Evangelical Reformation

Remember that couple from college that ended up marrying despite all odds: Miss America and Mr. Nerd or Joe Cool and Wanda Wallflower? The left’s infatuation with Islam constitutes an even stranger match.

The recent liberal support of the flotilla incident again reveals the romantic bond between the left and Islam.

How can the self-appointed protector of women’s rights embrace a group so demeaning and cruel to women in so many ways? How can those who fancy themselves as advocates for civil liberties swoon over those advocating beheading and other mutilation?

On the surface this couple seems to have nothing in common. But a deeper examination reveals a genuine oneness of heart.

To identify the mutual attraction we go back to the sixties and another unlikely love affair of the left, the embers of which still glow. It used to seem odd to me that those who loathed “the oppressive government of the United States” could hold such warm affections toward the Soviet Union in particular and communism in general—the ultimate embodiment of oppression. How does that make sense?

Then it dawned on me. The left loves everyone but Christians and Jews and has especially deep affection for those who hate Christians and Jews.

Buddhism is profound, new age is exciting, secular Europe is intellectual, in fact multiculturalists assure us that every culture is wonderful regardless of brutality toward the weak and other seemingly unflattering characteristics—every culture that is except ones identified with the God of the Bible.

Am I suggesting a conspiracy? Well no and yes. Though the left has leaders that promote its anti-Christian and anti-Jewish initiatives, none is powerful enough or has sufficient reach to function as mastermind behind all this.

On the other hand, the Apostle Paul explains, “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12) The orchestrator of forces hostile to those associated with the God of the Bible is a spiritual mastermind, supported by an army of other spiritual beings.

However, as we witnessed at the cross, sometimes the Devil overreaches. Likewise, this liberal love for Islam and hate for Israel may have a silver lining. It may serve to drive Jews closer to Christians and Christ.

How fascinating that historically Jewish people constituted the driving force behind the left. Yet now the left has turned on Israel in particular and Jews in general. Many Jewish people are waking up to the reality that their best friends, their only friends, are evangelical Christians who embrace their God and their Messiah.

Just maybe God will use this development to draw Jewish people to the Messiah. Perhaps also many Jewish people will now begin to use their special capabilities to wage war against the liberal forces to which they formerly belonged. Actually, this is already happening.

So let the odd couple enjoy its honeymoon on their love boat.

Conservative commentators are wrong in identifying capitalism the cause of American greatness.

Yes, capitalism works better than socialism, and much better than communism.

That said, though, a factor more significant than the political/economic system resides in the character of the people working the system. Good people working under a socialist system will beat out bad people in a capitalist regime.

Don’t believe it?

Many years ago I read a little book entitled Jesus Family in Communist China. It recounted the experience of Chinese Christians who formed a series of communes.

“During the famine of 1942 the(se) communes gave 90% of the harvest to the poor and still met their own needs. Later the Communists needed one acre per family for life support, yet The Jesus Family was able to feed 500 people from 43 acres and still give away 90% of the produce.” http://www.pastornet.net.au/renewal/journal3/neild.html

On the other hand, Russia recently has had a chance at capitalism, but to date it is failing miserably. The killing off of Christians by the communists has taken its toll.

Sure, the same group of people will do better under capitalism than communism. But the morality of the people represents a more significant predictor of success than the system.

But, you respond, the early church in Jerusalem tried a socialistic style government and failed.

Not really. Their goal was not prosperity but getting out the message. These Christians sold and pooled their resources so that they could expend their time and energies on spreading the gospel. Had their objective been economic success, I believe they would have achieved it.

Alexis de Tocqueville was right. “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Beyond that we assert that America was good because it was Christian. Since America has ceases to be Christian, it has ceased to be good—and therefore it is ceasing to be great.

Our loss of wisdom and character shows its corrupting influence in all of our major institutes including family, government, education, and business. This corruption is sapping us of our greatness.

The assertions of top military leaders and congressmen that open homosexuality in the military would be a good thing provides the latest example of the decline in greatness resulting from the decline in goodness spawned by our rejection of Christianity. Either these people are grossly unwise or they are lying for political advantage.

The previous two posts asserted that economic recovery without spiritual recovery is not possible. But even if that were possible, we would demonstrate that being rich is not tantamount to being great and does not ensure survival.

Only reestablishment of Christianity as our cultural foundation can restore economic soundness, assure survival, and engender greatness.

Can we realize economic reform without moral reform? The previous post answered “no,” and cited the impact of congressional immorality on our economy.

Beyond this, think about the financial drain on our society resulting from immorality.

Calculate, for example, the medical costs resulting from crack babies. Just one can cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars. So then, the entire tax burden for how many citizens is required to pay for the care of just one of these babies?

Patrick Moynihan was one of the first to calculate the cost of the dissolution of the family. As it turns out, God’s design for marriage not only is the most wholesome but also is the most economical. A recent book entitled The Marriage Benefit catalogues the tremendous blessings derived from following God’s design. Among them is the financial dividend. Imagine the tremendous financial drain on our society resulting from divorce, cohabitation, and single parenting. No doubt this would add up to billions and billions of dollars.

And, the price tag attached to the demise of the family does not stop there. Studies reveal the toll that marriage breakup takes on children, increasing their likelihood of alcoholism, depression, dropping out of school, and a host of other maladies. All these cost money both through the behaviors they produce and the attempts to fix them.

What about the cost of pregnancy out of wedlock? Or venereal disease? Or AIDS?

Imagine the price tag for drug abuse? Think about the legal apparatus maintained just to deal with this problem, including prevention and arrest and judicial processing and incarceration. Then there are hospital beds and rehab centers. Add to that the loss of work and the cost to hire and train replacements. Beyond that are Social Security benefits awarded those who have diminished their capacities through drug abuse. Your tax dollars support many of these people for the rest of their lives. Calculate also the costs resulting from robberies committed to buy the next fix. In addition there are automobile accidents, investment in education that never turns a profit, and the cost of the drugs themselves and the related industry that is counterproductive to society. The tentacles of this octopus reach out and grab hold of vast quantities of our financial resources.

Part of the price tag of immorality resides in increased insurance premiums. How much lower would automobile insurance be without the influence of drunk driving and drugs? How much cheaper would our homeowners insurance be without robbery and arson?

How much money do we spend in welfare payments to support irresponsibility? We are glad for a system that cares for the needs of the genuinely needy, but it is no secret that a significant portion of welfare spending goes to those who could be gainfully employed but choose indolence at our expense. Likewise, how many recipients of Social Security disability actually could pay their way? Our economy is also drained by recipients of unemployment who view this benefit as a paid vacation and milk it to the maximum rather than hustling to find a job. This common practice soaks up billions of dollars.

This survey of the cost of immorality admittedly represents a shotgun approach. It fails to include many other expenses engendered by immorality. A systematic analysis would require volumes and reveal a staggering economic burden that is loaded on our shoulders by immorality.

I realize that under the best of circumstances we can’t eliminate all immorality from our society. But imagine the savings if immorality were substantially reduced. My guess is that if we could return to the levels of immorality that our society experienced prior to the 1960s, we would all enjoy substantially more money and have a national economy that was living within its means.

The question, then, is whether any economy can sustain the monetary burden added by the sins of the 1960’s that have become a part of our culture. Even if it could, which is doubtful, immorality would still rob us of many economic benefits that we could otherwise enjoy.

Therefore, to fix the economy we must first deal with morality.