Tuesday
"THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH
AND DWELT AMONG US"
`
THERE ARE PLACES -- TOO MANY TODAY -- where
it is forbidden to say "Merry Christmas" ... places like our
public schools, retail stores, etc ... but this newsletter is not
one of them ... and so we extend to our readers, our friends,
the traditional, pre-"politically-correct," greeting of the Advent
season: Merry CHRISTmas! Granted, with the passage of
time -- "progress" some might call it -- the observance of the
birth of Jesus Christ has become over-commercialized, and
the real meaning of the event being celebrated has been over-
shadowed by tawdry trinkets, gaudy decorations and an almost
obligatory exchange of presents. A new organization has even
been developed -- "The Advent Conspiracy" -- with the goal
of encouraging its members to "Worship fully ... Spend less ...
Give more ... Love all." They remind us that the story of the
birth of Christ is a story of promise, hope, and salvation. And
they also remind us that what was once a time to celebrate the
birth of a Savior has somehow turned into a season of stress,
traffic jams, and shopping lists. Whether you follow the goal
of the Advent Conspiracy, or simply follow the inclination of
your own mind, amid all the attendant festivities of this day,
pause and give thought to God's great gift to us, as described
in Luke 2:11, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David,
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." And know that you
are not alone -- recent polls disclose that approximately 90%
of Americans celebrate Christmas, every year.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AGAIN WE PAUSE TO OBSERVE THAT EVENT
WHEN TIME STOOD STILL AND "THE WORD
WAS MADE FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US"
It matters little that December 25 is not the precise date
when Jesus was born. What matters is that He was born in
fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that God's plan
for eternal salvation could be accomplished, for without the
manger birth in Bethlehem there could be no cross on Calvary.
From the earliest days of this nation -- long before our current
President Obama declared that we are not a Christian nation,
the observance, the celebration of Christmas was always a very
important event in the White House.
Looking back, the first decorated tree in the White House
was in the presidency of Benjamin Harrison in 1889. Under
President Calvin Coolidge the lighting of the National
Christmas Tree was begun in 1923. In 1953 the Eisenhowers
developed the first White House Christmas card. In 1963 the
first White House Christmas card to have a religious theme
was designed by the Kennedys, featuring a picture of the
Nativity Scene in the East Room. In 2002 the first White
House card to carry a verse of Scripture was used by the
George W. Bush family, quoting a verse from Psalm 27.
But throughout all the years, by acts of Congress or decisions
of the Supreme Court, there was never any question as to the
Christian heritage of America. The birth of Christ, the moment
when all time was divided between B.C. and A.D., was always
observed and celebrated. In recent years the current president
has repeatedly claimed that America is not a Christian nation -
even claiming America to be one of the largest Muslim nations
in the world, although the total Muslim population is just over
half of 1% of the national population, while more than 80% of
Americans declare themselves to be Christian.
Now Americans must decide whether centuries of presidents,
congresses, and courts are correct or whether President
Obama is, but it must be remembered that historical fact does
not change merely because the President declares it to be so.
Our current President seems to like being considered a "war
time President." If continuing and enlarging two unpopular
conflicts, neither of which relate to the safety and security
of America, makes one a "war time President," then he
probably merits the term. But for a real "war time President,"
we can reflect upon the terms of Harry S. Truman, who
inherited World War II from President Roosevelt, brought
it to a successful conclusion, and then dealt with the Korean
conflict until its armistice/stalemate in 1953.
Although tried and tested by WWII's horrendous costs in
money and lives, President Truman remained true to
America's Christian heritage, and in correspondence with
Pope Pius XII on August 6, 1947, in attempting to develop
an international basis for peace, he wrote: "An enduring
peace can be built only upon Christian principles... Your
Holiness, this is a Christian Nation. More than a half
century ago that declaration was written into the decrees
of the highest court in this land... As a Christian Nation
our earnest desire is to work with men of good will
everywhere to banish war and the causes of war from the
world whose Creator desired that men of every race and
in every clime should live together in peace, good will
and mutual trust..."
