restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

It’s That Time Again!

Becky Lynn Black  

Ethiopia Team Number Nine is headed across the Atlantic on Wednesday, November 16th.  They check into RDU Airport at 12 noon, and arrive at the guesthouse in Addis Ababa 27 hours later.  During that journey, they will span the Atlantic Ocean, the European continent, the Mediterranean Sea, and North Africa (Sahara Desert).

The morning after they arrive in the capital, they will collect funds, the commentaries, buy bottled waters, get their body clocks adjusted, and head out to the Alaba district.  This is a 6-hour drive over a 2-lane, pot-holed asphalt road that is covered with more donkey, cows, goats, and people than with cars or trucks.

Upon arriving in Alaba, the elders and evangelists of the Alaba “Mother” church.  We affectionately call this church the “Mother Church” because it is the planter and nurturer of all the churches in Alaba.  This church was started by 3 transplanted believers; they came to Alaba for business purposes, and started a church in 1978…..so the church has been in existence almost 25 years!  During that time, they have planted about 20 other churches!  And it is to these churches that God has appointed us to come alongside for purposes of evangelism and discipleship.

Our Ethiopia Teams do not dilly-dally around, playing the tourist.  No, we start right to work, and we work all the way until the last day!  This Team is composed of 7 people.  May I introduce them to you?

Kevin Brown is an elder/pastor of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Wilkesboro, NC.  This will be his third trip to Ethiopia, and his second to Alaba. 

He will be the “substitute MamaB” (AKA Administrator Servant) for the Team.  His ministry is primarily teaching/discipleship.  Five days he will be teaching a group of about 150 church leaders from the rural churches of Alaba. He will teach through the book of I Peter.  Each of these men has won the privilege of attending the class by memorizing I Peter 4:13-16 (copy verses), and by reading the book thru three times.  They have recited their verses and pledged their reading to Tilahun, who is now the coordinator of the work of the Mother Church.

All of these men travel from their villages, sometimes walking for hours or days.  During this week of the Conference, they will sleep on the floor of the mother church, and we will give them 40 birr (about $2.35) for their lunch and supper.  Kevin will teach 6 hours/day for 5 days, and at the end of the Conference the men will have earned a commentary on I Peter to take home to aid them in teaching their congregations.

In addition to this in-depth Men’s Conference, Kevin will teach 2 Youth meetings and preach in a town and a village church on Sunday mornings.

Jason Hatley is a leader in the Bethel Hill Baptist Church in Roxboro, NC.  This is his third trip to Ethiopia.  Like Kevin, he will be teaching a Men’s Bible Conference, but his class will be for the church leaders and evangelists living in the town of Alaba. 

He will teach leaders from many different protestant denominations.  (You are right….there is no denominational separation in the Lord’s church!  Agreement on the Gospel means unity in the Lord.)  In addition to this conference, Jason will be preaching in town churches on both Sundays, and assisting Dale with the technical issues of Skype.

Dale Jennings is coming back to Ethiopia for the third time.  Like Kevin, he’s from the Wilkesboro church.  In Alaba, he will return to the prison to teach thru the book of Colossians; he taught these believers in 2009 and is looking forward to being with them again. 

It’s a small group of about 20, but it is a needy field as they live in the midst of a Muslim prison.  This class will be half-day in the afternoons.  Each morning, Dale will head to a different village to teach the adult believers in the village church.  And on Sundays, Dale will be preaching in the new Zobechame building!  Its roof is not completed yet, but services are already being held there on Sundays.  What a privilege…to preach in a building that is going up for the glory of God in the midst of this Muslim neighborhood!  (By the way, we are still in need of about $7,000 to complete this funding.)

Additionally, Dale will be teaching a computer class (including how to use Skype) to a select group of church leaders.  Please pray that this training will be effective.  We are in bad need of better communication with the church since Nigusse has come here to the States to study with us.  Typing in English, learning email, managing Skype….all of these things are challenges, but are necessary.  (Our phone bills are currently killing us!)

And now we come to the womenfolk!

Cindi Jacobs is coming to Ethiopia for the umpteenth time!  Almost every time I go, she goes!  What a faithful servant!  Her heart is in teaching women, so she will be going from church to church in the Town teaching 1/2-day sessions from the book of James. 

The women in Ethiopia have a very difficult life, struggling to care for the needs of their families, without refrigeration, without water, without electric/gas stove, without a grocery store.  It’s impossible for them to leave their home responsibilities for even a full day.  So these 1/2-day sessions are perfect for their responsibilities.

Cindi will teach the women in the mornings, and then go to the villages in the afternoon to teach the adults.  Additionally, on Saturday morning, she will join with the girls and Dale in teaching classes of the Compassion International program in the Mother Church; about 250 children are in this program, so it will be a handful! 

The young ladies on the Team are Katy Brown, Kandace Brown and Abigail Jacobs.  Katy and Kandace are daughters of Kevin, and Abigail is the daughter of Cindi. 

These young ladies will be working together, doing mostly youth and children’s work.  Joining with Cindi, they will do a creative presentation of the Lord Jesus’ role in storms during the youth program.  And they will have a class in the Compassion Program.  But most of their time will be spent going from village to village to teach the children. 

Their topic is “The Characteristics of the Kingdom,” using Matthew 5 (Beatitudes) as the basis.  They will take an item and then demonstrate that in the life of Jesus.  For example, one beatitude says “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  This is demonstrated in the life of Nicodemus who came to Jesus with a starving soul, even though he was a religious leader and knew all the right rituals of religion.  Jesus shared the Gospel with him….”You must be born again.”  Sometime later, Nicodemus was clearly a part of the new group of believers.  His hungering had been satisfied in his re-birth.  Yes, those who hunger for righteousness will be satisfied.  (Friend, are you hungering for righteousness….or are you satisfied with mere religiosity?)

Whenever these young ladies are working with the children of Alaba, they will distribute Kids Kards.  These are laminated cards, about the size of bookmarkers.  On each side of the card is a statement about Christ and a picture that goes with the statement.  For example, “Jesus is the Good Shepherd” and a picture of a shepherd carrying a lamb is on one card.  Our goal is to make hundreds of these, so that the countryside of Alaba is blanketed with these Truths about our Lord.  The cards are almost indestructible.  It is our prayer that, thru the children, they will make their way into the hands of those searching for righteousness (HIS righteousness) and their souls will come to a knowledge of the true and living God, and the Savior whom He has sent.   (Special thanks to Karen Godwin of Bethel Hill for helping put these together, and to the Lord Jesus for giving us this idea!)

