America The Exceptional

America upon Reflection


“Really now, in the last 40 years, whose standards have changed more-those of the Church or those of society? Who is looking like whom? … We have not changed the world, the world has changed us.”

Michael Brown- Revolution: Call to Holy War

I want everyone to step back for a moment, away from all of the partisan banter, and reflect on the actual condition (morally, spiritually, economically, politically, etc.) of our nation. Those on the Right believe that liberals are a bunch of "hate America firsters" while those on the Left believe that conservatives are a bunch of “hear no evil, see no evil” puppets of the State. It is as easy as it is unfortunate to figure what a persons assessment of our Union might be based solely upon party affiliation and who happens to be in power at the time of the asking. See, in one regard they are both right, and yet in another they are both wrong.

Both the Right and the Left despise America (at least the State and its policies) when the other is in power just as much as they love America (with a blindness only a mother could understand) when the others are out of it. When the State was controlled by Democrats all the lefties were in rejoicing. The Right during that time thought that it was the worst condition our State had been through in American history! Then Bush entered into office and the Right was ecstatic. Since he has been in office the conservative base has been all but worshipping the RNC. It would seem that nothing Mr. Bush does is wrong to them. All the while the Democrats are bemoaning every single thing that Bush has ever done.

So it would seem that both the Left and the Right are “hate America firsters” depending on which party is wielding power (most specifically, which is a true sign or symptom of Imperial Statism, the Executive Office). In the same measure, both the Left and the Right are shouting “America the Exceptional” when their Party is in office. This is partisan politics and merely a play at psychological self-deception when excluding oneself (at least the vast majority on both sides of the isle) from such a judgment.

So let us, as Bible believing Paleocrats, look at the state of our Union. Let us take a peek into the ills that we are riddled with. Let us look at the plank in our eye so that we can more accurately understand what we have to work on in pursuit of self-betterment. Once we realize the condition we are in the sooner we may be able to remedy the problem.

Here are some statistics that will help us make a sound judgment regarding our present condition. Some of the facts and numbers are hard to handle. (Trust me, I have preached on them to kids in youth group.)

Since 1960 the….

1. Divorce Rate has Doubled

2. Suicide Rate has Tripled

3. Reported Violent Crimes have quadrupled

4. Prison Population has quadrupled

5. Percent of babies born to unmarried parents has sextupled

6. Cohabitation (or live-ins) has increased sevenfold

Rates and Percentages, many in relation to the entire industrialized world

1. America has the highest percentage of single-parent families in the industrialized world

2. The highest abortion rate in the industrialized world

3. The highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the industrialized world.

4. The highest teenage birthrate in the entire industrialized world.

5. The highest rate of teenage drug use in the industrialized world.

6. 21% of American 9 year olds watch five hours or more of television daily. This is the highest in the industrialized world.

7. At present, the out-of-wedlock birthrate amongst Blacks is near 68%. They also have the second highest rate of HIV/AIDS right behind homosexuals.

8. Across American racial divides the out-of-wedlock birthrate is 1 out of 3.

9. Within the last few years out of the approximately 65,000,000 kids age 17 and younger, almost 28,000,000 (43%) spent time in a single-parent family. About 8.25 million were born out of wedlock, about 16,700,000 experienced the divorce of their parents, and additional 3,000,000 or so children were born out of wedlock AND experienced a divorce of their parents.

10. Among women born between 1971 and 1975, 2% were married to their partner at the time of their first sexual intercourse. That is one out of every 50 girls that make it abstinent until marriage.

11. In 1997 (not that long ago), roughly 3,000,000 teenagers, about one in four who are sexually active, acquired a sexually transmitted disease. Recent studies show that this number has increased.

12. 76% of all births to teenagers occur outside of marriage.

13. In 15 of our nation’s largest cities in 1995, the teen out of wedlock birth ratio was a huge 90%! In Pittsburgh and Baltimore it was 96.5%!

14. 4,000 babies are reported as being aborted every 24 hours.

15. 1,500,000 to 1,800,000 babies are reported to have been murdered by abortion procedures annually in our nation.

16. A 1997 survey conducted by George Barna used 152 different items to compare the Church and the world. He found virtually no difference between the two!

I am choosing to stop the list here although I could talk about the lives taken around the world through interventionism, the immorality of taxation (unbiblical taxation), Darwinist propaganda in public schools, the sex (pervert) education in public schools, public school education in general (in math achievement American public school students ranked 19th out of 21 nations), cases such as Terri Schiavo and the Philadelphia protesters (arrested and facing many years in prison for bringing the gospel to the streets of Philadelphia during a gay pride festival), as well as the gay revolution and the AIDS curse. The list could go on and on!

As I stated before, there is no question that America has done and continues to do good at home and abroad. But we must remember that the good we have done does not permit us to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the atrocities committed by America at home and abroad. We, especially as Christians, must begin to take America by the horns and demand change. It is our responsibility as God’s reforming agent to confront the world and declare Christ as King, requiring that every area of life submit to his Lordship. For he alone can perform the surgery America so desperately needs in order to truly become “America the Exceptional.”


