Some people are putting a lot of hope in the midterm elections this November. They have seen the poisonous possibilities of having one party control all of government, particularly a very activist party. They believe there will be a groundswell rebellion against unpopular policies being put through in Congress that the President has signed - policies which are deemed detrimental to the health of the country. I expect the Dems will lose seats in both houses, perhaps even enough to lose control of one house. However, even if BOTH houses were to change hands, any repeals or major policy shifts would simply be vetoed by the President, and unless the GOP had 2/3 majorities in both houses, those vetoes could not be overturned. Further, the Obama Administration has been doing end runs around even the DEMOCRAT Congress, simply using unconstitutional powers of Executive Fiat, and any impeachment attempt would fail without 2/3 majorities. The prospects are dimmed even more by any lame duck Congress which would go on steroids to pass Cap and Trade, Card check, and other hugely unpopular bills. These could not be undone until 2012, and the damage will have been done by then, not to mention that even if the Dems were in the minority come January 2011, they would filibuster and fight tooth and nail on everything and not be pansies like the "gentlemanly GOP" craving "bipartisanship".
No, my friends, while I will do what I can to slow down the express train taking our nation down the tracks to the financial and moral abyss, I have no false or unrealistic hopes. The educational system and the media are firmly in the hands of Satan, as are most churches. Most views of eschatology predict a huge economic meltdown, a hero-centered religious system at enmity with Christianity, and a total abolition of freedom in the very end times. While many people through out history believed the world was about to end in their lifetimes, it did not, and if people had not made the sacrifices for freedom that they did, history would have been even more bleak than it has been. When Hitler was ascending, my Dad was in seminary; some refused to see the dentist or anything, believing it was all a waste, as the world would shortly end. I am glad America finally did rise up to defeat the Nazi's. I am German/Dutch ethnically, but would sure not have to be speaking German or following the worst leadership and ideology that Germany has ever produced. We are now facing the greatest challenge to our nation since the civil war, and I am in full support of people rising to the occasion to resist the great evil perpetrated by extremely evil forces that over overwhelmed government, education, entertainment, and the media.
That said, my hope for REAL change comes from my faith in Jesus Christ, and though he can use politics, politics without Christ will fall far short. We have been through this too many times before. Only that which is done WITH Christ will last. I believe that if our nation got on its knees and was serious about dealing with the prescient evil, the Cass Sunstein's, Van Jones's, Elena Kagan's, the hypocritical Congress and activist judges, and even the Barack Obama's of the world would run and hide – not from us, but from God himself. God has wrought complete change in our nation before, and he can do it now. A change in personnel alone is not now nor will it ever be the answer – even if we were to get thoroughly Christian leadership.
You know, many people argue whether our Constitution was meant to be an icon or a living document. A living document is no Constitution at all, because it means whatever tyrants want it to mean. That is why dictators who are at least honest about their intent suspend the constitution and elections. The same is true in matters of faith – opinions trump convictions and there is no fixed standard. All of that is quicksand and is devised by people who want to play God rather than submit to authority and order. Well, I am an originalist, believing that we follow the Constitution, and where there are issues, we AMEND the Constitution through a well-thought out process, not simply ignore it. However, I believe more than simply that the Constitution should be followed. I believe the premises for a free society that made the Founders write the Constitution as they did are just as important. These include
1) That man must be self-governing to have a successful republic - law enforcement is on the individual level and is largely self-enforcement. If people do not govern themselves and their own propensities to sin, it will take a tyranny to rein them in.
2) That people will govern themselves according to the Bible and God’s standards. If there are multiple standards, conflicting standards, or no standards, a republic will fail.
3) That people must make informed decisions. If the people are ignorant of the issues, they will vote amiss. Our electorate today is woefully ignorant and readily manipulated. A free press is needed to help educate them. As long as the media is a cheerleader for one point of view, people will parrot those points of view and not make informed decisions based upon truth.
4) That voters will have a stake in the country. While land ownership is no longer a requirement, we now have millions of voters who have zero understanding of civics, know nothing of history, and millions more who cannot even speak English or know what they are voting for. Such voters are easily manipulated and will vote perceived self-interest and not vote for what is best for the country.
