A Modern Commentary of C.S. Lewis’ ‘Learning in Wartime’
Today it is easy to see why many Christians may be discouraged and feel the need to “circle the wagons,” – to not see the need to cultivate a life of the mind, including learning apologetic arguments for Christianity, or even learning anything new at all. We now live in a world of ISIS, Ebola, violent Christian persecution in various parts of the world, and an increasing attack on religious liberties in America.
Perhaps a lesson from the past will bring light and even encouragement to the value of learning – especially loving Christ with all of our minds in the Church today.
In 1939 the dark clouds of Hitler’s Nazi war machine were beginning to loom across Europe and in England. Walter Hooper, who briefly served as C.S. Lewis’ personal secretary in 1963 relates a fascinating story of when Lewis was invited to preach a sermon at Oxford’s Church of St. Mary the Virgin in the late 30’s.
The threat of imminent war with Germany caused many of Oxford’s undergraduates much hesitation and unrest. Christian students understandably wondered at the value of education and the pursuit of truth when a world war loomed on the horizon. At that time Canon T.R. Milford, an admirer of Lewis’ literary works, asked him to come deliver a sermon and address this growing sentiment among the student body. According to Hooper, “Lewis – an ex-soldier [in WWI] and Christian don at Magdalen College – was thought to be just the man to put things in the right perspective.”[1]
How very right Canon Milford was! Not only did Lewis brilliantly make the case for learning in a time of global upheaval in the twentieth century, there are brilliant lessons we can learn for our own day as well. The text of Lewis’ sermon ended up as a chapter in The Weight of Glory[2] under the title “Learning in Wartime.” The barbarities of our own day and Lewis’s are uncanny, and the lessons are timeless.
Of course, there is no substitute for reading the entire chapter by Lewis’ himself, but in this article, I would like to highlight a few principles that I believe relate to those of us today who traffic in the realm of the mind, ideas, and the intellect.
There has Never Been a Perfect Time to Learn: Favorable Conditions Never Come
If we’re waiting for more peaceful or favorable times [whatever that is] to begin to dig deeper into our faith or perhaps to learn something new, then we’ll probably never begin at all. Lewis knew then that there will always be distractions which prevent us from pursing truth on a deeper level – whether those distractions are the threat of war, or the hectic busyness of life. He writes:
There will always be plenty of rivals to our work. We are always falling in love or quarrelling, looking for jobs or fearing to lose them, getting ill and recovering, following public affairs. If we let ourselves we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.[3]
…If men had postponed the search for knowledge and beauty until they were secure, the search would never have begun. We are mistaken when we compare war with “normal life.” Life has never been normal.[4]
If we will not pursue truth and cultivate loving God with our minds with today’s many threats and distractions, then we probably never will. Life has never been “normal.”
Shouldn’t We Just Preach the Gospel Only?
There were those in Lewis’ day (as well as our own) who perhaps thought that learning should take a back-seat to leading people to Christ in evangelism.
..how is it even right, or even psychologically possible, for creatures who are every moment advancing either to Heaven or to hell spend any fraction of the little time allowed them in this world on such comparative trivialities as literature or art, mathematics or biology.[5]
…why should we – indeed how can we – continue to take an interest in these placid occupations when the lives or our friends and the liberties of Europe are in the balance? Is it not fiddling while Rome burns?[6]
Or,
“How can you be so frivolous and selfish as to think about anything but the salvation of human souls?” and we have, at the moment to answer the additional question, “How can you be so frivolous and selfish as to think of anything but the war?”[7]
Of course, in saying these things Lewis is certainly not undermining the importance of personal evangelism. Indeed, several years later in that same chapel, he preached what is perhaps, one of the most profound sermons on evangelism ever preached in the 20th Century [at least in my opinion!].
The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. …All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct our dealings with one another…[8]
Lewis’ solution to this apparent dilemma of either evangelism (the active life), or learning (the contemplative life), is that whatever our view of this relationship is during peacetime, should be the exactly the same as in a time of war.
Now it seems to me that we shall not be able to answer these questions until we have put them by the side of other questions which every Christian ought to have asked himself in peacetime.
During a time of peace hardly any Christian doubts the value of loving God with all our minds and cultivating a deeper Christian understanding and integration of reality. So why should our principles change during a time of imminent death and war? According to Lewis, they shouldn’t.
In other words, regardless of whether we are living in a time of impending war & violence or relative peace and safety, there is an important place for both activities in the Christian view of things.
We don’t have to choose either evangelism or learning – it is imperative to do both!
Lastly, on this question, Lewis makes it clear that he makes no distinctions between the secular and the sacred.
Every duty is a religious duty, and our obligation to perform every duty is therefore absolute.[9]
In short, ‘whether we eat or drink, [do evangelism, or learn], or whatever we do, we do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).’
In Our Pursuit of Truth, there is No Place for the Proud
Christ was very clear when He stated the greatest commandment, “to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Matt. 22:36). Lewis recognized that a life of learning is perhaps not the path for every Christian. Indeed, within the body of Christ, there are many members with different functions (1 Cor. 12:12-31).
Regardless, our pursuit and love of the pure, unvarnished truth should take second place to our pride and personal achievements (if any). We must always be on guard against pride, whatever our vocation, but especially intellectual pride – for as the Apostle Paul writes, “…knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1). Lewis writes:
As the author of the Theologica Germanica says, we may come to love knowledge – our knowing – more than the thing known: to delight not in the exercise of our talents but the fact that they are ours, or even in the reputation they bring us. Every success in the scholar’s life increases this danger. If it becomes irresistible, he must give up his scholarly work. They time for plucking out the right eye has arrived.[10]
In apologetics as in any other intellectual pursuit, there is no place for pride, whatever form it takes in our lives. We are servants of Truth and not the other way around.
…be ready to give a defense [apologia] to everyone who asks you a reason [logos] for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear (1 Pet. 3:15).
I can’t tell you how many apologists I’ve noticed, who are arrogant and condescending to others who don’t have a deeper understanding. This certainly does not help the cause of Christ or His Kingdom, and in reality, intellectual pride is the mark of another kingdom. The father of pride led a rebellion of a third of the angels against God. In Eden, he convinced Adam & Eve that God did not say what He really said.
Don’t Worry About the Future – Live Life One Day at a Time
One of the frustrations that Lewis addressed to his audience of Oxford undergraduates in 1939 was the frustration of possibly not being able to finish what one has started – of looking ahead to the future when it looks bleak. “What’s the point?”
