Extreme Protests 2: Racism as "Corporate Evil"

Thanks to those who responded through Facebook to my article, "Extreme Protests: A Monumental Opportunity."  What follows is my response, intended particularly for my friends, Stu Zaharek and Necia Fanton Bishop from whom I have learned.  I also thank my friend and former colleague, Mark Gathany for his comment and important reference to a message by Pastor Tim Keller, referenced below.

Perhaps like those who have responded, I am asking myself what kind of response a review of human history ought to evoke in me as a sinner saved by the grace and challenged to live as a Christ-follower. As such, let me add a few thoughts that reflect what I am learning from this discussion. 

There is much about world history and American history that we can be thankful for (even be “proud of”) and from which we can all learn.  But, there is much in our history that reveals the acts of sinful individuals expressed in every generation through systemic corruption and evil.  I tried to address this in my original article when I wrote:

Dismantling of a monument to Gen. Robert E. Lee 

Some of the protesters have the false hope of producing atonement, a “perfect oneness and unity,” that only God can provide.  Perhaps they believe that if they can only get all human pride, hate, and bigotry out on the public square, including all names, symbols, and monuments they associate with them, they can somehow make atonement.  Yet even well meaning efforts to rectify a history of human sin and depravity are an affront to a Holy God.  When people refuse to repent and bow before the Cross of Christ, everything else in human history becomes an unbearable weight.  What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 

What I was not able to see clearly in this context seems more clear to me after hearing the message of Pastor Tim Keller, which Mark Gathany added to our discussion.  It is entitled, “Racism and Corporate Evil: A White Guy’s Perspective.”

By applying Tim Keller’s message to American history we can see that although the Founders made a noble effort to launch “the American experiment” based heavily on Judeo-Christian theism, they did not include in the U.S. Constitution the abolition of slavery. They chose not to eradicate this “corporate evil” that had fastened its hold on American morality and culture.  Yet, there was considerable anguish of soul among prominent men and women on both sides of the slavery issue, and also a sense of helplessness when they considered the immensity of the tangled web that the institution of slavery had woven, nationally and internationally.  Tim Stafford, Senior Writer for Christianity Today Magazine, has written,  “Slavery was important to the economy, both North and South.   Americans North and South also profoundly feared freeing millions of slaves. Most Americans were frankly racist; they believed Africans to be not only inferior but also dangerous if not strictly controlled.”

Most people in both the North and South wore cotton near their hearts and were therefore directly or indirectly complicit in support of slavery—what Pastor Tim Keller considers an example of “corporate evil.”  But not all Americans felt the sweat of the Negro slave against their skin when they "put on cotton."  It took the Second Great Awakening of the early 1800’s to sharpen the national conscience in regard to the evil of racism and human slavery. In spite of spiritual awakening, many people of faith in the North and South feared that Abolition was so controversial that it would tear their churches apart.  Therefore, I believe God especially prepared men in both the North and South; and among both Whites and Blacks—e.g. Lincoln and Douglass; Stowe and Tubman--who would stand in the gap in their time to lead both churches and our nation toward repentance and confession of sin, and to call for repentance and willingness to address "corporate sin."

It has been helpful for me to revisit the sin of racism and what should be done with historic monuments. Necia presented a graph of monument-building from 1870 to 1980 which has been attributed to the rise and fall of efforts to intimidate Black Americans.  Even though we know that correlation does not prove cause-and-effect, it is likely that at least some of the construction was done with intimidation in mind. However, I believe some monument construction was an expression of a nation trying find solace and reconciliation through the memory of some people and places in an otherwise painful history.  Whatever the motives of monument building, if we acknowledge the significant role of systemic or corporate sin in the history of slavery, we may also realize that truly addressing racial reconciliation requires a much deeper national effort than either erecting or destroying monuments.

Newton's life: Example of Repentance and Forgiveness

As a nation, and as individuals, we have a choice.  We can either continue our pattern of bantering back and forth, or we can recognize that racism is an expression of individual and corporate sin from which we must repent.  The prayer of Daniel (Daniel 9), referenced by Tim Keller, conveys the sincere, repentant heart of the Prophet Daniel who identified himself with the “corporate evil” embedded within the nation Israel.  Today, I believe God would have us begin anew by asking Him to give us the contrite, repentant spirit of Daniel—praying for God’s Spirit to shine the light of His Word on our individual lives and give us willingness to confess our sins; then, to recommit to love and obey God; and, love our neighbor, spouse, family, church, community, and those in authority over us.  As James wrote (5: 17),

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 

Greater and more lasting progress than erecting or destroying monuments must begin in quiet communion with the God of HIS-story, and the God of our eternal future.  I believe this claim is consistent with what Abraham Lincoln came to realize; namely, that racism and its expression through the corporate evil of a slave-based economy must be owned and payed for by both the North and the South. If this is true, then our only hope as a nation is to own up to and confess to the fact that we are all part of the systemic, corporate evil of racism, and other evils such as malice, envy, and greed; all of which can only be abolished by the blood of Christ's cross.

