Gadfly's Muse

The Rose of Sharon... Risen With Healing In His Wings...

[Image: Althea, 2010, JA Van Devender]

Location: Hattiesburg, MS

Song of Solomon 2:1 (NKJV)

2 I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.  

I stand ready to be corrected but I think this flower is an Althea, commonly known down South as a "Rose of Sharon."  I have no clue why that name was associated with the Althea plant but I find it interesting that "althea" derives from an ancient Greek term for "healing."  A member of the "mallow" family, these plants have been used for various medicinal and cosmetic purposes (improving the skin in various potion forms) since ancient times.

The words from the Song of Solomon quoted above have traditionally been ascribed to the Person of Christ, both in anticipation by the ancient Israelites and in reflection by the Christian Church since the New Testament.  Whether the Rose of Sharon in ancient times was the same plant as this one is another bare data point of which I am not certain, but it doesn't really matter.  The point intended is that beauty is ascribed to the individual and, implicitly, a special type of beauty.

Our Christ is indeed a Beautiful Healer.  In the times of His flesh the prophet Isaiah said that His physical appearance was such that we would say he was "nothing special."  The word "beautiful" would not apply to His stature and presentation.  He was such that we would "take no account of Him."  But that was not the case on the Mount of Transfiguration where His externals, for a few brief moments, took on the dazzling glory of eternity.  His resurrection body also, although still reflecting His pre-cross character, was yet again transformed into radiant and compelling "beauty."  Now our Christ, as pictured in Revelation, is of such appearance that the eye simply cannot be taken away from Him.  He compels our attention... focuses our vision.... centers our thoughts.  The beauty of the Rose of Sharon, its delicate texture but substantial form has something of this in it.

And this beautiful Christ is indeed our Healer.  Life and light are His to give and in abundant measure.  This is no miserly dispenser of precious goods.  This Person is the River of Life flowing from the Throne of God which causes the trees on each side to bring forth fruit for "the healing of the nations" (Rev. 21:2).  The ministry of reconciliation, of the tearing down of walls separating races, tribes, national boundaries and other such artificial and selfish pride inducing distinctions is accomplished through the changing of hearts... the healing of hurts that brings forgiveness... the imparting of vision such that sin-blinded eyes can behold not only the King and His Kingdom but also those others who belong to it.   The healing extends to even the deepest recesses of the human soul, transforming the desires that flow out of it and orienting and elevating the resulting thoughts, conversation and actions.  True humanity, completed humanity, no longer is viewed as a "pipe-dream" but is rather the conscious goal of life as the healed soul aspires to be conformed to the image of this Beautiful Healer.  "I am His and He is mine" is the cry of the beloved and that spontaneous and pure profession of faith comes forth not of the individual's own origin but, as with Peter, flows from that same River of Life.

The althea flower can be viewed as an object, in a detached and distant manner, and its beauty appreciated from that same perspective.  Never can this be said of the true Rose of Sharon.  He is always viewed in relation.  He cannot be apprehended except as the One Who Heals Those Who Require Healing... the One Who Saves Those Who Require Saving... as MY Lord... My God ... and the God of His People Israel (the Church).  One either sees Him and admires Him in relation or one does not see Him at all, but rather is viewing only a caricature, a figment of the imagination, an idol of the heart.

Such is our Risen Rose... such is our Christ, our Beautiful Healer.

 

 

 

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One More For The Road - Sequestration Stupidity

I just read the following and I became so irritated that I had to write something just to blow off steam.

Ponder these things:

"Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that if Congress fails to end budget sequestration, DoD could be forced freeze military promotions, suspend recruiting and put a hold on all PCS orders." 

MilitaryAdvantage. Military.com 

"The number of federal employees grew by 123,000, or 6.2%, under President Obama, according to the White House's Office of Management and Budget."  [From CNN, read it HERE]

Total size of the uniformed military services: 1.4 million.  Total size of uniformed military in the Army alone - 500k.  Total size of the uniformed Marine Corps - 195k. (DoD statistics, see them HERE)

It is absolutely insane to destroy the morale of our uniformed service personnel through measures such as Chuck Hagel is proposing in his statement while at the same time paying the 123,000 NEW hires (above and beyond replacement hires)  in the Federal government that have come on board in the last five years.  The total growth in Federal hires is equivalent to: almost 10% of the entire uniformed military population, over 20% of the most heavily involved force in the current wars being fought over seas, the US Army, and over 60% of the entire Marine Corps.

