jeffreymark

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE REWRITE

Sadly, Michael Ramirez went yard today. I've been opining about this sad state of moral affairs in our nation for quite some time now. If we don't get over ourselves we may encounter some very hard times-times that make today's headlines look like an invitation to Disney World. Sadly, the horizon looks a little bare in the leadership department. Even our Republican candidates look as though they are debating on a horse and pony show. It's a joke. I'm afraid if we discovered a true leader we might crucify him for telling us what we need to hear.

In the mean time, a cartoonist-a cartoonist for God's sake, has sounded the clarion call. Let Mr. Ramirez's piece serve as a prophetic word to all who will listen. (click on picture)

WHAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICA? (Post 9/11 Thoughts)

On this the tenth anniversary of 9/11 we indelibly remember the heroism; the love for our fellow citizens wee felt that day. For one brief moment we dropped our litigious nature and grew up. The enemy thought he could destroy America by hitting our heartbeat-our financial center. He was wrong. He is dead and capitalism continues to thrive.

We Americans, when attacked, act like one big family. Blood is thicker than water and we are blood kin in a metaphorical sort of way. "We may not like our current elected officials," we exclaim, "but you foreigners keep your stinkin' noses out of our business." Like my little brother, I may pick on him all day long. If you, however, touch him you may have holy hell to pay. 

And we ought to vigorously defend our nation. After all if she sinks we go down with the ship. So, with fists raised, ears perked, and eyes fixed, we passionately scan the American horizon for enemy invasions.

On the other hand, we Americans face an enemy of a different cloth than the one with a table cloth over their heads. This enemy is surreptitious. It unassumingly invades our national character. We know it as selfishness. This disease stands as the root of all evil.The Bible gives it a name-satan (the true great satan). Selfcenteredness ruins families, friendships, and any other relationships we may value. Selfcenteredness hung Jesus (the opposite of selfishness, therefore our salvation) on a cross. It started the great war in Europe, WWII, by incarnating itself in a man and a nation under the name Nazi. Evil does that. It possesses an incarnational nature. This same evil that brought historical empires down, threatens us as well. We witness its presence through our infantile sensitivity, our obsessive litigiousness, and our hypocritical political pejoratives. 

Cartoonist Glenn McCoy captures the symptom of our bane in his latest piece.

THE SHAME OF AMERICA'S NANNY DEMEANOR

We often bemoan the American liberal elitist around here for their less than favorable view of America's past. Yet, it seems one of our most salient, sad shifts has been toward catering to our lazy narcissistic disposition-a fever which seems to infect both liberals and conservatives alike. Enter government nannyism. We're getting damn spoiled expecting everyone including government to meet our every need.  We witness this narrative playing out particularly through natural disaster response. With hurricane Katrina the liberals and then some, found reason to butcher President Bush over his seemingly slow response. He appeared less than caring. The appearance, something that emerged from our fantastic expectations, caused Mr. Bush a world of hurt.

Savvy Barak Obama got the message thus placing himself on top as a man deeply concerned with and in control of hurricane Irene. John Hideraker opines:

This is one more step in the degradation of American politics. One hundred years ago, people understood that the president had nothing to do with hurricanes. Now, the president is expected to pretend to have control over more or less everything. This has something to do with the inexorable expansion of federal power, and also something to do with the dumbing-down of the American people.

Continue reading Hinderaker's take on this recent politicization of the current hurricane here. 

A PATRIOTIC CALL TO THE FAITHFUL

Often pastors come into the cross-hairs of their parishioners when waxing eloquent about anything other than ethereal matters. “We want more spiritual stuff,” they exclaim with vacuity and thousand yard stares. Private morality equals absolute virtue in less than seasoned disciples.   I believe, however, the collective social anxiety we experience today relates directly to both our private and public morals. In fact, our founding fathers believed public virtue trumped private virtue. The book of James envisions both as an ice burg, whose tip warns of the massive roots below. Consider these words from his epistle:

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. (2:20-24 NIV)

Assessing the contemporary moral climate in a rather Billy Grahamesque way- we are in a social free-fall indicative of our internal moral cancer. The persistent chronic denial of our moral malady is now manifest in our collective skeptical attitude. And, we cynically snicker at empty political promises. We need healing. Once, perhaps twice (historians debate the number) in our history we experienced a great spiritual awakening manifested via sweeping social changes, triggered not from centralized government authority, but from the Church. Indeed, according to a legion of Christian historians, the Church has been the faithful staple of the American character throughout history.  My former history professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, Dr. Melvin Dieter, once opined: 

When protesters violently marched on Washington during the 60s and 70s  the Church provided a principled fiber that kept us from coming unglued. (ATS Classroom Lecture, Spring 1981)

According to Dieter the Church really did become “salt and light.”  

