Tag Archives: American Revolution

John L. Kachelman, Jr.: HR1 Ambition—Either Honored or Hateful 4 (1)

Posted on by Leave a comment

by John L. Kachelman, Jr.

Brutus’ speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar makes a poignant observation on ambition: “As Caesar loved me, I weep for him. As he was valiant, I honor him. But, as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love, joy for his fortune, honor for his valor, and death for his ambition” (Act 3, Scene 2).

The political ambition that damned Julius Caesar is known and present in Washington, DC. John Dean’s Blind Ambition exposed this greedy evil. Dean’s book offers an insider’s view of the deceptions and machinations that run rampant inside the Beltway environment.

The Talmudic proverb says, “Ambition destroys its possessor.” This is put into prose as:
Ambition has but one reward for all:
A little power, a little transient fame,
A grave to rest in, and a fading name!
History records ANNOTATED AMBITION…

An interesting read is Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick. The focus of the history is on loyalty and personal integrity. Described is the remorse of Arnold’s ambitions that fatally destroyed his faith in the legitimacy of the rebellion. One whose ambitions were cut short, sold his country and forever lives infamously as the consummate traitor.

A leading figure of the French Revolution was Maximilien François de Robespierre (1758-1794); the most significant leader of the French Revolution’s radical period. Robespierre has been a metonym for faceless tyranny, his life is a metaphor for how revolutions eat their own. His evil ambition led the French to social catastrophe. In the latter part of 1793 he controlled the “Committee of Public Safety.” This Committee was developed to provide for the defense of the nation against its enemies, foreign and domestic (note the similarity to assignments in our current day). The Committee was to implement the laws and controls necessary to win the war and to strike the hearts of counterrevolutionaries. The Committee mandated harsh measures—surveillance committees, preventive detention of “supposed opponents,” and controls on personal civil liberties. This was the principal organ of the Revolutionary government during the Reign of Terror and Robespierre controlled of it. But, in 1794 he was overthrown and executed. His ambition ended with his head in a basket below the guillotine to which he had condemned thousands!

The historical records continue page after page citing personalities whose ambition was for personal glory instead of national welfare. Napoleon and Alexander the Great won victories after victories. They were Empire Builders whose personal ambitions were evil rather than beneficent. Each was crush at the hands of his ambition.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth wanted to become King. He was a brave and courageous soldier but permitted his blind ambitions to end in his downfall. Then there is Lady Macbeth whose ambition was power. The shared ambition for power blinded them to reality. Lady Macbeth’s thirst for power enabled Macbeth’s want for power. This lust for power increased and led to greater evils. It became the controlling factor in life—nothing was more important than his/her ambition!

We observe Arrogant Ambition Awry…

Obama’s ambition was to stop the rise of the oceans. In his victory speech the night he won the Democratic presidential primary three years ago, he said “[T]his was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” The arrogance of such a delusional ambition was applauded by those who ignore reality’s footnote on arrogant ambition, “A little power, a little transient fame.”

Biden’s promise to end COVID came during the 2020 campaign when he stated, “the trajectory of COVID-19 in America is headed in the wrong direction,” and presented himself as the only one able to fix it. “And so, folks, I will take care of this. I will end this.” After months of carrying on about a national plan, tyrannical mandates and referencing the unscientific CDC, WHO and NIH guidelines and best practices, he threw his hands up and confessed his failed braggadocios ambition. “Look, there is no federal solution,” Biden said December 27, 2021.

An accurate assessment of Biden’s blind ambition is noted by the New York Post: “What we’re seeing, folks, is an embarrassing lack of leadership in the Democrat-run White House. An incompetency that’s not only botching Americans’ travel plans, hurting families and jeopardizing public health — it’s also harming the US economy.”

Today there is AUTOCRATIC AMBITION verbalized!

How can the supposed “intelligent” of today ignore the failed facts of tyrannical ambition? How dare some mimic the exact pattern of behavior and express the same attitudes of the failed past excusing their evil ambition as “democracy”?

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a letter to Democratic senators on Monday. “We can and must take strong action to stop this anti-democratic march.” Years ago, Schumer said killing the filibuster was the “rubber stamp of dictatorship” and a “doomsday for democracy.” But now high-handed ambition has redirected his position.

