Fires of Ferguson

August 12, 2015 ~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

Contained within the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution are invaluable freedoms such as speech, petition, and to peaceably assemble. Most nations throughout world history have never allotted such opportunities to its citizens. In fact, more people in the world today live without those freedoms than those that do, and most that do, live with limited versions. They are rights that have long been fought for in this country and have not always been honored by our government. However, in today’s America those freedoms are widely exercised and upheld and citizens of this nation should use these treasured rights to push for change and justice.

Over the course of the past year, many have gone too far, committing acts that are merely criminal at best. Showcase: Ferguson. On the one year anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown the criminal acts reemerged. Authorities had to declare a state of emergency in Ferguson, Missouri, on Monday in an effort to put down repeated violence that erupted during demonstrations overnight. Not all broke the law in an attempt to right a perceived wrong. Clergy and civil rights groups led a rally of more than 100 people through city streets, shouting, “This is what democracy looks like” and “Black lives matter.” What began as peaceful demonstrations on Sunday night descended into chaos as gunshots rang out when police in riot gear tried to disperse protesters blocking traffic and smashing storefront windows along a street. Police said Sunday’s gunfire began with two groups of agitators apparently shooting at each other before one of the gunmen ran across a parking lot and was stopped by four officers in an unmarked vehicle. Reports say the gunman, Tyrone Harris, then opened fire on the police and in turn was shot by the police.

There’s one word that comes to mind when looking at this situation…hypocrisy. I’m obviously not talking about those who choose to exercise their God-given and constitutionally-protected rights, but people who protest police violence with crime are no better than those whom they are protesting. This is only a capstone to the first two waves of rioting back in August 2014 following the death of Michael Brown and November and December of 2014 after the jury’s decision to not punish the officer who shot Brown. What was the result of all those riots? Six officers injured, ten people from the public injured, 211 arrests, and millions of dollars in damage done. This is always the end result, if not worse, when people fight hate with hate…it only serves to perpetuate the problem.

People who protest in such a manner spit upon the constitution. Their ruthless, unjust acts are a slap in the face to all those who have gone before them like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, and many more. They think they are standing up for justice when really they are as much the problem if not a bigger part of the problem. This hate rings out all too familiar heralding us back to days of the militant Black Panthers and propaganda of radicalism and violence promoted by people such as Malcolm X. Let’s learn from history. What happened to Malcolm X? He was killed by the people he formerly led. What service did the militant groups serve? They set back progress that the non-violent activists were achieving and painted their cause in a very bad light.

I hail those who have stood up for justice in a peaceful way and have chosen the path of giving underserved love and respect to people regardless of how they are treated. I hail those who have shown the value of the rights expressed in the first amendment. I hail those who refuse to suffer injustice as long as injustice is sufferable (Declaration of Independence). Those people inspire change. Those people call others to come and follow in their footsteps.

As Jesus Christ once said, “those who draw the sword shall die by it.” (Matthew 26:52) Martin Luther King Jr. later used that as a motto to his nonviolent movement and it served to stay the hand of many. I have no doubt that police brutality causes anger to well up inside many. Rightfully so. I am not ignorant to the fact that race can be an issue in parts of this nation. But in the words of our Maker, “do not repay evil with evil.” (Proverbs 20:22, Romans 12:17, 1 Peter 3:9 and many more). If we want to see the world change we need to, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) When the world sees the power of grace working through those who stand up for injustice, hearts will be changed! Ultimately, we know that it is God who will bring the final, enduring justice and may Christ return soon to hasten that day!

Legacy of Hate

August 3, 2015 ~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

The above picture may seem like it is from a different and more barbarous age; from a time when evil covered Europe under the umbrella of the Nazi regime. Why would one guess that? Because how could such cruelty and hate still exist in today’s world?

One thing I’ve observed being a history teacher is that people forget. The main ingredient in the recipe for repeated disaster is for future generations to lose touch. You may have heard the motto ‘those who fail to learn from the past are destined to repeat it.’ It’s not necessarily a matter of knowing facts about past events but the idea of learning is that it becomes real to us. We need to get it. We need to understand why it happened and the tragic effects it had on people’s lives, maybe even our own. We need to get it to the point where we don’t ever want it to happen again.

