Pandemic of Disrespect

My through-the-Bible reading has me in Exodus right now. I am struck by how much of the Mosaic law was about respect. With the exception of Aretha Franklin, nobody is talking about respect these days. That is unless they are demanding respect for their particular cause. The grand American experiment of allowing freedom of thought has shuddered to a halt. One of the most ironic cases is the politically correct tolerance crowd being intolerant of anyone who disagrees with them. Hypocrisy, duplicity, and outright deception rule the public square these days. Respect and common courtesy are conspicuously absent.

Half a century ago when I was studying civics (a subject missing from curricula today), I learned that the three branches of the government were intended to be check and balance operations. The executive was to enforce the laws made by the legislative assuming they passed muster with the judicial. The reigning force in all this was to be the United States Constitution. In the final analysis we were to be a people ruled by law. The beauty of it was that we the people made the laws or changed the laws as the Constitution allowed and circumstances dictated. Respect for the Constitution has dwindled under the pressure of so-called dynamic interpretation which allows for rewriting or ignoring the very document that is supposed to govern.

Our nation’s founders borrowed the idea of being governed by law from Moses. God gave a specific set of laws to His people, Israel. The laws were presented as behaviors that were necessary for a person to be accepted by God. They were couched in religious language, but they were ultimately practical, defining the safest and most civil way to live in society. They were all about respect: respect for God above all else; respect for life itself; respect for authority; respect for all fellow humans; respect for livestock; respect for foreigners and slaves. The most intimate aspects of human interaction were covered, often focusing on sexual and parental relations.

Quite a few years ago I realized that one of the keys reasons God created male and female representatives who were to populate the earth through intimate contact was to build a solid foundation for social structure. The loving intimacy of the marital bond was to be the glue that held society together. The father-mother-child triad is the basic building block of society. This helps to explain the large number of laws governing marital and family relationships. For thousands of years, nations grew from on the family-clan-tribe roots ordained by God.

Because of the natural propensity toward sin, these structures did not often result in the respect God intended. To my amazement I see that the tribes descending from Esau and Ishmael still disrespect the tribes of Israel. Feuds almost as ancient are evident in the Serbo/Croatian, Hutu/Tutsi, Sino/Indian and Irish/English conflicts of recent history. Throughout history, failure to respect the opinions or cultures of others lies at the heart of most of the battles we fight whether personal or national. What’s missing is respect.

For the last one hundred years or so, respect has been draining from the tank of American values. I have written previously that the decoupling of procreation from sex made possible in the 1960’s by ready availability and reliability of birth control hastened the disrespect for traditional marriage. I have also suggested that the insidious unrelenting pressure from gay rights activists made it possible for society to redefine marriage itself, removing the God-given male/female element. Sociologist may debate the necessity of two genders in marriage, but anyone who respects the ordinance of God can see the fault in same-sex unions.

Another forbidden fruit that fell from the tree of social upheaval in the last century is disrespect for authority. The beatniks and hippies of my youth set the stage for the careless attitudes we now see a couple generations later. Growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s, I became the last generation to experience almost universal firm parental control and serious consequences for disobedience. I attempted with my children to carry forward the discipline I had experienced, but many of my peers did not. Societal pressures tugged at all the Gen-X parents, causing many of them to abandon firm parental discipline. I saw the result of that in my classrooms where students showed an alarming disrespect for teachers, fellow students, and property in general. Parents who were called in to discuss their child’s misbehavior often defended them against the authority of the school.

The sixth commandment sets the stage for societal respect: honor your father and mother. Families built on respect for authority should raise children who will carry the banner forward. However, even in Christian homes today, this is not always the case. Believing parents too often succumb to the societal pressure to allow children to have their own way. Another worldly pressure, consumerism, has pushed many families to require two incomes, abandoning their children to whatever structures the community provides. Unless they are fortunate enough to have Christian day-care and Christian schools, secular attitudes will inevitably be formed in their children.

