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Monday
Oct122020

STICK A NEEDLE IN MY EYE

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:18 (NKJV)

Can’t see straight?  Embarrassed when you don’t recognize people you should know?  Dislike running into walls?  Stub your toes or trip over objects in your pathway?  Handicapped by blurred, dim or double vision? Blame the eyes, guys. You need glasses.  The need to see clearly dominates the human experience.  Thus, eyecare sits atop the list of the five senses.    

“Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!”  Echoes of that grisly childhood ditty still cause me to shudder.  No wonder.  Most of us react emotionally when thinking about losing our eyesight.  The worst horror stories involve eyes being stabbed, poked, burned out with a hot poker, plucked out, or splashed with acid.  The universal aversion to eye injuries shows up in multiple tales in history.  Samson lost his eyes to his Philistine torturers.  In Greek mythology, as the Cyclops (the one-eyed giant) sleeps, Odysseus and his men heat the tip of the sharpened log in a fire and then ram it into his eye, blinding him.  Jesus suggested it would be better to pluck one’s eyes out than to go to hell.  “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” Matthew 18:9 (NKJV)

But, more than eyesight, the twenty-first century discussion about eyes really focuses (no pun intended) on eyeglasses.  In contemplating this topic, a connection between eyeglasses and spiritual eyesight began to appear.  This may be a stretch, but the connotation seemed to me too obvious to miss.  The surprising fact is that we choose eyeglasses for many reasons other than the need for corrective lenses.  Let me also suggest that we manage and manipulate our spiritual vision to advance our life’s personal narrative.  Unfortunately, the “eyes of our understanding” often fall short of enlightenment. 

Designer frames.  You can get some wild frames these days in the optician’s showrooms.  Frames made to look like fingers, lens covered with spiderwebs, and macabre arachnid legs growing out of the frames are all available for purchase.  Also, the usual unusual colors like fire engine red, orchid purple, stark white, and rainbow colors may be ordered.  Why?  People choose designer frames to “make a statement.”  In terms of the “eyes of understanding,” what does this mean?  It means that people also frame their worldview as a function of their psychological desires, both consciously and subconsciously.  It’s not that they want to actually see better, it’s that they want to be seen as seeing better.  It’s not what they believe, it’s whether people perceive their beliefs as cool.  Sycophants, phonies, and plastic minions populate the planet today whose main goal in life is to fit in, to be accepted, to glom onto every popular idea out there.  Authenticity, the foundation for a genuine, fulfilled life gets bartered away for an illusion.  

Clear lenses.  Akin to the designer frames people, the clear lens people don’t really need glasses, they just want to mimic the perception that glasses make people look better, smarter, richer or more important.  Likewise, many people have no intention of changing their viewpoint or believing the Bible, but they want the look of a discriminating, open-minded seeker of truth.  Thus, we have Christians-in-name-only who betray the Gospel so as to reap believers’ benefits without truly believing.  Paul called them “false brethren.” “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.” Galatians 2:4 (KJV). 

Bifocals. Myopic people see clearly up close, but their far-sighted vision is blurry. The invention of split lenses, a.k.a. bifocals, enable people to see both near or far simply by shifting their eyes up or down.  Spiritually speaking, this generation can shift its view from near to far and back again as quickly as their spiritual bifocals will permit.  The moment their spiritual authority makes a demand that impinges on their independence or self-will, they disappear.  Loyalty, consistency, and faithfulness have increasingly become relics of the past.  Thus, the benefits of these virtues have waned as well.  What you see is what you get now defines mano-a-mano interaction, stripping it of rich, personal meaning in our human exchanges.  Instead of looking out for each other, we now just say, “Look out!” 

Astigmatism.  This condition results from one or both eyes being out of round.  Without correction, those who suffer from astigmatism see blurred, distorted images.  The exact cause is unknown, but studies indicate that it can either be genetic, caused by surgery, or having incurred an eye injury.  We often wonder why some people never seem to get their lives straightened out.  Spiritual astigmatism may be the reason.  Those who have suffered from abuse, deep personal tragedy, or a dysfunctional home environment may have a difficult time seeing the things that seem clear to others.  

