The Problems of America
Kosovo

Kosovo is not really a problem…it may very well be in the future…but it is indicative of a big problem—what I call the Kosovo Principle. Kosovo is part of Serbia. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo’s Parliament declared independence from Serbia. For some time the US has been pushing for Kosovo independence and of the very next day recognized Kosovo’s sovereignty. Why? Because it has as a majority that is Muslim. They are mostly ethnic Albanians who have a murderous and drug cartel pedigree. Yet, it seems that they must be independent. Never mind that Kosovo is the heartland of the Serbian Medieval state or that it contains many of the artifacts and architecture of Christianity that define Serbia’s contribution to the common heritage of Europe. That is no longer important. And, therein lays the problem.

The cultural elite and those puzzled about the world of Islam are joined together to do two things. One is to do away with the ancestry, heritage and history of western Europe. The “new” Europe rejects all that is specific and distinctive about its common heritage both on a country to country basis and as European in general. Like Eva Peron’s “new Argentina” the “new” Europe is just that…new and without connection or remembrance of the old. Second is to curry favor with what are deemed to be “moderate Muslims who have no common cause with the “old” Europe. This premise is, like most based on western loathing, is extremely questionable. The Kosovo Liberation Army [KLA] of ethnic Albanians have trained at al-Qaeda camps and al-Qaeda operatives have fought along side the KLA in their terrorist campaigns against Serb targets. Hardly are these the Muslims of the “moderate” stripe.

Hatred of Serbia is driven, in part, by the recent Balkan wars. But, it goes deeper than that. Recently, I was in Cyprus. There, the Turks have occupied northern Cyprus since 1974. They even call the occupied zone the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Why has there not been a solution found? It is a religious standoff…Eastern Orthodoxy versus Islam. There is night and day difference between the two areas. The northern sea areas, only 50 miles from Turkey, have been settled by Turks building new homes overlooking the water. But, the rest of the north is sub-standard compared to the south. When the Turks moved in whole villages were abandoned and remain vacant even today.

Can Greek and Turkish Cypriots live side by side? They had for many years. But, a solution is hard to forge when the religious question intrudes. Greek Cypriots driven out of the north lost home and hearth and until recently could not even return to visit. The leaders of the west have no affinity any longer for the traditional Judeo-Christian cultures that lead to the development of Europe and the US. So, in places like Serbia and Cyprus, the “old” ways are willingly sacrificed because the cultural elite say those ways are passé and the Casper Milquetoast world leaders want to find a way to get along with Muslims to avoid future terrorist attacks.

Here is the principle. Cause enough problems as an ethnic group distinct from the heretofore dominant cultural group through intimidation and violence and you will be rewarded. The fact that you want to split up a county to do so is o.k. because we have to recognize that we live in a “new” world and the “old ways” have to go. No heretofore sovereign state is immune. So, ethnic Albanians in Serbia should have their own republic. Black North African Muslims should have their own states in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. And, in the US, we struggle with the illegal Mexican immigrant problem. Why not give southern California, Arizona and New Mexico to them? Farfetched? When we fail to understand that the US is more than a “proposition about freedom” but is a culture of shared virtue, language, history, beliefs and law, such an outcome is as possible as the Republic of Kosovo. That’s the Kosovo Principle.

The Church
The ExChange

Luther called 2 Cor. 5:21 the Glorious Exchange. This is the verse where we are basing the downtown DuBois ministry of Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church. The following is our announcement of the ministry:

The ExChange

The ExChange is a ministry built upon the Words of Scripture,
especially 2 Corinthians 5:21 which teaches as follows:

For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

The ExChange stands for changed lives that can only come about through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whereby He takes away our sin and grants to us a new life by faith in Him alone.

The ExChange is about proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the message of life over death, light over darkness, freedom over slavery and eternal life over eternal death.

