GSXMEN
11-01-2002, 12:23 AM
by Dr. Falwell
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of the
fools is in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:4, NKJV).
Solomon, the likely writer of Ecclesiastes and the man who had "more
wisdom than all who were before" him, understood that we learn more about
life through our grief than we do through our jubilation. But to learn
from our suffering we must be willing to look within.
In Acts 8:2, we see how, following the death of Stephen (who was martyred
for his faith), "devout men carried (him) to his burial, and made great
lamentation over him." These men dearly loved their friend and they
allowed their hearts to grieve for the man who had been such a godly
influence on them. Their pain was real, as were their tears.
It is a painful thing to lose a friend or a loved one. As a pastor, I have
had to lead funerals and memorial services of many people for whom I had
grown to love. And I must say that never once during my 47 years as a
senior pastor have I ever witnessed a funeral or memorial service become
so redirected that it was transformed into a raucous gathering.
However, during Sen. Paul Wellstone's (D-Minn.) so-called memorial service
on Tuesday, there seemed only time for celebration (with a little bit of
anti-Republican fervor sprinkled in), and little time for solemnly
remembering and honoring a friend.
There at the forefront was former President Bill Clinton. Seeing him
overtly snorting and chuckling with his Democrat colleagues caused me to
remember how Mr. Clinton attempted to subtlety transform his smile into
feigned tears as he spotted television cameras outside Commerce Secretary
Ron Brown's funeral in 1996.
But things have certainly changed. There's no longer any need to pretend
to have tears for fallen Democrats now. At Mr. Wellstone's service,
Democrat leaders openly hooted it up, patted each other on the back, and
declared open war on Republicans for Tuesday's elections. The spirit of
grief was transformed into a spirit of vindictiveness and revenge.
Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, who attended the service in respect for
his fallen Senate colleague, was actually booed by attendees. It's obvious
that the seek-and-destroy political "values" of Clinton-era Democrats has
led to the obliteration of respect and reverence within the party. I doubt
that Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman would approve.
Even Independent Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura - a man with whom I seldom
agree - fled the memorial service in complete disgust. I respect him for
speaking out against this fiasco.
"What a complete, total, absolute sham," was how Vin Weber, a former U.S.
representative from Minnesota, described the astonishing event. "To
[Democrats], Wellstone's death, apparently, was just another campaign
event."
And therein we see the basis for this memorial service, and for everything
the Democrats do. It is a reckless pursuit of power.
While Ecclesiastes teaches us that there is a time for everything
(including a time to mourn and to heal), for modern-day Democrats, there
is only a time for one thing - and that is the raw and callous quest for
political power. This sham of a memorial service was all about returning
Democrats to power at all costs. And it was an ugly thing to behold.
IT IS THE DUTY OF ALL CHRISTIANS TO VOTE
Roberta Combs, new executive director of the Christian Coalition, recently
said, "Over half of the people sitting in the churches are not registered
to vote. If all Christians would vote and register to vote, imagine what
we could do nationwide."
Indeed, we could literally alter the course of this nation if we could
motivate all believers to vote. I believe it is inexcusable for Christians
to fail to vote during an election - especially a critical election like
this one where control of the Senate is literally up for grabs. A host of
abortion legislation is pending in the Senate and it is critical that we
elect members who will revere the rights of the unborn.
This nation is a gift from Almighty God. It is therefore up to those of us
who continue to uphold the Judeo-Christian values of the Bible to ensure
that we elect those candidates who best represent our values. (Proverbs
14: 34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any
people.")
To learn about the candidates in your state, visit the Campaign for
Working Families Web site:
http://www.campaignforfamilies.org/capwiz/candidates.htm. I urge you then
to vote on Tuesday for the men and women who uphold biblical values.
As we head to the polls, let these words of Noah Webster ring in our
hearts:
"In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the
particular sect or denomination of the candidate - look to his character.
... It is alleged by men of loose principles, or defective views of the
subject, that religion and morality are not necessary or important
qualifications for political stations. But the Scriptures teach a
different doctrine. They direct that rulers should be men who rule in the
fear of God, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating
covetousness. ...
"When a citizen gives his vote to a man of known immorality, he abuses his
civic responsibility; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of
his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country."