Transition.  Transition lenses get darker when struck by ultraviolet rays and lighten when moved out of the reach of those rays.   Transitions lenses contain special patented photochromic dyes that cause the lens to activate.  Our spiritual eyesight can also change dramatically when sin, toxic attitudes, misperceptions, and misunderstandings infect our vision.  Their light becomes dark, their bright becomes shadowy, and previously understood principles and doctrines lose their clarity.  It is extremely frustrating when people believe one way for most of their lives and then, suddenly, they deny those very truths and go another direction.  Sin is a dangerous dye.  Jesus said, “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34 (NKJV) 

Diplopia (double vision).  Nerve or muscle damage in the eye can cause double vision.  Each eye creates its own image of the environment and relays it to the brain. The brain then combines the signals from each eye to create a unified picture.  It is important for both eyes to work together to create depth of field.  Damaged muscles that move the eyes or the nerves that control eye movement can result in two images.  Often, these muscles cannot be repaired.  Special lenses called prisms can correct the vision and turn the differing images into one picture.  Likewise, damaged spiritual vision sends conflicting images to the mind.  Remember, the fleshly nature will always see things from a carnal perspective.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul enlarged on this thought.  Read carefully.  “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”  Romans 8:6-10 (NKJV).  

The only answer to diplopia is to see the world through a divine lens.  The Word of God activated by the indwelling Spirit of God elevates us to God’s vantage point.  Only when we see the way God sees can we truly understand the issues of life.  Nature leads us to predicate all action on what we see.  Fear, doubt, panic, and confusion inundate us when we see from a human perspective.  Having a correct spiritual vision is critical.  Think of the spies sent by Moses into Canaan.  “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.  There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”  Numbers 13:30-33 (NKJV) 

Joshua and Caleb also saw the giants.  Their perspective, however, let the see their God towering above the giants. 

It’s all in the eyesight.  What do you see today?

Saturday
Sep192020

Kitchen Sink Sermons

In clear contradiction to the popular cliché, “everything but the kitchen sink,” too many preachers throw in every kitchen sink they can find.  Thus, instead of a highly focused laser beam, their message bathes the congregation in a virtual pandemic of blinding spotlights.  If one Bible character reference is good, seven or eight is better.  If one illustration is good, five or ten is better.  If one wrap-up conclusion is good, three is surely better.  A classic three-point message cannot possibly cover all the necessary ground; it takes at least ten to adequately do it justice.  If three main points seems enough, then it must need a half-dozen subpoints under each heading.  Why do they do this?  Because they have way too many awesome thoughts and powerful punch lines to cheat the congregation out of any of them.  And the sheer brilliance of the message mandates redundancy.

Many of today’s sermons resemble Sarah Winchester’s labyrinthine house in San Francisco.  It is a 160-room, 24K square foot hideous spectacle of add-on after add-on, staircases going nowhere, doors that don’t open, useless rooms, facades that have nothing behind them, and a sense that there is no end in sight.  Messages with no clear purpose, no specific call to action, no identifiable pathway from beginning to end, and no unified theme lose their audiences.  They confuse rather than clarify, create chaos rather than give direction, and dampen down spirits rather than arouse them. 

Somewhere, we have lost the purpose of the sermon.  It has deteriorated to impressing people with the vast knowledge of the preacher; or regaling the audience with entertaining stories; or breaking every theological point down to its subatomic structure.  (There is a psychiatric term for that last point.)  A sermon is not to rehash the news, advocate for a political point of view, or pick a fight with a prominent member of the congregation with whom a difference of opinion exists.  Too many sermons have been co-opted by apologies for specious or illegitimate points of view, corrupted to conform to an invalid attitude or an unbridled passion, or mismanaged to say the right thing for all the wrong reasons.  It is little wonder that many people—including pastors—are dissatisfied with the growth and stability of their congregation.

The Apostle Paul declared, “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?” 1 Corinthians 14:8 (NKJV) The metaphor fits.  The bugler can play a beautiful tune, but if he plays taps instead of reveille, or first call instead of to the colors, he invites the wrath of his commander.  If he purses his lips in the wrong way, or if his lungs lack sufficient wind, the sound will be more like a sick whimper than a rousing blast.  A sloppy trumpeter not only embarrasses himself, but he throws his whole platoon or company into chaos.  A capable fighting force disintegrates into an errant mob if the sound is uncertain.  Likewise, if the preacher is merely serving his personal agenda, or if he has no clue what he is doing to his congregation, or if he throws his thoughts together carelessly, his people will have no sense of purpose.

