Words Matter

I was just thinking about - - -

This past weekend has seen The Rev. Jeremiah Wright in various media formats defending his use of theology and nuances that he affirms are common in Black Theology and within the Black Church. Whether or not his defense resonates and/or enlightens, remains to be seen. Obviously, there are elements of what he has said that are very inflammatory.

It reminds one of some of the dialog in The Book of Job, In Job 11:1-5, we find these fascination words: "Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated? Will your idle talk reduce men to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock? You say to God, 'My beliefs are flawless and I am pure in your sight.' Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides."

The words of Rev. Jeremiah Wright have proven to be a distraction to one Presidential candidate and will haunt him for the rest of the campaign because of the opportunism of rival candidates in their persistence to keep the focus on those particular matters rather than dealing with their own integrity issues, as well as the major proposals being promoted for this nation. The bottom line for both the Candidate and his former Pastor is found in the words of Jesus Christ in Luke 6:45, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." In Matthew 12:36-37 we find further amplification by Jesus Christ when He states, "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

These words apply to all of us so that we maintain integrity in our speech and character in our lives. Ones word should be his bond. We are to champion truth and speak with kindness and compassion while being firm and resolute for that which is true and righteous. We need to flee from the compromises that so dominate our age and nation. And, we need to insist that truth be manifested in all areas of our life and culture. We can be kind, compassionate, encouraging with our words while we maintain fidelity, firmness, and demand for the truth.

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Liberation or Liberty

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The long-time Pastor of one of the Presidential Candidates has decided he needs to offer a defense for some of the comments that have received a lot of attention lately. His expression is they were snippets and misrepresented his context. And further, he stated that he says what preachers are to say, and his church member is saying what politicians say.

One of the silent issues underlying this discussion is that of Liberation Theology and what it hopes to achieve. The suggestion of Marxism in the discussion is to neither accuse or defame any candidate. It does identify roots and content. Martin Luther King, Jr. emphasized that one should be judged – not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. That’s fair if applied equally across the board for all. That being indicated, what is it the former Pastor of this candidate embraces as his Core Value and Philosophy of Ministry? There is a direct and historic line between what this Pastor proclaimed and proclaims and Marxism.

There is an admission by this Pastor and an identity to what is called “Black Theology.” It links to Liberation Theology of a few years ago. Liberation Theology found its greatest expression in Latin America when some Roman Catholic Theologians saw the exploitation of the poor masses by the rich and powerful, and turned to a Marxist Philosophy for the analysis of the problems being confronted. This led to a syncretism of Christianity and Marxism – leaving out the atheistic part of Marxism – in their effort to address the need and to seek solution to the problem. African-American Theologians, many of them of a Liberal persuasion, took their cue from the Liberation Theologians and developed what is called and embraced “Black Theology.” The concerns, as they unfold, are: (1) how much has a Presidential Candidate been influenced by the blend of Marxist-Liberation Theology; (2) how will this impact his Philosophy of Government and Policy that is formulated; (3) will he embrace, and will his thought processes, be influenced by Marxist thought; Christian thought; or Patriotism.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan has submitted the following analysis:

Hillary Clinton is not Barack Obama's problem. America is Mr. Obama's problem. He has been tagged as a snooty lefty, as the glamorous, ambivalent candidate from Men's Vogue, the candidate who loves America because of the great progress it has made in terms of racial fairness. Fine, good. But has he ever gotten misty-eyed over . . . the Wright Brothers and what kind of country allowed them to go off on their own and change everything? How about D-Day, or George Washington, or Henry Ford, or the losers and brigands who flocked to Sutter's Mill, who pushed their way west because there was gold in them thar hills? There's gold in that history.

What does he think about all that history? Which is another way of saying: What does he think of America? That's why people talk about the flag pin absent from the lapel. They wonder if it means something. Not that the presence of the pin proves love of country – any cynic can wear a pin, and many cynics do. But what about Obama and America? Who would have taught him to love it, and what did he learn was lovable, and what does he think about it all?