In the midst of all these teaching activities, the Team will be praying with the evangelists, visiting the sick, connecting with church leader Oshe from Burji (and setting up Skype for the Burji church), challenging and encouraging people on a personal basis.

The Team will say goodbye to Alaba on Monday, Nov 28 and drive back to the capital Addis Ababa.  They depart Addis on Tuesday evening, and will land, Lord willing, at Raleigh-Durham airport at 5:41pm on Wednesday, November 30.  Yes, they will be exhausted……but I can tell you that there is no exhaustion that is so rewarding as exhaustion in the work of the Lord Jesus for His Kingdom!!!  To do His work is more rewarding than marriage, than children, than grandchildren, then pleasures (sex, sports, entertainment, etc), than health, than wealth, than career!  No matter what you name, the exhilaration that comes from His work FAR EXCEEDS the things of this world!  Friend, do you know that exhilaration?  Or are you still wallowing in stagnant pools of pleasures.  Lift your eyes to His Kingdom, His work, His person….and everything else shows itself to be the junk that it is.  It’s like putting pure gold next to costume jewelry gold…..all contrast  and no comparison!  Why settle for costume when you can have the real thing???  It doesn’t make sense to settle for junk when the Lord Jesus is offering us the real thing!

Now, we come to the last persons on the Team….YOU!  Yes, you are part of the Team, and your Number One role on the Team is to pray.  It’s hard work…it’s not for wimps!  The Evil One will try to destroy you thru distraction, thru mis-placed priorities, thru doubts and fears, thru fatigue, thru busy-ness.

But your work is essential!  Will you stand up  and be counted for the Team?  Will you set yourself, discipline yourself, rest in His power to do the work?

Prayer Needs….

1.Spiritual keenness….to hear His voice, to sense His spirit, to live in His power, to rest in His character, to be faithful servants until the very end.

2.Communication….with each other, with the Ethiopian partners (translator, church administration), with the Ethiopian people (evangelists, sick, conference attendees, women and children, prisoners, folk ‘accidentally’ encountered), to overcome cultural differences and language barriers and fatigue that threaten to undo communication.

3.Efficiency…with administrative details, with schedule, with logistics, with meals.

4.Physical and Spiritual safety….in travel, in diet/digestive/food poisoning, in dealing with angry people, in dealing with fears and separation-from-family issues, in guarding personal worship times.

5.Mama B and Papa B….to release our “children” to the Lord’s keeping, to rejoice in His appointed place for us on this trip.

6.Family left at home…in dealing with fears and separation issues, for peace and safety in life here during this time.

7.Eternal Benefit…that the fruit given will remain for HIs eternal purposes, that these 2 weeks will live in Eternity because the Savior was lifted up and people responded with surrender to HIs purposes for them.

Becky Lynn

November 15, 2011

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   restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations

It’s No Time to Abandon Ship

 David Alan Black  

The captain of the Italian liner Costa Concordia abandoned ship soon after realizing that the vessel was listing dangerously. During questioning by magistrates, Captain Francesco Schettino claimed that he fell into a lifeboat while investigating the state of the ship. Later he refused appeals from the Coast Guard to return on board in order to save passengers. “You go aboard. It is an order. Don’t make any more excuses. You have declared ‘abandon ship’. Now I am in charge. You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me?”

I was stupefied as I watched all this. How could a ship’s captain do such a thing? But then I asked myself, “Are we Christians any different?” Will you and I do our duty as Christians to tell the world about Jesus? Or will we make excuses?

The mission of the church is world evangelization. In Mark 16:15 our Lord commands us, “Go into the entire world and preach the Good News to every person.” Nothing could be clearer: Go everywhere and tell everyone. The Great Commission leaves us no option. Our first task as local churches is to extend the kingdom of God to every nation on earth, including our own. Everything else must be subordinate to that cause. Every time we are considering a new plan or a new program or a new building we must ask the test question of every decision: Is this helping to fulfill the Great Commission on this earth or not?

Today every evangelical church stands at the crossroads on the question of priorities. Will we surrender to the spirit of the age, or will we join the company of the committed? Will we make a deliberate decision to accept sacrifice and suffering for the sake of Christ, or will we continue the pattern of extravagance and waste that has become the norm of our evangelical subculture? Jesus said, “I did not come to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.” Jesus lived for the Great Commission. Should we not also?

Demas had to choose between Paul and this world (2 Tim. 4:10), and he chose the world. This is a choice that every Christian, every church, has to make. In Matthew 9:35-38 we see that Jesus went and went and went to all the cities and villages, teaching, preaching, and healing. Wherever He went He left a trail of blessing. This same Jesus lives in all of us who know Him. This ought to make a difference.

I encourage all of us to go “all out” for Jesus. He deserves it. Let the dead bury the dead. It’s time to get back on board this ship we call missions. It’s time to set a straight course looking straight ahead.

January 27, 2012

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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The Issue of the Century

 David Alan Black 

Will the United States of America remain a constitutional republic? Or is she destined to succumb to the rule of a tyrannical judiciary? This is the issue of the century.

The options have been handed to us on a golden platter in the Alabama Ten Commandments case, concerning which I offer the following reflections.

1. The debate, at its core, is not about the Ten Commandments at all. It is about whether the people of the state of Alabama should be allowed to decide for themselves how they will express their religious convictions under the U.S. Constitution. Just as importantly, but on a much broader scale, the debate is over whether Americans are willing to pay the price to restore the federal government to its limited, delegated, constitutional functions, and American jurisprudence to its biblical foundations.

2. Despite what detractors of Judge Moore are saying (in open defiance of the Constitution) about the importance of “obeying a judge’s ruling” and “upholding the law,” the root of the problem is a federal judiciary that is out of control. Contrary to the plain text of the Constitution, the federal judiciary has erred in its conclusion that the First Amendment precludes the establishment of religion. In reality, the First Amendment is a guarantee that the people of the states would be free from any sort of federal dictation whatsoever on the issue of how religion is to be expressed by their state governments. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Coupled with the Tenth Amendment, which says that any power not explicitly given to the federal government or prohibited to the states is reserved to the states and to the people, the First Amendment bans federal involvement with the issue of religious establishment.

3. It is hypocritical in the extreme for the U.S. Supreme Court, as the guardian of the federal Constitution, to refuse to support Judge Moore’s right to acknowledge God. When the U.S. Supreme Court is in session, it opens its proceedings with the statement, “God save the United States and this honorable court.” Both the U.S. Senate and House open their proceedings with a prayer given by a minister who is remunerated from the public treasury. Our national currency references God: “In God We Trust.” Our founding documents do the same.

