National Bullying Prevention Month

Bullying. Its been around forever. I think its a pretty immature word, though. I prefer to call it what it really is: persecution.

Uh-oh. The whole topic falls into a different light the moment that word is applied, doesn't it? You see, the agendas of the secular world prefer 'bullying' because they can twist this whole idea of "Bullying Prevention" to suit their own pet causes specifically. If you call it "Persecution Prevention," though, it draws in connotations of religious persecution.

So, lets talk about persecution. How about Juan Williams getting fired for expressing his quite common fears about boarding an airplane with Muslims aboard? He was accused of bigotry and fired. Why? Can you imagine him being fired for saying he would be loathe to sit next to an obvious Christian or Catholic minister carrying a Bible? No, of course not.

The fact is that our rights are being violated every day in our country, but not in the way that the political left would have you believe.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

So why are people losing their jobs, suffering social ostracism, and enduring open hostility because of what they say?

I find it odd that the liberals of our country seem to have so little interest in actual liberty. It seems like every time my wife speaks up on political or social matters someone from the left tries to shout her down. Why? What about her Freedom of Speech? It seems to me that a patriot should approach political disagreements with conversation. "I don't agree with you. Let's talk about it. Let's exchange some ideas and see if we can arrive at something." But it seems like no one wants to do that anymore. Every time I see a Christian trying to have a conversation with a Liberal, invariably, the Liberal seems to advocate censoring "intolerant and hate-filled" messages.

I submit to you that it is not Christians who are intolerant and hate-filled, but rather the very same individuals who make the accusation. They are intolerant of our worldview. They hate the fact that we express that worldview.

But this is not new, is it? Judeo-Christian worldviews have been persecuted by the world for 8,000 years. Now, certainly, we have done our share of persecuting, as well, and I do not count us blameless in that regard. The Crusades are frequently cited as examples. But the fact remains, Jews and Christians are well acquainted with persecution.

What, then, shall we do? There is persecution going on in our schools today. Well, the first is obvious: Do not participate in it. Whether it be a homosexual or as elementary as a "four-eyes" with glasses, its nothing short of sinful to persecute another person. Do not dare to try to justify your bullying by couching it in religious language, either. Organized religion has enough trouble in our world today without mean-spirited thugs and tongue-lashers nominally in our own ranks making it worse.

Additionally, we should stand up for those being persecuted. Don't we know what its like? Are we to stand aside and allow that sort of suffering to be heaped upon someone else? Have some courage and be a witness to whoever is being trampled when you see it. If you succeed only in drawing their persecutor's ire to yourself, at least you know you have God to sustain you - their previous target may not be so fortunate. Men, what is the aggressive nature God has given many of us for if not to defend others?

Many people want to make light of this issue. They insist that hazing and bullying is just part of growing up and that it is unavoidable. To a certain extent, that is true. At some point, all of us have to deal with it. But for some, whether it be due to emotional fragility or due to extremes of persecution that most of us are not familiar with, it can be a terrible burden. It has already driven some to suicide. Clearly, this is a topic in need of attention.

I don't know how to stop bullying in our schools. I'm sure more legislation isn't the answer. But I don't have the answer. I don't know how to heal the diseases in our society overnight. The only answer I have is the same one I use for every social or political problem: More Christians acting in God's will.

The Truth is Immutable

In class today we were discussing Elijah's confrontation with the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel. The professor lecturing made a point that I felt should be shared. Its not something that should come as any surprise to Christians, but it is always good to hear familiar ideas presented in new ways.

There were 450 of the Baalic priests present. Elijah was the last prophet of God in Israel at the time. 450 to 1. Its a good thing truth is not subject to democracy, isn't it?

The point the professor made was this: the truth does not change. It doesn't matter if 450 people believe a lie or if 450 million people believe it. Its still a lie. It does not matter if 1 person believes the truth or if there is no one on Earth who believes the truth. It is still the truth.

The great lie that our culture believes today is that it can change the nature of truth. It believes that the world is changing so our values must change with it. Our culture claims that our notions of truth must evolve. Claims that abortion or homosexuality are sins are met we angry accusations of closed-mindedness. It is not closed-minded to reject lies and believe in truth.

Instead, though, there is an insidious implication that we can somehow alter the nature of truth through popular opinion. But God is not Congress. The Bible is not a bill up for consideration in the House of Representatives. It is the Truth and it does not require our consent to remain Truth.

It does not matter how many people believe that abortion and homosexuality are not sinful. It did not matter how many Baalic priests stood on Mt. Carmel against Elijah because God was with him. On that day, 450 priests of Baal died, but the Truth remained unchanged.

In the Beginning...

So, I've decided to start this blog as sort of a holding tank for sermon ideas and a meduim for commentary on my seminary experiences. But, mostly, its a place for me to give voice to the issues that weigh on my mind until a more appropriate venue (reads as: ministry position) becomes available.