Since the American form of christianity has lost its connection to spiritual reality, therefore, I offer these clarifying definitions. Yes, America exhibited numerous roots of promise early-on, such as prior to Thomas Jefferson, but when Mr. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he popularized the phrase “life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness.“ In recent decades though, this former loftiness, grandeur & depth of meaning for these three words have been diminished, if not deliberately misconstrued to convey merely the stark existence of the basic physical necessities of LIFE, a selfish LIBERTY promoting self-aggrandizement, AND LASTLY, the pursuit of happiness aptly described as the temporary absence of pain such as afforded by the numbing of a drug.
Are we not witnessing here a deliberate down-scaling of human vibrancy & verbal clarity being drawn from these cultural benchmarks, or icons; “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” And of the two iconic words and one phrase, scripture assigns its value, as did TJ, to life and liberty; but note he added “the pursuit of” to happiness, as indeed, we too must be in pursuit of, and I’ll interject right here, not so much as our “happiness,” but rather, as demonstrated throughout the scriptures; by God relentlessly pursuing man as an heir, thereby enabling man, once he accepts, is instantly justified, then forgiven, transformed, and empowered while being sanctified in the pursuit of a life of divine “meaningfulness,” as only God can provide by His Righteousness.
In summary, when we place our own selfish physical life, liberty, & well-being (happiness), before our well-doing for others and ourselves, we tend to continually be pulled in the wrong direction, that being toward human selfishness.
Understand happiness and meaningfulness are two distinct human conditions, and those who pursue this selfish life, liberty, & happiness, are what psychologists call “takers.” As Roy Baumeister and his team noted after extensive study, “Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life.” In contrast, “people leading meaningful lives get much joy from giving to others.” And furthermore FYI, Buameister points out that it is not the pursuit of happiness, but rather, the pursuit of meaning that sets humans apart from animals. Go figure! Reason vs. Instinct?
Participating in meaningful activities elevates your thinking above yourself and your momentary needs. Every minute you can set aside your own happiness for the sake of others will eventually lead to stronger families, organizations and communities, for in the end, the pursuit of happiness and “success” will pass. What endures is creating meaning in your own life, often by first creating meaning in the lives of others, that ultimately, creates greater heights of meaning in your own life.
Historically, much has transpired since pre-Civil War days, as today’s American form of self-centered, endowed with rights, or privileged christianity, sad to say, actually has abandoned its gospel distinctives, therefore aligning more closely with the four other christ-less major civilizations, in that even though, there remains ample christian vestiges, artifacts, culture, holidays, observances, its residual skeletal mass, has, as with the other four, now become largely a lifeless cultural phenomenon to be observed in man’s museums and temples. Therefore, we may expect His “remnant truth cells” scattered about planet earth, quite likely at some point to be in the cross-hairs of the Major Five, as the Gospel’s compelling distinctive message of His sacrificial love will not be tolerated, as American christianity continues its march to oblivion spurred on by events such as The Enlightenment, dead set on “form,” rather than “substance!”
BOTTOM LINE:
Don’t worry though, be of good cheer! It’s not the first time the bulk of civilization’s lights were fading. Haven’t you yet read Martyr’s Mirror? Or how about actual accounts from Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) website this week, such as of Ali & Dina in a Muslim Asian country, titled “Deadly Interrogation.”
Either way, be it out of historical ignorance & darkness, or literally current events, was there not, is there not yet, a creative empowering fermentation of man’s spirit, soul, and body, heart, mind, and will, such that both examples, whether the American civilization, or even Israel in 1948, were eventually birthed by God, only to later sadistically refuse His overtures of liberty in Christ?
Do not despair of man’s foolishness! Today we know, just as with men, perhaps the Spirit that founded both nations, though seemingly now silent, rest assured, God has a remnant poised yet to accomplish His purposes as prophesied in Scripture. Yes indeed, many civilizations around the world have accomplished great and notable feats, BUT I’M NOT AWARE ANY OF THEM CAME AS CLOSE TO KNOWING & EXPERIENCING THE MOST-HIGH GOD, WHO SENT HIS SON TO EARTH TO REDEEM MANKIND… AS DID WE AMERICANS, OR, EVEN THE ISRAELI’S? But, just as with Old Testament Israel, the recent constituents of both nations have seemingly placed their trust in kings, merely men, and certainly not the Most High God, Creator of the Universe! May we today as His Spirit empowered ambassadors, follow closely and reverently, in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, & even as in the VOM example of Ali & Dani, as we declare & live out our allegiance to the Most High God in the encroaching darkness.
NEXT UP: The Nature of Reconciliation: From Utmost, on Oct 7, nonetheless?
