"Let Us Make A Name For Ourselves"

In the generations that followed the Great Flood, there was a tower built in the land between the rivers, the land of Shinar, perhaps better known as Mesapotamia.  This was the Cradle of Civilization, located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the area of modern day Iraq.  It was there that men became quite advanced.  Hebrews Chapter 11 reveals the hope of Abraham.  He was looking forward to a city "whose architect and builder is God." (1) But men became impatient waiting for the city God would build so they took upon themselves the task of building a city.  It would be a city built, not to bring glory to God, but to satisfy the desires of the human flesh.

"Let usmake a name for ourselves", they said. (2)  Has that not been the theme of man down through the ages?  I walked into our new multi-million dollar public library in Columbus, Georgia recently.  Near the entrance I saw a plaque with the names of major contributors to this community structure.  It is fundamental to a race of fallen men to have an urge to "make a name for ourselves."  It is the basic tenet of humanism; stealing glory from God and elevating man.

The Tower of Babel was a religious tower.  The purpose of its construction was to reach God.  But their motive was corrupted by their desire to make a name for themselves.  There is a corner stone on many churches I've seen.  "Erected in the year ________, to God be glory".  As the years pass, the glory of God fades from the institution while the centrality of man emerges.  In a God-centered church the purpose of music is to bring glory to God, in a humanistic church the purpose o music is to entertain people.  A God-centered church has a God-centered pastor whose primary goal is to preach for the glory of God.  A humanistic church wallows in spiritually shallow waters with a pastor who is often humorous and can entertain people with catchy quotes and funny stories.

Humanism has so invaded our culture that God has been relegated to a back burner.  We are not atheistic, atheism leads to a despair that few can endure for any length of time.  Many in  the American culture are more interested in calling the shots when it comes to God.  God is placed on a shelf to be reached for at our own convenience.  Our "don't call us, we'll call you" attitude toward God indicates that we think ourselves more important than he.  The words of the Psalmist are foreign and confusing to us, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God." (3) Our callings  to God are now limited to 911 calls.  We have little thirst for God but we are quick to pull him off the shelf if we are experiencing a crisis in our lives.

I have read recently of three people in the state of Georgia who are suffering from an infection called Necrotizing fasciitis.  (4) One of those is Aimee Copeland (5) who has had one leg amputated at the hip and her fingers removed in an attempt to save her life.   This is a horrifying disease for which there is no cure.  Humanism as infected our culture and the church like a flesh eating disease.  The spirit of the church is being consumed by a philosophy that makes the happiness of man a priority and conveniently ignores the glory of God. 

Liberalism in the church flowered in the mid-1800's.  Charles Darwin explained away the role of God in creation.  Humanist philosophers taught that the chief end of man's existence was his own happiness.  Religious liberals embraced the cancer of humanism when they declared their uncertainty about the existence of God, heaven or hell.  Their unbelief made it impossible for them to offer any hope beyond our earthly existence so they began to address the happiness of man in this world.  They offered a watered down version of Christianity that focused on the happiness of man in this life.  The doctrines of sin, eternal life and hell were avoided and the focus was on "Your Best LifeNow."  (6) 

A movement arose in answer to the liberals of that day and they called themselves fundamentalists.  But humanism is not selective in its choice of victims and fundamentalism also became a victim of the deadly virus of humanism.  Fundamentalists grew as a conservative movement because of their common beliefs in holding to the traditional teachings of the word of God.  They defined themselves as those who belief in the divinity of Christ, the creation, the holiness of God and the authenticity of the Bible.  If you believed in this list of essentials you were labeled a conservative fundamentalist.

In successive generations, fundamentalists began to teach that one might be saved by simply giving mental assent to a list of basic scriptural doctrines.  The measure by which one became a Christian was not the confessing of sin and experiencing a Holy Spirit- induced soul cleansing.  The evidence of one's Christianity was a simple vocal affirmative to a few basic questions regarding the nature of God.  A radical change in one's lifestyle was no longer associated with true Christianity.  A card carrying Christian was no longer expected to demonstrate righteous living or freedom from the bondage of sin.  Experiential Christianity was thrown out the door in favor of a simple "I believe." 

