MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH

For those too young to remember, “meanwhile, back at the ranch” entered our language as an adopted phrase from the old radio drama, The Lone Ranger.  While the masked man was busy rounding up rustlers in the adjoining county, for example, the folks back home were getting robbed by another band of outlaws.  In other words, some significant but unnoticed action was taking place away from the main event.  Put this in the context of today’s pandemic.  Something sinister is happening behind our backs.

While America’s attention is riveted on conquering the Coronavirus, not too many pay much attention to the wrecking of the economy.  Those who do talk about it get attacked by the media as insensitive rubes who, like typical Republicans, only have eyes for dollar signs.  “Health first!” they scream.  “This is not time to think about jobs.  Who cares about jobs if we all die from the virus?”  The visceral reaction of most of us overwhelmingly agrees.  And so, like good sheeple, we echo the mantra and follow the herd.  Thus, we are led by the nose into an abyss.

Let’s be blunt.  The cure is killing us.  How so?  Well, the hospitals where we care for the infected cannot exist without an economy to support it.  The research and development labs cannot develop vaccines and medications without a strong economy.  Neither can the pharmaceutical companies produce life-saving drugs unless they can pay their bills.  The ginormous supply chain that services the health care system cannot stay viable without the economy.  If that goes, it will, in turn, cause the collapse of our vaunted health care system.  In short, the entire support structure that enables the mitigation to COVID-19 to exist will go up in smoke if we cannot jump start our economy.  (I won’t even get into the possibility that a segment of the population would be happy with an economic demise so they can restructure the entire society.) The Lone Ranger may save some cattle, but he won’t have a ranch to care for them when he gets back. 

This is why President Trump said that this decision was the most difficult one he has ever had to make in his presidency.  It’s a catch-22.  Those who cry that he is killing people if he sends people back to work don’t know or don’t care what is happening back at the ranch.  These same people will undoubtedly scream at his incompetence if he lets the economy blow up by extending the quarantine.  (And, it’s a safe bet that the screamers aren’t worried because they have jobs and incomes.)  It is a tough decision, not unlike dropping the A-bomb that ended WWII.  (A dreadful, yet appropriate example.)

Sometimes, decisions come down to risk management.  It may sound cold, but reality is staring us in the face.  We must weigh the risk of a premature startup against the risk of destroying our economy.  To use the language of the pandemic, we may flatten the infection curve, but subject the economy to an unacceptable mountain peak.  The President must assemble a team of knowledgeable leaders in every pertinent field and draw from their collective wisdom to chart the course forward.  If he allows the wrecking ball to keep swinging, there won’t be much left to salvage. 

PREDICTIONS, SPECULATIONS, PROGNOSTICATIONS ABOUT THE END OF THE QUARANTINE

GENERAL PRACTICES:

We have now been trained to practice social distancing, handwashing, putting our hands to our faces, etc.  These behaviors have been burned into our collective conscience and have become mandatory routines in our homes, offices and factories.

The general public will turn into major germophobes.  We will be much more careful when entering or using public buildings, fitness centers, playgrounds, restrooms and entertainment establishments.  We will complain loudly when we see any sign of neglect of good hygiene practices in these places.  Proprietors beware!

We will begin watching health care services like a hawk regarding their treatment and practices.  Hospitals, nursing homes, physical therapy centers, doctor’s offices and clinics attract sick people and we are now acutely aware of contagious diseases. 

Schools, day care facilities, dance studios, martial arts establishments and the like will need to greatly increase their attention to cleanliness, use of disinfectants and rules of hygiene.  We will no longer dismiss carelessness or sloppiness in these matters.  

We will cherish our family and loved ones because we found out how painful separation can be.  This will lead to more family time and extended family get-togethers.

ECONOMIC CHANGES

Americans will begin saving as much as they can of their earned income.  The feel of having your income cut off has been a harrowing experience and it will leave a lasting impression.

We will begin stockpiling certain staple foods, goods and commodities in case of shortages or barren marketplace shelves. 

We will exercise more care in buying items, especially big-ticket goods.  We now know how expensive cheap items can be when they break down.

Businesses that went through major upheavals, loss of revenue or loss of customers will be more conscious of quality of product and customer service than before. 

CHURCH PRACTICES:

We now know that the church can survive a quarantine or lockdown.  It resembles the practice of Jesus when He told people not to tell anyone about His miracles.  He knew they were all the more apt to spread the news.  When the authorities told us not to assemble for service, it only increased our desire to join with our brothers and sisters in worship and celebration.

The church will become less building-centric and more willing to operate in different venues of outreach and ministry.  We will focus more on people rather than brick-and-mortar edifices.  This will change much of the vision for church growth that served us well in the past but will force us to adapt to the changing context of actual, pragmatic ministry in the future. 