If you are interested in a new life to live that changes everything for you contact us as follows:

521exchange@gmail.com
814-661-2033
149 West Long Avenue
DuBois, PA 15801

We begin at the building this weekend. Our goal is to let these folks who know not the Savior that we are here in the community…their community at the corner of Jared and Long. We want them to know we love them and want to see their lives changed the only way possible…through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But, we want to be able to help them deal with the practical things too. We want them to understand that a Christian is the most responsible of citizens…they work, support their families and meet their obligations. Faith in Christ is not the end of your problems, but the beginning of dealing with them.

Take the first ReStart session. Charles and Bob delivered the Gospel and I spoke to them of the responsibilities of a Christian man or women and walking in the path of righteousness which will keep them out of prison. One of the inmates said: “I know what you say is right. I want to have my life changed. I don’t want to come back here again. But, I am going home in thirty days to a dad who is a user and a family of offenders who know no other way.” This is where we…that is all who claim the Name of Christ…come in. We must point this man to the Savior AND THEN help him to understand what it means to LIVE the LIFE in a world that despises the Lord of his salvation. Some of the circumstances people emerging from prison face are foreign to us, but it is the way it is for many. What does one do when his own family is the source of his continuing sin? Salvation belongs to the Lord alone. Our obligation is to deliver the Good News and come along side ALL His children to nurture, discipline and assist them in all things, including the practical matters of life, as they attempt to walk in the new life He gives them.

Pray for The ExChange as we attempt to do just that in DuBois…and by God’s grace we will.

The Church
Mission Outreach

Back in January, two pastors and I met with the President Judge of the 46th Judicial District about a ministry to the drug culture in DuBois, PA. There is an unbelievably high drug use in DuBois; it has one of the highest percentage per capita uses of heroin in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Judge convinced us to go at the problem from two ways…one, meeting with inmates in the county jail who were going to be released back into the general population, and two, by meeting these folks where they are in the community. He had attempted to implement the first idea a couple years ago and received little and no response from the churches in Clearfield County. He was thrilled that Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church was willing to take on this mission.

It is interesting to me how many folks talk about reaching out, but not to those that do not look, think, dress, act or smell like we do. That is why it is always easier to listen to missionaries who come to your church and talk about missions, give benevolences to them to carry on and go back to your own comfortable life. The church in the USA has become quite insular. This work in DuBois is a God sized work. When I met with the chief of police in DuBois, he thought we wanted these people to go to church. They are coming to church until they first come to Christ. Then they will be part of His Church and desire to worship Him!

This Wednesday, we begin the county jail portion of the ministry. We call it ReStart. Being released from jail provides an opportunity for a new start; one that avoids the old ways. The following is the announcement provided to those inmates who will be released within 30 days of our visit:
Announcing: ReStart
ReStart is a faith based ministry outreach to residents of the Clearfield County Jail about to be released at the conclusion of their sentence to the county jail. It is designed to accomplish three goals:
1]Explain to the soon to be released residents of the jail that upon re-entry into the general population they need not return to the life they lived before entering jail. Their lives can be ReStarted as new lives by and through an active faith in the living Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. ReStart is an outreach that aims to see lives changed through the Biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2]Discuss some practical measures that have to be addressed by every resident as they are released. To help those about to re-enter the general population understand that they must take personal responsibility for the obligations required to pursue a life different from the one that led them to jail. To distribute a resource guide that will assist them in becoming responsible members of society and discharging their particular duties and obligations.
3]Provide information about The ExChange. The ExChange is an outreach to those who want to live a new life apart from the slavery to sin and addictions that plague a life without Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The ExChange is based on 2 Corinthians 5:21, whereby the Bible promises that those who surrender their lives to Jesus Christ will exchange their sin for the righteousness of Christ… ExChange a broken old life for new life in Christ.

ReStart will meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. beginning on Wednesday the 21st of May, 2008. All who will be released from the jail within the next thirty [30] days of each scheduled meeting are welcome to attend. The only requirement is to be cleared by the jail administration to attend and the signing of a registry of attendance for ReStart.