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy that in the last days, respect would disappear from society. Whether or not these are the last days Paul spoke of, his predictions have come to pass. I cannot change our culture and bring back respect and common courtesy. Neither can you. However, if we could convince our churches to stand up and claim their right to influence the culture, we could hope to gain back some of the lost ground.

According to George Barna, the percentage of practicing Christians in America in 2020 dropped by half in the previous twenty years. Of those who dropped out, half quit believing altogether and the rest quit “practicing.” Other polls indicate that many who left are disillusioned because the church seems irrelevant. Perhaps taking on the challenge of making the world a better place would seem relevant to those who have given up on church. I am not talking about the “social gospel” of the 1960’s. I am talking about being light in a dark world – the stated purpose of the church according to its founder. We need to put flesh on the part of the “Lord’s Prayer” that says, “Thy will be done; thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. (For more see “Bringing the Kingdom.”)

I know I am harping on an old saw again, but there is something else we can do that doesn’t involve long-term effort: vote wisely. The Barna poll I referenced has the following encouraging statement: “While the decline of Christian engagement is real, the data remind us that one-quarter of the population qualifies as a practicing Christian. This represents more than 80 million adults—a level of churchgoing that is a statistical outlier among affluent and educated societies.” In other words, we the (Christian) people have the power to shape our government. I am not advocating a theocracy as some detractors claim. I am recommending a return to the Judeo-Christian roots of our country – roots that grow from the Mosaic law that demands respect. That is the cure for the pandemic of disrespect we now suffer.

Related posts: Conspiracy Theory; Adolescence. Ugh!; The Risk of Raising Children; The Perfect Father

Conspiracy Theory

I have a theory. I mean this in the scientific sense of the word; a true theory is a conclusion drawn from the positive testing of one or more hypotheses. (Not like the “theory” of evolution which has no proven hypothesis.) The theory I am about to propose is bound to be considered “conspiracy theory” by some. So be it. As the old saw puts it: it’s not paranoia if someone really is out to get you. In this case, if I can prove my hypotheses, the theory will be sound.

Because a theory attempts to explain a set of known facts or solve a vexing problem, the first step is to pose the question or identify the problem. The question I am trying to answer is why so many drastic measures have been taken in response to the COVID-19 virus – the so-called pandemic. I admit that the virus has spread quickly throughout the world, so pandemic is not altogether the wrong word. The complete upset of societies everywhere indicates someone is pushing the idea of a deadly pandemic. However, two things mitigate against using this term.

First, Merriam-Webster defines a pandemic as, “occurring over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affecting a significant proportion of the population.” In the case of COVID-19, the wide geographic area is appropriate. The significant proportion of the population is not. As of last week’s numbers, there were just over 3.5 million cases worldwide. As I have said before, that number is certainly inflated by the monetary incentives attached to COVID diagnoses, but let it stand for now. Since world population is over 6 billion, 3.5 million persons supposedly infected represents only 0.58 % of the population or roughly 6 people per 1,000. I don’t see that as “a significant proportion.”

The second fact that mitigates against calling the current virus and its variants a pandemic relates more to the connotation of the word. Typically, a pandemic has deadly results killing a “significant proportion of the population.” Last week’s statistics report that 15 people per 1,000 infected died: 15/1000 or 1.5%. Again, that is doubtless an inflated number – early mortality numbers for COVID before the financial incentives kicked in were far lower – but even so, 1.5% mortality rate is not “a significant proportion of the population.” It means that 1 or2 people out of 10,000 from the total world population died from COVID.

Throughout 2020, I asked why the COVID policies were so drastic. (See Related Posts below.) As I move toward an answer to that question, here is my first hypothesis: we are being lied to. All the popularly published statistics relating to COVID show that the virus is not worthy of the worldwide panic that has ensued and the draconian measures that have been instituted. This is even more true of the omicron variant which has proven to be no more serious than a common cold – another virus that might be considered pandemic by current standards. Since when have we shut down entire societies because of colds? Cough into your elbow; blow your nose; wash your hands and get on with life. I don’t buy the hype.