The biggest challenges we face, though, result from two premises that were NOT included in the Constitution as originally written. The first is that while the debate over slavery was hot and heavy, slavery was NOT abolished in the original Constitution. Can you imagine how our nation's history and the current deep divide could have been so different if only the words from the DECLARATION that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL really meant "ALL MEN" from the very beginning? The second was that while GOD and PROVIDENCE were dominant concepts in the founding documents, JESUS CHRIST was largely absent. There was not unanimity of belief, but the Christian founders seemed content to omit Christ in favor of simply "GOD" in much of the debate, and actually the word "GOD" appears nowhere in the Constitution. While many stated and believed that Jesus Christ and personal piety were key to the nation's success, Christians did not foresee a time when Jesus Christ would not be in the minds of the American people. Fewer than 30% of Americans even belonged to a church in the period leading up tot he Civil War, the spiritual weakness of America almost led to our extinction. We are in a similar time now, where Biblical Christianity is in deep decline. I am an Evangelist, and most people will not abide sound doctrine. The name of Jesus Christ should have been integral to our nation's founding. It was not. You CANNOT know the Father without knowing Jesus. Our first President, George Washington, walked about "The Great Architect" (hint: he didn't know me!), Providence, the God of Armies, the Divine Author of the blessed Religion and so on. He went to church about once per month, and would not go when they served communion, because he viewed communion as an ostentatious religious display. While he was a very great man, he was obviously not intimate with Christ nor did he follow specific commands given to Christians. Perhaps the biggest clue that he did not view belief in Christ as essential was that he chose a Deist, John Adams as his Vice President. John Adams became our second President. Our Third President, Thomas Jefferson, edited out of the Bible the miracles and the deity of Jesus Christ. They call it The Jefferson Bible. Despite their enlightened ideas about government, we had cracks from the very beginning years of our nation. Interestingly, Yale had gone apostate BEFORE our nation was founded. Princeton, which was orthodox Christian, was derided in the 1700's as "Princeton Bible School". Harvard became Unitarian early in the 19th century. A quantum change in our educational institutions is needed for real change. We need GOD to do it, because they are beyond the reach of political action. The educational establishment was Jesus' greatest enemy during his tenure here on earth, and the same is true today. The Scribes and Pharisees today love to lecture about why the Bible does not mean what it says and they proceed to kill politically and educationally all who dare follow Christ with an uncompromised heart. Even so-called Christian institutions often have fallen to universalism and mock people who believe the same words in Genesis that Jesus believed. And Jesus was there and the Creator of the World! We have to remember that John Edwards talked about "sinners in the hands of an angry God" because the people of the 1700's were in fact sinners in the hands of an angry God. What encourages me is that our nation was mightily blessed DESPITE the cracks in our foundation. The church has been blessed despite so many areas where it falls so short. What discourages me is that those cracks are ever larger with ignorant leaders trying to blow up the remaining lynchpins of our nation and the church.
Most Americans believe our nation is in decline, and that is certainly true. We need more than a favorable election to help, even a wildly favorable one. We need to reverse the decline of our nation and the departing by both major parties from our founding principles. More than that, we need to know that only a mighty move of God will make real change. Entertainment, the media and education need to be redeemed as well as the government. Unless as a nation we submit to Christ and let him change us as a people, we will always fall far short, and eventually die as a people. My hope is built on nothing less than JESUS' blood and righteousness! Where is YOUR hope today? Do you trust in political leaders to change everything? They NEVER have before. While positive change is welcome, I want nothing less than a spiritual revolution in our nation. I am not satisfied with small, incremental improvements.
I pray earnestly every day for our nation and its leaders. I pray for those of both parties who have operated against the Lord to leave office if they will not change. God has put several out through scandal, decisions not to run again, and even through death. There are quite a few more on my list and I am sure that list is rather incomplete. I want our nation to survive. I want it cleansed of leadership that has been against God and godly principles. I want it to be far better than it was even at our founding. However, all of our prayers are also needed for our nation to repent from its addictions to vile entertainment, profanity, porn, materialism, selfishness, and easy powerless, non-convicting Christianity. We need quantum change on the spiritual level, as does EVERY nation on this earth. Join me in praying for our nation and ALL nations. I pray for every nation regularly. Will you join me in regular prayer for America and the world and for the well being of God's people everywhere? I certainly hope you will.
