Stand Fast!

The following column was posted on Crosswalk’s e-newsletter Breakpoint on August 7, 2009. I don’t usually copy an entire column, but the subject is simply too important and Colson’s treatment of it too well stated to provide only an excerpt.

If you don’t subscribe to Breakpoint, I highly recommend it as an excellent way to stay informed about the issues and challenges impacting our nation today. Let’s not sink into apathy and watch all our Founders gave their lives for be stripped away! Please click on the links to check out the resources on Crosswalk’s site and to subscribe to Breakpoint, and then follow through and act on the issues you read about. Together we can make a difference if we fight to preserve our precious heritage and don’t faint! Crosswalk and Breakpoint are great places to start!

Rejecting Apathy
Chuck Colson

The Church and American Civilization

Many Christians, once motivated by protecting the sanctity of life, religious freedom, and traditional marriage, seem inconsolable—as if the fight is over and there’s nothing we can do about it.

But embracing this attitude is a certain prescription for disaster.

I received last month a newsletter by Don Reeverts of the Denver Leadership Foundation. In it he gives the following quote, often attributed to an 18th-century Scottish writer:

The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence . . . from bondage to spiritual faith . . . from spiritual faith to courage . . . from courage to liberty . . . from liberty to abundance . . . from abundance to selfishness . . . from selfishness to complacency . . . from complacency to apathy . . . from apathy to dependency . . . from dependency back to bondage.

These are sobering words. This question of where America is in the cycle should be extremely important for Christians. That’s because I firmly believe that culture is nothing but religion incarnate—that when we see a culture losing its moral footing, it’s because believers have failed to bring Christian truth to bear in society. We haven’t been, as Calvin put it, making the invisible kingdom visible.

So what stage are we in? Reeverts thinks we are entering the stage of apathy. And I hate to say it, but I agree. I am finding growing apathy among believers.

Apathy manifests itself in how people dress, how they talk, how they care for each other—and how concerned they are about the great issues of the day. It resembles what the Greeks called acedia, a languidness, a torpor, in which we stop caring about anything.

Apathy inevitably leads to dependency. And once we become dependent on Big Brother, we are back in bondage. Can anybody really watch the dramatic growth of governmental power and not be alarmed? For the fact of the matter is that the more government acts as God, the less people depend on the one true God.

Your congressmen and senators are home now for summer recess. Have you contacted them? Are you angry about what’s happening in this country today? Things like the elimination of the conscience clause for medical professionals, or embryonic stem cell research, or the advance of gay “marriage,” or threats to religious liberties, or government making life-and-death decisions in health care? If you’re not upset about those things, you’ve succumbed to apathy already.

I can’t imagine anybody sitting at home, comfortably watching us slip into a state of dependency without getting outraged, and then without expressing that outrage.

If we value our liberties, if we believe in the most fundamental principles upon which our civilization is based, then we owe it to our God and to future generations to speak out.

Institutions aren’t going to change the course of America; but great movements have changed the course of the nation and will again. And what better network to fuel a movement than the Church? Rejecting apathy and trusting in God, firm in our belief in human dignity and our God-given liberties, the Church can ignite a fire in this country.

Do we get it? I pray that we do.

The painting above is Peter F. Rothermel’s (1851) depiction of Patrick Henry giving his inflammatory “Treason” speech before the Virginia House of Burgesses on May 30, 1765, in opposition to the Stamp Act imposed on the colonies by Britain.

Faith of Our Founders

Sadly, many citizens of the United States have bought into the lie that our Founders were not believers in Jesus Christ, that at most some of them were Deists. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Our Founders understood that faith in God is indelibly linked to liberty. With the Easter season upon us, let us reclaim this godly heritage before we lose it forever.

“The Hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations. . . . The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be abused by human depravity. . . . It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors.”