Schumer’s ambition is shared by the entire Democratic Party—they speak of saving democracy when, in reality, their evil ambition is to destroy the Republic!

Schumer’s autocratic ambition is soon scheduled for a vote in the Senate.

Ambition is widely respected and widely condemned. Let the puppet masters and puppets on the political stage look seriously, heed cautiously and avoid strenuously the historical pitfall of greedy ambition.
• Treasonous ambition leads many to sit alongside Benedict Arnold because they choose personal ambition over patriotic loyalty.
• Blind ambition deceives, deludes, and destroys—“A person who is blind cannot guide another…will they not both fall into a pit? (Luke 6:39)
• Arrogant ambition leads one to join Napoleon and become a hated historical figure whose end is a personal “Waterloo” (Proverbs 8:13, Pride, arrogance…the perverted mouth, I hate.”
• Harvested ambition is tormenting—Lady MacBeth’s “Out, damned spot” is one of the most recognized phrases in literature. The once-defiant and determined Lady Macbeth has become undone by her own conscience. There is an unrelenting torment and inescapable culpability. The blood required by selfish ambition cannot be removed!
• High-handed ambition is rewarded with Robespierre’s inevitability—the victim of his own tyranny.
To those governing today we ask, “What motivates your ambitions?” Legislate, Judicate, and Execute with the sole ambition to defend and uphold the original intent of the United States Constitution! Your failure to do this assures destruction to our nation and infamy for your historical name. “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:16).

To those governing, remember the proverb: “Ambition destroys its possessor.” The history from the past validates this proverb. The history of the future that is being chronicled today, will validate this proverb. It is the responsibility of the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive Branches of our government to utilize the past to govern the present so they do not fear the historic chronicles of the future!

John L. Kachelman, Jr. is a Christian patriot, preacher, and missionary for Jesus Christ to foreign countries. He lives in Montgomery, AL.

John L. Kachelman, Jr.: The Reign of Terror—Redux 2020 4.5 (2)

Posted on by Leave a comment

by John Kachelman, Jr.

The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet.” He was a citizen of a nation that had ascended to the pinnacle of world power. That nation had set the world’s standards for economic, civil, military, and political successes. These accomplishments were not approached by any other nation until Columbus discovered America in 1492 and the United States of America declared her God-given sovereignty in 1776.

But Jeremiah uttered an anguished cry, “Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (9:1) and “Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow, with a sorely infected wound” (14:17).

The prophet sorrowed because his nation had dissolved into anarchy. The Rule of Law that once assured peace, safety, and successes had been replaced. The prophet was perplexed by this catastrophic change in his nation’s direction. “I have listened and heard, they have spoken what is not right; No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, ‘What have I done?’” (8:6) and again “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (10:23).

Jeremiah walked his city looking at the corrupt culture. No doubt he shook his head and asked “What IS happening to my country?!” He mourned, “We waited for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror!” (8:15)
With one brief word the Prophet summarizes the culture of a nation in crisis—“Terror”!

Rule of Law in America?

This highlights a historical constant—when a nation dissolves the Rule of Law that sets boundaries and regulates behavior, then that nation’s foundation begins to crack, crumble and collapse. It does not matter how strong the military is. It does not matter how weak the enemy is. It does not matter how vibrant the economy is. If God is denied and the Rule of Law is ignored, catastrophe is certain.

This truth has been recognized. Perhaps one of the more recent comments, “If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” (President Ronald Reagan August 23, 1984).
Another truism states, “A nation without God is a God-less nation.”
The truth of history repeatedly validates that when a nation turns away from God and refuses to restrict the immorality of its population, then evil rules and national collapse is near. Such a message was sent to the World Empire of Nineveh (Jonah 3:4). That nation repented and was spared collapse until it turned away from God’s Rule of Law and refused to repent. It was then destroyed.

This historical constant applies to modern America. This is not just a boring historical fact to be welcomed by a “ho-hum” sigh. This is our present reality. The United States of America is experiencing Jeremiah’s desperation, “We waited for peace, but no good came; For a time of healing, but behold, terror!” (8:15)

The added stress is the fact that many appear to have surrendered to this cultural anarchy. Night after night people are attacked, kicked to the streets, victims of arson and anarchy. The law officers are resigning. Many are surrendering to the anarchists. Now the protestors are marching into the suburbs demanding the houses be given to them. “Racism” and “reparations” are used to justify the vilest acts of inhumanity.

