This week's sermon intro brought to you courtesy of Time magazine

In the midst of prepping for Sunday's study in the Gospel of Luke, I noticed that once again news agencies are crowning the next political savior.  And it gives the perfect illustration for our text this week, Luke 3:15-22.

Of course, for anyone who has followed American politics even casually, this comes as no surprise. It's as silly as it is embarrassing, but it seems something in our nature longs for the perfect political savior.  Obama was hailed as the savior long before he was sworn into office. 

Of course, some can sweep this away as mere exaggeration, but more recently, actor Jamie Fox referred to the President as "our Lord and Savior" leaving little doubt that some people look to mere mortals to fill this role.

Time Magazine decided to go ahead & name its next Messiah, or at least the Republican's Messiah.  

The new issue of TIME, featuring Sen. @marcorubio, hits newsstands Friday. See the cover | twitter.com/TIME/status/29…
— TIME.com (@TIME) February 7, 2013

I've often wondered what politicians think of this attention. No doubt some of them enjoy it. At least they make it easy to suspect it. 

But I'm glad that Senator Marco Rubio clarified the issue. In case there was any doubt, Rubio took to the fastest way to disseminate info:  Twitter.

There is only one savior, and it is not me. #Jesus
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 7, 2013

  Senator Rubio does here what John the Baptizer did in ancient times.

Luke 3 tells us,

"As the people were in expectation [of the coming Messiah], all were questioning in their hearts concering John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, 'I baptize with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sanles I am unworthy to untie.'"  

Like Rubio, John pointed people away from himself to the true Savior of the world.

And when anyone points away from themselves and point to the true King of Kings, #Jesus, there is true hope.

____

UPDATE:

My friend, Sean, alerted me to this song by Derek Webb, "A Savior on Capital Hill."



I’m so tired of these mortal men
with their hands on their wallets
and their hearts full of sin
scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
and always running for re-election
so come to DC if it be thy will
because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill

you can always trust the devil or a politician
to be the devil or a politician
but beyond that friends you’d best beware
‘cause at the Pentagon bar they’re an inseparable pair
and as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
we’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill

[Bridge] all of our problems gonna disappear
when we can whisper right in that President’s ear
he could walk right across the reflection pool
in his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit

you can render unto Caesar everything that’s his
you can trust in his power to come to your defense
it’s the way of the world, the way of the gun
it’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
so don’t hold your breath or your vote until
you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill

A Tale of Two Presidents

A comparison of two presidents on the single most important issue of social justice in America today.  First of all, President Obama's recent words:

"Today marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that protects women's health and reproductive freedom, and affirms a fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters.

"I am committed to protecting this constitutional right. I also remain committed to policies, initiatives, and programs that help prevent unintended pregnancies, support pregnant women and mothers, encourage healthy relationships, and promote adoption.

"And on this anniversary, I hope that we will recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opporrtunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams."

 Next, President  Reagan:



Reagan also wrote "Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation" in 1984, well worth checking out.  In it he writes,  "Make no mistake, abortion-on-demand is not a right granted by the Constitution. No serious scholar, including one disposed to agree with the Court's result, has argued that the framers of the Constitution intended to create such a right."

When Reagan penned these words, some 15 million lives had been taken by abortion on demand.   As of today, 50 million.  Today, according to the National Abortion Federation, 35% of women will have had an abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 

Praying today for prophetic voices like Reagan's to speak anew against this social injustice in my home country of the US & my adopted country of Canada, where there are no legal restrictions to abortion on demand.

Well, this explains a lot....

Filed under "Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid."
-----
You might want to sit down before you read this...

Considering that most of the 14,000 students who completed the exam (7,000 seniors and 7,000 freshmen) scored an F on the portion of the test covering basic American history and institutions, not only will they be repeating history, but with test scores like that, they’ll be repeating history class, as well....

In 2007, ISI administered a 60-question test to 14,000 students at 50 colleges nationwide. The questions were designed to measure the students’ aptitude in four areas: basic American history, government, foreign affairs, and economics. In a companion study, in 2008 ISI administered a shorter exam (33 questions) to a random sample of 2,508 Americans without a college degree in order to have a standard level against which the impact of a college education on a threshold level of familiarity with basic American institutions could be determined.

