The Word for Wednesday, September 23 Edition

Continuing in James chapter 1, commencing with verse 5:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

I think what James says here is that God will give me wisdom, if and only if my intention is to use it to obey Him. If I'm just out to satisfy my idle curiosity, or to become a smarter and more efficient evildoer, I'm out of luck. Likewise, if I'm simply vacillating between commitment to God's purposes and, well, anything else.

But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position; and let the rich man glory in his humiliation, because like the flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

Here's an echo of Jesus's words, quoted at the end of Matthew 19: And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive twenty times as much, and shall inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last, first." It's a unifying theme in Christianity -- this inversion or reversal of what seems to be the normal order of things. The sinless one dies to buy the pardon of ... well, me. Whoever would be great must seek to be least, the servant of all. Wash each others' feet. Whoever tries to save his life will lose it; whoever submits his natural self to death receives everlasting life. In this writing of James is advice for the reasonable rich man: understand that your comforts and advantages are temporary, and accept -- even rejoice in -- that fact.

Good stuff.

For more Words for Wednesday, click here.

With Representatives Like These ...

... who needs revolting, bloody-handed poseurs? Check it out:

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Four dozen prominent Christian leaders asked Congress and other world leaders to call for immediate sanctions on Iran.

In an open letter, Christian Leaders for a Nuclear-Free Iran -- an ad hoc group that claims to represent more than 28 million evangelicals, Roman Catholics and other Christians -- calls for "immediate action to address Iran’s program to develop and deploy nuclear weapons" by imposing economic sanctions on companies which help Iran produce or import refined petroleum products, and by initiating a boycott of any arms sales to Iran.

Among the signatories are Christian Broadcasting Network president Pat Robertson; Prison Fellowship Ministries chairman Charles Colson; the Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land; American Values President Gary Bauer; and Pastor John Hagee, Christians United for Israel chairman.

Rather than grumble about the scrofulous character of my self-appointed representatives, I'll echo another person's comment on this item: I wonder when I'll see "an ad hoc group" called "Christian Leaders for a Nuclear-Free Israel?"

Yeah. Don't think I'll hold my breath.

Friendly Advice, September 22 Edition

Dear President Ahmadinejad,

I must inform you that you are mistaken. Your country does indeed need nuclear weapons. Without them, your country is bombing-bait, and perhaps invasion-bait as well.


Regards,

The Chestnut Tree Cafe Staff

It's Yesterday Once More

Nineteen sixty-five. It's 44 years ago. I was eleven -- a fine age for building model airplanes, riding the bicycle, and generally getting up to no good. An Arizona Republican senator had just failed to win the U.S. presidency. The Democrat who defeated him inherited a war, and set out to teach us a new meaning of the word "escalate."

My, how things change -- while staying the same, sort of.

Lyndon Baines Obama has just been told by his favorite general that victory is at hand -- assuming that we escalate. Otherwise, failure:

The US mission in Afghanistan will "likely result in failure" unless troops are increased within a year, the top general there has said in a report.

Gen Stanley McChrystal made his assessment in a copy of a confidential report obtained by the Washington Post.

He recently called for a revised military strategy in Afghanistan, suggesting the current one is failing.

More than 30,000 extra US troops have been sent to Afghanistan since May - almost doubling the US contingent.

The number of US troops in Afghanistan is already set to rise to 68,000 by the end of the year.

Stark concerns have previously been expressed about the viability of the military mission in Afghanistan, but the BBC's Paul Reynolds says what is new about the general's warning is his outright use of the word "failure".

Come on, Americans -- you've got to try to kite some more loans from foreigners so you can go on pounding your collective thumb with that hammer. Otherwise ... oh, no! Failure! Oh, the horrors, the horrors.

The Word for (Thursday) -- September 17 Edition

Thursday. What can I say? It's been a tough week. There -- that'll do.

James chapter 1, verses 1 - 4:

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James is a quick starter, is he not? A one-sentence introduction: who's writing, who he's writing to, hello there. And then he's off. Getting right to the point -- the first point, that is.

As I type this, I have lots to do, not quite enough time in which to do it, and some of the things I need to do not going especially well. The temptation here for me is to read myself into the company of James's fellow believers who are encountering "various trials." I'm going to resist that one. The James who is the most likely author of this letter -- the half-brother, according to the flesh, of Jesus -- was martyred sometime between AD 62 and 66, and martyrdom was all too easy to come by in the first century of the church. So the various trials to which he refers were likely to have been several orders of magnitude more severe, and scarier, than any that I've ever seen, or am likely ever to see.

Still, the principle can be applied to anyone in any time, no matter how soft a life they may live. When we build up our bodies through exercise, what we're doing is damaging them; tearing them up, a little, so that when they subsequently heal, the healed structure is reinforced. It's stronger than it was to start with. So I can be assured that even the trivial problems that I deal with are one way that the Lord forms me -- oh, so slowly! -- into what He knows I'm supposed to be. Maybe someday, after He's built me up sufficiently, I might be ready to face some real trouble.

Sounds horrible. But He won't send me anything the He hasn't also equipped me to face.

The other thing that jumps out at me in this passage is that James suggests that the mode of our building-up centers on the development of endurance. Patience. The long view. Slow and steady, winning the race. Isn't that often the most difficult response to our troubles -- patience? Temperamentally, I think most of us are probably inclined to say, "Anything -- just get it over with!"

As always, click here for other Words for Wednesday. Or maybe Thursday.

... and the Same Little Question Again

You remember the one. But this time I'm asking Paul Craig Roberts:

The private sector is no longer the answer, because the income levels of the vast majority of Americans are insufficient to bear the cost of health insurance today. To provide some perspective, the monthly premium for a 60-year old female for a group policy (employer-provided) with Blue Cross Blue Shield in Florida is about $1,200. That comes to $14,400 per year. Only employees in high productivity jobs that can provide both a livable salary and health care can expect to have employer-provided coverage. If a 60-year old female has to buy a non-group policy as an individual, the premium would be even higher. How, for example, is a Wal-Mart shelf stocker or check out clerk going to be able to pay a private insurance premium?

[snip]

What the US needs is a single-payer not-for-profit health system that pays doctors and nurses sufficiently that they will undertake the arduous training and accept the stress and risks of dealing with illness and diseases.

A private health care system worked in the days before expensive medical technology, malpractice suits, high costs of bureaucracy associated with third-party payers and heavy investment in combating fraud, and pressure on insurance companies from Wall Street to improve “shareholder returns.”

In the case of Mr. Roberts, I'll ask the whole question, because I'm pretty sure he'd consider it relevant: Where is the text in the Constitution that authorizes the central government to provide, or finance, medical services?