Two Revolutions Compared

But…this situation in the United States of America is not new. It is only a repeat of the historical constant that lawlessness destroys peace and a lawless culture does not bring personal freedom but a total national collapse.
The late 1700’s provides us with an amazing lesson validating our point. Two revolutions marked that era but each was diametrically opposed to the other. One based its foundation on the Rule of Law that comes from “the Creator” (God Almighty). The other based its foundation on the Rule of Law that is established by “Man’s Reason and Enlightenment” without God Almighty. It is this choice that America faces in 2020—which Rule of Law will our nation choose to follow?
Consider the foundation of each of these nations.

We first consider France 1789 the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” was composed. This claimed to be a document safeguarding the basic charters of human liberties. Its 17 articles, adopted between August 20 and August 26, 1789, by France’s National Assembly, served as the preamble to the Constitution of 1791. The basic principle of the Declaration was that all “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” (Article 1), these rights were specified as the rights of liberty, private property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression (Article 2). This document inspired the French Revolution. The vague terms were used to disguised a malevolent goal—yes property, liberty, and personal rights were stated BUT they would be defined far differently than the general population understood. Yes “oppression” was to be resisted BUT ONLY as defined by the elite. The general attitude of the anarchists implementing this Declaration is well voiced by a politician in recent weeks who said, “Yes everyone should have a choice in wearing face masks as long as they make the RIGHT choice.”

It is significant to note the sources of the Declaration included the major thinkers of the French Enlightenment, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire.

This Revolution was founded on a God-less basis and subsequent actions were God-less tyranny, evil, murders, arson, confiscation of private property, and the total destruction of a nation.

The second revolution to be considered was that in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [July 1776] where The Declaration of Independence was composed and ratified. In total contrast to the French the Declaration of Independence stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Preamble to the Declaration of Independence).

The contrast between The United States of America and France is stark. In fact, it is actually SHOCKING. One places trust and confidence in the protection of the Almighty Creator. The other exalts human reasoning and man’s “enlightened” freedom from religious obligations.

The greatest contrast is found in the consequent history of each nation. The USA soared to success and world influence. The economy, military, and culture of American became the envy of the world. The jurisprudence governing our civility made “true justice” a reality. France devolved further into anarchy. Historians identify the period of time (June 1793-July 1794) following France’s “Declaration of Man” as “The Terror.”

Even the blind can see this frightening contrast.

An explanation of France’s acceptance of anarchy that led to its collapse is suggested by this historian. “It is ironic that of all countries in Europe, France was the only one that could have had a revolution—not because she groaned under the lash of tyranny, but, on the contrary, because she tolerated and even invited every conceivable dissension and heresy. Restlessness, a passion for novelty and the pursuit of excitement were everywhere in the air. They were the fruits of idleness and leisure, not of poverty.” (PARIS IN THE TERROR, June 1793-July 1794. Stanley Loomis. J. B. Lippincott Company. Philadelphia and New York,1964. Page 12).

Culture cannot cancel history! The “cancel culture” is another point of absurdity that should be discussed but I do not have time to address it here. But I simply note the absolute fact that the prevailing pressure and riotous actions of today’s blasphemous culture CANNOT cancel the historical constant!

There is an idiom stating that one “cannot whistle past the graveyard.” This idiomatic phrase describes the attempt of one to stay cheerful in a dire situation. One thus described is going forward into a situation and ignoring a certain hazard. Even if the hazard is recognized the fool proceeds hoping for a good outcome. Those thus described enter a situation with little or no understanding of the possible consequences.

This is where the United States of America is in 2020. We are at a crossroad with a choice to follow the historical precedent that made our nation great or to choose the historical folly of Revolutionary France.

There is much more to say about this choice and its ramifications for modern America.

I close with a reference to another historical event that chronicles the collapse of a great nation into anarchy’s chaos. Hosea 4 addresses Israel’s surrender of allegiance to God’s Rule of Law and her acceptance of anarchy’s terror.

Hosea 4

“Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no faithfulness or  kindness or knowledge of God in the land. There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore, the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, and also the fish of the sea disappear” (1-3).

Unspeakable catastrophe results when there is “no knowledge of God in the land.” There is violence, immorality, lawlessness, and disrespect for the governing legal officers. The entire scene is sadly summarized “bloodshed follows bloodshed.”

