Before I start this week’s commentary on the ‘politics of God’, I want to do a brief discussion on something I read a couple of weeks ago that I found inspiring…amazing how these things come along. It was a story about Ernest Hemingway who was asked if he could write a compelling story in six words. He could and did. His response: “For sale: Baby shoes, Never worn.” What sort of thoughts fill our mind as we read this. What could have brought about this situation…so many options. Likewise, one might ask why I have for weeks and months been taking the time to write on the interface of ‘man’s politics’ and ‘God’s politics’? Well, a situation I experienced in a church was the very inspiration I needed to motivate me. The specific ways that we fight in concert with Jesus against evil will depend on what gifts we have and what needs we see. I was led by my imagination to look around and see just what was happening to our society. I love our society but I do not love what is happening to it and the lack of attention that is being paid to correct it or call to task those politicians…supposedly ministers of God (see Romans 13)…who are either letting deterioration happen or are supporting it. As members of the body of the church we need to seek out the wounded and weeping, and extend God’s justice, love, and comfort as He guides us. We do not need to sit back and say nothing about the government inflicted hurt, injustice, lack of real love, and false comfort. That is not the Christians’ calling. Let’s not let our six word story be: “For sale: Grand intentions, Never attained.”
We have read about and experienced in our society the devastating effects of fatherlessness. Boys raised without fathers are at serious risk. The nationwide breakup of families is a national disaster and an emergency. It is not just a moral disaster, but a practical one. It is one of the largest public health problems the country faces. When I thought about it, I considered how great it would be to have families complete with fathers. I was so fortunate. But then the reality of today struck me. With a generation or two of boys growing up without fathers, how are these boys going to know how to be good fathers with no background on the subject? How many generations will it take to create a generation ready to step into the role of ‘good fathers’? Without the intervention of ‘God’s politics’ it may never happen and with churches divorcing themselves from ‘man’s politics’ it becomes even less likely. Is this the society that we or God ever intended?
When was the last time you heard an establishment figure decry the out-of-wedlock birthrate? ‘Man’s politics’ account for some of this. Unmarried mothers are a critical part of the liberal coalition. In 2008, the Democrats won 74% of single mothers who voted. In 2012, it was 75%. To speak out against these single mothers and the risky lifestyles of those who create the out-of-wedlock situations is politically risky for the liberals. It has been more than 20 years since a liberal running for president won the majority of married women in America. Unmarried women, by contrast, vote overwhelmingly for liberal tickets. The last liberal platform to even mention the importance of having a father at home was in 2000.
In 2013, as she was preparing to run for president, H.C. shot a video tribute to single mothers. As she stated,”Single mom’s are real heroes. They need even more of the help that grandparents, aunts and uncles and good friends can provide.” I might add that I agree. However, during her entire diatribe she failed to even mention biological fathers. It seems that elites who stray from the script pay a price. President B.O. spoke regularly and often eloquently about the importance of fatherhood. He, however, said almost nothing about men marrying the mothers of their children. That is a critical distinction. Studies show that married fathers are by far the most involved in their children’s lives. Politicians often refer to “caring parents, grandparents, and caregivers” or some similar combination, as if the presence of any adult were enough for kids. But that is not true. Studies show that at least for boys, the presence of a biological father in the house makes all the difference. President B.O. suggested he understood this. In a 2013 speech in Chicago, he addressed gun violence and noted that “we should do more to promote marriage”. Almost immediately, professional feminist complained. An article in Ebony magazine suggested his remarks were bigoted. MSNBC ran an op-ed attacking him. As a politician he went back to platitudes. That is where he pretty much stayed. In March of 2009, President B.O. created the White House Council on Women and Girls. In his announcement of this establishment he stated,”When our daughters don’t have the same education and career opportunities as our sons, that affects our economy and our future as a nation.” Let’s take a quick look at how much research and fact went into this decision:
– At that point more girls than boys were graduating from high school
– Far more girls were graduating from college
– Women were earning 62% of associate’s degrees; 57% of bachelor’s degrees; 60% of master’s degrees; and 52% of doctorates
The gap was even wider in non-white neighborhoods. Among black and Hispanic graduates of Boston public schools:
– For every 100 boys who went to college from the class of 2007, there were 186 girls
– 70% of all master’s degrees awarded to black students nationally went to women
– 30% of master’s degrees went to black men
In spite of this the B.O. administration, deemed the performance of black and Hispanic girls a higher priority than the performance of black and Hispanic boys. All the while the White House solicited hundreds of millions of dollars from corporations to encourage female achievement in higher education. During this timeframe one study showed that there were already at least four times as many privately funded college scholarships available for girls as for boys. The administration never acknowledged any of this, instead seeking new ways to close the ‘gender gap’.
This is ‘man’s politics’ ignoring ‘God’s politics’ and moving the concept of family further and further from the will of God. Make babies and ignore the long term importance of a father with the ultimate goal of letting the government raise our children while single mothers are out there in the work force earning an adequate lifestyle. When was the last time you heard this subject approached from the pulpit of your church? From my study of the church before the 1960’s, it was not all that uncommon of a subject. The crusade to destroy families and discourage fatherhood continues. Next week we will see more of a unified effort by ‘man’s politics’ inspired, I am convinced, by satan.
– Bob Munsey
“It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.” – Albert Einstein
Geezer Politics 