Reformation
Is Tiger Woods a Picture of the USA?
Because of my sports background and competitive nature, I enjoy watching athletes that are superb at their game. Their excellence is usually a combination of God-given skill (destiny) and what they do to maximize it (discipline).
When I first saw Tiger Woods play golf, I thought of that incredible combination: God-given talent and amazing focus. For a decade, Tiger reigned as the number one professional golfer in the world, winning over seventy tournaments and dominating the “majors” (the biggest tournaments which include the Masters, The British Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship).
During his decade of dominance, Tiger won 14 majors–second only to Jack Nicklaus winning 18 during his illustrious career. Most of us thought Tiger would one day eclipse the “Golden Bear.”
But suddenly in 2009, Tiger fell from grace and prominence. Now he’s trying desperately to get back on his feet.
Is Tiger Woods a picture or analogy of the United States of America?
The U.S. rose to become the number one nation in the world during the twentieth century. I believe it happened due to the same combination–a God-given destiny and the character of a people. Through God’s calling and the American response of vision and resourcefulness, the USA became the greatest and freest nation in the history of the world.
But at the present time, America is falling. We have the highest tax rate in the world; our educational system barely ranks in the top twenty; a suffocating 15 trillion dollars in debt mortgages our future; and many of our people live their lives for individual consumption and entertainment and not for the glory of God.
America is falling. The luster is off. Can we learn something by looking at the fall of our native son, Tiger Woods?
It seems to me that Tiger’s life is similar to the path of the United States. He seems to be an eery symbol of where we are and what we need to do.
Here’s the comparison.
TIGER: At a very early age, Tiger Woods understood his destiny and skill and rose to dominate the game of golf. I’ll never forget watching him win his first Masters title by fourteen shots–a rout. He went on to win three more and multitudes of other trophies. As a very young man, he was idolized by the world.
THE UNITED STATES: America also emerged at a very young age as a great power among the nations. After our victory in World War I, we played our own “Masters” in World War II by defeating the Germans and the Japanese. Our economy became the engine of the world, we led the globe in missionary work, and everyone was talking about the American century. In the 1950s we were at the top of our game.
TIGER: On Thanksgiving Day 2009, Tiger Woods had a major falling out with his wife when she–and the entire world–learned that he’d been sleeping around with other women and had been living a debauched life. It was painful to watch as his life and marriage unraveled over the next two years. The stories of infidelity and orgy-like sex were difficult to read. Tiger had grossly cheated on his wife, lied to his kids and family, and pretended to be something he was not.
To put it back in sports language, the “golf destiny” was still there but the “character” part had rotted. Tiger fell from grace, went to sexual addiction rehab, stopped playing golf, and tumbled from his lofty position. It was a time of humiliation and soul-searching.
THE UNITED STATES: From the 1960s and to this present day, America also has fallen from grace. During the sexual revolution, we, too, cast off godly restraint and “went-a-whoring” into fornication, adultery, and many sexual perversions we called “freedom.” Drugs and violence soon followed, and after God was removed from the public schools and then the public squares, the entire nation got out of kilter.
We lost a war in Vietnam; the national debt began to grow exponentially; Hollywood began to saturate the world with visual immorality in many forms. Our once godly and self-controlled society became ungodly and self-obsessed.
Today we appear humbled before the world, a caricature of our former self, enslaved to debt, an immoral and bankrupt people, and staring at an uncertain future for the first time in our history. As stated in the prophetic book The Harbinger, the terrorism attack on America on September 11, 2001 and then the economic collapse of 2008 were humiliating wake-up calls to an immoral nation. Would we respond?
TIGER: After Tiger’s fall, he appeared to be sorry and desire to re-build his life and reputation. After rehab, he held a press conference to announce his plans–and though he was humbled by his demise, there was no depth of repentance. Instead of turning to God, he indicated a return to his Buddhist roots. Then he began to play golf again and try to regain his stature. To date, he hasn’t made it back to the top.