What is the answer? It is either follow man’s arrogance or submit to God’s sovereignty. One way brings “terror” and the other brings tranquility.

Hosea’s message highlights these primary points…

Truth and mercy are attributes and virtues of humanity only IF the population follows God’s Rule of Law.
Truth implies uprightness in speech and behavior. True integrity in character and conduct is possible only IF the Law of the Almighty God is permitted to transform one’s thoughts and actions.

Mercy combined with truth makes a man kind as well as honest, benevolent as well as upright. These blessings are possible only IF one submits to the Almighty God. When man rejects God’s Law and chooses anarchy, he will NEVER find kindness, honesty, benevolence and integrity. Those involved in today’s riots illustrate this truth and they join the anarchists of the French Revolution.

The knowledge of God is the only cure for the problems of society today. The cure cannot be legislated. The cure cannot be coerced by an angry mob violence. And, the cure cannot be achieved by the culture of cancelation of things that are offensive to a minority.

If we know God to be a God of truth, we will cultivate truth in our hearts, express it with our lips, and practice it in our lives.

If we know God as a God of mercy, who has shown boundless mercy to us in pardoning our multiplied and aggravated offences, we will imitate that mercy in our relations to our fellow-man.

The Prophet’s point was clear—violence, bloodshed, and anarchy result because the nation did not know God. This point was further stressed in chapter 4:

Verse 6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Destruction is coming because knowledge was rejected. The people knew God but refused to obey God.
Verse 7, “The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame.” The degree and examples of sin multiplied greatly.
Verse 8, “They feed on the sin of My people and direct their desire toward their iniquity.” The impact of the general sinning increased the intensity and shocking nature of sin in society.
Verse 10, “They will eat, but not have enough; they will play the harlot, but not increase, because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.” There is no satisfying the anarchist’s appetite. Anarchy cannot be placated. You cannot appease terrorists.
Verse 19, “And they will be ashamed.” The finality of a nation that has turned from God and chosen anarchy is sorrowfully recorded for history to hold.

The United States of America was founded upon principles taught by the Almighty Jehovah God of the Bible. If we reject that we are one nation under God’s sovereignty, we face destruction. Jeremiah 20:4, “(T)hus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am going to make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends’.”

John Kachelman, Jr. is a Christian patriot, preacher, and missionary for Jesus Christ to foreign countries. He lives in Montgomery, AL.

Bill Lockwood: Lexington & Concord Again? 0 (0)

Posted on by Leave a comment

by Bill Lockwood

In the early morning hours of April 19, 1775, the British regulars, stationed in Boston, marched up the quiet country road in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Their goal: to confiscate a cache of firearms that intelligence had informed them the colonists had stored in Concord. Patriot leaders, however, had sounded the alarm by horseback before dawn. Men such as Paul Revere and Samuel Prescott had roused the local militia’s who had been anticipating such an event.

As daylight was breaking the British regulars came out of the woods to a small village along the chosen route—Lexington. Major Pitcairn led the redcoats. Waiting for them were about 80 militiamen standing on the village “commons”—the town square, led by their Captain, John Parker. Determined to defend their God-bestowed right of self-preservation, even from a tyrannical government, the militia refused to disperse when Major Pitcairn ordered it.

Who fired the first shot is a matter left open to historical investigation. The result was that within the next few minutes 8 militiamen were killed during the confrontation. The Redcoats moved on to Concord but were met by several thousand farmers armed with their personal muskets as the news spread through the wooded communities. In the end, the Americans drove the British back to Boston. The Revolution had begun.

The entire event at Lexington was immortalized by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his famous poem, “Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride.”

The struggle actually had begun years before as the British government continually violated its own charters for the colonies that guaranteed them a free-hand governing themselves. One intrusive English law after another specifically violated those written promises. Colonial freedoms were being curtailed. In the end, these written guarantees in the form of charters were trampled by the gigantic growing British government that sprawled itself all over the world.

The United States

No one wishes to relive the bloody scenes of the past. Consider, however, the brewing trouble in our own nation and its similarities to 1775.

