A Little of This and That

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. Who put light for darkness and darkness for light. Who put sweet for bitter and bitter for sweet” (Isaiah 5:20).

I recently spent four months at home, unable to go to work because our leaders determined that it would be best for only a “skeleton crew” to basically keep the lights on while the COVID virus continued to stalk the land. When this all began in what seems today like a lifetime ago, in the fall, news casters dubbed the virus either the Wuhan Corona Virus, or the Chinese Corona Virus. No one thought it strange since they were simply referring to the fact that it had originated in the city of Wuhan in China.

Fast forward a few months and everything has changed. Now, no one better even think that this virus originated in China or call it Wuhan, Chinese, or anything that has to do with China. No sir. We better not do any such thing because…wait for it: it will hurt Chinese people. Isn’t that amazing? Somehow, for months everyone in the media was calling the virus tagging it with China and somehow Chinese people were doing just fine. But all of a sudden, and of course once President Trump began to call it the “Chinese Virus,” now everything has changed. Comes to show that the world’s madness seemingly has no end.

In all of this virus matter, we in the church seem to be missing a very important point. It all seems to have been lost because for far too long, many sectors in the church have apparently confused being an American with being a Christian. When such a confusion takes place, it is not surprising to see that many Christians think that the government somehow must be the church’s promoter and protector. Since the Constitution in this country guarantees certain things, in the mind of some that means that we have the right to rebel.

Here’s the problem that far too many are ignoring. As Christians our founding and guiding document is not the Constitution. We can argue whether the Constitution gives Americans the right to rebel against a tyrannical government or not. But for us in the church, we determine whether that is something pleasing to God, not by what this country’s government told us centuries ago, or today for that matter, but based on what God inspired and what inspired writers wrote down 2,000 years ago. It matters not one bit what “rights” we have as Americans if those rights go against the revealed word of God. It should be obvious to all, that there is a boat load of ungodly laws in this country. There are many practices that are legal. Legality, however, does not make an activity acceptable in the sight of God. That reality cuts both ways!

The other day, there was a report on Fox News about how Seattle is attempting to “undo your whiteness.” One of the actions that the city took recently to achieve that goal, was to have a meeting they called “Interrupting Internalized Racial Superiority and Whiteness.” Of course, if we’ve been paying attention, we’ve come to realize that it is popular today, perhaps more than at any point in the history of the world, never mind our country, to denigrate “whiteness,” whatever that is. Here’s what the meeting, really a training session, had to say. White employees were told that their “whiteness” was unacceptable. And that “whiteness” was manifested in traits such as perfectionism, objectivity, and individualism. Further, the employees were ordered to stop showing these traits and to stop being comfortable, spending time with their families, not to expect guaranteed physical safety, and stop having relationships with other white people among other demands. Even their employment was threatened if their “whiteness” continued to be exhibited.

So, now we have what is clearly a case of racism, real racism, justified on the basis of the abuse that someone, somewhere, sometime underwent. Well, if I look hard enough, somewhere, sometime, someone within my family tree was likely abused and mistreated because of their ethnicity or race. I guess I can just get in line and claim what is “rightfully mine.”

And all the above comes from people who, for example, demand that things such as “conversion therapy,” where homosexual individuals are helped to change their behavior voluntarily, be stopped because “it’s immoral to try to change people’s intrinsic qualities.” The Bible tells us that homosexuality is sinful. Being white, or black, or yellow, or red is not. Think about it!

“Picture two Jews, by the names of Smith and Brown, remarkably Jewish names. The day before the first Passover, having a little discussion in the land of Goshen. And Smith says to Brown ‘aren’t you a little nervous about what is going to happen tonight’? And Brown says, ‘well, God told us what to do through His servant Moses. You don’t have to be nervous. Haven’t you slaughtered the lamb and dabbed the two doorposts with blood, put blood on the lintel, haven’t you already done that, you’re already packed to go, you already are going to eat the Passover meal with your family’? ‘Of course, I’ve done that, I’m not stupid. But it’s pretty scary when you think of all the things that have happened around here recently, you know flies, and rivers turning to blood, it’s pretty awful. And now the threat of the firstborn being killed? It’s okay for you, you have three sons I only have one. I love my Charlie and the Angel of Death is passing tonight. I know what God says and I put the blood there, but it’s pretty scary. I’ll be glad when this night is over.’ And the other one responds, ‘bring it on, I trust the promises of God.’

“That night the angel of death swept the land. Which one lost his son? And the answer of course is, neither. Because death doesn’t pass over them on the ground of the intensity or the clarity of the faith exercised. But on the ground of the blood of the lamb. That is what silences the accuser. The blood silences the accuser as he accuses us before God. He silences our consciences when he accuses us directly. How many times do we writhe in agony asking if God can ever love us enough, if God can care for us enough after doing such stupid rebellious things, after being Christians for 40 years. I have no other argument, I have no other plead, it is enough that Christ died and that He died for me.”

DA Carson