THE UNITED STATES: After the terrorism attack, American also seemed chastened and ready to turn back to God. Our leaders sang “God bless America” and for a time, the churches were crowded. But there was no deep repentance for our sin–and soon we went back to our secular ways and pretended we were still “America.”
But in the fall of 2008, the credit bubble burst, and we once again were reminded of our vulnerability. At this point, America has not returned to God.
TIGER: A few weeks ago, Tiger Woods won his first tournament in almost two years. He felt he had a shot at winning the 2012 Masters–and once again be at the top of the golf world. But he badly bombed and is now looking for answers. As far as I know, he still hasn’t changed his ways and turned to God for restoration.
THE UNITED STATES: In 2012 we stand at a cross roads as a nation. We, too, desire to return to prominence and prosperity, but are unsure as to how to get there. The once young and dominant nation is a shell of its former self. The future is uncertain. Will America repent and arise?
I believe we can learn from the saga of Tiger Woods. All the skill or glitz in the world doesn’t cut it. Without character, and trust in God, a life can never really arise or be restored to greatness. It is still an empty shell without the forgiveness and power of God.
The same is true of nations. America stands at a cross roads. Will we feign repentance, and try to reach for the top without it? Or will we follow the true path that leads to forgiveness and restoration:
“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.”
It’s only destiny plus godly character that truly bring hope.
Political Correctness is Really Secular Intolerance
The recent Easter season got me thinking about the fight against faith in America.
I recently read an article in my local newspaper (Kitsap SUN) that described the evidence for the Genesis Flood that an engineer had discovered in rock formations in Arizona. It was a great article and even mentioned Noah’s Ark as a possible historical reality.
Two days later, a letter to the editor was posted that made fun of the article–even calling it “laughable” from a scientific standpoint. Why the shrill response?
Well, I think it’s time to give a true meaning to the term “political correctness.” Political correctness is nothing less than secular intolerance. And it’s becoming a menacing bully in many nations.
Here’s the Letter to the Editor, written by Dan Van Eycke, Poulsbo, Washington:
“Regarding Sunday’s article about the supposed proof of Noah’s flood: Could you possibly have found anything less newsworthy to publish? And on page A3 nonetheless!”
“To begin with, young-earth creationism is scientifically irrevelevant and intellectually vacuous–and has been for over a century. And yet the Kitsap SUN thinks its important to print a story about a tourist from Richland, Washington, who claims that a single geologic formation in Arizona is proof of the biblical flood myth, therefore disproving the scientific age of the earth.”
“This man was a tourist with no expertise in geology who thinks he knows better than the countless trained geologists the world over. That he is an engineer from Hanford gives him no more authority on the subject than a warehouse worker from Tacoma. In fact, emphasizing his engineering background is an obvious attempt to impress credulous readers.”
“If articles like this belong in the Kitsap SUN at all–and that’s an extremely big if–they belong on the religion or entertainment pages.”
Note the incredible condescension in the letter. It ends with Mr. Van Eycke relegating the engineer’s fair-minded opinion to the “Religion” section (does he mean the “Myth Section) or the entertainment pages (is that the “Mindless Section?).
C’mon. This is nothing less than bigoted prejudice.
I’ve studied the creation–evolution debate for about forty years. There are fair arguments on both sides. The evidence for an old earth is credible–though certainly not proven. There’s also substantial evidence on the other side that points to a young Earth. Even if the “old earth” theory is true, that doesn’t discount special creation or the main events recorded in the Bible.
Physician-geneticist Francis Collins is one of the most respected scientists in the world. He gave leadership to the Human Genome Project and currently serves as the director of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Collins believes in theistic evolution–yet doesn’t discount any of the biblical events. He is a committed Christian whose book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, states clearly how science and the Bible are not necessarily in conflict.
Another book I recently read was entitled the “The Draining Floodwaters: Geologic Evidence reflects the Genesis Text.” by John D. Morris Ph.D and James J.S, Johnson, J.D., Th.D. It presented a cogent scientific case for the evidence of a biblical flood. There are enough “Ds” behind those two names to make you pay attention.