First, our Constitution was written for one specific purpose—to curtail the federal government. Our Founders felt so strongly about it that they included the 10th Amendment which in sum says that any power or authority NOT specifically delegated to the federal government by this Constitution remains with the people. All rights belong to the people by endowment from God. Government’s sole design is to protect these rights. Since governments throughout history have traditionally removed these rights, our national government was purposefully crafted to be limited.

The framers of the Constitution also realized from hard bloody experience that they must put into writing not only that the federal government needs to be restrained, but that individuals have a right of self-preservation from that government—even if by force. This is how America began. Thus, the 2nd Amendment. The primary reason for this Amendment—the right to keep and bear arms– is to defend rights that are historically lost by intrusive governments—not foreign invaders.

“The people” have a right to firearms. The ability of “the people” to defend themselves against dictators foreign and domestic is a divinely ordained right. As George Mason of Virginia put it, “to disarm the people—that is the best and most effective way to enslave them.”

The 2nd Amendment is, in effect, a “thou shalt not touch this” to the Federal Government. That includes whatever weaponry a citizen may deem necessary to maintain his or her freedom from authoritarian designs.

Second, the current slate of Democratic presidential hopefuls has sounded off about British-style confiscation of certain types of firearms. Beto O’Rourke has campaigned on the promise that the government will confiscate AR-15’s. In the ‘spirit of 1776’, Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain tweeted “My AR is ready for you Robert Francis.”

These words from Cain have simply enraged the statist-loving mob of the left who believe a person only has what rights a government may give. They see it as simply a threat to murder O’Rourke. But it is a far cry from that. Instead, it is exactly the same circumstances that were seen in 1775. Cain’s remark is no different than a Samuel Adams, or a Paul Revere, answering the arrogant British threat to remove this God-given right. At least we know where left stands when it comes to how we gained our freedom from Britain.

What should alarm the American people is the lawless, tyrannical, and totalitarian attitude from the O’Rourkes and Biden’s of the world that somehow the government can violate its own charters—the Declaration of Independence & Constitution—and impose its godless will on peace-loving American citizens. Beto and Biden sound no different than King George III.

Twitter removed Briscoe Cain’s “My AR is ready for you, Robert” tweet. That violates the rules of Twitter, it is said. Well, now we know what side of the Bill of Rights Twitter is on—King George’s. Making violent threats? No, that came from O’Rourke—“we’re going to take your AR 15” he repeated in the Democratic debate. If the socialist-Democrat party wishes to pursue this course, will we end up having another Lexington and Concord? I hope and pray not. But the lawless Democrats seem to push ahead wildly, regardless of whose rights they trample and the God from whom we own them.

 

The Venal and Oppressive Police State 0 (0)

Posted on by Leave a comment

The Venal and Oppressive Police State- …the highest levels of the FBI have been secretly investigating and “harvesting” highly confidential information…”

by Bill Lockwood

“When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another [one branch of government], and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” —Thomas Jefferson

Revelations of mass surveillance are pouring out of Washington, D.C. at an alarming rate. Wiretaps, electronic spying, harvesting of information and bugs not only upon members of the Trump Team, but upon all Americans, has become common knowledge—in complete violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, among others. The Bill of Rights has been completely trashed. What is being forged is a Police State where Gestapo tactics are no longer only “in the wings.”

How has this occurred? How have we landed exactly where Jefferson warned us not to go?

Step back for a moment. A prime cause of the American Gestapo is the gargantuan growth of government which has been occurring at an accelerating rate over the past 100 years. From the time of Woodrow Wilson through FDR, who purposefully brought all power to Washington, D.C., to the Great Society of Lyndon Johnson and Barack Obama– government itself has now exponentially matured to fearful proportions. Positioning itself as the benefactor of mankind—witness the welfare state—tentacles of government penetrate all corners of society.

We should not be surprised, therefore, that the highest levels of the FBI have been secretly investigating and “harvesting” highly confidential information that is being used as a political weapon—for this is the nature of government itself. A “dangerous fire” but a “fearful master.” The very opposite of the noble principles of limited government, enshrined in our Constitution, upon which we were founded.

Sadly, we must confess that not only Jefferson and the entire Founding generation warned us of a big government, but our own history in America demonstrates the foolishness of listening to the siren song of the state becoming our savior.

Most Americans are unaware of the fact that our forefathers on these shores experimented with socialistic philosophies which entails a large government and by nature involves oppression. Our ancestors weighed these ideas in the scales of human experience and found them to be wanting.