As the sting of the 1930s and 1940s wears off with each new generation, room is given for expressions of antisemitism to reemerge on an increasing scale. Each new year in the 21st century is outdoing the previous one. How about in the United States? You bet. There was a 21% increase of reported acts of hate towards Jews in 2014 compared to 2013. There were 912 recorded incidents including 513 harassments, 363 acts of vandalism, and 36 physical assaults across 38 states in the U.S. The worst states are New York, California, New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania. This year, 2015, hasn’t been off to any better of a start. There were marches held protesting Israel in places like Milwaukee and rallies held outside of synagogues. Jewish communities and synagogues have been attacked through cyber hacking. Hate messages have been spray painted on Jewish shops and synagogues with messages like ‘Hitler was right’ and ‘Jews=killers’ as well as swastikas. Then there was the shooting in Overland Park, Kansas in the Jewish community. I’ll bet a lot of people don’t even remember that. Ever heard of Louis Farrakhan? He’s a minister of the Nation of Islam and he’s probably done more to rally people against Jews than anyone since Adolph Hitler. Some of his messages at organized million man marches are chillingly similar to those heard in Germany in the 1930s. Farrakhan has even spoken out in support of Hitler on occasion. He’s most recently been taking his anti-Semitic message to the music industry, rallying support of young and experienced rappers.

If all of this is happening here in the United States, what could the rest of the world look like? After all, aren’t we the land of tolerance? I’ll address that in a future post but it’s obvious that we are not. Here’s a snapshot at a few select nations from Europe and the Americas:
-In Argentina messages like ‘death to Jews’ and swastikas have been plastered on Jewish community centers and a Jewish cemetery was vandalized.
-In Austria a man wearing a Star of David necklace was beaten as well as two other Jewish boys.
-In Copenhagen, Denmark a synagogue was shot up and shops were vandalized.
-France has seen probably the most violence towards Jews in Europe. There , a Jewish woman and her child were beaten while the thugs yelled, “Hitler didn’t finish the job.” Two 16 year old Jewish boys were beaten and 250 graves were overturned and swastikas painted on gravestones. Let’s not forget the attacks in Paris where a Jewish shop was shot up.
-In Brussels a Jewish museum was attacked.
-In Brazil posters were hung up in the capital city calling Jews killers, thugs, and criminals.
-How about our northern neighbors? In Montreal, Canada cars were painted with swastikas.
-More incidents have occurred in the nations of Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Venezuela. To learn more check out adl.org.

Sidebar…am I the only one thinking of the insane level of irony here. These misanthropists who: vandalize, spew hate speech, beat women and children, rally millions in support of hating a people group, and hang posters are calling Jews criminals an thugs…? Who do they think they are? When is the last time you saw protests against the terrorist group Hamas who use children as weapons in their attempt to murder Jews? How about Palestinians who have been murdering Jews for decades? How about radical Islam that aims to murder Christian and Jewish (really non-Islamic and sometimes Islamic as well) people? I can’t think of ever seeing it. Ok sidebar over…

When most think of people who hate Jews they think of the Arab nations that surround them, like Iran and Egypt. And while some figures have shown that upwards of 3/4 of the populations in those nations harbor antisemitic feelings, and while Iran has expressed its desire to wipe Israel and all Jewish people off the map, antisemitism is very much a serious problem around the world, and a growing one here. The European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency released a study showing that 64% of European Jews don’t report incidents. I seriously doubt that number varies much in others places in the world. So that tells us that the problem is much worse than statistics show. Consider the thousands of antisemitic people who don’t act on their twisted view. All the world needs is for good people to sit back and ignore the problem while they build the courage to act.

We need to pass this on…to voice support for the Jewish people and speak out against injustice. One thing we can know for sure is those who bless the people of Israel will be blessed those who curse them will be cursed (Genesis 12:3). Not only should we take God at His word but it’s also the right thing to do. No people group should be demeaned like this. God will not abandon the Jewish people and neither should we. We know who wins in the end and it sure won’t be those who promoted and acted on hate.

God Bless!

Slavery Dead? Not by a Long Shot!