These additional bureaucrats are not "tenured"... they should not have protected positions simply because they work for the Federal government.  If the choice is between keeping the uniformed population motivated and trained and equipped... then fire them!  There would be more than enough money left over and the size of the Federal government would be entirely adequate to do the job.  

It did the job without those 120K people before 2008... it can do without them now.

What we cannot do without are trained, motivated military units.

Good grief people... what are you thinking?

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"House of Cards": Addictive and Disturbing

[Image: Public Domain] 

Isaiah 31:1 (NKJV)

31 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,

Nor seek the Lord!  

I finished episode 13 (the first season finale) last night.  I will not "spoil" the series for those who may not have watched it but I was not overly surprised by how it finished up.  The "teaser" is, of course, in place, setting the stage for the next season and ensuring that those of us who have given in to the addiction will be certain to watch as soon as it is released.

And it is addictive.  As an overview, this series is about the pursuit and practice of political power in present day Washington, D.C.  The main characters are all Democrats, which I found to be surprising, because I would have expected the hyper-liberal springs from which this series orginated to have been more concerned to portray the main characters as Republicans.  There is absolutely nothing commendable about these guys.  The only thing that can recommend them is that they are insanely interesting to watch.

That's why this series is both "addictive and disturbing."  

There is a fine old word that is absolutely descriptive of the main character, Francis Underwood, Majority Whip of the U. S. Senate (played in what appears to be an entirely autobiographical manner by Kevin Spacey): "amoral."  You could peel this guy like an onion and when you got to the last layer you still would not find a single moral compunction in him.  He is completely unhindered by conscience and he exists as the embodiment of pure ambition.  Money is important only as it leads to power.  Sex, marriage, friends?  They are pleasant supports but ultimately expendable.   

And Spacey's character is only the fullest expression.  All the other characters on the show, at least those who are not portrayed as hopeless chumps who are so naive as to be unworthy of serious consideration, differ from Francis Underwood only in degree.

Major legislation in the Senate?  How foolish of anyone to think that it is primarily promoted because it is in the best interest of the country.  The back room deals and raw, unflinching, cold-hearted exercise of power in pursuit of personal goals is what really determines what is passed and what is not.  

This is the view of our government in action that this series presents.  It is disturbing because all too often I got the sense that it was absolutely true.

There is no hint of "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" (watch the famous "filibuster" scene HERE) and the noble ideals which motivated him in these folks.  Everything is negotiable and every relationship is viewed through the lens of "usefulness."  In many ways one could say that this vision of American politics is apocalyptic because, to the degree that it is accurate, one can readily see that judgment on our political institutions is, in fact, inevitable.

When Isaiah spoke to the kings of Judah and Jerusalem, he spoke into just the kind of political environment portrayed here.  Those who trusted in chariots and horses, in raw power, in political alliances, were in fact concerned first and foremost with maintaining their own position and promoting their own self-interests.  They were not governed by principle unless one classifies the proposition "power is all that is important" as a "principle."  And it was exactly in the face of an apocalyptic vision that Isaiah spoke.  The fire that would come "when the LORD stretches out His hand"  would cause all who place their faith in such things to "fall together."

The series is well named.  A "House of Cards" is fragile... delicately balanced... susceptible to total destruction in a heart beat by a random shake of the foundation or a puff of wind from an unprotected direction.  The spider's web of lies, involvement, liaisons and criminal actions ensure that the only ending that can justly bring this series to its ultimate close would be total, catastrophic collapse.  One can "feel" the tension building as blind pride leads one character after another into converging dark alleys.  Justice demands satsifaction.  

And if this series is accurate... that same tension should pretty much dominate those of us who are viewing the drama in our nation's political arena unfolding also.

Watch the series... language is occasionally crude but not too often.  There is very little actual nudity though sexual content is present in proportion to the main theme - as an means and access to power.  