Plymouth Rock & Socialism

When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on a bleak day in December 1620, it was a colony established “for the glory of God.” Seeds of greatness were planted in American soil. But America’s future greatness depended in large measure upon the fact that the earliest settlers at Plymouth, after experimenting with socialism, flatly rejected collectivism (socialistic redistribution) in order to embrace the biblical teaching of “individualism.”

Collectivism is the political theory that encourages people to think about working for the STATE and to consider themselves as part of a “class” which would be granted certain benefits. Individualism, on the other hand, emphasizes that each individual has rights—that these rights are not granted to “groups” or belong to us because we are of a certain “class.”

Pilgrim fathers discovered at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts that socialism is doomed to fail. William Bradford, in his work Plymouth Plantation, chronicled the rapid deterioration of the colony as a whole as they approached starvation under a socialistic system. The ideas that the “community” owns the goods and that individuals worked for “the company” instead of themselves produced laziness! This in turn caused the goods to be scarce and starvation began.

Most of all, socialism did not and does not today recognize the true nature of man. Because men are sinful by practice they cannot be expected to labor for no personal reward. Bradford even stated that the system of socialism, “If it did not cut relations God established among men, it did at least diminish and take [remove] mutual respect that should be preserved among men.” Almost sounds like a prophecy of streets in America that are today burning. Bradford and the Pilgrims, thankfully, rejected the socialistic model and warned future Americans of its bedevilment.

Jamestown Experiments with Socialism

Almost the same thing occurred at Jamestown Colony, established a few years earlier than Plymouth. Relying on a socialistic system in which laborers worked for “the colony” and depended upon it to “redistribute” the food supply, Jamestown was dying.

James Hamor, the first secretary of the colony, in his A True Discourse, noted that “glad was the man that could slip from his labor.” Instead, under the leadership of John Smith they adopted private property concepts and individualism and Hamor observed that the colony became ten times more prosperous! Discovered was the fact that socialism breeds hunger as workers came to regard it as a form of “injustice” and a kind of “slavery” that they were required to work.

Revolutionary America

Exactly the same principles were at work during the Revolutionary period. Historian Caleb Perry, in The Constitutional Principles of Thomas Jefferson, observed: “Free enterprise, according to all American historians, was the major issue in the American Revolution and, in the opinion of man, the most important issue. Political freedom was regarded as the necessary means for economic freedom. Irrefutably, the American Revolution was a revolt from the highly regulated economy of mercantilism.”

Mercantilism was, like socialism, a protectionist policy enacted by Great Britain, to assist the wealthy merchant class. It provided a monopoly to the mercantile sector of England as government eliminated competition. Thomas Jefferson himself lamented the socialistic system of bureaucratic regimentation which was part of mercantilism.

Famously he noted, “When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another [one branch of government], and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated.” This is exactly where we are. The checks and balances seem powerless.

What are we to learn from all of this? Evil forces have been working tirelessly since America’s inception, to destroy God’s blessing of freedom by creating a gargantuan totalitarian state. Flatly repudiating any connection with the Bible and its legacy of freedom, secular collective ideologies such as Marxism, Nazism or Socialism are not only incompatible with God but create an enormous governing apparatus which “attempts to squeeze human nature into unnatural shapes.”

The very essence and character of government, especially out-of-bounds unconstitutional government, will always be “venal and oppressive.” The police-state will flourish in the dank atmosphere we have crafted in America. If Americans do not roll it back now the unlawful surveillance we are witnessing will become the new norm.  

Bible Basics, Social Justice and War on Poverty 0 (0)

Posted on by Leave a comment

Bible Basics, Social Justice and War on Poverty

by Bill Lockwood

The Heritage Foundation wrote, “In his January 1964 State of the Union address, Johnson proclaimed, ‘This administration today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America.’  Since that time, U.S. taxpayers have spent over $22 trillion on anti-poverty programs (in constant 2012 dollars). Adjusted for inflation, this spending (which does not include Social Security or Medicare) is three times the cost of all military wars in U.S. history since the American Revolution. Despite this mountain of spending, progress against poverty, at least as measured by the government, has been minimal.”

