The Kingdom of Heaven is like a law

Well, it has been an interesting day, hasn’t it?

As someone who has prayed, wept, argued, donated time, donated money, volunteered actively, preached, and protested against Roe v. Wade I was nevertheless surprised by the news today. I was equally surprised by my own reaction. After much (much!) time in prayer, I think I have some clarity on why I feel the way I do.

This post is not about that.

I want to share some Scripture that came to mind during my prayer. I also have a plea for you.

First, let it be known, that this is a private conversation. I don’t know if I have any regular readers but if you happen to be stopping by here and this is the first piece by me you’ve read, please read something else.

But it is a public blog, you say? True. Consider this a conversation in the corner with a dear friend. You know by our location and the whispers it is private, and that if you remain, you’ll be eavesdropping.

Second, this is a conversation among believers: those who trust solely in Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Jesus told many parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. Fortunately, he never compared it to a political party legislating Christian morality. He also never equated it to a law being overturned.

If you are a Christian, please let these verses inform your reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision today.

Romans 12:15-16 ^“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to keep silence.”

Right or wrong, there are many people hurting today. Many of them, like the tax collectors and sinners, are close to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 21:31a). Are they closer than you (Matthew 21:31b)?

Please know this: our reaction and response can have a much greater impact on the kingdom than the decision of the court.

For example, are we pro-birth or pro-life?

Will we now stand firmly behind support of the single mother who feels that abortion is their only option?

If you are opposed to government programs then I hope you are giving generously to nonprofits that will support single parents through this life. It is costly–and they will need support as the numbers will inevitably increase. They will also need many volunteers to provide babysitting and rides and even (especially male) role models. Will you give your time?

We have a tremendous message of joy to share with people about Jesus. It is truly good news. But the vessel carrying the news and the vessel receiving it is incredibly fragile. As fragile as a clay jar (2 Corinthians 4.7). Whatever cracks you may have (Lord knows I have many!), please, for the love of God, let it be his light shining through those cracks right now.

And if this post offends you, I apologize. It wasn’t meant for you. Perhaps you have mistaken your identity. You are close, like a Pharisee at a window, watching Jesus eat with sinners but angry to see him with those people (Mark 2:13-17)! There is still hope.

Or maybe it is something more serious, perhaps you are a wedding guest who snuck in after the invitation was rescinded (Matthew 22:11-14). If that is the case, I remind you again: this is a private conversation for those who trust only in Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand.

Apocalypse Now

Let me take you back in time, to 1991. The place? The largest country in the world: the USSR. They had recently wrapped up fighting a decade-long war in Afghanistan that afterward, didn’t seem to accomplish any of its purposes.

The union was filled with violent division with many people not even wanting to be a part of it anymore.

The leader was the most progressive leader the USSR had ever had, promising a level of transparency they had never experienced.

The value of the Soviet Ruble was falling fast as the economy collapsed. The price of living was rising astronomically. Shoppers going to stores would find rows of empty shelves.

There were rolling blackouts as outdated power grids failed and entire companies disappeared overnight.

Some groups of people wanted to abolish everything and start something new.

Some groups wanted

total independence so they could rule themselves.

Some groups felt the problem was things had become too liberal and the USSR needed to return back to its glory days and the ways of Stalin (one of those individuals was named Vladimir Putin).

Then, it collapsed. One day the USSR was the largest empire in history and the next…it ceased to exist.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the collapse of the Soviet Union lately.

We have the most progressive administration in our history.

Grocery stores, and nearly every other form of retail (including construction), cannot maintain or obtain stock. Including essentials like baby formula.

The cost of living is rising at a crushing rate.

There is significant political strife with pundits talking about whether we’re looking at another civil war.

There are people who just want out and to be left alone.

There are people who want to abolish the system and start over

There are people who feel the problem is the country has grown too liberal and want to restore it to the “way it was.”

Tonight, while sitting in a movie theater, the power went out. We stayed until they asked us to leave. “The power’s not coming back on.” When we left, the power was out everywhere. The massive lot was empty. The incredibly large intersection (16 lanes?) was a mess with the lights out and no officers directing traffic (although I could hear sirens).

I drove home thinking about these things.

I do sometimes wonder if we are witnessing the end of our society. I say so not from a political perspective, but from a historical one. But I am not Hari Seldon and this isn’t psychohistory.

Just the thoughts of a homebrewer, who was grateful the grocery store he stopped at on the way home had power and beer.