Many of you know that I am completing a doctorate degree this year. The thesis produced detailed research of the cultures and religions of the world. An interesting thing stood out: Many of the world’s diverse cultures possess ancient creation and flood stories. It’s uncanny. I don’t know what the mathematical odds of this are, but they must be pretty slim. Here’s one that appears in my new book.
The Story of the Flood. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” remains one of the most famous tales of the Babylonian period, and gives an amazing parallel account of the global flood (Genesis 7, 8). In the story, Gilgamesh meets one of his ancestors, Utnapishtim, who recalls the story of the global deluge. Warning that the gods were going to destroy the earth, Utnapishtim built a large boat and took refuge in it with his wife and two each of all animals. After the flood waters subsided, Utnapishtim recounts what happened:
“All mankind was turned to clay…I opened the window and the light fell upon my face. I bowed, I sat down, I wept, and over my face ran my tears. I looked upon the world—all was sea…I sent forth a dove and let her go. The dove flew to and fro, but there was no resting place and she returned.”
“I sent forth a shallow and let he go. The swallow flew to and fro, but there was no resting place and she returned. I sent forth a raven and let her go. The raven flew away. She saw the abasement of the waters. She drew near; she waded, she croaked, and came not back. Then I sent everything forth to the four quarters of the heaven. I offered a sacrifice. I made a libation upon the mountains peak.”
“As a result of their obedience, Utnapishtim and his wife are rewarded with “the gift of immortality,” which they explain to Gilgamesh can be obtained by eating a plant that grows in the sea. Gilgamesh finds the plant, but before he eats it, a snake steals it away and gains immortality. A humbled Gilgamesh returns to his city of Uruk, (Erech in Genesis 10:10), and is painfully aware that he does not possess immortality. The story ends unresolved.”
I share portions of this narrative to demonstrate the “memory” of real events that ancient peoples passed down in a confusing culture of raucous polytheism. Of course, many of these stories are embellished–like the end of the “Epic of Gilgamesh.”
But did you notice the similarity to Genesis? You find these same “ancient memory stories” in India, China, Africa and even North and South America. What’s the only plausible explanation?
That the global flood was a real event that left a lasting impact on the scattered peoples of the world. When you add the scientific evidence for a global flood, the playing field is more than level with the explanations from the other side.
So I responded to the letter from the bellicose atheist in these words:
Letter to the Editor,
“I had a different reaction than Dan Van Eycke to your article on the world-wide flood and Noah’s Ark. I was encouraged by the SUN’s open mind on scientific theories and historical data. Just this week I read an article by an American Ph.D who shared similar evidence for a global flood. Of course dinosaur prints being found in sediment alongside human prints, seashell fossils found on mountain tops, and the worldwide presence of “oil,” presents quite a case for a global deluge.”
“As one who has traveled the world extensively, I am especially impressed by the common “flood story” that is found in the historical texts of many nations that seems to validate the biblical one. Van Eycke is welcome to his opinion. But his condescension in calling your article “laughable” was extremely rude. That type of political correctness is really secular intolerance—not a good thing in a free and open society.”
Sincerely,
Ron Boehme
One of the truths that I share in the doctoral thesis (and upcoming new book ) is that of the five views of God that exist in the world, two of them are extremely intolerant of other opinions. They are:
- Atheism secularism – espoused by Mr. Van Eycke above, and
- Islam – a religion that often silences contrary opinions.
Does that intolerant spirit tell you something? Any worldview that doesn’t allow other points of view is either extremely insecure or afraid of the freedom that leads to the truth.
The lesson? Choose your worldview wisely.
A Dred Scott Moment in American History
This is an important week in American history–and I want you to feel its significance. I especially want you to pray for nine very important human beings as a result of your understanding.
I’m sure many of you remember the name of “Dred Scott” from the history books–but you may not recall the magnitude, the infamous nature of the name in American history.