After watching the series, if you agree that it pretty accurately describes how things are actually being done, then let's throw all the bums out and get a new batch in there that hasn't had the time to become completely depraved yet.

Where is Senator Davy Crockett when we need him?

 

 

 

 

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Faithful and True....

[Image: Good Buddy, 2007, JA Van Devender]

Subject: "Buddy", Location: Hill Country, Texas.

Revelation 19:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

I grew up having a dog of one mongrel type or another.  The unhappy truth was that in our location at the time, dogs didn't usually live all that long.  The road in front of the house was narrow and the cars moved pretty fast.  Several of them were lost that way.  Two were poisoned by old Mr. W......., a thoroughly disgusting old geezer who lived up the road about a half-mile or so.  Dogs ran free in our neck of the woods and there was no such thing as having one in the house.  At night, being dogs, there were interesting things to chase and sometimes they would be rambling around in the woods at some distance from the house.  If they happened on Mr. W.....'s property then they would smell the spoiled hamburger he left out for the purpose and a painful death happened rather soon thereafter.

All that is to say that dogs were, literally, my best friends growing up.  I had some buddies to occasionally ramble with in the woods with but the distance between our houses and the absence of such niceties as telephones (can you believe it?) meant that much of my free time was spent in canine versus human company.  There are distinct advantages to that.

Dogs are up for just about anything.  They just like being with you when you are doing it.  Swimming in the river... well that's ok with them.  Squirrel hunting?  You bet.  Sitting under a tree and listening to the birds... yep.  Dogs don't usually expect much in return.  In my experience, contra the feline species, I never met a finicky eater.  Put whatever you have down in front of 'em and get out of the way.  They're happy with that.  Other than their propensity to love to roll around in 3-day old possum road kill, they don't have many disgusting habits.  

And, treated right, they are faithful and true.  If you and your dog are friends... that dog seems to value that friendship and isn't interested in abandoning it.  

I am not about to draw any analogies here between a dog being faithful and true and that description being applied to the shining figure  of our Lord pictured in John's Revelation.  The sheer holiness of His Name and Person makes that unthinkable.  But the qualities of faithfulness and trueness... even the reason why we assign them to dogs... can be pondered I think.

To be faithful and true is to be single-hearted with regard to your object.  A faithful and true husband is one whose devotion to his wife and family is not a matter of discipline but inherent disposition.  He thinks of his wife and children in ways that are faithful and true and therefore his actions and demeanor reflect that orientation.  So, faithfulness and trueness are relational terms.  

Our Lord is "faithful and true" in all HIs relationships.  He is "faithful and true" as a Son to His Father.  He is "faithful and true" to us as Lord, Savior and Friend.  His qualities of faithfulness and trueness are not contingent upon our actions or responses.  They spring from His innermost being.  He cannot be otherwise than faithful and true.  Our sin cannot drive Him away as our abusive treatment of a pet might cause him to flee from us.  To those to whom He is bound, Jesus is always oriented to their good... to their blessing... to their perfection... to their flourishing in the sphere of His covenant love.  As a a good Shepherd is faithful and true to His flock, so is our Shepherd.  He does not care for us as a "hireling" who only does what he is paid to do.  Our faithful and true overseer is vitally concerned with our well being and literally moves heaven and earth to ensure our ultimate felicity.

The ultimate proof of His faithfulness and trueness is how those qualities are nurtured and encouraged in us.  The fruits of faithfulness and trueness in us spring forth through the transforming work of His love active in our being.  We are not naturally faithful or true in virtually any real sense.  We are not born with these qualities in us in seed form.  Even as dry and sterile ground will not produce a living plant unless a farmer applies water, fertilizer and seed to transform the soil, making it suitable and then productive of life, so is it with Jesus' loving faithfulness to us.  It is this outpouring of life... of energy... of care that produces life in us.

In the Garden of Eden God "breathed" into Adam and he became a living soul.  Jesus' love, faithfulness and trueness to us is like that.  We love because He first loved us.  We become faithful and true in part but increasingly more perfect, because He is faithful and true to us.