The Washington Times reported similarly that the poverty rate has only decreased in America by 2% since Johnson’s War on Poverty began in 1965. “Although the president often rails against income inequality in America, his policies have had little impact overall on poverty. A record 47 million Americans receive food stamps, about 13 million more than when he [Obama] took office. “The poverty rate has stood at 15 percent for three consecutive years, the first time that has happened since the mid-1960s. The poverty rate in 1965 was 17.3 percent; it was 12.5 percent in 2007, before the Great Recession.

“About 50 million Americans live below the poverty line, which the federal government defined in 2012 as an annual income of $23,492 for a family of four.” Obama’s Socialism or Social Justice will never effectively reduce the poverty rate. Forcing businesses to raise the minimum wage will not do it either. No amount of government FORCE—the only thing Obama knows—will solve the poverty problem.

Why Will Socialism Not Work?

The reason is because the entire structure of socialism is built upon a grand lie, a false world-view about the nature of man and life itself. Instead, social justice sears the conscience of America as to what is real justice while hardening the once-freedom-loving Americans into allowing the government to experiment on us socially.
To understand why this is the case, we need go back to real basics of life—Bible basics of freedom.

First, Life. Life is a gift of God (Gen. 1:27; 2:7). A worldview that begins with “In the beginning God…” is the only viable option that truly recognizes the dignity of man. Since God created man, it stands to reason that what is required to preserve life is also a part of God’s created purpose. Life cannot sustain itself alone. Thus, Jehovah gave us marvelous faculties with which to extract the resources He placed in or on the earth that sustains our lives.

These faculties include my liberty of action. I am free to choose to labor. Hunger assists me in making that choice. Additionally, if I have not freedom to sustain my own life, then what benefit is life? And, if I cannot by my own labor provide and even accumulate goods (that would be my “property”) that are necessary to sustain my life or provide for my future, again, what good is life? There is no benefit to having life from God if I am not able to sustain it.

Second, Law. What is law? Law is the “rule of action” that recognizes that I have not only the right to provide, but to protect my person, liberty or property. Since life is sacred, I have the right to use force to protect it as well as the property that I have accumulated. The Mosaic code of the Old Testament makes this emphatically clear. It is also the basic concept of Natural Law.

It also follows that if I have a right to defend myself and my property, then groups of persons may do the same. This organization to defend ourselves from THEFT is what is known as LAW.  Man-made secular law is nothing more (or should be) than the organization of the natural right by groups of persons to defend what God gave them (Romans 13:4,5).

This is why James Wilson, a Founding Father that signed both the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution, reflected on the law of man and the law of God: “Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed these two sciences run into each other… All [laws], however, may be arranged in two different classes. 1) Divine. 2) Human… But it should always be remembered that this law, natural or revealed, made for men or for nations, flows from the same Divine source: it is the law of God… Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine.” Man’s laws need to reflect God’s.

Third, The Nature of Man. Man is a mixture of “sunshine and shadow,” as one Founding Father put it. This was but a reflection of the biblical exposition of man. By “sunshine” is meant the propensity to do well and be a blessing to others.  It is a great quality that we need to encourage in ourselves and others.  On the other hand, there is also a “shadowy” portion of man. It is a desire to do wrong, which, when acted upon, is what the Bible calls SIN.  Sin is a violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4).

Reflecting this part of man, history is littered with examples of men who wished to live at the expense of others. They do this by overt robbery or, they take the God-given concept of law (protecting ourselves and our goods) and convert it to enrich themselves. Instead of robbing us at gunpoint, they pervert the purpose of LAW that they might steal your possessions. Politicians do this on a regular basis. Promising more goodies to various classes of people ensures their longevity in office and positions of power. But the end—confiscation and redistribution—or socialism, is exactly the same as a gunpoint robbery. Force is used and LAW becomes the source of evil and wickedness.

That the above occurs in America, not only with frequency, but as a part “our system,” is a source of sadness and shame. Law no longer serves its God-given purpose to protect the rights, goods, and persons of individuals in society but it has become the instrument of PLUNDER of many by the few. Obama’s social justice is exactly this. The overturning of what men innately know to be right. That churches, which should be standing for principles of justice, favor it simply shows to what immoral depths we have now descended in America. But these atrocities God will not overlook forever. Poverty will continue to plague us in astronomical proportions and working people will chafe more and more under a yoke of bondage. Perhaps that is what Obama wants all along.

Back to Homepage