The past reliance on crowd-moving performances, special effects, and the excitement of large gatherings will be replaced by a newer, more down-to-earth, authentic appeal in reaching people and making disciples.  We will not be in as much control over the delivery milieu, but we will learn to pack much more into the content of our message.  It will be much the same as the preference of one-on-one tutoring over the classroom lecture method.

Although the emphasis on activity in the building will lessen, it will not stop.  People will continue to need the human touch and the warmth of fellowship.  It affirms us, encourages us and inspires us.  We will just learn to manage it and not overemphasize it to the detriment of the church’s mission.   

We will allocate our resources in more missional endeavors rather than in building and grounds aesthetics.  Nice, comfortable, versatile and utilitarian will be favored over opulent, ornate and triumphs of architecture.  This will advance people ministry rather than steeple ministry.

The church will learn to decentralize ministry so that more discipleship will flourish in homes and private venues rather than by professional clergy in corporate settings.  People will learn to pray, study, engage in the helping ministry in their family and private lives instead of exclusively in the church building.  This will not diminish the authority of the anointed ministry, but it will expand and expedite practical ministry. 

These prognostications may not materialize in the exact way as I have thought, but I do believe that they are directionally correct if not true in every detail.  Add or subtract to this as you see fit. 

Breaking the Sound(bite) Barrier

Ever see a video when the picture and the sound are out of sync?  You hear the words and then the speaker moves his lips a few seconds later—or, vice versa.  Reminds me of today’s stale media.  They’re stuck in the last hour’s or even yesterday’s news. By the time they report it, have you already heard it and have gone on to the next big tumult. 

The rapid acceleration of the news cycle makes writing an article about it obsolete, questioning why I am writing this in the first place.  Hopefully, the shelf life of this piece will last through several cycles, but I don’t expect much more.  At any rate this is concept is worth some thought because it impacts the way the public reacts.  This is because we often react to the spin, the analysis, the opinions or the pundits rather then the event itself.  Mark Twain said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” 

It wasn’t always this way.  Many years ago, movie-goers heard about huge news events once every week or so when a news reel flashed pictures of some big happening on the screen.  Later, around the 1950’s, the six o’clock evening news, or the eleven o’clock broadcast wrapped up the day’s events for the audiences of the big three networks.  Then, newly formed cable networks carried news programs 24/7, allowing them to keep rabid news junkies current, albeit sleepless.  But even then, reporters got on the scene hours too late after word had already leaked.  Often, faulty reports filed by harried media people traumatized the nation before the true facts were known.  Back tracking, excuse-making, corrections and apologies applied band aids on embarrassed networks. 

Live reporting claims center stage in relevance.  Then, after a critical pause, along come the pundits, analysts, commentators and spinners, opining on their views of what happened.  Sometimes, they pre-record their programs which makes many of their fulminations obsolete, inaccurate or even bizarre.  Radio and television broadcasters wrestle with these problems minute by minute, but daily newspapers are almost shut out of the vicious news cycle.  That’s one reason why many of them went belly-up in the last decade.  It’s also why much of the reported news has morphed into editorializing instead of plain vanilla news.  Desperate for readership, the rags are gasping on life support. 

“American journalism is losing its objectivity.  That’s according to a new analysis on news discourse. In the study, released this month, researchers found a major shift occurred between 1989 and 2017 as journalism expanded beyond traditional media, such as newspapers and broadcast networks, to newer media, including 24-hour cable news channels and digital outlets. “Notably, these measurable changes vary in extent and nature for different news platforms,” it found. RAND is a nonprofit nonpartisan think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif. 

“Our research provides quantitative evidence for what we all can see in the media landscape,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, a RAND senior political scientist and lead author of the report, the second in a series on the phenomenon of “Truth Decay,” the declining role of facts and analysis in civil discourse and its effect on American life. ‘Journalism in the U.S. has become more subjective and consists less of the detailed event- or context-based reporting that used to characterize news coverage.’” -www.marketwatch.com. 

Whatever trouble the newspaper industry now suffers can be multiplied many times over in magazine publishing.  If media outlets get hurt by one-hour delays, what must be happening for delays of one month?  The dramatic constriction of the print magazine world has already started. 

“Decreasing revenues will force magazines to cut costs wherever possible. The era of glamor in the magazine world, filled with limitless charge accounts, celebrity editors, fabulous parties, and plenty of spare cash, best epitomized in everyone’s favorite chick flick, The Devil Wears Prada, may be coming to an end. Certainly, the role of the venerable and affluent editor-in-chief, standing as the very symbol of the magazine, is waning. The New York Times writes, “At a time of belt-tightening, celebrity editors, with their big salaries and expensive tastes, are increasingly passé. Budget-minded executives at publishers like Hearst and Condé Nast are looking more critically at requests for six-figure photo shoots and $5-a-word writers.” -www.journal.businesstoday.org. 

You, the consumer, must navigate through this chaotic mess.  There are several important guidelines to keep in mind as you pick your way along. 