All this is to say that there is a power at work in this world that is amazing beyond description.  Our Lord truly is riding His white horse and wielding the sword of His truth as John describes Him.  But the victory that He is winning is the manner in which He is creating a new humanity... a faithful and true humanity... that springs forth from His ministry and the power of His love slaying their old, faithless and false character and bringing forth responsively from them, a new creation fitted for eternity with Him.

It's quite a jump from the backwoods of Mississippi in company with an old, faithful dog to a vision of spiritual victory... but the qualities of faithfulness and trueness makes it seem quite natural to my musing heart today.

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Preparing For Worship: Make Melody in Your Heart

[image: Trucking Along, 2013, JA Van Devender]

Ephesians 5:18–20 (NKJV)

¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,  

Preparing for worship is to prepare to praise... to make melody in my heart by giving thanks always for all things.

Why is gratitude something that has to be stirred up?  Why is one so obviously blessed yet forced to engage the sinful disposition of ingratitude?  Why?  Because the fallen disposition is too prone to see blessings as "what we deserve" while considering the things that burden us as being unjust.  How exactly opposite the truth this is!

"Count your many blessings... count them one by one... count your many blessings that the Lord has done!" goes the old hymn (I think).  It takes only a moment to consider how far in excess abundance are my blessings and how passing and ultimately inconsequential are my trials.  Even trials can be understood as blessings though not to be taken lightly.

Our God... my God... has graced me with life, liberty about which millions can only dream, relative prosperity, warmth of companionship and health, and useful work in which to be employed.  Above and beyond His gracious providential blessings stands the redemptive blessings showered upon me in Christ.  In Him I have received "every" good thing.  He is mine and I am His.  Where He is one day I shall be.  He has bound Himself to me with cords of love stronger than any shackles of metal.  His blood has cleansed me of every sin even the guilt of ingratitude.  

How can I not sing and make melody in my heart?  How can I not widen my eyes in astonishment and have my spirit burst forth in exclamation, "How can it be, that I should gain, an interest in the Savior's blood?"  Is this not the "Wonderful Grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin"?  Is this not proof that "Jesus Loves Me?" Why? "Because the Bible tells me so!"

Truly with such "Amazing Grace" I can sing as I go "truckin' along".  The Lord God stands over and behind me as a "Mighty Fortress", a "Rock that is Greater than I."  His majesty and power stands guard over me against all His and my enemies.  I shall not fail because He  is with me... His rod and HIs staff they comfort me.  

Now I can enter into His courts with praise and into His gates with thanksgiving, because I remember His wonderful works to the children of men.

"Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow."

 

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Who Would Have Ever Thought We Would Read This In The Times?

[image: Falls, 2013, JA Van Devender]

Location: Yosemite Nat. Pk.

Luke 10:32–35 

 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’

 

Will wonders never cease?  Today's New York Times carries an Op-Ed written by Peter Buffett the son of Mega-Billionaire Warren Buffett, entitled "The Charitable-Industrial Complex (read it HERE).  In this article, this rich and powerful man recognizes a basic fact.  Throwing money at the issues of human suffering, in this country or around the world,  does not solve the problem.... and furthermore, through unintended consequences, often raises others.

Because of his wealth and position Mr. Buffett has sat at the table with heads of state and incredibly wealthy intended benefactors and draws this conclusion: "Inside any important philanthropy meeting, you witness heads of state meeting with investment managers and corporate leaders. All are searching for answers with their right hand to problems that others in the room have created with their left."  He observes that "non-profit", philanthropic foundations constitute a massive "business" and are the fastest growing segment of society, exceeding both corporate and government rates.  He attributes this growth in "giving to philanthropic efforts" to a form of "“conscience laundering” — feeling better about accumulating more than any one person could possibly need to live on by sprinkling a little around as an act of charity."

Mr. Buffett is exactly right about another point he makes.  Changing conditions in an impoverished and suffering area such that at some point there is "Wi-Fi on ever corner" does not really constitute progress.  He notices that handing out condoms to prostitutes does not solve the basic problem and in fact, can have some very strange side-effects.  Addressing the structural issues of better living conditions, though perhaps beneficial as a first step, only "kicks the can down the road a bit."  And he is exactly right here also. 