4. The argument that Judge Moore is “breaking the law” by refusing to obey a federal court injunction is hopelessly flawed no matter how many times it is asserted or by whom. No law has been disobeyed by Judge Moore, only a court ruling, and courts cannot make law, nor can they dictate through the arbitrary will of judges. Court rulings must be based either in (a) written law or (b) the U.S. Constitution. Court rulings without any basis in law or the Constitution are thus lawless rulings and must, in fact, be disobeyed! Judge Moore is therefore both morally right and legally bound to refuse an unlawful court order that destroys the right of the people of Alabama, under the First and Tenth Amendments, to determine how religion will be expressed in their state. Let no one say that Judge Moore is showing disrespect for the law!

5. The crisis in Alabama, as much as it is to be decried, is a golden opportunity for the nation. After decades of gross judicial abuse the constitutional crisis in America has finally come to a head. As we have seen, the U.S. Constitution bans any federal action whatsoever with respect to the issue of religious establishment, and all powers not given to the federal government are reserved to the states or to the people through their state governments. Because the federal courts have no jurisdiction in this matter, state officials are obligated to defend the rights of their people in their states. The only question is, Will they rise to the occasion and do so? The people must see that they do.

6. The church cannot remain silent in the controversy. If it does, it will lose whatever credibility it still has in society. Pastors can and must use their pulpits to speak the truth about the abuses in the federal judiciary. At the same time, churches must come to grips with the fact that their 501(c)3 tax exempt status is nothing less than an attempt by the IRS to inhibit free speech and is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of religious freedom upon which our nation is established. It is a disgrace that so many pastors, for fear of losing their government-issued license to preach, are remaining silent in this hour of crisis. Government has no claim of authority whatsoever over God’s church! It is the right and duty of pastors to demand that our government officials fulfill their pledge to defend the Constitution of the United States and to protect our Christian heritage.

7. The counter-revolution currently being waged by defenders of limited constitutional government is just getting underway and deserves the full support of all freedom-loving Americans. We must not let a courageous judge who dared to defy tyranny stand alone against the hordes of political-correctness. We must join Judge Moore in saying, “Enough is enough! The line is drawn, and we are on the Lord’s side!”

8. It is also time for Congress to stand up and be counted. Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers that he expected Congress to use its discretion to make “exceptions and regulations” to keep the judiciary “the least dangerous” of the three branches of government. If ever there was a time when Congress needed to protect the public from the usurpations of activist judges who are assaulting basic American principles it is now. Tragically, Congress has failed to fulfill its constitutional duty to keep the federal courts in their proper place. The showdown in Montgomery is a God-given opportunity for voters to determine once and for all to support only those elected officials who are fully committed to defending the U.S. Constitution.

In the final analysis, the crisis in Alabama is an opportunity for every one of us as individuals to declare where we stand, not only on this issue, but on the nature and purpose of civil government. Here at DBO I would like to take this opportunity to state publicly and unequivocally my support for the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in his decision to uphold the law, and to beseech my readers to join me in praying that God would smile upon Judge Moore and the people of Alabama as they seek to honor and obey the Divine Judge of the Universe.

September 2, 2003

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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 Is Your Knee Bent?

 Becky Lynn Black  

“I think the way of Jesus is the right way, but my neighbors will kill me if I become a Christian. My brother became a Christian, and he has fled to Shashamanee to stay alive.”

Lloyd and I listened, stunned by the confession of an elderly Muslim man. All his life he had followed the teachings of Islam; all his family and neighbors follow that teaching, as had the many generations before him.

What brought him to this conclusion? Let me tell you in his own words, as best I can.

“You have come here from a long way away. You have come to tell a few poor people about how to grow better crops. You have given of your own wealth and time to come to us, a few poor people here in Ethiopia. I have seen also ________ (a church leader) give up his land for the building of this church building. I think the way of Jesus is the right way.”

So what is the way of Jesus? It is the way of sacrifice; it is the way of service. It is the way of compassion. It is the way of love. It is the way of helping another person, even if in that helping we ourselves suffer loss.

Look at Jesus Himself; consider the message of Philippians chapter 2.

Jesus was comfortable in Heaven. He had the whole host of angels at His beck and call. He had complete dominion over the universe that He had created. He needed nothing. He was vulnerable to no one. He had complete security and comfort.

And then the Father came to Him and asked, “Will you go?”  

Let us think about this question. The Father did not force the Son to come to Earth for our benefit. No, He asked: “Are You willing to give up Heaven, Your security, Your comfort, Your glory? Are you willing to give up My companionship? Are You willing to make Yourself vulnerable to Your creation, even to die at their hands, in order to secure their souls forever? Are you willing to be obedient to Me, even to the point of death?”

To our great benefit, and His great loss, the Son replied, “Yes, I am willing.” He remained faithful to His word all the way to Calvary. And in due time, the Father has exalted Him above all other Names, that at the Name of JESUS, every knee shall bow!!! 

Every knee!!!

Every knee shall bow…

That’s future tense. There is no “if,” “and,” or “but” about it – every knee shall bow to Jesus in the future. 

But is my knee bent NOW? Is yours?

Jesus put the idea of a farming workshop into the mind of Lloyd and me. He empowered us to go at our own expense. He kept us physically able while we were in Alaba.  He supplied all that we needed in terms of transportation, translators, and materials. He put a love in our hearts for the people we spoke with. As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sent Lloyd and me.

Each day in Alaba we traveled to a different village. The farmers gathered, usually 30-70 of them, along with a few women and children. Ninety percent of the farmers in our workshops clearly did not know the One who made the soil and grew the crops on their farms. They came to our workshops because word had spread that we were giving away free seeds.

Lloyd spoke about the soil and the nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. He spoke of water and soil erosion. He spoke about compost piles. Then I spoke about the new vegetables we were introducing – okra, squashes, green beans, field peas, and sweet potatoes. The farmers were eager to learn of these new crops. We showed pictures of the plants. I talked about how to cook the vegetables. I related our garden here at Rosewood Farm with the gardens they have in Alaba. 

For a few hours Lloyd and I were one with them. We shared the soil and crops as all mankind shares the soil and crops. But in the moment of distribution of the seeds, suddenly a sharp distinction sounded.

You see, these farmers had received free things before. Representatives of the government or of aid societies had spoken with them. The government and aid societies are nameless, faceless, and loveless. The representatives who had come before had been paid to come; their workshops were just a part of their job. The success of their workshops was irrelevant. They were disconnected from the farmers.

