The Missing Foundations of Foreign Policy

Does our foreign policy reflect the tenet that a nation's governance rests on the foundation of its society? In a democracy, the consent of the governed results from the choices made by voters based on their values and participation. Authoritarian regimes rule because they control and usually intimidate their subjects, overlaid on a variety of social dysfunctions. In the West, we highly value democracy as an end in itself, and promote its adoption in other nations. 'Benevolent dictatorships' usually aren't. Egomaniacal dictators tend to destabilize international relations.

Unfortunately, competition between major nations played out by surrogates in smaller third world nations overlays international relations. This history goes back at least as far as the 18th century, most likely far further. European colonialism and imperialism created a large number of theaters as the major European powers sought to advance their economic interests. US-USSR competition in the 20th century through many administrations of both parties did not hesitate to provide military support to factions within various countries to achieve political advantage. The Bay of Pigs fiasco and support to Afghanistan insurgents in the 1980's immediately leap to mind. Contrast these with the Marshall Plan and the Peace Corps.

Herein lies an object lesson. Support to the Taliban and Al Qaida in the 1980's morphed into existential threats to Western civilization in the current decade. By this I mean that even if radical terrorist groups cannot destroy our governmental institutions, our response to their threat can so change our social fabric that we lose the very values we prize. Threats from groups we supported thirty years ago! The adage that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' is sometimes used to rationalize strange bedfellows. But they never were our friends; at most they were co-belligerents. Despite the ultimate collapse of the USSR political structure, the world does not appear to be a safer or better place.

The kingdom of God is not built this way. Apart from the futility of military effort and short-lived fruits of victory, what God seeks can only be achieved through His prescribed methods. Jesus was very direct: "Those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword."(Matthew 26:52) "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." (Matthew 28:19) Jesus here (and elsewhere) articulated that His kingdom only comes into being through being built into peoples' lives. What does this mean?

The Gospel begins with the good news that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. This includes both the penalty for and the power of our own, personally chosen and executed sins. God's purpose is integral to His action. He enters into an intimate, personal relationship with each believer infused with love. As this relationship develops, Jesus works in His beloved's life to free him or her from sin and bless them with all of the fruits that flow from the Holy Spirit. He also cares and provides for them in many practical ways, as He promised in Matthew 6:33. He also blesses the believer with the fellowship of kindred souls, giving the command that they wash each other’s feet. (John 13:14) This is a snapshot of the kingdom of God.

The loss of a Spiritual foundation for foreign policy presents a fundamental problem to the West. During the 19th century, the London Missionary Society sent missionaries all over the world. The foreign policy of the British Empire, despite being motivated by mercantilism, provided the infrastructure for this incredible enterprise. As just one example, slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833, well before the US civil war, based on explicitly Christian mores. Politically correct policy in our day dares not invoke any Christian, or even spiritual, foundation.

Effective long-term foreign policy strategy has yet to be articulated, by this or any recent administration. Ronald Reagan may have erred in supporting the Mujahadeen, but we have no basis for building into the lives and cultures of nations around the world values that would provide a foundation for freedom and democracy. We desperately need such a strategy. There will likely be a one or two generation lag in seeing fruit, but this is the only reasonable approach to long term international stability.

Book review: "Duplicity" by Newt Gingrich

Deceitful U.S. politicians vs. fanatic terrorists. For all the action and adventure, Newt Gingrich's Duplicity (written with Pete Earley) is really about politics, what happens behind closed doors at the highest levels of government. The title accurately sets the tone. It's not a pretty picture. This is not Allen Drury's Advise and Consent. It is impossible not to impute into the lives of terrorists and politicians in our daily news the thoughts, words, and motivations of the fictional characters of the book. The graphic brutality of terrorists and strongmen. The behind-the-scenes duplicity, excuse me, realpolitik [Merriam-Webster: politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives]. Deception, outright lies, manipulation, spin doctoring. The world's way.

What kind of world are we bequeathing our children and grandchildren? Earlier this year, I was privileged to serve some missionaries for a few days. Their devotion to serving the Lord, and their ministry to the downtrodden inspires awe. They build relationships with those oppressed by sin to bring them to Christ, so they can share in relationship with Him. The missionaries labor from a platform of simple living and trust in God. Neither comparison nor contrast between the world of Duplicity and the missionaries is possible, because they exist in different space-time continua.

