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Tuesday, June 23, 2009One Nation Under God
Those who oppose Christians, and fear their influence in the affairs of our nation, tend to raise one of two arguments. First, we're told, the majority of America's founders and framers were "deists," not Christians..."and that's a well-known fact." Truth is, the most influential patriots were anything but "deists," however you may choose to define that word. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Paine, Hamilton--hardly "deist". And if one begins to survey the signers of our Constitution, well...the number of pastors and evangelical Christians among the signatories would make even Bill Maher blush. That is, if he remembers how.
As for those who argue against America as a "Christian" nation merely because there is no religious "litmus test" for citizenship is to create a false dichotomy. Truly, one needs not believe in Christ to declare as an American. Such requirements are better-suited to places like Saudi Arabia, where only Muslims are permitted entrance to the city of Mecca. But to then deny the unmistakable imprimatur of faith our laws and traditions reflect, and to miss the clear references and appeals to God in the majority (not a cherry-picked minority) of public statements made by our founders and framers would indicate either a strong prejudice, or a limited grasp of American history.
What is disheartening is how those who clearly commuinicate their Christian faith are instantly marginalized by their unbelieving friends. These Christ-followers' logical and rational arguments are dismissed by those who find reason and faith to be incompatible. But why? That line of thinking is the very essence of intolerance, and only defines the limitations of non-theistic intellect. -
Monday, June 15, 2009Let Freedom Ring
I’ve been sharing with my Sunday School class Dr. David Jeremiah’s DVD series called, “What in the World is Going On.” It includes material from Dr. Jeremiah’s book of the same name; specifically, Dr. Jeremiah points to 10 prophetic clues we can’t afford to ignore. Yesterday’s lesson had to do with what seems to be total silence about America’s role—or presence—in the end-times scenarios of Scripture.
Since I have so frequently expounded on The Mark Daniels Show about American exceptionalism, I believe it bears consideration that there’s a reason, perhaps,
It is human nature, however, to foolishly surrender that precious gift. In the Garden of Eden, man was given complete freedom, save eating from a single tree. Through Adam’s disobedience, we received bondage: enslavement to sin and death. The people of Israel had the same kind of freedom, under the loving care of God, yet—in 1 Samuel 8—we see them clamoring for a king.
We see this familiar cycle, and its implications, in all sectors of human life: economic, political, and judicial. One-time British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli is credited by many as saying: "Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage."
Wealth is greater when freedom is great, but the greater the government, the lesser the wealth, and the greater the bondage of all sorts. That’s why our American Constitution was—in its original form—a very spare document; a comparatively small framework of ideals for “keeping a republic,” as Ben Franklin might have said. But John Adams said that our Constitution “was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
So what happens, as morality and religion disappear from American life? Our Constitution grows, and is broadly interpreted in a manner incompatible with the intentions of our founders and framers. As regulation grows, so grows our bondage to government. So where are we as a nation, on Disraeli’s cycle of great nations? We have enjoyed the prosperity of freedom…but have also fallen victim to our self-indulgent lifestyle. In our comfort, we became apathetic about the future. Economically, that apathy caused few Americans to plan and save for the future. Remember: no one read the stimulus packages that Congress rammed through! Thus, we become more dependent on a government whose reckless spending is rapidly enslaving us, and driving us into bondage.
The Bible speaks of a Truth that makes men free.
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Thursday, May 7, 2009A Prayer for Our Media
Father God, I praise You and thank You for the privilege of serving You through the mass media, and for the magnificent tools You’ve provided for us to communicate, educate, and inform. I pray your blessing and favor upon all those who minister the Gospel through the broadcast, internet, and print media; may You continue to utilize their God-given gifts to draw the unsaved unto Yourself, and edify the saints until the day of Your return. And, as so many servants of the Good News are now facing hard financial times…even, perhaps, the last days of their media ministries…I pray that you might sustain and preserve their important work in our communities, and for Your Kingdom. And for every one that lifts a pen, opens a microphone, sits before a camera, or otherwise makes a living in the media--sacred or secular--I pray that each would come to a saving knowledge of, and transforming relationship with, Your only begotten Son.
Because Lord, those that serve You faithfully through the media are but a remnant. The world has taken that which You meant for good, and used it to destroy reputations, mock the truth, deliver pornography and rob our children of their innocence. Rather than to exalt and encourage, we use our radios, televisions, iPods, computers, and a thousand other devices to pursue sin, and celebrate the misery of others, all in the name of entertainment.
