My problem is with the implied one for one correspondennce. It is with the writer's absolute assurance that if America does well, things will go well; if it does badly, things will go badly — with the implied corrollary that if things are going poorly, then America must be doing poorly, and if things are going well, America must be doing well.
This is the same assumption that Job's friends brought to that situation, and they were wrong. (Besides, isn't that roughly the same line of argument the Clintonolaters used? "Impeach him? Look at the economy! He's a great president!")
Identify modern movements that are sinful as sinful? Amen, go to it.
State that sinful behavior brings bad consequences, sooner or later? Amen, do it.
Say that Event B was directly caused by God because of Behavior A? Without specific Biblical authority, I do have problems with that.
well said.
Likelihoods however are another question.
History itself has shown that a nation can't get sloppy and continue to survive with few ills. And logistically, America has always been a sitting duck for terrorism problems. We're not a tight closed police state like China which has much better chances of jumping on any domestic terrorism problems -- but at a price in openness, prosperity, and freedom that we do not want to pay. If God will not be our guard, then we will have to try to make do with much more police. Do we want that?
There is no question in my mind that the writer and Falwell single out genunely sinful and harmful items. There is no question in my mind that they aren't good for America, and bring on it all manners of undesirable consequences.
My problem is with the implied one for one correspondennce. It is with the writer's absolute assurance that if America does well, things will go well; if it does badly, things will go badly — with the implied corrollary that if things are going poorly, then America must be doing poorly, and if things are going well, America must be doing well.
Well said.
This is one of many problems with Falwell's (and the author's) misapplication of the scriptures on the consequences of sin.
By the same token we could use the Bible to claim that those who are prosperous and experiencing good fortune are being blessed because they are doing what's right in God's eyes........and on the other hand those who are experiencing hardship, or illness or are victims of crime are cursed because they must be doing evil.
This simple-minded misinterpretation of Biblical doctrine contradicts other teachings in scripture, such as the fact that Christians can expect persecution and suffering for their faith, that God makes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on both the righteous and the wicked.
It's too bad some people only want to pick and choose from the Bible in order to fit their own personal self righteous agendas.
It is only by His mercy and grace that we live anyway. He doesn't owe us life of anykind. Why do we always question the justice of God when we deserve death from the begining? I absolutely believe my mother-in law suffered from terminal aplastic anemia for 2 years(unimaginable pain and suffering to the point of begging to let her die), just so I could see with my own eyes, her miraculous healing overnight. With my salvation, He moved upon my wife, my daughter, my father-in-law, 2 nieces, 2 nephews, 1 neighbor's re-dedication, and probably others that escape my mind right now. Was even 1 salvation worth my mother-in-law's pain and misery? God's economy is not our economy. God does raise up enemies to punish His children. God absoloutly does kill people to make His point. We belong to Him, even the non-believers. He will do as He wishes with us to bring Himself Glory.
One of the missions of Jesus was to convey the wisdom that this life is not the life to be concerned with. This life is a nanosecond in the eternal scheme. I have trouble with Fallwell trying to sell me a retirement home, but I can't really see what he said wrong about God's judgement. People have a lifetime to repent, but a nation can be judged at anytime. God is not on His throne draped in an American flag. God doesn't need America to complete His will. We must learn, however, that we need Him. We have trouble accepting that because we can sin for decades upon decades,protected by His grace, but when judgement falls, we are in denial because He didn't do it sooner, so why now? While we try to figure out the mind of God, His plan is flawlessly executed, perfectly timed to His Will, on its way to complete fullfilment.
I have problems with it, too.
Another problem I have with Fallwell was his singling out only the sins of "those other guys over there," and not mentioning the sins of his listeners/contributors. Old Testament prophets always addressed their audience and said you have to change your ways, or there will be consequences. Falwell, like the Pharisee who prayed that he was glad he wasn't like the tax collector, is telling his intended audience that all our problems are the fault of the gays, abortionists and ACLU, and not calling on his flock to give up their own brands of sexual immoralities.