The Foundation of Freedom

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America, Freedom, God, Patriotism, Truth

It doesn’t take much reflection to observe that America today is home to many people for whom the nation’s founding principles must appear odious, even scandalous.  Consider how this early line from the Declaration of Independence must read to many in our culture:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Scandal upon scandal!  One offense unfolds upon another.  First is the assertion that anything should be certain and universal, much less “self-evident”, a defiance of the basic relativism of the postmodern mind.  Second is the generic use of the masculine pronoun, a capital offense in contemporary academia.  Related (Second, Part Second?) is this concept of a ‘man’, which a fair number of our legislators and academics, and the majority of our celebrities, seem no longer very clear on.

But third–and here I wish to dwell a moment–is the real scandal.  The worldview and claim of freedom in this document seems to be explicitly based in theism.  And, though this sentence does not specify, I think the historical background is sufficient to assert that this theism is a monotheism of at least vaguely Christian contours.

Doctrines of God, creation, and providence are foundational to the American experiment in freedom.  Upon such foundations was built a republican (small r) government that most people no longer understand, and which the Democrats (big D) are trying to dismantle because it has proven a nuisance to them lately.  But those who like freedom may usefully contemplate its Christian theistic basis, and the implied danger of our growing trends towards secularism (soft atheism?), atheism, paganism, and religious pluralism.

What sort of society do we want?  One where schools outlaw prayer and promote sexual immorality and an atheistic evolutionary worldview (the last two are surely related)?  One where Antifa thugs beat journalists in the streets?  One with increasing government control and technocratic paternalism?  Or one where a responsibly free people inculcate in their children a Christian character, and live out that Christian character in love of neighbor, caring for the needy, and pursuing virtue?

If what we want is the last one, then we have to see that secularism as currently understood is not how our nation was put together, has ushered in the other isms aforementioned with their destructive tendencies, and will never produce a just and good society.  The American experiment has had massive failures and hypocrisies (e.g. slavery), but it has also had measured successes.  Its best hope for getting back on track is to affirm once again the foundation of responsible freedom: the one true God.

“For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth” (Psalm 47:2, NIV)

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Proper Respect

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1 Peter, America, Authority, Christianity, Citizenship, Patriotism, Society

Independence Day is a time to celebrate the many blessings we have as a nation, especially the great amount of freedom we really do enjoy.  In some countries you can be punished for criticizing the government, or for your religious beliefs.  But times of patriotic celebration also invite us to consider the relationship between our citizenship in this world and our citizenship in the kingdom of heaven.

Of course, loyalty to Christ comes first.  The apostle Peter is quite pronounced in his declaration that heavenly citizenship makes believers “foreigners and exiles” in the world (1 Peter 2:11, NIV).  Yet, interestingly–perhaps surprisingly for some revolutionary-minded Christians–this does not mean that Christians are disruptive to the earthly societies in which we still live.  On the contrary, having our citizenship in heaven makes us very good citizens on earth, in every way that would not compromise our fundamental loyalty to Christ.

So the apostle says, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (vv.13-14).  Loyalty to Christ, so far from leading to social revolution, implies that we should be respectful and obedient to earthly authorities.  And we should remind ourselves that the Roman emperors if the first century were not good or godly men; they were pagans, with pagan morals and vices.  When we take this into our own context, it suggests that disrespecting the president and other government officials is not Christian behavior–even when those officials are immoral.

This doesn’t make Christians government stooges.  When the powers go against God, we must respectfully disobey (see Acts 4:19).  But the general rule is that citizenship in the kingdom of heaven means good citizenship in the earthly lands where we presently sojourn as strangers.  This will help our witness (1 Peter 2:15), as we live out our loyalty to God (v.16).

A Curious Notion!

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America, Christianity, Church, Ecclesiology, Megachurch, Multi-site, Pastoring, Shepherding

The recent retirement of the lead pastor of a multi-site church, David Chadwick was featured in a little article at the Christian Post.  At the end, the article notes:

He said prior to his decision to resign he had started having doubts about the multicampus church model where lead pastors mainly connect with the congregation through video.

“Churches all over the country are doing it, with videos shown on the screen in other places,” Chadwick said, “Elevation (Church) is probably the primary example here in Charlotte.  You know, I just began to wonder more and more–how effective is that?

“I know I’m a good communicator…I can have people come and listen.  But doesn’t a pastor need to speak to his people?  So I began to struggle with that too,” he said.

What a curious notion!  A pastor needing to speak to his people?  Like, physically present with them?  How charmingly old-fashioned!

I speak with tongue in cheek, because Pastor Chadwick had “began to struggle” with something that should be patently obvious (though obviously it is not obvious to a large section of the American church)–that pastors are supposed to speak to their people.  Not only does that mean being physically present, but, even more, that means a pastor should actually know the people to whom he is preaching.

A pastor is supposed to shepherd the flock of God.  He preaches the Word not to strangers, but to people with whom he has a relationship.  He should know them by name, and have some knowledge of what’s going on in their lives.  The same pastor who preaches the Word of God to them should be the one they can talk to about their struggles, the one who visits them in the hospital, the one who baptizes them, dedicates their children, marries them, and buries them.  That’s a shepherd; that’s a pastor.

This suggests not only that multi-site churches are highly problematic but that megachurches are problematic too.  You can preach to 10,000 people; but you can’t pastor them.  A church need not be tiny, but it oughtn’t be huge.

I know that such a radical claim is contrary to the accepted wisdom of much of the American church.  But I think the church would be stronger if we had more moderate sized churches instead of megachurches and multi-site churches.  As a side bonus, it might help us avoid this sort of thing.  In any case, it would encourage pastors to be pastors, and churches to be real communities, sojourning together through the storms of this life.

The Massacre of Innocents

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Abortion, America, Humanity, Planned Parenthood, Repentance, Truth

King Herod Gov. Cuomo has recently signed into law legislation that makes it legal in the Empire State to put to death babies in the womb, at any time prior to birth, and for (effectively) any reason.  With much fanfare, the pro-abortion state legislators advanced this assault on the life of the most vulnerable.  The blood of the innocents is on those clapping hands, who have enabled this unspeakable evil.

We are reminded that America today tolerates an evil as great as any in our nation’s history.  Powerful forces promote the killing of babies, most notably Planned Parenthood; as their president, Leana Wen, recently said, “our core mission is providing, protecting and expanding access to abortion and reproductive healthcare.”  The key lie that abets this vicious crime is the idea that abortion is healthcare, rather than the destruction of an innocent and vulnerable human life.  This is what Planned Parenthood has recently tried to reinforce in a billboard campaign, where one of the images features a woman with the quote “I had an abortion, & it was just healthcare.”  It wasn’t.  It was the murder of a baby.  Other messages begin the same way, but end “and I am not ashamed” or “and I am not apologizing.”  But shame is appropriate in this case, and apologizing would not be nearly enough.  Repentance is necessary, before the throne of God.  Only there can healing and forgiveness be found.

Worst of all, this widespread wickedness is given cover by some who claim to serve God.  The priests of Molech liberal clergy also have made news in their support for this evil.  The rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, and other supposedly Christian leaders, should perhaps have sensed something was amiss with their theology when they found themselves teaming up with the minister from the First Unitarian Universal Church.  All pretensions of Christianity aside, nothing is so pagan as child sacrifice.

The child in the womb is a human being, made in the image of God.  Their lives are sacred, and abortion is a hideous evil.

Yet remember also that Christ died to save a world of sinners; that when we turn to Him with repentance and faith, He forgives all our sins.  And God may yet give us the grace of national repentance, and have mercy on us, and turn our nation from this evil.  For this we should pray.