Before distributing the seeds, I spoke clearly of the One who had sent us, and the manner in which He had sent us. I spoke of the love He had shown to us, and of the love in us that prompted us to give sacrificially, personally to them. The picture of God Himself leaving Heaven, motivated by love and compassion, began to take shape in their minds. Such amazing news! Such a wonderful thing! How could it be??

As the way of Jesus was spoken, as they grasped the demonstration of that Way in our own lives, as the wonder in their minds gave way to reality, I watched the expressions change on their faces. First they expressed wonder, trying to understand this Good News. Then amazement came, mingled with joy, as the Good News was understood. Finally, questioning, as they gripped the final analysis.

You see, to embrace the Good News, to follow Jesus’ way, meant leaving family, and perhaps leaving life. It meant hardship. It meant suffering. It meant abandonment.

The elderly gentleman on the front row came to the back after our workshop was completed. He separated himself from his Muslim neighbors. And he spoke his heart to us. “You know, we Muslims make it difficult for someone who becomes a Christian. Sometimes we kill him. Or we try to put him in prison. But I think the way of Jesus is the right way. Will you pray for me? I want to follow God. But if I follow Jesus, my neighbors will kill me.”

Those words of this man haunt me today. “Will you pray for me?”

Today there are many, many men in Alaba who heard the clear message of Jesus’ way just a few weeks ago. Now they must decide about Him. Is their life on earth more important than their eternal soul? Is the trouble of life as a Christian worth the joy and peace of the Saviour? Each farmer must decide for himself. Just as the Father did not force the Son, so the Saviour does not force the sinner.

Nor does the Saviour force those He’s saved. 

Is your knee bent?  Is mine?

July 14, 2007

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Is Yet Another War Justified?

 David Alan Black  

This past week the subject of Iran seemed to be on everyone’s lips. The top U.S. diplomat in Iraq met with the Washington Post to make the Bush administration’s case that harsher action needs to be taken against Iran because of allegations that Iran’s leaders are funding and training terrorists in Iraq. Israel’s Olmert agitated that Iran should “pay dearly” for continuing its nuclear program. In Iran itself, the Ayatollah Khamenei laid into President Bush for his war policy and aggressive stance towards Iran, providing a sharp retort to Bush’s Iraq War speech on Thursday. Khamenei predicted that Bush and other American officials will one day face trial just like deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for “the catastrophes they caused in Iraq.” And in the U.S. Congress and among the 2008 presidential hopefuls, the anti-Iran drumbeat got steadily louder.

Middle East expert Trita Parsi, the author of Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States, noted in a recent American Conservative essay that the looming confrontation with Iran deserves the front-burner attention it is getting but that it is more about regional hegemony than nuclear weapons. She argues that the only possible solution to the crisis is a diplomatic one and concludes by saying this:

But despite these difficulties, ensuring that the collapse of the current Middle East order doesn’t lead to major war is dependent on the pursuit of bold and patient diplomacy—not just on the retirement of Bush’s neocons and Ahmadinejad’s radicals. As difficult as it may be to conduct robust multilateral diplomacy in the Middle East, negotiations do have a chance of achieving a win-win for America and the region. Military confrontation, on the other hand, has only a certainty of creating a loss for all.

Earlier this year the call for diplomacy found an echo in a most unexpected place. According to this report, Admiral William Fallon, the head of Central Command (CENTCOM), “expressed strong opposition last February to an administration plan to increase the number of carrier strike groups in the Persian Gulf from two to three and vowed privately there would be no war against Iran as long as he was chief of CENTCOM. Fallon’s resistance to the proposed deployment of a third aircraft carrier is credited with shifting the Bush administration’s Iran policy in February and March away from increased military threats and toward diplomatic engagement with Iran.” Strangely enough, while the head of CENTCOM can express concern about the administration’s hawkishness toward Iran, Christian leaders and ethicists have been oddly silent in calling for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. For clearly, no approach other then diplomacy can head off what seems to be an inevitable U.S. – Iran clash. Nor should we forget that the cause of terrorism is political, which means that there is no ultimate military solution. As Republican Congressman Ron Paul of Texas has frequently argued, if we are hated by Muslims in the Middle East it is not because of our freedoms. We are hated because we have occupied Muslim lands and are killing Muslim civilians. We are hated because of our one-sided allegiance to Israel. We are hated because we support Muslim dictatorships while claiming to be spreading democracy in the Middle East.

Certainly, the government of Iran has cause to question the good will of America. Glance back for a moment at our relationship with Iran and her Middle-Eastern neighbors. Have we forgotten that in 1953 the U.S. overthrew Iran’s democratically-elected leader and installed the Shah in his place? Have we forgotten that the U.S. supplied Iran with its first nuclear reactor under the Shah? Have we forgotten that our CIA trained the Shah’s ruthless secret police? Have we forgotten that we supported Saddam Hussein as he invaded his neighbor Iran and attacked Iranian combatants with mustard gas? Have we forgotten that the Ayatollah Khomeini’s overthrow of the Shah in 1979 was a direct result of our overthrowing the Iranian government in 1953? Have we forgotten that Iran is surrounded by nations in possession of nuclear weapons? Have we forgotten that Afghanistan is falling apart and Iraq is in a civil war as a direct result of U.S. interventionism? Have we forgotten that the U.S. won the Cold War against the Soviets and their 30,000 nuclear weapons through containment rather than invasion? Have we forgotten that military firepower cannot defeat insurgents, as our stalemate in Iraq and Israel’s defeat by the Hezbollah in Lebanon have shown? Have we forgotten that Iran possesses not a single nuclear weapon? Have we forgotten that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed El-Bardei, has found no Iranian violations of the NPT-required IAEA safeguards agreement?  

These facts are largely forgotten or ignored today by the American public as well as by many high-profile Christian leaders. This is my point of concern: Followers of the Prince of Peace can no longer leave it to purely secular organizations such as MoveOn.Org to do the heavy lifting for what we are supposed to be doing. It is high time that Christians took seriously their responsibility to do everything in their power to support peaceable means of solving international conflicts and to demand truthfulness and morality from government. The eclipse of peace-making as a main evangelical concern is little short of tragic, and I hope it will not long continue, particularly in a day of such long-term repercussions when so-called nation building seems to be spinning out of control. Before pursuing a belligerent course of action we need to be very clear in our minds that none of the arguments of the administration for attacking Iran is falsifiable.

