The End Is Near
What a strange and terrible time we are living in.
While I expected the national patience for being locked down to end about …now… I never expected that decision to be framed the way it is.
It’s now being presented as my patriotic duty to be willing to die from the coronavirus to preserve the American economy and our way of life.
Patriotism has never been my strong suit, but I understand the sentiment.
At the same time, we’re being introduced to new sets of numbers to try to discern what an “acceptable” number of deaths will be to get people back to work.
Is it a quarter million or half a million?
As many as it takes as long as it’s no one I care about?
Some folks have got their stimulus checks, others have not…the IRS website is useless.
Some have filed for unemployment…minimum wage earners who have are now making twice as much from that as they did when they were working.
Others have been unable to file at all as the technology and government labor force have been blasted into chaos and they teeter on the edge of financial destruction.
Small business loans have already run out of money, the usual beneficiaries never do.
There are no experts, everyone’s an expert.
You’re an expert? Just understand that my opinion is as valid as your expertise because that’s the way it works, buddy.
Many take the cryptic words of an imaginary seer named “Q” as Gospel…I laugh and wish they wore t-shirts with a “Q” on them so I could know who to run from.
You would think that in a country with this much expertise from every living creature on every subject that we would always prosper in every way.
Alas, the “deep state” has rendered us impotent…
What I have now decided to call the “civic church”, that is the public face of American Christianity… is more interested in being the bastion of political liberty (as they define it) than the source of enduring faith.
Love of God, country, and especially money…a red, white, and blue ribbon for your bible with any donation.
You must make a confession of party and a confession of faith…
Online streaming numbers are the new measure that has replaced the counting of arses in the pews.
Production values are key…those who bought HD cameras when they could shall prosper.
I do not recognize this “church”, but it doesn’t recognize me either…
Bill Gates is the anti-Christ because he wants to develop a vaccine against the plague…be aware that I will be the first in line to take the mark of the weak eyed beast.
Relationships that survived the strain of our other divisions are being broken by this new source of strife.
You must hate who I hate or I hate you….and all the Lord’s children said…amen.
Leadership on every level is just another set of clowns getting off the bus at different stops.
Yes, the end is near.
Did I mention the drought?
If the end is not near, then ends are.
Those things that are ending will make us pine for the end of it all.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus…before the rest of our idols fail…
Brilliant, Michael. Absolutely brilliant!!
Michael
“What I have now decided to call the “civic church”, that is the public face of American Christianity… is more interested in being the bastion of political liberty (as they define it) than the source of enduring faith.”
I agree with this with one caveat… I am hesitant to call it “Church” even with an adjective…
Thank you, CK!
I’m a bit grouchy…
Duane,
I’m more hesitant than ever…really hesitant…
That last line is gold!
Thank you, Dan!
Micheal,
Your voice is the prophetic voice we need in what we call the church. Much appreciated!
Dan,
Thanks…but you know what happens to prophets…
Historically, we do know what happens to prophets. That’s because their voices were heard.
CK,
I’m still debating if it’s worth it…
Michael,
I have been trying to catalog the various rationales that pastors are using for defying restrictions about holding physical services.
So far I have come up with these:
There are several theories under which pastors defy State rules:
(1) God will protect us from infection. This is bad theology. No where in Scripture, apart from some of the Plagues on Egypt, was the church spared from plagues. On the other hand, God will protect us by listening to medical professionals and the social distancing guidelines given us by our government.
(2) It is our my right. This is self-indulgent. What is the witness to the pagan world when churches become disease spreaders in defiance health authorities? What is our witness when we infect each other, as well as our neighbors, in the name of Jesus?
(3) Christians are commanded to meet together. Okay, but are there any exceptions? Both Moses (at Mt. Sinai) and Jesus (in the wilderness after His baptism) were called to 40 days of isolation, alone because of the will of God. Somehow they not only survived, but were not deprived of the Word of God. Christ is able to feed his sheep the manna from heaven, that is, the Word of God, even when we are alone. But are we hungry for that Word? Are we eating? That’s on us.
Watching our local mega church, I wonder if some pastors are afraid that Christians can actually survive for a period of time without the umbilical they want us connected to and reliant on.
Are there any other reasons you have heard for why Christians should meet together physically during a pandemic?
Jean,
Because I’m a cynical bastard, I’ve boiled it down.
First, pretending to be fighting for the Constitution is a money maker in American civic religion.
Second, giving online drops from 30- 70 percent as opposed to gatherings.
