What Can the Righteous Do? An Introduction

Psalm 11:3 asks a powerful question:  "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

America's foundations have been crumbling for decades.  Such a predicament causes us to ponder, as did the psalmist's friends--in such a situation, what can believers do?

David's clear answer in this text is--the believer who is surrounded by such a culture can trust in God.

What comprises that level of trust?  

Believers ought to spend time praying for our nation and its rulers.  We ought to use our God-given liberties to share the Gospel.  We also ought to clearly understand the kind of thinking predominant in our nation today and be able to engage in discussions that allow for truth.  

Because truth exists.

And it matters.  

Of all the ideas that are becoming unpopular--even forbidden to express--the truth, unfortunately, happens to be among them.

Too often, emotionalism assaults the minds of individuals in our media-rich society.  Entertainment--from music and talk shows to sitcoms and movies--contains philosophical biases that too many merely accept and adapt as their own.  Herd mentality makes it tough for individuals to speak out against popularly-accepted political ideas that have little to no grounding in truth.

While humans should be using their God-given intelligence to weigh, evaluate, and question philosophical ideas in entertainment, education, and the media, they too often accept (and expect others to accept) a narrative handed them.  No questions.  Just acceptance. And, too often, they begin to espouse hatred or at least strong antagonism against any who do not agree with their point of view, labeling anyone who dares question the narrative as ignorant, or worse. 

Instantly, individuals espousing anything against what Winston Smith would have known as Big Brother is labeled, fired, or bullied into apologizing for disagreeing with the narrative handed him.

For instance, tens of thousands of black men have died that our nation might be free.  But now, the NFL has officially apologized for not being more sensitive to athletes who kneel for that glorious anthem commemorating this blood-stained flag?  I do not contest these individuals' right to kneel, only that the blood of their forebears stands as a testimony against their misunderstanding of history.  Other brave black men, such as Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, and Frederick Douglass, shine as brilliant stars on the canvas of history and illustrate the triumphant response of African-Americans for the amazing freedoms granted every citizen of this free nation.

And yet, no individual acts in a vacuum:  one's actions result from his belief system, and that belief system is nurtured through media, entertainment, and education.  In the last six months, we have seen an incredible, unprecedented illustration of the philosophical ramifications of this nation's shaky foundations.

What then can we do?

While keeping our eyes heavenward, trusting in the God whose kingdom we long to come to earth, we should be able to articulate the philosophical agenda which guides those in our earthly country, including so many media think tanks, such as news anchors and script writers. 

Because truth matters.

We should be clear on the philosophical underpinnings of our nation and be able to explain the foundational principles upon which this nation has been grounded.  

Because truth matters.

Knowing the agenda and reasoning that guided Marx, Lenin, Keynes, Dewey, and others can help us at least identify the earthquakes that have rocked our nation's crumbling foundation.  

Yes, truth matters.

Contrariwise, articulating free and democratic principles espoused by the likes of Jefferson, Hamilton, Jay, and Madison can lead us to the strong and moral foundational principles that served to guide this nation at its inception.  And please don't repeat the narrative that they were all white, slave-holding landowners.  This statement leaves out so many facts, exciting an emotional response not based on truth or sound logic.  To repeat this jargon does not illustrate study; it illustrates re-education in both philosophy and history, as well as the inability or failure to ask questions pertinent to the discussion at hand.

And truth matters.

Progressively more, George Orwell's prophetic 1984 rings true.   According to a June 3, 2020 article from The Detroit News, a broadcaster from KTHK Sports 1140 in Sacramento was fired from his job after tweeting "All lives matter."  Such a statement was considered insensitive.  Napear was further labeled as a "closet racist."  His actual words were:  "ALL LIVES MATTER...EVERY SINGLE ONE!

So this 60-year-old American was fired for speaking the truth.  

What part of truth doesn't matter?  

Is it not likewise a fact that black lives are part of all?  

How can it be that the statement, "Black lives matter" has come to identify one not with a truth about the human race, in which all human beings, born and unborn, are precious to God, but with a movement linked to a particular political agenda?  And yet, "All Lives Matter" is somehow unacceptable?

For some reason, kneeling for the national anthem or the pledge is embraced as progressive, but stating that all lives matter is somehow violating--what exactly?  It sounds like a violation of the right to free speech, to free thought, to free expression (and isn't that what the movement is supposedly arguing for in the first place?)

As occurred in the life of the unfortunate California citizen, it is as if the Thought Police that haunted Winston Smith are here today, to remove what seems offensive (again it is just the thought interpreted, as a kind of micro-aggression)--even though the actual logic of the statement is true. 

Truth matters.  (And, for that matter, so does logic.)

How could violent rioters, in the name of protesting the life of a black man, spend most of June destroying the statues of key freedom fighters the nation over, including that of Union soldier Hans Christian Heg?  Heg's statue stood in Madison, Wisconsin, until it was toppled and decapitated on July 23, 2020. Heg, who died in the Civil War fighting to end slavery, was a friend to the black man, supporting key anti-slavery bills and seeking to end the enslavement of fellow humans. The violence in destroying his monument (and others) should serve as a clear warning about the actions of these  looters:  truth is less important than something else.  Could it be revolution?  (More on that in a later post.)

Truth matters.

And because truth matters, we as the righteous must do all we can to speak intelligently about the philosophical underpinnings, not only of our nation, but also of the insidious philosophical mindset touted as true, which is assisting in shaking our foundations even more.

Because, if the foundations be destroyed, 

What.

Can.

The.

Righteous.

Do?

Sources:

June 3, 2020.  The Detroit News:  "Sacramento Kings Broadcaster Grant Napear Fired after 'All Lives Matter' Tweet." https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2020/06/03/sacramento-kings-broadcaster-grant-napear-out-after-all-lives-matter-tweet/3132629001/