Category: Miscellany

Rage Against The Machine – Part I

Image from new TSA scanner

The new security measures in U.S. airports offer the traveler the option of a full body scan that presents a naked picture of the traveler to the TSA employee paid to gawk (see image). And yes, if you are a guy, they can see your junk, and in remarkable detail.

If you choose not to appear naked before strangers, you have the option of being groped by the government.

This gawk or grope strategy is the latest from the government for catching Islamic terrorists.

Christians are right to be offended by gawk and grope but not just because it is smells like pornography and sexual assault. In fact, I apologize if the image on this blog post offends you. I debated whether to use it but decided that people being informed on this issue outweighed any offense.

Still, the larger issue here is one of freedom and at what point one is willing to trade it for security.

I would like to offer Kingdom citizens some perspective, a view from 35,000 feet, and suggest a better reason for  Christians to be offended.

I’ve heard many say, “If it means I can fly without worrying about the plane being blown up I’m fine with it.” So, what happens when Islamic terrorists start putting bombs in their anuses where they are shielded from the new scanners? Will we then submit to full body cavity searches? If it meant flying safely would you be willing to do it?

People prefer freedom to tyranny. There is no surprise there. But throughout history people have made the choice to give away their freedom. The choice is usually not between freedom and tyranny, but between a little less freedom and a little more tyranny in exchange for a little more safety or security. That is the trade being offered right now.

To those who hope only in this life, the trade seems a reasonable one. If death is the end, then trade all to avoid it, even one’s freedom.

Christians should not suffer from such shortsightedness. Their hope is not in this world only. Christians therefore should be the quickest to draw the line against tyranny, the staunchest defenders of freedom, even if it means incurring a greater risk to their safety.

When Christians are willing to do that, they will begin to wear the mantle of freedom intended for every citizen of the Kingdom of God, and they will be seen by the world as protectors of freedom.

I’m not suggesting where you should be willing to draw that line, but I do want to suggest why you should be willing to draw it. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm…” (Galatians 5:1). GS

On Discretion

Discretion is of late an unheralded virtue.  To give the virtue its due, I herald it here.

The definition of “discreet” is “[m]arked by, exercising, or showing prudence and wise self-restraint in speech and behavior; circumspect.” (The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Ed.).

Here are some aphorisms on discretion from the Bible, some from me and one from a portly Brit:

(c)iStockphoto.com/fambros

“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.” (Proverbs 11:22).

“A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.”  (Proverbs 19:11).

“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you…” (Proverbs 2:10-11).

“Imprudence speaks then thinks; discretion thinks and remains silent.”

“Discretion is a friend to the wise, but a stranger to the foolish.”

“He who exerecises discretion exercises wisdom.”

“Tact is the unsaid part of what you think.”  Winston Churchill

A Forgotten Virtue

Aristotle said, “It is better to rise from life as from a banquet, neither thirsty nor drunken.” Socrates said “Everything in moderation, nothing in excess.”  The Bible states, “It is not good to eat too much honey.” (Proverbs 25:27).

Moderation recognizes more of the good is not always better and too much of anything is almost always worse.  Though moderation has been recognized as a virtue throughout history, in modern times it has all but been forgotten.

I suspect the young have always suffered from a lack of moderation.  We have to tell children not to spoil their appetite by eating too much candy and college students not to drink too much.  But experience, an able teacher, and partnered with age, a professor, in times past has instructed men of the benefits of moderation.

Today, people are poorer students.  The reason?  I suspect it is that modernity’s ability to deliver seemingly instant and unlimited gratification allows people to switch from one excess to another before recognizing the culprit is excess, not the object of it.  But whatever the reason for moderation’s decline, it is not because of a diminution of its merit.

Try this.  Next time you you enjoy a good meal or a bowl of ice cream or a good glass of wine, don’t go back for seconds.  Stop while you’re wanting more, and I think you will find yourself having enjoyed the entire experience to a much greater degree, your quality of life will soar…and your waistline may even shrink. GS

Ten People I’d Most Like To Meet

(c)iStockphoto.com/Dizeloid

I’ve met some interesting people.  Some are well-known: Sean Connery, Bobby Knight, and Arnold Palmer come to mind.