July 27, 2015August 3, 2015 ~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

As the fight for equality rages over a person’s chosen sexual orientation, a much larger war is taking place that receives far less media attention. In a very real sense it is a struggle for equality and justice on a scale that this world has not seen sense nations began to throw of the chains off oppression and slavery. This is a global war yet one that is happening right in our back yard. Trafficking women and children for sexual exploitation is perhaps the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. Despite the fact that international law and more than 134 countries around the world criminalize sex trafficking, the problem is getting worse. According to the International Labor Organization, there are nearly 21 million adults and children who are bought for bonded labor and sexual servitude. To put that in perspective, that would be roughly three New York Cities or nearly the entire population of Texas. UNICEF released data revealing that 2 million children are used for sexual exploitation EACH YEAR! At least 100,000 of those are right here in the U.S. It’s happening all over the United States but there are some states doing less than others to be a part of the solution. These seven states are lagging behind the rest: North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Delaware, New Hampshire (for more information on this go to Take Part). Women and children are being taken, sold, and recruited (obviously under different pretenses). How is it this is happening and most are completely unaware of the seriousness of the problem or don’t want to be “depressed by it, in their news feed?” I would say because so many people are part of the problem. Here’s a number: 3 billion. That is how much is made by the adult films industries online alone (about 1/3 of that comes from the U.S.) around the world. This obviously doesn’t account for material not considered pornography and that which is sold on the black market. Why do I bring this up? Because it shows how saturated our world is with lust and perversion, and it’s only getting worse. Even as we speak groups here in this country are trying to lower the age of sexual consent (which is decided by each state, most ranging between 16 and 18). This is becoming more of a world that seeks to satisfy its cravings, and other’s cravings to make a profit. God said that as we approach Christ’s return people will increasingly become lovers of self and pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3). There’s no doubt that this is happening on a grand scale as some people skew the truth to fit their desires or completely ignore it all together. The result is that other people become a means to an end. They become objects rather than people. What has resulted is more slaves than at ANY other point in human history and its happening right under our nose. Trafficking is not limited to the adult industry or the streets, and dark alleyways. Guess what the largest venue is for trafficking…the Superbowl. Not too far behind are other major sporting events here in the US like the Major League Baseball All-Star game. Stats are powerful but stories are heartbreaking. Rebecca was abused from age six and forced into prostitution starting at age 14. She was finally able to break free after 13 years of exploitation. Rebecca recounts, “I was prostituted from 14 till I was 27. I got out because I chose to live. The guy I was with was very violent and I ended up in hospital. I remember the nurse yelled at me for being a prostitute. She sewed me up without anesthesia and I left the hospital. I was paralyzed for 3 days.” You can read more of her story here. In Bangladesh, a young girl falls in love. Women in her country are not viewed as being much more useful than for housework and raising kids so any prospect of love and a meaningful relationship is like gold. Ayesha was lured away from her family with great promises of a future together, but instead she found herself trapped in a nightmare. “When people tell me that women choose this life, I can’t help but laugh. Do they know how many women like me have tried to escape, but have been beaten black and blue when they are caught? To the men who buy us, we are like meat. To everybody else in society, we simply do not exist.” You can read more of her story and several other heart-wrenching stories here. Even now hope exists. Groups such as Equality Now, Polaris Project, and A21 are giving people practical ways to join the struggle against this global phenomenon. These groups work on prevention, rescuing, and rehabilitating women and children who have fallen subject to the atrocity of human trafficking. Actress Angelina Jolie, a long time advocate for children, took advantage of a special platform before the United Nations, recalling stories of survivors she met and calling the UN to action. You can watch a short clip of her address here. The United States Government has also taken part over the last decade and half. The U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted about 400 cases of trafficking since 2000 (which is when the first federal law to address sex trafficking and labor trafficking in the United States). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assists victims of trafficking in the United States by funding service programs and through public information campaigns. The U.S. Department of Labor funds anti-trafficking programs overseas and monitors places of employment in the U.S. to identify abusive labor practices. The U.S. Department of State, through its Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, assesses and reports on the global trafficking situation in its annual Trafficking in Person Report. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued over 1500 visas to identified victims of trafficking. However, these numbers are small in light of the growing threat. Human trafficking is no small issue and can easily overwhelm a person with a sense of hopelessness and inadequacy of doing something about it. Please don’t be among those who ignore this problem or downplay it. Everyone can start somewhere and play a role in fighting back. Please join those who have gone before us to become more informed, spread awareness, place safeguards on your loved ones, and perhaps even join up with one of the groups mentioned earlier. We have to fight for justice! I end with this: One day this will no longer be a problem. One day all slavery will be demolished and every sinful desire will be cleansed from this world. One day justice will be fulfilled. One day Jesus Christ will return to set this world right and how glorious that day will be. So as we fight oppression and evil in the days and years to come let us keep our eyes on what will be and set that as our lasting hope.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

