Squandering Our Blessing? 

    2 of 2    Mark Mitchell

     "In a culture that abandons objective truth, language undergoes radical transformation. It is an instrument for controlling people. Without a Christian account of moral law and human nature, abuses cannot be criticized. They must be embraced.

     "C.S. Lewis said, 'A culture that refuses to affirm objective moral truth can have no consensus about right or wrong, good or evil. Society fragments into factions, allowing elite leadership to seize more power.' 

     "That is why both sides see every election as an existential struggle for survival, and every crisis must be used to secure and amplify the prize: power. Many Americans remain faithful Christians. But those unclear about objective moral truth can fall into a watered-down version of the faith.

     "People still speak about right and wrong but based on emotion of desire. People interpret faith in psychological terms rather than truth. People want to feel good or fulfilled, and truth fades into a pop psychology jargon. Modern religion is deistic" God is a deity who wants people to be happy, and if they behave, they will go to heaven. 

     "If Christians even are losing the foundational ideas...it's not hard to imagine how our political disease will worsen. The delicate balance rooted in basic consensus is breaking apart. Classical liberalism cannot long survive. Eventually the politics of power will be all that remains. 

      "Americans have been blessed beyond measure. But we risk squandering our blessing if we fail to recall and embody the basic Christian principles upon which our liberal constitutional order was built."

 

Charlie Kirk

😔

pray for his family

Views will resume on Friday

Where Are We Headed? 

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Where is the country of Franklin, Adams and Jefferson going? Article by Mark Mitchell, college dean: 

     "Classical liberalism is a remarkable marriage of man and law: rule of law, separation of powers, federalism, respect for private property and freedom of speech. 

     "Shaped by centuries of Christian thinking, the result was freedom, self-restraint and self-government. The constitution, separation of powers and the rule of law supported political liberty. There are two fundamental questions: What is a human? What is law?

     "At our founding, the answers were in Christian consensus. A human inherited dignity and natural rights. Law was a fixed moral order. Tocqueville understood that laws, a constitution alone, will not maintain a free society. Answers to these two questions are shifting. Many doubt that humans have inherent dignity. Rather than law as a fixed moral order, law reflects what is expedient or what the majority desires. 

     "Many understand human nature and law in ways that would be foreign to early Americans. Humans are seen as free agents with no essential nature, and we have no obligation to live according to a created order. The strongest desires will prevail. 

     "Morality is reduced to personal preference; identity is merely a matter of choice, and law is a competition for the power to define reality."  

                           Tomorrow: Squandering our blessing?

Making Government Work 

Phillip Howard, government efficiency advocate:

     "The real waste in government stems from red tape. Building a transmission line to a city takes 10 years of permits and hearings. In healthcare, administration eats up 30% of every dollar of spending. That's a trillion and a half dollars per year. 

     "Government is like a household that never throws anything away. Get rid of obsolete programs and thick rulebooks. Create a framework where one official makes the decisions, and another official oversees it. An act in 2021 includes the goal of no more than two years for permitting of major projects. And it limits environmental impact statements to 200 pages.

     "In the 1960s avoiding human error and responsibility resulted in 1,000-page rulebooks. Teachers lost control of their classrooms. Every public dollar is a moral choice. If you waste it here, it's not available there. The Dept. of Education just created red tape. 

     "Washington today protects the status quo. Interest groups make sure nothing changes. Some of the worst actors are public employee unions. There are probably 15 levels of approval in government. Give an authority to decide and another person authority to oversee. Now you know where to shine the spotlight.  

     "Leaders must have the spine to consider the hard trade-offs. Democrats, the party of the status quo, have no vision of how to govern effectively. Republicans don't know how to fix it. Both sides fail. 

     "We need to re-empower the spirit of each American. Give people back the freedom to speak freely, live by their values, and lead with accountability. That's the spirit that can make America great again."

Don't miss Thursday and Friday

 

What do a hedge fund manager, a firefighter and a car salesman have in common? 

Three CEOs in the Senate

     New senators Dave McCormick, Tim Sheehy and Bernie Moreno flipped Senate seats in Pennsylvania, Montana and Ohio to the Republican Party. Life in the Senate is a far cry from their old jobs. They have a mission to get the nation's budget in order, continuing Elon Musk's mission of saving taxpayer dollars. 

     They found that Washington resists being treated like a business. 

     McCormick said, "When you're a CEO, there is a scoreboard which shows success or failure. The Senate has none. It's designed to check the emotion of the moment. So how do you be effective, recognizing that the institution is designed to go slowly?"

     Moreno said, "When I ran a company, every day the comment was, how do we do more and deliver better service for less money? In this place it's always more money, more people equals better results. Elected leaders don't fear their voters at all." 

     Sheehy was surprised to find his expertise was what Congress needed when wildfires devastated Los Angeles. He has his fingerprint on more than a dozen bills to address natural disasters. 

     All three say that any businessman would scrutinize the books and make cuts. Trimming the budget is about protecting future generations. "There's a healthy tension," McCormick said. "I feel a responsibility to get the balance right."  

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 Silly Saturday #2  

Read this out loud

    Well (not a well), yes. It dawned on me when the son came up that my mother was a twin. Knot identical twins. 