The following are Lincoln's words, spoken toward the end of his second inaugural address only a few days before his own death by an assassin's bullet:

Both [North and South] read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.  If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

President Trump Delivers! Or Does He?

Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’  So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Jesus did not come into the world to be another prophet; nor an earthly, political king; nor a faith healer; nor a champion of “social justice;” nor a celebrity.  In answer to the false charge before the Roman governor, Pilate, that Jesus had intended to oppose Caesar, He answered, My kingdom is not of this world (John 18: 36a).  Instead, Jesus had openly taught that even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10: 45).  Yet, the masses greeted Jesus, riding on a  young colt of a donkey on that first “Palm Sunday” crying out for a political leader who would deliver the nation Israel from the tyranny of the Romans (See “Palm Sunday:  Don’t Miss Jesus Today”).

Like those in the first century who saw Jesus as just another popular figure who might have the power to lead them to a better life, so today we are quick to follow the person who is powerful, or popular, and promises deliverance.  Election 2016 has given America a new president.  Like him or not, Donald J. Trump is the victor and he has quickly set about fulfilling his campaign promise to “Make America Great Again.”  Trump’s promise to appoint a conservative justice to the U.S. Supreme Court has been accomplished, his promise to get the economy going is being met with favorable jobs reports, and American standing in the world seems to be strengthening by a show of force and resolve against those who disrespect human life and liberty. 

President Trump signs EO protecting religious freedom.

Related to his efforts to protect human life and religious freedom, on May 4, the National Day of Prayer, President Trump, in a Rose Garden ceremony, signed an executive order “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.” Thus, in keeping his promise to bring to an end the persecution of Christians, Jews, and other well meaning faith-based groups, Trump told those in attendance,

We're a nation of believers.  Faith is deeply embedded into the history of our country... No American should be forced to choose between the dictates of the federal government and the tenets of their faith.

Some like Liberty University President, Jerry Falwell Jr., praised President Trump for his wisdom in crafting the executive order so as to roll back the Johnson Amendment which had been used to threaten religious leaders from speaking out on issues of politics and morality in houses of worship for fear of losing tax-exempt status.  Dr. Falwell supports Trump’s balanced approach of protecting free religious expression while not allowing religious groups to become political action groups that collect donations to support favored candidates. 

Other religious conservatives fear the executive order doesn’t go far enough.  Gregory S. Baylor of the Alliance Defending Freedom sees little protection for people "threatened with the effective closure of their family-run business for simply expressing a religious point of view on marriage that differed from that of the federal government."  Furthermore, regarding bullying of conservative and religious groups by the IRS during the Obama Administration, Baylor is concerned that "Americans cannot rely on the discretion of IRS agents, some of whom have abused that discretion for years to silence pastors and intrude into America’s pulpits."

Meanwhile, civil rights groups are threatening legal challenge against any action that would deny benefits or services to those they oppose on moral grounds, such as same-sex spouses.  Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign stated, “We are watching and we will challenge any effort by [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions or other agencies of Trump’s administration to license discrimination.”

Like many “religious conservatives,” I am thankful that Donald Trump is our president.  I am very encouraged by his efforts to strengthen American institutions that defend moral and religious beliefs and practices.  Trump’s Rose Garden speech on May 4 before and during his signing of the executive order portrays what seems to be his heart-felt support and valuing of religious freedom and commitment to people of faith.  I urge readers to listen and observe the president’s carefully planned presentation to religious leaders of many faiths.  You should also examine the wording of Trump’s executive order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.  It is our responsibility to be informed of the momentous decisions and actions being taken by our leaders by following reliable sources of news that broadcast what our leaders say and write, and not simply political commentary.

As blessed and  thankful as I was to observe President Trump’s smiling face and words of conviction about religious freedom, I realize that this executive order will not bring healing to America’s deep moral and political divide.  Healing of that divide must begin in human hearts like mine.  If Donald Trump has given us as people of faith anything of value it is an invitation to rededicate ourselves to a lifestyle of repentance and revival of the spirit of holy living that Jesus died and rose again to provide.  President Trump has the power, politics, and celebrity that gives many of us hope that he might deliver America from its divisions, but only Jesus Christ can truly deliver us.  Jesus calls us to repentance and faith so that He through His Spirit can empower us to live by what He called “A New Commandment:” He said to his disciples (John 13: 34-35),

A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another,
even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.