The ball is in Congress’s court, and so far it has dropped it. Only Congressman Paul has consistently connected our foreign policy to the world’s anger at America. Only Paul has insisted that the Constitution be followed vis-à-vis the war-making powers of Congress. Only Paul has consistently called into question the morality of “preventive war.” President Eisenhower once said, “All of us have heard this term ‘preventative war’ since the earliest days of Hitler. I recall that is about the first time I heard it. In this day and time … I don’t believe there is such a thing; and, frankly, I wouldn’t even listen to anyone seriously that came in and talked about such a thing.” If, however, you object to the current administration’s interventionist policy you may well be labeled unpatriotic and sympathetic to Iran. You may well be told you must support the troops and defend freedom. Sadly, regime change and nation building have almost become obsessions in our country. Perhaps this explains why Christians in both major parties are silent when the U.S. is about to launch an aggressive war against a sovereign nation that has never attacked us. Although I am not a pacifist, it is my Christian duty in accordance with “the spirit and teachings of Christ” to do all in my power to “put an end to war” (Baptist Faith and Message) or at least to do whatever I can to see that a war is not launched unless there are impeccable moral grounds for doing so. Practically speaking, this means that I will support only those politicians who pursue a policy of non-interventionism and one that requires robust multilateral negotiations and a Congressional declaration of war should belligerence be unavoidable. As Ron Paul said in the run-up to the Iraq War, “When Congress issued clear declarations of war against Japan and Germany during World War II, the nation was committed and victory was achieved.” Paul added, “When Congress shirks its duty and avoids declaring war, as with Korea, and Vietnam, the nation is less committed and the goals are less clear. No lives should be lost in Iraq unless Congress expresses the clear will of the American people and votes yes or no on a declaration of war.”

That the religious right has become bellicose, belligerent, and militaristic is difficult to deny. The tragedy is that prominent evangelicals such as John Hagee are at least partly responsible for helping to shape the current administration’s utopian foreign policy and worldview. But perhaps the greatest irony of all is that those who were so sorely misled as to the reasons for the invasion and occupation of Iraq are the same people who are eager to accept the same flawed arguments for invading Iran. War based on false pretenses is never justified. On the other hand, a negotiated settlement to our differences with Teheran may contain some unexpected blessings. For example, General William Odom, President Reagan’s director of the National Security Agency, in a recent article entitled “Exit From Iraq Should Be Through Iran,” has written: “Increasingly bogged down in the sands of Iraq, the US thrashes about looking for an honorable exit. Restoring cooperation between Washington and Tehran is the single most important step that could be taken to rescue the US from its predicament in Iraq.” Yet General Odom’s recommendations have yet to be taken seriously in Washington. One also wonders why we have yet to hear congressional testimony from Admiral Fallon, General Petraeus’s superior, to get his side of the story about the “surge.”

If evangelical ethicists believe that a just war case can be made for invading Iran, then let them make it. I for one will listen carefully and prayerfully to what they have to say. Thus far I remain unconvinced. After all, as Dr. Lindy Scott has shown in an essay (.pdf) published by the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College, the just war theory let us down miserably when we went to war with Iraq. Another Christian ethicist, Dr. David Gushee, has also raised concerns about America’s response to 9/11. “Six years after 9/11, our nation is less secure, less powerful, less free, less respected, less democratic, less constitutional, and less fiscally sound than we were on that bright, clear, terrible morning,” he writes. Gushee concludes with these words:

In general, the American churches have lacked the political independence, the discernment, and the courage even to understand and name what has gone wrong, let alone to resist it. A domesticated church has been employable as a servant of the state, even to the point of defending torture.

It seems to me that 9/11 in a way unhinged our nation and sent us hurtling down the wrong path. But the American church bears considerable responsibility for its inability to stand fast on the solid rock of Jesus Christ in the midst of this unhinging – yet one more reason to bow our heads in sorrow on 9/11.

It is my opinion that an unjustified attack on Iran will only take America further down the path of self-destruction and will make it even more difficult to penetrate the Muslim world with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.

September 18, 2007

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Is the Cost of Empire Worth It?

 David Alan Black 

Now that evidence of WMD and proof of collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden have failed to materialize, the administration is left with liberation for putting American lives at risk. My question: There are a lot bad guys in the world. Are we obligated to eliminate them all for the sake of democracy?

No doubt the administration genuinely believes in what it is doing, a belief matched only by the unconditional quality of its prose. It seems clear to me that we went to war in Iraq not to save the peace from Saddam, who was already safely in the box. I suspect that Bush sincerely believes he can convert the Arab world to democracy. “A new regime in Iraq,” he said in February 2003, “would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region.” Thus the war on terrorism was sidetracked, and the neocon vision of converting the Islamic world to the American way of life accelerated.                                                                  

Personally, I am unconvinced that Mr. Bush will be able to once again rally the free world in a preventive strike against Iran or North Korea. After the Iraq/WMD debacle, members of any future “coalition of the willing” will be hesitant to accept the word of the U.S. government on anything. This loss of post-9/11 good will from our European allies is an astonishing shift in European thinking. I remember reading Le Monde after September 11. This paper, widely known for its anti-American stance, declared: “Nous Sommes Tous Américains”:

DANS CE MOMENT tragique où les mots paraissent si pauvres pour dire le choc que l’on ressent, la première chose qui vient à l’esprit est celle-ci : nous sommes tous Américains! Nous sommes tous New-Yorkais, aussi sûrement que John Kennedy se déclarait, en 1963 à Berlin, Berlinois. Comment ne pas se sentir en effet, comme dans les moments les plus graves de notre histoire, profondément solidaires de ce peuple et de ce pays, les Etats-Unis, dont nous sommes si proches et à qui nous devons la liberté, et donc notre solidarité.

After the Iraq War had begun, Jean Daniel declared in Le Nouvel Observateur: “Nous Ne Sommes Pas Tous Américains.”

But the shift is explainable. George W. Bush began his first term leaning toward a “humble” foreign policy and assailing “nation-building” abroad. He begins his new term having launched two full-scale invasions and having put into place a strategic doctrine of preemption that gives unprecedented leverage to America’s armed forces. President Bush closed his 2004 State of the Union Address pleading for athletes to stop using steroids. A better plea might have been to ask our nation’s top leaders to stop using steroids when managing our foreign policy.

Of course, Bush’s political power is nothing new. Arthur Schlesinger’s now famous phrase “the Imperial Presidency” was the title of his book describing the Nixon Administration and has since become a basic axiom in American political science: when Congress is confronted by a foreign crisis, it dumps massive amounts power into the hands of the presidency. When President Bush repeatedly announces to great applause that he is defeating terrorism by spreading “democracy” in the Middle East, I believe he is sincere. I believe the enthusiasm of the crowd is genuine. What is missing, it seems to me, is any attempt by either his party or the opposition party to educate people about the huge political and fiscal problems we are passing on to them. “This will take time and sacrifice,” announced President Bush upon declaring war on Iraq. “Yet we will do what is necessary, we will spend what is necessary,” he added. What he forgot to point out is who will do the sacrificing and paying.