Here are a few frightening figures certain to keep you up at night:

• 71% of Americans failed the civics knowledge test;
• 51% of Americans could not name the three branches of government;
• The average score for college seniors on the civics knowledge test was 54.2% (an “F” by any standard);
• The average student’s test score improved only 3.8 points from freshman to senior year;
• Freshmen at Cornell, Yale, Princeton, and Duke scored better than seniors on the civics knowledge test.
• 79% of elected officials that took the civics knowledge quiz did not know the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits the government from establishing a religion.
• 30% of office holders did not know that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence.
• 27% of politicians could not name even one right or freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment.
• 43% did not know the purpose of the Electoral College.
• 39% of lawmakers believe the power of declaring war belongs to the president.
• The average score for college professors who took the civics knowledge quiz was 55%.

Are you surprised considering that the US Gov't funds education on these very things in the way of public education?

Rap: Austrian vs. Keynesian Economics

My friend, James, posted this video breaking down the differences between the Austrian and Keynesian schools of economics. I too, James, thrown my hat in with Hayek. Shawn, I expect to see Burk singing this along with Nan the next time we get together!



Can you guess whose econ theory is ruling the world right now?

Book Review: Liberal Fascism

Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning by Jonah Goldberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a great read of intellectual history. Defining fascism as essentially "a religion of the state", Jonah Goldberg traces core liberal ("progressive") commitments as well as those of liberals-masquerading-as-conservatives. In the process, he traces the thread that runs through the politics of Hitler & Mussolini, Woodrow Wilson, FDR & the New Deal, Kennedy, Johnson, as well as George W. Bush ("when somebody hurts, the gov't has got to move" & his 'compassionate conservatism'), Pat Buchanan, Hillary, and everybody's favorite, Obama.

Most people react emotionally to such a claim b/c fascism is usually associated with Hitler & Mussolini & their atrocities, but what is forgotten is the praise given to these leaders by the West before their atrocities. "Before the war, fascism was widely viewed as a progressive social movement...". Faciscm is a totalitarian political religion, and the mood at the beginning of the 20th Century was for social engineering, complete in some instances with eugenics, racial profiling, 'family planning,' moving beyond Christianity, etc. For example, the title of the book comes from HG Wells, who told the Young Liberals at Oxford in a 1932 speech that progressives must become 'liberal fascists' and 'enlightened Nazis.' It's hard to imagine anyone saying that after the war.

My view, all governments tend toward totalitarianism unless something prevents it from going there. In the absence trust in God, folks will trust in the nanny state for cradle to grave love & care & security. In other words, totalitarianism, or a holistic approach where nothing falls outside the realm of regulation--from what you eat to what you say to what you believe. In America, it takes the form of a 'smiley-face' fascism. As Goldberg contends,

"If there is ever a fascist takeover in America, it will come not in the form of storm troopers kicking down doors but with lawyers and social workers saying, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help.""

And again,

"...in America, where hostility to big gov't is central to the national character, the case for statism must be made in terms of 'pragmatism' and decency. In other words, our fascism must be nice and for your own good."

Goldberg closes with a quote from CS Lewis:

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."

Overall, a good read & well documented. I learned much that I never even remotely learned in the university. In fact, when you read this book, everything going on in today's politics at the federal level becomes crystal clear.

View all my reviews >>

It's All About Socializ...uh...uh....ummm

Liberal Democrat Maxine Waters lets her true colors show. But why does she catch herself? The reaction of others at the hearing behind Waters is worth its weight in gold!



Ummm...I guess the Constitution is irrelevant.

Pray for Iran

CNN: Iran's Ruling System is Going to the Slaughterhouse

Malkin: They Killed Neda, But Not Her Voice [Warning: Graphic]

FoxNews: Iran-The Uprisings On & There's No Turning Back

Twitter: Iran Elections



And don't forget to pray for the persecuted Christians in Iran who have suffered under the same Muslim clerics who are now slaughtering Iranians protesting the vote.

Voice of the Martyers: Iran

Pray that the entire region, and indeed the whole world, will come to know the Prince of Peace, King Jesus.

Am I My Neighbor's Keeper?

Am I my neighbor's keeper?

I am hearing this question being asked and answered with greater frequency--if not vehemence--in today's political climate. Conservatives are saying, "No, I am not my neighbor's keeper. I am responsible for me, myself, and I." Liberals are saying, "Yes, I am my neighbor's keeper, and this responsibility to our neighbor really has no limits."

Who is right?

I want to suggest that both are right and both are wrong.

My conservative peeps, from their perspective of rugged individualism, insist that they are only responsible for themselves. On the most charitable reading, I think what they are saying is that "the gov't has no right to take my hard earned money and give it to a bunch of freeloaders. A society cannot endure that has a dependent and growing class of people who are unproductive. Therefore, everyone needs to assume responsibility for themselves."

And surely they are correct as far as it goes.