The Apostle Peter preached the first sermon after the inauguration of the church.  It was a masterpiece that had a phenomenal impact on the hearers.  He began with a Scriptural text, he then focused on glorifying the main character of the message, Jesus Christ.  Finally, he prosecuted his case by charging his Jewish audience with the unlawful crucifixion of Jesus.  We can judge the effectiveness of the message by the response from those who heard it.  “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”  It is quite possible that result astounded even Peter.  Yes, the message was anointed, but it Peter presented in a simple, clear-cut, unencumbered manner.  In the same way, a powerful sermon should include the following attributes:

1.  Clear purpose.

2.  Strong, understandable points.

3.  One relevant Bible character as an example.

4.  One, possibly two powerful illustrations.

5.  Well-executed ending with a certain call to action.

 

The call to arms speeches by the great generals of the past illustrate the force of simple, understandable thoughts, and the economy of words.  Here is the address of General Eisenhower to the troops of D-Day:

 

“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well-trained, well-equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”

 

And with that speech, the Allies entered the final stage of the war.  Eisenhower did not deliver a slick performance, a deep dissertation, a nasty tirade, or a complicated oration.  A simple, clear, clean sendoff sufficed to spur the troops on to victory over a formidable foe.   

Having said all that, there will be times when you get on a roll, go crazy, and shoot from the hip.  And guess what?  The people will stick with you and pull even more out of you.  The secret is that you make it a rare occasion when you indulge yourself in a wild and wooly session.  If you do it all the time, you cause resentment and weariness.  Don’t send your listeners into wasteful and hopeless circles.  Don’t wear them out with endless and repetitive “one more thing” addendums. Don’t make their greatest accomplishment the fact that they endured to the end of the sermon.  They don’t want or need the kitchen sink.  Travel light.  Send them straight forward into victorious battle!

Friday
Jul312020

Love Won't Leave

Raw faith.
I’m not sure if I have it.
If I do, I’m sure I don’t have enough of it.
I admire those who do, those who have faith in its purest form.
I live in their angelic shadow.
I feast at their banquet tables laden with succulent fruit.
I consume their prodigious offerings.
Their buoyancy, resiliency, their irrepressible spirit give me
Nourishment for my soul.
How do those who lack raw faith wrap their arms around God?
Do they ask if He hears them when they doubt if He is real?
Do they confess skepticism to a God they dismiss as mythical?
Do they say yes when they mean no?
Is there a fine line between hypocrisy and honesty?
Maybe.
Consoling hope.
When I can’t find faith, hope shows up.
Like mystical night patterns, strange cloud formations
Playing out on the forest wall, faith slips away.
Occasionally, it defaults into my grasp, but never for long.
Teasing, taunting, glimmering, vanishing into the dark trees
Faith eludes me.
But when it disappears, it leaves me with hope.
Blessed hope.
I want it. I want more of it.
When I can’t seem to believe, hope assures me that I want to believe.
Hope encourages me when faith mocks me.
Hope compensates for its elusive companion faith.
Hope feeds me in the famine, shelters me in the storm,
Holds me through my nights of sorrow,
Edifies me in my disconsolations.
Hope soothes over my faith lapses.
“Lord, I believe. Please help my unbelief!”
Lasting love.
When faith flees my plaintiff cry,
When hope tries to comfort me but fails,
I fall into the arms of ever present love.
Prescient love, faithful love, assuring love.
It knows.
It knows when I’m not feeling faith.
It knows when I don’t respond to hope’s desperate attempts to save me.
It knows when I break down, berating myself, suffocated by loneliness.
When chasing faith, I outrun hope.
Love follows me, surrounds me with people,
Reminds me of kindness, generosity, tenderness, community.
Love asks no qualifying questions.
Love does not measure me, weigh me, test me, try me.
Love does not view me with narrowed eyes, judging me.
Love welcomes me when faith leaves me and hope can’t lift me.
Ahh, love.
When I am less than I profess to be,
When I disappoint, come up short, lose my way,
When I am scared that I am unworthy,
When fear inundates me,
Love always says, “I’ve got you.”
Now abides these three, faith, hope and love.
And the greatest of these is love.

 

Saturday
Jul252020

THE ANATOMY OF A FALL

“Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NKJV)

Trips to the doctor these days involve interminable questioning, courtesy of nosy bureaucrats.  One of the routine questions goes something like, “Have you fallen recently, or do you feel as though you are unsteady, and do you fear that you might fall going about your daily activities?”  I usually blow these questions off as aggravating time wasters.  Not anymore.

