The Easter Bunny is a Christian? Who Knew?

It's a sign of the times. The principal of Heritage Elementary School in Madison, Alabama has banned the Easter bunny because, as she explained it, "people relate the Easter bunny to religion." Really? What kind of religion? Fertility rites? Actually, I've heard of people who think the Easter bunny is part of Christianity. These are the same people who see Christmas trees and Santa Claus as manifestations of Christianity. In other words, people are so gobsmacked ignorant of the Bible these days that even the most elemental acquaintance with Scripture is beyond them.

I talked recently with a man who assured me that although he isn't religious, doesn't know enough of the Bible to quote even a little bit, he doesn't need to go to church because "He lives it" - Christianity, that is.

Right. He lives it but he skipped all those parts about "If you love me, you'll keep my commandments" including the one about "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is..."

When people are so stupendously ignorant of biblical truth, it should not surprise us when they try to insult Christians by doing things that only serve to display their own ignorance to the point of embarrassment, if they could be embarrassed. Like the student in one of my classes at Wright State University, a professed atheist who blurted out in class "Do you know the Bible teaches the world was created in 4004 B.C.?" Uh, no. It doesn't. That's Bishop Usher's dating system, not the Lord's.

So now we have this teacher who is trying to be politically correct by doing away with the Easter bunny so as to not show favoritism towards Christians. What she doesn't know is that many evangelicals have been trying to do away with the Easter bunny (and all those left-over, hard-boiled eggs) for years. Let's all pretend to be offended. Maybe we can be rid of yet another pagan attachment to the gospel.

I just hope the principal doesn't catch on. Come to think of it, I think we're safe.

"Will You Pray For Us?"

The officer was not serious when he asked the question. Typical for that hour of the morning, we were spending our time enjoying some coffee before hitting the streets. It was not coincidence that we were loitering in one of the most often robbed convenience stores in the area. To say they were pleased with our lollygagging around is a massive understatement. The bad guys know our routine by now, no doubt. But there's nothing wrong with robbers knowing not to show up.
At any rate, the opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee, sans doughnuts, provides more than enough time to rib one another unmercifully about most anything. That was the occasion for the unexpected request: "Will you pray for us?"
I replied in a bit more serious tone, "I always pray for you guys." And that is indeed the truth.
But the police officer was not quite satisfied.
"No, will you really pray for us?"
He was still laughing, not really serious, when he said it, but this time he struck a nerve with me.
How often do we pray for people like  we pray for a long list of missionaries? You know what I mean: "Bless the missionaries."
What does that mean?
Prayers so general that they really say nothing also accomplish nothing. If we are going to actually mean anything for anyone, we need to pray in ways that are more precise, more meaningful. The Lord might as well ask - and in fact, I think He has - "Would you like to be a bit more specific?"
Nothing could be more important than precise and meaningful prayer when we are praying for, say, police officers who are about to put their lives in danger. Or a loved one about to go through surgery. Or a family facing the death of a loved one.
You get the idea. There's a lot of difference between praying and really praying.
If you know what I mean.

What a Difference

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton uttered a question during her most recent visit to Capitol Hill that will live in American life far beyond her years: "What difference does it make?"
The question was her visceral response to inquiries regarding her involvement with and understanding of the cover up related to the raid on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Mrs. Clinton's rational was that so much time had passed since events that took four American lives that what people knew or did at the time to cover up the case no longer matters. In effect, all those things happened a long time ago, so as for the cover up, what difference does it make? Telling the truth now won't bring back the Americans, so what difference does it make?

The logical - not to mention moral - fallacy of Mrs. Clinton's question cannot be overstated or underestimated. So let's take up these matters one at a time.

What difference do the facts make? The same kind of difference that causes police departments to take up "cold case" investigations. Justice makes a difference, so the cases are pursed regardless of how old they are. In this instance, four Americans were murdered and, in fact, the F.B.I. was called in to investigate. Try telling federal agents that their investigation no longer makes any difference; that catching the criminals no longer matters. See what kind of response you get.

Better yet, see what happens to the agent who says "These things happened a long time ago. What difference does it make whether we catch the bad guys or not?" I have a feeling he will soon be an ex-agent.

Do we really intend to tell the grieving families of these lost loved ones that finding the killers no longer makes a difference to anyone? Only in American politics (of the worst kind) can something as horrendous be written off - that it no longer makes any difference - because the event is old news. Or it is no longer politically expedient.

But there is a worse error, if possible, to Mrs. Clinton's remark. It is an example of the moral vacuum that permeates America and American politics today. She does not grasp the moral difference that works in this world.

Should people be stripped of a job because they lied years ago on their job application or test? Suppose the person who lied is a police officer, or fireman, or a pilot. Would you want an unqualified liar flying your aircraft? What difference does it make?

Or suppose your doctor lied and cheated his way through medical school years ago so he could obtain his medical license and now he is ready to operate on you. All those lies and cheating were years ago and this is today. So what difference does it make?

Or think of all the people who rejected Christ years ago and spent their lives in sin and some false religion of their own choosing. They had an opportunity to follow the right path but they didn't and now they face eternity uncertain and unprepared. They trusted the wrong savior. What difference does it make?

Do you suppose all the souls in hell could answer that question? Do you suppose the four dead men in Benghazi could? Do you suppose their families could?

I hope Mrs. Clinton has to live with that question the rest of her life because it's a certainty that our nation will, one way or the other. And if we do not begin to choose better leaders and a better way for our nation soon, what difference will it make?