My second hypothesis is that people are afraid. The way some people are behaving is completely irrational. The only way to explain people’s willingness to allow the government to curtail their freedom and steal their livelihood is fear. Federal, state and local governments are taking unprecedented illegal steps to counter a virus that, with the help of the media, they have made into a monster. When I see a person alone in his car wearing a mask, I know something has made him deathly afraid. It doesn't matter that the typical mask is useless in preventing the transmission of COVID; people wear them in fearful submission. Then too, millions of people rushed to get a vaccine that is neither effective nor safe. They are so fearful of the chimera named COVID that they will risk potentially serious side effects of untested treatments. Finally, millions of small businesses were forced to close never to open again, the owners submitting out of fear of illness or possible government sanctions. Fear reigns.

My third hypothesis is that some people are getting very rich from the fear caused by the government’s pandemic policies. Dr. Anthony Fauci is among today’s highest paid federal employees, his salary surpassing even the President. Bill Gates put millions into vaccine research efforts that will translate into huge profits when people submit to pro-vaccination pressure. Big pharmaceuticals like Pfizer and Moderna are getting billions of dollars from the government for developing and providing “free” vaccines paid for primarily with money that comes from the taxpayers. Moderna’s revenue in nine months of 2021 skyrocketed from $232 million to $11.3 billion year over year. Pfizer’s revenue soared 134% due to vaccine sales.

Meanwhile, the Internet is also generating loads of cash. Jeff Bezos’ behemoth, Amazon, has become the world's largest retailer during the pandemic resulting in a personal net worth of over $161 billion. Facebook profits rose 58% in 2020 reaching $29 billion. Internet giant Google charted record profits in 2020 due to double-digit revenue increases. Forcing people to stay home has turned the Internet into a money tree for those who own the harvest.

Not everyone will agree, but I believe my hypotheses are sound. This gives me confidence to propose the theory that the radical COVID measures are intended to manufacture fear resulting in large sums of money and consolidated power going to the people who are in control. This explains the government's overreach and the intentional creation of mass hysteria. People are being forced to relinquish their freedom and independence, and they are being encouraged to rely increasingly on government programs to allay their fears.

This situation may be laying the groundwork for the global government many Bible scholars believe signals the end of the age. Today’s popular end times preachers believe prophecy predicts a rapture-tribulation-millennium future. A well-known proponent of this interpretation, Dr. David Jeremiah, suggests that what we are seeing now could be a prelude to the rapture, although he insists there will be no warning. Perhaps the stage is being set for someone to become king of the world and instigate great tribulation followed by Jesus’ millennial reign. Or the end may come in one fell swoop the way it was thought to come for most of church history. Today’s conditions suit either interpretation. Because I serve the King of kings, I have no fear of what may come; I know where I will wind up when it’s all over. As I said in “August of 2020,” “The truth is that death is the best thing that can happen to anyone whose life is hidden in Christ. Like Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” That’s all that matters.

I was going to stop right there, but then I realized that something else matters more. It’s not enough to know where I’m going; I have to make the effort to show others the way. As believers, we know the perfect love of God, and the Bible says perfect love drives out fear. I think we need to stand up to the fear mongers and say we will not be bullied. I think we should vote the lying politicians out of office. I think we should find ways to disenfranchise monster corporations, especially in the media. I think we need to show our frightened neighbors that it is possible to live without fear. I think we need to start a conspiracy of fearlessness. No theorizing necessary.