In six days (Thursday, May 1^st), there will be a National Day of Prayer. This is surely a time when II Chronicles 7:14 should be taken very seriously and implemented as quickly as possible - -

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

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Fragrance

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In the busyness of life, one of the things we have failed to notice is the diminishing scent and fragrance of Flowers. From the studies that are being done so far, the research indicates the following:

Pollution is dulling the scent of flowers and impeding some of the most basic processes of nature, disrupting insect life and imperiling food supplies…

The potentially hugely significant research – funded by US National Science Foundation – has found that gases mainly formed from the emissions of car exhausts prevent flowers from attracting bees and other insects in order to pollinate them. And the scientists who have conducted the study fear that insects' ability to repel enemies and attract mates may also be impeded.

The researchers – at the University of Virginia – say that pollution is dramatically cutting the distance traveled by the scent of flowers. Professor Jose Fuentes, who led the study, said: "Scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters. But today they may travel only 200 to 300 meters. This makes it increasingly difficult for bees and other insects to locate the flowers."

It is not strange that we still admire the beauty of Flowers and will touch them (to see if they are real), and then sniff them. While there is very little to actually “sniff”, we sometimes act as though there is because we remember that Flowers are supposed to have a Fragrance and bring a degree of pleasure to ones sense of smell.

As I thought about the Flowers losing their scent and fragrance, I also thought about people and the missing Fragrance of a human life. The idea of one’s potential as a human being is that we can and do have an appeal and/or impact on another’s life. Part of the appeal of the Gospel is that new creatures in Christ have new opportunity and new responsibility. They are the expression of the aroma and fragrance of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul made this point when he wrote about ministry in II Corinthians 2:14-17. We read:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

And why is this so important? In a parallel passage, Ephesians 5:2, we read: “and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to become the Fragrance of Him in this world so that all will take notice of that Fragrance and be attracted to Jesus Christ.

We need to ask ourselves whether or not the pollutants of our society have negated the Fragrance and Aroma that should be obvious and noticeable. We go on as though the Fragrance is still there – but – is it?

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Classic Classism

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There is some hint in the politics of our day that Marxism is beginning to appear. The idea occurs when it is associated with the words of a candidate suggesting small-town American voters turn to guns and religion out of bitterness with job losses. The word association is all-too-easy when reference is made to Karl Marx and his reference to religion serving as an opiate to the people.

The deeper issue that has been with our country for a long time is the idea of “a class society”! Whenever a discussion occurs about taxes, reference is almost immediately made to the benefit derived and received by the “rich”, whereas the “middle class” bears the brunt of the tax load, and those in “poverty” get overlooked or bypassed. It could be said that this is employing Marxist language in our contemporary body politic.

Another part of the “Class” issue focuses on the people group we call “illegal immigrants”. To be sure, there is a considerable cost associated with this people group. For instance, $29 Billion Dollars has been wired back to Mexico; $257 Billion has been sent back to Latin American Countries; the cost for social services for all in this group is $400 billion; costs for school children in this group is more than $14 billion; costs for incarceration of illegals is $1.5 billion; skilled jobs taken by illegals is 10.5 million. The medical costs for this group is astronomical. If you wish to keep up with the data and ongoing daily costs, you can do so online by going to: http://www.immigrationcounters.com.

The fact that there are designation of “Classes” is not new. The Bible addresses, but does not condone, the reality of people groups/”classes”. There is frequent mention of those who are indentured; those in captivity; those who know extreme poverty; those who are oppressed. And, there is the message of Hope through the prophets that deliverance will occur and their captivity will be ended. One can get a glimpse of the horrors experienced by some in Hebrews 11:36 through 38, ”Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” We find some passages that seem hard and difficult for us: (1) Titus 2:9, “Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative…”; (2) Colossians 3:22, “Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.”; (3) Ephesians 6:5, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ…” The words do not condone slavery but indicate how one should function as a believer in Christ while enduring adverse circumstances.

