One Nation Under Who?

Dear Saints,

Only with moral clarity that comes from being in right relationship with God through Christ Jesus, having clean conscience -- keen biblical understanding of right and wrong----the discernment needed to act, and to do so courageously, is there any possibility of exercising our divinely granted authority to protect human dignity and freedom here in the United States.

We must return to a biblical understanding of Who we are and Who God is! This means making some really hard decisions in the days to come. Either the Holy Bible is True, or it isn't. Churches who deny the inerrancy of the Holy Bible should be put on notice as imposters. Members should read the Holy Bible for themselves and test all situations on that basis.

It is a very sobering reality that, as the church goes, goes the nation!

If the church fears man more than God, what hope has the society?

The following entry is an excerpt taken from my book entitled, Acknowledging God in the Decisions of State(c)2008 --Chapter 1 -- "The Prodigal Society."

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights,that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed….”

Those are lines quoted from the Declaration of Independence. As you can see from that declarative statement, value is placed on the consent of the governed thus expressing clearly the principles of human dignity and freedom.

Note reference to the "Creator."

All human beings are created by God and that is what makes all human beings equal, all sharing equally the same source of life by virtue of having the same Creator. Because all men are God’s handiwork, they each possess His imprint. Indeed, it is in recognition of that imprint that the principles of human dignity and freedom rest. God being infinite while man is finite presents a number of ponderable parallels.

According to D.O. Teasley, a theologian of earlier years,

"It has been supposed that man’s superiority to the lower animal creation and his dominion over all the earth, being similar to God’s unlimited dominion, constitute in man the image and likeness of God. But the likeness of God in man is more than this; for certain attributes of God----omniscience, omnipotence, infinite love, and absolute holiness---are mirrored in the personality of man finitely as intelligence, will, affection, and conscience, and without doubt this is all included in the expression “image of God.” But it is evident that the greatest degree of likeness was in the moral nature in whatever degree the physical and intellectual may have shared with the spritiual or moral nature the likeness and image of the Creator, it is certain that in the primary sense it was man’s moral nature that was made in the likeness and image of God….The New Testament writers state explicitly that through Christ we are redeemed into the image and likeness of God."

Right focus upon God so that we may mirror His attributes to His honor and glory is not simply a pleasantry. Right focus----Acknowledging God----is a vanishing point that puts all other aspects of our individual and collective lives into right perspective. [See Proverbs 3:5-8, Holy Bible]

Unfortunately, BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING HAS BEEN DISPLACED BY ECLECTICISM THUS REINFORCING PRODIGAL NATIONHOOD...Fast forwarding from the past to today, foreign and domestic policy becomes philosophically and politically intertwined. That change which is built upon the operative belief that all religions, philosophies, and gods are created equal is called eclecticism.

Eclecticism is the product of horizontal thinking. Eclecticism focuses on social manipulation of many rather than the vertical depth required to answer any of the profound questions of life--questions emanating from our separation from God, and hence the separation of our humanity from its true self. The challenge to the domestic concerns stem frequently from the move to compartmentalize faith, to separate it from basic functions of governance. Individual decisions determine the day regarding how one wishes to place oneself with regard to the controversy over the inerrancy of scripture. Decision is required because the God of the Bible through the convicting presence of His Holy Spirit will not allow us remain neutral.

Eclecticism is a kind of religious multiculturalism. Eclectism is one of the pillars of the Apostate Church. The only possibiity for correction rests with a return to study and adherence to the Holy Bible. Belief in the inerrancy of the Holy Bible is the dividing line for our nation. The division within the nation has implications for how the United States will fair in the international arena. We will return to this issue in a later chapter. For now let it suffice it to say that decisions rooted in biblical principles require divergence from secular frames of reference that will have internal and international implications. Scrutiny suggests that eclecticism violates the boundaries that distinguish true Christianity from other religions and cults.