I fell a few weeks ago.  I had my foot propped up on a light stool, applying some antibacterial cream to my knee (it’s a long story), and when I finished I casually dragged my foot off of the stool, but, instead, I took the stool with me.  I fell backwards and landed on my seat.  Fortunately, I ended up on a carpet covered wooden floor.  It was a hard fall that shook me up enough to go to the ER the next morning.  The pain increased overnight, and I felt I needed some x-rays to see if I had broken or fractured any bones.  The examination showed no fractures, but I had considerable pain from jarring my vertebrate disks along with bruised muscles. Since I was alone in my own bathroom, at least I was spared from public embarrassment.

I saw my family doctor a few days later and told him what happened.  He said that muscle injuries are often worse than breaking a bone.  When I fell, I instinctively twisted my body, and my muscles tightened up to protect my bones and internal organs.  It is as though my muscles sacrificed themselves for the sake of  my vital bones and organs.  Four weeks after falling, I could readily attest to the accuracy of the doctor’s words. 

How in the world is a fall possible?  First, it doesn’t even cross your mind that one minute you could be standing, and the next minute you would be a heap on the floor.  After it happens, you mentally retrace your steps and discover that you were in control of everything right up to the point when you lost control.  (Makes sense.)  Your position, your balance and your firm grip on the air around you were intact until you made a stupid move.  It was that split second when you abandoned your safe position that you wish you could have back.  Oh yes, the “if only” game!  Sorry, but the laws of physics take over immediately when you lose control.  Chaos, disaster, and devastation exist on the other side of a paper-thin barrier separating safety from danger, serenity from panic, upright from prone—and it’s scary how fast it happens.  You are on your way down before it registers on your brain that you are about to experience a catastrophe.

If a fall in the physical realm behaves this way, I began thinking about the parallels to a spiritual fall.  I’ve seen people maneuver themselves into iffy situations, coming perilously close to danger, but they seemed to be negotiating all the variables with ease.  “I’m fine, pastor.”  Suddenly, the bottom falls out.  They didn’t relinquish their control deliberately.  They didn’t plan on falling—they just didn’t entertain the possibility that it could happen.  Their first mistake was risking a move that had disastrous consequences should they make a misstep.  It’s like the aerialist who flies through the air without a safety net, or the daring driver who ventures onto the freeway without buckling the safety belt.  Arrogance serves as a sure precursor for tragedy.  It’s when you think you are okay that you run your greatest risk.

Those who fall spiritually always attempt to mitigate, cushion, or interrupt their downward spiral by human means.  Divorce, jumping into a relationship, a fling, a major move, getting into debt—anything that promises to protect them from landing in brokenness and despair.  It’s mind-blowing what people will do in response to a crisis.  Some have even resorted to violence, embezzlement, blackmail, or other crimes as though malfeasance seemed like the ideal way to attain some shred of peace.  Invariably, the attempt not only fails, it compounds the problem many times over.  The painful paradox is that mistakes always seem like solutions before they occur. Wise is the person who foresees regrettable decisions before they happen.

King David represents the classic example of a calamitous fall.  First, he put himself in a compromising position, in direct line of temptation’s fire.  He then fell helplessly and headlong into an adulterous love affair with Bathsheba.  (Never underestimate the coercive powers of human emotion.  It is a hook in the jaw of common sense.) When he realized the colossal blunder he had just committed, he stupidly and heinously ordered the murder of her husband, Uriah, as though it would resolve his problem.  In an additional, little known irony, Uriah was a member of an elite group of bodyguards of David, a.k.a., David’s mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:39).  David not only committed an egregious crime, he suffered a self-inflicted blow.  Seven major tragedies occurred in David’s life and legacy as a recompence for his sin, the last of which was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

The worst piece of advice you can get is the tongue-in-cheek catchphrase, “it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.”  When you fall, you may get forgiveness morally or theologically, but logistically and realistically, you will go through a long and painful recovery, at best.  Your injury may be so great that you may suffer permanent scarring or deformation.  My physical fall healed for the most part, but I continue to deal with the consequences in my back.  A spiritual fall may forever affect your eligibility for leadership, your moral authority, your relationships, and your self-esteem.  Although you will always have access to God’s love and grace, you would still have been far better off never to have fallen in the first place.

A spiritual fall must be anticipated.  Do not ignore danger signs, do not take chances with your spiritual welfare, and never presume that you are immune to the realities of life.  Also, the higher you fly, the harder the crash.  The devil plays no favorites.  The best way to avoid the fall is to understand that it is always a possibility.

“This charge then, I am laying upon you, Timothy, my son, according to the predictions formerly made concerning you. Fight the good fight in the spirit of these predictions, keeping fast hold of faith and a good conscience; which certain individuals have cast aside, and so made shipwreck of their faith.” 1 Timothy 1:18-19 (MontgomeryNT).  