So, the problem is not money... but money used effectively.  He doesn't offer any solutions but he says that what we need is a "new operating system", not a tweaking of the current strategies, but "something built from the ground up.  A new code."  I agree... but it really isn't new at all.  What we in this old world need, is the approach to dealing with human suffering taught and practiced by a man 2000 years ago in Palestine.

The issue is not money.. the issue is "loving our neighbor."  In the famous parable of the "Good Samaritan" Jesus taught us how to go about dealing with the issues of human suffering.  "The poor will always be with you" he taught in another context (and in making another point which I will not address here), and therefore in God's economy, the sphere of human suffering will always stand as the geography through which human beings are to walk in following Him.  It is amazing how consistently the Scriptures, both Old and New, confront us with God's command that we seek justice for widows, orphans and those who are subjected to evil abuse (as the victim of the robbers in this parable).  Human beings, created and re-created in the image of God are called to ministry to others and especially to those who suffer.  This is the ministry of "loving our neighbor."

But it does not consist, ever, in only throwing money at it because that does not address the most fundamental aspect of this ministry.  "Loving others" is an immediately personal, subjective involvement in the problem being faced.  It is not present in "doing good from a distance."  The "good Samaritan" got personally involved with the particular, subjective need of the man found on the road.  This is the paradigm of "loving others."  

Now, this is not to say that one should not contribute to worthy causes in support of those who are "loving others" in exactly that immediate, personal and subjective manner.  But we must not confuse the act of charitable giving with the ministry of love itself.  Every person is called to the ministry of loving others... fewer are sufficiently blessed with riches to give above and beyond their own call to that ministry.  However the thing that we need to keep in mind is that at the point of the spear, where the ministry of loving others is being accomplished, it has to be fundamentally personal and subjective.  The issue of prostitution is not solved by dealing with it as a structural issue.  It is addressed by dealing with individual prostitutes in their individual subjective circumstances.  It is a "whole-person" problem and it requires a "whole-person" to implement it.

The Church of Jesus Christ has been given this ministry.  Secular charitable institutions will always fall short in such efforts, no matter how well-meaning they try.  Only a heart motivated by love of Christ is prepared to deal with the seemingly insurmountable complexity of any ordinary, individual, subjective case of true human suffering.  The size of the problem requires that there be a commensurate "whole Church" committment.  The Church of Jesus Christ is huge.  We have the resources... we have the command... we have the promise.

It's not like it hasn't been tried before, it has and continues to be tried.  What we have to recognize is that it is a ministry that will never go away... it will never be finished... and that must not deter us, rather it should fill us with a holy zeal.  This ministry is what the Lord must find His faithful servants, each of us, doing when He returns.

 

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"On my honor, I will do my best...."

[Image: An Eagle Speaks, 2013, JA Van Devender]

Location: SREPC, note - group photo taken under one of the Scout's Eagle project - a Pergola.

Occasion: Boy Scout Court of Honor, Eagle Rank

Deuteronomy 11:18–19 (NKJV)

¹⁸ “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.  

There was quite a celebration last evening at our church building as four young men, grown up way too quickly I imagine for their parents, were advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout by their troop.  

It was a heart-warming event by every standard.  Not least in this regard, was the obvious friendship that these four had for each other.  Rather than opting for individual ceremonies, as was their right, the ones who qualified first waited until their buddies finished also so that they could finish together what they had started together several years ago.  These young men had grown up together in the Scouts.  There is much to commend in that:  for the shared experiences built a foundation giving meaning and depth to their friendship which will help them gauge what other relationships in the future should be.u

What was also very encouraging was the respect and gratitude that these young men showed for their Scout Masters and "mentors" in their journey along the "trail to Eagle."  There is much to commend here also.  Investing in young men's lives requires time, effort and dedication.  These men, some fathers of the new Eagles but others not, have "hung in there" because they not only enjoy the Scouting effort but because they understand what it can contribute to the development of character and integrity in the boys with whom they come into relation.  They have understood, whether explicitly or not, that it is in the continuing relationship of role-models and guides that character is developed.  This is absolutely what Moses was getting at in the verses above.  