Donald Bloesch in his book, Faith and Its Counterfeits reminds us,

“If we examine the Bible carefully, we see that no where are the people of God urged to accommodate or adjust their beliefs to those of surrounding culture, the Old Testament prophets were especially adamant that the religion of Israel be kept free from the taint of the idolatrous religions of the Canaanites and other tribes. Elijah, in opposing the attempts of Ahab and Jezebel to come to terms with Baal worship, spoke for all the prophets: “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

SAINTS, LET ME BE CLEAR HERE:

IT IS TIME TO CALL THE GOOD, GOOD AND THAT WHICH IS EVIL, EVIL!

Amos posed this crucial question:

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

It is quite unfortunate that eclecticism has made such headway. Indeed, much of what we encounter for public policy is a direct result of eclecticism.
Again, Bloesch in Faith and Its Counterfeits presents the distinction between true faith in God and the competing “counterfeit” notions. My summary of Bloesch’s argument is as follows:

1. Eclecticism sees the goal of religion as the discovery of Christ already present in all peoples. True Christianity understands the goal of religion as bringing the whole world under the lordship of Christ. Both orientations uphold reconciliation, but while eclecticism speaks of the reconciliation of disparate philosophies, true Christianity strives for the reconciliation of all peoples under Christ.

2. While eclecticism presupposes that all truth can be harmonized, true Christianity is emphatic that partial truths need to be corrected and fulfilled in the perspective of the ultimate truth embodied in Jesus Christ.

3. Eclecticism understands revelation in terms of insight into the mystery of life, which is common to all religion. True Christianity sees revelation as a divine intervention into the history of a particular people, which calls into question all human religion.

4. Eclecticism is inclined to accept the view that supernatural truth builds on natural truth. True Christianity avers that supernatural truth purifies and transforms natural truth.

5. It is not wrong to try to discern partial truths in non-Christian systems of thought, truths that need to be sifted and corrected in the light of Holy Scripture. It is wrong to abandon the dogmatic truth claims of the faith in order to bring them into harmony with non-Christian religions or secular philosophy.

6. Eclecticism promotes doctrinal indifference since what is valued is not dogma but life or experience.

7. Eclecticism finally leads either to humanism, where rational dogma is reduced to ethics, or to mysticism, where rational dogma is dissolved into mystery.

8. Eclectics seek to be "fair" [a term that makes no since when there are no standards] to all and therefore yield to all. [I believe that this spineless posture has no moral back bone and as such lacks the type of respect to serve as protector of anything of real worth.]
Bloesch in essence argues that it is a “perennial temptation for Christians who seek to come to terms with the surrounding culture to bend the Gospel to fit the preconceptions of the culture.”

Another observation has been made worthy of simultaneous consideration. Willard says, "The narrow gate is not, as so often assumed, doctrinal correctness. The narrow gate is obedience-and the confidence in Jesus necessary to it.... The broad gate, by contrast, is simply doing what I want to do. The fruit of the good tree is obedience, which comes only from the kind of person we have come to be (the "inside" of the tree) in his fellowship. The wolf in sheep's clothing is the one who tries to fake discipleship by outward deeds. But then inward realities overwhelm him or her. The will of my father is the very thing that Jesus has just gone over in his Discourse. Doing what he said, beginning from "believe on him whom God has sent." we step into the flow of God's ways we enter the kingdom of the heavens."

So, what do you do when the foundations crumble?

Well, reasoning biblically, one can easily recognize that demographic imagery is not the answer!
***
Political banter and service provision delivered on the basis of ethnic, racial and/or religious background renders the provision of human focus with prospects of increased competition between those groups. The religious arm would become a functional extension of the state as has been seen in the past in other nations and this merely reinforces through secularization a social scar.

Many factors propelled us to where we are now. However, in this present work I will point to the two most pivotal historical factors. In my estimation these severely thwarted progress toward godly governance. These two historical events have led to intolerant backlash toward any discussion of God in the public square---conversations that need to happen. We must know who and whose we are as a people in this time when others with other gods have declared “Holy War” upon us.