So Lord, three things I pray, where our media is concerned. One: that You would convict the consciences of those who create, distribute, and profit from media filth; that they might see the damage they have done, and turn from their shameful ways. Secondly, we pray that You would convict each and every one of us to examine his own heart and habits…to consider our own relationships with the media; what we consume, and just how much precious time we give to it …and turn our entertainment entitlement into a passion for prayer, and for the study of Your Word.
And finally Lord, I pray that You might put me out of business. That our hopeful words about Your soon return, broadcast to every corner of the earth, would be replaced by Your very presence here among us. Communicating, not only to our ears and eyes, but directly to our hearts, as You wipe away every tear…for the One Who testifies to these things says, “Surely, I am coming soon.” Come quickly, Lord Jesus. For it’s in Your Name alone I may pray…Amen.
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Monday, March 2, 2009Taking a Poke at the "Unblinking Eye"
As of 9pm Sunday (3/1) I could officially watch TV again--though I was in no hurry to do so! My month-long “Big TV Turnoff” was a HUGE success, and I’m pleading with you to give it a try! Here are a few tips to help you, and keep you motivated:
- Have alternatives ready to go. Not necessarily entertainment alternatives, like DVDs and video games. Choose a few of the projects that you’ve been putting off for months, even years, and get after them right away! This is a great time to get back in shape, both physically and mentally! The sense of accomplishment will be a big incentive to continue strong in your TV Turnoff.
- Get right into God’s Word. If you hadn’t spent much, or ANY time reading scripture, intentionally do so at times you would normally switch on the tube. Even though my “official” turnoff is over, I still don’t watch TV in the morning; instead, I study the Bible, or read a great Christian devotional. The change in my demeanor is noteworthy—just ask my wife!
- Ask God to show you how watching TV—not to mention DVDs, magazines, even listening to certain kinds of music or talk radio—has caused you to relax your moral standards, or compromise what Scripture clearly teaches about Christian living. Make a promise to rid your life of anything that is not pure, or lovely, anything that is not true, or noble, right, or admirable—ask God to give you the strength to rid yourself of toxic things. He will help you think about that which is excellent or praiseworthy, but He won’t force you to put off the old man, and put on the new. When YOU do so, it is an act of faith, a commitment to which God will respond.
- Use some of the new time you’ve gained to connect or reconnect with Christian friends. Have you gone to dinner with another couple from church? Have you volunteered to help at school? Our TVs, computers, video games, iPods, and the like have stolen away our relationships. God created us to be connected; it’s one of His greatest gifts! Take your life back from the “tube!”
- Use some of your newfound freedom to pray. Pray for your family, for your church, for your community and its leaders, and pray that you would become sensitive to that still, small voice of God’s leadership. As you learn to listen for it, you’ll be thrilled as God begins to unfold His will for your life!
I promise that, if you intentionally seek to put entertainment in its proper place in your life, God will bless your efforts in ways I can’t imagine, but that He will design to be a special and unique blessing to you!
- Have alternatives ready to go. Not necessarily entertainment alternatives, like DVDs and video games. Choose a few of the projects that you’ve been putting off for months, even years, and get after them right away! This is a great time to get back in shape, both physically and mentally! The sense of accomplishment will be a big incentive to continue strong in your TV Turnoff.
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Sunday, February 22, 2009No, Honey--I Haven't Seen the "Clicker"...
By this time next week, I'll be able to watch television once again, my latest month-long “TV Turnoff” ending in great success. Question is: will I really want to return to the tube? Certainly, I will never watch television the same way again. Real life has proven to be far more interesting! I've never been more productive, organized, focused, or relaxed! It has been a life-changing experience, without a doubt. Rather than attempting to spin some sort of narrative, allow me to share a few random insights thus far:
*Away from TV’s daily diet of salacious innuendo and cynical commentary, I’m surprised at how coarse I’d allowed my own language to become, and how negative my perspective on life.
*I’m startled by how I’ve lowered my standards…what garbage I’ve permitted myself to consume, without a single cringe…and what I’ve found amusing.
*I’ve rediscovered a hunger for holiness, available only when I mortify (“put to death”) the un-Godly influences and temptations in my life (Hebrews 12:14).
*I’m far more contented with who I am, and what I have…not motivated as much by what I don’t have (Ecclesiastes 4).
*I am quicker to listen, slower to speak, and slower to get angry (James 1:19).
And—as I guess you can see—I’m spending a bit more time in God’s Word!
Of course, television provides only a fraction of the distraction; the assault on my sensibilities continues unabated from many other sources. Can I go for a month without my satellite radio, Blockbuster Video™, Facebook®, my iPod®…