President Trump has responded to requests from the faith community by signing an executive order which he believes will be a step toward defending religious expression.  Now it is the responsibility of all of us who value the Christian faith to live by the Great Commandments to love God above all other things and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This means being sure God is preeminent in our priorities and that we respect the opinions, possessions, and priorities of our neighbor regardless of his or her political stance, ethnic group, wealth, or gender.  It is ultimately God's everlasting love for us, in us, and flowing from us to others that will heal broken lives and heal our land.  A.W. Tozer, in The Knowledge of the Holy (Harper), wrote,

The love of God is one of the great realities of the universe, a pillar upon which the hope of the world rests. But it is a personal, intimate thing, too. God does not love populations, He loves people. He loves not masses, but men. He loves us all with a mighty love that has no beginning and can have no end.  In Christian experience there is a highly satisfying love content that distinguishes it from all other religions and elevates it to heights far beyond even the purest and noblest philosophy. This love content is more than a thing; it is God Himself in the midst of His Church singing over His people. True Christian joy is the heart’s harmonious response to the Lord’s song of love.

Pondering and Praying, then Picking a President

Candidates Clinton (top) and Trump.

Our presidential election is less than two months away.  While many Americans now reside in the land of #NeverTrump, I do not believe American voters should be residing in that land, or in the land of #NeverHillary.  I have considered being a citizen of “#NoVote,” but history teaches that people who choose not to vote can determine election outcomes as much as voters.  Therefore, I’ve decided to pull up stakes and move to #MaybeTrump.  Although my final decision must wait, let me share a few points I am considering.  [I invite you to use the “Comment” box below to respond.  I am not offended by polite disagreement.]

First, we can be thankful that there are still two months until Election Day, and a lot can happen during this time to influence our voting.  Therefore, I am joining what I hope is a host of American voters who are thinking carefully and discussing how to vote in this difficult, presidential election year.

 The wisdom books of the Bible have much to say about making wise decisions.  Proverbs 15:22 states, Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.   Proverbs 18:13 adds, He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.   Regardless of political party or religious affiliation, voters should apply the principles of these proverbs and use the time remaining to stay informed and become well prepared to exercise our freedom to vote.  Based on these Scriptures, voting early in this election could be your first bad decision.

Dr. C. Fred Smith of Southwestern Baptist Seminary has written a blog article entitled “How to Really Choose the Best Candidate!”.  Here is an edited summary of his “basic principles for becoming an informed and biblically grounded voter:”

1.      Study what the Bible says about character and leadership--Key concepts: virtue, character, vice, wisdom, behavior of Kings, etc.

2.      Read one or two good books on Christian Leadership principles.

3.      Read Article One and Article Two of the U.S. Constitution often enough to get familiar with them.

4.      Evaluate candidates in light of Biblical and Constitutional teaching, knowing that no candidate has ever been perfect. 

5.      Ignore most of the media circus.  Instead look at full transcripts of their speeches for evidences of their leadership style, vision for the country, moral character, virtues, etc.

6.      Ignore extremist websites–especially those that focus on tearing down the candidates.

7.      Look up the candidates’ resumes–What have they accomplished in the past? How does that relate to the office they are seeking?

8.  About a week before the election, decide who will get your vote–and again, do this with the knowledge that the candidate you choose will not be perfect.

     My second consideration before voting-- Americans who profess Christianity have an obligation to do more than vote wisely.  Scripture commands us to pray.  The primary season allowed Americans to chose two candidates for president of the United States—Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.  Many agree that both candidates have moral and ethical deficiencies.  But as such, they reflect much of what is endemic to the majority of Americans who elevated them to victory.  In fact, if we are honest when we look in the mirror, we may see some of our own values and character flaws in one or both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

I believe Christians must choose how they will respond to a weak field of candidates.  We can continue to highlight their character flaws as if God is powerless to transform them by Election Day.  Or, we can pray that God will work mightily in the lives of the candidates through people and circumstances surrounding them between now and Election Day.  Furthermore, we ought to pray that our hearts and minds as American voters will be honest, humble, and discerning.  Have we made this presidential election a prayer priority?