—George Washington

“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. The hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them.” Shortly before his death, he wrote, “Adore God. Reverence and cherish your parents. Love your neighbor as yourself, and your country more than yourself. Be just. Be true. Murmur not at the ways of Providence.”

—Thomas Jefferson

“The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities impressed with it.”

—James Madison

“It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons, to worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe.”

—John Adams

“The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.”

—John Jay

“It yet remains a problem to be solved in human affairs, whether any free government can be permanent, where the public worship of God, and the support of religion, constitute no part of the policy or duty of the state in any assignable shape.”

—Justice Joseph Story

Quotes from The Patriot Post, Special Easter Edition, Vol. 09 No. 14, 9 April 2009.

The Influence of the First Great Awakening on the American Revolution

Today we’re finally getting back to Part 2 of our series on the First Great Awakening that we began on October 24, 2008.

In many ways, the religious upheaval of the First Great Awakening prepared an entire generation of colonial men and women to become involved in the political upheaval that followed in its wake. Some historians have seen the revivals as the means by which the poorer classes of society challenged the privileges of the upper classes, setting the stage for the political conflicts that led directly to the Revolution.

The spiritual climate became contentious, and religious conflict spread like wildfire from the church into politics. Because the colonists of the revolutionary generation had already made life-changing choices about their fundamental religious beliefs and loyalties, they were prepared to make equally crucial political decisions and did not hesitate to rebel against religious, social, and political structures that denied their right to self-determination.

Many Christian Americans believed that the colonies were a New Israel and that the colonists were God’s chosen people, views that steadily hardened defiance of the established royal governments and the ancient tradition of the divine right of kings. For these Americans, the rebellion became a holy war against Britain and her king, who were viewed as sinful, corrupt.

As traditions of radical Protestant dissent merged with a rising tide of republicanism, the spiraling conflict finally blossomed into full-scale revolution. The religious culture in the colonies, which held industry and frugality to be virtues and believed in consensual, contractual forms of church government, shaped the resistance to Britain’s colonial policies as well as the republican legislatures and constitutions that replaced the royal colonial governments during the war.

In colonies where one denomination received state support, other denominations increasingly lobbied their legislature to end the favored status of the established denomination. This freedom of religion was subsequently enshrined in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Adapted from “The First Great Awakening” by Christine Leigh Heyrman, Department of History, University of Delaware, © National Humanities Center.

The image above depicts a Lutheran church service. Watercolor with pen and ink by folk artist Lewis Miller (1796-1882), c. 1800, the Historical Society of York County, Pennsylvania.

Christmas Symbols and Their Meanings, Part 3

Today we conclude our series on Christmas symbols and their meanings.

Santa Claus. Santa Claus is a corrupted form of Saint Nicholas. He was the fourth Bishop of Myra in modern-day Turkey, and his feast day is December 6. Saint Nicholas was very generous to the poor, but most of the time he kept his identity a secret. The most well-known story is about three young women whose destitute father was going to force them into prostitution so they could survive. To prevent this, Nicholas, secretly went to their home on three separate nights and threw a bag of gold though an open window. Over time, the bishop’s miter and fur trimmed red winter garments became Santa’s outfit, and Saint Nicholas’s generosity was attributed to the “jolly old man” who delivers gifts anonymously on Christmas Eve.

Sugar and Christmas Candy. Sugar isn’t found in Scripture, and for centuries only the wealthy could afford it, while lower classes used honey or molasses as sweeteners. References to honey are found frequently in Scripture. The sweets we consume at Christmas remind us of the sweetness of God’s presence that come into the world on Christmas in the form of Jesus.

Yule Log. The Yule log is a large log that is burned during traditional Christmas celebrations. Yule, which means sun or light, was a festival in honor of the sun god. The 25th of December was the birthday of the Roman god Mithras, who was known as the unconquered sun. Christians can see how the Lord used this symbol to prepare the pagans for Christ, the son of God, the eternal Light, the God of all gods.