Character is formed in experience... it is not formed in a class-room, though instruction is necessary to properly understand experience.  But that which remains... that which endures... that which holds up under pressure... is that which is planted, watered, fertilized, weeded and nurtured in on-going relational context of guided experience.  These young men can and did look back on hundreds of nights spent in the company of interested men who cared enough about them to encourage, exhort and admonish (when necessary) them, all while doing exciting "stuff": white water rafting, hiking, shivering in the rain and baking in the sun, looking out over valleys out which they had climbed, gaining useful skills and learning to contribute to the welfare of others.

What these things come down to is the effort of building "culture", promoting and perpetuating values that constitute grounds for community formation and social progress.  Though these things are not always conducted in an explicitly Christian mileau within Scouting, yet their roots and their objectives are not only consistent with Christianity but directly influenced by it.  

The witness of Scouting in general and these scouts in particular, remind me of something Karl Barth once said.  He was speaking about the value and contribution people make in their ordinary on-going lives.  He said, "One Saturday evening, I attended a variety show which in every act was perfect of its kind, and then directly after, on Sunday morning, I heard a miserable sermon, and I could not resist the impression that the divinely willed cause of man was better served at the place of very worldly amusement than at that of worship."  There is much truth in Barth's indictment.  All too often we Christians find that the things that are being done best in the furthering of God's design intentions for mankind, are being pursued outside of an explicit Christian witness rather than in it.

So, all in all, I am encouraged by these young men and the older ones who are so committed to the Scouting program.  The Scouts are under a lot of pressure these days and I am happy that our Church is able to provide some facilities for them to "do their thing."  (We are not the troop's sponsor but we do have ties with it.)  As part of our service to the wider community and immediately within our God-commanded mandate to do good works, supporting the Scouts and finding opportunity for pre-evangelism within it, is a very profitable exercise.

May God continue to bless them and bring great fruit, in His time and in His way, from among them.

 

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What Price Laziness?

[image: A Little Folding of the Hands, 2007, JA Van Devender]

Location: Korean Village, Seoul, SK

Proverbs 6:9 (NKJV)

⁹ How long will you slumber, O sluggard?  When will you rise from your sleep?  

I'm still somewhat preoccupied with yesterday's topic ["Broke Back Capitalism"], mostly having to do with the "ethics" of the subject.

This book that I am close to finishing [The Unwinding of America, George Packer] is very thought provoking if nothing else.  He profiles various people from all walks of life and traces the "unwinding of America" through the lens of their experience over the past 50 years or so.  In the closing section I am reading now he reports how Peter Thiel [important young man, look him up] analyzes how the changing cultural and vocational ethic in America has stripped it (America) of its technological future and has, in so doing, undermined its ability to overcome its economic challenges.

Bluntly, he says that we have simply gotten lazy, both intellectually and vocationally.  He notices that the industry that he helped create, the computer/internet/Silicon Valley technology complex, is essentially a "dead-end".  It simply doesn't create very many jobs in proportion to its size and share of GDP.  Further, he makes a most interesting observation.  The people who work in this field are, characteristically, socially inept (he calls them virtually "autistic") and therefore do not contribute to the cultural community formation that must also attend a constructive work ethic.  This industry, being prosperous, is de facto, endorsing counter-social stability.  Further He notices that the military and space programs are living off decades old intellectual capital with very little "new" things being developed which, as was the case historically, would then flow into the world of consumers.

At the heart of the problem is that Americans, in his opinion, no longer are constitutionally motivated to compete in the face of the personal sacrifices it would require us to make.  Our standard of living and expectations are out of proportion to our own individual contributions to sustaining it.  He flatly charges both political parties, especially in the messages of George Romney and Barack O'Bama in the last election, with cowardice in failing to address this issue.  

If this analysis is correct and I think it is in large part, though perhaps somewhat over-stated, then I think that we Christians had better get back to basics in the way we are supposed to view "work."  

