Tuesday, July 12, 2016
504 - Face(book) the Nation
Spirituality Column No. 504
July 12, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
“If we are faithless, He will remain faithful …” – St. Paul on Christ, 2 Timothy 2:13
I believe America is basically good and the Bible is entirely true.
I understand many of America’s problems past and present, and most of the Bible’s seeming contradictions.
I observe science as one of God’s greatest gifts and one of Satan’s favorite playgrounds. Science sheds fascinating light on the workings of God’s Creation while providing human comforts, conveniences and conveyances unavailable in nature. What science cannot do is save us from sin…if you believe in that sort of thing.
I think politics is a great jumble of cross purposes and passions of the moment. Some moments are longer than others, and some passions are more productive than others. Former House Speaker Tip O’Neil famously observed, “All politics is local.” Indeed. My faith is as “local” as it gets, and politics is as local as what makes me secure in my home with food on my table and a job to go to tomorrow. Out in society, politics is a perpetually partisan morass of unsettled arguments.
Then last week happens: Hillary’s email/FBI ruckus, racially charged police shootings, and a black man ambushing police who are protecting blacks protesting the police shootings. Social media subsequently burned with high dudgeon, partisan vitriol and panicked pleas. Facebook posts bled with our national angst, calling for prayers and peace and unity. “Heal our nation” was a popular thread.
Over the weekend: more shootings, riots, arrests and pleas. But no healing.
Ahead still lay the hot weeks of summer including two political conventions with passionately divisive presidential candidates looking to replace a dispassionately divisive current president. Abroad, the frightfully perilous Zika-Pollution-Anarchy summer Olympics start Aug. 5 in Rio de Janeiro. Plus, we haven’t heard from ISIS in a week or so. What’ll happen next? I can’t answer that one.
My Facebook wall fairly screams, “Where is God when we need Him?”
Now that one I can answer. God is in exactly the same place all the time. He’s everywhere, He is righteous and He has already answered every need humanity truly has. The ongoing problem is that humanity keeps ignoring the ultimate, all-comers healing answer God bequeathed to humanity two thousand years ago: Jesus Christ.
Believers know it, but until everyone understands, believes and acts on what Jesus says in John 15:12, “This is my commandment; that you love one another as I have loved you,” we aren’t going to fix anything. Neither will science, politics…or God.
God, you see, is perfectly faithful to His own righteousness.
God bless America? The problem isn’t His faithfulness, it’s ours.
Heal our nation? Heal our faith.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) understands taking a “Facebook vacation.”
July 12, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Face(book) the Nation
By Bob Walters“If we are faithless, He will remain faithful …” – St. Paul on Christ, 2 Timothy 2:13
I believe America is basically good and the Bible is entirely true.
I understand many of America’s problems past and present, and most of the Bible’s seeming contradictions.
I observe science as one of God’s greatest gifts and one of Satan’s favorite playgrounds. Science sheds fascinating light on the workings of God’s Creation while providing human comforts, conveniences and conveyances unavailable in nature. What science cannot do is save us from sin…if you believe in that sort of thing.
I think politics is a great jumble of cross purposes and passions of the moment. Some moments are longer than others, and some passions are more productive than others. Former House Speaker Tip O’Neil famously observed, “All politics is local.” Indeed. My faith is as “local” as it gets, and politics is as local as what makes me secure in my home with food on my table and a job to go to tomorrow. Out in society, politics is a perpetually partisan morass of unsettled arguments.
Then last week happens: Hillary’s email/FBI ruckus, racially charged police shootings, and a black man ambushing police who are protecting blacks protesting the police shootings. Social media subsequently burned with high dudgeon, partisan vitriol and panicked pleas. Facebook posts bled with our national angst, calling for prayers and peace and unity. “Heal our nation” was a popular thread.
Over the weekend: more shootings, riots, arrests and pleas. But no healing.
Ahead still lay the hot weeks of summer including two political conventions with passionately divisive presidential candidates looking to replace a dispassionately divisive current president. Abroad, the frightfully perilous Zika-Pollution-Anarchy summer Olympics start Aug. 5 in Rio de Janeiro. Plus, we haven’t heard from ISIS in a week or so. What’ll happen next? I can’t answer that one.
My Facebook wall fairly screams, “Where is God when we need Him?”
Now that one I can answer. God is in exactly the same place all the time. He’s everywhere, He is righteous and He has already answered every need humanity truly has. The ongoing problem is that humanity keeps ignoring the ultimate, all-comers healing answer God bequeathed to humanity two thousand years ago: Jesus Christ.
Believers know it, but until everyone understands, believes and acts on what Jesus says in John 15:12, “This is my commandment; that you love one another as I have loved you,” we aren’t going to fix anything. Neither will science, politics…or God.
God, you see, is perfectly faithful to His own righteousness.
God bless America? The problem isn’t His faithfulness, it’s ours.
Heal our nation? Heal our faith.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) understands taking a “Facebook vacation.”
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