(Revelation 21:3-4 ESV)

Planned Parenthood’s True Colors

July 17, 2015August 3, 2015 ~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

It has taken me over a couple of days to really process what I saw the morning of July 14, 2015. It was a shocking new video that’s has flooded the Internet. The video shows the undercover meeting with Dr. Deborah Nucatola, a head executive of Planned Parenthood, admitting to selling body parts of aborted babies. I say new but really the video is a year old (July 2014) as I write this and unfortunately the information presented in the video is nowhere near new nor surprising. If you haven’t seen the video here is a direct link to the shortened version http://youtu.be/0lOePZC4jco. The video was made by the Center for Medical Progress as part of a three year project.

To give you a taste of what is contained in the video Dr. Nucatola nonchalantly discusses how she intentionally goes through her ‘cases’ for the day and decides how to kill the baby based on what her clients want to purchase (meaning body parts). Legs, lungs, skulls…it’s all for sale as far as she is concerned. If you want to know how they do this, just research partial birth abortions. If you have a heart, you may not be able to watch it without wanting to lose your lunch and bawl your eyes out. I would describe it for you but I can’t bring myself to type out the words.

Eric Ferrero, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, claims that they are not selling body parts but it’s part of a lifesaving donation program that they don’t make a profit off of. So catch that. He doesn’t deny distributing aborted baby’s body parts but twists it to say they ‘donate it for science.’ He also claimed that the video was edited to make it say something different by a group bent on ruining Planned Parenthood. If you give that any bit of believability then here is the full video and you can see how he is lying once again: http://youtu.be/H4UjIM9B9KQ. The Center for Medical Progress later produced ads from major purchasers of aborted tissue that had been posted in affiliate clinics using words like “financially profitable for your clinic.” Still think it’s not for a profit?

Federal law (42 U.S. Code 274e) outlaws the selling of human tissue but why would that stop Planned Parenthood who obviously doesn’t recognize pre-born babies as humans? It’s not stopping them because they know their way around the law. Ironically the law was written by a pro abortion Congressman, Henry Waxman, probably with the intention to give some false sense of security to pro life people while giving his abortion pals the lea way to carry on their business (my assessment anyways). Just look at the wording of the law. It allows reasonable payments be made associated with transportation, processing, and preserving of human tissue. That doesn’t sound like it outlaws what it claims to. In fact, it’s doubtful that Planned Parenthood could be prosecuted under this law at all. Dr. Nucatola states that the law is up to interpretation and I’m sure it’s because they are operating well under this pro abortion law. So we are definitely in need of a new law.

We should be shocked that Planned Parenthood is selling baby body parts, but not surprised because they are after all killing the babies in the first place. If that isn’t enough to outrage the people of this country than who knows if the profiteering from aborted babies will. Much of Europe was willing to turn a blind eye while Hitler’s Third Reich targeted ‘undesirables’ and along with murdering them they used their body parts for ‘research’ during the holocaust. Some would say that’s different…I fail to see how.

Why did I say this isn’t anything new? Because I’ve watched videos and seen documents as old as 2008 showing orders for aborted baby’s body parts. Here’s one such video: http://youtu.be/LiyxFCASdIg. I hadn’t seen them until all this came out and it made me so sad that this is just now becoming a big issue. Why have people turned a blind eye to this for so long? Why hasn’t this gone viral over the last seven years (and probably much longer)? I hope that no one will look the other way now.

Government officials are speaking out so let’s pray that the momentum builds. GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina posted a Facebook message calling the video tragic and outrageous. “This isn’t about ‘choice’,” she wrote. “It’s about profiting on the death of the unborn while telling women it’s about empowerment.” Sen. John McCain said, “…We ask God to bless America – a nation that turns a blind eye to the slaughter of unborn children – a nation that provides taxpayers to fund an organization that allegedly sells body parts from dead babies. God bless America? Perhaps we should be asking for His mercy.”