The Dred Scott Decision was handed down by the United States Supreme Court on March 6, 1857 by a 7-2 vote stating that people of African descent brought into the United States and held as slaves (or their descendants, whether or not they were slaves) were not protected by the Constitution and were not U.S. citizens.
The decision was tragic–and flat-out wrong. It led to the Civil War and the death of 600,000 precious lives–all because nine US Supreme Court justices didn’t have the clarity to “judge righteously.”
This week we are faced with another Dred Scott moment. The US Supreme Court is hearing three days of arguments over Obamacare. African-American rights aren’t at stake here–but the rights and future of all of our citizens.
We don’t need another Dred Scott. We need nine individuals to do the right thing.
Those individuals, of course, are the current members of the United States Supreme Court. In recent “man in the street” interviews, I’ve notice how few people even know their names, let alone understand the power that they wield. Here the current US Supreme Court justices, in bullet form for emphasis:
- Chief Justice John Roberts, 57. Nominated by George W. Bush and sworn in 2005.
- Antonin Scalia, 76. Nominated by Ronald Reagan and sworn in 1986.
- Anthony Kennedy, 77. Nominated by President Reagan and sworn in 1988.
- Clarence Thomas, 63. Nominated by George H.W. Bush and sworn in 1991.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 79. Nominated by Bill Clinton and sworn in 1993.
- Stephen Breyer, 73. Nominated by President Clinton and sworn in 1994.
- Samuel Alito, 61. Nominated by George W. Bush and sworn in 2006.
- Sonia Sotomayor, 57. Nominated by Barack Obama and sworn in 2009.
- Elena Kagan, 51. Nominated by President Obama and sworn in 2010.
Memorize those names: Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor, and Kagan. Let’s not be part of the uninformed.
These people are far more important than the following list of nine: Snookie, Gaga, Adele, Tiger, Kobe, Brad, Angelina, Bono, and Bieber.
However, what’s ironic (and a major problem in our culture) is that though I gave you just “one word names” in the second list, most of you probably know all of the people–but we don’t know the first or last names of our US Supreme Court justices who just might determine our national fate for years to come.
It’s true that most of the time, Supreme Court justices are fairly inconspicuous. Normally, the states and national Congress pass laws with little controversy so the judges can stay out of the limelight.
Not now. A liberal president–Senate–and House of 2006-2008–gave us a horrendous boondoggle of a bill that contained 2700 pages, created numerous new bureaucracies, would explode the national debt–and most importantly, takes away a number of our God-given liberties.
We need the Supreme Court on this one–and we don’t need them to give us another dreaded Dred Scott decision.
The justices are hearing arguments this week on the future of Obamacare–the massive progressive takeover of healthcare in this nation–representing one-sixth of the economy. At stake in the ruling are a number of complex and nuanced issues, but the heart of the matter is whether the Federal Government, under the Commerce Clause, has the right to force Americans to buy anything– including insurance.
If the justices get this wrong, it probably won’t start a civil war, but it could be the final straw in the coffin of our economic undoing.
A few days ago, we quietly “celebrated” the two-year anniversary of one of the worst laws in American history– The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act popularly known as Obamacare. No one has done a better job of capturing the essence of that ignominious event than John Hayward, one of my favorite columnists at the National Review.
Here is his astute analysis.
(By-the-way, Human Events puts out an excellent Daily Events e-mail of the best blogs or columns that saves a lot of time and reading. You can sign up for Daily Events here.
ObamaCare’s Lonely Birthday
He’s just a bill, sitting here on Capitol Hill
By John Hayward, March 23, 2012
“This week marks the second birthday of ObamaCare, among the greatest legislative disasters in American history. By even the most conservative estimates, its costs are more than double what we were originally promised.”
“It’s going to strip 20 to 50 million Americans of their health insurance, as overwhelmed employers decide the best course of action is dropping coverage altogether, with the resulting fines increasingly viewed as a wise investment to escape ObamaCare’s clutches. The President’s infamous promise that ‘if you like your plan, you can keep it’ has become a bitter joke, of the variety often traded across the Siberian snow.”