We Evangelicals have over the years, in our zeal to guard the Gospel against any idea of "salvation by works" or "merit" have lost balance and perspective I think.  We have become so dualistic in our approach to Christian Mission that it is almost as if we teach and preach that it is only the world of the spirit (human) that is important.  Christian Mission is understood only in terms of "saving souls", making converts, building our structural congregations.  The historic Christian idea of "vocation" has been so diminished as to be basically redefined.

Let me state categorically that I think this borders on heresy.  Justification is by grace through faith.  No question.  But that is not THE question, not today.  Today THE question is "obedience", specifically the "obedience of faith."  After a person has been given the gift of faith, after that person has been justified and made eternally secure... what is next?  That which is next is a life of "obedience" in that faith, in the life of making manifest the covenant relation into which the believer has been called.

And the first expression of obedience is service.  To be a "servant of Christ" is to undertake the vocation of a servant and to represent the servant's Lord in the conduct of His business.  Essentially the practical outworking of this vocational attitude is to undertake to transform every sphere of human endeavor where in the individual believer is placed (family, congregation, social sphere, occupation, etc.) in such a manner as to bring it into conformity with Christ's Kingly rule.   

Such a sense of mission when coupled with the humble and gracious manner which Christ requires in His servants, will not fail to facilitate the "spiritual" growth of the Kingdom also, as physical witness creates the opportunities and the occasion for proclamation (1 Pet. 3:15).  There is much that can be done but it requires energy, motivation and leadership.  There are community groups that can be formed to help in all kinds of ways: growing food, encouraging mutual support so as to diminish welfare assistance, etc. etc.  There are lots of "good works" that can and must be done.

I wonder if we American Christians are up to the challenge?  I wonder how we would respond to our Lord's exhortation to the "Rich Young Ruler"?  Are we willing to give up our comfortable lifestyles if that is what it takes to "get back to work?"   

It occurs to me that if the current course continues, giving up our comfortable lifestyles will not be a decision left in our hands.  

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Broke Back Capitalism: Babylon is Fallen

Broke Back Capitalism: Babylon is Fallen

[Images: Broke Back Capitalism & Sign, 2013, JA Van Devender]

Location: Continental Divide, Rt. 10, Arizona.

(Rev 18:9-11 NKJ) " 9 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,
10 "standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying,`Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'
11 "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore:"

The last thing in the world that you will hear me advocate (OK, OK, hyperbolically speaking) is that one should "read the bible in one hand with a newspaper in the other." (A statement sometimes attributed to Karl Barth)  The prophecies of Scripture, especially those of John's Revelation, should be approached reverently, with one's sandals removed, and consciously aware that one is on holy ground.  The apocalyptic images are designed to evoke wonder and convey the thrilling message that history has meaning and purpose, that it is headed somewhere, and that incredible and scary events are associated with its culmination.

Among those images is "Babylon."  Starting in Genesis 11 (the tower of Babel) and on throughout its ultimately sordid physical history, the city of that name came to stand for all that is wrong with arrogant, selfish, earthly pride, wealth and power.   "Babylon" is the sphere in which the "principalities and powers" (Eph. 6:12, Col. 2:15) of this world exercise their enticing allure, showing off their wares, seducing the souls of men as the "great harlot" (Rev. 17) with its promises of untold pleasures and possibilities.  "Babylon" has much in common with the "Carnival" in the story of Pinocchio where young boys are turned into asses after indulging too heartily in its pleasures.  There is no doubt that in John's day the earthly embodiment, at that time, of Babylon was the Roman empire and its "world-wide" encompassing moral, philosophical and commercial framework.  Rome's fall was still hundreds of years in the future when John wrote but its consequent destruction, the subsequent dark ages, and the nostalgic longing for its glories that persisted among those surrounded by its ashes, certainly provide us with a taste of what Babylon's ultimate fate shall bring.

Which brings us to a "broke back" truck service station in the middle of no where.

Looking at that ravaged old building and its remaining ramshackle sign evoked some similar feelings in my own breast.  Here is a metaphor for America perhaps and for the entire profit-based system which brought it such prosperity and power.  Please do not misunderstand me here.  Capitalism as an economic system is neither immoral nor on the other hand, righteous.  It is a system... period.  It can be used righteously or it can be infested with corruption and greed and become a travesty of human cruelty.  The Scriptures do not commend any one economic system over another and therefore nothing I say should be taken as an indictment of Capitalism in its core assumptions.

