In a telephone conversation I
spoke to a liberal minded woman who moved to the area a couple years ago, “We
didn’t know this was such a religious community. We should have done our
homework better.” I defended the community’s right to practice religion, but
I’ll admit that my first reaction was one of indignation that a perceived
overly religious community factored into a site selection for retirement. I
then remembered my husband and I once talked about relocating, but decided
against a move because of the lack of medical facilities, grocery stores, and
yes…the absence of a church that taught the Bible,
rather than the denomination. It gives me pause to consider Abraham’s only
consideration for relocation was God’s direction, “‘Leave your country and your
people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you” (Acts 7:3 NIV).
3 comments:
Gail;
-----In a way I rather understand this lady’s sentiment. Christians tend to mind other people’s “ought-to’s” more than their own. But unlike liberals, whose philosophical core is “do whatever will make it work”, Christians at least begin with the living and true core: do whatever is right. That at least is a direction for a good beginning even if we do get carried away a little bit in thinking we know what’s right for everyone else. Of course, that carry-away comes as a natural consequence of knowing in fundamental terms exactly what is right for everyone: turn away from following your own direction and follow Jesus Christ’s directions. It’s so easy to fall in the trap of thinking “how following Christ expresses itself in my life will express itself the same way in everyone else’s lives”. What makes Christians so annoying is their small regard for the large difference between “same” and “similar”.
-----But the liberal is an entirely different animal. There is no “same” or “similar” between Christian and liberal. On the surface, of course, there is much similarity: both eat, drink, sleep, and hopefully, are merry. Both need clothing and shelter, love and care, and a sense of direction. But the bugaboo is in the last point. The direction from which we gain our provisions determines the economics of the providence we enjoy (or think we enjoy.) The liberal economic system (far beyond goods and services alone, I refer to economics of love and meaning also) is based solely upon chaos. They would claim that about Christian economics. But it is Christian economics which comes with a steering wheel in God’s hand. The fact that Christians' rack-and-pinion mechanisms are worn to sloppy bad does not mean God’s hand is not yet upon the steering wheels of His children. Amongst them is a good place to be, even if they do excessively mind your business.
-----That’s hard for any liberal to take. In this context I mean “liberal” to be every denier of Jesus Christ -liberation from all restrictions upon the self. The liberal is free to explore any and every avenue his heart pleases to experience -no holds barred- and to choose directions to the satisfaction of his own pleasure. At this point we must be honest; God is true while all people are false. At least the Christian’s falsehood is directed towards the beckoning of the Healer in the light, while liberals lead each other stumbling into the night. Jesus expressed it accurately if only generally, “…if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matt 15:14) while Manfred Man expressed it less accurately but more particularly:
But she was…
Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
PS: For anyone still wondering about that line: “Revved up like a deuce,” “deuce” is a hot-rodder’s term for a 1932 Ford coupe (the 2 of “32“ is the “deuce“.) In their day, sporting flathead V-8’s and stripped of their rumble seats, they ran moonshine in the night faster than the cops could catch them. After prohibition, three two-barrel carburetors became referred to as “three-deuces” and were the popular theme for the Deuce. Three deuces on a little Chevy 327 revs up really fast really quick! And it’ll carry one far into the night. Or far into the light, if you leave the moonshine in the neighbor’s still and let the Lord do the steering; that is to say, being not a liberal, but living by The Book.
Steve,
Your reference to “flathead V-8’s” made me laugh. I can just imagine some from different generations and life experiences trying to make a connection with V8 juice and moonshine.
Gail
V8 Juice! LOL! I totally forgot about that stuff. There isn't some slight implication in your bringing this up that V8 juice is for flat-heads? I guess in today's world it is the moonshine everyone thinks will round out one's life. (Of course, the connection between moonshine and V8 juice might be the Bloody Mary?)
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