Alien definitions of who we are have been foisted without resistance in the interest of political correctness. Polite civility—not Biblically sanctioned tough love—is all we can muster for our terror-tooled enemies. It is in this context that the past has led to current intellectual strongholds that hinder the decisions of state.

THE SECULARIZED REINFORCEMENT OF THE SOCIAL SCAR, SLAVERY, HAS YEILDED JUSTIFICATION FOR PRODIGAL STATUS
It is important for us to examine ourselves and examine the teachers we have had in life. According to Dallas Willard, the teachers we have had along the way communicated to us much substantively. We should examine what we have learned and do so in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to determine if there exists any error influencing us. This is one of the stages to strengthening our discipleship. In examining the influences our training has had on are ability see scholarship from God's perspective that is ability to put on the Mind of Christ.

I am reminded of Dallas Willard’s book, "The Divine Conspiracy" where he suggests that we need to exam or lives to determine the teachers and teaching we have received, the ideas that were conveyed, and the impact that have potentially as obstacles to our discipleship. By discipleship, we are referring to our student status---students of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The implications of teaching conveyed substantively, the problem of slavery may be examined first from a secular and then from a biblical perspective.

Identity from a secular perspective yields a continuum of reference points:

--- Identity as personal definition of oneself; as a place in this world; amongst others of like kind; value; community; or relevance given one’s worldview
---Identity as a source of meaning; value, essence, worth
--- Identity as who we are in relation to others
--- Identity as the degree of shared identity with the collective aggregate
--- Identity as empathy, as a characteristic of the progressive mindset
--- Identity important in relation to behavior
----Identity that leads to prodigal behavior
----Identity in the example of the demoniac – analogous situation of competing voices that may ultimately serve to hurt oneself
---- Identity as image of who we are; as a function of whoever we wish to emulate


What is the biblical notion of slavery?
Perhaps Psalm 37 is an expression of response to the world when one is a slave. Psalm 37 says, “Our captors asked us to sing songs.” In other words, there was outward oppression.

An example of slavery associated with inward slavery or spiritual oppression is present in Psalm 107 of the Holy Bible. In summary, Psalm 107 presents a number of attributes of slavery as spiritual captivity that has life consequences that are measurable:
---the aimless wandering that is never satisfied
---the prisoner that is in a prison of his own making because of his rebelliousness toward God
---the fool that is trapped by his iniquities
---those caught in the travails of life, so busy trying to earn a living that they never get the opportunity to live
---the wicked, and
---the humiliated

The response that works according to the Word of God is the same for each of the above scenarios.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress.”

In response to the questions of oppression, one need only read Psalm 137 to see God’s answer. God also has something to say about Justice. Isaiah 56 gives a clear description of what to expect of those that see oppression. Commonly the presence of both inward and outward oppression simultaneously feeds as a self-replicating loop. Such injustice germinates layers of complexity undermining the ability to hear gospel Truth, especially because of the role of those who professed Christ yet found slavery justifiable.

A second point of obstruction posing a problematic element to receptivity to the Gospel are the scars left by the Jewish holocaust.

The Jewish Holocaust is well documented. The survivors and their families were ravaged. Disillusioned, many survivors they arrived in New York. The tragedy they lived through is not presented here by the voice of a survivor. Rather, I have chosen to call your attention to a brief account from someone who did not survive. What follows here is not an account of an adult, but rather that of a child who was murdered with countless others. We all have heard of her. Here is an observation from The Diary of Anne Frank, an observation made by one person who did not survive. Hear her voice.

"Have you ever heard the term 'hostages'? That's the latest punishment for saboteurs. It's the most horrible thing you can imagine. Leading citizens--innocent people --are taken prisoner to await their execution. If the Gestapo can't find the saboteur, they simply grab five hostages and line them up against the wall. You read the announcements of their death in the paper, where they're referred to as 'fatal accidents." - October 9, 1942."

A sobering account, isn't it?