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of the
fools is in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:4, NKJV).
Solomon, the likely writer of Ecclesiastes and the man who had "more
wisdom than all who were before" him, understood that we learn more about
life through our grief than we do through our jubilation. But to learn
from our suffering we must be willing to look within.
In Acts 8:2, we see how, following the death of Stephen (who was martyred
for his faith), "devout men carried (him) to his burial, and made great
lamentation over him." These men dearly loved their friend and they
allowed their hearts to grieve for the man who had been such a godly
influence on them. Their pain was real, as were their tears.
It is a painful thing to lose a friend or a loved one. As a pastor, I have
had to lead funerals and memorial services of many people for whom I had
grown to love. And I must say that never once during my 47 years as a
senior pastor have I ever witnessed a funeral or memorial service become
so redirected that it was transformed into a raucous gathering.
However, during Sen. Paul Wellstone's (D-Minn.) so-called memorial service
on Tuesday, there seemed only time for celebration (with a little bit of
anti-Republican fervor sprinkled in), and little time for solemnly
remembering and honoring a friend.
There at the forefront was former President Bill Clinton. Seeing him
overtly snorting and chuckling with his Democrat colleagues caused me to
remember how Mr. Clinton attempted to subtlety transform his smile into
feigned tears as he spotted television cameras outside Commerce Secretary
Ron Brown's funeral in 1996.
But things have certainly changed. There's no longer any need to pretend
to have tears for fallen Democrats now. At Mr. Wellstone's service,
Democrat leaders openly hooted it up, patted each other on the back, and
declared open war on Republicans for Tuesday's elections. The spirit of
grief was transformed into a spirit of vindictiveness and revenge.
Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, who attended the service in respect for
his fallen Senate colleague, was actually booed by attendees. It's obvious
that the seek-and-destroy political "values" of Clinton-era Democrats has
led to the obliteration of respect and reverence within the party. I doubt
that Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman would approve.
Even Independent Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura - a man with whom I seldom
agree - fled the memorial service in complete disgust. I respect him for
speaking out against this fiasco.
"What a complete, total, absolute sham," was how Vin Weber, a former U.S.
representative from Minnesota, described the astonishing event. "To
[Democrats], Wellstone's death, apparently, was just another campaign
event."
And therein we see the basis for this memorial service, and for everything
the Democrats do. It is a reckless pursuit of power.
While Ecclesiastes teaches us that there is a time for everything
(including a time to mourn and to heal), for modern-day Democrats, there
is only a time for one thing - and that is the raw and callous quest for
political power. This sham of a memorial service was all about returning
Democrats to power at all costs. And it was an ugly thing to behold.
IT IS THE DUTY OF ALL CHRISTIANS TO VOTE
Roberta Combs, new executive director of the Christian Coalition, recently
said, "Over half of the people sitting in the churches are not registered
to vote. If all Christians would vote and register to vote, imagine what
we could do nationwide."
Indeed, we could literally alter the course of this nation if we could
motivate all believers to vote. I believe it is inexcusable for Christians
to fail to vote during an election - especially a critical election like
this one where control of the Senate is literally up for grabs. A host of
abortion legislation is pending in the Senate and it is critical that we
elect members who will revere the rights of the unborn.
This nation is a gift from Almighty God. It is therefore up to those of us
who continue to uphold the Judeo-Christian values of the Bible to ensure
that we elect those candidates who best represent our values. (Proverbs
14: 34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any
people.")
To learn about the candidates in your state, visit the Campaign for
Working Families Web site:
http://www.campaignforfamilies.org/capwiz/candidates.htm. I urge you then
to vote on Tuesday for the men and women who uphold biblical values.
As we head to the polls, let these words of Noah Webster ring in our
hearts:
"In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the
particular sect or denomination of the candidate - look to his character.
... It is alleged by men of loose principles, or defective views of the
subject, that religion and morality are not necessary or important
qualifications for political stations. But the Scriptures teach a
different doctrine. They direct that rulers should be men who rule in the
fear of God, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating
covetousness. ...
"When a citizen gives his vote to a man of known immorality, he abuses his
civic responsibility; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of
his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country."