Reflections on God … Man … Life
Opinions on contemporary political happenings and the workings of civil government.
I believe God is interested in how we govern. Since He is the Creator of all things, perhaps we ought to pay attention to what He has said about it. We must start with a defintion. What do we mean by a “form” of government? A form is a manner or system, a stated method or practice, or an appropriate arrangement of parts. What then is a Biblical form? Substitute those words for “form” and we have: A Biblical manner of system… Read more »
In politics, we are always hearing appeals for “bipartisanship.” That’s great in theory, but overlooks a basic reality. A Biblical prinicple that I call “unity and union” helps explain. Those two words—unity and union—are not the same. Unity is an internal voluntary agreement; union is the external joining of two or more things into one. External unions should be built on internal unity. They really need to be voluntary unions for them to succeed. Forced unions that lack unity will ultimately… Read more »
The Obama administration continues its war against pro-lifers on two fronts. According to the Los Angeles Times: Taking another step into the abortion debate, the Obama administration today [Monday, March 2] will move to rescind a controversial rule that allows healthcare workers to deny abortion counseling or other family planning services if doing so would violate their moral beliefs, according to administration officials. So if Obama gets his way, no pro-life doctor or nurse will be able to opt out… Read more »
One of my students asked me this week if the Obama administration would do so much damage to the country that there would be no hope of repairing it after he leaves office. I was of two minds as I tried to answer. First, I think the potential damage is so staggering that America might not ever recover. The massive debt, the inevitable leftist court appointments, the unrestricted access to abortion [which has begun already], and the stamp of approval… Read more »
Yesterday, I spoke of my respect for Abraham Lincoln. Today, I want to make sure it is understood that I respect Lincoln’s actual words and deeds, not some new interpretation of what he believed. President Obama has wrapped himself in the Lincoln legacy ever since his train ride to the inauguration. Yet he is using Lincoln for his own political purposes. For instance, on Lincoln’s birthday, he spoke in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln’s home. He used the occasion to say that… Read more »
My final critique of the Bush presidency has to do with communication. A president must be able to connect with the American people and explain what he is doing. He will not convince everyone of the rightness of his policies, but he must make the effort, which most people will at least respect. George Bush started well. After 9/11, his speech to a joint session of Congress was one of the best presidential speeches in recent memory. He was at… Read more »
Then there is the issue of immigration. There is a misperception out there (even promoted by Bush) that conservatives don’t like immigrants. That is not the case, and it is not the issue. The key is that immigrants need to follow the laws in order to become citizens. When President Bush pushed for his comprehensive immigration bill, he tried to make it seem as though it was a tough approach to lawbreakers, but it was not. In fact, as many… Read more »