What does the future hold? Where does Duplicity lead?

I have not yet read the sequel (Treason), but I doubt it is the ultimate outcome. The governments of mankind have run by politics since they first came into being. Even godly and wise rulers like David and Solomon were beset with crises rising from political intrigue. While we may wish otherwise, political duplicity portrayed in this novel will be our lot until the second coming, when Christ shall establish by His power alone the reign of those who serve Him with a whole heart. Then we will be free of self-serving political spin and brutal terror masquerading as divine righteousness.

In the meantime, how should we and our children and grandchildren live in a world permeated by the depravity of fallen man? The authors' answer seems to be that there is something valuable and worth fighting for in the core of our nation. Without citing The Light and the Glory (Marshall & Manuel, 1980) directly, they trace the "City on a Hill" concept through Ronald Reagan, and John Winthrop, to the Sermon on the Mount. This seems to fall short of the full counsel of God. The One enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at the raging nations. (Psalm 2:4) Our sovereign God, who  calls us, will call our children and grandchildren to the same opportunity, to serve Him in a fallen world, and take part in that great cloud of witnesses, to build His kingdom which is not of this world.

Was Machiavelli Wrong?

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, chapter 6.

Was this ever true? Since anyone can point out shortcomings of the current order, it seems far easier to persuade the public that a new initiative will make the world better.  The harder task is to continue existing activities, imperfect though they be.

The Washington Metro illustrates this. Since it started in 1969, it has since accumulated a deferred maintenance liability of billions of dollars. [Deferred maintenance is the practice of postponing maintenance activities such as repairs on both real property (i.e. infrastructure) and personal property (i.e. machinery) in order to save costs, meet budget funding levels, or realign available budget monies.]  Simultaneously, there is massive construction to extend the silver line, recently brought to Reston, as far as Dulles Airport and beyond it to Ashburn. The cost of this extension is estimated at $5.6 to $6.8 billion. The metro board is struggling to close the operating budget (approx. $1.7 billion in 2015) which doesn't support desperately needed O&M, so services are cut which further reduces revenue from ridership. On top of this come revelations about pencil-whipped inspections and other lapses in basic O&M practices. Metro's future is very much in the hands of its leadership. Perhaps this is not a death spiral, but it illustrates the comparative difficulty of continuing the existing regime vs. a new initiative.

Turning to the spiritual realm, it is sometimes easy to persuade people to turn to Christ. The gospel is good news! Jesus invites a change of allegiance that offers real benefits. The gospel is not about lifestyle improvement, but that God loves us and Jesus died to deliver us from our sins. However, He has constructed the world in such a way that leaving our sins to practice righteousness pays off tangibly.

The challenge is that after passing miraculously through the Red Sea to escape the Egyptian army (a type of baptism and escape from the power of sin), we have to march through the desert. God's purpose in this process is to get us to abandon the behaviors, attitudes, and practices that were ingrained into us when we were slaves to sin (Egypt). He calls and leads us to moderate and ultimately abandon all self-related attributes: self-centeredness, self-indulgence, self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, and self-will; these all have to go. Jesus is so serious about this that He will bring it to pass through His sovereign power. If we receive His pastoral care willingly, we experience far less pain and drama than if we force Him to drag us kicking and screaming across the goal line. Once we receive Christ, those are our only real alternatives. He will have His way.

There seem to be three phases to living and growing in Christ:

•      Childhood - learning the milk of the faith and experiencing God's grace. (Hebrews 5:13-6:2)

•      Adolescence - discipline and growth - learning hard lessons (Hebrews 12:4-11)

•      Maturity - forsaking all else for the sake of knowing Christ. (Phil 3:8-11)

If Machiavelli was speaking metaphorically about Jesus, the Prince of Peace, then he misunderstood how hard it is for us to stay the course in growth to Christian maturity. Alternatively, if he was writing about how hard it is for Christ to change us, to transform us into His likeness, he is dead-on. Perhaps the reason for this ambiguity is that in the Renaissance world continuity meant not changing, but in God's kingdom the essence of continuing the Christian walk is change - transformation - as God works in our life.

