Israel Part 1

Having just returned from my thirty-third trip to Israel I found the situation as complicated as ever. This is not an attempt to take sides-just to report an experience.
I said to an Arab-Christian friend in Bethlehem, “I  understand some of the extremist holdouts from the stand-off at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem are trying to get back in the country.”
Calmly but confidently he said, “Those were not extremists.” I wanted to interrupt and assure him they were because I heard it on the news in America. He went on to say he was supposed to be one of them. Just before the most recent invasion of Bethlehem that precipitated the stand-off word got out there was going to be a raid by Israeli Security forces to arrest a few known extremists and in the process a number of other innocent persons in order to intimidate them to keep the terrorists from gaining popularity.
My friend’s influential father in America, knowing of the pending arrests, called his son and told him to go to the church as a sanctuary against arrest as an innocent person. As he was leaving to go to the church a nun from a convent called and told him to come there for safety. He elected to do so and therefore wasn’t in the Church of the Nativity.
As the siege continued and interest in his whereabout waned, he returned home. His wife picked up the story at this point saying that during the shelling of their neighborhood she kept the children in a basement room. There she played loud music and played games with them to try to prevent them from understanding the gravity of what was going on as debris from exploding shells crashed through their home.
Against that background he shared that the people with all differences can get along with each other. It is the political leaders who cause the problems. He related how Israeli friends called their home several times during the bombing to enquire about their welfare, asked if they had food, and offered to bring them food.
After the conflict ended, business in Bethlehem was very bad. He owed several Jewish business men elsewhere in Israel significant money. Each called and urged him not to worry about the debt, that they knew things would get better and when they did he would repay them. Things have improved significantly and he has repaid them.
Several things about that conversation stand out. Our news represented those in the church as all being extreme terrorists. They were not. A few were but others were simply seeking sanctuary against being made an example of. That slant was never in the news.
Next, the citizens with different religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds can co-exist and in general do.
The courage of the populace is amazing. Israelis live with the threat of terrorist bombings and Arabs of further incursions into their neighborhoods.

Shorter College: A Synergy of Scholarship and Faith

Crowning one of the seven hills of Rome (Georgia) is a small college committed to excellence in education. Confirming this is being listed in the “Princeton Review” among “America’s Best Value Colleges,” in “U.S. News” among “America’s Best Colleges,” and is listed in the “2007 Colleges of Distinction Guidebook.”
It’s academic excellence is further attested to by the fact that out of all the college and university professors in Georgia one member of the faculty, Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher, was chosen “Georgia Professor of the Year” by the Carnegie Foundation.
The new band director is a five-time Fulbright Scholar and founder of the Bucharest Pops Orchestra and the Romanian National Jazz Ensemble.
The percent of pre-med students admitted to various medical schools is among the highest in the nation.
Renovated dorms and a newly constructed dorm await students. A student friendly, redesigned and expanded plaza in the center of the campus adds charm.
New Athletic Director, Bill Peterson, son of famed former Florida State football coach, has raised the standard for academic/athletic excellence.
The divers sports program excels in several fields. The city of Rome is excited in that the school’s bid to host the National NAIA Football Championship makes Rome one of the three finalists. The football team is expected to contend for the Mid-South Conference football championship this year.
A former University of Georgia basketball player has just come as the new basketball coach. His experience at Hampton Sidney and The College of William and Mary has heightened hopes for the hoops program.
In addition to the Rome campus, even more students are enrolled in the off campus programs in Atlanta. The school of business and the newly expanded education majors are increasingly popular.
A bright future for the school is suggested by a record enrollment and financial stability. An air of optimism exists among faculty and staff. These disciplines share a commitment in aiding each student to achieve his or her optimum potential. The faculty-student ratio enables there to be a healthy exchange between the two disciplines.
All of this is enhanced by an environment summarized in a statement on banners on all lamppost along the scenic winding entrance drive: “A Christian College Committed to Excellence in Education.”
It has been my good fortune to serve as Chairman of the Shorter Board of Trustees. This board and the Board of Advisors are jointly committed to perpetuating the school’s outstanding academic record and providing an atmosphere conducive to the development of students academically, physically, socially, and spiritually. Even the students adhering to no religious faith are inspired by such an environment.
Students still undecided about where to go to college would do well to check it out on the web (www.shorter.edu) and consider visiting the campus.

World War II Heroes

     A generation of giants is dwindling. Most of them are in their late 70s to early 90s. They are the living legends of World War II. Look around, there may be one near you. If so, get to know that person, observe his or her lifestyle, become aware of their values, get to know their character.
     An illustration of them is found in the lives of the three following public figures. You may have thought you knew them, BUT….
     Actor Lee Marvin was well known for his war heroics. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his valor at Iwo Jima. He said he served with the bravest man he had ever known. He earned the Navy Cross for conduct in the same battle as Marvin. Lee said this little guy stood on Red Beach on Iwo with bullets flying and bombs bursting and directed his men forward. More than once he exposed himself as the main target of gunfire to preserve the safety of his men. That brave warrior was Bob Keeshan, better known as Captain Kangaroo.
     A U.S. Navy Seal has to be tough. This one was well trained in hand-to-hand combat and small arms like all Seals. He was combat proven in a number of battles. Later in life as a TV character he wore a sweater and long sleeves to cover the tattoos on his forearms and biceps. Perhaps you knew him best as the gentle Mr. Rogers. After the war he became a minister who dedicated his life to helping children make right choices.
     Remember James Arness? Perhaps you knew his better as Marshall Dillon on Gunsmoke. If you thought the sheriff was tough, you should have known him as a combat-proven soldier. His bravery in many battles nearly ended his life in one. His wounds were so severe he spent eighteen months in hospitals at the end of the war. His citations for bravery were many.
     If you know one of their kind you are fortunate. I had the good fortune on running into one of them at The Varsity on the Fourth of July. If I were to use his name it would embarrass him and most people who have lived around here would know him well. He is a real life hero and ultra modest about it. I felt fortunate to see him on that day and say thanks again for making every Fourth of July cause to celebrate people like him.
     Through my television ministry I corresponded with many such heroes. One helped raise the flag in that legendary photo of the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. One was the officer in charge of the noted German POW, Wernher von Braun. He built such rapport with the General that one day the German genius asked, “Would you like to see my plans?” Von Braun unscrewed the end off a piece of pipe and pulled out the blueprints for his rocket that gave birth to our missile program.
     My little home town was listed in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” as having the highest percent of commissioned officers per population of any city in America during World War II. Out of a population of only about 450 there were three generals plus many high ranking officers.
      Growing up they were my heroes. In an era bereft of heroes, find one. In doing so you will have found a modest person of character worth getting to know, one worthy of your thanks.
     Every war has produced heroes like these. They deserve comparable gratitude and respect. We are in their debt.