In addition, few historians and silver tongued politicians have wrongly attributed these words to French historian Alexis de Tocqueville:

I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests-- and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great! 

Whoever originally penned these thoughts (tradition has it they represent a confluence of both Eisenhower and Reagan speech writers) certainly captured our nation's seminal character. They also should sound the clarion call to all in the Church who care about tradition, decency, and future generations.  Our children depend on it.

AMERICA GROWING INCREASINGLY SECULAR?

Whether Americans agree or not, enlightenment philosophy and evangelical Christianity formed the nucleus of our nation. To believe otherwise skews the facts. Evangelical pollster George Barna's latest State of the Church data suggests a declining trend in evangelical influence. Barna opines:

Overall, the picture is not pretty though it falls somewhat short of disaster. If existing tendencies continue, then we will likely see an increase in the numbers of people who do not accept a conventional definition of God’s character and those who reject the accuracy of the principles taught in the scriptures. Adult Sunday school could easily go the way of the all-but-forgotten midweek service. The percentage of unchurched people will probably continue to climb as the percentage of adults attending church services remains on the downward slope.

What do you make of this picture?

The study inferentially reveals a contradiction between orthodoxy and Christian faith. Again, from Barna:

Among the religious beliefs that have remained relatively constant over the past 20 years were the percentage of adults who describe themselves as Christian (84%); those who say their religious faith is very important in their life today (56%); those who have made a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in my life today” (65%); the proportion who agree that Satan is not a living entity but merely a symbol of evil (56%); those who strongly believe that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others who believe differently (25%).

Barna's tell tale alarm, rejecting God's character as defined in the Bible and accuracy of Biblical principles, causes one to ask why this trend. Why would someone continue to believe in the personal aspect of their faith and eclipse traditional precepts with heretical notions? Perhaps our moral bent toward self expression and cafeteria style religious opportunities turned us into pantheistic parishioners impotent when thinking about transforming our culture into God's image. And, God help America if church people's impotence changes them from the salt of the earth to the milk-toasts of society.     

INTELLIGENT LIBERALS DUMBING DOWN THE CONSTITUTION

When Republicans first took over the House in January they did so by reading the US Constitution as a sort of pledge and historical reminder of our national progeny. Liberals took offense and subtly labeled the exercise a ruse. They say its language is too archaic and therefore, too complex for we postmodern geniuses comprehension. Scott Ott assessed the issue a while back at ScrappleFace. He sculpted his piece as a response to this.

Many moons ago Moses exhorted his people to make a regular habit out of reading the 10 commandments throughout Hebrew generations. He did so reminding the people to never forget their history. You might say Moses introduced us to a "theology of history." So, for our Judeo-Christian context we possess a precedent. Yet, in reality Ott's piece confirms what astute conservatives already know. Liberals view the founding document as ancient literature. It no longer speaks to we more sophisticated postmodern intellectuals. Hey, you guys ever heard of hermeneutics? You would think in all your sophistication you might know the meaning of the art. I believe you're actually too damn dumb and lazy to figure it out, you pseudo-intellectuals you.

CONFESSIONS OF A HOMOPHOBE

I acquiesce. I'm a homophobe. A genuine, modern day ignoramus. I'm worse than a Texas Aggie. (all in fun you Aggies realize) Problem is, I'm hopelessly terminal. This disease shall not wane in my lifetime. I shall always be pathological. But, thank God Southern Seminary president and radio reverend Albert Mohler assures me I'm not alone:

Our greatest fear is not that homosexuality will be normalized and accepted, but that homosexuals will not come to know of their own need for Christ and the forgiveness of their sins.

This is not a concern that is easily expressed in sound bites. But it is what we truly believe.

It is now abundantly clear that evangelicals have failed in so many ways to meet this challenge. We have often spoken about homosexuality in ways that are crude and simplistic. We have failed to take account of how tenaciously sexuality comes to define us as human beings. We have failed to see the challenge of homosexuality as a Gospel issue. We are the ones, after all, who are supposed to know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin, starting with our own.

We have demonstrated our own form of homophobia—not in the way that activists have used that word, but in the sense that we have been afraid to face this issue where it is most difficult . . . face to face.

While I sometimes find Mohler a bit too tenacious when offering his credo, I must admit I take comfort in his Biblical essentials, particularly the high view of Scripture which forms the basis for our so called "phobias." Some things are true even when the polls suggests 99% of the public thinks otherwise. I'm reminded of Pilate, the crowd, the thief, and Jesus. The herd mentality, often essentially evil, gets it wrong. History, the unmerciful lie detector, confirms this. 

Read more Mohler here.