Franklin Graham emphasizes the importance of a praying electorate in Decision Magazine, saying, “When the Scripture says that the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water (Proverbs 21:1), it means that a Sovereign God can turn the heart of a king at any time and in any way.  If there are policies and platforms that don’t conform to biblical ethics, the intercession of Christians can be used in a powerful, transforming way.”  Grahams’ point applies not only to those currently holding high office but also candidates running for office.  He notes further that “… the ultimate reason the Bible instructs us to intercede on behalf of our leaders is so that they might come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.” Graham cites Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 2:3-4:

This (our intercession for those in authority) is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

That is right!  The Bible not only commands us to pray, but that we intercede for the souls of our leaders and candidates for office so that, in the words of Franklin Graham, “…our leadership would personally know God and the salvation found through faith in Jesus Christ alone.”   Graham solemnly adds,  “I can’t help but ask myself if all Christians had fulfilled this admonition and been faithful to pray for our leaders, would our nation—even our world—be different today?  Can our diligent, heartfelt prayers make a difference for the future?  Most certainly.”

Therefore, while we wait for Election Day, why not pray fervently and expectantly?  This question is only partly rhetorical.  I say this because I am facing two obstacles against my effort to pray fervently before I vote.

First, my faith is often too small to believe that God could intervene to transform the life of one or both of the presidential candidates. But then, I follow Dr. Smith’s principle #1 above and open my Bible. There, I find encouragement in the historical and prophetic books like Daniel.  In Daniel 4, we read the account of how God transformed prideful, pagan King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into a humble leader who afterwards spoke these words publically:  Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride (Daniel 4: 37).  What an amazing change of heart!

We can also read in Daniel 9 how this prophet interceded by fasting and prayer in sackcloth and ashes for his nation in exile. Daniel’s prayer is a model for those of us today who strive to understand the power of fasting and prayer.  God eventually turned the hearts of, not one, but several pagan kings who amazingly allowed the release of the Jewish nation from captivity. These pagan kings even assisted in the return of the Jews to Israel.  For example, in Nehemiah 1: 4, we read that when the prophet heard of the deplorable state of the city of Jerusalem during the Jewish exile (445 BC), he sat down and wept and mourned for days… fasting and praying before the God of heaven.  Then, Nehemiah appealed to the heart of the Persian King Artaxerxes I.  Amazingly, Artazerxes granted him permission to rebuild the ruined walls of Jerusalem.  Then this pagan king willingly supplied Nehemiah with the resources and protection to accomplish the mission!  Truly, the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord…and God can direct that path a king takes like the rivers of water (Proverbs 21:1).

Daniel and Nehemiah are only two examples of how God worked in history through great men of prayer and faith.  The author of Hebrews 11 lists many other men and women who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions….  Accounts like these from Scripture ought to encourage us today to fast and pray fervently and expectantly.  

Perhaps like me, you face a second obstacle against praying for our leaders and the candidates for office.  Suppose even if one or both of the candidates were miraculously transformed spiritually before November.  Can we trust that they would have the moral and spiritual maturity necessary for the office of president?  After all, look at their habits and past reputations—liar, adulterer, pro-abortion ‘murderer,’ proud, boastful, rash, brash, etc.  It’s no wonder many Americans are tempted to reside in the land of #NeverTrump, #NeverHillary, or #NoVote.  But then, was there ever a presidential candidate the all voters agreed would make a  good president?

For now, my focus for prayer is upon my personal attitude, my proneness toward sin, and the sin so prevalent in the American electorate.  As a born again believer in the incarnation, sinless life, death, resurrection, and imminent return of Jesus Christ, I am thankful that God did not look at my life and declare, “#NeverJohn.”  Instead, as the old hymn declares, God sought me, and bought me with His redeeming blood.  And God is still working to transform this stiff-necked rebel by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12: 2) through learning from people, experiences, and the Scriptures which are intended for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…(2 Timothy 3: 15).

Or have we as believers in Christ’s atonement forgotten how terribly unsuited we were for an “office” in God’s kingdom?  Have we come to the point in the recognition of our spiritual poverty that we can see ourselves in the center of the crowd of Jewish Pharisees, each ready to stone us until Jesus defends us, and says to our accusers, He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone (John 8: 7)?  Or instead, do I see myself among the accusers surrounding a Donald Trump or a Hillary Clinton lying on the ground while shouting out accusing words? ADULTERER! “LIAR!” 