It's a Not So Brave New World

January 1, 2013 begins a new era in American life, and not coincidentally, a new era in this blog. In one sense, that new era began when the United States ratified our collective rejection of a capitalist society and plunged headlong into European styled socialism by re-electing our first (and until now our only) European styled socialist president. The old America we grew up with, where we could count on our investments going up, where we expected to leave a better life to our children, where Americans were certain that capitalism was better than socialism, fascism and communism, where we were allowed to be proud of our country and proud of our accomplishments - that country is gone. Probably gone forever. It's odd to think that less than forty years removed from Ronald Reagan our country has so institutionalized liberalism, socialism and communism into the very fabric of our government that we cannot return to historic Americanism again.

But that's only the economic and political side of things. The real change is in this country's attitude toward freedom of religion. For the first time in our history, we now have a government that is actively opposed to the free exercise of religion. That attitude is prominently evident in the government's prosecution of Hobby Lobby and a host of other Christian oriented businesses for their resistance to providing abortion-causing drugs as a part of regular health care. The government argues that these Christian based businesses are secular because they are not churches and do not engage in worship. The present administration has redefined freedom of religion to mean "freedom of worship." In this government's opinion, worship belongs within - and only within- the four walls of a church building. Thus, the government reasons, these businesses engaged in secular activity are subject to government regulation and intervention and have no right to religious liberty because they do not "worship". Never mind that the business is based entirely upon the religious convictions which give rise the the business in the first place.

The danger in such convoluted governmental thinking is that churches are likely to be persecuted in much the same way whenever they engage in what the government deems secular activity. So much for Christian schools and colleges. So too for benevolence organizations, nursing homes, orphanages, rescue missions, youth training missions - and just about anything else not considered by our supreme leaders to be worship.

That's why this blog must change with the times. The new world we've entered has also come under the preacher's roof, so to speak, as it has invaded every other home in our once-great land. So expect a bit more of an edge from this preacher, and a bit more of a political commentary as our government and politics impacts and infringes upon our sacred convictions. The preacher's roof must become a shelter in the time of storm.

Time to Climb Back on the Saddle

Since last August, this blog has fallen silent because, for the most part, I did. The kids are grown and the grandkids are growing. The preacher's roof didn't seem to house that much anymore, and better preachers (much less better writers) have churned out enough "how to" books. So what was left for me to say?
But then one person, a missionary preacher of sorts, really got under my skin by pushing his political agenda on me in a way that touched a nerve. Not because I disagreed with his point of view, although I do, but because of the larger issue of his using his position to forward a political agenda.
Regardless of whether the government (this administration?) says I can or not, I have no business preaching politics when I should be preaching the gospel. The pulpit - mine anyway - is no place for politics. And no, I really don't care what the IRS thinks. It's just that I have to pastor all those people I've estranged long after the election is over. Making myself a spokesman for a political party or politician diminishes and damages my ministry.
I don't care to listen to that particular preacher again. I don't care to support his ministry. I can't be certain that he displays enough sound judgement to warrant my support. It's a shame to see a man drive away people like that, but he's done it to himself. A hard lesson, I hope he's learns it.

A Dilemma Named Gabby

Just in case anyone was bothering to notice, we've been hit with a wonderful set of contradictions this past week. First, there was the controversy involving Chick-fil-A, the Cathy family and their attempt to have an opinion (horrors!). Never mind that their opinion agreed with one once held by a certain B. H. Obama of Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C. It was the opinion of a Christian. And of course, we can't have one of those running around spouting ideas. According to liberal dogma (the gospel of all truly tolerant people as long as you agree with them), Christians are inherently racist, bigoted, hate-filled and hate-mongering troglodytes who are not worthy of respect, much less an opinion. Such people can't be normal. And God help us all if they are too good to be true, which in today's world equals what we used to call "normal" about a generation or two ago.
But then along came Gabby. Gabby is the ear-to-ear grinning sprite who does other-worldly things in gymnastics. This past week, she became the first African American gymnast to win the individual gold medal in the Olympics. She accomplished this feat by spiraling through floor exercises and then landing as if she had been nailed to the floor. Fantastic.
Everything was set for the best script possible in the liberal way of thinking. We have a minority winning the individual gold medal at the Olympics. Not just a minority, mind you, but an African-American minority. And female to boot.  Perfect.
Then Gabby opened her mouth and everything went haywire. The first thing she said and did was to give all glory to God. What?? Liberals have been fainting ever since. What are they to do? Just when they had their perfect heroine, she turned out to be another one of those "glory to God" Christians. Mind you, everything would have been acceptable if she had just remained quiet, but she wouldn't be quiet. Her first interview was a full-fledged testimony of praise to God.
To say liberals are upset is putting it mildly. Their preconceived, narrow-minded, pigeon-hold, bigoted ideas of Christians and their supposed inability to walk upright has been splattered once more across the wide expanse of NBC Sports. Meanwhile, Gabby is grinning all the way to the bank and on every Kelloggs Corn Flakes box in the land. Liberals are in a snit and who can blame them? Christians aren't supposed to be this successful, this cheerful, or this attractive. They aren't supposed to be happy, normal, Bible-believing, God-loving minority females who don't subscribe to the liberal notions of what Bible believing Christians are supposed to be. And that's the liberals' dilemma with Gabby.
They've been Tebowed again.

My Clock Might Be Ticking...

I received a "final notice" from Google that my blog just might either disappear into stellar internet space or else the site might be so locked up that I can never add to it again. Either way, the new method of posting is so fouled up that I literally cannot tell what I am writing or, for that matter, how it will look when posted. So if this particular post looks out of whack, that's why. And if this blog suddenly reappears in an altogether different form, you know why.