This is certainly a sentiment that is true today. When one thinks of the future of the world and where we might be headed, it can be somewhat foggy or even depressing. Lewis’ wisdom is especially brilliant here because it is grounded in the very words of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (see, Matt. 6:34).
Lewis states:
Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as unto the Lord.” It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received. …A more Christian attitude, which can be attained in any age, is that of leaving futurity in God’s hands. We may as well, for God will certainly retain it whether we leave it to Him or not.[11]
Human Civilization Depends on Not Listening to Our Worries but on Thinking Clearly and Loving God with our Minds
Finally, in the larger scheme of human history, we should not allow our worries to dictate how we live. Human culture (if it is to survive) depends on it. Lewis writes:
If human culture [& learning] can stand up [and alongside] to that [that people today are headed to eternity in heaven or hell], it can stand up to anything. To admit that we can retain our interest in learning under the shadow of these eternal issues but not under the shadow of a European war would be to admit that our ears are closed to the voice of reason and very wide open to the voice of our nerves and our mass emotions.[12]
Here we can learn from a chapter in the history of the early, medieval Irish monks. When the British Isles were under the threat and then eventually under the sword of the Norsemen, Irish Christians didn’t worry & fret about their future. Rather, they went to work translating great works of literature and creating great works of art such as we find in the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.
In his book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, author Thomas Cahill narrates in vivid detail the fall of the Roman empire when barbarian hordes marched across the frozen Rhine and eventually down into Italy ultimately sacking Rome herself, the crown jewel of classical civilization and learning. Several centuries later when the prow of the Viking longboat hit the sands of the British Isles another dark ages swept across Europe. Civilization was threatened and the learning of the classical world was gravely threatened.
It was the Irish Christians, who according to Cahill, played a key role in Europe’s rebuilding after the long and dark ages.
Wherever they went the Irish bought with them their books, many unseen in Europe for centuries and tied to their waists as signs of triumph, just as Irish heroes had once tied to their waists their enemies heads. Wherever they went they brought their love of learning and their skills in bookmaking. In the bays and valleys of their exile, they reestablished literacy and breathed new life into the exhausted literary culture of Europe. And that is how the Irish saved civilization.[13]
It is in light of these and other principles, that we pursue Truth for its own sake, we learn apologetic arguments, we love God with our minds, and we cultivate a life of faith grounded in God’s eternal Word.
Eternal things are at stake.
[1] Walter Hooper, “Introduction,” in C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: Harper One, 2000, originally 1949), pg. 18.
[2] Incidentally, the title of Lewis’ second message at The Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Oxford in 1941.
[3] Lewis, “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 60.
[4] Ibid., pg. 49.
[5] Ibid., 48-9.
[6] Ibid., pg.47.
[7] Ibid, pg. 50-1.
[8] The Weight of Glory, pg. 45-6.
[9] “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 53.
[10] “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 57.
[11] “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 60-61.
[12] Ibid.. pg. 49.
[13] Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Historic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (New York, London: Doubleday, 1995), pg. 196.
Godbuster: A Debate With Elliot George
2. Does God Exist?, 4. Is the NT True?, Atheism, Debates, Theology and Christian ApologeticsThis past week I engaged in a radio debate with an atheist on Unbelievable on Premier Christian Radio (which you can listen to here). My interlocutor was a British atheist, a retired biology teacher who goes by the pseudonym Elliot George. In his book, Godbuster, George attempts to dismantle theistic belief. I knew when I saw the front cover that the book was unlikely to be particularly professional or intellectually challenging. After all, who writes “Dare you read this?” on the front cover of an intellectually serious piece of work? This initial impression was further compounded when I noticed that the book contains no citations or references, except for the occasional in-text citation to YouTube or Wikipedia. Apparently Elliot George was even reliant upon Wikipedia as his source for the ten commandments (p. 125).
The intellectual content of the book is also confronted with severe problems. The book showed little, if any, engagement or interaction with high-level Christian argumentation. No serious Christian arguments were addressed by the book. Instead, George throughout the book persists in attacking strawmen, even redefining terminology to comport with his position. Read more
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, Jim Whiddon
351. AFFLICTIONS “Although God will one day wipe every tear from the eyes of His redeemed, He does not promise to heal every hurt in this life. Every now and then we get glimpses of some of the reasons. Here’s what Paul wrote about one of his own afflictions:
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)”
Excerpt From: Budziszewski, J. “Ask Me Anything.”
352. LIAR’S PARADOX “A man says, “The statement I am making is a lie.” The paradox is that if the statement is true, then it can’t be true because he just said it’s a lie; but if the statement is false, then he’s lying, but that makes it true after all.”
Excerpt From: Budziszewski, J. “Ask Me Anything.”
353. OUR NATION’S SECURITY American statesman Daniel Webster understood how crucial it is for a nation “under God” to steadfastly guard its foundations of righteousness. In 1852, he warned his beloved America:
“If we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us, that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
Excerpt From: Lee, Richard. “In God We Still Trust: A 365-Day Devotional.”
354. TECHNOLOGY “Nights that used to be spent gathered around the fire gave way to the radio and television, before splintering into individualized screens. We inhabit the same space but follow our own feeds. We have an iPhone in our hand and buds in our ears. How can we hear God (or each other) amid the din?
“We love our devices and loathe what they do to us.”
Excerpt From: Detweiler, Craig. “iGods.”
355. TECHNO-IDOLATRY Theologian Marcus Borg insists, “The dominant values of American life—affluence, achievement, appearance, power, competition, consumption, individualism—are vastly different from anything recognizably Christian. As individuals and as a culture . . . our existence has become massively idolatrous.” Technologies meant to empower us can also blind us.” Excerpt From: Detweiler, Craig. “iGods.”
Darryl Tippens, pointed out to me the potential double entendre embedded in the question, “Isn’t this the artisan, the maker of things?” It could also have been read after the fact as “Is not this the son of the Artisan, the Maker of (all) Things?”
In his book Pilgrim Heart, Tippens calls Jesus the Great Artist, the model for how we are to respond to beauty. He writes, “If God is the Master Builder, then Christ is the supervising architect and agent of Creation: “for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible . . . all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:15–17). Given this original cosmic assignment, it seems appropriate that in his earthly life in Nazareth, Jesus was a craftsman by trade. Having built the universe, it seems fitting that, as a human being, he would turn to building houses or furniture.”