Thankfully, many of God's people are humbly praying for our nation, for the person God will allow to assume leadership in January, and for a new resurgence of moral clarity and integrity in America.  Many Christians are concerned about their own personal walk with God so that their eyes are clear to identify candidates with integrity.  Perhaps if the spiritual eyes of God’s people had been more “clear” (Luke 11:  34) in 2012, fewer Christians would have abandoned presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a decent, moral man, who then narrowly lost to Barack Obama.  Romney had campaigned as a social and fiscal conservative, so there is reason to believe that the past four years could have been different under his stronger moral and ethical leadership and prior experience as a governor.

In this year’s election, many moral and fiscal conservatives view Donald Trump as a weaker candidate than Romney because of Trump’s lack of moral and spiritual maturity.  However, I am encouraged that Trump campaigns as both a fiscal and a social conservative (e.g. support for sanctity of life, and for maintaining law and order).  Trump’s choice of Gov. Mike Pence, a man of proven character and leadership, for vice president suggests that he knows the importance of making responsible choices of men and women to serve in government.  Trump also recently demonstrated some humility when he expressed regret that some of his words have been hurtful.  Willingness to admit error is an important trait of a leader.  I am thankful for small indications that God is at work in the life of candidate Trump.  As he receives classified briefings, I pray that Mr. Trump will sense more clearly the weight of the presidency and call upon God for wisdom and strength as other presidents have done.

I am also praying that God will use one of Trump's advisers just as He used Barnabas as recorded in Acts 11: 22-26 to encourage Saul, a former persecutor of Christians.  In spite of much fear and resistance by the first century church to the acceptance of Saul, Barnabas recommended him to the church based on his genuine profession of faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his sins.  Saul was eventually accepted by the church and became Paul the Apostle, one of the great early church evangelists and church planters.

Come November 8, some of us will remain in the land of #NoVote, being unable to vote in good conscience for either candidate. But, when neither candidate is deemed morally and spiritually qualified, does that justify abstaining?  Anyone may choose not to vote, but we should remember that the outcome of elections is decided by both voters and non-voters. In 2012, many, including Christians, were among residents of #NoVote because they refused support Mitt Romney. The resultant reelection of Barack Obama suggests that choosing not to vote doesn’t prevent us from leaving our fingerprints on the outcome.  Also, residents of #NoVote must consider how much they are dismissing the importance of substantial differences in the platforms of Trump and Clinton.  Careful reading and listening to the candidates reveals stark differences in their vision for America with respect to the following:

1.   Respect for “rule of law” vs. extending “compassion” arbitrarily
2.   Sanctity of human life
3.   Respect for U.S. Constitution (e.g. 1^st and 2^nd Amendments; “separation of powers”)
4.   Responsibility of government to protect from foreign invasion
5.   Solution to urban and rural poverty
6.   Support for marriage and family
7.   Education—school choice, improving teacher effectiveness
8.   Protection of religious freedom
9.   Rights and dignity of women
10. Fiscal responsibility of government
11. Importance of character and integrity for those in “public service”

To the shame of the Christian community in America, our nation has become more like ancient Greece and Rome. But unlike the Greeks and Romans, thanks to God’s grace working through the Founding Fathers, we have the freedom to vote.  Unfortunately, more and more we are faced with a choice between candidates with character qualities not unlike a Roman Caesar or a Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.  Yet God still works through pagan authorities; and, He continues to command Christians to pray for those in authority and to be salt and light in the public arena.  By “Spirit-led, Scripture-fed prayer,” we can develop more closely the mind of Christ and we can see more clearly what God is doing in our lives and in our nation as we participate as “salt and light” (Matthew 5: 13-16) while we anticipate Christ’s return. 

I do not know yet how I will vote in November, but I’m glad there is still more time to get acquainted with the candidates and their respective platforms.  Meanwhile, we ought to pray for them and for ourselves as voters that God will spiritually revive us, and revive America as God desires.  The prayer of Daniel, in Daniel 9, is a great place to begin praying in a "Scripture-fed, Spirit-led" fashion as you enter a time of quiet prayer, and perhaps even fasting for your relationship to God, and for revival in America and the World.  For more on prayer and fasting, see "How Do You P-R-A-Y This Thanksgiving?"

[I welcome your comments. Please click on “Comment” below if you care to respond.]

Local Churches and Spiritual Awakening

Readers of recent articles in Oikonomia are no doubt troubled as I have been by the seemingly increasing pace of the moral breakdown in America.  My first reaction to developments like the erosion of respect for law enforcement and justice, and the legalization of same-sex marriage was to blame the president for lack of moral leadership, and the Supreme Court for overriding the will of the majority by “legislating from the bench” (See “Cultural Influence of a Committed Minority”).  Then, God’s Spirit reminded me, convicted me, and caused me to look upward as it were to an even “higher court,” the throne of God.  My sharply pointing finger weakened, fell limp, and then turned to aim at my own heart, so often “prone to wander… prone to leave the God I love,” and so much in need of confession and repentance of sin in my own life.