Why is this so important to God? In one of His letters to Wormwood (a low-level demon), C.S. Lewis has Screwtape (an overseeing demon) write that God wants to fill the universe with loathsome little replicas of Himself. That astute observation hints at God's purpose in our lives. He does not want robots or servile slaves, but free moral agents who voluntarily choose to take on His values, character attributes, and behavior. God's patience and perseverance in this matter is drawn from the infinite reservoir of His divine purpose: Ultimately, the life of the Trinity will be reproduced, for eternity, in the lives of those who receive Him.

Journalism, Demonstrations, and Discourse

Politicians and Journalists

The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. (Ecclesiastes 9:17-18, NASB)

Would Solomon more likely characterize journalists as "the wise" or "fools"? The President clearly thinks the latter, with considerable justification. He manipulates the media effortlessly.  For example, the day after his inauguration, he focused them on the petty matter of crowd size, and for two days the media would talk of nothing else. A lot was happening in the world, but anyone who could stomach turning on the news was subjected to an endless barrage of "experts" endlessly blithering about the obvious. Apparently the pundits couldn't get past it. I think the best description of that round is TKO by the President.

The President issued executive orders on immigration, just as he promised during the campaign. His supporters expected nothing less. Flash mobs at the airports are not expected to say anything wise, and venting emotions is unlikely to have any effect other than letting the flash mobbers feel good about themselves. They showed up. They held signs. They chanted. (Endorphin addiction in action.) No one of the mobs spoke to the issue raised by the President and his supporters. How can we tell, in a flood of immigrants claiming refugee status, which ones are ISIS plants seeking to enter, lie low, and eventually carry out acts of terror in the (unjustified) claim the of holy war.

The techniques for establishing credible fake credentials have been standard fare for centuries in the espionage community. The response to the events of September 11, 2001 was a very mechanical system designed to check the identity of airline passengers against watchlists, and prevent the introduction of dangerous items into the airplane. Neither that system nor any proposed system of vetting travelers and immigrants can know the heart of the subject. The best they can do is evaluate the actions and associates of a person. Similar personnel screening procedures for national security clearances still allow the occasional Eddie Snowden to sneak in. One sinner indeed destroys much good.

The real challenge is to develop a more effective means of countering the propaganda and recruitment by Islamic extremists of potentially sympathetic young men. Of the most notorious recent massacres - Orlando, Sacramento, Fort Hood - none of the shooters had a green card or a visa; all were born in this country to immigrant parents. If there is a strategy or plan on this front, it has not been publicly aired.

What of the plight of refugees? Isn't there the slightest bit of irony in worldwide uproar about the policies of the U.S.? "You've got to take them!" seems to be a demand or command from the politically correct around the world. This isn't speaking truth to power, but impudent and childish rebellion against authority, worthy of an adolescent. The refugees themselves offer pleas, but lack standing to plead their case.

In matters of faith, we often come to God with petitions for His intervention in our circumstances.  We also lack standing, apart from the invitation of Christ, to make our pleas to God. The essence of prayer is not some formula and certainly does not consist of making demands. Often cited is the framework that includes adoration (worship), confession, thanksgiving, and supplication (petition). At the core of petition seems to be a linkage of our circumstances to the glory of God. This linkage is unique in every circumstance because God is infinite variable and delights to reveal Himself and the glory of His holiness in the perfect response. Our challenge in prayer is to find that linkage through communion with the Holy Spirit, and then petition God for it.

This is the language of faith, utterly alien to political discourse. (I'm not really suggesting that demonstrators are engaging in political discourse, only feel-good venting.) But for refugees, there is a need for a process of dialogue, of petitioning the Powers That Be, of linking their circumstances to the values and principles of the U.S. We will never know their hearts in this life, but perhaps we can establish a common understanding.