But conservatives are wrong to insist that our neighbor can make no claim upon us. And they are wrong that we are only responsible for ourselves. Life is not simply a case of an everybody-for-themselves game and only the strong survive. The Lord Jesus clearly teaches that we do have a responsibility for our neighbors. And He shows us another way of being human.

When asked what does it mean to love my neighbor in the way the Law commands, Jesus responds with his famous parable of the Good Samaritan. The nice, respectable religious types (& probably 'conservative') noticed the injured man, and passed by on the other side. They justified their non-involvement. Jesus clearly condemns such an attitude. Our neighbor in a very real sense can make claims upon us. Jesus really does expect and call us to love others, even with sacrificial love. His Kingdom is about the shalom of humanity (meaning, essentially, the prospering of humanity). That's why the Samaritan who was moved into action by compassion for his unknown neighbor and who overcome all sorts of cultural & religious barriers, is the hero of the story. He got it.

Liberals, on the other hand, are right in their instincts that our neighbor can make certain claims upon us, but wrong in the way they go about ensuring that neighbor's are loved.

To understand this, substitute the word statist for liberal and you'll understand why (liberals typically answer the right questions with the wrong answer: more gov't). Statists want the government to take care of our neighbors for us. The 'solution' necessarily involves the State taking money (ie. taxes) away from citizen A to give it to citizen B. My liberal peeps say as much: If the State doesn't do it, then who will? And conveniently, those in the gov't who implement these policies gain more adherents and more power, and typically more wealth for themselves.

We are called by the Lord Jesus to be human in a different way than is typically defined by either liberals or conservatives. We are called to be industrious, AND we are called to use our wealth, in part, to serve our neighbors in need. This is not a matter of giving handouts, but seeking real healing of our world. And real healing--real prosperity--cannot be defined by having a permanent entitlement class (the result of statist policy). And it cannot happen if we are only self-interested (conservative policy).

And of course, we'll only be moved to genuine living and love toward our neighbor when we are on board with the agenda of Christ and His Kingdom, which is neither liberal nor conservative. It's not even American.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Great Samaritan, and until we understand that for our sakes he became poor so that we might become rich, how He was THE neighbor we so desperately needed when we were lying dead in our sins--until that reality defines us, we'll be tossed back and forth between the typical self-centered view of conservatism and the state-centered view of liberalism.

When we are Christ-centered, our loves will be ordered after His agenda, and our neighbors will be loved.

Click here to read the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

More popular than Jesus?

This actually isn't surprising, but in the recent Harris Poll, Jesus gave up his number one spot on the list of America's favorite heroes to Barack Hussein Obama.

Check out the Chicago Sun-Times article here.

A little perspective....

“Suppose you spent $1 million every single day starting from the day Jesus was born — and kept spending through today,” says the announcer as an image of the three wise men flashes on the screen. “A million dollars a day for more than 2,000 years. You would still have spent less money than Congress just did.”

Click source for must see video.

And that's not counting the bailout that Dubya, McCain, & Obama voted on in October.

Quote of the day...

Quick, who said the following?

...the US should take a lesson from the pages of Russian history and not exercise “excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence”.

“In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute. In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive. This lesson cost us dearly. I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.”

“Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors, and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months. There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.”

Who said that?


Rush Limbaugh?


No.


Sean Hannity?


No.


Karl Rove?


No.


Dubya?



No.


Give up?



Drum roll please...

...
...
...

The answer is...


That's right, folks. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Putin said this during a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

You can read it in an article entitled, "Putin Warns the US about Socialism."

Quote of the day...

Okay, so I'm really behind in reading blogs. My Google Reader is stuffed to the rafters, so this quote is a bit dated (written about 2 weeks ago), but Doug Wilson nailed this on its head:

...as Christians look at their options, we need to fix this in our minds: there is no political solution to any of this. Politics is no savior -- politics must get saved. And in order to be saved, politics needs to get baptized, and start attending church along with a good mid-week Bible study. I would also want to suggest some AA meetings. This means that as we look at the various ways Christians want us to engage with the culture, we must rule all the most popular ones out. We must rule out the Jim Wallis sob sister approach, top to bottom, front to back. He must have learned his idea of what prophetic means from a high school sociology class taught by an angry, overweight feminist in a mumu. We must rule out the middlin' Republicans who always want to do what the Left is doing, only slower. If we are going to be governed by Leftists, at least let it at least not be by retarded Leftists. And last, most important because most tempting to us, we must rule out the hard-line, hard right, secular conservatives. It would be a drastic mistake for us to think that secular conservatives really ought to be Christians (if they want to go to heaven), but in the meantime they can certainly do a better job governing without Jesus than the liberals. But they can't. You are not a better driver just because you always hit a different telephone pole than the other guy. No one can govern without Jesus.