My personal soul searching in recent weeks led to what I expressed in a second Oikonomia article, “IndividualAccountability and Spiritual Awakening.”  While I was finishing this article, the leadership of our church, West Hill Baptist Church, unbeknown to me, was meeting and prayerfully considering God’s leading for our local church in the community of Wooster and Wayne County in the midst of the increasing evidence of moral breakdown in our society.  The result of this time of prayer and submission to God on the part of West Hill pastors and lay leadership was an assembly of pastors from 15 churches in our area to participate in a prayer vigil, held at 1:00 pm on Sunday, August 2 at the Wayne County Fair Grounds.

Front-page account of prayer vigil

The purpose of this prayer vigil was not to point fingers, call out sinners, or assign blame.  Rather, the pastors who participated communicated by their presence that they have decided to “put a stake in the ground regarding what the church is and Who it represents.”  In the words of Pastor Mark Davenport, co-pastor at West Hill Baptist Church, as quoted in The Daily Record, “Let’s as churches pray for the churches.  The church needs to start loving people better, making our marriages better, making our relationships better.  These issues must be a priority,” he said, “if Christians are to minister to others.”

It was a humbling and moving experience for Abby and I to join over 1,500 others as we were led in prayer by several local pastors, each in their turn, from the Scripture in 2 Chronicles 7: 14 which states:

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

As we sensed the presence of God’s Spirit, I thanked God for our local church and our pastoral staff that preaches and teaches the Word of God regularly both from the platform and by their living example of humility and godliness.  We also stood that day with many fellow believers with whom we have served, and for whom we have prayed, and who have prayed for us.  In all of this, I realized that although it is true that spiritual awakening in a nation begins and spreads when individuals mourn and confess their sins to God and repent, there is also an important responsibility of the local church and pastoral leadership to foster an atmosphere of humble submission and repentance within individuals which in turn can impact families and the community.  I pray that the ground on which we stood and prayed on August 2 will be the beginning of a spiritual awakening in our church as well as in the Wooster and Wayne County area, and across our nation.

Thomas Doohan's coverage in The Daily Record (continued)

I want to thank Thomas Doohan, Staff Writer of The Daily Record for attending the prayer vigil and providing an excellent account of the event.  You can read Mr. Doohan’s article by clicking on the graphics above and at right.  The article is linked here by permission of The Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio.

Individual Accountability and Spiritual Awakening

In the previous Oikonomia article, “Cultural Influence of a Committed Minority,” I confessed that my first reaction to the High Court legalization of same-sex marriage was to resent how five unelected justices could alter the definition of marriage when a large majority of Americans had opposed it.  I even blamed President Obama for not providing moral leadership in opposition to this “legislation from the bench.”

Then I realized that biblical morality is not ultimately upheld by the bench, the legislature, elite focus groups, or the will of the masses.  The Bible teaches that a nation rises or falls based on whether or not individuals and leaders respect God’s moral absolutes, or “ancient landmarks” (Proverbs 22:28; and, see Oikonomia, “Stewardship and ‘Natural Law’.”)  Throughout history, God has used a committed minority to provide moral leadership and spiritual revival.  According to many Christian leaders, America needs revival now more than ever.  Now, I wondered what it would take to bring another great revival.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

In the mid-1700’s, the Holy Spirit moved through men of moral conviction like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield who preached that salvation depends upon individual accountability to God, not family traditions or church membership.  The American Revolution and the founding documents of America were consistent with a biblical understanding of individual responsibility, moral conduct, and governance.  Later, the Spirit used leaders like George Finney (second awakening, 1790 to 1840) and Jeremiah Lanphier (third awakening, 1857 to 1859).  The latter began with a small prayer meeting in New York City.  Each awakening brought men and women back to God’s moral landmarks, and each influenced the social and political landscape of America.   

Today, many are praying for revival in America, believing it to be the only answer to our spiritual decline.  As I have sought revival in my own life, I am learning there are no quick answers or “how-to-do-it” steps to revival.  Rather, by remembering the principle of individual accountability, I am first seeking to identify those hindrances to revival in my own life.  I am becoming less prone to find fault or assign blame to others for moral decline in America.  Christ’s “Beatitudes” are teaching me about my spiritual poverty (Matthew 5: 3), the logical response to mourn and confess my sin (v. 4), and the need to exercise gentleness when I confront my neighbor who lives in rejection of God’s plan for him or her (v. 5).  On the one hand, I want to offer acceptance and compassion toward my “neighbor” (one is gay, one, a lesbian).   On the other hand, I must ask if I am helping my “neighbor” by offering only acceptance and compassion? 