The Yule log is reminiscent of Christ’s cross, made of wood. As the burning log gives light as it “dies,” so the death of Christ on the cross brought our world from the darkness of sin into the light of faith. As the burning of the log was thought to bring health, fruitfulness, and prosperity and to ward off evil spirits, so Christ’s sacrificial death brought to those who believe in Him the fruits of the Holy Spirit, health of soul, and prosperity in their spiritual life. Through His death, Christ conquered all evil spirits for all time. Burning the Yule log for twelve days prepared the pagans to recall the twelve tribes of Israel, which preceded Christ, and the twelve apostles whom Our Lord sent to spread the fire of the Holy Spirit to light up all the world.

Wreath. Wreaths combine several Christmas symbols including holly, fruit, mistletoe, evergreens, tinsel, and so on, all of which retain their symbolism on the wreath.

Advent Wreath. The Advent Wreath combines the symbolism of wreathes, evergreens, candles, and holly, when used. In addition, the Advent wreath uses the symbolic colors purple and pink. In an Advent Wreath, three purple candles, signifying penance, prayer, and preparation for Christmas, and one pink candle, symbolizing joy, are spaced equidistantly around the wreath. Each candle represents 1,000 years which, taken together, equal the traditional sense of 4,000 years from Adam to the birth of Christ. The purple candles are lighted on the first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent, and the pink one on the third Sunday. The white candle in the wreath’s center symbolizes the birth of Christ, the Light of the World and the center of all creation.

Ham. The wild boar, which can normally reach 440 lbs.(200 kg) and occasionally larger (up to 660 lbs. [300 kg]) is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. Hunting boar was a dangerous sport in medieval times because a boar was powerful, unpredictable, and aggressive. With its massive weight, sharp hooves, short pointed tusks, and quick movements, a boar could easily attack and kill a man. Christians saw in the boar a symbol of Satan who, in the spiritual realm, could unpredictably and aggressively attack and even spiritually kill the soul.

In some artistic renditions of Satan, this enemy of God is portrayed as resembling a boar (sharp hoofed feet, tusks or fangs, hairy, large). Therefore, Christians easily adapted the Scandinavian custom of slaughtering a pig at Yule time to honor the god Freyr who ruled over the sun, rain, and produce of the fields. By carrying into their Christmas feasts a boar’s head on a platter, Christians were proclaiming that Jesus has the ultimate victory over Satan, symbolized by the boar. The Christmas ham is an adaptation of this custom.

Christmas Cookies, Breads, Pastries. Christmas pastries are made with flour and remind us of the many uses of bread in Scripture. The Jewish people offered cakes made with oil to the Lord. The Israelites took their unleavened loaves with them when they fled Egypt. They recalled this event yearly in the feast of Unleavened Bread. The manna in the desert tasted like wafers made with honey. Elijah performed a miracle in which a widow’s flour did not run out during a time of famine. When David brought the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, he gave each person in Israel a loaf of bread, a cut of meat, and a raisin cake. Jesus multiplied loaves twice in Scripture and came as the Bread of Life. He comes to us in every Mass under the form of Eucharistic bread and wine. This rich history is present to us with every taste of Christmas pastries.

Stocking. The tradition of placing gifts into Christmas stockings come from another tradition regarding Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. In this tradition, the three women who needed dowries in order to be kept from a life of prostitution had hung their stockings by the fireplace to dry. When the saint came by to help them, the money that he threw into their house fortuitously landed in the stockings. The tradition of naughty children receiving a lump of coal in their stockings comes from Italy. Because stockings cover our feet, they symbolize our life’s journey. If our journey takes us closer to God, He rewards us with the joys and happiness of eternal life. But if we constantly turn from Him, we will do so in eternity as well. In popular imagination, satan stokes the fires of hell with coal. Hence, coal in the stocking of naughty children is a somber reminder of damnation while the gifts good children receive foreshadow their eternal reward.

