Create In His Image

Anyone who takes the Bible seriously knows God is in control of the
weather. He also is in control of sickness and disease. God is able to
raise up and bring down nations. See for example Deut. chapter 28.

Just as an obese person is more susceptible to disease and sickness,
we may get distracted by asking if we caused our own unusual climatic
conditions by selfish energy consumption contributing to global
warming. I don’t know. But I do know this is only a subset of the
real question: is America obeying God’s law, which includes civil law?

There is little argument about our past.

Displays like the Ten Commandments tell a critically important part
of America’s history … They make it clear that America is not like
other nations. Much of our legal system was deliberately established
on principles derived directly from the Bible. In fact, 12 of the
original 13 colonies incorporated the entire Ten Commandments into
their civil and criminal laws. [Alan Sears, president of the
conservative Christian Alliance Defense Fund]

But what about our present?

Atheists are offended when the Ten Commandments are displayed anywhere
but especially in or near courtrooms. They know that the Commandments
include a fear of God as the source for civil authority. This goes
against their own world-view: usually secular humanism. Alan Sears
asks for donations pretending to desire biblical law, but knowing full
well that since the mid 20th century the American civil governments
were “baptized” as “secular”. Alan dares *not* to make the claim in a
courtroom that our present civil authority is the same as what it was
in the past because he knows it isn’t!

Our Christian Constitutional lawyers are arguing that displays of
Ten-Commandment monuments have historical relevance rather than having
any legal authority. They do not want to return to our nation’s past
where the Bible was legally connected to civil and criminal law, in
effect, telling the nation it is ok to not fear the Lord in our civil
courtrooms. Accordingly, people live undisciplined selfish
lifestyles. The law of the book of Judges is now relevant. “Everyone
did what was right in his own eyes.”

What about our future?

II Chronicals 7:14 gives US hope. It also tells us who to blame for
our country’s misfortune. The blame for Katrina falls on those who
wear the “Christian” label but choose not to obey Him. If Christians
do not do what that verse says, then the negative sanctions given in
Deuteronomy 28 are sure to continue upon Katrina’s heels. Are you
willing to let “America the Ugly” take over without a change of heart?

America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
[America the Beautiful]

The bombs in London made me think back to our own 9-11 experience.

Building the World Trade Center twin towers began in the 1960’s.
Some have said it was a ‘Rockefeller’ idea since David was
president of Chase Manhattan bank and his brother Nelson was New
York State governor at the time. Even though I share the same last
name I’m glad I had no part in this decision. However, since I
lived on Long Island I visited New York City many times. I would
say I had been in the World Trade Center a dozen or more times
since the early 70’s when it opened. My thoughts about it were
always the same. It was an offense to God.

I’m not defending Allah. I’m simply voicing an emotion: something
inside me revolted against the human economic monuments called the
twin WTC towers.

It was a violation of at least the first two commandments: You
shall have no other gods before me, and you shall not make unto
yourself any graven image. “The twin towers of the World Trade
Center were more than just buildings. They were proof of New
York’s belief in itself.”
(http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0903568.html) Quotes such
as this were common. These towers also made me think of the first
construction project ever recorded: the Tower of Babel. In Genesis
11:4 we read that the builders said “Come, let us build ourselves a
city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make
a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the
whole earth”. Even non-bible scholars know what happened. God
didn’t like it so they (notice the use of a trinitarian plural in
verse 7) confused their languages and scattered them over the face
of the earth.

The most practiced world-view by United States citizens by the
1970’s was no longer biblical Christianity but secular humanism.
The World – Trade – Center embodied both humanism – a collective
human false-wisdom without God, and secularism – an emphasis on
monetary wealth and everything it can buy. The years and then
decades went by. I always wondered if God wouldn’t intervene to
bring the edifice down before it’s normal building “lifespan”.

But God is patient. He often gives warnings as well as time.

God permitted a truck-bomb explosion to cause the destruction of
the towers. It was unsuccessful in bringing the towers down. The
light reality of what happened masked the awful reality of the
bomber’s intentions. Most Americans quickly forgot about it and
thus it didn’t bring about the needed repentance.

Then came September 11th, 2001. The first two targets, the towers,
were destroyed. The third was a symbol of America’s military
might, the pentagon. I don’t know what the fourth target would
have been. I do believe many within the United States had begun to
repent by this time. I believe God was hearing true prayers for
perhaps the first time coming from many.

Passengers on board the fourth hijacked aircraft had heard about
the fate of the other three airplanes via their cell phones. One
Christian young man, Todd Beamer, led other able-bodied passengers
in a bold plan. He ended by reciting the Lord’s prayer. “May your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven” were part of that prayer.
Afterward his last words heard over the cell phone were “Let’s
roll.” It’s as if God said “yes, I hear the prayers of many.
Three planes and three targets is enough for now. Perhaps the
United States will repent.” The fourth plane fell taking all souls
aboard with it but no fourth hijacker target fell that day. The
hijackers were not granted complete success.

