The Promised Land

My daughter, a PHD candidate in political science bristles at the idea of America being the Promised Land. Is it? She, and many on the left think America is the bad guy in the world. I think it is a promised land given by God for the last 200 years as a place where people can worship Him freely. To not worship Him as some may choose is a by-product of the freedom of choice granted to us by our Creator. To force someone to worship in a prescribed manner is the result of a state sponsored church, which is what Jefferson meant when he wrote about a wall separating church and state, not that the state was secular and could not be sponsored by churches, is for men to take away the God-given freedom of choice. To take away symbols of our faith is also denying freedom of choice as well as freedom of speech. Why would I say the United States of America is the Promised Land? Just look at the people who risk everything to get here. Look at the opportunity for prosperity for everyone who is willing to work hard for it. Look at the relative safety of this nation. Compare those things with any other nation in the world and the USA becomes a promised land. When the nation honors God, we prosper. When we deny God, our prosperity wanes. Our freedoms are being eroded by those who hate America and want to conform it to their own image. Those who love God and the land He has provided are the ones who are preserving our freedoms. Freedom has been provided for all people in America by men who were dedicated to God in founding our nation. It is amazing that the Promised Land even provides freedom for those who don’t believe there is a God, by the very God in whom they refuse to believe. That is a Promised Land!

Capitalism and Marxism

If capitalism is so bad, why has it given so much freedom, opportunity, and success to the people under the system? Marxists say that capitalists have achieved their success on the backs of the masses. Is that really true? Never before in the history of the world have the masses living in capitalistic societies been able to achieve so much and live in relative security, comfort, and well being. I believe that capitalism is the economic engine that supports freedom. Marxists are the ones who actually rise to their power on the backs of the masses. Every Marxist regime has resulted in failure, poverty, and even death for major portions of their populations. The society supported by capitalism has brought more justice to its people than all of the Marxists regimes combined. Except for the minor corruptions caused by the people in a capitalistic society, capitalism is the best economic engine given to man. Marxism is just the opposite. It is a scourge upon the backs of mankind.

Marxism and Christians

The current leaders of our government, religion, and society are leading us ever closer to a Marxist environment. Why is that a problem? Can Christians survive with their faith intact in such an environment? Will we come out of it?
Marxism is a problem, not because of its political implications, though that is troublesome especially for Christians who have lived their entire lives in the freedom of the United States. It is troublesome because to implement Marxism requires a ruling class that is totalitarian. For that class to control the masses under it there must be a demand for them to agree with the ruling class and its dictates and to think only as they are told to think. Biblical Christianity, as opposed to liberal so-called Christianity and other religions demand that believers follow the direction, mandates, laws, and leading of their King who is Jesus Christ. His mandates are to pray for governments and their leaders, and to live at peace wherever possible, but not to follow them, especially when they demand no worship or belief in God who is their King. Liberal Christians have no problem with Marxism, and many adhere to its tenets, because they merely modify their acceptance of the Bible as authoritative and allow their faith in God to become subordinate to the dictates of the ruling taskmasters.
Christians can survive and even thrive under oppressive regimes. Christians have grown, flourished and thrived under oppression as it forces them to look to God for their very survival. Chinese Christians living in Communist China have been know to say that they have the perfect balance of persecution and worship. Oppression keeps them focused toward God and they find opportunities to worship and obey God. The seedbeds of Christian revival have always been poverty and persecution, though few Americans would seek that for themselves just so they can be close to God.
Will we come out of this drive toward Marxism. As Americans I believe the answer is, “No.” As Bible believing Christians, the answer is a definite, “Yes!” We will go through many difficult times. Perhaps we will be raptured out of this world before it gets too bad, but perhaps not. The jury is still out in that one. Perhaps some of us will experience death. But one thing we can be confident in is that our King, Jesus Christ will be the Victor, and He has promised that we will reign with Him. We probably will not experience a Marxist utopia or a restoration to the Constitution and free market liberty. We will, however, experience a Kingdom with a perfect King who will rule in justice and truth and with an iron rod.