I wish you all the most blessed of Christmases and a joyous New Year!

Excerpted from http://www.penitents.org/stmartin2006.htm Confraternity of Penitents.

Christmas Symbols and Their Meanings, Part 2

I found a fascinating discussion of Christmas symbols and their meanings of the Web site of the Confraternity of Penitents, from which the following discussion is excerpted.

Gifts. The wise men who brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh inspired the concept of gift giving at Christmas. At Christmas, however, many people focus on giving and receiving gifts instead of on the greatest gift of Jesus that God gave to us at Bethlehem.

Fruit. At Christmas, people often give fruit baskets as gifts. At the turn of the 1900s, good children would receive an orange as a Christmas present. Many Christmas dinners feature fruit such as cranberry sauce. As a Christmas symbol, fruit recalls the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit that are a result of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Christmas Tree. In the early 700’s, Saint Boniface, who converted the German people to Christianity, cut down the Oak of Thor, the mighty sacred tree worshipped by the Saxons. From its roots grew a fir tree that Boniface took as a sign of the Christian faith. In the 11th century, Paradise plays portrayed the tree of Paradise decorated with red apples. During the 15th century, the faithful began to place trees in their homes on December 24, which was the feast day of Adam and Eve. Around the year 1500, Martin Luther was inspired by the beauty of a snow covered fir tree to bring a small tree inside and decorate it with candles in honor of Christ’s birth.

By the 18th century, the custom of decorating a Christmas tree was well established in France, Germany, and Austria, and in America by the 1800s. The Christmas tree represents the original Tree of Paradise, the burning bush that spoke to Moses, the branch of Jesse from which Jesus was born, the life-giving tree of the cross of Christ, and the tree that John saw in the book of Revelation, whose leaves provide medicine for the people and which yields fruit each month for the healing of the nations. Because it is always green, the evergreen tree represents hope. Its needles and its narrow crest point upward, turning our thoughts to heaven. As the tree is cut down, and then put up again, it symbolizes Christ’s resurrection.

Candles And Christmas Lights. In the Advent wreath, a purple candle symbolizing penance is lighted for the first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent. A pink candle symbolizing joy is lighted on the third Sunday of Advent. A white candle in the center of the wreath symbolizing Christ’s purity is lighted on Christmas Day. Before electricity, people used candles to light their homes and to decorate their Christmas trees. Candles and Christmas lights represent Christ, the Light of the World.

Bells. Jewish high priests wore bells on the bottom hem of their ephods so that when they ministered in the temple, the tinkling sound could be heard as the priest entered and left God’s presence in order to keep him from dying. Christmas bells not only symbolize the joy of Christmas, but they also remind us that Christ is our great high priest, who offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins once for all.

Candy Canes. The candy cane is shaped like a shepherd’s crook, reminding us that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came into our world at Christmas. The red stripe symbolizes Christ’s sacrifice and the white background his purity. The candy cane reminds us of Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant who was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7) and by his stripes you were healed (Isaiah 53:5). Candy canes have a peppermint flavor, reminiscent of hyssop, which has cleansing medicinal purposes. Jesus came to heal our ills and to purge us of sin. When Jesus was crucified, a bystander stuck a wine-filled sponge on a branch of hyssop to give Jesus a drink. The peppermint flavor reminds us that our healing came at the price of Christ’s life. The candy cane is meant to be broken and shared, just as Jesus’ body was broken on the cross and shared through the gospel.

Gingerbread Men. Gingerbread men are created, reminding us God’s creation of Adam and Eve, and God’s creation of each of us. Spices, reminiscent of those mentioned in the Old Testament, make the gingerbread man the color of the earth from which Adam was created. Gingerbread people are created to be eaten, in effect reuniting with their creators, just as God created us for eternal union with Him after we die.

Please join me tomorrow for Part 3 of Christmas Symbols and Their Meanings!

Excerpted from Confraternity of Penitents.