Gather facts.  Cut through the noise of the spinmeisters and keep your antennae up for the raw facts of the story.  Find out the who, what, where, when and how before you tackle the why.  These facts may usually be discerned, even in the most convoluted report of a jaded newsperson.  Be very skeptical of why something happened.  Opinion usually drives that conclusion, not fact.  

Connect dots.  Use your head.  If a plane falls out of the sky, for example, something had to go very, very wrong.  Pundits who try to cover up a scandal or distract attention to some unrelated incident need to be ignored.  (Note Benghazi, the downing of a Ukrainian airliner by Iran, the origins of Covid-19).  If you’re not willing to do some independent thinking about a situation, don’t offer a half-baked opinion. 

Be your own editor.  People in possession of the real facts usually don’t talk, which means that the talkers probably don’t have all the facts.  Think about it.  If you have an hour’s program coming up every twenty-four hours, you have to say something, even if it’s guessing or just plain wrong.  You can do at least that good if not better.     

Question motives.  Why would a media person say something or take a position?  Well, for starters, to fill time.  How about to create controversy?  Hawk a product? Defend himself or herself against a charge?  Please a boss, a celebrity or a substantial donor?  Appear to be the smartest person in the room?  Cave to a barrage of contrary opinions?  There are lots of reasons other than the truth that will explain why people say or do things.  They’re counting on the sheeple to go along with them. 

Be time sensitive.  Don’t be fooled by shell games or slight-of-hand (or mouth) tactics of manipulative media people.  The book, “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” top the list as a prime example of twisted news.  If you’re truly interested in a story, find out who did what when before you settle on an opinion. 

Understand narratives.  We’re inundated with reports of false narratives, but the fact is that narratives shape most news stories today.  Liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, populist, globalist, radical anything, love Trump, hate Trump, love America, hate America—the list could go on forever—mindsets filter every fact set that passes through them on the way to publication or broadcasting.  For example, when a Jehovah’s Witness or an LDS missionary comes to your door, you already know the gist of the upcoming conversation.  You take no personal offense because you are aware of the narrative in question.  Likewise, if you are going to consume the news, you must know the profile of it origin.  Walk into every situation with your eyes wide open. 

Admit your own biases.  Few people, if any, can claim 100% objectivity.  I don’t know … maybe robots can, but I even doubt that.  It’s not wrong to operate out of set of biases, but it is wrong to deny that you have opinions.  In some cases, however, your opinions act as blinders to truth. Some things are true, whether you accept them or not.  Everything deserves an objective treatment, even if you ultimately minimize or reject them.  

Gauge impact.  Finally, not everything deserves a full-blown, all-out mobilization for war.  Some news stories barely make it into the trivial pursuit category, some need a passing swipe, and others need focused attention.  If something threatens to damage to a conviction, a principle or a way of life, go after it.  Your shared insight may head off a major blow that could hurt many people.  

The homespun philosopher, Will Rogers, said, “All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that’s an alibi for my ignorance.” What was true in the 1940’s can only have worsened exponentially in today’s environment.  Be on guard.  Be alert.  Be vigilant.  News is information, and information can either be a death knell or a lifeline.    

It’s Time for a Step Back

I’m as patriotic as anyone, American through and through. Any thinking person must admit, however, that we are reeling from the Corona virus devastation. Even though there are plenty of reasons to question the pandemic’s baseline accuracy reporting, the negative impact on the country’s morale and economic health is clear to all. By most accounts, we are fast approaching critical mass. Pundits agree. Our lives will never be the same. Rising out of this blurry horizon, then, the opportunity to manage this sea change presents itself to us as a people. What will change? How will we be different? Will the change alter our fundamental rights and freedoms? We desperately need to take a step back and re-evaluate ourselves and our predicament.

In stepping back, we must be cognizant of this American “experiment” as it has been historically called. No nation in history has ever afforded its citizens the full range of freedoms we enjoy. The Bill of Rights guarantees us a litany of unprecedented rights unheard of in society, civilized or not. Was it too much? Can it be sustained? Did our founding fathers unwittingly give us the ability to destroy ourselves through exercising our rights and abandoning our responsibilities? They did try to mitigate the abuse of freedom by crafting a republic instead of a pure democracy. (In a democracy, the rule of the majority is absolute; hence the term, “the tyranny of the majority.”) One might argue that we are coming dangerously close to breaching that barrier culturally, if not politically … yet. It may be a pipe dream, but here are my hopes.

We need to put an end to polarization. It has always been understood that whoever wins elections assumes the power to call the shots and direct the nation. In the last few years, however, the losing side has fomented a virtual insurrection, inciting defiance against duly elected officials. Except for a few street skirmishes, it hasn’t been militarized action, but, in terms of rhetoric, propaganda and creating as much chaos as possible, the effect has still been dramatic. It has not only impeded the legal actions of our governing bodies; it has called our very system of government into question. The Electoral College, the Supreme Court and the imposition of federal law over state and municipal rule have all been criticized, ripped apart and vilified. Continuing down this path will certainly undermine the stability of the nation. I would ask those who advocate these radical changes if they truly know where it will end up or are they just guessing?

