Is it really all that bad?

I just read a post on David Wilkerson' blog that is quite disturbing for a couple of reasons.

Apparently Mr. Wilkerson feels quite compelled by the Spirit to tell all that will listen that we are about to suffer a calamitous event here in the U.S., most likely in New York City and spreading into New Jersey. Raging fires, rioting and looting will spread across the nation. Basically we are talking the collapse of the social order as we know it.

I am unsure how to receive this bit of troubling news. Its easy to imagine this unfolding as a nuclear event carried out on us by any of several nations or groups that would love to see our demise. Its equally easy to see this unfolding as a complete economic collapse, causing widespread unrest in our cities, starting with the largest like New York.

But the check in me reminds me that this is David Wilkerson. Those who have been around for a while know he has made sensational predictions about the demise of the nation before, most notably with his book "The Vision" in the 70s. So far only the foreseeable predictions have actually materialized.

I am not a critic of David Wilkerson. How can I be? First and foremost he is my brother in Christ. Second, who am I to say what God speaks to him? All I can do is wait and see what comes down the pipe. Either it happens or it doesn't. If it doesn't, then I am a little more cautious when listening to the dire warnings. But still, I don't ignore them. After all, how often do I get it right when trying to hear what God is saying?

Now to flip the coin over...

For some time now, I have felt an urgency to prepare for times where acquiring essential might not be so easy. Mostly this has been concern for what might happen if the economy continues to decline and problems with the supply chain might start to appear.

It was not so long ago that the food "supply chain" meant going to the root cellar or the garden and getting veggies for the day, or going to the market and seeing what the local farmers were offering. There was a day when almost everything we needed was somewhat local in its origin. No more. In this day we have celebrated "globalization". Everything comes from somewhere else, and it is usually from a long ways away. This is all fine and good when times are good and everything is working like it should. But these are not those times. The days are perilous now. Al Qaeda, Iran and North Korea are all threatening to nuke us. Massive greed and fraud and mismanagement for short term gain have brought us to our economic knees. Mexican drug cartels are exporting their violence across our borders.

So what's a guy to do? What sense do we make of all this? Two things come to mind. Prepare and listen. Listen to what God is telling you. Listen to what David Wilkerson believes God is telling him. Listen to what God is telling others that you have some level of confidence in. Prepare to go through tough times. Prepare for when you can't feed your family because the supply chain is broken and there has been a panic run on the grocery stores. Prepare for when you can't get to the store because your local station has no gas.

But don't panic. Don't go off the deep end. Don't go running around telling others the end of the world is at hand. This world and this nation has gone through much tougher times than this and come out the other end. Prepare to be used by God during these times. This is when man's pride and his own ways fail him and he is most receptive to the Gospel. This is when the church will have their opportunity to "let their light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works and glorify God".

So Are We, Or Aren't We? Part 1...

The final answer on this is... huh?

I went to the discussion on whether or not this is a Christian nation. To my surprise, there were no real God haters or Christian haters there, or if there were, they did not make their presence known.

A lot of discussion on the intent of the founders, with some taking the stand that the original intent of the founding fathers is basically irrelevant, with others holding fast to it.

Assigning original intent is slippery. It requires seeing into minds and extracting meaning. This is hard enough to do with a live person, much less with those who lived over 2 centuries ago. Their written works apart from the Constitution give us some insight, but are not all-revealing. Whatever was their original intent, only what made it to the legal documents that govern this nation are relevant to us today, not their personal feelings and ambitions.

And yet, recognizing what the founding fathers set out to do is important. They were a spiritually varied lot, ranging from atheists, to deists, to Christians of several denominations. Their goal was to define a nation that recognized a creator God while at the same time establishing the freedom to worship in the way you saw fit, or to not worship at all. And then they threw in a dose of separation to keep government and religion from wielding undue influence over each other.

Personally on this, I see truth in both sides. Although heavily influenced by a Christian based culture and thought system, there is no way they could envision the world we live in now. So much of their thinking would be hard place to find relevance today. If you don't think so, then ask yourself what Thomas Jefferson would say about texting while driving?

So what did they leave us? A framework. One we use as the basis for our legal decisions. A framework not so bound up in the thinking of one generation that it has no relevance to the next. The "founding" fathers gave us a "foundation" on which to build a nation that provides true freedom for all. Sure we have wavered and let the pendulum swing too far at times. I think we are in one of those times now. But the system is self-correcting and, if allowed to work, will adjust back towards the center.

Our founding fathers were wise, and their legacy is the document they left us to govern ourselves by, the Constitution. This Constitution is still just as relevant today as when it was written. Considering their backgrounds, their debates, their own prejudices they wanted for the country, its amazing what we have.

I doubt we could have had it without the intervention of God.

Are We a Christian Nation???

So...

Tomorrow night I have been invited to an informal gathering to discuss "Is America a Christian Nation?". Now, this is not going to be a gathering of those with the typical Dobson, FOF viewpoint. Nor are many, if any, bound to be professing believers. No, I suspect most will be there to unload how they hate Christianity, God, and all the other usual suspects who "try to force their morality on me".

