In my last post I established that it is impossible for a Christian to disagree with the "mere Christian" statement of faith espoused by Christian Exodus. In point of fact almost all of the Christian congregations and all of the historic Christian congregations in South Carolina have as part of their statement of faith each of the points listed on the CE organizational website.
Disagreement, while disguised in false terms such as "sect", really boils down to a difference of opinion over politics. Some make protestations related to questions related to if Christians should band together at all in an attempt to effect political change. These arguments too are false; if a Christian is allowed Biblically to vote then certainly they are allowed to fully participate in the political process, up to and including forming political parties and influencing the activities of existing parties.
So then, why are some pastors apparently unwilling to support a notion such as Christian Exodus? Could it be that they are truly unwilling to face the evil that surrounds us in the world? Is it possible that making commentary on the state of affairs in our world might perhaps hurt membership at their mega-church. Indeed it could, rocking the boat is never a popular activity in the beginning.
Let's look at the historic viewpoint of South Carolina Christians in this regard. I am not speaking of first of second generation transplants, I speak of the historic communities and their attitude toward government, morality and the role of natural law in public affairs. I wonder if we truly consider the values that these learned men and outspoken pastors proclaim mesh well with what we in South Carolina as a majority have always held to be truth.
South Carolinians have always been tolerant of a man living his life as he saw fit, within the bounds of moral public behavior. We have accepted Blue Laws that close down most stores on Sunday, not as an effort to force people to attend church but out of respect God who gave us government and liberty. We have accepted that liquor stores ought to close early in the evening, not to stop people from drinking but to prevent public drunkenness and disorder. We have always accepted that strip clubs and bars of ill-repute should be limited in their visibility, not because we think we can force people not to visit such places but because we do not wish a society where such things are prominent.
We have always valued family and community more than loyalty to some distant and remote entity. We have always respected the property rights of another man and stood on the notion that a man ought to provide for his family, that the government (particularly the Federal government) has little business in most aspects of our lives.
Have we changed so much? Do we really not believe these things to be true any longer? Do these things not serve in some small way to define us? Have we sold out completely to modernism and secularism?
I travel the state extensively whenever I am home. I have friends in several small towns. I simply do not believe that in those places we have changed that much. To those more concerned with figuring out how to convince some new industry to move to the state, or how to get the government to build a bridge or road to enhance their property value such simple and naive concepts as tradition and culture probably do not matter much.
I say that there is something profoundly special about being unique, standing by principles and living in accordance to a code of behavior. The things that have always made us a great people are the very things we seem so willing to abandon, all in the name of progress.
Progress can occur with principles intact. I suppose that is exactly what scares people so much about Christian Exodus. This group latched onto South Carolina because of our history and the culture is extant in the small places. Perhaps they were foolish enough to believe that we still cared about the important things. They have not moved to our state to take over or to bring a foreign notion of culture to our home. They came to join us, how foolish of them. They did not know that so many of South Carolina's sons and daughters had long since abandoned the heritage of liberty, morality and civility that our ancestors bequeathed to us.
There are enough of us still out there that cling to the principles our parents taught us. There are still enough good people in the state that know right from wrong. We know that things at the national and the state level are simply not right. We have the opportunity, in our lifetime to take back some of our culture. We can restore our local governments to the right path. We can reestablish the society in which we grew-up, let the rest of the world go as it will. In our homes, in our towns and out counties we can live free and morally.
If you are one of those declining few that still understand the special circumstance of being a son or daughter of the Palmetto State I challenge you to reconsider your apathy toward actually changing things, reconsider your blind acceptance of everything corrupt politicians tell you, consider that our government is ours for the making. We can work together to set the course right.
No comments:
Post a Comment