 

RUSH LIMBAUGH CALLS LIBERALS THIEVES

Although I listen to Rush Limbaugh from time to time I rarely ever feature his orations on this blog. Why-because, like Limbaugh says, he often offers the final word. Today, he hit a home run. Not only did he passionately explain the ruination brought about by idealistic liberals, Limbaugh ripped open their core by declaring that Obama and Dems purposefully desire our chaotic national panic so they can build a new "paradigm." Listen to the piper below and take note, less you drown in the current cesspool of ignorance. 

JOEL OSTEEN A NEW TWIST ON AN OLD THEME

Populism permeates the American character. Following the initial years of our founding we developed into a populist nation. We follow the latest fad, the loudest mouth, and the prettiest face into the promised land. Even our so called "Christianity" repeatedly succumbs to cultural transformation, where the Biblical Jesus gets whitewashed with the American prosperity Jesus. 

Enter Joel Osteen-21st century firebrand for America's Christ. Osteen zealously preaches the America prosperity gospel. And, like most populist we measure his soul saving worthiness by the $$$. Big money means big man of God. How can we little people argue with this? We can't. But, articulate theologians can. Greg Garrett, professor of English at Baylor University challenges Osteen's heterodoxy through an open letter to the highly popular icon. In essence Garrett suggests:

 But I'm not just upset about the bad theology of a God who works like an ATM, I'm also upset about the way that you and others preaching "your best life now" have defined that life almost exclusively in the terms our secular society suggests for success. Instead of making Christianity a counter-cultural religion pushing back against society's mania for wealth and acquisitions and individualism, you've allowed faith to be co-opted by the powers and principalities.

This focus on money and temporal things is also bad theology—and perhaps even more pernicious, because it gives religious sanction for people to buy into the most un-Christian aspects of our culture. Jesus didn't preach wealth, possessions, or prestige; his teachings, and his life, suggested the precise opposite. In fact, this person most faithful, most in tune with God's will, lived in poverty and died in pain, so why on earth should we imagine that God will give us what we want when we have only a fraction of Jesus' faith?

No. It doesn't compute. As the late comic Sam Kinison—himself once a charismatic pastor—might say if he were still around (and don't watch this if you're easily offended), if Jesus were to show up at the door of Lakewood Church, I think you'd have reason to be very, very nervous, Mr. Osteen.

 

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC WAXES ELOQUENT

When I first entered the Christian scene I embraced the contemporary (70's) Christian culture with all its "Kumbaya"  and exotic worship. Dove awards, faddish awesome new sensations, and James Taylor wannabe's, drove the "anointed" to the local anointed bookstore each month, where mucho $$$ changed hands. Of course the $$$ portended a new dawn arising for God's people. 

Something, however, seemed a bit of a miss in all this new found contemporary Christian culture. The musicians sounded rote. Dove awards added a secular celebrityism to Christianity. And, a few aspiring Christian musicians had little or no appreciation for diversity. One wonders if they carried a huge guilt complex for listening to the devil's music. Yet, I noticed those who immersed themselves in this awesome dude culture acted much like the devils they so aggressively despised. Money, fame, and fortune produced a shallow alternative cultural identity not much more ethical than the devil's. The real kicker came for this writer when a contemporary Christian station played a version of Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed  substituting his passionate love lyrics with a so called Christian lyric. The Christian McCartney wannabe's unmercifully butchered the song. 

Sadly, we Christians look foolish in our lame attempt to copy the culture. We should transform culture instead of getting its dirt on us. This may mean that Christian music ought to not only carry a worthy lyric, it must also sound sacred. Somehow pop 40 rote rarely challenges would be worshipers to walk in the presence of an awe inspiring, holy, omniscient God. The Evangelical Outpost expresses my sentiments precisely:

Christian lyrics—sure, you have those. Didactic ones, usually. But Christian music? Beautiful music is Christian music, and you’ve stopped making that for a regrettably long period of time. But I hear good things recently, even amid the awful things. I hear that you’ve sent some talent into the world, despite the radio stations that refuse to play anything but a two-dimensional status quo. [As always, they continue to expect different results from playing the same song over and over again simply because they give it a hundred different titles.] I hope the good things thrive and expand. Once you’re well, we’ll hear some beautiful music played to the Lord. Until then, though, get some rest, read the latest Rolling Stone magazine and take an online music theory class. No one ever said beauty was easy, only that it was simple. But, as the Fire Theft reminds us in their sublime piece titled “Heaven”, “it’s the simple things that are so hard to grasp.”

Perhaps recreational Christians may finally, out of hell's monotony, seek the deeper simple life. And hey, don't be afraid to attend an Eric Clapton or Steve Miller concert if so moved. I saw Alice Cooper twice, avoiding the damning hell fire and living to tell about it.