Tuesday
Jun232020

NOW, I’M OFFENDED

Airing your offenses seems to be the popular thing to do these days. I’ve been running for cover (in a manner of speaking) almost every newscast when I find out that something else I do or believe suffers a frontal assault coming from Congress to groups I’ve never heard of. I guess I’m not supposed to like Teddy Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Ulysses S. Grant, or even Abraham Lincoln. Familiar places on the map have to be renamed, and half my vocabulary has been wiped out because many words violate the sensitivity of someone somewhere somehow.

So, all this protesting has got me to thinking. “You know what? I have a right to be offended just as much as anyone else! I may not have the right to free speech, freedom of association or freedom of religion anymore, but I boldly claim my right to publicly declare insensitive words or deeds that make me feel uncomfortable, hurt, embarrassed, or devalued. Just because something is customary in the popular culture is no excuse. People should not be allowed to say, write, act out, sing, draw, paint, name, entitle, or otherwise express any ideas that cause me pain. I’m sick of it and I demand that something be done about it.

Ageism rises to the top of my list. People cavalierly say things like “I’m gonna jump in the shower,” or “run down to the store,” or “hop in bed,” or, “take a hike” with no regard for the aged or handicapped who lack the capacity to perform such feats. The word “jump” needs to be changed to “step” at the very least. And, when I hear the words “run,” or “hop,” I feel extremely insulted since my ambulatory skills are limited by age. No more “run,” “skip,” “race,” “dash,” or similar verbs that make me feel like less of a person. In their place, we need to substitute these words with “hobble,” “totter,” “crawl,” “creep,” or “stagger.” “Walk” may be acceptable, but not preferred. People who don’t know these things need to be reeducated in sensitivity training.

I have a long list of traffic related offenses. I am offended by barriers that prevent me from making left turns into business establishments or parking lots. They cause me aggravation, loss of time and confusion by making me negotiate U-turns, drive several blocks farther to find a place to turn around, or violate another traffic law by stopping in the middle of a busy intersection to figure out how I’m supposed to get to where I’m going. I am offended by businesses that block off access to a neighboring business by not providing me access to the other parking lot. And, I am grossly offended by motorists who insist on driving in the passing lane, semi drivers who pass another semi at one tenth of one mile faster, and tailgaters who nearly crash into my rear bumper and then tear out around me only to make a left turn a half mile later which holds up traffic for miles. They couldn’t care less because it gives them time to check their text messages or adjust their music controls. I am also offended by people who have five cars and only a two-car garage to put them in. People should have an equal number of cars in relation to the number of garage doors.

I am offended by people who overly manicure their lawns, shrubbery, and flowers to make everyone else on the street feel like slobs. The people who paint their mailboxes, wash their windows and apply fresh sealant to their driveways offend me because they flaunt their skills, energy and wealth by their actions. The gardening type of people also show their insensitivity to their neighbors who have trouble kneeling or bending down to tend a garden. Their tomatoes, half-runner green beans, zucchinis, cucumbers and peppers should be grown behind a visual barrier to keep from offending other people who don’t have the luxury of doing the same.

I have lots more grievances to air, but I’m not one of those impatient or greedy types who insist on immediate compliance or else they will riot, loot, or impose their will on others. I will wait a reasonable amount of time for society to come around before I plow ahead. I do feel much better, however, in standing up (I can still do that) and asserting my rights as an American citizen.

But don’t get too complacent. I will soon come after you for your figures of speech, names, titles, websites, social media posts, tweets, clothes (or lack thereof), tattoos, motorcycles, skateboards, pets, billboards, digital signs, masks, gestures, hair styles, sports, swimming pools, leisure activities, hobbies, food, and a bunch of other things that I can’t think of at the moment.

The right to be offended; that’s one right you can’t take away from me.

Saturday
Jun202020

WHITE AND OTHER KINDS OF PRIVILEGE

(In earlier posts, I have railed against racism. But I also denounce false charges of racism. Read this long post all the way through before you criticize my viewpoint. I am more solution oriented than problem finder.)

Hang around me long enough and you will figure me out. If you look for me in church on Sunday morning, I will be the guy in the suit and tie. I drive a Ford Explorer (kind of a rust/maroon color) and I live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. Converse with me and you will discover my midwestern accent, my vocabulary straight out of the 1960’s, my views and values, and my likes and dislikes. I like steak and potatoes, banana pudding and coffee made with freshly ground whole beans. I could go on and on but the descriptions of my tastes and predilections would most likely render you comatose, if you’re breathing at all.