The message to the organization(s) sponsoring the hijackers was one
of sovereignty. Judah had been overthrown. Jerusalem, including
the great temple, had been defeated by the army of Nebuchadnezzar.
This wasn’t because their god(s) were more powerful than Judah’s,
but rather because of Judah’s disobedience. This message was so
important that God deals directly with King Nebuchadnezzar as well
as three successors. Daniel records the events. Chapter 5 verse
21 sums up Daniel’s message well. King Nebuchadnezzar lived as an
animal “until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign
over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes”.

There is a war going on. The hijackers were willing to die for a
cause but so were those passengers who overtook the hijackers.
Undoubtedly, there were souls on board not willing to die but who
were casualties nonetheless in this war. Christ calls all who want
to respond to him to count the true cost “take up your cross daily
and follow me.” For at least the remaining year of 2001 many
Christians became more serious about their faith. They began
*practicing* Christianity instead of just accepting the label. I
pray and act so that more repentance and obedience may come but
without the hard lesson of 9-11. Will you join me?

My pastor wants to influence his church members to do the right
things, including within civil government. This past July 3rd gave
him an opportunity to address national concerns from the pulpit. His
application of theology to what a United States citizen is to do,
however, is flawed. I want to be submissive to my pastor in this but
he has seldom welcomed any discussion of theology and politics with
me.

He addressed the recent Supreme Court decisions on the issues of
property rights and the 10-Commandments displays. He claims the
10-Commandments doesn’t “establish a religion”. He said there is no
’10-Commandments’ church and used other similar argument. He simply
doesn’t understand that certain 10-Commandment displays disestablish
an atheist’s political philosophy. It certainly goes against their
world-view (religion).

He encouraged our members to pray and take other responsible action
including reading about the Christian history of the United States,
sending email, calling, and writing letters. Last October he strongly
called the members to vote. He is good about that.

He also hit the nail on the head concerning who we should vote for.
We need to vote for people of strong good (moral) character. For a
bit more ‘punch’ Scripture references should have been used within the
context he was desiring: U. S. citizens selection of civil servants.
Moses selected leaders based on character (Exodus 18:21). Paul also
instructed churches on how to select leaders (I Timothy 3:1-12).

He next encouraged us to resist ritualistic activity. In true Roger
Williams form he avoided telling anyone they are ‘sinning’ in the
civil choices they make. Nor does he want to say the Bible endorses
any specific civil action. Truthfully, I didn’t follow this part of
his message. It seemed he was undermining his otherwise good message.
It just didn’t make sense.

His conclusion was based on the familiar Scripture from 2 Chronicals
7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will
hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land.” Meaningful governmental change is always done from bottom up.
We can even say revolutions begin the same way – one person at a time.
No Constitutional amendment or Supreme Court justice mix will fix the
National moral problems we face. People must come to grips with a
Truth “it is appointed unto man once to die, then after that – the
Judgment”. I’ll just add my AMEN too.

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him
turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for
he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my
thoughts than your thoughts. [Isaiah 55:6-9]

I used to cite this Bible reference along with this one liner: “We all
have our opinions but Truth is not debatable.” on my early Internet
signature.

I have to thank George Grant, http://www.kingsmeadow.com/blogger.html
for giving me the push to begin this blog. I wanted to respond to a couple
of his entries but he only permitted registered bloggers to do so.
So, I registered.

What’s your world-view? I’ll try to explain mine here. In case you
haven’t already guessed, it hangs a whole lot on the creative Word of
God. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the
Word was God.

Considering recent U.S. Supreme Court 10-Commandments decisions and some relevant conservative Christian thinking:

Gary North, in _Political Polytheism_, says the Constitution from the beginning had already endorsed an “Atheist Regime”. The proof he points to is Article VI paragraph 3, the “no religious oath test”. This requirement along with a required ‘oath’ to uphold the Constitution leaves no authority remaining as sovereign except “We the people”. It’s just taken the courts this long to enforce the text of the Constitution. Gary DeMar says not so. In _God and Government_, Vol 1, he says it’s not yet an Atheist Regime because we still have “in the year of our Lord” in the text of the Constitution. The late Greg Bahnsen would examine these thoughts logically. Whether North is right or not is of no significance. It’s the current amended Constitution which is relevant. If DeMar is right then it should be a trivial exercise to simply impeach those judges who rule contrary to the Constitution. It’s not going to happen. DeMar is incorrect. The United States is under an Atheist Regime. The currently amended Constitution endorses an Atheist Regime. How can this situation be fixed?
The United States needs a new Constitutional amendment replacing article VI paragraph 3 with something much like the original Delaware Charter had: an oath confessing belief in the “Divinity of both the Old and New Testaments”.