Jesus makes far more references to construction and finance than agricultural allusions. Israel is a land of ample stone but comparatively few trees. Perhaps it is wise to think of Jesus more as a mason than a carpenter. Jesus makes almost no reference to the carpenter’s craft but does refer to the importance of selecting a cornerstone (Matt. 21:42–44) and the decoration of tombs (Matt. 23:27–28), the importance of building on a firm foundation (Matt. 7:24–27), and the need to conduct careful cost analysis prior to construction (Luke 14:28–30). In light of all this knowledge of the building trade it is hard to resist the conclusion that Jesus was involved in construction.
Excerpt From: Detweiler, Craig. “iGods.”
356. TWAIN AUTOGRAPH “A nine-year-old boy knocked on Mark Twain’s hotel door to get an autograph, not knowing that Mr. Twain was very ill. The boy was about to be sent away when Mr. Twain called from his sickbed and asked that the boy be sent in to see him. He then wrote in the boy’s autograph book, “So live, that when you come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry.”
Excerpt From: Bruce, David. “Mark Twain Anecdotes and Quotes.”
357. CAREER “In The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, a nurse who works in end-of-life care reports that the single most common regret her patients express is that “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” You can endlessly delay gratification, doing work you hate because of the promise of future reward, or you can find your way to work that is its own reward.”
Excerpt From: Deresiewicz, William. “Excellent Sheep.”
358. BUSYNESS DANGERS “As hectic and frustrating as modern life can be, the biggest dangers are not material or temporal inconveniences. A person can do physical labor twelve hours a day, six days a week for an entire life and not suffer many ill effects. In fact, he or she may be healthier for it. But if the strain is mental—as is the case for most jobs and for most of us—the negative impact on the body can be huge. So don’t ignore the physical danger of busyness. Just remember the most serious threats are spiritual. When we are crazy busy, we put our souls at risk. The challenge is not merely to make a few bad habits go away. The challenge is to not let our spiritual lives slip away. The dangers are serious, and they are growing. And few of us are as safe as we may think.
We’ve heard countless sermons warning us about the dangers of money. But the real danger comes after you spend the money. Once you own it you need to keep it clean, keep it working, and keep up with the latest improvements. If the worries of life don’t swamp us, the upkeep will.
Jesus knows what he’s talking about. As much as we must pray against the Devil and pray for the persecuted church, in Jesus’s thinking the greater threat to the gospel is sheer exhaustion. Busyness kills more Christians than bullets.” Excerpt From: DeYoung, Kevin. “Crazy Busy.”
Excerpt From: DeYoung, Kevin. “Crazy Busy.”
359. HABITS “Habits are like stones rolling down hill–the further they roll, the faster and more ungovernable is their course. Habits, like trees, are strengthened by age. A boy may bend an oak when it is a sapling–a hundred men cannot root it up, when it is a full grown tree.
Excerpt From: J. C. Ryle. “Thoughts For Young Men.”
360. HANLON’S RAZOR: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
Discovery of the Lost Temple
Israel, Theology and Christian ApologeticsThutmoses III and the Biblical Exodus
A friend of mine who studies Ancient Near Eastern languages at Yale University (Matthew Glassman), alerted me to an interesting article about an amazing discovery recently made in Cairo, under someone’s house no-less!
According to the article, Egypt’s Antiquities Minister, Mamdouh al-Damaty stated that, “a group of men discovered a 3,400 year old pharaonic temple from the reign of the warrior king Thutmoses III.”[1]
Around the Mediterranean (especially in Middle Eastern countries), antiquities looting has become a big problem in some areas. Apparently the men were digging for items to sell illegally on the antiquities market. The seven men who were digging hit “historic” pay-dirt – they discovered an entire pharonic temple!
The site is located in Al-Badrashin which is located approximately 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the capital of Cairo. The men were briefly detained, then released because they were not digging at an “official” Egyptian heritage site. The Egyptian Antiquities Ministry has now taken over, and will be beginning an excavation at the site in the days ahead, according to gulfnews.net.
What has been discovered so far, are seven tablets, several column bases made of pink granite as well as a pink granite statue in the temple. This is certainly a remarkable discovery, and one that I am keenly interested in following in the days ahead.
How Does Thutmose III Fit Into the Exodus Story? A Little Background
Thutmose III was the sixth pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. His name means “Thoth is born.”
From chronological considerations found in the Bible,[2] and an understanding of the cultural, historical and archaeological background of the 18th Dynasty, it is very likely that Amenhotep I, was the pharaoh who issued the decree in Exodus 1:15-16 to kill all male Hebrews.[3]
As we look closer into this time of Egyptian history, we also discover that Thutmose I (1528-1508 B.C.), the son of Amenhotep I, had a daughter named Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut is well known from historical and archaeological sources, and she has a very interesting story herself! She’s even found a place in the Bible (although not by name, but as pharaoh’s daughter)!
In order to secure royal inheritance rights, Hatshepsut married her half-brother Thutmose II. When Thutmose II died prematurely, Hatshepsut then assumed the role of pharaoh along with and her younger (male) nephew, (& stepson) Thutmose III.
As William Murnane observes, “Although Hatshepsut did not dethrone her nephew, she asserted a claim to royal power equal to his and, as senior coregent, took precedence over him in contemporary monuments.”[4] During her co-regency with the younger Thutmose III, Egypt enjoyed a time of prosperity and great building. This recent temple discovered in Egypt was very possibly built during that time.
One of the most well known structures from that period, which still survives today is the Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple (also called Deir el-Bahari) located in the Valley of the Kings. It is a remarkable building even to this day!
Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple (Deir el-Bahari) in the Valley of the Kings
It was Hatshepsut who very likely drew baby Moses from the Nile (Ex. 2:5)! Her father, Amenhotep I, after all, was the pharaoh who issued the decree to kill all of the Hebrew first-born male slaves.
According to the chronological considerations, and for other reasons that would be difficult to summarize briefly here, Thutmose III then, was the younger “brother” that Moses would have possibly grown up with pharaoh’s household in Egypt. Thutmose III would have also been the same pharaoh who would have sought to kill Moses when he discovered that Moses had killed an Egyptian.
According to OT scholar Dr. Eugene H. Merrill:
The Three Functions of Archaeology: Affirm, Clarify & Illuminate
Since I have been teaching the Old Testament for over ten years, as well as classes on archaeology, I have taught that archaeology can function in at least three ways:
(1) Archaeology can affirm the historical basis of the text. Did this person exist? Did this place exist? Etc…
(2) Archaeology can clarify certain passages in the text and,
(3) Archaeology can illuminate the various cultures in which the text was written.