Related posts: The Angel Says Fear Not; Herd Immunity or Incredulity;  Join the Lemmings; The Emperor Has No Clothes; Finding God in COVID-19; The Winnowing Fork of God

Defending Resurrection Faith

My friend, John, and I are reading N.T. Wright’s book, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. I mentioned the book previously in a discussion about heaven. This time I want to look at the resurrection. I am impressed by Wright’s rebuttal of anyone who doubts or denies the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus. Wright agrees with Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 15 that without the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, Christian faith is vain, empty, worthless. The case Wright brings in defense of the resurrection speaks specifically to those moderns who “know” that resurrection from the dead is impossible; therefore, they conclude that Christianity is built on a sham. To believe in such a thing, they say, is to abandon reason and rely solely on faith.

There is nothing wrong with admitting that we rely on our faith regarding the Bible’s claims. The atheists and the doubters also maintain their positions by believing things that cannot be proved. I like the way Geisler and Turek put it in the title of their book: I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. The atheist must take it on faith that the known universe came into being through a long series of chance occurrences. Honest scientists are gradually moving away from the Darwinian explanation of evolutionary process to explain what we observe. (I dealt with this more fully in “Think About It.”)

While believers do believe certain unlikely things, that belief is not without support. In Surprised by Hope, Wright dismisses the common arguments that the disciples stole the body, or that Jesus never really died, or that mass psychosis can explain what happened. These attacks on faith that deny the resurrection are easily debunked as many apologists have done previously. What most impressed me was the way Wright demonstrated that the resurrection of Jesus was completely unexpected, having no precedent either in secular thinking or the theology of the Jews.

Wright points out that much of the secular world in the first century followed Plato in thinking that the physical realm was inferior to the non-physical. This led them to imagine that after death, they would achieve a state of being that had shed all the imperfections of physicality. Hence, bodily resurrection was not something to be desired. Most of those who did not follow Plato believed there was a life after death in some far away place like the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology. The had no thought that they would be resurrected on earth.

The Jews, according to Wright, were split into two camps; the Sadducees denied any resurrection at all, while the Pharisees and others believed there would be a general resurrection of all humans at the end of time. This resurrection was the reestablishment of the kingdom of Israel the prophets spoke of. You hear that idea surface when the disciples asked the risen Jesus if He was about to restore the kingdom. Rather that correcting their kingdom idea, Jesus offered an explanation involving timing. He said only the Father knew when that would happen.

This still left them with the anomaly of Jesus’ resurrection. No one imagined, says Wright, that someone would be brought back from the dead individually some time before the general resurrection they looked forward to. Wright makes the case that nothing in the first century context would have led the disciples to invent the resurrection account. It was unheard of and therefore an unlikely fabrication meant to hide the “fact” of Jesus’ death at the hands of His enemies.

When the risen Jesus first appeared, the women thought He was a gardener or someone else, but they had no reason to think they were seeing Jesus. The same is true for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Rather than going about looking for Jesus in His new body, the disciples were gathered together in fear that their execution would be next. When Jesus made His unnatural appearance in the locked room, they thought He might be a ghost; no one said, “Oh there you are, the Risen One.” To prove his physicality to Thomas, Jesus offered a touch of His wounded hands and side. Interestingly, although it was a new body with unusual characteristics, it bore remnants of its former state. This represents another totally new idea that no first century thinker would have imagined.

That the resurrection of Jesus was a totally new idea in the first century without precedent in any historical context proves that it was thrust upon the first disciples and not invented by them. As Wright points out, the disciples heard Jesus speak of His resurrection, and they had no idea what He was talking about. They had to wait for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit to put it all together. Once they grasped it, it became the centerpiece of their preaching. To them, the resurrection was the ultimate validation of Jesus’ messiahship.

So, while we do hold the idea of the resurrection by faith, there is no reason to fear the arguments of the doubters and the atheists. In fact, it is they who should fear our argument. If Jesus did rise from the grave, a fact with abundant historical and rational support, those who deny it are signing their death warrant. Only those who believe in Christ’s resurrection will take part in the ultimate resurrection to eternal life when He returns to call His people home. To that I say, Maranatha Jesus; come quickly.

Related posts: I Don’t Believe in God; Do We Really Need God”