*You can access many of these figures in Michael Brown’s book entitled, “Revolution: The Call to Holy War.” You can also check out “Faith Commitment” by Barna Research Online at www.barna.org. *

Marriage is More Than a Definition

My Wife and Child

A thought today it may be good to step away from critical analysis and deal with an issue that is really personal to me. Family, more specifically, marriage. I have been married for over 2 years now and since our having "tied the knot" and during this time our nation has had to face some serious matters. Most relevant to this piece would be the debate over the meaning and definition of marriage. We were married around the time of the Lawrence v. Texas ruling and the subsequent events.

On the right you have those who cry for retaining the present definition of marriage. On the left you have them saying that the definition is as outdated as a stay at home mother or home schooling. Those in the center (like our beloved President) say that they want marriage to remain as it is but they would be o.k. with domestic partnerships and civil unions. It would seem as if the most prominent voices in society are all over the map on the matter. Save of course the voice of the people where majority after majority chose to amend State Constitutions to protect themselves from the onslaught of fags in veils and lesbians with mullets as “best men.” (Sorry Heather for the jab at your soon-to-be brother-in-law’s best “man”) The people’s voice is loud and clear on the issue.

Since my being involved in political discussion I have been asked on numerous occasions what my take on the issue is and what I think should, or could, be done. Anyone having even a modicum of insight into my religious and political persuasion ought to have an easy time figuring out which side of the isle I would find myself. I am a Christian Reconstructionist, a Paleoconservative, and a strong advocate for a homosexual death penalty. But here I want to attempt to put forth not only what “should” be done but also what, at present, is more “probable” to be done.

What should be done is to reinstate a homosexual death penalty. Truth be told, if we were to obey God’s Law concerning the sanctions against homosexuality we would have no “crisis.” The debate would be gone. At least from the homosexuals themselves. Their defenders could debate over whether or not to put them to death but not over whether or not we should alter God’s sacred definition and structure of marriage.

Another “should be done” would include the Church and the State to reconsider no-fault-divorce laws. These laws have done so much to strip marriage of its sanctity (and to say that marriage has any sanctity left amongst the tidal wave of reality TV show marriages, Las Vegas weddings, Jerry Springer weddings, and non-virgins wearing white wedding gowns proudly, is nostalgia at best and naivety at worst)

The Church also must reconsider its position concerning excommunication of members living adulterous lives due to their being divorced on non-Biblical grounds and then getting re-married on non-Biblical grounds. The Church must again take a hard stance on this issue as the primary defender and example of marriage in the world.

IT ought to be no surprise to us that the definition of marriage is under fire. Why wouldn’t it be? We, the Church, have not set before the world a good example of marriage, divorce, and restitution. We have also given them the impression that no-fault divorce is an acceptable, though unfortunate, event. This is a lie of catastrophic proportions! The Church has a divorce rate that is staggering! With the statistics available it would seem that the Church has a higher divorce rate than non-believers. And non-believers have a divorce rate of around 50%! Is it any wonder then that the world would be floundering in this sea of relativism and for-the-moment pleasure seeking? Doesn’t even the Word say that if the believer barely be saved what then of the world? By the looks of it we are being saved “as if through fire” leaving little or no room above the flames for the non-believer.

Concerning what “could” be done (as if what “should” be done “cannot” be done) on a Church and State level there are only a few alternatives. Some insist on a federal amendment to the Constitution. I am not a supporter of this measure. For starters, Republicans will never see it get out of committee or pass in the Senate. The House would be all for it but not the Senate. Another reason is because it is more of a political tool than a real concern for the vast majority of Republicans. Most of them have no problem with civil unions or domestic partnerships as long as they can salvage a “definition.”

Another problem with this solution is that it gets the civil government in an area where it does not belong. The Federal government has no Constitutional right to determine the definition of marriage. They are given specific right as explained in Article 1 Section 8. Granted they do not obey these guidelines this does not give us a permit then to separate from principle and law. It is kind of like saying that you will go 10 MPH over the speed limit because you know that there is a cop or a judge who does it. Point is, it is the law, and we are to uphold the law.

Constitutionally there are a few legitimate options but two are most probable. First, we could amend the “Full Faith and Credit” Clause to be more specific regarding what is eligible and ineligible to receive full faith and credit. We could also amend it in such a way as to allow states discretion as to what will receive full faith and credit. This is already done in part when dealing with “concealed-carry gun permits.” Another constitutional option would be to make a law needing only a basic majority (rather than the supermajority needed for Constitutional Amendments) establishing DOMA. Lastly, they could limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as well as lower federal courts. They even have the right to abolish any federal court outside of the Supreme Court. It may be wise to start with the 9th District. Court of Appeals if you ask me.
In conclusion, there is much that should have been done, even more that must now be done, and not a how lot that can be done. This is a strange time we live in. The Church must rise to the occasion and reclaim the right of “standard bearer.” Christians must come against the tidal wave of divorce and infidelity. It must reestablish the high standards that marriage once required. The Church would also do well to reconsider issues such as bride price, arranged marriage, and the effect that dating has had on marriage in America. And the government must do what it can within the boundaries that for better or worse it has imposed upon itself. This may not solve the problem but it will certainly get us thinking about how we can most effectively deal with it.

P.S.
A definition is as reactive as it is creative and conservative. If marriage was in good shape there would be no debate. Definitions change only when the reality that it is to reflect and signify has changed. So for us to save a definition would do little to no good in saving, or even preserving, the reality of what it is to signify. Save marriage, the definition will follow.