Actually, the whole post is noteworthy.

Obama's Insight & Blindness

Obama said the following at the National Prayer Breakfast (p. 2, 3rd paragraph): "There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know."


Douglas Wilson tells us what he really meant: "There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being, except for those millions of lives we have found convenient to take on the threshold of life, and those lives we find it too expensive to not take among our most senior seniors. This much we know."

Then Wilson comments on the National Prayer Breakfast: "If a man with Obama's open-throttle abortion policies can appear at the National Prayer Breakfast, say something like that to a group of Christians without starting a junior high cafeteria riot, then it is clearly time to shut down the National Prayer Breakfast. What conceivable good is it? What would the prophet Isaiah have said? "Who required this tramping through the breakfast line? I cannot endure iniquity and glad-handing evangelicals. Away with the smell of your bacon . . ."

Any comment necessary...?

According to Madam Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, every month she & Obama do not get their $1,000,000,000,000 stimulus 'pork' bill that will enslave our children & grandchildren, 500,000,000 million Americans will lose their jobs.



According to the US Census Buruea, there are only 305,749,091 people living in America.

How do you explain this?

Quote of the day...

This one is by Cal Thomas:

The Obama "stimulus" plan is a $1 trillion dollar gamble more suited to Las Vegas than Washington. It bets the economic vitality of future generations on the belief that money from Washington would jumpstart the economy. Generally, one jumpstarts a car when the battery is dead, but America's "batteries" (its people) are not dead. The vehicle has stalled because too much government meddling and loss of personal responsibility has flooded the engine. More meddling will not revive the U.S. economy anymore than holding down the accelerator on a flooded engine will start a car.

Who'd want the job?

This is what I would look like if I were the President! Seriously, who in their right mind would want the job?



Source.

A Prayer for Obama

From Al Mohler's blog:

Our Father, Lord of all creation, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: We pray today with a sense of special urgency and responsibility. We come before you to pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and for all those in this new administration who now assume roles of such high responsibility.

We know that you and you alone are sovereign; that you rule over all, and that you alone are able to keep and defend us. We know that our times are in your hands, and that "the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord" [Proverbs 21:1]. Our confidence is in you and in you alone. We come before you as a people who acknowledge our constant need for your provision, wisdom, and protection.

Father, we pray today for Barack Obama as he takes office as President of the United States. We pray that you will show the glory of your name in our times and in these days, confounding the wisdom of the wise, thwarting the plans of the arrogant, and vindicating those who do justice and practice righteousness.

Father, we pray with thanksgiving for the gift of government and the grace of civic order. Thank you for giving us rulers and for knowing our need for laws and ordered life together. Thank you for this nation and the blessings we know as its citizens. Thank you for freedoms unprecedented in human history. We understand that these freedoms come with unprecedented opportunities.

Lord, we pray with thanksgiving for the joy and celebration reflected on millions of faces who never expected to look to the President of the United States and see a person who looks like themselves. Father, thank you for preserving this nation to the moment when an African-American citizen will take the oath of office and become our President. Thank you for the hope this has given to so many, the pride emerging in hearts that had known no such hope, and the pride that comes to a people who have experienced such pain at the hands of fellow citizens, simply because of the color of their skin. Father, we rejoice in every elderly face that reflects such long-sought satisfaction and in every young face that expresses such unrestrained joy. May this become an open door for a vision of race and human dignity that reflects your glory in our differences, and not our corruption of your gift.

Father, protect this president, we pray. We pray that you will surround this president and his family, along with all our leaders, with your protection and sustenance. May he be protected from evil acts and evil intentions, and may his family be protected from all evil and harm.

We pray that the Obama family will be drawn together as they move into the White House, and that they will know great joy in their family life. We are thankful for the example Barack and Michelle Obama have set as parents. Father, protect those precious girls in every way -- including the protection of their hearts as they see their father often criticized and as he is away from them on business of state. May their years in the White House bring them all even closer together.

Father, we pray for the safety and security of this nation, even as our new president settles into his role as Commander in Chief. We know that you and you alone can be our defense. We do not place our trust in horses or chariots, and we pray that you will give this president wisdom as he fulfills this vital responsibility.

Father, grant him wisdom in every dimension of his vast responsibility. Grant him wisdom to deal with a global financial crisis and with the swirling complex of vexing problems and challenges at home and abroad. May he inspire this nation to a higher vision for our common life together, to a higher standard of justice, righteousness, unity, and the tasks of citizenship.