The ones who’ve had the most influence on me (besides family) are Dennis Peacocke and George Grant, whom I both count as friends, and two pastors I’ve had.  But there are some people I’ve never met with whom I would love to meet and talk.  Here they are:

1. The Apostle Paul. Bold, evangelistic, and heuvos the size of Texas.  Confronted Peter and preached the gospel to Nero, the Athenian Supreme Court, Sergius Paulus, Agrippa, Felix, Festus.  Need I continue?

2. Charlemagne. Changed his world and brought about a cultural renaissance by the propogation of Christianity throughout what is now Europe.

3. Moses. A liberator.  Freed people from oppression and gave them a vision for the future.

4. Constantine. (a/ka Caesar Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus, Constantine the Great, Constantine I).  The first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire.  Was the first to attempt to model a Christian nation and did a pretty good job of it considering.

5. Herman Melville. A Christian and perhaps the greatest writer who ever lived.  Not appreciated in his time, but a true genuis.

6. Saint Louis. (Louis IX of France).  A brave, virtuous man who insisted on going before his men into battle.  Loved the Lord and ruled righteously.  A model for any Christian leader.

7. C.S. Lewis. A honest, clear thinker and great writer who left us all the wiser for having given us a candid glimpse into his mind and life.

8. Polycarp. A Christian martyr who went out in a cool, Dirty Harry style. I blogged on him here under the title, The Kingdom’s Dirty Harry.

9. Godfrey de Bouillon. The recognized leader of the first crusade who, upon entering Jerusalem victoriously refused the peoples’ request to be called king of Jerusalem, stating, “How can I wear a crown of gold in a place where my King wore a crown of thorns?”

10. John Calvin.  More responsible for Western thought than you probably realize.  A brilliant guy who wrote his masterpiece, The Institutes of Christian Religion when he was just twenty-six years old.  He also had a law degree.

You may have noticed that all these men are dead, but they are all Christians.  So, perhaps I’ll meet them in heaven.  Who would be on your list?

What Personality Has To Do With Destiny

(c)iStockphoto.com/mwellis

Last week I attended a fundraiser for a local judge. On the way there it occurred to me what an odd thing a fundraiser must be for a judge. Judging is a very intellectual job, yet one has to be social enough to get elected. It’s a profession where the people most qualified to serve are least likely to get the job.

Being a trial lawyer presents similar challenges for me. Yesterday I sat at my computer at work from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a thirty minute break for lunch. I was so engrossed in what I was doing I couldn’t believe when I looked at the clock and saw it was nearly 4:00 p.m.

It’s the way I’m hardwired. I can concentrate for very long periods of time on a single task. It’s a good aptitude to have for a trial attorney. But then there are other requirements of trial lawyering that cut directly against my aptitudes and personality traits, things I struggle with but I do because they are necessary. To others they are easy and a joy.

Now, none of what I have just described has anything to do with sin or righteousness. It really has more to do with personality, how one is hardwired. Part of being a person is having certain aptitudes and not having others.

Here’s where I’m going with this. Jesus was sinless, but He was still a person. I’m no theologian, but I think it’s safe to say Jesus was hardwired to be more one way than another. For example, I wonder whether Jesus was naturally more extroverted or introverted, whether He drew more energy from being around people or being alone.

Regardless, I think it’s safe to say that whichever was not his natural tendency, He was able to function in it when necessary to fulfill His destiny. And that’s really the key. If Jesus was naturally extroverted but couldn’t spend time alone with the Father He wouldn’t have fulfilled His destiny. If He was naturally introverted and could spend hours in prayer but couldn’t successfully interact for extended periods of time with people, He wouldn’t have fulfilled His destiny.

There is much talk today about knowing your strengths. Everyone naturally wants to talk about their strengths because it makes them feel good about themselves. But managing your strengths is not particularly difficult. It is being able to function competently in your weaknesses that is more crucial to fulfilling your destiny.

So, the question is, “How well are you managing your weaknesses? GS