Epitaph

Perhaps because my life is most likely halfway done, assuming I live to a healthy 80, I have been thinking about death. I have decided I would like this to be my epitaph:

Well, may the accuser roar,
Of ills that I have done;
I know them well, and thousands more;
God knoweth none.

It is a variation on a classic hymn.

When I consider some of the promises of the gospel, the truth that God doesn’t count anything against me, is perhaps the most consistently sweetest element to the good news.

And there is something pleasantly ironic in having an epitaph that declares that God has intentionally chosen to forget a large part of my life.

Because when it is all said and done, my life has been nothing more than as Muggeridge once described it: chronicles of wasted time.

What’s Weimar Got To Do With It?

I have a question for you. Do you think this meme is satire?

I would like to say yes, but unfortunately, I’m not sure anymore.

Since Trump took office (although possibly since the Tea Party movement?) it seems more and more that people will try to compare our present times to Nazi Germany.

Such a question, let alone wasting the time on interviewing a historian, is utter balderdash. The fact that the press can even talk about it is proof that there are no Nazis and if they were, then they are much worse than the original Nazis at implementing Coordination.

Consider: Hitler came to power in January of 1933. In March of 1933, the first concentration camp was established. The camps originally were simply used to house political prisoners–that is, anyone who disagreed with the Nazis politically (whether in public or private) risked arrest. By the end of his first year in power, Germany had 70 concentration camps with between 50,000-70,000 people in them.

So, no. Not Nazis.

What I would like to see, however, is more of a discussion on The Weimar Republic (Pre-Nazi Germany).

As a historian, I do see a number of troubling similarities between The Weimar Republic and the US today.

Disgruntled Nationalists: the MAGA crowd, whatever else they may be, seem to be nationalists who are unhappy with the trajectory of the nation and yearn to bring it back to some sort of more pure state. The Nazis, as well as others such as The Steel Helmet, were disgruntled nationalists who were politically active in Weimar Germany.

Inflation: We currently have the highest inflation rate since 1982. It is nothing like Weimar Germany’s inflation (which simply boggles the mind) but when people feel hopeless/angry/helpless because their currency is losing value and the life they knew, though still fully employed, is disappearing is always a recipe for political trouble.

Violent Crime: aside from the tragic, mind bafflingly frequent, public shootings the US is currently going through historic levels of crime. Murder is at the highest rate it has ever been in US history. Weimar Germany was extremely violent with numerous serial killers and lots of targeted killings of politicians.

Political Dysfunction: Political extremism made it difficult for the republic of Germany to function. In its last 3 years, it had 4 chancellors with the last one being Hitler. Political extremism and the near refusal by politicians to cross the party line are plaguing the discourse in America today.

Failed Putsch: What happened on January 6 was the definition of a beer hall putsch. Any sort of revision of those events is dangerous.

Political Martyr: Ashli Babbitt’s death has become politicized, with some on the far right characterizing her as a hero. In this way, she is functioning as a modern Horst Wessel–a martyr for the Nazi party during the Weimar Republic.

Organized Violence: Antifa, despite their stated intentions, is the very definition of the fascist brown shirts. There is, literally, no way around that truth. The brown shirts were the violent thugs who helped Hitler gain power, and who he then promptly turned around and replaced with his own, more loyal, SS.

Political Ideology above all else: In times of political extremism such as Weimar Germany, political ideology was more important than anything else. If someone was the poster boy for what an Aryan should look like and how they should live but didn’t agree with every aspect of Nazism, there is a good chance they would be arrested, vilified by the mob, or attacked. Caitlyn Jenner, one of the first transgender people to run for governor, was not supported by the transgender community or the Democrats. In fact, she was attacked. Despite being transgender, Caitlyn lacked the ideological purity to receive support. On the right, there is the sycophantic effort to prove which candidate is the “most Trump.”

De-humanization of opponents: When Trump was running for office he went on the Jimmy Fallon show. Fallon messed with Trump’s hair. The next day he was attacked for “humanizing a dangerous man.” When society is encouraged to not humanize someone because you disagree with them politically, then it becomes really easy for society to accept a Holocaust.

This is a list I am compiling off the top of my head, as I go. If I were to sit down and give this thought, I am willing to bet there are more similarities.

As I review it, perhaps what troubles me the most, is that on the right and the left, there is a lot of similarity to Weimar Germany. All I can think is that in a situation like this, perhaps the center can provide us with a way forward.