This latest “accidental” discovery in Egypt of a temple from the time of Thutmose III, certainly affirms this pharaoh’s existence, power and influence – the pharaoh who very likely sought Moses’ life.[6]
Future research will surely also clarify and illuminate this fascinating person and period in biblical history!
[1] http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/king-thutmosis-iii-s-temple-found-by-accident-1.1405869 (cited, Nov. 5, 2014).
[2] Such as the reference in 1 Kings 6:1 and Ex. 7:7 which states that Moses was 80 years old when he led the people from Egypt (assuming an approximate exodus date of 1446 B.C.)
[3] See also Eugene H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996), pp. 58-64.
[4] William J. Murnane, “New Kingdom (Dynasties 18-20)” in David Noel Freedman, Editor in Chief, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 2 D-G (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 348-53.
[5] Merrill, pg. 62-3.
[6] Not that this is the only evidence for Thutmose III. It is just another piece which affirms his reign and influence. We actually have his mummified remains!
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, Jim Whiddon
341. CHRISTIANS MUST VOTE! After weeks of hearing about the campaign nonstop, it’s not surprising some people suffer from Election Fatigue. I do. But it’s the duty of every citizen to study the issues and cast an informed vote. Think of all the Americans today who are in harm’s way right now, bringing freedom to the Iraqis so they can vote for their own leaders. Think of the ten million Afghans who just voted, some of them young women who had never had any rights before. If freedom is worth dying for, it is certainly worth voting for. And Christians need
to remember that voting is not only an act of good citizenship, it’s also our biblical duty. We all know that Christians are to submit themselves to the governing authorities (Romans 13). What we forget is that God uses His people as agents to help determine who the governing authorities will be. Just as in the Old Testament He sent Samuel out to pick his leaders, so He calls us in a free democratic society to choose, by our votes, the leaders He then ordains. But sometimes, you say, those leaders are corrupt. Well, that’s our fault, not God’s. Just because the democratic system doesn’t always give you good rulers doesn’t mean we don’t keep trying. It matters who we support. Voting for pro-life leaders, for example, is very important. And our efforts make a difference. Look at what happened over the years with a ban on partial-birth abortion—defeated year after year, until President Bush was elected, and he signed it into law. And in the process of that debate the public was educated, thereby helping to create a culture of life.
The same holds true for so many other issues. If we don’t make ourselves heard, the consequences will be grave—not just for us, but for our fellow citizens. Like it or not, in a free society, we’re God’s agents for picking righteous, able men and women. And Christians, as Augustine said, are meant to be “the best of citizens.” So this Election Day, you must prove those words true by doing what God has called us to do: vote.
— Breakpoint, Nov. 3, 2014
342. FREE WILL “No robot can love because love, by its nature, is something freely chosen. Do you see how this works? To be made in His image we must be capable of love; to be capable of love we must have free will; but to have free will, we must also be capable of willing wrongly.”
Excerpt From: Budziszewski, J. “Ask Me Anything.”
343. LINCOLN ON PRAYER “After the Union Army’s devastating loss at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862, President Abraham Lincoln confessed this:
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that
I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed
insufficient for that day.”
Excerpt From: Lee, Richard. “In God We Still Trust: A 365-Day Devotional.”
344. READING BOOKS Billy Crystal says, “When I buy a new book, I read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends.”
Excerpt From: Paul Finebaum & Gene Wojciechowski. “My Conference Can Beat Your Conference.”
345. JESUS’ OCCUPATION? “Is not this the son of the tektōn?” Most translations refer to Jesus as a carpenter’s son. It was intended as a cut-down, a way to mock Jesus’s presumption. How can an unskilled laborer presume to position himself as a prophet?
Darryl Tippens, pointed out to me the potential double entendre embedded in the question, “Isn’t this the artisan, the maker of things?” It could also have been read after the fact as “Is not this the son of the Artisan, the Maker of (all) Things?”
In his book Pilgrim Heart, Tippens calls Jesus the Great Artist, the model for how we are to respond to beauty. He writes,
“If God is the Master Builder, then Christ is the supervising architect and agent of Creation: “for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible . . . all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:15–17). Given this original cosmic assignment, it seems appropriate that in his earthly life in Nazareth, Jesus was a craftsman by trade. Having built the universe, it seems fitting that, as a human being, he would turn to building houses or furniture.”
Jesus makes far more references to construction and finance than agricultural allusions. Israel is a land of ample stone but comparatively few trees. Perhaps it is wise to think of Jesus more as a mason than a carpenter. Jesus makes almost no reference to the carpenter’s craft but does refer to the importance of selecting a cornerstone (Matt. 21:42–44) and the decoration of tombs (Matt. 23:27–28), the importance of building on a firm foundation (Matt. 7:24–27), and the need to conduct careful cost analysis prior to construction (Luke 14:28–30).
In light of all this knowledge of the building trade it is hard to resist the conclusion that Jesus was involved in construction.
Excerpt From: Detweiler, Craig. “iGods.”
346. DEATH & BREATH “At one time, people chewed cloves to make their breath smell good. Once, a melancholy man who was depressed by statistics regarding death told Mark Twain, “Do you realize that every time I breathe an immortal soul passes into eternity?” Mr. Twain replied, “Have you ever tried cloves?”
Excerpt From: Bruce, David. “Mark Twain Anecdotes and Quotes.”
347. CAREER “In The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, a nurse who works in end-of-life care reports that the single most common regret her patients express is that “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” You can endlessly delay gratification, doing work you hate because of the promise of future reward, or you can find your way to work that is its own reward.”
Excerpt From: Deresiewicz, William. “Excellent Sheep.”
348. PRESTIGE “The only thing worse than failing to realize any of your dreams, is seeing them all come true. You were meant for something more. Even if you could be known the world over, what does it matter if you have no time to be known by God?”
Excerpt From: DeYoung, Kevin. “Crazy Busy.”