I usually try to stay away from these types of gatherings because they are mostly fruitless. But I am considering going to this one. Jesus was not afraid of engaging doubters and haters. And since He really is the Truth, and really is the only hope for mankind, I think He may have something to say. It might not be through me, since nothing profound comes to mind.

Actually it seems to me to be the wrong question to ask and the wrong conversation to have. America as a matter of law does not endorse a religion, so why ask if we are Christian? What does that mean anyway? Are you asking if we are legally Christian? Is that even possible? I don't think so, even if our Constitution allowed it. Government driven by religion of any kind has never turned out well, Christian or otherwise.

Are you asking (or proclaiming) that Christians should not be allowed to have a say or influence the direction of our government? Good luck with that unless you have a secret plan to disenfranchise everyone with a religious or spiritual aspect to their lives? Oh, good luck with the identification process on that one, because you really can't stop with the Christians. Pagans, take note.

The real question for each of us is "who do you say that Jesus is?". This question lives on the personal level, not the political or national level. Relationship with God is not possible through legislative action. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, my focus is on the individual and their personal salvation. This is only spread by showing others the love of Jesus through our actions.

The goal is not a Christian nation. The goal is hearts and lives turned to Jesus Christ, from whom comes real hope and change. Doing this you will never create a Christian nation, but you may create a nation of people that love Jesus.

Just What Are You Saying?

I read Susan Jacoby's article "Darwin The Disturber" today at the Washington Post site, having gotten there through a link from the blog "Indigenous Stranger".

There really was nothing new that I had not heard before. Just a collection and rehashing of all the old arguments. However, I was left with the impression that Jacoby really didn't have anything to say and has not yet found a place in herself to deal with Darwin.

I do have to give her credit for bringing to light an interesting observation. "Science is not really a way of "knowing" but a method of inquiry seeking knowledge that is never final and always modifiable by new discoveries."

Science is good. It has led to many great discoveries that have benefited all of us immensely. But it has serious limitations. It relies only on what can be physically observed and duplicated in a controlled environment. But not all of life can be explained in that way duplicated in a lab environment. In fact, only a small portion can. Only certain things can be discovered and verified by science.

I often wonder why some try to use science to disprove God or the authenticity of what is presented as historical fact in the Bible. Why is what is presented there not regarded as the observations of those present? Why are they mostly dismissed out of hand as fable and unprovable? To use this standard dismisses all of history. There is nothing of history that is observable, provable or able to be duplicated in a laboratory. There is nothing science can do to prove to us that the American Revolution took place. We have to rely solely on the observations and writings left behind of those who were present. Their observations are hardly scientifically sound or repeatable, yet we accept them, for the most part just quibbling about details.

Yet, if King David, or Moses, or even Adam and Eve themselves leave behind any kind of record, it is dismissed out of hand as fable. I can't prove its not, but is that really the point?

I suspect the obvious. The Bible and faith is dismissed because it contains an element a lot of people don't want to face. Me is not all there is. Me is not the center of life. There is accountability. There is inherent right and wrong that exists in a much larger scope and realm than we are willing to acknowledge. Because to acknowledge it means I must deal with it and let it deal with me.

I doubt we will ever see science explain love and why it exists and why it can be expressed in so many ways. If you think science will eventually unlock this mystery, then think about this. Do you really want to go home to your loved ones, your children, and explain to them that your love and care for them has no more significance than the random alignment of chemicals in your brain? Do you really believe that's all it is?

Life is more than what we can see and touch and feel through our physical senses. To not recognize this is to entirely miss the point of your existence and to relegate yourself and everything there is to meaninglessness.

So how do I deal with Darwin and that whole thing? I think he has interesting observations, some of them valid, but I think that whole thing is beside the point. A distraction. Like the wrong discussion to have in the first place.

Black Holes

They are everywhere. I don't mean the astronomical ones where scientists speculate and postulate and then attempt to tell us what's in them..

I mean the Black Holes people fall into. They are everywhere. You used to have to watch your step because you might fall into one. Not anymore. The Black Holes are everywhere and growing larger every day. People are disappearing into them and not coming out. Its not sci-fi. Its real. Think about those who used to walk with you. How many have fallen into one Black Hole or another? How many have we written off?

Followers of Jesus can't escape dealing with the Black Holes or those caught in them. There are too many holes and too many victims. We have to go into the holes and bring them out.

Why? Because Jesus loves them, that's why.

Where You Headed?

Jesus in America? These days I wonder if Jesus hasn't just packed up and caught the last bus out of town.

I know that is not the way it really is, but it sure feels that way. But Jesus hasn't left America. America has left Jesus is closer to the truth.

Bar Bands

While at Cornerstone Festival, I twice heard about people forming bar bands. The purpose is not to show up and preach, but to just be there and see what Jesus does with it. What a great move!

Having many musician friends who are not believers, I know you can't show up and preach at them and tell them they are going to hell. You need to be willing to have a beer with them and be there no matter what is going on in their lives, even when it conflicts greatly with your values. This is what Jesus will use and He will use it in His time, not mine. And He has.

It will be a cold day in hell before these people show up in church for help on anything. But sometimes they will meet Jesus in the bar.

In my mind, I bounce back and forth between feeling a little guilty for being involved in something looked down on by many Christians and the feeling that God can use me here.

I think I the church needs more bar bands.