Father, we pray that you will change this president's heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation's moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.

Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.

Father, when we face hard days ahead -- when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens -- may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.

Father, we are aware that our future is in your hands, and we are fully aware that you and you alone will judge the nations. Much responsibility is now invested in President Barack Obama, and much will be required. May we, as Christian citizens, also fulfill what you would require of us. Even as we pray for you to protect this president and change his heart, we also pray that your church will be protected and that you will conform our hearts to your perfect will.

Father, we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the ever-reigning once and future King, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He and he alone can save, and his kingdom is forever. Above all, may your great name be praised. Amen.

Source.

A nice prayer to contrast that of the racist prayer that closed the inauguration.

Pray for our Nation & the Right to Life for the most vulnerable

Well, today is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and Obama is expected to sign his executive orders to reverse Bush's executive orders that had common sense restrictions including not using tax-payer's money to fund abortions.

Ron Jones, a pastor of a large evangelical church in D.C., wrote an open letter to Obama saying,

Mr. President-Elect, you talked a great deal in your campaign about “the little guy,” who is often mistreated in our society. Surely you understand that the smallest and most vulnerable Americans in 2009 are those in the womb, whose lives are unprotected by the law, and thus dependent upon the decisions of others. Surely America is better than this.

Fundamentally, does the unborn child have value independent of his mother? Clearly, the answer from science is yes. From the moment of conception, the life forming within the womb has all the same DNA as a fully-matured adult person. And the answer from biblical revelation is equally compelling. John the baptizer leapt in his mother’s womb when she met her pregnant cousin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Even so our hearts respond to the sanctity of unborn life.

I pray that you will reconsider your views on this moral issue. I raise my voice on behalf of the voiceless, pleading with you to take the lead in building an America where all of our children, whatever their race or family income, are welcomed into the world, protected by the law and have a seat at the table with the rest of the American family.

These precious unborn children have been deprived of life without due process of law. More than 3,300 abortions per day, or 138 per hour, happen in clear violation of the Constitution and the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, which makes it plain that our liberty comes straight from God and that our first right is the sacred right to life.

Pray for our nation today, and pray for Christians who have given up on this battle and have accepted this as a part of 'our way of life.'

Can he do it? Can he save the world?

According the the polls, Americans believe that Obama CAN save us, but according to this article,

Barack Obama has only four years to save the world. That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth. Crucially, that action will have to be taken within Obama's first administration, he added.

Hmmm. I don't think he can do it, even with an extended honeymoon period and the media in his hip pocket.

As for me, I'm betting on Jack Bauer coming in at the last minute to save the world! He's already done it multiple times.


Obama or Bauer. Where will you place your faith? Choose wisely.

Some timely thoughts from Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here's some thoughts to ponder on this day set apart to the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. It's from a sermon called, "A Knock at Midnight."

It is also midnight within the moral order. At midnight colours lose their distinctiveness and become a sullen shade of grey. Moral principles have lost their distinctiveness. For modern man, absolute right and wrong are a matter of what the majority is doing. Right and wrong are relative to likes and dislikes and the customs of a particular community. We have unconsciously applied Einstein’s theory of relativity, which properly described the physical universe, to the moral and ethical realm.

Midnight is the hour when men desperately seek to obey the eleventh commandment, "Thou shalt not get caught." According to the ethic of midnight, the cardinal sin is to be caught and the cardinal virtue is to get by. It is all right to lie, but one must lie with real finesse. It is all right to steal, if one is so dignified that, if caught, the charge becomes embezzlement, not robbery. It is permissible even to hate, if one so dresses his hating in the garments of love that hating appears to be loving. The Darwinian concept of the survival of the fittest has been substituted by a philosophy of the survival of the slickest. This mentality has brought a tragic breakdown of moral standards, and the midnight of moral degeneration deepens....

And these thoughts are appropriate in light of the inauguration of the messiah-elect tomorrow.

The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority. If the church does not participate actively in the struggle for peace and for economic and racial justice, it will forfeit the loyalty of millions and cause men everywhere to say that it has atrophied its will. But if the church will free itself from the shackles of a deadening status quo, and, recovering its great historic mission, will speak and act fearlessly and insistently in terms of justice and peace, it will enkindle the imagination of mankind and fire the souls of men, imbuing them with a glowing and ardent love for truth, justice, and peace. Men far and near will know the church as a great fellowship of love that provides light and bread for lonely travellers at midnight.

Otherwise, we will be left to put our *hope for change* in false messiahs, aka "politicians."

[HT: Dream Awakener]