My complex profile consists of big things like my race, socioeconomic status, religion, upbringing, education, travels, regional culture, family background, health, and life experiences. It also stems from little things like the cutest girl in my kindergarten class rejecting my affections, a bully beating me up in the sixth grade, a teacher belittling me in junior high, and making the high school varsity debate team. Throw in my height, weight, name, looks, ethnic traits (Greek), my IQ, my Dad’s occupation, and the side of town where I lived. In short, I am the sum of all the influences, the experiences, and the circumstances of my life. Race, being one of many of these factors, does not completely account for who I am.

So, for the last few years, we have heard this concept of white privilege emerging from the increasingly verdant field of trendy sociology. Indulge me for a simple logic exercise: “All tall men are green. John is green. Therefore, John is tall.” Flawed logic. Green does not equal tall, even if tall equals green. Applied to race, assume that privilege is evil. Some then assert that all white women are privileged. Sally is privileged. Therefore, Sally must be white, right? No. Sally is black. The premise that white equals privilege is false. The question comes down to this. Is privilege evil or is whiteness evil? The literary construct leads one to associate the two together as if they are one and the same.

The assertion of white privilege (a term coined by Peggy Mcintosh—who is white, by the way—a feminist activist) amounts to a diabolically clever combination of “white” with “privilege.” The insidious nature of the charge, however, reduces all human behavior, interaction, values, and culture down to race and skin pigmentation. If true, it is a charge from which there is no relief, no escape, nor is there any solution. Even if by some innovative biological miracle, we were able to homogenize all races into one skin tone, the problem wouldn’t go away. Each person would then be subjected to background checks and DNA tests to determine his or her heritage. If it is discovered that your antecedents were white, you would still be classified as white.

There are apologists for this viewpoint. From thesun, a UK paper, “But prominent Black Lives Matter activist Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL player, and current analyst for Fox Sports 1, recently claimed to clarify the meaning. He said: ‘This [definition] resonated with the most people. White privilege is not saying that as a white person your life hasn’t been hard. White privilege is simply saying your skin colour hasn’t been a contributing factor.’” https://www.thesun.co.uk/…/what-white-privilege-meaning-te…/

On the other hand, “white privilege” dissenters make a strong case against it. David Marcus of The Federalist writes, “Today we know that almost every piece of scientific evidence ever produced to describe the nature of any individual based on race is bunk. And yet rather than treating racism as illogical and irrational, we treat it as immoral and unjust. Racism may well be the latter, but its cure can only be found in the former. Only when everyone views snap judgments about individuals based on race as the absurd equivalent of such judgments based on hair or eye color, will the great moral victory over bigotry be won. But this is precisely what progressive views on race stand in the way of. Since the 1980s we have moved away from the goal of the colorblind society towards the goal of valuing differences. This focus on difference reinforces racial pseudoscience and frankly gives cover to racists of all kinds who obviously would rather debate morality than science.

“When we make assumptions about a person based on their skin color we are engaged in a logical fallacy. What we think we know is based on aggregated demographic information, some accurate, some not so much. We might think an Asian student is good at math because studies show that in the aggregate Asians score high in math. But while aggregations are made up of individual people, individual people are not made up of aggregations. It’s not a two-way street. In areas such as medicine and public policy these aggregations can be useful in allocating resources, but on the individual level they are meaningless.” https://thefederalist.com/…/why-white-privilege-is-not-the…/

Without a doubt, being black in America poses a level of difficulty that I cannot identify with, but to set it apart as the foundational reason for the alleged failings of the black race to the exclusion of every other possible factor speaks of lazy analysis, if not a prima facia falsity. (My suspicion is that Ms. Macintosh grew so fond of the phrase she invented that she didn’t rest until she strung together enough anecdotal evidence to make it appear legitimate and scored a breakthrough theory.) The convoluted logic of white privilege may serve as a desperate attempt to analyze a set of social circumstances for which all other answers appear unsatisfactory, but not much else. It ignores the train wreck of past government solutions, it generalizes the evil or criminal actions of some into the indictment of an entire race, and it is a puerile oversimplification of a contentious and complex problem that has frustrated some of the greatest, racially diverse minds in the world.

Being a member of a multiracial church, I have seen firsthand how harmony between the races works, and I see an amazing indifference to skin tone in the interactions of black, white, brown and any combination thereof. Those who insist on seeing racism behind every tree would call my experience an anomaly if they even believe it to be a legitimate claim. Most likely, they would just mock me with assertions of ignorance of white privilege on my part. My response is this: Those who are totally sold out to seeing problems cannot afford to see solutions lest they lose their purpose in life.

