The Day They Drove Ole Dixie Down
The Day They Drove Ole Dixie Down
Since we last published ETC, South Carolina took the Confederate flag down off their state house, and put it in a corner somewhere. And perhaps raising ire even more among theologically astute southerners, Doug Jones in Credenda/Agenda magazine has suggested that the Confederate flag is a symbol of the judgment of God. He said many more things in his little column, most of which were either not read or not understood. I love the south. I have seven different Confederate flags flying in my office. I have two pounds of boudin in my freezer. My son has been taught when playing soldier that the bad guys are Yankees. But he's also been taught that all our heroes, save one, have feet of clay. And that I punish him because I love him.
The South was right, but not about everything. Though it may have been one of the better cultures in history, it was not the consummation of the kingdom. Too many of the heroes of the south fought for their own honor, rather than the honor of God. Too many depended upon their own bravery, and not upon the grace of God. And all the soldiers, in themselves, began the war under God's judgment, by virtue of being born sinners. To say the South was judged is not to say that it was more sinful than the North. It does say that God is just in all that He does, and that He chastens those whom He loves.
And we who love the South must learn these lessons, if we want to honor the dead. Our goals should be not to repeat the mistakes of the past. We must learn to get our dander up when God's honor is accosted, not our own. We must learn that victory in making manifest the kingdom of God comes through dependence on the grace of God. We must learn that whatever the cost, we must never break our union with Him.
And while we're at it, let's admit that in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, all around the South, our state governments have been nothing but administrative outposts of Washington D.C. for a long time. If the people of South Carolina want to honor those who died for state's rights, let them spend their energy electing men who would defy the feds by honoring and protecting those who are dying by federally protected abortions.
Have Gun, Will Travel
I'd like to fire away in the continuing debate in America regarding gun control. As a child, I was raised around firearms. They were a constant part of our lives growing up on the farm. There was the occasional rattlesnake or chicken hawk that threatened life and livelihood that had to be dealt with. There were the cows and pigs that were swiftly and mercifully dispatched before slaughter. During the hunting seasons, deer, bear, wild hog, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, quail, and dove graced our evening table for supper. We knew what each gun was capable of doing and we treated every gun as if it were loaded--all the time.
Though now I don't live on a farm, I hope to one day soon. But I still have my guns. And I carry one with me most of the time, though now it is more for the protection of my family than an agrarian necessity. Our society has grown increasingly dangerous. And responsible citizens should be allowed the right to protect themselves. Even Jesus encouraged protecting oneself in Luke 22:36 by telling the disciples to arm themselves with the weapons of their day.
Besides, the hysteria surrounding deaths caused by guns would probably abate if proper statistics were given. Like, how many deaths attributed to guns are bad guys killing bad guys (no loss there)? And how many deaths are good guys killing bad guys (no loss there either). There are also plenty of situations out there where people avoided harm and death because they were adequately armed. So, in order to be "gun-safe" I would suggest; (1) be nice to your local postal worker, (2) get your kids out of public school, (3) avoid New York City, and (4) if you buy a gun, take a safety course--twice.
A Fallen Soldier
Dr. James Montgomery Boice went home to his reward on June 15. Dr. Boice was diagnosed with liver cancer early in May, and preached his last sermon not long after. In it he exemplified the kind of man he was. He affirmed that the death sentence he had received was unlike the one he was due, but was instead a gift, the opportunity to go and be with Jesus. He embraced the sovereignty of God not just in principle, but in practice.
Dr. Boice was a champion of the historic orthodoxy. He served as pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for over thirty years, as well as serving as the preacher on the radio broadcast, The Bible Study Hour. He always managed to know where the battle was at any moment. He was instrumental in the founding of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy in the mid-seventies, helping to make that doctrine the shibboleth of evangelicalism. He helped to form the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, fighting the practical liberalism that still assaults the evangelical church. But Dr. Boice labored to protect the evangelical heritage foremost by defending the root of that heritage, the Reformed faith. Through writing and conferences, through preaching and teaching, Dr. Boice helped to spread the biblical doctrines of grace.
His method was one of quiet dignity. Dr. Boice was not one to thunder from the pulpit. Rather he was soft spoken, and chose his words carefully. But that care was not the fruit of indifference. In defense of the authority of the Bible he was as dogged as he was insightful. In defense of the doctrines of grace he was as zealous as he was biblical. Dr. Boice was not only a friend of the church, but he was a friend to my family. He will be sorely missed, but we will honor him by rejoicing that he has indeed heard those most precious of words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."