The Foundation of Our Constitution

     Democracy alone is not enough. Democracy is not the soil out of which morality grows. Morality is the essential soil in which democracy thrives. A certain ethos, a characteristic spirit of a culture or community, is required.
     That is an elementary principle precipitating the complexity of trying to establish democracy in Middle Eastern tribal cultures. The ethos that supports their social structure is not conducive for a thriving democracy. It is a different morality.
     Our founding fathers knew morality was the basis of democracy. President John Adams stated, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
     The growing climate of lawlessness and immorality in America is resulting in a generation that can by no means be described as “moral and religious.” If the statement by Adams is true the future of our nation functioning well under its Constitution looks bleak.
     President James Madison, recognized by many as the architect of the Constitution, framed this great truth: “We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”  Madison indicated a social environment based on the Ten Commandments is essential for the survival of democracy.
     A case in point indicating our country is rapidly moving away for such a foundation is a court case in Kentucky where a judge ordered a copy of the Ten commandments removed from a school “lest the students looking upon them daily should come to believe in them.” Horrors! Imagine such a dastardly thing.
     In countries where the ancient Code of Hammurabi fashioned in 1760 B.C. it is still basic to the social structure that democracy doesn’t do well. That Code in simple summary is “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” It doesn’t provide for democratic law to prevail.
     The point is democracy requires a certain culture. For democracy to work in the Middle East or any place a certain culture is essential. This is not to suggest all Middle East countries must become Christian, but it does indicate a culture of a different morality is essential. Changing the shared culture of multiple nations with a legal system and code of ethics based on Sharai Law is highly unlikely. It will never be done by invading them and insisting on a democratic government.
     For democracy as we know it to survive in America, a reversal of our growing immoral trends is essential. Presently the national media has and is changing our total culture. As evidence of this compare the day in which Clark Gable shocked the nation with the “D” word in “Gone With the Wind” with the subject matter and language in current sitcoms.
     Contrast the lyrics of the Doo Wop music of 50 years ago with those of rap music today and a moral decline is evident.
     Another indication of our changing cultural climate is this column. There was a day the concept expressed herein was the norm. Today it will be attacked as fostering religion.
     Like most, I don’t want to impose religion on any person, but there is a point where religious and non-religious people must have a common ground on which to advocate morality.

One Nation?

     That E PLURIBUS UNUM on our coins, what does it mean?  It has gotten to where it means practically nothing. Some say it mean “one of many,” indicating this is just one coin out of many.
     In reality, it means “out of many one.” Initially it spoke of two things. First, it referred to many differing people from different countries coming together to form one union, America. In a secondary sense it spoke of the several states being one nation.
     They brought with them different languages, customs, and beliefs which they blended to form one ethos. I don’t want to insult the intellect of anyone but since “ethos” is not a word used often I share a definition of it. It means the characteristic spirit of a culture or community.
     By no mean were all the people British or Christians, but those two factors combined to dramatically influence the ethos as expressed by our Constitution.
     ethos is referred to as “One nation under God.” How many nations? One!
     The factor of one has been a defining characteristic of America. That elementary principle has never been so contested as today. To a great extent America was developed by immigrants. However, those coming in have never made a more concerted effort to remain separate and change the nation to conform to them than now.
     I lived in New Orleans for years. There is the well know French Quarter, the Irish Channel, and other quarters, but those living there did not demand the others conform to their standards. While preserving much of their heritage, they accepted a new common denominator called America and its ethos.
     Today, some want us to have two official languages. Some are demanding their emerging immigrant population be governed by laws other than those of America. Others want voter ballots made available in many different languages.
     There are existing cultures where division within exists and confusion abounds. Czechoslovakia is divided into two republics. Belgium has a schism because of two official languages and Canada is struggling to prevent the predominantly French section from separating.
     Germans are historically and currently an example of people who have come in to blend and become part of the one. There are more people of German extraction living in America than any nationality.
     By no means are all Americans Christians, but the laws of our nation were dramatically influenced in their inception by the Christian ethic and basic Biblical morality. The people making those laws had a British heritage. Now there are those who deny that and want to have any evidence of it removed. Some of the Founding Fathers were not Christians, and some who were weren’t very good ones, but they knew such ethics and morality would contribute to the new ethos.
     In an era when pluralism and multi-culturalism is the battle cry it remains to be seen if we will be “out of many one,” or “one of many” divided.  Americans must always welcome legal aliens who qualify to come to this country to become part of the “one nation” not divide us.