Category Archives: Ponderings

Thoughts and discourse

There, But for God’s Grace and Mercy Through His Providence, Go I

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John Calvin

John Calvin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why are we shocked when things like this, this, or this happen?

These sensational stories are tragic, no doubt. Scary, even. But we seem to think we’d never do or even be capable of such heinous acts. Then we bolt our door against our neighbor (rightly or wrongly, I can’t say; that’s up to you). Some believe we’re naturally moral. Still others say: red in tooth and claw.

The scriptures conclude we all fall short of God’s glory. But isn’t this an overstatement of our condition? Aren’t we really good, but just misguided, unmotivated, or low informational?

Paul, in the letter to the Romans, elaborates on what he concludes in case we were unsure:

11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16   in their paths are ruin and misery,
17    and the way of peace they have not known.”
18   “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

So, we have no excuse to be shocked at these sensational stories. This is the condition of man. However, if this is so, why then do we not claw and bite until we are no more?

John Calvin, a theologian not often cited now–a–days, suggests in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, book 1, chapter 17, and paragraph 11:

…How comes it, I ask, that their confidence never fails, but just that while the world apparently revolves at random, they know that God is everywhere at work, and feel assured that his work will be their safety? When assailed by the devil and wicked men, were they not confirmed by remembering and meditating on Providence, they should, of necessity, forthwith despond. But when they call to mind that the devil, and the whole train of the ungodly, are, in all directions, held in by the hand of God as with a bridle, so that they can neither conceive any mischief, nor plan what they have conceived, nor how much so ever they may have planned, move a single finger to perpetrate, unless in so far as he permits, nay, unless in so far as he commands; that they are not only bound by his fetters, but are even forced to do him service,—when the godly think of all these things they have ample sources of consolation. For, as it belongs to the lord to arm the fury of such foes and turn and destine it at pleasure, so it is his also to determine the measure and the end, so as to prevent them from breaking loose and wantoning as they list…

So God not only constrains the evildoer but commands him to do His bidding, yet without complicity or taint thrown back upon Him. But why, if we’re this way, are we guilty at all?

Calvin says in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, book 1, chapter 17, and paragraph 5:

… As all contingencies whatsoever depend on it, therefore, neither thefts nor adulteries, nor murders, are perpetrated without an interposition of the divine will. Why, then, they ask, should the thief be punished for robbing him whom the Lord chose to chastise with poverty? Why should the murderer be punished for slaying him whose life the Lord had terminated? If all such persons serve the will of God, why should they be punished?

I deny that they serve the will of God. For we cannot say that he who is carried away by a wicked mind performs service on the order of God, when he is only following his own malignant desires. He obeys God, who, being instructed in his will, hastens in the direction in which God calls him.

But how are we so instructed unless by his word? The will declared by his word is, therefore, that which we must keep in view in acting, God requires of us nothing but what he enjoins. If we design anything contrary to his precept, it is not obedience, but contumacy and transgression. But if he did not will it, we could not do it. I admit this.

But do we act wickedly for the purpose of yielding obedience to him? This, assuredly, he does not command. Nay, rather we rush on, not thinking of what he wishes, but so inflamed by our own passionate lust, that, with destined purpose, we strive against him. And in this way, while acting wickedly, we serve his righteous ordination, since in his boundless wisdom he well knows how to use bad instruments for good purposes.

And see how absurd this mode of arguing is. They will have it that crimes ought not to be punished in their authors, because they are not committed without the dispensation of God. I concede more—that thieves and murderers, and other evil-doers, are instruments of Divine Providence, being employed by the Lord himself to execute the Judgments which he has resolved to inflict.

But I deny that this forms any excuse for their misdeeds. For how? Will they implicate God in the same iniquity with themselves, or will they cloak their depravity by his righteousness? They cannot exculpate themselves, for their own conscience condemns them: they cannot charge God, since they perceive the whole wickedness in themselves, and nothing in Him save the legitimate use of their wickedness…

So, it is apparent that Romans 3 is true and we are not only held back from what we could do but others are employed to execute God’s judgments and, yet, are solely guilty of their transgression.

