Maintaining the freedoms we have come to love a cherish in this nation, is not limited to just a few of our members…citizens. We must all get into the fray if we are to survive. This week we will look at the future…our youth…students. The years of education are so important in establishing the nation’s ability to survive. The Socialists and Communists are well aware of this and their influence is never more prevalent than in today’s education system…both in school and in the public arena. What do our students…and their parents…need to consider during these critical years?
> The mind of the student is considered a major battlefield by Communist strategists. The Communist conquest of a country is preceded by the extensive activities of ‘converted intellectuals’. (However, the most vigorous antagonists of Communism are some of these same intellectuals who have been disillusioned and returned to the side of freedom.)
> The best time to study Communism is while in school. Try to get a genuine understanding of it. Learn its philosophy, its history, and its fallacies.
> Remember that the only difference between a Socialist and a Communist is in the method of takeover. Some people count Socialism ‘good’ and Communism ‘bad’. In reality, the two are twins.
> Be quick to detect left-wing slantings in textbooks and lectures.
> Become acquainted with the latest Communist ‘line’.
> Be sure to remain fair and forthright. Never stoop to Communist tactics to win.
> Get acquainted with the Communist problems and it will suddenly make economics, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and psychology come alive.
> People look at world events through one of two windows. Out of one window they see only ‘blue skies’. Out of the other window they can see storm clouds. This is the window to watch. This is where history is being made, and the person who doesn’t keep his eye on this window is caught unawares when the storm breaks. Damage from the world’s threatening political storms can be avoided by anticipating them…by being vigilant and alert.
> Resist the radical element on campus who advocates ‘mass action’ and violent demonstrations. These are usually the tools of Communist agitators.
> Become involved with a student group study of Communism and Americanism. Challenge Socialists and the pro-Communists on campus. Get experience in making peaceful democratic processes work.
Today’s students are inundated with all sorts of information. That information is not limited to just the classroom as it was in my school days, but is available through a variety of web sites and speakers with a variety of agendas who have TV’s, radios, and news media to spread their message.
Satan deceives us and tricks us into error by tempting us to one position or its extreme opposite. We tend to think that if one extreme position is wrong, then the opposite must be right. But the Christian life is a fence-walk, a balancing act between extremes. That godly balance is hard to find, and the wisdom to maintain our balance can only be found in God himself. This is where the church is so important.
So we might ask, ‘Is it right to do wrong with right intentions?’ Jeremiah 40 is the account of the prophet’s experiences after the fall of Jerusalem. He had been imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard when the Babylonians broke through the gates and invaded the city. Jeremiah’s message had been negative concerning the future of Jerusalem and the leadership had had him arrested and bound. Removing all prisoners from prison, the Babylonians had them bound to be exiled to Babylon, this included Jeremiah. But unexplained, Nebuzaradan, the captain of King Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, removed Jeremiah’s shackles and chains and set him free, giving him a choice. He could go to Babylon where he would be treated with honor and respect, or he could stay in the land. If he stayed in the land he could stay with Gedaliah, the man approved by Babylon to govern over the province of Judah. Jeremiah chose to stay in the land. The fall of Jerusalem did not mean the end of Judean resistance. They refused to surrender to the Babylonian conqueror. The guerrilla captains…Ishmael, Johanan, Seraiah, and Jezaniah…came to Governor Gedaliah to talk to him. Jeremiah doesn’t tell us why they wanted to speak with the governor, but they probably hoped to enlist his cooperation in overthrowing the Babylonian overlords. He refused to participate but reassured them he would not report them to the Babylonians. Gedaliah had seen enough bloodshed. He wanted to bring peace to the land. Instead, the leaders of the revolt decided to turn on each other. The quest for power dominated the determination to return peace to the land. One of the most subtle and deceptive manifestations of our old sin nature is the tendency to be overly trustful of others without discrimination or to be overly suspicious of others without cause. Either extreme is unrighteous, according to Scripture. It is a moral and spiritual weakness to be either gullible and naive or automatically defensive and suspicious of everyone you meet.
The leaders of the rebellions plot to kill each other to gain either peace or power is yet another manifestation of the flesh…the belief that we can do the wrong thing for the right motive, and it will turn out just fine. We easily convince ourselves that wrong is right, that sin is justified, and that the end justifies the means. We see this being played out in Ukraine. Evil leadership in Russia is trying to justify its acts by eliminating a threat that did not exist except in the mind of that evil leadership. While justifying the acts as bringing security to Russia, thousands of peaceful ‘neighbors’ are being slaughtered. Whether the acts were justified or not, good motives do not transform a sinful act into a righteous act. Sometimes an evil heart can make us afraid when there is nothing to fear. The Communists with the nicest sounding of plans, have hidden motives and secret plans to gain power and control. Communism claims it will make everyone equal and remove the stress of competition at the work and business place. To fall for such promises is another characteristic of the flesh. It not only arouses within us unreasonable fears but, it also leads us to trust in unrealistic hopes and to imagine that ‘everything’s going to be all right’ in some place other than the center of God’s will. You can’t run away from God, and man cannot replace God’s will in your life. Wherever you go, you bring your troubles with you. A change in scenery won’t save you, because your problem is not the scenery; the problem is within you. Your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt. You can’t run away from your own heart. Only God can fix your heart. Only God can change the heart of a tyrant and if that does not happen, final judgment awaits and it won’t be pretty. The stubbornness of the flesh and the deceitfulness of the unregenerate human heart seems practically limitless. It is up to parents, the church, and the education system of a God-based nation to strive to not let such hearts develop in the hearts of our youth. Don’t expect the Communists to cooperate.
Next week we will look at the responsibilities of another group of Americans…businessmen. The word ‘business’ can cover anything from automobile dealerships, to grocery stores, to clothing outlets, to ‘Hollywood’. These businesses have the potential of majorly impacting our society through the products they offer…anywhere from positive impact to negative detriment. We have both positive and negative forces using these ‘tools’ to form society.
-Bob Munsey
“God wants a community of beautiful people whose lives are under control and maintained by the Holy Spirit.” Hope in a Chaotic World by Ray C. Stedman
Geezer Politics 