349. PARENTING “When I was young I had six theories and no kids. Now I have six kids and no theories.”
— Alistair Begg
350. CAPITALISM BUILT ON TRUST, NOT GREED “Over centuries, in fact, the evolution of capitalism has been in the direction of more trust and transparency, and less self-regarding behavior. Not coincidentally, this evolution has brought with it greater productivity and economic growth. That evolution did not take place because capitalists are naturally good people. Instead it took place because the benefits of trust—that is, of being trusting and of being trustworthy—are potentially immense, and because a successful market system teaches people to recognize those benefits. At this point, it’s been well demonstrated that flourishing economies require a healthy level of trust in the reliability and fairness of everyday transactions. If you assumed every potential deal was a rip-off or that the products you were buying were probably going to be lemons, then very little business would get done. As the economist Thomas Schelling has put it: “One has only to consider the
enormous frustration of conducting foreign aid in an underdeveloped country, or getting a business established there, to realize what an extraordinary economic asset is a population of honest conscientious people.”
Excerpt From: Surowiecki, James. “The Wisdom of Crowds.”
Christian Voter Guide: Why Christians Should Vote!
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsWhen I hear Christians saying we ought not get involved in politics but just “preach the Gospel,” I show them this satellite picture of the Korean peninsula. South Korea is full of freedom, food and productivity—it’s one of the most Christianized countries in the world. North Korea is a concentration camp. They have no freedom, no food, and very little Christianity.
What’s the primary reason for the stark difference between these two countries? Politics. The South politically allows freedom, while the North does not.
Ironically, Christians who shun politics to supposedly advance the Gospel are actually allowing others to stop the Gospel. How so? Because politics and law affects one’s ability to preach the Gospel!If you think otherwise, visit some of the countries I have visited—Iran, Saudi Arabia and China. You cannot legally “preach the Gospel” in those countries—or practice other aspects of your religion freely—because politically they’ve ruled it out as they have in North Korea (it seems the mayor of Houston was about to start down that road recently).
Watch the first two minutes of this video for more:
With that in mind, I strongly encourage you get out to vote THIS Tuesday, November 4th, and support the candidates who best represent natural law values consistent with the Bible. “For to whom much is given, much shall be required” (Luke 12:48). Voting is more than our opportunity to make a difference. It is a responsibility in being good stewards and protecting our freedom to spread the Gospel. In fact, I think every citizen should get informed and vote.
Go to http://www.christianvoterguide.com/ for a guide to see where the candidates stand on the most important issues.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matt. 5:14-15)
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, Jim Whiddon
331. GOD’S OWNERSHIP “God gave humanity authority over the world’s resources but not ownership. We have received what we have in the way a fund manager receives other people’s money to invest, or as, in ancient times, the steward of an estate received his authority over the estate. The steward of a great estate lived comfortably and enjoyed the fruits of his labor, but he never made the mistake of thinking that the wealth under his care was all his. He was tasked to manage it in a way that pleased the owner and was fair to his fellow servants.
This concept is counterintuitive for most Americans. We believe that if we have had success in life, it is mainly the result of our own hard work, and we therefore have an absolute right to use our money as we see fit. But while the Bible agrees industriousness or the lack of it is an irreplaceable part of why you are successful or not (Proverbs 6:9-11; 10:4), it is never the main reason. In short, all your resources are in the end the gift of God.”
Excerpt From: Keller, Timothy. “Generous Justice.”
332. GOD’S HUMAN DESIGN Did you know that our jaw muscles stimulate chemicals being released in our body which help us maintain our proper weight? The more the muscles in our jaws are used – like when we eat natural “tougher” foods to chew – the less “tummy fat” we have. Processed foods require far less chewing and thus are less effective in this realm. Twenty to thirty chews per bite is the target. [In a self-conducted experiment – Twinkies require only six chews. – jw] Another example of God doing all things for those He loves – those He made!
— Unknown
333. CHRISTIANITY “The Christian religion, when brought to the original purity and simplicity of its benevolent Institutor, is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freest expansion of the human mind.”
— T. Jefferson
334. THE PLEDGE In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the addition of “under God” in order to differentiate the United States from the officially atheist Soviet Union: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”
335. GOD’S BLESSINGS ON OUR NATION “There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing. . . .
Let us firmly rely on that kind Providence which I am sure watches with peculiar care over the destinies of our Republic, and on the intelligence and wisdom of our countrymen. Through His abundant goodness and their patriotic devotion our liberty and Union will be preserved.”
— President A. Jackson
336. HARVARD “Harvard’s founders created the school with this mission: “To be plainly instructed and consider well that the main end of your life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ.”
This was Harvard’s reason for existing. Harvard’s leaders placed very high value on the moral development of their students during the 1700s and 1800s. They responded to student infractions like vandalism, drunkenness, and sexual misconduct with resolute seriousness. They emphasized character and urged students to live “god-fearing, upright lives.”
In their hiring practices, Harvard hired first for mission fit. When interviewing faculty members, they looked preeminently at character, well before examining academic credentials. The curriculum and extracurricular content included Christian worldview training, promoted a “sacred regard for truth,” and emphasized the study of virtues.”
Excerpt From: Peter Greer, Chris Horst & Anna Haggard. “Mission Drift.”
337. PG13 “the Washington Post’s Liza Mundy, who made an in-depth study of the genre, wrote “it seems fair to say that kids will hear more bad language, and more forms of bad language, in PG-13 movies than they will in Rs.” In Mundy’s account, Nell Minow, whose father Newton Minow was an FCC commissioner, “says that her father always marveled at how parents will let Hollywood say things to their children that they would have an ordinary person on the street arrested for saying.”
Excerpt From: West, Diana. “The Death of the Grown-Up.”
338. CONFESSION “The word confession is a compound word in the language of the New Testament. It comes from a word meaning “to say” and another meaning “the same as.” Confession literally means that “we say the same as God” about our sin. We agree with Him regarding it. Sin is not some little vice that we can laugh off. It is not something we can excuse by saying everyone is doing it. It is not some sort of mistake that we can minimize by trying to convince ourselves that it is not as bad as the sins many others commit. Sin is so serious that it necessitated the cross. Often, our own guilt is God’s way of saying, “You have sinned.” Confession, then, is our way of saying, “I agree with You, God. I have sinned.”
Excerpt From: O. S. Hawkins. “The Joshua Code.”
339. BIBLE ERRORS? There are thousands of errors in New Testament. Yes, I am afraid so. The original manuscripts copied by human scribes in the early centuries AD made many mistakes. However, of those, 99% were in these three categories: A) use of the article “the” which was uniquely prolific in the Greek language, B) misspelling due to differing languages. example: “John” with two N’s instead of one, C) word order mix up (I.e. “Christ Jesus” vs. “Jesus Christ”).
