“Put the trumpet to your lips!
An eagle is over the house of the Lord
because the people have broken my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
2 Israel cries out to me,
‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.
4 They set up kings without my consent;
they choose princes without my approval.
With their silver and gold
they make idols for themselves
to their own destruction.
5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?
6 They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
it is not God.
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf of Samaria.
"Israel cries out to me, 'Our God, we acknowledge you!' But Israel has rejected what is good."
"America cries out to me, 'Our God, we acknowledge you!' But American has rejected what is good."
What would a Christian democracy look like today? Ancient Israel was a theocracy. But a monotheistic democracy? Is that not almost an oxymoron?
So many people in churches across the nation bemoan the lack of Christian leadership at the state and national levels. They rail against the immorality of our leaders. I wonder if those same individuals worship at personal and societal "calf-idols".
The calf-idol of the snooze button.
The calf-idol of the stock portfolio.
The calf-idol of pleasure.
The calf-idol of career advancement.
The calf-idol of self.
While I would rather live in America than in any other nation on earth, it is not a perfect country, nor is it governed by priests and preachers. We live in a representative democracy that has a duty to protect the rights of all its citizens.
If there is decay in America, it is because of the individuals, not Washington, DC or Hollywood.
Several years ago the game Jenga became very popular. Those little wood rectangular prisms could be heard crashing down on the dining room table all across America. As blocks were removed the whole structure became increasingly weaker until it eventually collapsed.
America is like a large Jenga game with individuals making up the blocks. It is individuals that make up the strength of society, not the institutions. Individuals make up those institutions. Weak individuals = weak institutions.
If America is no longer a Christian nation, it is because the conscious or unconscious choices made by individual Americans. If we are to avoid God's judgement on our nation, each Christian living within its borders must first turn from his or her "calf-idols".
because the people have broken my covenant
and rebelled against my law.
2 Israel cries out to me,
‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good;
an enemy will pursue him.
4 They set up kings without my consent;
they choose princes without my approval.
With their silver and gold
they make idols for themselves
to their own destruction.
5 Samaria, throw out your calf-idol!
My anger burns against them.
How long will they be incapable of purity?
6 They are from Israel!
This calf—a metalworker has made it;
it is not God.
It will be broken in pieces,
that calf of Samaria.
"Israel cries out to me, 'Our God, we acknowledge you!' But Israel has rejected what is good."
"America cries out to me, 'Our God, we acknowledge you!' But American has rejected what is good."
What would a Christian democracy look like today? Ancient Israel was a theocracy. But a monotheistic democracy? Is that not almost an oxymoron?
So many people in churches across the nation bemoan the lack of Christian leadership at the state and national levels. They rail against the immorality of our leaders. I wonder if those same individuals worship at personal and societal "calf-idols".
The calf-idol of the snooze button.
The calf-idol of the stock portfolio.
The calf-idol of pleasure.
The calf-idol of career advancement.
The calf-idol of self.
While I would rather live in America than in any other nation on earth, it is not a perfect country, nor is it governed by priests and preachers. We live in a representative democracy that has a duty to protect the rights of all its citizens.
If there is decay in America, it is because of the individuals, not Washington, DC or Hollywood.
Several years ago the game Jenga became very popular. Those little wood rectangular prisms could be heard crashing down on the dining room table all across America. As blocks were removed the whole structure became increasingly weaker until it eventually collapsed.
America is like a large Jenga game with individuals making up the blocks. It is individuals that make up the strength of society, not the institutions. Individuals make up those institutions. Weak individuals = weak institutions.
If America is no longer a Christian nation, it is because the conscious or unconscious choices made by individual Americans. If we are to avoid God's judgement on our nation, each Christian living within its borders must first turn from his or her "calf-idols".
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