect debate and disagreement, but demand and offer respect. And know that in the end, we will get exactly what we asked for. Let us continue to hope, for this is the ideal of America herself. All is well if we want it to be.
Monday, November 03, 2008
I Just Do Not Know
I am at a total loss as to how I feel about tomorrow’s election. I expect that in the midst of a recession, such as happened in 1992 when the Republican George H.W. Bush lost the presidency to Democrat Bill Clinton, a change of party might be the order of the day. I don’t know that party affiliation will matter much, but the perception that we are making some profound change can be compelling. Right now, Republicans are not the party “du jour”.
I am uncomfortable with what I perceive to be Obama’s socialist leanings, but I am not entirely adverse to this government doing something to protect American jobs although I should think that tax BREAKS instead of tax INCREASES would likely come closer to producing that desired result, but what do I know?
Here are a few things I think I know:
• Tax breaks have created jobs in the past
• Just because “the poor” get extra money to spend for groceries and utilities does not mean that the economy will recover as a result.
• A recovering and expanding economy will result in much greater opportunites for the poor than simply extra money for the light bill
• Lotteries never made any problems disappear
• The national debt did not come about only in the last eight years• The housing crisis is caused by GREED from top to bottom, from inside to out (government and lending officials) … PERIOD. Oh, and also by future and soon-to-be-former homeowners who believed they could afford a $500,000.00 home on a $40,000.00 income (is this greed, stupidity, or just wishful thinking?)
• It takes more than a couple of years in the US Senate to prepare one for the presidency
• Being an armed forces veteran does not always or necessarily prepare one to serve as commander-in-chief (witness Naval Academy graduate Jimmy Carter)
• Obama is NOT a messiah nor is he Moses or MLK incarnate, as has been inferred by more than a few. He is just a man, people; just a man
• Obama is not Islam
• The Lord Christ Jesus is NOT running for public office and is not manifest in any candidate. He was not a Democrat or a Republican nor would He ever choose an alliance by which He would clearly be seen as favoring anyone. Jesus would not join parties; parties join Him
• I have no idea what might happen if Obama loses the election though I suspect accusations of voter fraud will be in the offing. It could not possibly be that Obama might actually get fewer votes; it would have to be Republican dirty tricks
• I have no idea what a “yellow dog” or “blue dog” Democrat is as opposed to a regular Democrat, but I do know it is ironic that those who are BY GOD Democrats will not vote for Obama but will vote for their Democratic congressman and Democratic senator, both of whom will ultimately support a Democratic president after having publicly supported a Democratic candidate for president. To them, party affilation DOES matter … way much
• Social Security will never be “fixed” unless or until all members of Congress are forced to participate in it (not in addition to the awesome retirement benefits they’ve given themselves; rather, INSTEAD OF …)
• Industry regulations are good things if they do not hinder capital investment
• Industry chiefs who are paid hundreds of millions of dollars annually are actually very clever to have been able to land such gigs. It is perhaps the hiring and contract authorities who should have their heads examined … if they can get their heads sufficiently removed from their rectums
• Colleges and universities that allow private foundations to subsidize an athletic coach’s salary above and far beyond state-mandated salary caps are compromising the very integrity of the institutions of higher education they claim to represent
• State elected officials who allow colleges and universities to allow private foundations to subsidize athletic coach’s salaries should be removed from office, tarred and feathered, and left standing in the public squares for the duration of an athletic season
• The “last days” period as referred to in the Bible and by Christians is now some 2,000 years old and counting ….
• Christians are, on many levels, the most superstitious group of persons
• This election will not necessarily hasten the end of these “last days”, regardless of its outcome
• The Lord is not subject to the will of man
I would like to believe such a list to be exhaustive but the truth is there is only so much I actually know although there is probably a lot more that I think I know. In the end, the results of this election will have zero effect on one’s relationship with the Lord. If the Lord is going to choose to manipulate this US election and He is the God of all nations, then why did He not intervene when Saddam Hussein was reelected president of Iraq (his last term, incidentally)?