“The ultimate test of a moral society,” Bonhoeffer once said, “is the kind of world it leaves to its children.” It’s amazing to me that Congress can keep spending more and more while sending bigger and bigger bills to our children. The cost of Empire is simply staggering, and we have apparently only just begun.

As far as I am concerned, both parties have declared war – on our children’s future. Today’s conservatives want it all: hegemony, guns, butter, and tax cuts. This is a pipe dream, of course. America’s foreign policy will bankrupt future generations of Americans, and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

January 27, 2005

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com. If you would like to know more about becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, please feel free to write Dave.

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Is It Wrong for Christians to Curse?

 Becky Lynn Black  

What is meant by “curse words”? It seems to me there are three types of curse words: 1) To repeat God’s name (as in “Jesus!”  or “God!”); 2) to declare judgment (as in “D-mn!” or “God d-mn”); and 3) to say either of those first categories but change a letter or two (as in “Gosh!”, “Golly!”, “Darn,” or “Doggonit!”).

Here are some thoughts.

 1) To flippantly repeat God’s name (as in “Jesus!”  or “God!”). Exodus 20:1-7 speaks very clearly to the first category of curse words.  In this chapter God is telling the Israelites very clearly, in no uncertain terms, how things are to be in their relationship with Him. Essentially He says, “Look, I am the One who saved you, and you owe me respect. You owe me worship. You owe me submission.” The Israelites failed in many ways, but one thing is for sure — they had reverence for the name of their God. In fact, they reverenced it so much that they almost refused to say His name “Jehovah.”  So it was a real shock to them, when Jesus arrived and called God “Father.” But when Jesus called Him “Father,” He didn’t undo the respect that is owed to the Father. He says, “Hallowed [respected, set-apart, revered, honored] is Your Name” (Luke 11:22).

This respect for God’s name is much more than just not saying His name flippantly, in an uncontrolled moment of anger, frustration, fear, or surprise. To show respect for His name is to show respect for Him.  This means that if we ever swear (as in a courtroom, or taking a vow of marriage, etc), and we use the authority of God as the basis for our sworn statement, then we must fulfill that vow as a matter of showing respect for His name.

And remember: Jesus said “If you ask anything in my Name, I will do it.” “In my Name” doesn’t just mean we say the words of His name in our prayer. It means to have a healthy respect, awe, reverence, worship of Him, such that our lives are lived focused on obedience to His command.  He promises that the person who is living his or her life in full recognition of the authority of Jesus as God is the one who delights in asking things that please Him…..so He can promise to give what is asked.

The whole idea is not to use His name in a flippant, off-handed, casual way. And to recognize that a flippant tongue is reflective of a flippant heart. Even flippantly saying “God bless you” as a sort of Christian version of “goodbye” or “thank you” can be a violation of this command. What do you know about the person you are blessing? Perhaps he’s a confirmed homosexual, or she is sleeping around, or he beating his wife at home. In flippantly saying “God bless you,” we belittle the name of God, His blessing and their anti-God lifestyle. So, personally, I don’t like to blanketly-say “God bless you” to everyone I meet. Sometimes I will say “God bless you for your kindness to me.” This points out the God-like act they did and makes a direct tie to God’s blessing on their act. But even then, I am careful to say it in such a way that it is not casual or flippant.

Sometimes, when a person says “My God,” they actually are praying in their heart. But if we are honest, those situations are very rare. And if it’s a genuine prayer, wouldn’t it continue with another statement to Him?

Exodus 20 states clearly that it is a very serious matter with God when we are flippant about who He is. So he attached a firm judgment to impress the Israelites to think twice about this habit.  I’m sure in the Egyptian culture the people would flippantly use the names of their gods. I can just hear the slave master hollering “Ra!” (their Sun God) as he beat the Israelites into more work. So it would be a natural thing for the Israelites to adopt that behavior, just as it’s a natural thing for us to adopt the behavior of our family and friends who flippantly holler out God’s name with any provocation.

But God says very clearly, “Before you speak my Name, remember who I am. I am the One who saved you from slavery. You belong to Me, and I am a jealous God. Don’t show more respect for other people and things than you do for Me.”

So as I understand Scripture, it is a strong sin for us to flippantly (either verbally or in vows) use the Lord’s name. It does not do Him justice as our Savior, and also He has strictly forbidden it.  Even though it was originally part of the Old Testament Law, Jesus repeated the idea when He taught us how to pray. “Hallowed be thy name” means “don’t take the name of the Lord Your God in vain.”

 2) To declare judgment (as in “D-mn!” or “God d-mn”). There are four things wrong with this: a) It presumes we have authority to damn;  b) it demonstrates lack of integrity;  c) it is contrary to the Gospel; and  d) it runs contrary to God’s nature.  Let me briefly discuss these four items.

a) Whenever I hear someone say this, I think to myself, “Who gave you the power to damn? By what right do you judge another? How dare you cast a soul into hell because they ruffled your feathers?  Is it righteous judgment to damn someone to hell because of your selfish interests?”

The Scriptures clearly teach that all power, all authority has been given to Christ. Matthew 28:18 states this clearly, and there are many other verses to this effect. If we dare to damn another person or situation, then we have dared to challenge the authority given to Christ.

b) Now, the one cursing might say, “Oh, it’s just a saying. I’m not really that serious about damning another person. It just means that I’m upset at the moment.” Well, Scripture says a lot about the words of our mouth being reliable. Even in a serious matter, the declaration of ourselves should be enough; we do not need to presume upon another to emphasize our point. James 5:12 puts it clearly. “Above all things, my brothers and sisters, do not take an oath on anything in heaven or on earth. Do not take any oath. If you mean yes, say yes. If you mean no, say no. Do this so that you won’t be condemned.”

What James is saying is this: There is no need for extreme expressions that presume upon the authority and power of another. As a Christ-follower, you should be such a person of integrity and testimony that your word is enough for people.

If we are flippantly saying harsh things, like the damning of people or things, how can we say to other people “believe me.” Our word has no integrity with others when we cannot control our tongue.

c) How can we damn another human being for whom Christ died?  It is unthinkable! The Scriptures are clear that the one who causes a child to stumble spiritually is majorly condemned by God.  “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea”  (Mark 9:42).  How can we damn someone when the heart of God is within us? Don’t we realize the spiritual effect that this has on another person’s spiritual life?