Paying Others' Bills

Who pays the bills for the Peter Pans - those who refuse to grow up and accept responsibility? Is it fair to make everyone to pay for those choosing destructive behaviors?  Do those paying the bills have any standing to influence or control unhealthy choices? Is there a moral hazard that subsidizing consequences enables self-destruction, or that bill-payers will be tempted to play God? How can we address the root causes of self-destructive addictions? These are broad questions, so let us start with the payment aspect of this issue: Bills are paid by insurance companies (costs borne by the general class of insured), the government (taxpayers), and uncompensated victims and service providers. Make no mistake - institutions who pay collect funds from others or shift the burdens to others.

A CDC study estimated that excessive alcohol use cost the U.S. approximately $249 billion in 2010, of which 72% was lost productivity, 11% was healthcare, 10% was criminal justice, and 5% was motor vehicle crash-related costs. The study estimated that this averages to $2.05 per drink. A 2011 DOJ study of the economic impact of illicit drug use on American society, based on 2007 data, estimated criminal justice costs at $61 billion, health care costs $11 billion, and productivity costs of $120 billion, totaling $193 billion. Since these data are ten years old, it seems likely they have increased. A recent CDC fact sheet estimates that nearly $170 billion is spent annually on healthcare costs attributable to smoking, plus $156 billion in lost productivity due to premature death and exposure to secondhand smoke, totaling $326 billion. With an estimated 271 billion cigarettes sold in the U.S. annually, this averages to $1.20 per cigarette. A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health estimated that the annual healthcare cost of obesity is somewhere in the range of $147 to $210 billion. The causes of obesity include diet, exercise, genetics, and disease. The annual total of all these is just under $1 trillion.

Given these costs to society, what is an appropriate response? The primary option to the status quo would be to encourage, incentivize, or force people to change their behavior. Public service announcements abound.  Some vices are taxed although perhaps not to the level of their social costs, and seldom are those tax revenues used to offset the costs of the use of the products. Higher taxes could potentially further discourage costly behaviors, but not illegal activities, such as use of non-prescription narcotics. The "war" on drugs over several decades evidences that laws and law enforcement can only go so far. In some states, death from opioids exceed deaths from motor vehicle accidents. Because of the multiplicity of causes, no simple tax levy could be tied to obesity, although a tax on dietary sugar and fat, or a subsidy of healthy foods such as fresh produce might be partly relevant.  If society as a whole pays these bills, does it subsidize and enable self-destructive behavior? Should freedom allow individuals to do things that are self-destructive regardless of whether they pay the whole freight or are not held accountable for the consequences?

Turning to the spiritual realm, how does God encourage, influence, or coerce our behavior? In the Bible, God pleads with us to walk with Him and do the things He asks. These are for our own best interests. He often rescues us from our follies. But there comes a point, if we do not listen, at which He allows us to reap what we have sown. God does not enable sin, but tries to deliver us from it. Jesus' parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15) epitomizes that He also allows us the freedom to choose poorly.

When the Israelites failed to obey God after leaving Egypt, He sentenced them to wander in the wilderness for forty years.  The entire generation of adults (except Joshua and Caleb) lacked the faith to respond to what God had already done in delivering them out of Egypt. (Numbers 14:29-35) He trained the next generation by feeding them manna daily for forty years, and they entered and conquered the promised land. (Joshua 24) After the reign of Solomon, the Israelites rebelled against God. The prophets warned and pleaded with them. Ultimately, the Israelites were taken into captivity and learned through hard labor to take God's words seriously, just as the generation that left Egypt did. (2 Chronicles 36:13-21) As Matthew Henry observed in his commentary on Nehemiah 10:31, "Those are stubborn children indeed that will not amend the fault for which they have been particularly corrected."

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus invited His listeners to enjoy blessings that appear esoteric because they are spiritual. He gave approximately twenty commands, most of which are impossible for us to perform on our own. Jesus described the blessedness of those who are in God's kingdom, which is only possible by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts shows the early church struggling to establish the kingdom of God against tremendous opposition. Sadly, some chose to live in the flesh. Ananias and Sapphira experienced what seems like an Old Testament judgment for their conspiracy to lie to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5:1-10) Where was God's grace in their situation? In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul dealt with a situation of brazen immorality: Sin has consequences. Those outside the church God deals with, but sin tolerated within the church was a cancer that must be surgically removed. It was for the sake of the church, but he also directed them to deliver this brother to Satan so that his spirit could be saved.