The other 1% are word translation errors that scholars- whether conservative or liberal, they agree – do NOT change ANY aspect of Christian teaching. So, when someone says I don’t believe in God because the Bible has been “changed,” understand this argument is a smoke screen to avoid conforming their lives to what the Bible says.
— David Marvin, Watermark Church
340. GOVT STRINGS “With government shekels come government shackles.”
— Richard Land speaking on topic of schools taking federal dollars.
Is Learning Apologetics like Fiddling While Rome Burns?
Culture CrossExamined, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Theology and Christian ApologeticsA Modern Commentary of C.S. Lewis’ ‘Learning in Wartime’
Today it is easy to see why many Christians may be discouraged and feel the need to “circle the wagons,” – to not see the need to cultivate a life of the mind, including learning apologetic arguments for Christianity, or even learning anything new at all. We now live in a world of ISIS, Ebola, violent Christian persecution in various parts of the world, and an increasing attack on religious liberties in America.
Perhaps a lesson from the past will bring light and even encouragement to the value of learning – especially loving Christ with all of our minds in the Church today.
In 1939 the dark clouds of Hitler’s Nazi war machine were beginning to loom across Europe and in England. Walter Hooper, who briefly served as C.S. Lewis’ personal secretary in 1963 relates a fascinating story of when Lewis was invited to preach a sermon at Oxford’s Church of St. Mary the Virgin in the late 30’s.
The threat of imminent war with Germany caused many of Oxford’s undergraduates much hesitation and unrest. Christian students understandably wondered at the value of education and the pursuit of truth when a world war loomed on the horizon. At that time Canon T.R. Milford, an admirer of Lewis’ literary works, asked him to come deliver a sermon and address this growing sentiment among the student body. According to Hooper, “Lewis – an ex-soldier [in WWI] and Christian don at Magdalen College – was thought to be just the man to put things in the right perspective.”[1]
How very right Canon Milford was! Not only did Lewis brilliantly make the case for learning in a time of global upheaval in the twentieth century, there are brilliant lessons we can learn for our own day as well. The text of Lewis’ sermon ended up as a chapter in The Weight of Glory[2] under the title “Learning in Wartime.” The barbarities of our own day and Lewis’s are uncanny, and the lessons are timeless.
Of course, there is no substitute for reading the entire chapter by Lewis’ himself, but in this article, I would like to highlight a few principles that I believe relate to those of us today who traffic in the realm of the mind, ideas, and the intellect.
There has Never Been a Perfect Time to Learn: Favorable Conditions Never Come
If we’re waiting for more peaceful or favorable times [whatever that is] to begin to dig deeper into our faith or perhaps to learn something new, then we’ll probably never begin at all. Lewis knew then that there will always be distractions which prevent us from pursing truth on a deeper level – whether those distractions are the threat of war, or the hectic busyness of life. He writes:
If we will not pursue truth and cultivate loving God with our minds with today’s many threats and distractions, then we probably never will. Life has never been “normal.”
Shouldn’t We Just Preach the Gospel Only?
There were those in Lewis’ day (as well as our own) who perhaps thought that learning should take a back-seat to leading people to Christ in evangelism.
Or,
Of course, in saying these things Lewis is certainly not undermining the importance of personal evangelism. Indeed, several years later in that same chapel, he preached what is perhaps, one of the most profound sermons on evangelism ever preached in the 20th Century [at least in my opinion!].
Lewis’ solution to this apparent dilemma of either evangelism (the active life), or learning (the contemplative life), is that whatever our view of this relationship is during peacetime, should be the exactly the same as in a time of war.
During a time of peace hardly any Christian doubts the value of loving God with all our minds and cultivating a deeper Christian understanding and integration of reality. So why should our principles change during a time of imminent death and war? According to Lewis, they shouldn’t.
In other words, regardless of whether we are living in a time of impending war & violence or relative peace and safety, there is an important place for both activities in the Christian view of things.
We don’t have to choose either evangelism or learning – it is imperative to do both!
Lastly, on this question, Lewis makes it clear that he makes no distinctions between the secular and the sacred.
In short, ‘whether we eat or drink, [do evangelism, or learn], or whatever we do, we do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).’
In Our Pursuit of Truth, there is No Place for the Proud
Christ was very clear when He stated the greatest commandment, “to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Matt. 22:36). Lewis recognized that a life of learning is perhaps not the path for every Christian. Indeed, within the body of Christ, there are many members with different functions (1 Cor. 12:12-31).
Regardless, our pursuit and love of the pure, unvarnished truth should take second place to our pride and personal achievements (if any). We must always be on guard against pride, whatever our vocation, but especially intellectual pride – for as the Apostle Paul writes, “…knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1). Lewis writes:
In apologetics as in any other intellectual pursuit, there is no place for pride, whatever form it takes in our lives. We are servants of Truth and not the other way around.
…be ready to give a defense [apologia] to everyone who asks you a reason [logos] for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear (1 Pet. 3:15).
I can’t tell you how many apologists I’ve noticed, who are arrogant and condescending to others who don’t have a deeper understanding. This certainly does not help the cause of Christ or His Kingdom, and in reality, intellectual pride is the mark of another kingdom. The father of pride led a rebellion of a third of the angels against God. In Eden, he convinced Adam & Eve that God did not say what He really said.
Don’t Worry About the Future – Live Life One Day at a Time
One of the frustrations that Lewis addressed to his audience of Oxford undergraduates in 1939 was the frustration of possibly not being able to finish what one has started – of looking ahead to the future when it looks bleak. “What’s the point?”
This is certainly a sentiment that is true today. When one thinks of the future of the world and where we might be headed, it can be somewhat foggy or even depressing. Lewis’ wisdom is especially brilliant here because it is grounded in the very words of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (see, Matt. 6:34).
Lewis states:
Human Civilization Depends on Not Listening to Our Worries but on Thinking Clearly and Loving God with our Minds
Finally, in the larger scheme of human history, we should not allow our worries to dictate how we live. Human culture (if it is to survive) depends on it. Lewis writes:
Here we can learn from a chapter in the history of the early, medieval Irish monks. When the British Isles were under the threat and then eventually under the sword of the Norsemen, Irish Christians didn’t worry & fret about their future. Rather, they went to work translating great works of literature and creating great works of art such as we find in the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.
