The State of the Union

This past Sunday, David Fowler, a former TN state senator and now the president of the Family Action Council of TN, was our guest speaker at church. Much of what is below is my paraphrse of his sermon--with a few of my own thoughts added in. He shared several Scriptures that struck me as poignant for the current atmosphere in the US. The first is Isaiah 59:14. I've used the NCV:

"So we have driven away justice, and we have kept away from what is right. Truth is not spoken in the streets; what is honest is not allowed to enter the city."

Wow. It brings to mind court cases where there are more rights for the accused than for the victims. It speaks to me about our societal fear of infringing on anyone's "rights," as we define them. But mostly, I'm struck by the thought that we simply have "kept away from what is right."

Let's be honest, when we preach tolerance--the "live and let live" variety--we're going against what we know is right. When we say that women should be able to choose their own reproductive options, we're ignoring the truth that it's wrong to kill. When we support legislation that allows men to marry men and women to marry women, we're going against the laws of God and nature. (And, by the way, I have yet to see a definitive study that proves to me that homosexuality is purely biological.) When we teach our children that their very lives are a cosmic accident, we're denying the Truth of the living God. (Again, science seems to be lagging here--clinging to Darwin's arguments that would never pass the standards of any modern study. Read any of Lee Stroebel's "Case" books if you don't believe me.)

Even as I type this, I know I will offend some friends (yes, friends). But I feel convicted that it's time to boldly speak Truth into a society that so badly needs it. I'm praying Proverbs 2 for myself and my country (v. 3-5):

"Cry out for wisdom, and beg for understanding. Search for it like silver, and hunt for it like hidden treaure. Then you will understand respect for the Lord, and you will find that you know God."

Finally, let me say that everyone wants to believe in something. When we stop believing the truths of God, and rely on ourselves, we get a cheap immitation of what God intended for us:

"My people have done two evils: They have turned away from me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water" (Jeremiah 2:13, emphasis added) .