I see the tendency to do wrong in myself all the time. Do you? The only remedy is falling at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ in surrender because he says: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Another Mass Shooting

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Aerial view of the Washington Navy Yard. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What’s wrong with us? What’s it going to take? We’ve had another mass shooting. This time it was on a military base, the Washington Navy Yard. A base I once visited for business purposes. The security was lax then as it must have been now. To be fair, the level of security was equal to that necessary to protect national security information, not people.

I heard a doctor, who was treating some of the victims of this latest mass shooting, speak on television. She said that we have to get control of evil and eradicate it from our nation. I’m sure she meant well but I was perplexed as to how our society would go about implementing her desire.

I wondered how we would get control of evil and eradicate it. How would we go about doing that? Evil is perpetrated by men and women. It is found in the hearts and minds of those that do wrong. A building that collapses or a sinkhole that opens up suddenly may lead to a tragedy but these ‘perpetrate no evil.’

Did she mean we needed to seize control of the populace, declare martial law, or institute a totalitarian state? That’s what it would take to eradicate it from all our people. However, that would not, obviously, by the nature of the ‘solution,’ eradicate it from the nation. I would hope she didn’t mean that.

Barring a mass solution to this problem, we would have to identify individuals. But who would determine who was potentially evil. I say potentially because we can’t wait until someone proves they are evil by their actions, can we? It would be too late. But the laws of our nation preclude this pre-crime recourse. And, it’s no recourse, really, except in the movies; and we know how that turned out.

So, perhaps we should turn to the medical profession to identify those who might offend. What criteria would they use? Psychiatry’s handbook, the DSM-V, has objective descriptions of maladies that affect individuals. And those individuals may perpetrate offenses.

But who would apply the criteria? Doctors all over the nation would have to perform screenings. We’d have to indemnify and pay these doctors. They would be unavailable to treat those with other illnesses and we’d have to accept the losses that would result.

We’d need a large body of bureaucrats to administer this workforce of doctors. They’d be paid from our taxes. These administrators would assure fairness, justice, equity, and freedom from error of all those doctors’ decisions. They’d be responsible for adjudicating lapses in the system. Kind of like the IRS…

So, instead, maybe we could target minor offenses and incarcerate potential offenders at that point? Oh, wait, we’re doing that all ready. How’s that working out for us? Not real well, huh?

Maybe zero tolerance for gun ownership? But then only the criminals and terrorists would have guns. Law breakers, by definition, aren’t thwarted by zero tolerance laws. But, enough of this foolishness.

***

Maybe, we could show real compassion. We’d identify those who might act out (like we do all ready), but go one step further, and intervene. We’d stop hiding behind political correctness; put our reputations on the line; and save some of these folks and their potential victims from the crimes that might otherwise occur.

We’d educate the nation to reduce the stigma of dependency and mental illness. We’d do this so both the ill and their victims would seek help. We’d strengthen families, which are our first line of defense for the nation, so they could nurture those who might otherwise follow their bent into crime. Only when the family had done all it could do, would we intervene.

We’d target those who abuse alcohol, drugs, and little animals. We’d confront those who exhibit mental disorders and get them help. We’d provide them with counseling, medical treatment, and follow-up; not institutionalization. We’d hold the patients and caregivers to account for failures. And we’d recognize the toll caregiving takes on the caregivers themselves and provide support.

It will be hard and take self–sacrifice.

And, maybe, we could acknowledge that we all are bent and capable of snapping. That we ourselves are responsible for our actions and that these actions are not always good. And realize that we need to thoroughly change our life’s direction; an impossible task for us to do. And because of that, realize we need a Savior from the punishment we surely do deserve.

Off a Cliff – Thomas Jefferson Douglass

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How can our leaders blithely stand by while our economy careens toward a metaphorical cliff of runaway debt, tax increases of many sorts and a knee jerk cut to social entitlement and defense spending? At least that’s what the crisis is this time around.