If you believe in white privilege, you will probably not be convinced otherwise. If you have an open mind, however, you may be able to recognize other kinds of privilege that can be just as influential as you think white privilege to be. Yellow privilege, bi-lingual privilege, I.Q. privilege, Harvard privilege, Ivy League privilege, wealth privilege, Northern privilege, Southern privilege, athletic privilege, regional privilege, in-house privilege, hometown privilege, home school privilege, artistic privilege, religious privilege, nepotism privilege, celebrity privilege, personality privilege, experience privilege, and yes, black privilege.

I do not deny that white privilege exists in America. In fact, I guarantee you that white privilege works as a viable concept in any number of situations and contexts. But I also guarantee you that all these other listed privileges (and more) may indeed be more influential in other situations and contexts. For me, the bottom line is this: Is the road to racial equality paved with educating the public with a dubious—if not false—theory of white privilege, and then rooting it out through accusation, intimidation, guilt, shame, self-flagellating exercises, and sensitivity training which already sports a dismal track record? Or is it simply to enforce laws that are already on the books? If white privilege is a case of immorality, what can we do about it? Have we ever been successful legislating morality? In terms of punishment, laws against discrimination—the real culprit—appear in jurisdictions at every level in our society. Equal housing, equal employment and a host of other laws criminalizing racial bias are virtually guaranteed to every American citizen. To give someone a hefty fine or throw them in jail acts as an effective deterrent against discrimination.

If you truly want to change hearts and minds, the last place to go or the last method to choose is the college classroom or the activists’ training ground. There, you will only find useless theories, exacerbation of conflict, revenge, hatred, ridicule, arrogance, blame games, and fighting injustice with violence. Far from the noble intentions of improving racial relations, these venues more accurately represent a devolvement back to the Neanderthal era. They speak of regression, not progression.

It’s time to change tactics. Go to church. Read the Bible. Ask for guidance from the Spirit of God. Practice forgiveness. Spread love. Promote kindness. Revive the golden rule. A regenerated heart provides our only assurance that we can overcome the ugliness and sinfulness of racism.

A parable Jesus told aptly illustrates what I mean. I have added clarifications to show relevance to the topic at hand. “’There was once a man [race unknown] traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers [bigots]. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest [of the racial majority] was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite [also of the racial majority] religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. A Samaritan [of a racial minority] traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’ What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers? ‘The one who treated him kindly,’ the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, ‘Go and do the same.’” Luke 10:30-37 (MSG)

God bless the Samaritans.

Saturday
Jun132020

IT NEVER HAPPENED

From a carpenter’s toolbox of words and phrases: “When you fix a mistake it will seem to everyone who sees it from that time on that the mistake never happened!” Say you bought a house which had a stairway that was too steep. At considerable trouble and expense, you ripped out the steps and built a new stairway much easier to use. The next owner will never know that there was ever a problem in the first place. No matter how noble the intent, no matter how ingenious the repair, no matter how much work it took, no matter how much it cost, succeeding generations will never know about it.

Now we have people trying to fix America’s past. Their “fix” is to wipe out all reminders of the mistakes this country made hundreds of years ago. They propose to remove monuments, statues, plaques, and memorials that speak of dark times in our history. If they succeed, the irony will be that the loss of these symbols will be a defeat, not a victory. These are the unintended consequences of tearing down monuments, or “sanitizing history” as Condoleezza Rice calls it.

Tearing down monuments erases history.
Tearing down monuments is pretending that some things never happened.
Tearing down monuments denies knowledge to future citizens.
Tearing down monuments prevents valuable lessons from being taught.
Tearing down monuments is empty symbolism.
Tearing down monuments promotes ignorance.
Tearing down monuments destroys meaning.
Tearing down monuments manipulates culture.
Tearing down monuments opens the door for future resurgence.
Tearing down monuments expresses hatred, not love.
Tearing down monuments rejects healing of the past.
Tearing down monuments desecrates property not owned by the vandals.
Tearing down monuments is an attempt to reshape and revise the past.
Tearing down monuments is a self-defeating enterprise.
Tearing down monuments is a self-exalting exercise.
Tearing down monuments is virtue-signaling.
Tearing down monuments is misplaced anger.
Tearing down monuments is mob action.

