Osama is Dead, But...

We celebrate today, the demise of Osama Bin Laden, and we thank God for the courageous men and women of our armed forces who brought us this victory. However, as I said several years ago, this is just one more battle in a fifty-year war against an ideology bent on the destruction of the West. Islamofacists are warring against liberty. They will never stop until they win, or they die trying.

The typical conventions of war do not apply to a people whose identity is caught up in the destruction of Israel and the West. This is their reason for living, and for dying. They sincerely believe that killing, and even dying for “Allah” is a good and noble thing. This mindset places them beyond the limits of reasonable discourse. Any talk of peace or cease-fire is nothing more than a strategic move on their part to rebuild and regain strength for the war that must be fought to the finish.

We must understand that this is like no other war we have ever fought. This is a war of ideologies. It will never be won until the next generation of future Jihadists is won over by the ideas of freedom and democracy. We are looking at no less than a fifty-year war to change the minds and hearts of millions of people. I question whether or not it can be done, but we must try, or succumb to tyranny. In times past, presidents have spoken clearly when explaining why we fight, that we were defending our liberty and our religion. Yes, the religion of Christianity in all its various expressions. They understood that liberty and Christianity are inseparable.

We will never win this war with bullets alone. We must win the hearts of the next generation while we neutralize their fathers who would rather die warring against the West than talk peace with “The Great Satan.” If they choose to die, then we must help them do so before they kill us. Then we must teach the principles of democracy, and the blessings of liberty to their children, if there is to be any chance of real peace for coming generations.

There must be no talk of “proportionate response.” This is not a game where “You take my pawn; I’ll take yours. “ No. This is war. The only acceptable proportionate response is the total neutralization of terrorist forces around the globe. Until then -and I am convinced it will be for no less than fifty years- we must continue to fight and support our allies, particularly Israel, relentlessly. The next generation of free people depends on no less.

Has the Torch Been Snuffed Out?

Has the torch of liberty been snuffed out? Is the” last best hope of the earth,” as President Lincoln called us, a thing of the past?

Today, we no longer have the resources to help our friends, and fellow human beings in Japan suffering the effects of nature’s wrath, because we are a nation that is broke, and drowning in our own tsunami of debt.

In the Middle East brave men and women are giving their lives to pursue the liberty we take for granted, and our current administration responds to their desperate cries with meaningless “contemplation” of options. This “dithering” sends the message to those whose hearts are beating with a passion for liberty that they can no longer count on the U.S. to help them realize their God-given right to freedom.

Within our own borders we see gay rights movements and labor union thuggery exchanging civility and decency for perverseness and chaos.

Are America’s best days behind us? Will we pass on to the next generation a nation that is less prosperous, less peaceful and less civil than the one that was passed down to us?

The answer lies with the Christian clergy of the nation, those who know that
“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory.” (Matthew 12:20)

It will take, yet one more revival, beginning with men and women of God desperately crying out in repentance from our own self-centered ways to see God once again, shed His grace on our nation as He has for so many years.
The clergy must repent of their dissensions and factions (Galatians 5:20) and come together in the Name of Jesus to see this nation turn around from its current path to oblivion.

Those who call themselves “Christian” must rise up to do their duty to their community and nation as part of their duty to God. God will bless or curse this nation and the next generation according to the actions of believers. If we rise up to the occasion the “smoldering wick” will once again be ablaze with glory and we will continue to be that beacon of liberty for a world in need, and God will get the glory!

Of Koran Burning and Mosque Building

I pray that the congregation of Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville Florida will reconsider their decision to publicly burn copies of the Koran, but I will fight for their legal right to do so.

After all, there is a moral equivalency between this situation and the building of a mosque at Ground Zero. They both have the Constitutional right to do what they plan, but they are both unwise decisions, because they both illustrate intolerance and a lack of consideration for those they oppose. As Christians, the golden rule applies: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Neither the World Trade Center Mosque or the Gainesville Koran burning reflect that basic Biblical sentiment. They should both cancel their intended plans.

I wonder. Do you think President Obama will publicly express his support for the legal right to burn the Koran as he did for building of the Mosque?

Wisdom says both ideas should be rejected.

Polarization, Not Decline

This week’s article in Newsweek, “The End of Christian America” claims that Christianity is on the decline in America. What the article really uncovered is that those who identify as Christians, but who have never lived for Christ –“pseudo” Christians- are now more willing to identify as Agnostics or Atheists. The mushy middle is disappearing, as the Bible teaches us would happen. (Revelation 12:11, 12).

On the other hand, every day of the week two new mega churches are opening their doors (Churches with more than 2,000 in attendance, according to Churchgrowthtoday.com.) So it becomes clear that what is happening is not a decline in Christianity –real Christianity- but rather a polarization in America.

Yes, there are two Americas, not as defined by John Edwards, during his presidential bid, of the “haves” and “have-nots,” but two Americas defined by a fundamental worldview that either acknowledges God and the legitimacy of the Bible, or it does not, or put another way, those who believe in “One Nation Under God,” and those who do not.

It’s been said that God has no grandchildren. Americans who have grown as traditional or cultural Christians, are being compelled to decide for themselves who they will acknowledge as the only true God: the God of the Bible, or the god of their own creation. This polarization will continue, as the godless crowd gains the support of government and major institutions, like the media and public education.

Sadly, the reality is that as we move away from our identity as “One Nation Under God,” we will find ourselves to be many nations under many gods. This will mean an accelerating decline in American life. We can look forward to more violence, less prosperity, and an overall continuing degeneration of our culture. The only answer is a spiritual renewal that will call us back to the faith of our Founders: a faith reflected by our greatest leaders, like President Lincoln who told us that

“It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependency upon the overruling power of God…”[1]

Since it is illogical to expect ungodly institutions to teach the truth of our godly traditions and history, it is up to the Church to proclaim the truth, even when it brings division. It is time to see a decline of the mushy middle. Let the polarization continue while we pray for revival.


[1] On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day:
.