It takes a body of people who freely exhibit extreme deception; manipulative cunning; lack of guilt, remorse, or empathy; a failure to accept responsibility for actions; a parasitic lifestyle; and a lack of long-term goals coupled with impulsivity. Wait just a minute, those characteristics are found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision. Hmm, I think we have a problem here.

Now ‘those leaders’ would have you believe that it is the fault of the rich, or the unions, or Wall Street, or those that don’t pay any income taxes at all. But that is not true. It’s everyone’s fault because ‘we the people’ voted them in and we keep on doing so. We’ve been warned about this looming cliff for more than twenty years by some folks reckoning. And we’ve done nothing except wring our hands and wait for ‘our leaders’ to kick the can down the road once again.

Nothing has happened so far, has it? Well, the bad news is that ‘nothing’ is coming to an end. Unless, of course that is what you want to have happen. What? Does anyone want the American economy ruined and the country, a hostile takeover candidate, subjugated by other nations?

Some think this nation inherited the imperial scepter from the last great power, England, and it wields it too well. Some think a nation constituted by the people is no different from a kingdom of tyrants and shouldn’t be cherished as the special experiment it is. Some want the nation punished for its ‘sins’. Some have hedged their bets. Some just want to fiddle while the nation burns. Maybe they’re right. ‘We the people’ don’t seem to deserve this nation any longer.

President George Washington said in 1789: “… since there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people…”

 Flowery language for ones so modern as us; but, nevertheless, he was right. We have dishonored this great man, and even more, his entire generation, by our quest for happiness, advantage and public prosperity without virtue, duty and honest policy. We offend Heaven when we disregard ordained order and right. And finally, we abdicate liberty and representative government when we give over this final experiment to those we would not voluntarily let into our homes. We must exercise our franchise for those who would freely exhibit honesty and be honestly effective; show empathy; accept responsibility for actions; live a magnanimous lifestyle; and establish long-term goals coupled with determination to get things right for the nation.

Inevitable

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It is inevitable that humans will continually strive for supremacy over one another. It started in a field long ago over whose worship was accepted and whose was rejected. It will be ended suddenly, without warning and with no chance for appeal. Any desired appeals must be made now. This opportunity comes as a result of another man’s act of worship and obedience that was accepted. That worship took place on a hill outside Jerusalem in the fullness of time.

The Future – Carl Lee Wilson

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You say you want a revelation? Well, you know, we all want to have hopeful futures. But we deny that the world 100, 1000 or, maybe, 10,000 years ago was the same as it is today. We claim to see progress but fail to notice that the measures have changed. Myth has it that, in antiquity, a philosopher with a lamp roamed his city in the daylight looking for an honest man. They called that man a dog in his death because he showed them their faults. Now, without having all the toys this life offers, who would gladly die and call it gain?

Which will it be: virtue or concupiscence? How can we contemplate the Singularity, galactic conquest or dystopian ruin without first addressing what is in our self-interest? Yes, self-interest, not ‘greed’; for they are decidedly different. Self-interest decides to give to others assuring their welfare and knowing that, by the act, it provides for its own. Whereas greed withholds hoping to hoard benefits to itself which it knows cannot last long enough.

Are not our current contemplations lacking in humanity and society? We want to live forever on our own terms or die trying. Preferably, of course, someone else will die trying and not us. All the while, we do not recognize the smear over our eyes preventing us from seeing the truth. From where does that unhealing salve come? Could it result from our continual and deliberate confusion of our conscience’s reprobations and approbations? What will it take for our eyes to be opened? Only with open eyes can we see the hope set before us.

What might that hopeful future entail? Everything that is good and pleasurable: all knowledge, industry and accomplishment. Perhaps it would include robots, starships and universal communications if they were necessary. Certainly, it will include creation, discovery and enjoyment as a matter of course. And, best of all, it will include rest from toil and turmoil. We will all be strong, good-looking and above average as a modern-day philosopher once observed. But this good outcome takes a reversal of direction here and now.

The future starts this very moment. Will you be greedy or self-interested? Go your own way or deny yourself? The harsh alternative is a dystopian future with no end. We all would rather change the world than change our own selves.