Amen Mr. McCain! But does our nation deserve mercy? A nation that is abandoning Him on an unprecedented level. Let’s not forget that these beautiful little babies are His creation that these doctors and patience are destroying. Psalm 139:14 says that we should praise God because all people (including babies) are fearfully and wonderfully made! And just as God told Jeremiah, He knew us before we were in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). That applies to all people even the ones who never saw the light of day before being killed…excuse me…I think the proper word is terminated.

But that’s the amazing thing about God’s grace, it is extended to everyone through Jesus Christ, no matter what they’ve done as long as they repent and believe in Christ. To those of you who’ve been down that road of abortion, God still loves you and has forgiven you if you’ve asked Him to. If you’re feeling shame over it, God is their to put you back together. Your baby is with Him and there’s no better place for them. And while we hope for God’s awesome mercy we should also be praying that these doctor’s performing abortions have a major heart transplant and these mother’s wanting to end their pregnancies gain an unshakable love for the child growing inside them, whom God has given them as a blessing. What we need is more God-fearing men and women on their knees praying, not for this nation necessarily, but for the individuals involved in abortions…praying that our lawmakers can put an end to this horror of nearly 60 million babies dead since Roe v. Wade (stats can be found with Center for Disease Control CDC). Because God is merciful and loving and compassionate and hearts can still be turned towards life, there is hope.

Please take the time to read this compelling, and miraculous story of a baby born at 23 weeks…

A Story About a Boy and His Mom…

God Bless!

Bible on Trial

July 13, 2015August 3, 2015 ~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

I have always been under the impression that far too many people are sue happy in this nation. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are an abundance of legitimate claims but some people take things to a whole new level. We live in a nation that provides for so many individual freedoms and our nation’s history has been marked by the constant struggle to obtain and uphold those rights. One man believes that he is embarking in a fight for that very reason.

Bradley LaShawn Fowler, and ex-con turned author, is suing two Bible publishers in a US District Court for a combined $70 million (Zondervan for $60 and Nelson for $10). Now if you haven’t heard about this you may be thinking something like ‘he was mistreated by the companies, wrongfully fired or refused a job, or perhaps they wouldn’t publish something of his’. All legitimate ideas. However, Mr. Fowler is suing them for causing him 20 years of emotional distress and instability for publishing this “book” that speaks so harshly of homosexuality, a lifestyle in which Mr. Fowler has chosen for himself. According to him, this violates his constitutional rights. Representatives of the publishing agencies have simply stated at this point that, “they don’t translate bibles they only publish them.” The future of the case is still undetermined.

I love the US Constitution. I teach American Government so I have spent a lot of time studying this document and teaching about it as well. There is no shortage of incredible freedoms and protections contained there. However, there is no such protection against someone verbally or in a written fashion speaking out against choices and lifestyles. If so, millions of books would have to come off the shelfs, blog sites shut down, magazines and newspapers out of business. There are such things as libel and slander which are prohibited but for those to exist there has to be a malicious intent by the author or speaker and it has to be with a disregard to truth. So for starters, Fowler’s case is not with Zondervan and Nelson publishing (which is what their reps were trying to say) but with the authors of the various books contained in the Bible, and as one could also argue, his case is with The Author of the Bible. But I really doubt that Fowler views it that way. Regardless, he is going to have to get very creative in making his case because he is representing himself in the proceedings. But I am not writing this to argue his case…not my job.

When I first heard about this I went through a roller coaster of emotions and I have finally settled on one…sadness. People have already begun to point fingers at our president and Supreme Court for opening the flood gates for things like this but this is nothing new and it is not surprising either. In fact, this book that Mr. Fowler is suing over tells us that a time will come when people will no longer endure sound teaching and God’s truth but because of their own desires will want to alter it and gather teachers to themselves that will tell them what they want to hear. Thats found in 2 Timothy chapter 4 (my paraphrase). This has been happening for decades as generation after generation in this nation have abandoned God and His word as a basis of truth and guide for how we are to live our lives. Mr. Fowler, along with others, want the Bible to be altered to remove the negative remarks about homosexuality. To do that, they would have to take out entire sections, not words, but sections and chapters to make it fit what they want it to say. Here is just a short list of what would have to be taken out (feel free to look these up on your own): Leviticus 18:22, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Romans 1:26-28, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Timothy 1:10, and Genesis 19:1-38. I don’t want to take readers down a path of pointing out God’s feelings towards homosexuality. The Bible says what it says and there’s no way around it.