“ObamaCare has been causing health care costs to rise, and it will actually reduce our supply of doctors. It has already destroyed thousands of jobs, and it will soon unleash a fresh avalanche of job-killing taxes on job creators. It has destroyed religion and conscience, forcing Catholic institutions to pay for birth control, and even dropping an abortion surcharge upon everyone enrolled in plans that cover elective abortions.”
“Even as it devours American prosperity, liberty, and health, great festering chunks of spoiled legislation have been dropping from ObamaCare’s flanks. The CLASS Act is gone, as are some of ObamaCare’s most instantly repulsive feeding mechanisms, such as the scheme to force American small businesses to submit millions of 1099 tax forms every year. The House just voted to disable the death panels. Enraged Americans have watched Obama’s Health and Human Services Department issue thousands of ObamaCare waivers to politically connected businesses and labor unions.”
“The Supreme Court is on the verge of striking down the very heart of ObamaCare – the individual mandate that gives Congress limitless power to force Americans to purchase politically approved goods from selected private firms – as the Constitutional outrage it so clearly is.”
“Meanwhile, lopsided majorities of Americans favor the complete repeal of ObamaCare, and have consistently done so for years. It might be the best sustained polling ever seen for a policy preference. The latest Rasmussen poll has Americans favoring repeal 57-39 percent. Strong support for repeal reached an eight-month high in the wake of Obama’s war on the Catholic Church.”
“The Heritage Foundation has launched an online petition demanding ObamaCare repeal. If President Obama could somehow be persuaded to repeal the law, it would become, by a huge margin, the most successful job-creation initiative of his presidency.”
“Of course, that won’t happen… but it’s interesting to note that Obama doesn’t seem very eager to talk about his “signature achievement” any more. It’s swirling down the memory hole, along with those nostalgic sepia-toned photo-ops of the President touting Solyndra as one of the greatest successes of his trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ bill. “
“Give Obama another month, with a few more points shaved off his poll numbers, and he’ll be claiming ObamaCare wasn’t his initiative per se. Actually, he’ll start doing that the moment Mitt Romney secures the Republican nomination. Isn’t it funny that the sole political value of this towering legislative triumph lies in convincing voters that RomneyCare is just as bad?”
“The Republican National Committee does what the Obama Administration refuses to do, and commemorates the second anniversary of this melancholy bill with a video birthday greeting. Raise a glass of your favorite government-approved healthy beverage (soon to become a mandatory purchase, under the next wave of “individual mandates”) and celebrate ‘ObamaCare’s Lonely Birthday.'”
Well said.
Obamacare, from its inception, was an act of tyranny–a liberal dream to control the lives of three hundred million Americans. It doesn’t matter what the motivations were for such a bill–and maybe some were sincere. But the practical truth is that Obamacare will be the back-breaker of the American economy and the coup d’etat of sinking America into a European style social democracy.
If you like the future of Greece, or Italy, or Portugal in their present state–that’s the direction Obamacare takes us. It kills the free spirit of the American experiment in liberty.
There are only two final ways to resist the tyranny of Obamacare.
The first is to pray that the Supreme Court justices will see the light to either strike down the individual mandate in the legislation or the entire legislation. It is likely that Anthony Kennedy will be the deciding vote in a close Court decision. Pray for Justice Kennedy (and all the rest).
If the Court gives us another Dred Scott disaster–and it’s happened before in history–we do not need to pick up arms and go to war, but rather win at the polls in November. This is the final realistic option. We must elect a God-fearing, Constitution-honoring conservative majority in both the the US House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and also a US president committed to abolishing the law.
If Mitt Romney gains the Republican nomination, he is committed to doing so. (So are the other Republican contenders.)
But our first stop this week should be to watch the Supreme Court proceedings, pray for the presenters and the justices, and await their decision–which may come sometime this summer.
This is a Dred Scott moment in our history.
May our leaders choose wisely while we back them up in prayer.