Liberalism set about focusing on this life instead of the next life.  The assortment of social programs developed to improve the lives of the masses are too numerous to mention.  Great declarations were made about eliminating poverty, drugs and war.  But their utopian goal was shattered when the First World War erupted and men set about to destroy one another.  The War to End All Wars was followed by another horrendous war and men began to question the idea that the heart of man is essentially good.  Then men proved how short their memories are and liberalism made another great comeback.  L.B. Johnson declared his War on Poverty.  The flower children of the 1960's demanded the end to all war.  Liberalism continues its march through the modern age.  Al Gore seems nearly insane and certainly delusional in his attempt to create a better earth.  Our first lady is strongly dedicated to manipulating the diets of our children. 

The liberal says that man must be made happy while he lives on this earth.  The fundamentalist says that man must be made happy in the afterlife.  Both have succumbed to the primary teaching of humanism:  the happiness of man.  When a fundamentalist preacher declares that a person ought to accept Christ so that he can escape the fires of hell, or so he can live in eternal bliss, is he not focusing on the humanistic idea of the happiness of man?  Should men not accept Christ because he "deservesto receive the reward of his suffering." (7)  

Christ did not walk away from the glorious splendor of heaven and submit to the humility of humanity solely to make us happy.  Christ did not drag his cross to Golgotha and allow the Romans to pierce his hands with spikes and his side with a sword only to make us happy.  Believing that or preaching that is replacing God with man as the central purpose of our salvation.  Does this not border on blasphemy? Did Christ not go to the cross and die for men because it was the only way men might be saved and thus bring glory to God.  It wasn't so much about saving us from hell or making us happy in heaven, it was all about bring glory to God.

How many today get saved as a way of making a deal with God?  It is true that salvation comes with benefits but the benefits are a byproduct.  Modern day ministers will one day be accountable for the steady stream of lies that come from their pulpits.  We are no longer being told that sin corrupts the soul.  We are no longer told that the grace of God can bring deliverance to hungry hearts.  Instead, we are being fed a steady stream of heresy.  We are being told that if we accept Christ he will make us millionaires, he will cure our diseases and dedicate himself to our happiness.  We are being sold a bill of goods. 

Humanism teaches us to look for human solutions to human problems.  We are the most over-medicated society in history.  We run to counselors instead of running to Christ.  We read self-help books written by pop-psychologists instead of turning to the word of God.  If we would only turn to the right source we could find a cure to alcoholism, to drug addiction, to sex addiction and to dysfunctional families.  But all of this is frosting on the cake.  The true motive for submitting to Christ should not be "to make a name for ourselves" or for our own happiness, it should be because doing so is the only possible way an earthly soul can bring glory to a deserving God.    

1.  Hebrews 11:10

2.  Genesis 11:4

3.  Psalm 42:1

4.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrotizing_fasciitis

5.  http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-21/flesh-eating-bacteria/55105650/1

6.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Best_Life_Now

7.  http://forallnations.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/the-worthy-lamb-history-of-moravian-missions/

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Wake Up, America

There are some people who suffer from a rare sleeping disorder called Kleine-Levin Syndrome.  For whatever reason, they need excessive amounts of sleep, maybe up to twenty hours a day.  These people would be sleeping 140 hours a week and their wakeful hours would only total 28 hours.  It’s hard to imagine sleeping away 80% of your life unaware of what was happening around you.

Americans seem to be suffering from some sort of disorder.  We are either asleep or we just are not paying attention to what is going on around us.  Perhaps attention deficit is not the problem.   We are just not being attentive to the more important things.  We know who is still competing on American Idol.  We know that Kim Kardashian was only married for 72 days and we know the final score in the Super Bowl.  But do we know what is happening in Congress?  Do we know what kind of hope and change is being planned for the American people?

While America has been sleeping, or entertained by television, Facebook and the latest technology, their history is being rewritten by cultural rebels who have their own agenda to promote.  George W. Bush referred to them as ‘revisionists’.  These new authors of history will not let a few facts get in the way of their radical opinions regarding global warming, same sex marriage, promotion of socialism, etc.  It is now necessary for the student of history to learn to decipher the truth from a set of lies agreed upon.