ReStart and ExChange are both ministry outreaches of Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church of DuBois, a church of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

The other part of the ministry will begin this weekend. More about that in a future post. All the secular folk we have met with are excited about this because they know programs do not work. Money and methadone will not solve addiction…only a changed life will do that. And, right now, no one wants to come alongside those who do not look, think, dress, act and smell like them, but by God’s Grace that is about to change in DuBois. Soli Deo gloria.

The Problems of America
The PetroEuro

For the last several months, the media pundits have centered on the sub-prime lending crisis in this country. Congress is now debating a bill to bail out lenders and borrowers who engaged in questionable mortgage loans. But, the real crisis does not concern the debt of individual Americans but the debt of their country.

Treasury bonds held by foreign investors carry the debt of the USA. It is a low cost way for the country to carry its debt. But, that only works as long as there is such an animal as petrodollars [oil is traded in dollars] and foreign investors are willing to hold our debt. As we all know the dollar continues to lose value in comparison with the Euro. If and when oil starts to be traded in petroeuros, look out.

The outlook for oil continues to be dire. Today, 16 May 2008, the Saudis refused President Bush’s plea to increase oil production. The price per barrel hit an all time high near $128. And, Goldman Sachs has revised their prediction of prices saying it will rise to $141 per barrel. The dollar continues on its nosedive making an alternative pricing method more and more likely. Again, beware of the petroeuro for it will result in consequences for the USA.

There will no longer be a reason to hold dollars and the US debt. The government will no longer be able to finance their debt cheaply with Treasury Notes. The result will be the interest rates rocketing up. Remember the 17% Carter year rates? It could be worse. The inflation that is now creeping upward will zoom. Asians have held dollars so that we can buy the things they produce. But, with oil being pegged to the Euro instead of the dollar, the dollar would decline even more and the US as a market for goods would not outweigh holding increasingly worthless US debt.

There are many who pooh pooh this scenario. The Arabs, it is said, cannot afford to see their US dollars and debt take such a hit, so pricing oil in anything besides the dollar is not likely. But, will not the Euro continue to look better as the days wear on? The EU does not have a large deficit nor is it indebted to the world for its excesses. It imports more Arab oil than the US. The Arabs can buy their luxury yachts, condos, Lear jets and yellow Ferrari’s with Euros as easily as dollars. A potential painful short run, but not a big deal over the long haul.

The Fed cut rates by 25 basis points recently. And, they signaled that may be the end of cuts. They have apparently come to the realization that more liquidity is no solution for a crisis spawned by excess liquidity coming from easy credit to questionable risks. Oil prices keep climbing and the dollar keeps weakening. The time is coming when we will have to stop printing dollars because no one will want them…Arabs, Asians, borrowers. When the world decides to shift emphasis from the dollar to the Euro, we will be at their mercy. We put ourselves there by selling cheap debt to those who wanted us to keep consuming their goods. We are walking on the edge of catastrophe. We are no longer immune from our creditors. An ugly day is coming, probably sooner than later.

Election 2008
A Christian Manifesto

A Christian Manifesto and a companion study guide are available at the internet site designed for its release on 07 May 1008, to wit, www.chrisitanmanifesto.com Os Guiness is one of the prime drafters and seems to be the spokesman during this early period after release. In a short interview reproduced at Justin Taylor’s http://theologica.blogspot.com Guiness the emphasis of the document is to promote understanding of who evangelicals are and to improve their performance in the public square, mainly by abandoning the demonizing of opponents.

This appears to be an odd time to release it. A Presidential election cycle year is one in which demonizing opponents in the public square ascends [or is that descends?] new heights. Although Guiness denies that the manifesto is a political statement, it does seem to be a not too veiled attempt to separate evangelicals, as defined by the drafters, from partisan political wrangling. Kind and charitable evangelicals should not ever be associated with politics.

Now, it is true that because of decades of trying to influence public policy through the political process, many non faith based persons identify evangelical as a political term. The manifesto does a good job of defining theological parameters of what an evangelical is. But, does that really have an affect on those who know no evangelicals to convince them that being an evangelical is about a Triune Creator, Redeemer and King? To the regular Joe Doaks, Pagan, theological beliefs are akin to belief in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. It is not a real, meaningful and purposeful pursuit. Nice but not very practical.