The Holy Spirit indwells each believer. How, then, can someone He indwells seek the eternal destruction of another? It is unthinkable! It is utterly contrary to the heart of God. Read John 3:13-17 and then ask yourself, could Jesus say “D-mn!” to another person?

d) Finally, when a person flippantly damns a situation (as opposed to a person), doesn’t he work against, violate, negate, fight against the nature of God in His sovereignty and justice? God is the One who holds the universe together and orchestrates all happenings in that universe. And if things don’t go our way, causing us to strike out with curse words, aren’t we at the core fighting against who He is?

It is better for us to deal with the anger and resentment within our own hearts than to try to fight against the God of the Universe. Damning a situation is just an expression of the hard-heartedness within us, and it shows a heart that is far from loving and embracing the One who died for us. 

3) To say either of those first categories but change a letter or two (as in “Gosh!” “Golly!”, “Darn,” or “Doggonit!”)  Some people have been deceived into thinking that if they will just change a letter or two in the word, then it no longer is called a curse word, and therefore they can escape the judgment of God.

Who’s fooling who on this matter? We might make others think a little better of us, but do we really believe that God cannot see our heart? Do we really think that God is more concerned about the outward show than He is the heart? Why are we playing this little game? It’s a sort of Christian version of the world’s cursing.

We play this same game in many other areas of our lives: we give 10- to play the game of giving Him what is due to Him (instead of giving our whole person); we talk dirty and read “Christian” romance novels without getting pregnant or into pornography to play the game of living pure lives (instead of keeping our minds pure and clean); we attend church in the proper clothes to play the game of being godly (instead of getting dirty in sacrificial serving of others where they are). The list is endless.

We must always remember that God sees the heart. And all the reasons given for the real curse words apply to the fake curse words as well. The person who loves and follows God wants to please Him in every little detail of his life. He wants to be a “sweet odor” (like perfume) to God. “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing”  (2 Cor. 2:15).

Often my prayer is this:  “Lord, make me to bring You joy!” Does it bring Him joy when we curse? Paul answered that question clearly when he said, “Don’t let any unwholesome word come out of your mouth. Instead, speak only that which is edifying, encouraging, and helpful to others.  Seize the moment to give grace to those around you” (Eph 4:29). 

In Phil 4:8, the Scriptures go even deeper. Here, Paul isn’t talking about our speech; he’s talking about our thoughts. He knows that if our thoughts are godly, then our speech will also be godly.   “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

So the bottom line is this:

• don’t flippantly say the names of God
• don’t presume to have authority that you do not have
• don’t work against the heart of the Gospel
• don’t fight against God’s sovereignty and justice
• don’t play games with God
• instead, focus on bringing Him joy; make Him your guide instead of society
• instead, focus on impacting others with His grace; make their holiness, not your ego, the focus of your communication
• instead, discipline your thoughts to be holy and commendable thoughts, knowing that from your thoughts will come your words
• instead, get real, be honest in your relationship with God, remembering that He sees your heart

June 3, 2011

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Is It Too Late For America?

 David Alan Black

What kind of nation is America supposed to be? Our forefathers gave us the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to protect our God-given freedoms from tyranny. By “tyranny” they did not mean tyranny from a foreign despot but from a government that oversteps and abuses its authority.

And what do we have today? Our freedoms are being taken away at a rate never before experienced in the history of our beloved nation. And not only by liberal politicians, but by “conservatives” who pay little or no attention to the Constitution or to the freedoms it enshrines.

In his essay, “The Modern Threats to Religious Freedom: They Are Greater than One May Think,” William Anderson exposes the dangers awaiting America:

On the surface, it would seem that Christianity has never been stronger or more influential in this country. Not only are the president, attorney general, and other cabinet members and advisors open about their Christianity, but Christian books are on the best-seller lists and Christian popular music dominates the radio airwaves. However, for a long time, I have been intensely looking at the current scene and have concluded that (1) the political authorities have squarely targeted Christians and Christianity for harassment and are freely carrying out their agendas at the present time, (2) the historical legal protections in this country for Christianity have been eroded past the point of no return, (3) most Christians are clueless in understanding this situation, and (4) when Christians do happen to recognize dangers to practicing their faith, they tend to endorse legislative and political actions that in the long run will make things even worse for themselves and those Christians who will follow after them.

As an American citizen, I share Anderson’s concern for the future of our nation. I believe God loves America with all His heart. I believe that He has a special plan and purpose for us. America is perhaps the most unique nation in the history of the world.  Why? First of all, it was created by men who loved God. They were men who sought God’s glory above their own. That’s why God’s name is etched in stone from sea to shining sea in this great land of ours. Second, America was founded on principles of freedom unknown to other nations.  In fact, America is the last bastion of freedom anywhere in the world. Finally and most importantly, America is the last bastion of missionary enterprise on the face of planet earth. It is estimated that 85- of all evangelical missions work emanates from our shores. If for no other reason, this fact alone proves that God has a special love for America. This does not make us a Christian nation; but it does set us apart from the nations of the world as singularly blessed by the Almighty.

Because God has such a special purpose for our nation, He must weep at what He sees happening in this country. That’s why, I believe, He is sending us “severe mercies,” such as the tragedy of 9-11. Such events are meant to wake us up to the point that we will stand up and restore this nation to the biblical and constitutional principles upon which our nation was established. Without biblical standards of morality and a return to constitutional liberty, our nation will certainly vanish in oblivion.

Is it too late for America to repent? Many say yes. I humbly disagree. I believe that God still wants to see our nation restored, not judged. And He is waiting for people like you and me to be the salt and light we are commanded to be. The problem with America is not our form of government or our political institutions or our two-party system or our courts. It is the fact that “We the People” have allowed the enemies of freedom to pervert and abuse the institutions of our great nation.

If you have not read the statements of our Founding Fathers recently, may I ask you to do so? You will see that the country called The United States of America has always been an experiment in freedom. Our Founders asked, Can men govern themselves freely? When we surrender our freedoms to an all-compassionate albeit tyrannical government, we are no longer free men and women.

I wish to ask the American people: Is it patriotic to meekly accept a massive government expansion in the name of fighting terrorism? Is it right to accept severe limitations of personal and religious freedom in the name of security? It is right to surrender the ideals upon which our nation was established as we move into a New World Order of fear and warfare? Will we continue to allow America to sink into oblivion, or will we stand up and be counted?