While Americans satisfy their addictions by sitting bug eyed in front their televisions and computers, the wonks in Washington have been rewriting our constitution.  In some twisted way they have made it to say that the killing of the unborn is lawful.  They want to rewrite it so that the greatest government document ever authored by man approves a marriage between Bill and Bob, Jill and Pam.  The founding fathers clearly designated the Congress as the branch of government responsible for writing the law.  Now we have federal court lawyers and Supreme Court justices determined to write law rather than simply interpret it as the constitutional authors intended. Nine of the first ten amendments have been twisted almost beyond recognition while some Americans are still fighting tooth and toe-nail for the 2^nd amendment right to bear arms.

We allowed them to write abortion into the constitution.  Now, forty years later we’ve killed fifty million of our own.  Auschwitz and Dachua pale in comparison.  God’s plan was that we would multiply and replenish the earth.  God’s earth is big and plush with enough resources to satisfy the needs of the masses.  But we ignored this truth and murdered our babies.  Replacement numbers were reduced dramatically.  The U.S. level for population replenishment is now a meager .9.  That means for every ten people who die 9 are born.  God’s plan provides for the care of the elderly by providing a multitude of able bodied laborers who care for the young as well as the old.  To sustain America’s social security system beyond 2050 we need a population replenishment rate of 120 births for every 10 deaths.  Our refusal to overturn Roe vs. Wade makes it necessary for us to open our borders and allow immigrants to shore up our dilapidated workforce.  (World Bank Development Report)

While Americans have been enthralled by the gladiators at the coliseum the American government has grown like Jack’s beanstalk.  Thomas Jefferson warned us of the dangers of behemoth government:  “Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.”  Big government erupted from Washington, D.C. like an explosive vomit under the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Roosevelt’s government was like a bull in a china shop, leaving nothing untouched and nearly everything overturned.  Few seemed to foresee the results of allowing the socialist camel to get its nose under the tent.  The gradual transformation of a democratic government to a socialist government was manipulated by Roosevelt’s economic cohorts, the ‘gods of the market place’, John P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller.

Our modern presidents are far more efficient than those of previous eras.  President Obama has been able to do in four years what it took FDR twelve years to do.  While Americans lulled into passivity by excessive entertainment the Obama government has been snatching away the liberties Jefferson warned we would lose.  When they awaken they will discover that their healthcare has been taken over by a panel of unknown physicians just like the corporative board of General Motors was taken over by a panel of bureaucrats who know nothing of how to make a car.   Socialism a la Obama is provided and funded by George Soros and David Rockefeller.  One is obsessed by the prospect of a New World Order while the other rants an illusion of an overpopulated earth.  When Americans awaken they will discover these men were not contributing their millions because they were patriotic or because they were overwhelmed by a deep compassion for humanity, these ‘gods of the market place’ expect a kickback, a big kickback in the form of wealth and power.

Americans may finally be stirred to wakefulness when they feel the master’s whip slash their backs.  The hollow-minded will discover the truth about socialism.  It’s not really about equality after all.  The powerful elite have no intentions of giving away their power and wealth to satisfy an ideology that demands a level playing field.   Socialism is a power grab intent on proving the truth in the old cliché, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  The Lords of the middle ages would never think of sharing their power with the serfs.  The southern Planters of America’s 19^th century would never have considered sharing their power with their slaves.  The modern elite have no intentions of sharing power with American serfs.  It’s not about enabling the serfs by giving them more, it’s about neutering the serfs by taking what they have.  If equality for the masses is the goal it won’t be attained by redistributing the wealth of the elite, it will be attained by stripping rights away from individuals.

Substituting God’s plan with the frail plan of man is never a good idea.  God warned us many times over about going our own way rather than his way.  The tower of Babel proved the incompetence and foolishness of man.  Little has changed.  We are still trying to build the tower.  God reveals his transcendence to mankind when he says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  (Isaiah 55:9)  Unfortunately, sleeping ears don’t hear.  Jeremiah’s description fits modern America well:  “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.” (Jeremiah 5:21)

Sleeping serfs are no threat to the global elite determined to strip us of our liberties and possessions.  They have no fear until they see the peasants awake from their slumber and pick up their pitchforks.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.