We need to be less materialistic. For too long, rank-and-file Americans have looked to the accumulation of things as their success calculus. Whoever winds up with the most toys, wins. Then, along comes a stock market crash and panic ensues. Hawkers of precious metals, real estate, insurance policies and money-making schemes saturate the airwaves and print media. The push for financial fatness has interfered with such traditional values and customs like child-rearing, marriage laws, family ties and moral stability. The adage that money can’t buy happiness swirled down the tubes long ago. If this pandemic helps to correct these distortions of our spiritual health and well-being, then we will at least have a chance to land upright when it is all over.

We need to respect faith. A small cadre of iconoclastic, hedonistic, sacrilegious atheists, encouraged and guided by a class of profane college professors, commandeered the entertainment industry in the middle of the last century. They handed America a platter of anti-family, anti-religion, anti-authority an anti-morality garbage, seductively laced with humor, propagated by beautiful faces and fit bodies, and spruced up with dazzling special effects. Pillars of faith have been routinely mocked, made to look like fools, and charged with bigotry, racism, and an oppressive set of morals harking back to a medieval ethos. Yet, in times of global stress, few people turn to the movie industry for inner strength and peace (despite some celebrities’ saccharine orations descending from their Malibu mansions.) Their banalities cannot replace spirituality and faith. I am hopeful that America will get its head on straight again and reject the empty overtures of Hollywood.

Covid-19 looks like AIDS, 9/11, illegal immigration, the mortgage crisis of 2008, the California wildfires and Katrina all rolled into one sucker punch. America’s rebound will depend on our return to our Judeo-Christian underpinnings, a recommitment to loving and respecting each other, and a rejection of the manufactured “woke” enlightenment. We must begin trafficking in truth, honesty, reality and wholesomeness. One thing seems certain: we will be different. How different and in what way the difference manifests itself remains the big question. May God help us all.

Wash Your Hands!

 

I know you’re sick of hearing this but bear with me.  The pandemic Covid-19 unleashed a tsunamic of hygienic advice lecturing all of us on the necessities of washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, refraining from touching your face, etc., etc.  The implications range far wider than the obvious. 

Germs love hands and they hate to be disturbed.  These couch potatoes of bacteria sack out in callouses, creases, tiny cuts, fingernails and protected spaces between your fingers.  They take great comfort in their microscopic size because it makes them invisible to the naked eye.  Most amusing to them is your insistence that you are a clean person and you are offended by anyone implying that you are dirty.  

Sorry.  Your hands are probably dirtier than you ever imagined.  Don’t think so?  When is the last time you punched your PIN into a public keypad?  Or swiped your finger across your smart phone screen?  Or, pushed a grocery cart through the supermarket?  Or shook hands with a trusted friend (or a sworn enemy)?  Or tousled a toddler’s hair?  Then, you ate a potato chip, chewed your fingernails, rubbed your eye, or dug a sesame seed from between your teeth, all without a second thought.  Got the point?  So … 

Wash your physical hands.  Use antibacterial soap and running water.  Pay special attention to your fingertips and thumbs.  Don’t hurry.  A good cleansing takes around twenty seconds.  Wash your hands after every trip to the restroom, before and after eating, handling money, and after anytime you do a dirty job or interact with people.  Remember, staphylococcus and pathogens hide in plain sight.  But, let’s look at other aspects to the phrase “wash your hands.” 

Wash your hands of spiritual germs.    Much like microscopic bacterium, sinful attitudes adopt an invisible state of being in our minds. They hide in fleshly habits we coddle, prideful spirits we harbor and unrepentant sins we protect.  Lust, greed, hatred, bitterness, rebellion and other wicked strains burrow into the crevices of our souls.  Our evil tendencies despise divine disturbances.  They vehemently resist any attempt to root them out. You must go after them relentlessly with the detergent of the blood of Christ, the washing of the Word and earnest praying in the Holy Ghost.  “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:15 (NKJV). 

Wash your hands of evil relationships.    “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV).  Hanging around renegades and rebels poses risks to your own spirit.  If someone you call a friend drags you down, plants evil thoughts in your mind, speaks evil of authorities and undermines your faith, cut the relationship.  Like washing your hands of stubborn stains, it may be hard to do, but your spiritual life depends on it.  Wash those evil influences away!  Instead, surround yourself with people who build you up in the faith, encourage right living and stand for truth.  