And so, as at this Advent season we compare (contrast) the
viewpoints of two "war time presidents," as Christians we
have to say we must come down on the side of President
Truman who never made secondary to any foreign religious
faith his respect for, his belief in, and his advocacy of the
Christian heritage of this nation.
The UN "Climate Change" conference has ended, not
with a bang, but with something more like a whimper. One
final news account used these words: "Two weeks of
negotiations toward cutting greenhouse gas emissions
ended Dec. 19 in a nonbinding treaty called the
Copenhagen Accord, which fell short of expectations for the
United Nations climate conference in Demark." The treaty
dropped a previous 2010 deadline for achieving a legally
binding agreement to fight global warming.
President Obama, who flew to Copenhagen late in the week
to help broker some kind of a deal, called the Accord "a
meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough," but his own
statement to representatives of the 193 nations in attendance
in acknowledging failure is more revealing: "I don't know how
you have an international agreement where we all are not
sharing information and making sure we are meeting our
commitments. That doesn't make sense. It would be a hollow
victory." Or as one commentator wrapped it all up: "No deal
is better than a bad deal."
Oh, and there was this comment about the U.N.'s handling
of the conference: "Pity the poor fools who still believe man
is causing catastrophic global warming. Thirty thousand
of the wretches have flown to Copenhagen, only to discover
there is no room for them at the inn as the bright folks at
the U.N. handed out 45,000 credentials but only rented a
building that can hold 15,000." So typically UN!
Here are the polls as we prepare to celebrate Christmas;
not particularly what Congress or the president would have
asked to be in their stocking: (1) On the health care reform,
the opinions of the American people remain unchanged: 41%
for, 55% against; (2) the President's approval index remained
in double-digit negative territory where it has been stuck for
the last few weeks; (3) Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid share
+33% and +25% ratings, respectively, while Congress comes
in with a +27.4% rating. But they all continue to vote for what
they want -- totally ignoring the viewpoints of the American
people, whom they are supposed to represent.
Never forget that Election Day, Nov. 2, 2010, is now just 314
days away. On that day we can make a difference!
Every day in our research we come across "one liners,"
and our readers say they enjoy them; so here are a few more:
"We don't hear all that much about Iraq these days, do we?"
(Victor Davis Hanson)
"The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged
as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse."
(James Madison, 1788)
"In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with
the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water
shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. The real
enemy then is humanity itself.” (Krys Osborne)
"Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them."
(President Ronald Reagan)
Others are saying . . . and their comments continue to
represent the views of the majority of the American people:
Ronald Kessler: "Clearly, if the media had done the job the
First Amendment envisioned for the press, Obama would
not be President today. Belatedly, we now see the media
beginning to atone for what can only be described as a
shameful coverup during the campaign."
Alan Caruba: "Historians are likely to look back at 2009,
the first year of Barack Obama's term in office, and assess
the damage it has done to Americans and to the image of
America as the primary line of defense against the world's
thugs. Americans and the rest of the world have had a year
in which to watch Barack Obama and it has been one of
constant disappointment and growing fears. That trend is
unlikely to change."
Frank Salvato: "As we approach a full year of the Obama
Administration, it has become abundantly clear that Mr.
Obama has abandoned almost all of his campaign promises
and is governing from the far Left. He has instituted a
campaign of social engineering that can only be described
as a direct threat to liberty."
Robert Ringer: Obama is not the Antichrist. He is simply the
right community organizer in the right place at the right time.
He possesses the ideal qualities for a community organizer
with a large, hidden agenda. He is slick; he is shameless;
he is soulless. It is his mission to take the ball over the
capitalist's goal line and score the winning touchdown for
socialism. Now, with more than half the country against him,
he must resort to bribery, threats, and any other means
necessary to get the ball across the goal line."
And as always, we offer a Founding Father's quote,
one particularly appropriate at this Advent season:
"Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the
world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns
on the Fourth of July? Is it not that, in the chain of human
events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with
the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in
the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the
Declaration of Independence first organized the social
compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon
earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government
upon the first precepts of Christianity"?
-- John Quincy Adams, 1837
-- John Quincy Adams, 1837
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