In my opinion, no one has stated the issues facing Americans better than Congressman Ron Paul of Texas. In a speech delivered before the U.S. House of Representatives, he issued a clarion call to all liberty-minded Americans. Though first given in 2001, the speech remains valid today. It may well be a final warning before liberty disappears. Paul concluded by saying,

I see good reason for American citizens to be concerned—not only about another terrorist attack, but for their own personal freedoms as the Congress deals with the crisis. Personal freedom is the element of the human condition that has made America great and unique and something we all cherish. Even those who are more willing to sacrifice a little freedom for security do it with the firm conviction that they are acting in the best interest of freedom and justice. However, good intentions can never suffice for sound judgment in the defense of liberty.

I do not challenge the dedication and sincerity of those who disagree with the freedom philosophy and confidently promote government solutions for all our ills. I am just absolutely convinced that the best formula for giving us peace and preserving the American way of life is freedom, limited government, and minding our own business overseas.

Americans would do well to ponder these words.

October 4, 2005

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Is America Sounding Jeffersonian Again?

 David Alan Black  

Isn’t it nice to hear the United States sounding Jeffersonian again?

Isn’t it a relief to hear us condemning nations that bully other nations around? Isn’t it great we are questioning one nation’s right to attack another nation? Isn’t it good to hear our leaders calling on nations to respect the sovereign integrity of other nations? Isn’t it great that we are so quick to call for foreign troops to withdraw from a nation it has occupied?

My only question is this: What moral grounds do we have for picking on Russia when we are planning a long-term military relationship with the government of Iraq, a relationship that would grant the Pentagon access to bases and project American military power into the heart of this unsettled region of the world (which, coincidentally, is also the heart of the world’s major energy resources)?

The hypocrisy is appalling, at least to me. That we have become a global hyperpower with imperial ambitions should cause Americans to weep.

Ah, “empire” – at one time that was a word of opprobrium. Empire-building was an anathema to the American ethos. Not anymore apparently.

Writing in today’s LRC, retired USAF lieutenant colonel Karen Kwiatkowski observes:

Our 20th-century American habit, continued to the present day, is to send our military halfway around the world to dominate and destroy small countries with fourth-rate defenses. This not only doesn’t seem to embarrass the great minds at AEI, it is embraced by them – except when a once and future (and now very wealthy) enemy follows suit. Then, miraculously, the language of freedom is summoned. That elsewhere these same intellectuals can smoothly take the side of separatist Kurds, Shiites, Kosovars and even Chechnyans – using the same exact language, belies the real purpose and intent of AEI: to promote the neoconservative Washington consensus – clothed in the language of freedom and democracy.

Perhaps we are overlooking something. Hasn’t Providence summoned America to the task of reforming the global order? “We (and not Russia or any other power!) have the sovereign right to take military action when and how we choose.” Isn’t this the unquestioned and unquestionable mantra ofhegemony?

Welcome, friends, to a unipolar world in which America allows no peer competitor. A world in which the right of aggression is reserved only to the United States and perhaps a handful of its chosen clients. A world in which lies become truth if repeated often enough. A world in which virtuous declarations of intent suffice to lull a passive citizenry to sleep. A world in which countries with atrocious human rights records are coddled because they support our “war on terror.” A world of moral hypocrisy and political double standards.

The last word belongs to Jefferson:

We believe no more in Bonaparte’s fighting merely for the liberties of the sea, than in Great Britain’s fighting for the liberties of mankind. The object is the same, to draw to themselves the power, the wealth, and the resources of other nations.

August 15, 2008

David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.

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Is America Really Supporting Israel?

Bob Strodtbeck 

Among the positions herein expressed that cut against the grain of mainstream conservatism, and of the religious right in particular, is an unapologetic ambivalence regarding Israel.

The right of Israel to exist is respected here, as is its authority to defend its borders either through military force or diplomacy. Beyond that there is no particular support for America investing any resources – especially the lives of its soldiers – to the defense of Israel, unless, of course, doing so is pursuant to the defense of American borders.

Let it be so noted, however, that it is hard to imagine a scenario in which defending a country at the Eastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea would become important to securing American borders.

So, too, is respect given to Christians who consider events affecting Israel to signal the world’s end – but respect is not agreement. Although their view is supported with Biblical documentation, there are contradictory positions that are equally so supported. This eschatological debate has spanned generations – even centuries – and has inspired authors of many books. This column is not going to resolve the conflict between learned Christians or identify God’s plan for the end of time. It is only intended to offer the perspective of the author that guides these written commentaries regarding this country’s policy initiatives in a very dangerous part of the world.

On the other hand, one verse that is consistently offered by Christians to encourage support for Israel is Genesis 12:3 in which God is reported to tell Abram, later named Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish race, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” This verse actually helps to call the sacred to evaluate the secular, because it inspires the question whether or not American policy initiatives in the Middle East are intended to, “bless Israel.”

The American government’s involvement in the Middle East is as recent as the end of WWII. It should be considered as something greater than coincidence that America’s interest in the region has grown proportionately with global industrialization and the demand that has placed on global oil supplies. Kevin Phillips in his book, American Dynasty, reports that included in America’s involvement in the region has been delivery of arms supplies to various combatants and propping up a wide range of regimes including the Shah of Iran and the Ayatollahs who replaced him, the Saudi Royal family and Saddam Hussein. Phillips suggests, with copious documentation, that much of the materiel that is making the Middle East dangerous for everyone – including Israelis – has been to the exclusive benefit of various arms manufacturers and petroleum companies that also provide generous funds for American political campaigns.

His evidence seems to suggest those directing America’s foreign policy are motivated by desires that are less than holy. Moreover, basing a decision to give power to people based upon speculations of the future or their claims to serve the interests of people many of us will never meet living in a land many of us will never visit does not seem wise. Before we pass to the government the authority, for the sake of security, to determine where we live, what we do, if we fight wars and the causes for doing so, all voters would do well to hold their public figures to verifiable and concrete standards.

Simply put, the care of Israel should be left to the Israelis and American citizens need to learn to evaluate their public servants against the limits on power defined in the various constitutions of the federal and state governments. Perhaps the two actions applied together will bring peace to the Middle East. This suggestion couldn’t result in consequences much worse than the world, or this country, faces today.

August 23, 2004

Since 1993 Bob Strodtbeck has been writing commentaries for The Apopka Chief, a news weekly circulated in a community ten miles north of Orlando. His analyses investigate a wide range of topics from what he calls a “Christian pragmatic” view – that is to say, he considers that human interactions are largely driven by the human instinct toward self-service, which is traditionally known as sin. This perspective has given Bob great liberty to criticize governmental officials from both parties upon the standards of constitutional laws they swear to uphold and review cultural and economic phenomena from moral standards defined in the Bible. Bob currently lives in Orlando with his bride Pam and children Charlotte and Richard. He may be reached for comment here.

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