Wash your hands of past sins.  Just as God casts your repented sins into the sea of forgetfulness, the devil deep dives into those seas and drags out your misdeeds to taunt and terrorize you with them.  He has no right to commit his crimes, but when has Satan ever played by the rules?  He will do whatever you permit him to do to you.  The lying, cheating, immoral lifestyles of your past were drowned in the precious blood of Jesus.  It is time for you to rid yourself of their ties to your present and future life.  Wash your hands of the guilt and shame that dogged your pre-Christ days.  “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”  Titus 3:5 (NKJV) Forgive yourself.  If Christ forgave you, you can do the same.  By faith, accept the judgement of your Savior.  “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NKJV). 

Keep in mind that any symptoms that develop in your life come about by failing to wash your hands.  Clean hands keep you symptom-free.  Every time you bend over the sink and wash your hands, picture the blood of Christ cleansing you from sin and setting you free from your past.  

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Athalia and the Spirit of Abortion

When Donald Trump attended the Right-to-Life march (the first president to attend in person), the spotlight on the abortion issue grew brighter than it had been in recent years.  That, along with the 2020 election cycle hot topics, prompted me to do some in-depth thinking about the right of the unborn to live.  I first went to the Scriptures to refresh my mind about life, death and the prohibition against murder.  Queen Athalia immediately came mind because she ordered all heirs to the throne to be killed, both male and female, thus clearing the path for her ascendency to power.  She had children murdered who could potentially ruin her desire to her personal freedom and enjoyment of life.  Here are the relevant scriptures that give this account:

“Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered, and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.  And he was hidden with them in the house of God for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.” 2 Chronicles 22:10-12 (NKJV)

While Athalia’s unconscionable act involved infanticide, not abortion per se, the intended result was the same.  Pro-choice, a.k.a. abortionists may dispute this comparison, saying that expectant mothers who end their pregnancy today do so for medical or health-related reasons, not to gain access to the throne of a kingdom.  They would be wrong.  In fact, the top four reasons most often cited for either early or late term abortion are: 1) 74% said that the baby would change their life too much; 2) 73% said that babies were too expensive; 3) 48% didn’t want to raise the child alone; 4) 32% did not want another child.  Less than 1% said they did it due to rape or incest.  https://clinicquotes.com.  Granted, pro-abortionists believe that aborting a pregnancy should be permitted for any reason, even those given above.  When confronted, however, they usually resort to medical reasons to justify their act.  I find this disingenuous on its face.  But, my intention here is not to argue with pro-choice rationale.  I would rather explore the moral and scriptural reasons for the sacredness of life and why it should be protected. 

Prior to conception, no one would dispute that a woman has—or should have—total control over her body.  At the moment of conception, however, the fertilized egg becomes an individual, self-contained entity.  This unborn baby, although it may only consist of a few cells, is distinct from his or her mother and father.  Legally, morally, ontologically, philosophically and practically, given the progression of biological human life, it cannot be seen any other way. The baby is a separate, human being, with all attendant rights and privileges.  The fact that it is not yet born and cannot express its will or wishes does not reduce it to an impersonal clump of cells like a cyst or tumor.  If it did, then adult with the status of total dependency, profound mental disability or living in a vegetative state would also be subject to some form of euthanasia or execution. 

Another aspect of reproduction must be fleshed out here, namely that the mother needs someone to be the father of the child.  She cannot act alone. Two persons must participate to produce a third person.  Homo sapiens are not asexual.  There is a small group of vertebrates that do reproduce asexually as their normal method of reproduction.  This includes a few specific species of whiptail lizards, Sonoran Desert minnows, and brine shrimp. Other vertebrates that have been found to reproduce asexually, but in very rare or unique situations, are turkeys, sharks, Komodo dragons, boa constrictors, and Burmese pythons.  www.actforlibraries.org.  Since human beings do not reproduce asexually, a male and a female must mate to produce offspring.  That means that the female, although she may carry the embryo in her body, cannot claim sole ownership of the nascent infant.  Moreover, even if she and her male partner conclude that they intend to abort, they cannot morally make that decision concerning the life of the third party, the baby. 

Since a fertilized egg, by definition, exists as a human being, the only way pro-abortion adherents can challenge the status of the pre-born human is to re-define the embryo as something other than a human being.  Scientists use terms like fetus, zygote, gametes, agglutination or blastocyst to refer to an unborn baby.  Pro-abortionist further cloud the issue by using the least offensive terms possible.  Daniel Allott of the Washington Examiner writes, “Whatever else abortion may be about, it fundamentally involves the taking of a human life, brutally with scalpel, forceps, scissors or vacuum. Yet, abortion has always been clouded in euphemism.

“A fetus isn’t an unborn baby, its advocates claim; rather, it is the “product of conception.” The killing of a fetus or unborn child isn’t even called an abortion (a euphemism to begin with); instead, it is grouped in with notions of “the right to choose,” “reproductive rights” “reproductive health” or just “women’s health care.” Killing a baby after she emerges from her mother’s womb isn’t infanticide, it’s “snipping,” as infamous (and now imprisoned) abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell put it.