In his book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, author Thomas Cahill narrates in vivid detail the fall of the Roman empire when barbarian hordes marched across the frozen Rhine and eventually down into Italy ultimately sacking Rome herself, the crown jewel of classical civilization and learning. Several centuries later when the prow of the Viking longboat hit the sands of the British Isles another dark ages swept across Europe. Civilization was threatened and the learning of the classical world was gravely threatened.
It was the Irish Christians, who according to Cahill, played a key role in Europe’s rebuilding after the long and dark ages.
It is in light of these and other principles, that we pursue Truth for its own sake, we learn apologetic arguments, we love God with our minds, and we cultivate a life of faith grounded in God’s eternal Word.
Eternal things are at stake.
[1] Walter Hooper, “Introduction,” in C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: Harper One, 2000, originally 1949), pg. 18.
[2] Incidentally, the title of Lewis’ second message at The Church of St. Mary the Virgin at Oxford in 1941.
[3] Lewis, “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 60.
[4] Ibid., pg. 49.
[5] Ibid., 48-9.
[6] Ibid., pg.47.
[7] Ibid, pg. 50-1.
[8] The Weight of Glory, pg. 45-6.
[9] “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 53.
[10] “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 57.
[11] “Learning in Wartime,” pg. 60-61.
[12] Ibid.. pg. 49.
[13] Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Historic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (New York, London: Doubleday, 1995), pg. 196.
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, Jim Whiddon
321. VERBAL DISCIPLINE “The best way to save face is to keep the lower half shut.”
— C. Seidman
322. REALITY “Christians have a powerful ally in the war of ideas: reality. Whenever someone tries to deny the truth, reality ultimately betrays him. As Francis Schaeffer points out, “Regardless of a man’s system, he has to live in God’s world. The fact is, mankind is made in the image of God and must live in the world God created. Although culture shifts, human nature remains the same. Ideas change, but ultimate reality does not.”
Excerpt From: Koukl, Gregory. “Tactics.”
323. HATE SPEECH “The Truth is hate speech to those who hate the Truth.”
— Unknown
324. POWER OF SEX “The late James L. Johnson, on the flyleaf of his book What Every Woman Should Know About a Man, called sex “the strange and mysterious drive of the God-given chemistry that has shaped nations, destroyed kingdoms, and brought ruin or ecstasy to millions from the beginning of time.”
Excerpt From: Jerry B. Jenkins. “Hedges.”
325. “THINKING is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it.”
—Henry Ford
326. LIBERTY “The history of liberty is the history of resistance. The history of liberty is a history of the limitation of governmental power, not the increase of it. When we resist the concentration of power, we are resisting the powers of death. Concentration of power precedes the destruction of human liberties.”
— Woodrow Wilson
327. ABUSING GOD “I now pray to God that he will bless in the years to come our work, our deeds, our foresight, our resolve; that the Almighty may protect us from both arrogance and cowardly servility, that he may help us find the right way, which he has laid down for [our] people and that he may always give us courage to do the right thing and never to falter or weaken before any power or any danger.”
Inspiring words if spoken by a man or woman who respects his or her brothers and sisters. Kind of scary when you realize they were spoken in 1938 by Adolf Hitler and helped influence a nation to genocide.
Excerpt From: Simmons, Annette. “The Story Factor.”
328. INDEPENDENCE DAY “You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets “iffy,” and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”
— Erma Bombeck
329. DIETING “Calories you eat standing up don’t count.”
— Unknown
330. SEEKING WISDOM “A person should be so deep in study that he forgets to eat, so full of joy in learning he ignores all practical worries, and so busy acquiring knowledge he does not notice old age coming on.”
–Confusius
Same Sex Marriage Decisions: The Constitution Protects Gays But Not Blacks or Women
Culture CrossExamined, Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsYour vote counted. No it didn’t.
Last week, one unelected judge overturned the will of 1,317,178 North Carolinians when he declared North Carolina’s definition of marriage in violation of the United States constitution. Judge Max Cogburn, appointed by President Obama, said that the definition 61 percent of voters approved just two years ago violated the “equal protection” clause of the 14th Amendment—the same rationale used by judges elsewhere to violate the expressed will of the people. This is beyond absurd.
It’s absurd rationally because everyone already has equal marriage rights. Every person has the same equal right to marry someone of the opposite sex. That law treats all people equally, but not every behavior they may desire equally. To say that people with homosexual desires do not have equal rights would be like saying people with desires to marry their relatives or more than one person don’t have equal rights. Same sex marriage, incestuous marriage, polygamous marriage, and natural marriage are all different behaviors with different outcomes, so the law rightfully treats them differently. Natural marriage perpetuates and stabilizes society, which is why the government promotes it in the first place. The state is not in the marriage business because two people “love” one another. (Click here to see why the comparison to inter-racial marriage is invalid.)
These rulings are also absurd constitutionally. The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1868 to prevent states from discriminating against newly freed slaves. At that time blacks and women didn’t even have the right to vote, yet no one ever thought a court could use the “equal protection” clause to change state voting laws. So why do courts think they can use it now to change state marriage laws? Are we to believe that “equal protection” does not guarantee a woman’s right to vote but does guarantee a woman’s right to marry another woman? What planet are these judges ruling from?
Why do you think the Federal and State governments went through the arduous constitutional amendment process to give blacks and women the right to vote? Courts knew they couldn’t act as legislatures to fix the problem. Congress and State legislatures had to vote to add the 15th and 19th Amendments in 1870 and 1920 respectively.
There was no rational case to preclude people from voting because of their race or sex. But there certainly is a rational case to preclude changing marriage. It’s the one institution best capable of creating and then raising children by encouraging their mothers and fathers to stay together. It’s the basis of a civilized society. We can’t build and maintain a civilization through homosexuality or by equating it to what moms and dads do. You may claim that’s bigotry, but it’s really just biology. (Sorry, I didn’t set up the facts of nature. I have noticed, however, that conservatives attempt to change their behavior to fit reality, while liberals attempt to change reality to fit their behavior.)
Anyone who wants to change laws should convince their fellow citizens to do so at the ballot box, not through unelected judges. Unfortunately, activist judges won’t honor the ballot box. 41,020,568 people across more than half the states have voted to recognize marriage for what nature’s design says it is—the union of one man and one women. Yet just 23 unelected judges have overturned those 41 million people across about 20 states! I don’t care where you stand on the marriage issue: when 23 people use their personal policy preferences to overrule those of 41 million Americans, we are no longer free or equal.