Yes, we must be more like Christ in the public arena. That will lead to our being ignored in the political process. Maybe that is the point of the manifesto drafters. But, there are times and issues that require squeaky wheels to get the media grease. Maybe that is the point of the drafters. We evangelicals cannot be single issue folk but look beyond homosexual marriage and abortion as hills upon which to die. Does that mean joining in with the trendy cultural and political issues of the day with secular folk?

Jesus did not come to overthrow the political order but neither did he come to address Israel’s hot button issues of the day. The manifesto correctly states that evangelicals should be “defined theologically and not politically, socially or culturally” [p.4]. But, that does not mean Christians should not be politically, socially or culturally active. To do so in the rough and tumble political arena means exposing unbiblical positions with boldness and forcefulness.

One other comment to make at this time. The manifesto promotes a “civil” public square in opposition to a “sacred” or “naked” public square. Does that not place the civil authorities over the faith authorities? Everyone, regardless of their faith or faithlessness has the right to speak out in the public square. Fair enough. But, who maintains the public square? Who says when the Muslim, Hindu or Christian goes too far? And, since the secular folk who now referee the discourse so not see themselves as biased, who watches the watchers? If an evangelical is truly a theological person, then he/she must always stand for the distinctiveness of Christian belief and practice everywhere at all times…in or out or the public square.
Read the manifesto yourself. There will be much more commentary in the weeks to come. Will this change the way the public in general looks at evangelicals? Probably not. Will is change the way evangelicals approach their involvement in society? Probably not. But, it does provide a vehicle in which to reassess who evangelicals are and what they must be doing in proclaiming the “good news” after which they claim their identity. And, that is a good thing…we must always be reforming.

The Problems of America
Can there be real Populism?

Christopher Lasch called for a revitalization of politics in the 1980s. He believed the “left” was finished as a viable option and the “right” was warned over liberalism. This seems to be the chord Barack Obama [BO] is trying to strike with his call for “change”. I have previously posted about the issue of “change”. As the primary season winds down, I would like to examine the “new populism” that seems to have emerged.

Populism has always been a viable force in American politics. Jefferson was a populist as opposed to the federalists. He favored the exercise of power by the farmers and laborers of the countryside with their regional interests. Obviously, he lost that debate to the centralizers, whose position was solidified during the Civil War. The 10th Amendment of the amendments required by the Virginians for their Constitutional support reserved to the states all powers not specifically granted to the federal government. This was to be a check against centralized power. It did not work! So, there has been populist appeals over the years to counteract Big Brother.

This populist impulse is always rumbling just below the surface of political America. During the Gilded Age, the economic condition of all was improving, nevertheless, the rich became very rich and the regular populace felt threatened by collusion between business and government. We have a similar situation today. The first 3 months of 2008 have seen a “correction” in the stock market, the credit crisis and the highest gasoline prices in history. The conjunction of these things has created great angst among the populace.

In little cities and towns around America, “Ma and PA” businesses are disappearing. They have been Walmarted! And, up until recently, folk have been satisfied as long as they are comfortable. Now they are feeling uncomfortable, so a desire for change. They see their conventional institutions and structures disintegrating…schools that cannot keep order let alone teach; local government dependant on the federal government for dollars to provide services; service clubs [Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions] losing membership; churches more interested in therapy than God. It takes all a man’s efforts to keep up with the economic demands of our society.

This brings us to another of Lasch’s problems…….progress for progress sake. For the new world wide economy to work, all men must be sold out to produce wealth and prosperity for the whole world. A sort of new “We are the World”. And, that takes a toll on kin, place and community all of which takes intentional, directed effort to maintain. My mother, not a cultural pundit, used to say many things are done for the “almighty dollar.” Joseph Schumpeter believed that capitalism leads to “creative destruction”. That is, the social institutions that fostered it are devoured by it. To stay ahead of the Joneses means our relationship with the Joneses suffers.

