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Let the games begin
It must be the latest craze. And in these times of economic hardship, if I could figure out a way to make a buck off it, I would. Or, maybe not.
The game is called "Deadly Denial," and there seems to be no limit to the number of players or the varieties of the game.
In fact, the more the merrier. Because in this game, all players are trapped in a deep pool of water, constantly fed from a cold stream. So, if the pool isn't full, or someone leaves the game, the water level increases, making everyone -- at the very least -- cold and uncomfortable. If enough leave, players are in real peril of death by drowning or hypothermia.
On the political spectrum, the game is in full swing. Change was the mantra of the candidates and it sounded great. Never mind that change in this case has ended up being MOTS (more of the same) to the power of 10. Change is change, by golly, and we're sure to come out ahead in the end. Or not.
The financial debacle continues, with new outrages every day, but once again, denial of our obvious bankruptcy is the name of this game. Comparisons to the Great Depression abound, good fodder for the nightly news, but hardly a realistic look at finances in the 21st century, partially because some of the programs implemented because of that financial disasters now represent the largest consumption of our limited resources, contributing to the latest disasters. I shudder to think what will happen when beneficiaries of these programs find the well has gone dry.
New freedoms in society are the hallmark of the day. The fetters of absolutes have finally, once and for all, been shattered and every man is the captain of his own ship, charting out a destiny that ends ... well, no one knows for sure where it ends, at least not anymore. America's birthrate in 2007 was the highest since record-keeping began. Wow. That shows a lot of confidence in the future, I think. Oh, wait, a full 40 percent of those births were to unwed mothers. (Enter the social programs earlier referenced.) Fathers apparently are only needed at conception, and there's certainly no reason to make an honest woman of her ... traditional marriage is optional. However, the homosexual marriage agenda continues apace and abortion, referred to in these writings as legalized murder, is still a legitimate birth control option. Oh, we're free all right. Freed from the very restraints that save us from ourselves and our penchant for self-destruction.
These variations of the game are troubling in and of themselves and combined, paint a bleak picture of the future of a once-great people in a once-great nation. But the most toxic form of "Deadly Denial," is in the spiritual realm.
Most Americans believe in God, be that as a Higher Power or as the Creator and sustainer of all things. What to call him (or her) is at odds however, depending on who you ask, and with increasing frequency, more and more people are accepting that there are many paths to him (or her). The current economic woes would be of little consequence to me personally if I had a nickel for every time I heard the phrase, "Well, if that's what works for you..."
Then there is the increasingly popular argument that because God is a loving God, there can be no hell, because a loving God couldn't or wouldn't consign someone he loves to that terrible fate. Second cousin to that is the notion that man is inherently good, given the right set of circumstances (i.e., a good education, secure home-life, adequate nutrition, etc., ) everyone can and in fact desires to be good enough to merit God's favor.
I hate to climb out of the pool here folks, I know the water is cold and gets deeper every time someone leaves, but these arguments and the myriad similar arguments shouted from the public square are invalid. God is God. He is Creator and sustainer of all things. He can be known and has revealed himself to created man since time out of mind. One thing God will not do is allow himself to be made in our image, and rather insists that we submit to him, to become visible reflections of him, as he intended.
God is love. He is also holy. And he is just. And though it grieves him greatly and he has done everything in his power to win, warn and woo us from sin, including providing a suitable atonement for our sin through his Son, if we resist and rebel, justice demands that we suffer the consequences.
These deadly games are just that. Deadly. To a nation. To a culture. To a world. To a man. To each man. And it's time for the people of God to climb out of the pools, take themselves out of the game, and turn around and reach down into the pool to help the next player out.
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)
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