What Do You Really Want?

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I bet you want life, deep, enduring, and fully satisfying life.

But you settle for shallow, fleeting and unsatisfying life.

If you search your conscience, you realize the things you do to “pass the time” are a waste.

How many vacations can you take? Does it really matter if you miss a television season’s premier? How much do you really need in your bank account, garage, storage unit or camp?

Do you need to mentally torture your sister, brother, roommate, wife or husband to feel better about yourself?

Do you do things when no one (that you can see) is looking that in a better moment you would say is wrong for others to do?

Where does this behavior come from?

They call it original sin. It’s not very original and no one has to teach you to do it.

Is there training for toddlers to learn how to pout and refuse to obey? Are there any classes for kindergarteners to learn how not to share? What about tutoring sessions for first graders to learn how to lie about not doing homework?

Supposedly, some folks in a Garden first disobeyed and passed down this inheritance of disobedience to us. Perhaps you don’t believe this could have happened.

Well, wouldn’t you like to be like God? What about not dying? These were the promises. Promises by half, unfulfilled and unfulfillable by the promiser.

However, God came to the Garden to look for His lost creations and He shed blood. Not theirs but from ones whose blood foreshadowed the blood shed for all who would believe in His atoning sacrifice that He would make in the fullness of time.

And what is the consequence of His sacrifice? It is deep, enduring, and fully satisfying life forever for those who bow their knee in surrender to Him now. And it is shallow, fleeting and unsatisfying life now for those who refuse. And they will bow to Him after death at the Judgment, when it is too late, and go away from Him forever.

So, do you want to live this shallow life forever until, of course, you die? Are you willing to gamble that we are extinguished at death with no consequences to you for what you have done?

This Day

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Who did it?

Ones just like us, if we were brutally honest.

What happened?

The towers fell, those sworn to defend died and the 40 heroes struck back.

Where did it all start?

In a field east of Eden where the blood still cries out from the ground.

When does it end?

On The Day, from a tree on a hill facing Jerusalem.

Why would you die?

He has no pleasure in it, turn from your way and live.

How will it end for you?

Your surrender or your last day.

Surely, “it is much harder to believe than not to  believe”.

Dorothy L. Sayers

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Folks were jealous of her. She was before her time. She created a literary detective novel genre that offended the literati but won adoring fans and paid the bills. She wrote clearly, imaginatively and boldly about the Christian faith. She was accused of racism and of being a hack and was a single mother (let him who is without sin cast the first stone)…

Life

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Ever wonder what the reason is for your living? Two folks determined (?) that you would come into the world. They (?) did the best they could with what they had to raise you until you could (?) fend for yourself.

Now here you are with whatever nurture or nature has provisioned you. You either hurt, heal or shun others to your benefit or harm. You worship either no god or the One True God in all you think, say and do.

Perhaps you’ve embarked on the great enterprise of family building; or perhaps you just build your reputation, business or nation at the expense of all else. Maybe you fill your down moments with entertainment. You ask yourself, at the end of the day, what have you got to show for all your work under the sun? It’s so sad.

Maybe there is a message in what great scholars once called futility or vanity? Perhaps there is only one thing necessary.

Youth of America

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On my travels, I’ve been very encouraged by the young people I’ve met. At the beginning of July, I met a young man in line at a fast food restaurant in Washington Heights. During our extended conversation he remarked that learning to speak the Japanese language taught him humility and changed his life’s direction.

Mid August, in Washington, DC, I met a young woman who was bold (and kind) enough to suggest getting coffee at a nearby outlet, rather than the house coffee, since I was on a budget. She inquired the name and theme of the novel I said I would write and immediately responded positively to the direction that the novel would go. If I had a daughter, I’d want her to be just like this young woman: mentally agile, personable and unafraid.

We have remarkable, gifted and well-rounded youngsters. If I could offer advice to the youth of America, I’d say: save now, save often, save until it hurts. What are we doing to them with our national debt? What will they have to do for themselves and to us?