Third, the fear that someone else will have a more attractive online show and draw giving units away.
Fourth, fear of losing control of the congregation.
Those, in my opinion, are the real reasons.
Those all seem more than plausible. Thank you for giving some of us a glimpse into some of the darker recesses of the church.
I came across a thread on FB yesterday, started by a pastor, in which many of the comments said that States (in this case NY) are inflating their mortality numbers to exaggerate the seriousness of Covid-19 for nefarious reasons.
Jean,’
I just unfriended someone on Facebook I’ve known for years because they accused me of “covering up for a pedophile “for not responding to a meme he sent about Joe Biden.
I appealed to him as a brother in Christ…didn’t work.
I think I saw that meme. I think your friend is losing his mind. I don’t know why people let themselves be used as tools.
Duane has written about how many people today (IMO, particularly the lazy or unintelligent) prefer to defame the messenger, rather than engage in an educated critique of the message.
In his younger days, your friend could have debated policy rather than bear false witness against a political opponent.
Jean,
These are strange times…and I fear what’s coming.
A few days ago, we were discussing the benefits and weaknesses of bureaucracies. In addition, our society is now discovering the severe weaknesses of federalism and libertarianism. The church historically has always known that it is not libertarian, but we in America have tried to fuse the two.
As a reality check… the Church has existed under republics, monarchies, dictatorships, oligarchies, shogunates, along with practically every other form of government known to humankind. Whenever we have identified the faith with any particular form of governance or political stance the Church has been diminished, not enhanced. Until Christ returns, theocracies, or the desire for theocracies, are the very definition of what it means to be idolatrous.
The virus, in my understanding, has been identified as a novel virus – our immune systems don’t recognize it, and therefore don’t respond… then i have read that there are microbiologists saying that their research shows it to be “engineered.” Their voices are not publicized much. .. There are a myriad of speculations to be spun off of this plague…
Sweden has taken no precautions and seem to show the same statistics as those who are isolated.
I have my suspicions, but i won’t bore you…. 😏
Is this the wind up for planet earth’s history? Dunno, but it sure makes a good dress rehearsal
Praying all stay well and have food
Love and prayer for the Phoenix peeps
🙏
(Michael, don’t eat that mouse … LOL)
So, last Friday I placed a little display at our condo’s mailbox area. The backing was a flier, “we’re in this together…. social distancing can lead to social isolation… etc…”. I placed 20 “I’m your neighbor and I’d like to help” cards in front of the flier. On Monday, there was one card left. I put out another 20 cards yesterday, and will check back on Monday. We have a lot of seniors in my community, and I’m encouraged.
Em,
Not to argue, but Sweden is engaging in an experiment, which is beginning to trend very poorly for them.
https://covid19.healthdata.org/sweden
Their population is only about 10 million. They are trending towards a mortality rate in excess of all other European countries, as well as the US.
Jean, okay – different sources. Like most reports, one should be suspicious.. I agree the size of a nation is a BIG factor, but we disagree on the efficacy of unaccoutable bureaucracy. 😇
Jim
Fantastic idea! May I steal?
Duane, make it viral. (Whoops!)
It isn’t going well for Sweden. Where they will be in a month will be interesting. Despite the criticisms here, the USA death rate is a lot lower than almost every European country.
I think if I were a Swede, I’d sue the government for dereliction of duty….
I would love to see Laura Ingraham relocate to Sweden. She would fit right in.
I have one Swedish ancesor and Swrdish women ARE very opinionated and persistant, but they are WAY more subtle than L. Ingraham. 😸
bob1,
What duty does a federal government have in regards to pandemics? Conversely from where does the federal government derive its authority to close businesses? Please cite relevant portions of our constitution.
Jim
Our evolving understanding of the Commerce clause… https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3151195/
“Evolving understanding” is an interesting term. I prefer “ignoring original intent in order to fulfill the desires of politicians.” I doubt that anyone here is a fan our current president’s evolving understanding of the 10th amendment.
Jim,
Yes, we are in a system in which precedence is (or at least, was) held to be a guiding principle. Most of my lawyer friends tell me that we are (or at least, were) in a system of cooperative Federalism. Time will tell where this all goes…
That’s untrue, Duane. Of the Trump appointees, Kavanaugh places a high value on precedence while Gorsuch is an originalist. Thomas is also an originalist.
We know where this will go. When civil liberties are taken, they aren’t given back, such as post 911.
Jim
As I said, time will tell…
California’s AG came out and pretty much said that pubic safety trumps the bill of rights, no pun intended.