A revisionist’s history is a lie. The truth is that America made colossal mistakes, egregious sins and inexcusable decisions. We have never tried to hide that since 1776 or especially since 1865. In the case of the Civil War, 600,000 Americans lost their lives which amounted to almost two percent of the population. Today, that would be over seven million people! The “mistake” that this represents is far too big to be wiped out and covered over.

It is too important for anyone to suggest that it never happened.

Friday
Jun122020

IT'S NOT HIS PERSONALITY

I’ve been had.

I admit, I bought into it. They had me going.

I have wasted boatloads of time and energy deflecting, explaining and dismissing Trump’s traits as idiosyncrasies or insignificant quirks of character. I did it because I thought those specific mannerisms were what drove the Democrats and the media mad. Some of you have read my remonstrations on these pages.

I even had lots of fun pointing out their hypocrisy because they overlooked the foibles of prominent people on their side while making a federal case out of Trump’s flaws. Some instances were so obvious that everyone with half a brain knew they were spinning, fudging, and lying. Now, I know that they couldn’t care less what anyone thought. Don’t be fooled like I was. All the clamor about Trump’s rude tweets, compulsive lying, supposed mental deficiencies, boorish behavior, confusion in his cabinet, even his supposed misogyny and alleged racism—these actions, irksome or loathsome as they may be, were never at the core of their opposition.

Why have they done it? It’s simple. The left was dealing in street cred versus abstruse concepts. They knew that average people could understand and be sickened by these crabby behaviors. They knew they could whip up hatred, anger, and loathing by hammering on these flash points. It has all been orchestrated for the public consumption. Ask the average Trump hater on the street and he or she will cite the president’s lying, racism, vulgar traits as the reason for their hatred. Haters will name his purportedly praising of white supremacists, his locker room talk disparaging of women, charges that he called Hispanic immigrants rapists, and that he referred to Central American youths as animals. Plus, they hate his orange, coiffured hair. And, his workaholic ways. Yes, the focus on his crude personality has played very well.

It’s all a gigantic smoke screen.

Their opposition has little or nothing to do with his personality. The real reason for their hatred for Trump is all about his policies, his worldview, his political philosophy and his core beliefs. They’re much more frightened of his views than his tweets. They despise everything he stands for because it represents a massive rollback of the new world order that progressives, leftists and liberals have been working to establish over the last fifty years. They have essentially dedicated their entire lives to blunting American influence abroad, emasculation of the military, promotion of diversity at the expense of national unity and patriotism, installation of justices who were not strict constructionists, exploitation of racial divides, instilling college and university students with a negative view of the founding fathers, shaping the concept of social justice, undermining the economy, promulgating globalism and the United Nations, and laying the foundations for socialism. They do not see Trump as a mere nasty, embarrassing occupant of the office president for four or eight years. That they could stomach. Rather, they see him as detonating a nuclear bomb in the middle of a precious, vast, world-changing program. They cannot—at least in their minds—afford to have one man come along and wreck the work of thousands. They are not about to simply throw up their hands and walk away. They have way too much invested to let him get away with this. Horror and nausea overwhelm them thinking about the following Trump accomplishments:

  • Moving America’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
  • Pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal.
  • Pulling out of the Climate Change Accords.
  • Ending our association with the World Health Organization.
  • Neutralizing hostilities with North Korea and averting possible war.
  • Taking out two notorious terrorist leaders.
  • Defeating ISIS in Iraq.
  • Freeing hostages.
  • Dismissing of crippling regulations to business.
  • Fracking and renewed oil exploration and drilling.
  • Achieving energy independence.
  • Appointment of two strict constructionist Supreme Court justices.
  • Escaping the condemnation of the Mueller Report.
  • Acquittal of articles of impeachment.
  • Lowest unemployment rate in years or in history for minorities.
  • Largest tax cut in history.
  • Historical highs in the stock market.
  • Ending NAFTA and creating USMCA trade agreement.
  • Bringing huge structural changes to the Veteran’s Administration.
  • Creating Opportunity Zones for Black Communities.
  • Creating SpaceForce.
  • Enacting prison reform.
  • And much, much more.

If it weren’t for Trumps policies, his behaviors wouldn’t take up more than a few seconds of broadcast time or a few lines of print. His America first viewpoint is the sticking point. This man clearly threatens the left’s grand design to reshape the world, making America a much smaller player than it was in the twentieth century. It is why George Soros and others like him have pledged to do everything possible to turn him out of office, legally or otherwise.

It took me far too long to figure this out. They say it is his awful words. It’s a lie. It is his policies they hate.