“Nowadays, the abortion-rights crowd isn’t even comfortable using the word “abortion.” Review any speech President Obama has given on the subject and you’ll be hard-pressed to find him uttering the word, much less describing the procedure.”  -Washington Examiner, August 8, 2015. 

Manipulative terminology steers readers and audiences away from the brutal and inhumane act of abortion to more pleasant and innocuous images.  Less offensive language mainstreams abortion so that even elementary aged children can discuss the subject as though it was another chapter in their life sciences textbook.  We need to remind ourselves that Adolf Hitler cloaked the butchering and gassing of six million Jews in the soft wording of the “final solution.”  Josef Stalin referred to genocide as eliminating “socially harmful elements.” Regardless of how proponents of abortion define their acts, the only honest way to describe abortion is killing babies.

But the true spirit of Athalia emerges from its dark and murderous cave in selective killing.  In America, the predominant incidence of abortion occurs among African-Americans. https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2019/02/48594/.  In China, “the country ended its famous one-child policy in October, 2015, stating that married couples could have a second child. The one-child policy drew criticism around the world, in particular because parents often selected to have male children, resulting in a population-wide gender imbalance which is expected to persist for decades.”  Chaz Kelsh, Journalist’s Resource, December 7, 2015.  The fact that the policy even existed points out the evil nature of the practice. 

America’s colossal mistake is thinking that abortion stems from a simple disagreement in biology, reproductive sciences, legal disputes or even economic circumstances.  These issues may be argued back and forth, but at the end of the day, we have made no headway in advancing or defeating the practice.  Few social issues have polarized the population any more than this one.  Pro-choice and pro-life marches, abortion clinics bombed, pro-life politicians and associations attacked, and all the hotly debated contentions aside, nothing has settled the question.  Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, people have basically retreated into their intransigent positions and remained unmoved. 

Abortion speaks of a sinister and evil spirit that will never be defeated on legal, economic or philosophical grounds.  After nearly a half century of nasty and vicious polemics, I seriously doubt that a legislative or judicial solution will suddenly dawn on us.  Abortion, as do all heinous crimes like murder, rape and genocide, thrives in a dark spiritual realm.  It is even as Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (NKJV)  Once the “thief” infects a people, it cannot be excised by logic, shame, or persuasive argument.  The only way anyone can be free from the power of the thief is to submit to the power that is higher than the thief! 

Christians must not be ambivalent about abortion.  It is wrong, period.  To say or believe otherwise is to open our heart’s door to an evil spirit.  While we may not be able to stop it in the actual world, we must not accommodate it or coexist with it in the spiritual world.  Let us speak to this mountain in prayer and fasting.   “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27 (KJV)

Athalia did reign for a season, but eventually she met her doom and justice was served.  “Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and praising the king, she came to the people in the temple of the LORD.  When she looked, there was the king standing by his pillar at the entrance; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, also the singers with musical instruments, and those who led in praise. So Athaliah tore her clothes and said, ‘Treason! Treason!’ And Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds who were set over the army, and said to them, ‘Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her.’ For the priest had said, ‘Do not kill her in the house of the LORD.’
So they seized her; and she went by way of the entrance of the Horse Gate into the king’s house, and they killed her there.” 2 Chronicles 23:12-15 (NKJV)

Abortion may not be slain by the church, but the secular forces of this world may indeed rise up against her and kill her in her own habitat.  Who knows how it will end?  We can surely agree, however, that prayer will have its effect and God will have His way!

The Kids are Sick

Everything screeches to a halt.  This emergency preempts every other event, even your own funeral.  You can ignore your own headache or sniffles, you can make do with a little dizziness or chest pain, but when the kids get sick, the plant shuts down.  The benevolent dictator called Dad turns into a giant squishy.  The no-nonsense drill sergeant, a. k. a. Mom transforms into a soft Cuddlebear.  Out comes the Lysol, VapoRub, thermometers, Superhero PJs and chicken soup.  The domestic hospital zone now forbids screaming, shouting, laughing, running, jumping, fighting or barking. 

On the flip side of the coin, however, the kids getting sick proves to be a major disruption to life.  Mom or Dad may not be able to take off work, or else they’re welcome to miss if they also forgo wages for the day.  Urgent household errands or chores like fixing a broken washing machine or running to the store for bread and milk lands in the lap of an in-law, a grandparent or a really good friend (who doesn’t happen to be on vacation.)  And then, if the sickness is really serious, the insurance may not cover it, or the deductible (that was set high enough to reduce the cost of the premium) must be satisfied first.

It makes one yearn for the good old (old, old) days.  Although I’ll never know, I can imagine the scene of a hundred fifty years ago when most people lived on farms.  You could just take a day off plowing, planting or harvesting if necessary.  The neighbor may drop in to milk the cows for you, knowing that he might call on you for some help when he has an emergency.  You had a support group up and down the gravel road who would cook meals, tend to the chores or at least commiserate with you on the front porch. 