We actually have no idea where matters are headed in our nation and world. We already have some food rationing (rice) in California; Fuel costs are escalating beyond the limits of affordability; food riots are taking place today in Haiti; demand for goods world-wide is driving up costs; the lowered value of the American Dollar is impacting every household. And, we have a politician who claims some “…become bitter and cling to their guns and religion….” No solutions! Just rhetoric and more rhetoric.

A word for us in such times is in The Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 6:25 through 34. Take time to read it, and then, be confident in the True God Who assures us that all we need will be added and supplied to us.

You think about this with me - - - -

Be Bitter or Be Better

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One of the Presidential candidates has been on the defensive this past week over his use of the word “bitter”. The result has been to increase a level of “bitterness” among the candidates. Missed is whether or not people who have lost their employment and who have little prospect of new industry developing in their area become “bitter” and turn to guns and religion for whatever either can afford them. The guns reference could possibly indicate one of two possibilities: (a) turning to a life of crime to meet personal and familial needs, or (b) turning to hunting to provide food and sustenance for self and family. The waters get muddied when one candidate accuses another of being “elitist” because of the statement especially when the truth probably is that neither of the candidates cares all that much about the gravity of the unemployed. The mantra is: “Vote for me – I have a government program for you!” Cynical? Yes! Likely? Yes!

The word “bitterness” has a varied meaning: 1) The quality or state of being bitter, sharp, or acrid, in either a literal or figurative sense; implacableness; resentfulness; severity; keenness of reproach or sarcasm; deep distress, grief, or vexation of mind; 2) A state of extreme impiety or enmity to God; 3) An ingredient in a mixed alcoholic beverage. Interestingly, there is a Biblical reference to each of the above definitions in the Webster Unabridged Dictionary. The Book of Job 7:11, “I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”; Acts 8:23, “Thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”; Hebrews 12:15, "Looking diligently…lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you.” An overview directive is Ephesians 4:30-32, “Put all bitterness away from you” – it grieves the Spirit of God.

If one has the time for a Google Search, one will find all kinds of Scriptural Reference to Bitterness. And in that Search, one will also find the danger in the remark in terms of what people turn to (guns and religion) when they become bitter and frustrated. Many are indicating this is the tone of Socialism and Marxism. After all, wasn’t it Karl Marx who declared that religion is “the opiate of the people”- in the original German: “Die Religion...ist das Opium des Volkes.” This Just might be the inner Political Philosophy of a candidate that is bleeding through the veneer of lofty rhetoric. If so, the response and reaction is similar to the Synonyms listed in Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, namely, “acrimony, embitterment, gall, rancor, resentfulness, virulence…” It certainly has produced and is producing such attitudes. And if continued, it will fester and poison both the individual and our culture.

Years ago, a now long-forgotten comedian, Jack Paar, shared this observation on the political choices of his day: “I’ve decided not to vote for any of them anymore – all it does is encourage them.” It almost seems as though there is a modicum of truth to that comment. There is a basic and urgent need for representation in our government where there is the purpose for us to be “One nation, under God”, and this is the Almighty God! Not Allah! Not Buddha! Not anyone or anything else but The One True Triune God in Whom we can correctly and confidently move forward declaring and meaning: “In God We Trust!”

You Think about that with me - - -

Debating and Dancing

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After listening to the Democratic Candidates' Debate (?) from Philadelphia, PA, one could wonder whether or not this was a forum for decisive and precise discussion of personal convictions and likely policy, or a poor imitation of Dancing With The (Wanna-Be) Stars. At the end of 90 minutes, one was left with the impression that exaggeration, taxation, and total disconnect are part and parcel of who these candidates are in actuality. The Republican Candidate was silent - which is a practice that all of the candidates might do well to emulate. Fortunately, I was listening to part of this hum-drum presentation on XM Radio and this afforded me an opportunity to scan various programs. The one most like the Debate Station was the Comedy Network.