No wonder there are those who would prefer to seek refuge in that which remains far removed from any religious tradition that would allow the above to occur. I contend that the displacement of Biblical understanding with eclecticism can be explained by the Case of Slavery in the US, the subsequent consequences of which have yeilded a religious-style fervor regarding issues cast as "race";and, the Case of Holocaust where secular reasoning has also become a religion.

Race First: How Does Race become Religion?

Identity in family, tribe, nation, territory, and way of life, as a community can be elevated from the tangible to the intangible in terms of shared faith and belief systems. These systems can reflect supra structure of worldview, expectations, aspirations, and possibilities as well as limits.

Within this notion of identity as linked to worldview, there are competing influences with the goal of posturing oneself to live; attachments have functional consequences; how can two walk together less they are agreed.

Identity based upon isolation, dependency as child to parent or guardian, as being excluded from all other possible affiliations either as a consequence of personal choice, choices made by others within or beyond your control, real or imagined boundaries beyond which one does not nor attempts to cross.

Psychological affiliation is seen as the consequence of exclusion or inclusion by others. Blacks experienced exclusion. Hierarchy establishes itself within the context of the relatively isolated group with limited numbers interacting with others outside the group. Then there was a gradual opening of the group.

This group opening potentially jeopardized the power base that was once secure within the context of isolation. Then attempts were made to maintain power by projecting the continual threat of rejection by the outside so that there was a need for the original hierarchy to remain as a preventive as well as protective device.

Then as the opening became larger, those areas that were physically isolated economically had a higher likelihood of maintaining traditional hierarchical arrangements within the church – the only institution that was allowed to exist in relative tact even through the period of slavery. Sunday was the day that one could assume the posture of a human being, created by God who is just.

Those who could rise to position of minister had positions of influence, authority, and legitimacy. They were the most articulate and could communicate position, argument, as well as rhetorically profess the wisdom of God so much so that the slave community itself saw itself having many parallels with the Israelites, the theocracy, search for the Promised Land.

Those who grew out of this tradition of preaching maintained a prophetic posture that became most prominent in the personage of Martin Luther King. The preachment of social justice and the declaration of the apparent injustices prescribe the context for public debate. The preachment of human requisites even from Malcolm X whose rhetorical approach "logically" rendered as a conversation rather than prophetic oratory also contributed to the merging of political stance with the notion of transcendence of justice.

An appeasement was rendered to the Black community; it was done via the church in opposition to the alternative that was offered by the militant and attached religious element, a hybrid version of Islam for the states.

The distribution of political opportunities by "race" came via the church because again it was the only established entity that could maximize political benefit for the decision makers who wanted to maintain stability and for the hierarchy of the isolated communities who wanted to share in the benefit and politically solidify themselves on the basis of the rewards that were gained for the community. Please understand that the problem occurred when the Church ceased to operate as the biblically-informed conscience of the society. Instead, the black church became a representative interest group with "dubious" leadership brokering like that of other interest groups, with all that hierarchy within interest groups implies, just like you find in unions, specific lobbies, etc. And, indeed, from the perspective of interest groups, strides were made, so much so that leadership became threatened.

As the degree of structural separation began to diminish, the psychological demarcation was reinforced in the rhetoric of black leadership to hold together the power base. Race, then physical barriers are eliminated, requires the establishment of psychological barriers if those who lead have had their reason for leadership authority and legitimacy has been established on the basis of rejection by the other group.

Race in the psychological realm leads to ethnocentrism as a religion in the same manner as citizenship in the psychological realm leads to patriotism--- another form of allegiance that approximates religion. Ethnocentrism that exudes religious fervor is associated with charismatic leadership because there is a need for the elevation of someone to the level that approximates deification so that when seen as affiliated with the group, the individual perceives association with power. This is especially desirous among those who perceive themselves prior as “down trodden.” Such was the case of Germany prior to the war. Hitler charismatically established himself by rhetorically speaking to the transcendence of race to those who perceived themselves prior as having nothing.