I get tired of both Christians and non-Christians putting a spotlight on homosexuality. Sure, God specifically states his views on homosexuality but this is really part of a greater issue. In many other places throughout the Bible, God calls people to not live in any form of sexual immorality (Revelation 21:8, Galatians 5:16-21, Ephesians 5:1-21, Hebrews 13:1-25) among those would certainly be included homosexuality. So this is not a problem between a gay man and the most historically proven, accurate, and fact-containing religious text in history. This is a problem with a society that has long embraced sex outside of marriage, having an affair if your spouse isn’t making you happy, pornography, and teaching safe sex to children rather than telling them to keep themselves pure for a future spouse. It’s a society that promotes all forms of lust and plasters it all over billboards, magazine covers, and television screens. This is a problem with a society that embraces pleasure at pretty much any cost and doesn’t want anyone, even God restricting us. I’m of course using generalizations which usually I don’t like to do. I know that there is an ample number of people in this country not embracing the afore mentioned things.

So yes, I am sad. I am sad for the state of our nation. I am sad for generation after generation giving into more compromise. I am sad for what the future holds for everyone abandoning hope in the Lord. And I am sad for Mr. Fowler. If I were able to reach him directly I would not criticize him or bash him or tell him my opinion of his case. I would simply tell him that God loves him. That God died for him so that He could spend eternity with him. That God doesn’t want to restrict his life but give him abundant life. I would tell him that I am sorry for any abuse or mistreatment he’s faced by people who have condemned him rather than showed him the truth and walked alongside him in love. And I would share that with anyone else in his shoes.

God is not a withholder of freedom, He is the creator of it. He has given every human being the ability to make choices for themselves and live the life they want but along with those choices comes consequences. God is not a buzzkill of love…God is love. God designed us all for love. But we live in a broken world caused by mankind’s selfishness. The Bible says what is says about sexual immorality and many other immoral practices like lying, cheating, killing, etc because God knows that those things destroy people and societies. We can try to change the Bible all we want to fit the lifestyle we want to live but when our life comes to an end, and we stand before Almighty God, our translation of His Word will not suffice. Be encouraged because we have a God who loves us and wants what’s best for our lives.

God Bless!

Southern Makeover?

July 11, 2015August 3, 2015 ~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

It would appear that the recent controversy has swelled to much more than about a flag. In the wake of the Marion County dispute, the flag is coming down in Charleston South Carolina. The state grounds will no longer hoist the rebel flag but it doesn’t end there. All over the region commonly referred to as the south, lawmakers are busy pushing for a ‘monumental’ makeover. New Orleans, for example, is considering a name change for the Jefferson Davis Parkway. For those who don’t know, he was the President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. The change wouldn’t stop here. Many want to remove statues that commemorate civil war confederate leaders too.

Washington D.C. is even joining the ranks to rally against the old confederacy. The House and Senate are debating resolutions to make it illegal to fly the rebel flag in national parks. Far over on the west coast in Long Beach, lawmakers are demanding the name change for a local elementary school that bears the name of General Robert E. Lee.

Perhaps it is time for the rebels and racists to cease to be glorified. But no one can clean the slate of the past besides God. We need memorials alright, but they need to be aimed at showing future generations our mistakes so that history won’t repeat itself. That’s why we have holocaust museums. They don’t glorify those events but help us not to forget what happens when good people allow evil people to rule nations. They help remind us that we need a savior and we need to partner with God to stand up for justice and truth and fight back against hate and oppression. Was the institution of slavery similar to the holocaust? In more ways than one. Groups of people were treated as property, caged, abused, used for forced labor, and murdered. Sounds shockingly similar doesn’t it? Now sure there were slave owners that treated their slaves like family but they were most definitely a minority.

I say all of this for the reason that we shouldn’t try to erase the past but we should remember it in the right context. We should not allow men like Supreme Court Justice Taney, who led the way in the Dred Scott case to declare all slaves property and unable to gain the rights of a citizen whether freed or not, or Ben Tillman who sanctioned for mass extermination of black slaves in the south, to be memorialized in any other fashion than as sins of our past.

I think the American psyche has a hard time looking in the rear view and remembering our major blemishes. Slavery, assimilation and removal of native Americans, abuse of immigrants, antisemitism, racism, gender discrimination, etc. it’s like people only want to see America as great. I would agree that we live in a great country but not one without a long list of mistakes.