This saga of truth or consequences is incomplete without the capstone of Paul's theological explanation. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2) Empowerment by God to do things that are good and true and holy and loving has no worldly counterpart. The world may encourage, exhort, educate, train, punish, coerce, or incentivize people to do the right thing, but only God through the Holy Spirit comes Himself inside the Christian believer to give the power to do so. Since this is voluntary, Paul pleads with his readers to allow God to do this. (Romans 12:1) We have been given a glimpse of heaven, and are invited to enter. Who paid the bill? Jesus. Jesus is not going to fix our healthcare system, or miraculously deliver from their folly those who reject Him. We can spend enormous amounts trying to alleviate consequences and reform others, but until we begin building the kingdom of God, we will not have the wherewithal to pay the bills. This does not mean political rule by believers. The kingdom of God is built in our own lives when we cooperate with God to allow the Holy Spirit to make us like Him.

Plutocracy's Real Risk

Pundits and partisans studiously avoid discussing the real risk that having a plutocrat as President brings. The political establishment seems unnerved by the election of a non-career politician to lead the United States. Is this a fundamental shift in governance? Career politicians have for decades, maybe centuries, sold access and influence to raise campaign funds. Whether the wealthy (e.g. George Washington) hold office, or they manipulate the political process as did the so-called robber barons of the 19th century, plutocracy is not a novelty. But there are intensified risks, particularly for a well-managed and flourishing economy.

Digressing a bit on politics, the impetus to govern has its roots in God's mandate to Adam before the fall, to rule over the animals, fish, birds, etc. (Genesis 1:26 & 28), and to tend the garden (Genesis 2:15). This mandate extends to making things right in the affairs of humankind implicitly in Genesis 1:28. When Adam and Eve were fruitful, filled the earth, and subdued it, this implied some form of group cooperation. The response to this universal command manifests itself in almost uncountable ways, as people care for animals, tend gardens, and try to rescue people and right wrongs. Zookeepers and veterinarians, gardeners and farmers, first responders, missionaries, and those who operate soup kitchens manifest this divine charge. This drive seems universal even among unbelievers, who take up the same practices, without a spiritual connection to God. It was written into our human psyche at the very beginning. Political leadership does well to keep this priority in perspective.

Paul described the proper role of government in Romans 13:1-7, referring to the Roman Empire.  Government bears the sword to enforce the universal mandate that individuals do what is right and abstain from what is wrong. Not surprisingly, attempts by government to reach beyond its divine mandate lead to disaster for both the ruler and the ruled. Governmental overreach will ultimately consummate in the kingdom of the antichrist at the end times (Revelation 13), but human history has already given us many examples, which I am sure immediately leap into the reader's mind.

We can be strongly tempted, when obeying God and carrying out His mandate, to play His role and perhaps receive the credit due only to Him. Playing God tempts both believers and unbelievers, and relates closely to the risks associated with wealth in our individual lives. Although the wealthy have devoted a significant part of their lives to finding ways to acquire riches, God commands them to join His earthly enterprise. The Bible warns

•      even when a man has abundance, life does not consist of possessions (Luke 12:15);

•      the riches and cares of life will choke the seed of the word of God (Luke 8:14);

•      the wealthy will be tempted to trust in riches instead of God (Deuteronomy 8:11-18); and

•      seeking wealth will open the door to temptation (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

Instead, Jesus encourages us to use earthly wealth to purchase eternal approval and heavenly dwellings. (Luke 16:1-9)

Aristotle wrote that the ideal ruler would be a philosopher-king a few centuries after Solomon had demonstrated both the merits and limitations of a wise king. Aristotle missed the spiritual dimension. Solomon's success and failure provides an excellent example of the risks associated with wealth. He started off well (2 Chronicles 6-7), but forty years of worldly success and the recognition that came thereby, and the multiplicity of his wives, turned his heart towards idolatry. (1 Kings 11:1-13) The kingdom flourished in his reign, but divided and nearly erupted in civil war shortly after his death, along the lines of his spiritual waywardness. (1 Kings 11:11 ff) Unfortunately the people of Israel suffered for Solomon's idolatry and disobedience, but that is the nature of governance.