     Sew it is with words. Sum identical words have the came spelling; others due knot. Of coerce, wee learned in awe course that the course we take might bee awe golf course. Sea what eye mean? At leased I'm knot mean. 

     Can you believe there is awe foot that is awe foot long? We don't no about the other foot. Just no that too feat are quite normal at awe fete. Don't let that floor you. It doesn't take a fox to outfox sum won. 

     Now, the surface of the earth is ground, a field is ground, beans can bee ground, an idea can bee ground, we can bring hour thoughts two the ground, connect electricity with a ground, shop on the ground floor, start a project from the ground up, watch the batter hit a ground ball, and sea his teammates batter him. Did I run this into the ground?

     OK, relax while eye comb my heir. Maybe I'll drive a nail into my fingernail. That wood bee grave but knot my grave. Eye could blow my horn, what awe ram can't due with its horn. Hour our isn't up yet. We could ask hymn to sing a him.  

     Hear here, what's going on hear? Is the idle idol? Can ewe weight until we check are weight? We went into a joint too rest hour joints. That's just the just thing two due. The key too this is the key that opens adore. This is what we due because it is kind two others. 

     Fair well four two day. Their will bee know fare four you, while we check hour bear feat. C u next Saturday.

              Gimmy  

Joy to the World               Conclusion

James, half-brother of Jesus

     Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. - James 1:2 

Author uncertain

     Let's fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross. - Hebrews 12:2 

Paul, the Hebrew of Hebrews

     I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that...your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow. - Philippians 1:25-26

      In spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with joy given by the Holy Spirit. - Thessalonians 1:6 

     The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. - Galatians 5:22-23 

     I had confidence that you would all share my joy. - 2 Corinthians - 2:3

     In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. - 2 Corinthians 7:4 

     For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. - Romans 14:17

     May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13

NOTE: In the Old Testament, the word joy is found in 18 books...53 times in Psalms, 32 times in Isaiah, and 14 times in Proverbs. In some verses, joy is lost. Joy is not found in Revelation, which ends in victory for believers. 

 

Joy to the World     Part 2

Jesus Rose to Life  

     At the tomb, an angel rolled back the stone, telling the women, He is  not here, just as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then, go quickly and tell his disciples. So, the women, afraid yet filled with joy, ran to tell his disciples. - Matthew 28:2-9 

Jesus Ascended

     While he was blessing them, he was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. - Luke 24:52

Peter, the rock

     Though you have not seen him, you love him, believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. - Peter 1:8 

     Quoting David in Psalm 16: You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. - Acts 2:28 

Luke, the gentile 

     And the (persecuted) disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. - Acts 13:52 

     He (God) fills your hearts with joy. - Acts 14:17 

John, the disciple 

     And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. - 1 John 1:3-4 

Part 3, tomorrow

Joy to the World 

     Think there's little happiness in our world? It doesn't need to be so.

     Lowly shepherds were terrified by the glory of the Lord...an angel in the night sky. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

     Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. - Luke 2:8-14 

Jesus in Ministry

     Looking at his disciples, who experienced hate, exclusion, insults and rejection, he said, Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. - Luke 6:23

     He told his disciples to remain in his love and to love each other. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. - John 15:11. 

     You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy. Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. - John 16:20, 22

     Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. - John 16:24

     The 72 men returned with joy, reporting, even the demons submit to us in your name. At that time, Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth. - Luke 10-21

 Tomorrow: Part 2 of 3

What To Learn 

   2 of 2

     "Liberalism itself has led to a laundry list of problems: powerful bureaucracies, cultural meaningless, erosion of freedoms and social inequality. Self-interest begets greed, nihilism and eventually social collapse. 

     "Liberalism has failed because it exalts individual choice and self-interest as the highest good. Alliance for Responsible Citizenship's leaders believe liberalism is not yet a lost cause. Some speakers said that underneath the liberal values of successful Western societies lies the bedrock of Biblical principles. 

     "Trying to renew liberalism without a Christian foundation is futile. With one recommendation, it might be possible. Some attendees at the conference say that those unfamiliar with Christian principles need to learn them, even if they don't believe them." 

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What to expect on Wednesday

     If you are grumpy or otherwise unhappy, Views has a three-day treat for you. We will focus on one word. 

     Is it love? That's God's priority. Or, obey, or kindness, or holy?  

     Join us Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for one word.

                 Jimmy 

Top Down, or Bottom UP?

     What did John Locke, Davia Hume, Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, Thomas Jefferson and Friedrich Hayek have in common?

     They were voices of classical liberalism, which found its place in the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights. 

     What about the future of Western civilization? That's the question for as group who came together in the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC). Reporter Jenny Schmitt checked it out.

     "The World Economic Forum is business, political and environmental policies to promote top-down policies. ARC is an alternative that offers a positive view of humanity and bottom-up solutions. 

     "With renewal, replacement or decline in our future, ARC's choice is renewal. It stands for the moral, cultural, economics and spiritual heritage of Western civilization. People at the ARC are products of classical liberalism - ancient philosophy, Judeo-Christian values, stable governments and powerful economies. 

     "There's a sense among some conservatives that classical liberalism has lost its way, values given way to forces that threaten to end Western civilization. The early American political system, doing good for the individual also meant good for the community and right before God. Self interest meant community interest."

 Tuesday: What principles?

Wednesday: Joy to the World