Andree Seu Peterson, in an article, “Compassion in the Midst of Evil”, addresses this difficult balance:

All of us were at one time lost, and occasionally lose our way even now, and so we all want compassion, and must all exercise it too. The main ground rule seems to be that compassion must never wimp out into any sympathy for evil. That would do no good for you or for the one you’re trying to help.

The Apostle Paul, when speaking to the Greeks in Athens about the God of creation said, Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent….  Elsewhere, in Romans 1: 16, Paul professes that he is not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  And, in verse 21, he adds (emphasis mine), For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  While it may seem arrogant (and can look that way to those who reject God’s plan), Christians have been given the commission to be salt and light (Matthew 5: 13-16).  Salt can sting in wounds and light can reveal embarrassing flaws—but salt can also preserve against rot, and light can reveal deadly danger ahead. 

The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes, Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (v. 16).   Today, Christ’s followers are enduring great suffering and even death to glorify God (See “Christianity Shines in Dark Places,” Oikonomia July 11, 2015).  Am I willing to at least “die to my pride” so that my neighbor might be reconciled to his or her Creator?  After all, it’s not ultimately our government or the collective will of Americans that will steer us toward godly living.  Rather it requires our individual accountability to God and to our neighbor, in addition to being responsible citizens who will participate knowledgeably in government and hold our respective representatives accountable to exercise moral leadership as civil servants.

How about you?   How have you come to terms with offering acceptance and compassion to our “neighbor” versus challenging him or her to consider the claims of Scripture that will decide their eternal destiny?   I welcome your thoughts about our need for revival as a nation and within the evangelical church.  Perhaps you can suggest spiritual disciplines that are essential to the working of God’s Spirit in our lives to bring revival in the midst of our wandering, wanton, weary world.  What helpful resources in Scripture or extra-Biblical have you found helpful?   I am currently reading some articles from the Gospel Coalition webpage (Search under “Church Life”/ “Revival”). 

Censoring Vocabulary, But Not Virtue

During my boyhood years in the mid-20^th century, I quickly learned that the English vocabulary could be sorted into two major groups -- “acceptable words” and “bad words.”  I encountered an unending stream of acceptable words on spelling lists, and I received many positive incentives to use them in polite conversation. I am now thankful for both the spelling lessons and the positive incentives.

I was also allured into using certain “bad words” that were expressed by unseemly characters who apparently felt bigger or more masculine when they spewed them out.  Fortunately, the positive examples and high expectations of men and women of godly character in my life won out over the more limited influence of “bad characters.”

Since the days of my boyhood, we have witnessed a major change in the realm of acceptable and unacceptable words.  For example, the code phrase for “sex” during my adolescence was “the birds and the bees.”  Although in retrospect, it would have been helpful to have had more instruction on sexuality as an adolescent; today we are exposed to a broad vocabulary complete with visual “aids” on the subject of sexuality including all manner of sexual perversions and classifications.  One would think that there are no longer any “bad words.”  But that is not true.  Instead we have a whole new class of “bad words” that represent the forbidden vocabulary in secular American culture.

Dylann Roof

Today, when anyone uses a “new bad word,” our secular culture is at least twice as perturbed as our mothers and grandmothers were when we let “bad words” slip out as adolescents.  Witness the current media discussion of what would lead Dylann Roof to burst into a South Carolina church and murder nine people meeting together for a Bible study.  “Acceptable words” in the current discussion of causation include gun access, drugs, video games, racism, negative talk radio, and Fox News.  These words have become code words for political agendas including the passage of gun control legislation, increased role of the federal government in local law enforcement, retaining support of minority voters, and the censorship of conservative media.  Taking the politics of gun control, for example, in an earlier article, No Gun Control Without Self-Control (March 30, 2013), I posited that violent crime is not simply a result of access to firearms.  Rather,

Whatever "weapon" Cain used, murder started in his heart.

"Our protection from both tongue and gun is rooted not in civil law but in the moral code.    The moral law is grounded in Jesus’ teaching that it is out of the heart [that] come evil     thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders (Matthew 15:19).  Therefore, the answer to a safe and civil society is not found alone in “tighter controls” on guns and speech.  Instead, there must be a revival within institutions that nurture a godly disposition of the heart; namely, the family and the local church, both within the context of caring communities."