God challenges us to overcome the risks associated with wealth to serve Him. Not that there is virtue in poverty, because wealth can be greatly used for God's kingdom purposes, but many temptations of the rich do not tempt the poor; they have no choice but to rely on God. Blessed are we if, at any level of worldly provision, we rely as much on God. While economic success may tempt political leaders to play God or the people to worship mammon, we individually risk succumbing to this temptation daily. Plutocratic national leadership – a rich President – cannot mitigate this risk.

The Trauma of Advent

The pain that accompanied Jesus' birth is a perfect type for the heralds of the arrival of God's kingdom. In the Christmas season we pass quickly over the stigmatization that Mary experienced as an unwed mother (Matthew 1:19-25); the slaughter of the innocents (Matt. 2:16-18); the nomadic life of Joseph and Mary as they left home, not to return for some number of years, their first stop as homeless people borrowing a barn for Mary to give birth (Matt 2:13-15, Luke 2:1-7); and Simeon's  warning to Mary of more pain to come. (Luke 2:34-35)

There are three dimensions of resistance to the coming of God's kingdom: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Each is overcome through striving and pain.

If the world made Joseph and Mary homeless, it is that we learn through struggle that God is our source and He will provide. No doubt the gifts of the Magi (Matt 2:11) helped fund the young couple through their sojourn in Egypt. Nothing is recorded of the daily providences that must have been their experience, as for many of the modern-day homeless. Provision in God's kingdom is of divine origin, but it does make us uncomfortable, if not painful, to be destitute and completely dependent on God, even though that is our true condition in the spiritual realm. Jesus later reflected on His divine homelessness. (Matt 8:20)

In our natural state, the comforts of food, shelter, family, society, go beyond mere provision. Simeon's prophecy to Mary of the emotional pain she would later endure goes beyond the stigma she had already experienced as an unwed mother. In that day, the penalty for sex outside of marriage could have been stoning, and certainly was social ostracism, unlike the present day. Mary's pregnancy outside of wedlock would have been considered irrefutable evidence, since even Joseph needed an angel to convince him of the virgin birth. The Bible only hints at Mary's pain when she stood beneath the cross watching her firstborn Son die. (John 19:25-27) Crucifixion was deliberately the most painful, drawn-out death by torture that the Roman Empire could devise, and even Jesus dreaded it. (Luke 22:42-44) But He also knew that it was the only way to redeem us from our sin. Paul later reflected on the state of fully reckoning the value of the knowledge of Christ to be the loss of all earthly things (Philippians 3:8-11).

The devil's opposition to the advent of Christ into the world (Matt 2:16-18) was foreshadowed by his effort to prevent Moses from rising to lead Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 1:16, 22) The final arrival of Christ's kingdom on earth will come at great cost, in terms of the slaughter of believers, (Revelation 6:9) This apocalyptic bloodbath will evidently be greater than that recorded in church history from the time of Christ to the accession of Constantine to be Emperor. Not that persecution of Christians ended in the third century; the voice of martyrs continues to this day, perhaps in greater numbers than ever, as the devil attempts to suppress the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Most of us do not experience pain of this magnitude in our daily lives, yet God deals with all His children fairly. There are a couple of common principles exhibited. Firstly, perhaps less important, is that the government is not God and cannot take God's place, and is vulnerable to being an instrument of the devil. Having godly men and women in government can perhaps deter the latter risk, but the government can never provide the daily, individual attention that we all need. But the second, more important principle is that God deals with us as sons, and therefore we must be taught to take on His nature. (Hebrews 12:1-13) The advent of God's kingdom into our individual lives is going to bring pain.

At Christmas, we often celebrate peace on earth, good will to men (Luke 2:14). Henry Wadsworth Longfellow reflected on this tension in his 1863 poem about the bells of Christmas Day. In the seventh stanza he records God's response to his despair over the consequences of man's rejection of God's advent and provision. In the midst the of the civil war in the no-longer-United States, he wrote that the bells pealed "God is not dead nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail." The coming of Christ into the world is God's answer, painful though it may be.

I am indebted to my dear friend, Bill S., whose discussion questions suggested the theme of this blog.