This also renders a feeling of “truth” of superiority to have the “other” group believed to be inferior. Actions follow the accepted definition of reality. Actions that go unchallenged have legitimacy. Actions that become routine have attached to themselves authority. Routine actions that initially were in reaction to something deemed negative continue to persist beyond need if there are sunken costs associated with the institutions built upon the foundation of the lasting presence of the “problem.”

If the problem is solved or near solved, these institutions continue because they have a means of reminding their constituency that there is a threat of reversion. Such is the case of the Black Liberation church that has become a political entity. I must state here that not all churches that are predominately Black are Black churches, meaning Black first, and then church. Only those that are Black first and then church have made race a religion.

Those that are church, meaning body of Christ first, and then secondarily ethnic or racial are real churches rather than simply religiously mobilized units. I contend that the degree to which a race is a religion is directly associated with the degree of absence of sound doctrine. The biblical reason for my position is the conversation of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman at the well. The Samaritan Woman at the Well spoke politics associated with religious affiliation. She began this conversation race question – why is it that Jesus, a member of another race, should be talking to her. I believe that Jesus was communicating something when he failed to respond to her question concerning race. We pointed to the “living water” which by the way is the reason for the church and questioned her focus of conversation. He challenged her by asking and the describing her relationships (gender) as a byproduct of not being rightly reconciled with God. Remember, man looks at the outward appearance, while God looks at the heart.
How the problems of demographic imagery are handled within the domestic arena of the United States does have international implications. It is interesting to note that the Church has progressively lost traction of preparing the citizenry with Biblical knowledge. As a consequence, moral clarity has diminished at an exponential rate. The impotence of the Church institutional has had enormous adverse consequence in that it represented the removal of God from the public square. Indeed, the first historical source of public muffling about the Divine at the national level came about during the public debate over the merits and demerits of slavery in the United States.

That second scar, the Church's silence, a loud historical source of muffling came as worldwide silence of the Church during the Holocaust. Because silence is tantamount to consent for such attrocities, secularists do not want any mixture of church with state for fear of some future repeat of Hitler-like Germany here in the United States, an affiliation that permitted some to see the surrender of Jews as duty justifying the release of church records to facilitate capture.

Those two events, Slavery in the United States and Church silence during the Jewish holocaust, each reveal the onerous handling of opportunities for the church global to present a biblically sound response to issues of governance.

These two historical events showcasing church confusion and silence served to fertilize the nation for sprouting our current multi-culturally sensitive environment. God's voice was muffled to the point of ever decreasing credibility in the public square. As a consequence, government decision-making fails to produce logical programmatic policy response domestically and internationally.


At a time when government scholars recognize that there are many challenges
to public sector stewardship at home and abroad, Dr. Margaret Levy presented a poignant comment which appeared in Perspectives on Politics, as an inaugural address for the post as President of the American Political Science Association. In reference to the state of knowledge about governance, issues of political stability, citizen responsibilities in the birthing of democracies, and the response to “failed” nation-states, Dr. Levy made the following quotable quote. She said,

“Distrust may be the problem, but trust is not the solution,”

Levy calls for a “New Theory of Government.” According to Levy, “What we lack is a dynamic theory, one that endogenizes the mechanisms of transformation,”--- another way of saying that we really do not know how to establish and maintain good government. Levy challenges us with questions of governance that have to date gone unanswered.

She asks,

1) How do we move from a problematic equilibrium to one we prefer?

2) How do we change an inequitable society to one that is just and fair?

3) How do we go from low participation to high?

4) How do we end corruption and institute impartial compassionate bureaucrats?

5) How can we transform governments that have failed their citizens abysmally into governments that protect their citizens, provide them with health, education, infrastructure and other goods?

6) And, how can we transform democratic governments with advanced economies that serve some of their citizens very well and most of their citizens very poorly into democratic governments with advanced economies that serve all of their citizens equally well?”

Strategically these questions are both domestic and international in nature. What a stark challenge posed by the nature of Levy’s questions, questions that are loaded with a sense of mandate to correct the world’s problems and a few problems of our own. Of course, the correct answer is simply that humanity can not govern effectively or justly without God. For sure, Dr. Levy is right. "Trust" placed in man is misplaced.