Our assembly-line culture makes little room for the kids getting sick.  If you can’t perform your menial task, someone else is standing in line to take your place.  Line stoppage means down time and down time costs the corporation money.  The pay may be good, but the forfeiture of comradery, family closeness and good will hardly makes up for the salary.  Too many people end up being wealthy paupers.  We may boast what we’ve gained, but we hide what we’ve thrown away.  One would hope that our society would find ways to cultivate the good things we’ve lost, while we maintain the prosperity we’ve achieved. 

Meanwhile, thank God for the church!

Recycled Revelations

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

The recycling mania of civic activism hurtles forward at warp speed.  Single-use plastic bottles that fell into anathema years ago have now been joined by plastic straws, Styrofoam dinnerware, all things made of wood, metals, glass, paper or cardboard, along with a host of other condemned eco-damaging commodities.  In turn, factories miraculously convert these recycled materials into a wide range of consumer products like grocery bags, park benches, cooking utensils, clothing, stationery, building components, auto parts—the list goes on and on.  Environmental crusaders have achieved dizzying success.  Ignorant slugs who don’t recycle represent the dregs of twenty-first century society.  The deep dive point to be made, however, is that trash can be re-created into treasure.  Objects that served their initial purpose can enter into another life, often more valuable than their original use. 

But the spiritual aspect of recycling recently hit me like the proverbial ton of feathers.  Isaiah said God’s servants would renew their strength.  A little venture into the thought processes yields even richer and more expansive benefits redounding to a child of God.  Revelations once received can morph into an even more awesome enlightenment of spiritual truths.  Blessings can compound into greater blessings.  Experiences can be recycled into more profound experiences.  Relationships can enjoy a deeper, more meaningful status than they were in their beginning stages.  In fact, this is the divine purpose and pattern.  We do not serve a “one and done” God.  Our God sets a record one day and breaks it the next day.  God described Himself to Abraham as his “exceeding great reward.”  He is a God without walls, without ceilings or floors.  “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Ephesians 3:20 (KJV). 

Expanding on this theme, consider three basic relationship fields regarding our walk with God that can be recycled and transformed into incredible spiritual landscapes.  I call these areas “Him, Us and Me.”  The “Him” refers to our intellectual knowledge of God; “Us” concerns our relationship with the church; “Me” comes down to a personal relationship with Jesus that reciprocates meaning to the “Him” and “Us.”  Those who settle for a superficial treatment of Christianity choke the possibilities of the born-again phenomena. They resemble single-use containers or packaging.  They possess an “so what?” or an “is that all there is?” ADHD attitude.  Scratching only the Gospel’s surface, they move on to some cheap bling that catches their eye.  But how can anyone get bored with infinity?  How can people be so crude as to yawn at omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence?  The God who spans the solar system and beyond deserves total investment into His essence.

The Him Level

Most educated people around the world possess a rudimentary knowledge of Jesus Christ, irrespective of their belief system.  Millions know the basics of the Gospel, the historical facts of Jesus, and the nuts and bolts of the Bible.  More than a few even boast of superior knowledge of these facts.  Admittedly, while knowing about Jesus does not automatically mean knowing Jesus, it remains true that a simple grasping of His story has inestimable value.  It is here that we begin to lay the foundation of the Gospel in our lives.  We need to know His origins, His birth, life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection and glorification.  We need to know His identity, His attributes and His character.  “Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.” Micah 7:18 (NKJV).  This is the “Him” level.  Without this knowledge, we have no possibility of a relationship with Him on any level.

The Us Level

The next step is the “Us” level, or our relationship to the church.  The importance of this level cannot be overstated.  Here, we go beyond an intellectual understanding of religious facts and begin to integrate with followers and disciples of Christ in real time in the real world.  This is Christ’s ingenious concept of the ecclesia, or the church.  Evidently, He knew that we needed more than a mere individual, laissez-faire relationship with Him.  The human state demands interaction, comraderie, friendship, support, company and closeness with other humans.  The vertical relationship needs the horizontal relationship to maintain viability and endurance.  The church provides the context for believers to receive instruction, demonstrate submission, learn faithfulness and perform duty.  Through the church we love, forgive, grow and feel compassion for others.  Thus, Jesus declared, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 (NKJV). Those who dismiss the church as an unnecessary appendage to spirituality, or even an impediment to truth live in stark contradiction to the plan of God.  Their very opposition to the church underscores their need for the church.

