Idiota

I can count on one hand the American politicians who favor limited government in the tradition of our founding fathers. Mark Sanford is one of them. He was on everybody's list of potential presidential nominees for 2012. But like an idiot he destroyed his opportunity to make any effective change in the course of our nation by having an overseas affair and clumsily trying to cover it up. More disappointing personally because he was a bright light from my home state--a state whose claims to fame are few and far between (let's see, we started the Civil War and then had the oldest living senator for a while). A few of my friends have worked for Sanford at various stages in his career and he seemed to be a rare exception to the rule of statist politicians.

I am now even more convinced that there will be no change in this country unless Christians rise up and take positions of power. I'm not even talking about revival; I'm just talking about preserving freedom. You could put Rush Limbaugh or Mark Sanford or Barry Goldwater in charge of everything and little would change because they lack true Christian values. Their lifestyle would always bring them down and negate their life's work. Sanford's life's work was limited government. But limited government only works when coupled with Christian morality.

All men need a god. At this point in our history we are watching the government-educated masses begging the state to be their god. Sanford seemed to stand against that trend. But like all non-Christian "conservatives," he had no moral compass--and as a result he leaves us with even more of an uphill fight to defend our basic liberties.

Oh well, did William Wallace give up when he was betrayed and the odds were against him? Heck no....at least not in the movie version.

Providence and perspective

"In spite of failures which I lament, of errors which I now see and acknowledge, or of the present aspect of affairs, do I despair the future? The truth is this, the march of Providence is so slow, our desires so impatient, the work of progress is so immense, and our means of aiding it so feeble, the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope."

Robert E. Lee

The Creation Museum: A Review

The Creation Museum is situated right off Cincinnati’s “beltway,” but the first thing that strikes you is that there are no other commercial properties around. One day some smart entrepreneur will build a gas station or a McDonald’s across the street, but for now it’s only surrounded by small farms.

The admission fee was a little steep ($22 for adults), especially considering the whole complex was built by wheedling donations from the very families who patronize it. But it was in keeping with the prevailing doctrine of Professional Christians: “never proclaim God’s truth for free when you can overcharge for it.”

The museum itself had some memorable displays. There are plenty of dinosaurs for the kids and some impressive animatronics, including Methuselah talking to you inside his tent and Noah’s crew building the ark.

The general flow of the museum seems disjointed at first—a diorama of archeologists, a smattering of small fossils, some texts on the wall of an otherwise empty room, random posters depicting sin (drug addicts, war, starving children). Later it seems to find its rhythm as you proceed through chronological dioramas of the early chapters of Genesis.

There are some decent short films along the way and, at the end of the tour, a longer theatrical film called “The Last Adam” that presents the gospel message. Before you head to the gift shop, you’re encouraged to pick up a card, recite the cheesy “Salvation Poem” on it, and then sign and date it—thereby signifying that you are born again. This, of course, is the most shallow and fruitless type of evangelism and was the most disappointing part of the whole experience: kind of like hearing your pastor say, “Nod your head if you love Jesus. Now welcome to the club.” Maybe they will see fit one day to trash those cards.

Outside they have set up a new petting zoo which is a good addition. There is also a large, scenic garden by the adjacent pond with plenty of walking trails.

In short, the kids loved it; the adults thought it was okay. There is plenty of Ham and cheese, but it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. If you understand ahead of time that this is not really a “Creation Museum”—as in a Christian alternative to the usual natural history museums—you won’t be disappointed. It does not really address in any meaningful way the science of the creation/evolution debate, but rather assumes that you already believe the creation model. A more proper name, then, would be “Bible Museum” or “Sunday School Museum” and it is definitely geared toward the “church youth group” crowd. Still, I admire the effort put into it and hope other museums with a Christian worldview are on the horizon.

Christians as sojourners

"Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language. [living in such places] as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers...They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives."

Written by an unknown Christian to Diognetus, tutor to Emperor Marcus Aurelius, around 150 AD

Rebellious Kids

The oldest two had to memorize this speech for their American history class.



...and some outtakes

Verse of the month

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3: 5, 6

Judge orders homeschoolers into government school

Here's the article out of North Carolina.

Probably just an isolated freak case, but still troubling. It's hard to get a handle on the facts of this story because the article is so poorly written. It sounds as if the parents are divorcing and the mother has custody of the children; in which case, why is the judge involved in a decision about the children's education? If the father wants a say in how his kids are educated, maybe he should stay with the family and fulfill his duties as a father.

I'm amazed that anti-homeschooling hasn't yet become a cause celebre of the mainstream media. You can easily see how that would play out: exposes on a couple families where the children are "abused," concern about children learning "mainstream science" (i.e., macro-evolution and global warming), etc. Liberal legislators will try to pass laws against homeschooling "for the welfare of the child." The actual education aspect--the fact that, for example, these particular children tested two grades higher than their public school counterparts--will be swept under the rug. Because in the end it's not about the actual education; it's about government control.

Here's another article that expresses surprise that homeschool families are still committed to homeschooling even during this economic depression. Some mothers are working and homeschooling. (I actually expect a rise in homeschooling as some families decide they can no longer afford private Christian schools; we're seeing it already in our town).

If our family was forced at gunpoint (which is what a law is, really) to send our kids to public school, we would probably obey the law. But it wouldn't stop us from continuing to homeschool at night. I would just tell our kids to zone out during the day and we'll do school at home later. Until we become a full-blown communist state, there are plenty of ways to say, "Don't tread on me." If you're a homeschool parent, what would you do?

Good Times, Bad Times II

So let’s recap: since Obama was elected the stock market has fallen over 30%. Drudge had a headline up over the weekend announcing that February—our first full month of “hope and change”--was the worst month for the stock market since 1933!

I alluded to the Weimar Republic in my last post. A few days later the Wall St. Journal ran a piece headlined “We’re heading toward a global Weimar.” The federal budget deficit is projected to rise to $1.75 trillion this year; our national debt is $10.8 trillion. And what does our president do? He proposes we spend trillions more on wasteful programs and print more paper dollars that aren’t backed by any real assets.

Even my ten-year-old son knows you don’t get out of debt by increasing your discretionary spending. But that logic seems to be lost on the Ivy League socialists we keep electing. Unfortunately, they are going to make things much worse—at least for while.

Here’s a funny infomercial that applies equally to our new leaders and the average American family.


via videosift.com