So, instead of continuing along the path that does not work, the well-articulated path that looks good but is foundationally fraught with error because it ignores God,instead of continuing along that path, I suggest we seriously consider what God clearly says in His Word, the Holy Bible.
The Holy Bible says,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones. [Proverbs 3: 5-8, Holy Bible]

And—"What about God?"--you might ask. Well, no attempt is made in this book to prove that God exists. However, what is highlighted in this book are the adverse consequences of a prodigal nation founded on biblical understanding operating as if He does not exist. Maintained in the following pages is that perspective that a promise of great fortune alluringly has seduced the Body Politic---including the Church--- into “Prodigal Status” in relation to the God of the Holy Bible.

Some would like to believe this God a myth, a mere subject for Hollywood extravaganza. Who hasn’t appreciated the opening monologue of Cecil B. DeMilles who in capturing in cinematic screen the vision of parallel walls of water with the Israelites walking through on dry ground as a demonstration of God’s power to deliver. The scene shifts. We see the Israelites safe while and that the Egyptians attempting to follow on their heels, because God---Jehovah---God Almighty, sufficient to save, swallows up the enemies of Israel. Now, for those who see such a story as just so much “hocus pocus,” you need to be aware of the fact that in 2003 the Egyptian government filed suit against Israel in an attempt to gain reparations for the booty that was taken from Egypt during the Jewish Exodus. Here is the account as presented by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz in posted in the Israel National News.

“According to a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the August 9, 2003, edition of the Egyptian weekly al-Ahram al-Arabi includes an interview with Dr. Nabil Hilmi, the Dean of the Law Faculty at al-Zaqazia University. Dr. Hilmi claims that he and a group of Switzerland-based Egyptian patriates, the weekly reports, are preparing a suit to be filed against “all Jews” for property taken from the Egyptians at the time of the Biblical Exodus from Pharaonic Egypt. He estimates the value of the suit to be ‘very large' at least 1.125 trillion tons of gold (based on a low, but still shari’ a-forbidden, 5%annual interest rate).”

Like Hamlet’s mom washing her hands compulsively, trying to get the blood off of her hands, the nation seen as a person with a guilty conscience suggests that our nation has found solace in intellectualizing its problems. The conscience center [which should be the church] had not maintained credibility because of its inability to come to one unified conclusion about slavery when it was underway; and, the church global did not defend the Jews during the Holocaust. We may attempt to dissuade our guilt by confessionals given every national day of prayer. What is needed is individual repentance and restoration by our God as consequence of His directions to us in 2Chronicles 7:14. However, another hurdle presents itself. The very capable brain trust---the intelligentsia of our nation is charted by secular intellectuals like Bertrand Russell and others who are at odds with God and support continued secularization of our society.

The Islamic threat is not just physical attacks on our nation. The response of secularists is that all conversations about “god” must be squelched if there is to be any hope of peace. The politicians, however, see “god-talk” as translatable into votes. Political conversations are courting the church crowd.

Not inconsequentially, characteristics of altruism, forgiveness, leisure, national character—sensitivity to others, awareness and responsibility, awareness of purpose are bound in that which is valued.

We as a nation must confront our personal and collective sins and return to the God of the Holy Bible.These traits are not that of "milk toast."

It takes strong moral clarity to sustain human dignity and freedom within a society, it takes strength that only comes from right relation with God.

In an effort to marginalize God, folks have left out the only One who has a solution for the fallen human condition. There is more to His-story than secularists want to engage, one of relationship with God who is made manifest in Christ Jesus, for whom and by whom all things were created, including us.

So, in response to the question, "One Nation Under Who?" please understand this you who God loved so much that He was willing to give His only Begotten Son's life in exchange for yours and mine. Christ Jesus is the ONLY Sovereign who authors true freedom, with liberty and justice for all.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord! Amen!
God Speed!
--Livvy McDonald :)<><