In the political culture of today, nanny statists and free enterprisers are both in favor of an economy that continues to pump out goods and services that promote our comfort. For Bill Gates and welfare programs to be successful, the world wide economy has to continue to grow. We are all progressiveists…we have to be. Real populism would reject continued superhighways, foreign entanglements, global economics, mass media and unfettered technological development. That is not going to happen.

So, the American public seems to be captivated by BO as the “new populist” alternative. It is hard to believe that a Harvard educated lawyer is a populist leader. He is a privileged person; he is “the man”. But, strangely, he has a populist appeal. As an African-American, he stands as outside the “dead white man” structural control. He is an orator of no small talent. He can energize a crowd and he has involved the under 30s like no other in recent memory. He is not anti-modern, however. He may want to redistribute income, but he still favors a system that produces income to redistribute. And, if he does not embrace progressive, world wide capitalism, as some on Wall Street fear, he will be a failure to those who backed this “new populist”.

These are strange times in America. We want change and our prosperity too. Whatever one thinks of the War on Terror, it is clear no one wants to sacrifice to win it. We want “peace at any cost”…or rather at NO cost. We have lost Eliot’s “permanent things” that were once our shared beliefs. The “little platoons” of Burke are no longer the active protectors and promoters of virtuous living that holds a society together. What we have is our “stuff”, very little of which is produced in the USA. China and India are sucking up the excess oil in the world because they want to keep making and selling us “stuff”. And, we are willing participants. Real populism necessitates the taking back of our culture and economy. Real populism requires sacrifice that halts the unbridled consumption that marks our dependency on unfettered international economic growth and technological progress. Is BO such a populist? Can BO deliver such populism? That would require a real change…a return to Jeffersonian populism that was long since buried by conspicuous consumption, globalization and self-absorption. What are the chances of that happening, regardless of the President? Slim and none.

The Problems of America
Loss of Identity

It is said that Cinco de Mayo is a more popular holiday in Los Angeles than the 4th of July. Could just be a rumor or a way of exhibiting an animus toward our Mexican neighbors. Whatever the case with respect to celebrating the 5th of May, Roger McGrath, in the March issue of Chronicles [Vol 32 NO 3] reports some eyeopening statistics about his native California. Here they are:

Last year [2007], 263,000 citizens left the once Goldrn State—and a similar out-migration has been going on, with a few anomalous blips, for the last 15 years.

Nearly 30 percent of California residents are now foreign born; as stunning five million of them were born in Mexico.

For most grammar school students in the city of Los Angeles, English is a second language. For some, It is a third language behind one of several Indian tongues of Mexico and Spanish. Hispanics now make up 75 percent of the students; whites, a mere 7 percent.

Twenty-six of the city’s high schools are now 80-percent or more Hispanic. Eighteen of those have student bodies that are 90-percent or more Hispanic, and seven are 98-or 99-percent.

This is a startling trend. McGrath calls it “ethnic cleansing” or a “foreign invasion”. No one knows how many are legal or illegal. But, we know for sure that it is changing the face of California. It does not stop there. Midwest states like Nebraska and even PA have seen a significant influx of Hispanics in the last decade.

Why do they come? Looking for a better life, but unlike other immigration waves there are two problems. One, the Hispanics do not seem anxious to become part of our American culture. That is why English is a second language. Second, the fragile economic situation in the USA is less able to absorb this invasion. Much has been made of NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] in this primary election cycle. Who was for it and who was against it.

Opponents argue that is has devastated USA businesses. But, what of it’s effects in Mexico? Mexico’s agriculture has disappeared. They now import agricultural goods from the USA as part of NAFTA. So, Mexican farmers now at a competitive disadvantage to the massive agricultural machine in the USA can move to Mexico City or the USA. What would you do? Recently I was in New York City for the first time in twenty [20] years. I noticed two things: one, increased safety in Manhattan, and two, the number of Hispanics in the service industry. Twenty years ago you took you life in your hands at night in NYC. And, most of the service workers were whites, many from Eastern European countries.