The Me Level

Last, the “Me” level involves our one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ.  This stands out as one of the strangest ironies of life: one cannot enjoy a functional relationship with others without a clear awareness of one’s self.  Psychologists, for example, have found that most interpersonal problems grow out of a conflicted personality.   War within translates into war without.  Thus, each person must experience a deeply personal connection with God that can only be described as revolutionary.  “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” John 3:3 (NKJV).  The rationale behind the new birth experience is that every believer needs a radical realignment of his or her essential self in order to have an effectual relationship with God.  This nullifies any notion of inherited spirituality, Christianity-in-name-only, or riding into heaven on the long coattails of one’s parents. God does not operate in a third-party mode.  He wants a mano a mano association with each individual. 

Recycling the Experience

Setting the table for this theme sets us up to witness the breathtaking beauty of recycling or enhanced spiritual experience.  Whatever a believer has experienced in his or her initial encounter with God includes a previously unknown, baked-in capability.  It resembles the phenomena of enhanced photography in which a grainy picture can become crisper, sharper and more detailed than the original image.  It is like slow-motion videography that reveals subtle movements undetectable by normal eyesight.  It is a dazzling array of color bursting out of a bland, nondescript scene, or a stunning sound clip edited to bring out luxuriant hidden qualities of an audio tape.  WYSIWYG meets its match in God—you get much more than what you see! Again, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (NKJV) The discerning disciple finds in God not a cul-de-sac, but a highway of holiness destined to take the believer to heaven.

Him Recycled

You think you already know everything you need to know about God?  Think again.  Your born-again experience will lead you to thrilling discoveries that your carnality obscured.  You will see truths in His Word that will amaze you.  The intricacies of His character, the wonder of His patience, the majesty of His presence and the unfathomable depths of His grace will become a daily epiphany for you.  You will marvel at fulfilled prophecies; you will be intrigued by His incarnation; you will exult in the never-ending outpouring of His love.  Go back to Bethlehem, go back to His ministry of miracles, go back to his Olivet discourse, go back to Gethsemane, go back to the cross, the empty tomb and Bethany of His ascension.  Every return trip will recycle into a blessing greater in scope than you ever imagined.  The grand Personage of the Bible won’t disappoint the most rigorous examination and He will satisfy the longing heart of every seeker. 

Us Recycled

Just when you think you’ve outgrown your need for the church; or when an unpleasant experience has left you disenchanted with the body of Christ; or when a surge of independent spirit overwhelms you, then it’s time to recycle.  A second look at the church will astound you.  The church that played the midwifery role to birth you is also there to sustain you and nudge you back to the proven pathway.  The God-called pastor speaks into your life with authority and wisdom.  Services you had come to consider routine become refreshing oases in the barren stretches of your journey; the annoying church crowd turns into a company of angels; the bothersome expectations and duties become sources of meaning and worth.  The church is much, much more than you thought it was.  It is a city set on a hill; a large tree in which the fowls of the air find lodging; an elegant mansion; a household of saints; the body of Christ.  The church fulfills every practical need for us as we live, work and grow as pilgrims in this sinful world.

Me Recycled

“A life unexamined is not worth living.” -Socrates. Years before the famed Greek philosopher taught this, the wise man Solomon said, “When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you.”  Proverbs 2:10-11 (NKJV).  In modern vernacular, quit the rat race; get out of the fast lane; be a warrior, not a worrier.  Tension, anxiety and paranoia quash any joy we may accrue.   We rush through our days, and often ruin one event or holiday by concocting plans for the next one.  Many of our meltdowns are self-inflicted.  You need a diversion, a derailment, a collision with reality. 

You know what happens when you shake up a can of soda just before you open it, but you may not know why.  In the manufacturing process, soda cans are infused with carbon dioxide.  At rest, the gas collects at the top of the can and makes a mild hissing sound when the can is opened.  If you shake the can just before you open it, however, the gas mixes in with the syrupy contents causing the liquid to spew everywhere when it is released.  The explosion doesn’t require new ingredients to be introduced; forces acting on the can from the outside will change the dynamics on the inside.  Think of yourself as a can of soda in need of a good shake-up!  New, different and even radical thoughts converging from the outside creates an explosive impact on you, shaking up the monotony and predictability that has benignly collected on the surface of your life.

Stop.  Take the bare bones of born-again experience and run them through the recycling process.  Your relationship with God is not even close to everything it can be.  As you immerse yourself in pensive prayer, in ruminating though the Word of God, in faith ventures, in exploring the outer edges of spirituality, you reignite your entire conscious (and sub-conscious) being. 

If you have ever stood at Ground Zero where terrorists brought down the once proud twin towers of the World Trade Center, you know what I mean.  “Rising from its square base, the redesigned Freedom Tower tapers into eight tall isosceles triangles, forming a perfect octagon at its center. From these, an illuminated spire containing a television antenna rises to a final height of 1,776 feet.” The Message:? Burn it down and we will rebuild it, bigger and better than ever. God sent that message to Satan millenniums ago. Tear it down and I will remake it…much more than it was in the first place.  Just take a prayer journey and let God show you his storehouses of grace. But the theology of much applies to areas beyond the grace of God.