Many who reject “band-aid approaches” to reducing gun violence may wish not to hear the vocabulary of this argument-- “new bad words” like moral, evil, revival, heart, self-control, and church.  Add the words, sin and forgiveness, and the liberal media often turns a deaf ear or cries “foul!”  In fact, the word evil was already headed for “bad” in the 1980’s when President Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.”  Today, liberal progressive culture includes sin in the vocabulary of “hate speech.”

But occasionally, liberal media and the progressive culture are caught off guard as for example, at the events on June 17, in Charleston, SC.  On that Wednesday night, Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old allegedly entered Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, attended a Bible Study for an hour, and then opened fire on those who had welcomed him.  Even before all the gruesome details were reported, the mantra began—the sour lamenting of “white-on-black” crime with all the expected vocabulary-- gun access, racism, negative talk radio, and the Confederate flag permeating the airwaves.  President Obama challenged the nation to confront the “terrible toll of gun violence.”

The AME church in Charleston, SC has had a long and troubled history beginning before the Civil War.  In the 1820’s, it survived its building being burned.  After the Civil War and during the Jim Crow era of racial segregation, AME church members worshipped in secret because all-black churches were outlawed.  But the June 17 shooting was not just another violent event in a region having a long history of racial unrest.  This time the media was faced with reporting a different message, complete with a vocabulary of “new bad words” like mercy, forgiveness, and enduring love.  Yes, in Charleston, SC, under the Confederate flag, and near historic Sullivan’s Island, the location where nearly half of the enslaved African people were brought ashore and auctioned to slave owners, came an eruption of an entirely different sort.

According to the Washington Post, “There was no yelling. There were no accusations. Instead, people who had lost the loves of their lives blessed the accused murderer.” Felicia Sanders, a hair stylist whose son Tywanza was allegedly killed by Roof, expressed this unexpected tone with a different vocabulary.  As we stared at Roof’s face filling much of our TV screens, she spoke directly to Dylann saying,

Tywanza Sanders

We welcomed you Wednesday night in our Bible study with welcome arms.  You have killed some of the most beautifulest people that I know.  Every fiber in my body hurts, and I’ll never be the same. . . . But as we say in Bible study, ‘We enjoyed you, but may God have mercy on you.’ “Tywanza Sanders was my son. But Tywanza Sanders was my hero. Tywanza was my hero,’’ she said, her voice trembling. “May God have mercy on you.”

The vocabulary of love, mercy, and forgiveness of Christians is seldom applauded in our secular culture. However, the words of the Charleston believers were powerful because their virtuous behavior affirmed their words sacrificial love, mercy, and forgiveness to Dylann Roof.  The same open arms that welcomed young Dylann Roof before he unleashed his violent hatred were now open to him in Christian forgiveness and in prayers for God’s mercy upon him.

From where does this kind of strength and forgiveness come?   The prophet Isaiah uses the word strength over twenty times.  His words may resonate with the hearts of many black Americans, and all of us who are weary because of the curse of sin and its manifestations—selfishness, pride, divisiveness, anger, and violence.

You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, 'It is hopeless.'
You found renewed strength,
Therefore you did not faint. – Isaiah 57: 10

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.  – Isaiah 40: 31

As America celebrates another 4^th of July, instead of saying “God Bless America” many of us want to say, “God Help America” or “God Bring Repentance, Humility, and Revival to America.”  Again, these “prayers” are filled with the “new bad words” in the view of many in our secular progressive culture.  But, until we individually acknowledge our sin and repent, and then pursue mercy, forgiveness, revival, and holiness, neither we nor our nation will be blessed by God and experience His forgiveness and blessing.  Only then will be able to love our neighbor regardless of his or her race or beliefs.  Only then will we respect authority and realize that violation of civil and moral laws begins with the pride-filled heart, not with weapons or even our words.   And finally, only then will Americans be able to do what black Christians in Charleston, SC did—look into the cold face of an alleged murderer and say words we so seldom hear, May God have mercy on you.

Perhaps America will soon enter a time when “word police” will prohibit the use of “the new bad words,” labeling them as “hate speech.”  Given prohibition of words like sin, repentance, Jesus, salvation, mercy, and forgiveness we may be left with no other recourse but to show the loving, forgiving, regenerated life that is possible in Christ.  Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth (1 John 3: 18).  Indeed, many Christians today have a powerful and transformative witness in very oppressive Muslim and other authoritarian countries.  There is much we can learn from Christians under more severe restrictions as we pray for them and become prepared for likely hard times ahead.