The need for the Hispanics, legal or otherwise, is promoted and argued for on the basis that for no one else will do what they do. But, with respect to the illegals, the taxpayer is picking up their medicals, educating their kids and paying welfare benefits. It may be cheap for employers, but we make up the difference. It is hard to see how this benefits the taxpayers of the USA.

What to do with the 12-20 million illegals is indeed a thorny problem for which there are no easy answers They are even an issue in Hazelton, PA, the heart of “coal cracker” country for heavens sake. We must deal with this Hispanic invasion…our very identity as a nation of common language, place, history, memory and belief is at stake. Here is a question each citizen must ask: Does our identity as a people really matter anymore or has the USA been reduced to a concept or idea?

Living in the World
61 B

Yesterday, I stood waiting in front of the Waverly Presbyterian Church. This was Susan’s church when she lived in Pittsburgh. It is also where we were married thirty four [34] years ago on 4 May of this year. Wow! Thirty four years since I stood in front of this church. And, today I was waiting on bus 61 B to take me downtown. It had been longer since I rode a city bus…thirty six [36] years during my last year of law school. Then it cost thirty [$.30] cents; today two [$2.00] dollars.

It was an interesting trip down Forbes until it becomes one way, then down Fifth until reentering Forbes near the old county jail. The bus was full so I hung on a strap. There we were: white, yellow, black and Hispanic together as a little community. There were youngsters riding to school at Oakland Catholic [girls] and Central Catholic [boys] in Oakland. On board were students and others heading to Pitt. Assorted workers for the hospitals in the Oakland area and those headed for jobs in the downtown. A couple well dressed men, probably businessmen or attorneys, were along for the ride. Interestingly, no one alighted at Carnegie Mellon [CMU]. Maybe they are flush enough to drive or all students live on campus. By and large, the bus was populated by those who could not afford to drive to work, whether they had a car or not.

Our little community of travelers was not much different than other communities in which we lived. No one talked to each other. Most said hello to the driver, a 30ish attractive black woman. Some even said, “See you tomorrow”, indicative of their daily use of the bus. But, there was no greeting or such conversation with each other. Most avoided eye contact. When I smiled and said “hello” to those who would look at me, there was an inaudible reply or nothing. Many of the young ones had their phones out text messaging. The older folks hid behind newspapers and those of in between years were plugged into I pods.

On the way back from the city, it was the same. Unlike the trip in, there was a seat next to a black woman with ear buds in her ears, so there was no conversation with her. I heard more talking, but it was passengers talking on the phone, not to each other. This time at the CMU stop, people got on the bus. One young man sat next to me and I asked him how his day was and whether he rode the bus every day. He was a sophomore civil engineering major. I specifically asked him if he noticed passengers did not talk to each other. At that question, another person, a young lady who got on with him, turned around and smiled at the question. This was the only personal contact I had on both trips besides the female driver on the way downtown. As I alighted at the Waverly Church and spoke to the driver, a 40ish black man, he did not respond.

Why such a small amount of interpersonal communication? It was early going in, so some were probably not morning people desiring to speak to others. And, on the way back, folks may have been tired. But, that did not stop folk from talking on their phones while sitting next to someone else in the bus. Some of the youngsters probably were instructed to keep to themselves because of the concern for safety and about strangers. But, it is apparent that they see each other often, if not daily. And, as to me, who would speak to a first timer in blue jeans and a sweatshirt. But, I can’t help but believe it is a commentary on our society in general. What is happening in the lives of others is not important to us. We have our own issues. If the dude who gets on at Dallas doesn’t show up for a week I have no obligation to care or inquire. If I get involved with others, that ups the ante of responsibility. Who wants that? Self absorption is a lot simpler. I only have to care about myself.

Today I will not be on 61 B. Will anyone notice? Will anyone care? My appearance on 61 B did not register with all or most of the riders. But, what of the students headed to high school, or the workers at Presbyterian Hospital who ride everyday? Unfortunately, their non-appearance would likewise make no difference in the lives of the riders. And, that is a tragedy and shows where we are as a people on 61 B, in Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, in the USA and in the world.