Of the approximately 30 states that now have same-sex marriage (it changes every day), only one state has done it through popular vote (Maine). The people of Maryland and Washington narrowly voted not to overrule the same-sex marriage provisions their legislatures had approved. Eight laws were changed by state legislatures without popular input. Activist judges overruled the people in the remaining states.
As unwise as I think changing the institution of marriage is, I can at least respect the process when it is done democratically. For all their talk about equality, the other side does not respect democracy unless the vote comes out their way.
What do you think would happen if some federal judge wrenched a passage of the Federal Constitution out of context and summarily struck down Maine’s law democratically decided law approving same-sex marriage? Do you think the people preaching “tolerance”—including their cheerleaders in the media—would tolerate such judicial abuse? The airwaves would be blasting howls of unfairness and calls for judicial impeachment. Yet when the same thing is done to strike down marriage laws based in biological reality—laws passed by millions of voters—liberals celebrate that those voters have been disenfranchised. Saying that one judge’s vote counts more than the votes of millions of Americans is an unequal way to advance “equality.”
“Oh, but the Constitution evolves,” some say. “We don’t have to look at what was intended in 1868.”
If that’s the case, then why have a constitution at all? If judges can make the law say anything they want, then how can we govern ourselves? We can’t. It also means that none of our rights are secure (including new-found “rights” to same-sex marriage). What’s to stop some rogue judge from taking away your freedom of speech or religion because the constitution has “evolved” in just the way his liberal mind desires?
Oops, that’s already happened, as many bakers, florists, photographers, and conscientious people in other businesses have discovered. If you don’t agree to celebrate same-sex marriages, you will be sued, fined, fired, and perhaps even jailed. All in the name of “tolerance, inclusion and diversity.”
And parents, don’t think you have the right to educate your children with certain moral values in public schools. Same-sex marriage ends your parental rights there as well.
What? You voted and your values won? Sorry, your votes don’t count. Some people get more “equal protection” than you do. A judge said so.
The truth is, nowhere does the Constitution say that the courts are the final word on what laws mean or what laws are valid. We have three co-equal branches of government. We also have a federal government that is constitutionally subordinate to state governments on most issues, including this issue of same-sex marriage (that’s one thing the Supreme Court got right in last year’s DOMA decision).
America needs a state governor who still believes in America—a governor willing to take a page from President Andrew Jackson who once rebuffed a Supreme Court decision against the state of Georgia by telling Chief Justice Marshall, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.” He called the decision “stillborn.”
America needs an Andrew Jackson governor—as statesman who peacefully but firmly tells the court, “Your decision violates the Constitution and the rights of my citizens to govern themselves. It will not be enforced in this state. If you want to change our laws, then respect our people and our Constitution by convincing us to change our minds in the voting booth.”
While that may create a constitutional crisis, our Constitution is already in crisis! What can be lost that hasn’t ready been lost? We will not regain our right to self-government or maintain ordered liberty if we continue to cede all power to the judicial branch or to the federal government.
Are there any statesmen left in America?
The Wisdom Chronicle
Wisdom ChronicleThe Wisdom Chronicle is designed to bring nuggets of wisdom from the dozens of books I read every year. I endeavor to share the best of what I have gleaned. The determination of relevance lies with you. Blessings, Jim Whiddon
311. BOARD DRIFT “Faith-based organizations don’t often suffer from an inexhaustible supply of resources. We need to be opportunists. And it is tempting to add “heavy-hitters” to the board who are comfortable with our mission, even if they do not fully believe or practice core faith in their own lives.
He’s supportive of our mission, we state. She doesn’t believe it all personally, but she’s totally fine that this is who we are, we reason. We aren’t looking for him to be a pastoral influence on the board; he’s simply providing financial expertise we desperately need, we plead. Serving on our board might actually bring him closer to Christ, we hope.
But if board members aren’t bleeding for the mission, drift will always trickle down. They must be the most passionate about the full mission of the organization. If they aren’t, conflict about the Christian distinction of the organization will eventually surface.
If the board isn’t composed of folks who live out the values of the organization they lead, the organization will drift. The organization will secularize. It will only be a matter of time.”
Excerpt From: Peter Greer, Chris Horst & Anna Haggard. “Mission Drift.”
312. CHRISTIAN KILLERS “Orthodox Christians who are tempted to think that those who stoned to death the first martyrs must have been worse men than they themselves are, ought to remember that one of those persecutors was Saint Paul.”
Excerpt From: John Stuart Mill. “On Liberty.”
313. UNTIMELY DEATH “It is God’s prerogative to decide when He wants to give His children the gift of Heaven.”
— C. Seidman
314. OUR RIGHTS “The Bill of Rights is enumerated to eliminate doubt, uncertainty, and confusion. It also puts the amendments in order of importance. And each numbered amendment is tied to a principle. While no amendment of the ten is technically more important than another, the First Amendment—the freedoms of religion, press, speech, assembly, and the right to petition—has been the most fundamental in ensuring Americans’ liberty since the nation was founded. Then, as you work your way down, each amendment becomes slightly further removed from the one before it.”
Excerpt From: Luntz, Frank. “Win.”
315. HELL “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” — CS Lewis, “The Screwtape Letters”
316. UNPOPULAR “He was about as popular as Dr. Kevorkian at an AARP convention.” — Unknown
317. VOCATION Psychologist Martin Seligman writes about three vocational orientations: a job, a career, and a calling. A job earns you a paycheck; a career entails a deeper investment in your work. But a calling is a passionate commitment to a cause for its own sake. According to Dr. Seligman, finding your “calling” is the key to authentic happiness.
(Denison Forum)
318. WEALTH “An ironic idea struck him: as people got richer they cut themselves off from the richness of life.”
Excerpt From: Zinsser, William. “On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition.”
319. DEATH “Dying is no big deal. Living is the trick.”
— Red Smith, delivering the eulogy at the funeral of a fellow sports-writer.
320. DEATH “Recently, while looking through some pictures from a decade or so ago, I was stunned. My hair was darker then. My face had fewer wrinkles. It dawned on me that this body of mine has death in it.
I am decaying and deteriorating before my very eyes. Oh, I could have plastic surgery or perhaps some liposuction. I can eat vitamin-enriched foods and try to keep my cholesterol down. But none of that can stop the fact that I continue marching toward an appointment with eternity. Do you believe this?”
Excerpt From: O. S. Hawkins. “The Joshua Code.”