But there are moral pitfalls associated with Capitalism just as in other schemes of men.  When greed become mean... when the pursuit of wealth has no object other than itself... when the philosophy  "all's fair in love and business" so permeates the system that entire cities are left in rubble as a result of direct exploitation, then the absence of moral compass points toward Babylon rather than Jerusalem and men of character should abhor those who are bringing about the devastation.

At the heart of Capitalism is an economic Darwinism based on competition for finite resources.  Within a clear moral framework, it is the most efficient means by which mankind can build a prosperous and free social order.  When those who guide the accumulation of wealth (such as the Guiness family in England) understand that wealth is an instrument to be used for the progress of human flourishing and not for narrow, miserly and self-seeking prideful ends, then much good can be accomplished.

But when that purposeful sense is absent, especially when it is absent on both sides of the Capitalistic structure (both management and labor), then the inevitable outcome is ruin... be it an old truck stop in the desert.... or..... Detroit.

What we see in these photos... what we hear about Detroit in the news... is America's future if fundamental structural changes do not take place.  If we do not regain a moral foot hold that shifts our intentions toward building community within the social mores of personal responsibility, purposeful vocation and sacrificial service, then the days of wailing appear inevitable.  

There is no external "fix" for our once magnificent social order.  The only possible hope is a purely "internal" one.  As long as it is "every man" for himself, then Capitalism, regulated or not, will default to greed and prosperity will fly to other lands, for God judges the soul of a nation in exactly the same way He judges the souls of individuals.

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[images: public domain, 2013]

1 Samuel 8:10–11 (NKJV)

¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. ¹¹ And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.  

What's the difference between a fanatical Kansas City baseball fan and a fanatical devotee of British aristocracy?

Not much!  One goes beserk over the Royals and the other goes beserk over the royals.

OK.  Bill and Kate, I am happy for you and your new baby.  Now, won't you be a couple of good chaps and just go away?

Exactly what are we to make of all the hoorah over the birth of this baby?  I like the Queen's way of dealing with it.   She noted the birth with a smile of approval and made it quite clear that it would not interfere with her vacation in Scotland.

Now if the Queen Grandmum has that healthy an attitude toward the whole shebang... and its her family and her throne that is in view... then why in the world are other, lesser mortals going so crazy?

I confess that the sheer absurdity of "fan-aticism" is a mystery to me.  I can no more imagine getting so upset at the outcome of a soccer game that I felt compelled to riot, burn cars, and break windows than I can imagine sprouting wings and flying to the moon.  Even further removed from comprehension is the mindless fascination people show toward celebrities.  Why does anyone really care what some Hollywood starlet has just recently done with some guy at a bar?  There is a very efficient way to rid the world of paparazzi nuisances... simply stop buying their photographs.  

Now at the farthest remove of all is the preoccupation with royalty.  Does anyone really remember that the entire idea of human royalty, hereditary aristocracy, was exploitation?  (see Samuel's quote above) There never was a "happily ever after" for any kingdom that depended on the wisdom and benevolence of absolute monarchs.   Unearned elitism, the basis of all aristocracy, is and always has been a fundamental fissure in the foundation of an otherwise just society.  Royalty is the ultimate expression of "them and us" where the "them" are assigned some "worth" that is entirely disassociated from achievement!

Yet... it seems almost genetic.  The romance of castles and princesses, of servants at one's beck and call, of bowing and courtly behavior... these things beckon at us from a distance.  They are, in the last analysis, a reminder that we were all created "noble" ... that what is metaphorically present in the "royal" lifestyle is actually the status for which man was created.   We see in royalty a reminder of that elevated life which we forfeited in Adam's fall.

Maybe that's why it is so doggone persistently attractive.  I find no other rational explanation.

So... I wish them well... I hope the young man finds some meaning and purpose in the circle into which he has been born.  I hope my British cousins prosper and recover some degree of that common sense which once so characterized their race.  

But in the interval... enough already.  Surely there are more important things to celebrate than this.

By the way... have I shown you photos of my newest grandchild yet?