On the Wrong Side of History

I have dedicated this blog page over the years to my musings on topics of spiritual life and growth.  I think this posting fits into that criteria in that it is about the relentless march in this country from a predominately Christian Worldview, to a predominately secular worldview that is mildly tolerant or appreciative of the contribution the Christian Worldview, to a now a thoroughly pagan worldview(1) that sees and thus opposes Christianity as standing in the way of a "Progressive" future for this country.  Proof of this, in my mind, cannot be more clearly seen than the expression of the classic Christian virtues are noticeably more rare these days in American politics, and we now only nominate and elect pagans to the highest office in the land, the Presidency.  People ask, "How can you possibly vote for ... ?"  My answer is that I don't; I vote for the political philosophy and form of government that I believe will prosper this country and most benefit the middle and poverty-line class in this country.

I have tilted this posting "On the Wrong Side of History"(2) because the future belongs to the younger generation (younger than me anyway), and apparently most of the younger generation have become convinced that we need to shift left (toward socialism and away from capitalism- more this below).  The normative belief is that capitalism creates wealth disparity and is therefore evil, even in spite of the fact that the controlled capitalism of our  economic system has created the wealthiest country in the world.  Most in my generation understand that capitalism is not perfect but it works better that anything else.  The younger generation does not agree with this.  For the life of me, I do not know what they base that upon; nonetheless, it places us on the wrong side of history, because, if we don't fall off Progressive cliff this election, we probably will the next, barring any significant change in thinking of our young people.

America has always been on a continuum between liberal socialism and conservative free-market capitalism, between high taxes and low taxes, between wealth redistribution and wealth creation,  between big government that enforces wealth redistribution and small government that allows and incentivizes and provides people the opportunity to create their own wealth.  The liberal movements of the 20th century created much needed safety net program, but the Great Society movement of the 60's also created a permanent poverty class.  In theeh last half of the 20th Century, we threw trillions of dollars at poverty only to have poverty stay at or about 13%.  The 20th Century did not find the sweet spot between socialism and capitalism and, it seems to me, went too far to the left.  We act like we cannot learn from our past.    

With all that said, where does that leave me this election cycle.  Progressivism has the goal of fundamentally remaking America, when what I want is to find that sweet spot on the continuum, and it does not lie further to the left.  I want a government that gets out of the way and allows the economically deprived and the middle class grow and prosper, while watching out for those in need and those who cannot take care of themselves.  I think progressivism is more the problem than the solution.  The champion of progressivism is Kamala Harris: so, I don't think she is the answer.  The Democrats do not even talk about how to help the economy thrive; and I am not sure the new Democratic party can any longer help people prosper, given their platform priorities.  The Republicans have had some success with that in this recent administration, and I think the Republicans at least have a "get out of the way and let people prosper" attitude.  I think the Republicans have the best answer for the future of this country.   So, as far has Trump is concerned, my only choice is to do what I did during the last presidential election, which was to hold my nose and vote.  It is a decision on which "pagan" is best for the people of this county. 

 

(1) My thanks to Fr. Ross Guthrie who in a recent sermon helped me understand this transition from simply post-Christian to full-blown paganism and what that really means to us.  

(2) Barrack Obama was the first one I heard to who say that Conservatives were on the wrong side of history.  He also said that he was going to fundamentally change America.  I think that was his objective but was checked by the checks and balances of our system.   

Homily- Memorial Service for Pat Hartley, November 13, 2023

 Needless to say, I am honored to be the homilist today. Dan and Peyton, thank you for inviting me to do so, and thank you, Father Duvall, for your graciousness in allowing me this pulpit.   

 For Christ Church to have this memorial service here at St. Andrews, Mt. Pleasant is a special blessing for Dan, Alice, and me.  Four pews from the back on the Epistle side is where my siblings and I got our start on our Christian pilgrimages.  On Sundays we were sandwiched between our father on our right and our mother towering over us on the left.  What I remember most vividly about those early years was how effectively any excessive squirming or inappropriate noise was dealt with by our mother, and this is when I first received some idea of what the "fear of God" was all about. 

I spent much of this past week with my brother Dan and niece Peyton grieving, enjoying memories, sharing with friends and family, and hashing over the realities of life that come to the front of our thoughts at times like this. 

 Speaking of family, it is quite an experience to see all my family all lined up, packed in, sitting still, well-behaved… with little doors to keep them confined… A picture I’ll always remember.  That is not how I am used to experiencing my family.

 To all of you here today, you honor Pat with your presence, and you honor the family.  To Dan, Peyton, Carsten, Marylin, who feel Pat’s absence the most acutely, our hearts continue to break along with yours.  We all know, however, that our sadness is mixed with celebration, because we have much to celebrate: 

·        We celebrate Pat’s 77 years among us.  

·        We celebrate God who gave Pat to us for these 77 years.

·        And to celebrate the rest of Pat’s story, which is her inheritance as a child of God of eternal life with her Father in heaven.

To be in union with God forever is the reason God created Pat in the first place. This is God’s desire for Pat before the beginning of the ages. Pat was created out of love, to be the object of God’s love, with the divine ability to Love God in return desire even before the ages. 

 But as the human race, our sin, rebellion and neglect of God gets in the way of this love-relationship with our heavenly Father. We are powerless to overcome our fallen human nature, but God can do for us that we cannot do for ourselves. This is what Jesus the Messiah is all about.

 A few minutes ago in our processional anthem, Father Ted recited part of Jesus’ conversation with Martha, the sister of Jesus’ friend Lazarus who had died, and Martha is in deep grief, and frankly, puzzlement, about it all.  This story is recoded in the Gospel of John, chapter 11: Let me read it to you:    “23 Jesus said to Martha, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection; I am life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes [that is, trust] in me shall never die. Jesus goes on to ask Martha a question, “Do you believe this, Martha?”  She answers, “Yes, Lord, I believe.”  This has been Pat’s answer also.  I pray that this is the answer or will be the answer for all of us here to today.

So, here is a bedrock fact about our God: He did not create Pat to live 3 score and 10 years, as Psalm 90 puts it, and then simply return to the dust from which she came, as Genesis 3 puts it.  Pat answers Jesus’ question to Martha with a yes, and therefore the curse of Genesis 3 for Pat is broken.  The curse is death and eternal separation from God, but for Pat, death no longer has the last word in her life, God does.  

 In the 52 years I have known Pat, ever since Dan and Pat’s courtship and marriage those many years ago, she has pursued this of salvific love-relationship with God, and moreover, God has pursued her, forgiven her, redeemed her, and now, gathered her to himself.  We heard a few minutes ago Caroline read from 1 Corinthians 15 these Words, “O death, where is your victory; O death, where is your sting… thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 Finally let me say, Pat’s relationship with her Lord is reflected in her relationships with all of us.  I have seen it in her kindness, generosity, servanthood, hospitality, and sacrificial giving.  We have seen the light of Christ shining through her

 So, we have much to celebrate today.  Let’s pray:  Almighty God, creator and sustainer of us all, our hearts of full of thankfulness and joy for Pat but be close to us as we deal with our separation from her, albeit for only for a little while.  I pray this for us all, but in particular for my brother Dan.  Continue to cover Dan and all the family with the richness of your grace bestowing upon all of us your joy and peace.  We pray this in the holy name of our Lord and redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen