Our Only Hope in This World and the Next

Gentle readers may have noticed that the language I use in this blog and indeed, the subject matter of this blog has changed of late.  I feel I need to explain myself to you.  A number of years ago, my friend, Francis W. Porretto, who at the time ran a blog titled "Eternity Road" and now writes for "Liberty's Torch" advised me that to reach a largely non-religious audience, I should not rely on Biblical truths and arguments to make my points.  Thing is, there is no truth but Biblical truths.  And frankly, the time for convincing people has long past; the time of talking is over.

I started this blog limiting it to the topic of guns and self defense.  I started writing to leave a different pattern of thought for my grandaughter some 13 years ago.  I wanted her to have an alternative to the materialism and atheism she would get from the schools, the mainstream media and entertainment companies.  She is now nearly a grown woman, and for better or worse, has her own ideas.  I would tell her not to make my mistakes, but to be original and make her own, but she is beyond listening to an old fart.  And besides, the older I get, the less I know.

Of course, the God of Abraham, of Issac and Jacob, the Father of the Son who died on that cross to take away the sins of thw world is no pacifist.  He takes His own side all things, and we hand better hope we are on His side.  There really was war in heaven.  Lucifer, Commander of the Hosts of Heaven had so much pride, he thought he could be God.  Lucifer and a number of angels were cast out of heaven.  Now, unlike people, angels can not repent.  So, Lucifer is forever against God.  He stalks this world looking to tempt people away from God, and from doing God's will.

Being Christian is not about being pacifist either.  Christ was God's Son, after all, so was perfectly aligned with His will.  It is not about being nice, or kind, though loving and forgiving your neighbor is required.  Go read the Gospels if you don't believe me.  And it is not about making the world a better place.  The early Church fathers recognized that this world must pass away.  What it is about is starting each day praying "Have mercy on me, a sinner.  Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy,  Not my will but thine be done,"  Then listen closely for His will.

All that is prologue to Scott Hogenson's article at Townhall.com entitled The Courage to Proclaim Biblical Wisdom, Courage is a Christian virtuem of course.

Here’s a fun exercise: President Theodore Roosevelt is credited with observing, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” Imagine the reaction if he’d said that today.

Academia would suffer an emotional meltdown of epic proportions. Campus grief counselors would be booked solid through 2025. Reactions on Twitter and Facebook would break the Internet.

Media fact checkers would feverishly write about how people with graduate degrees in LGBTQIA+ Studies earn more money than Presbyterian ministers. CNN and MSNBC would enjoy a ratings spike of such magnitude, they wouldn’t have to fire any more anchors.

Roosevelt didn’t say this because he was some closet theocrat who wanted to oppress the nation into a dystopian Handmaid's Tale. He said it because he had the courage to articulate a simple truth: The Bible provides more than just a basis for Christianity. It also provides biblical wisdom, a foundation of morality for our personal lives and a civil society that promotes individual liberty.

And it wasn't just Roosevelt. It seems George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Truman thought the Bible was essential reading. Now, you may think that back then, expressing such sentiments required no courage. But I have to tell you that people are the same today as they were then.

Still, they were courageous men and it takes courage to say such things today. Speaking the truth in 2022 is risky business. Many of us simply do not possess the fortitude to withstand the withering criticism that can accompany something as ordinary as noticing that the Bible has many very good ideas about how to live our lives and structure society.

...snip...

When George Washington said it’s impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible, he was saying God’s law is greater than Man’s law and that our elected leaders are accountable to God. These are principles from scripture, amplified by the Reformation, and put into civic practice through the American founding.

So, I mean to ignore Francis Porretto's advice, well meaning as it was, and exercise in some small way a bit of courage, for I sincerely believe it is our only hope in this world and the next.