So let’s put the statues and names and flags in a museum that tells the accurate story of who they were and what they stand for. Maybe then we can move forward even more towards healing deep-seated wounds. Maybe that could help us break cycles of hatred and distrust coming from all races still today. Maybe then we can join together and fall on our knees before God and pray that He fill us with a love for Him and one another that we can move forward united while not forgetting where we came from. In the Lord there are new beginnings and forgiveness from the most horrible things.

God Bless!

Let it Fly

July 8, 2015August 3, 2015 ~ ForCommonGround ~ 4 Comments

As many already know, a major controversy has been ongoing in Marion County Florida over the issue of a confederate flag. It seems some want it removed. Last week, interim County Administrator Bill Kauffman made the decision to remove it in response to the mass shooting that happened at a South Carolina church. However, a majority vote led to the hoisting of the bars and stars once again.

I have never been a fan of the confederate flag. To me, as with many others, it symbolizes a dark part of US History that should be buried in the past. But it seems to me that so many people want to keep this symbol alive. On one hand people view this flag as a beacon of hatred. That could be because the KKK and other white supremacy groups, mainly in the 20th century, flew it at their rallies and streamed it from their cars as they made the worst expressions of hate, both verbal and physical. So, should a group of racist morons be allowed to tarnish a piece of history that many others hold in high esteem? The answer is no…in the south at least. But perhaps that’s not a non biased party. Several people who were interviewed over the controversy stated that the flag is a cherished part of their heritage. It somehow reminds them of where they came from. It’s a symbol of pride and honor to them. I can’t help but to think to myself, “pride in what? Pride in slavery? I doubt that. Pride in a failed attempt at maintaining independence? Certainly not. Pride over being the hotbed of racism towards and murder of minorities for over a century after the civil war? Probably want to forget that one. What could it be that they are prideful of?” My inner monologue may have been a little sarcastic. So I started to think of other symbols that could be similar. The state flag of Texas, the loan star state, has been a symbol of their hard-fought independence for well over 100 years. Did Texas have slaves? You bet they did. The difference lies in the application of the flag thus the association for on-lookers is altered.

Truth is, the Confederate Flag was a battle flag for people who felt oppressed by, or more accurately feared the oppression of a powerful government. In fact, it wasn’t even the original flag of the Confederacy. It was adopted two years into the war originating in Virginia. So the question could arise, was the south’s struggle different from that of Texas. Not as different as you might think. How about another beloved symbol of rebellion…the American Flag. Did the American colonies have slaves? You bet they did. But the first flag was different from the one today wasn’t it? Only in the number of stars. Do we associate ‘old glory’ with slavery and racism, both of which happened under its banner? Maybe some but I strongly doubt Americans would make that cconnection. The point I’m trying to make is that the confederate flag is a symbol of independence. I believe it to be interwoven into the fabric of life in the Southern culture. It’s a picture for many that represents the common attitude of most Americans that’s says, “don’t tread on me government!”

This might be hard to imagine but had the United States lost to Britian, or Texas lost to Mexico, those flags would be extremely controversial. Side note, the U.S. started as a confederacy just like the seven states that broke away in the 1860’s. But I find it hard to believe that Britain or Mexico would be fine with their colonies flying symbols of rebellion. But the United States of America is neither of them. This is the land of freedom, a land where people may express themselves as long as it isn’t illegal or insight something illegal. Like it or not Marion County has every right to fly that flag whether I’m offended or you are offended by its symbolism. Mr. Kauffman’s response to the shooting by taking the flag down shows that the South is still sensitive to the issue of brutal racial violence, which has been fueled by the deaths of black men by white cops (which is a whole other topic I’m not getting into…now anyways). But the public outcry to put the flag up shows that the flag is about far more than that, and possibly for many, has nothing to do with it.

I close with this. Jesus Christ calls us to not lay a stumbling block before our brothers and sisters and to live at peace with all in so much as it depends on us. Would I wave a symbol that could offend because it is linked to a ruthless past? Not a chance. The mission of the believer is to be gracious towards others, and loving, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. But do I have a right to tell people to not fly a flag that means more to them than what racist bigots made it into? Nope. But believe me, if the south started flying that flag to promote injustice I’d be the among the first in line to dread that flag under foot. For now, I’m going to devote more time to praying for healing and forgiveness, both of which can be found in full measure in Christ. God bless!

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