This political year we have heard from the various candidates statements that are lies, exaggerations, and evasive. We have heard everything from A to Z in terms of Iraq, Oil, Economy, Immigration, etc. The solution for everyone is to blame George W. Bush for every ill in the country and world; to withdraw troops without regard to the consequences for a nation in transition; increase all kinds of benefits to people - legal and illegal; and - of course - raise taxes on those horrible "rich" people.

The facts that get muddied by the candidates is in terms of who is actually carrying the greatest liability in terms of taxes. A summary reveals: Top 5% pay 53.25% of all income taxes. The top 10% pay 64.89%. The top 25% pay 82.9%. The top 50% pay 96.03%. The bottom 50%? They pay 3.97% of all income taxes. The top 1% is paying more than ten times the federal income taxes than the bottom 50%! The top 1% earns 17.53 of all income. The top 5% earns 31.99. The top 10% earns 43.11%; the top 25% earns 65.23%, and the top 50% earns 86.19% of all the income. Every statistic and “fact” can be debated and spun – that’s part of the overall quagmire in debate. No one is willing to stand up and indicate – “We have seen the enemy – and – the enemy is us. The same politicians who ask us to vote them into office to repair these problems are among the same ones who helped cause these problems. That’s tantamount to being asked to elect the fox to guard the hen-house from inside the hen-house.

The Bible states in I Timothy 2:1-3, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings (Presidents) and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior…” I can’t help but wonder if we have not arrived at a point where we should not just PRAY FOR those in positions of authority, but to also ask Almighty God to PREVENT THEM FROM PREYING UPON the citizenry of our nation. In the midst of the candidates BRAYING, we need to be PRAYING!

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Predictability

I've just been thinking about ...

Watching newscasts, pundits and prognosticators has become a wearisome venture. In this age of 24/7 cable networks and internet resources, "news" has become an anomaly - maybe even an oxymoron. And the Pundits-Prognosticators seem to lack any original thought as they spin on and on and on - grinding out their previously stated views ad nauseam (check it out - this is a correct spelling). The only relief is to do one's own research. The Internet is an invaluable resource, as is You Tube and some excellent Blogs that are available.

Of course, there is no substitute for good old common sense. We all have a value system - all we need to do is engage it. We all have the ability to think for ourselves - all we need to do is exercise our minds. We all have an intrinsic ethical sensitivity - all we need to do is employ it. It is both absurdity and folly to allow ourselves to absorb the ranting of the media multitudes while ignoring our individual values and simple basic instincts.

Many have used the expression: "Are you going to believe what you see and hear or what my lying lips are telling you?" It is obvious some are trying to convince you of their "lie" as over against what you see and know. And then the excuse that is given is, "Well, I misspoke!" Or, "I'm overtired and confused the experience with another event." The point is - how many times shall the "lies" be tolerated and/or excused before we scream out - ENOUGH!! If the telephone rings in the White House at 3:00 AM, do we know whether or not the person answering the Telephone will have a new-found integrity to tell the person on the other end of the Telephone - the TRUTH.

For too many people, lying has become part of their lifestyle choice. They would not recognize "Truth" if it stood in front of them and even slapped them. The Bible addresses "seared consciences" indicating those who have become desensitized to right and wrong, truth and error. A classic Scripture Reference is Romans 1:18-19, 25 - "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of MEN WHO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them...For they exchanged the TRUTH of God for a LIE, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..."

If we knowingly elect a "Liar" to lead our nation, do we sincerely and honestly believe God Will Bless America? Do we honestly believe God will violate His Character and condone what He condemns? Or, has the conscience of America become so seared, that (a) we can no longer differentiate truth versus error, and (b) a marked deficit in Character and Integrity is not that great an issue for a representative among the nations. The reasoning being - we have entered the post-Christian era many years ago and that makes Christian Values and Virtues inconsequential. SHAME ON US if that's what we have become! SHAME ON US if that's what we think and allow.

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