Be very careful in such feeble attempts to invoke the name of the Lord. The commandment which prohibits such is not exclusively referring to one particular word. We will get from this election exactly what we ask for, so there is no need to attempt spiritual incantations or blasphemy.
I am uncomfortable with what I perceive to be Obama’s socialist leanings, but I am not entirely adverse to this government doing something to protect American jobs although I should think that tax BREAKS instead of tax INCREASES would likely come closer to producing that desired result, but what do I know?
Here are a few things I think I know:
• Tax breaks have created jobs in the past
• Just because “the poor” get extra money to spend for groceries and utilities does not mean that the economy will recover as a result.
• A recovering and expanding economy will result in much greater opportunites for the poor than simply extra money for the light bill
• Lotteries never made any problems disappear
• The national debt did not come about only in the last eight years• The housing crisis is caused by GREED from top to bottom, from inside to out (government and lending officials) … PERIOD. Oh, and also by future and soon-to-be-former homeowners who believed they could afford a $500,000.00 home on a $40,000.00 income (is this greed, stupidity, or just wishful thinking?)
• It takes more than a couple of years in the US Senate to prepare one for the presidency
• Being an armed forces veteran does not always or necessarily prepare one to serve as commander-in-chief (witness Naval Academy graduate Jimmy Carter)
• Obama is NOT a messiah nor is he Moses or MLK incarnate, as has been inferred by more than a few. He is just a man, people; just a man
• Obama is not Islam
• The Lord Christ Jesus is NOT running for public office and is not manifest in any candidate. He was not a Democrat or a Republican nor would He ever choose an alliance by which He would clearly be seen as favoring anyone. Jesus would not join parties; parties join Him
• I have no idea what might happen if Obama loses the election though I suspect accusations of voter fraud will be in the offing. It could not possibly be that Obama might actually get fewer votes; it would have to be Republican dirty tricks
• I have no idea what a “yellow dog” or “blue dog” Democrat is as opposed to a regular Democrat, but I do know it is ironic that those who are BY GOD Democrats will not vote for Obama but will vote for their Democratic congressman and Democratic senator, both of whom will ultimately support a Democratic president after having publicly supported a Democratic candidate for president. To them, party affilation DOES matter … way much
• Social Security will never be “fixed” unless or until all members of Congress are forced to participate in it (not in addition to the awesome retirement benefits they’ve given themselves; rather, INSTEAD OF …)
• Industry regulations are good things if they do not hinder capital investment
• Industry chiefs who are paid hundreds of millions of dollars annually are actually very clever to have been able to land such gigs. It is perhaps the hiring and contract authorities who should have their heads examined … if they can get their heads sufficiently removed from their rectums
• Colleges and universities that allow private foundations to subsidize an athletic coach’s salary above and far beyond state-mandated salary caps are compromising the very integrity of the institutions of higher education they claim to represent
• State elected officials who allow colleges and universities to allow private foundations to subsidize athletic coach’s salaries should be removed from office, tarred and feathered, and left standing in the public squares for the duration of an athletic season
• The “last days” period as referred to in the Bible and by Christians is now some 2,000 years old and counting ….
• Christians are, on many levels, the most superstitious group of persons
• This election will not necessarily hasten the end of these “last days”, regardless of its outcome
• The Lord is not subject to the will of man
I would like to believe such a list to be exhaustive but the truth is there is only so much I actually know although there is probably a lot more that I think I know. In the end, the results of this election will have zero effect on one’s relationship with the Lord. If the Lord is going to choose to manipulate this US election and He is the God of all nations, then why did He not intervene when Saddam Hussein was reelected president of Iraq (his last term, incidentally)?
Be very careful in such feeble attempts to invoke the name of the Lord. The commandment which prohibits such is not exclusively referring to one particular word. We will get from this election exactly what we ask for, so there is no need to attempt spiritual incantations or blasphemy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)