Xavier Pacheco

Recently, Fox News reported an incident where five students were sent home for wearing the U.S. Flag on Cinco de Mayo. As a result, several of my patriotic Facebook friends responded in outcry. What right did the school have to send these kids home who were expressing their heartfelt patriotism?!

I found the whole thing somewhat amusing. I agree that no institution should infringe upon a person’s desire to express their patriotism. Clearly, the school was wrong in this instance because their motives were just that; to squash patriotism for this nation. Shame on them! That said, you should know that the students were expressing their patriotism inappropriately just as we Americans do all the time.

Most of us (at least those of us that consider ourselves patriots) agree that we should read and be thoroughly familiar with the United States Constitution. Additionally we should know the Declaration of Independence and the Federalist Papers. Why is this so? Because by doing so, it informs us on how to live properly as citizens of this great country. Furthermore, it gives us the knowledge to hold accountable our elected officials who, so it seems with the current administration, are confusing the United States Constitution with the Communist Manifesto, but I digress.

There are other documents with which we should familiarize ourselves. We should be familiar with the laws of the land. If in the military, we should study military regulations like the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If we want to drive, we should know traffic regulations. If we want to fly a plane, we need to know the laws under the FAA and such. If we want to express our patriotism using the U.S. Flag, we should know if there are rules according to which this is done. Interestingly, many of my conservative, patriotic friends who wish to express their patriotism in any willy-nilly manner would be surprised to know that there is actually a regulation regarding the proper use of the U.S. Flag. This is covered in United States Code. Title 4, Chapter 1.

Now before I get all self-righteous and everything, I must confess that it was not long ago that I was sporting a bandana, a t-shirt and other such apparel. However, the U.S. Flag Code, defines what constitutes a U.S. Flag as:

“The words "flag, standard, colors, or ensign", as used herein, shall include any flag, standard, colors, ensign, or any picture or representation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently purporting to be either of said flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America or a picture or a representation of either, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the United States of America.” United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1, Section 3

The code also states that:

“The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.” States Code Title 4 Chapter 1, Section 8d.

Clearly, these students and most of America on the Fourth of July are in violation of the U.S. Flag Code. Now, before you tell me that I’m just being anal retentive just hear me out.

The U.S. Flag code is intended not just to instruct on the proper handling of the U.S. Flag but also to prevent it from being used in a manner that would dishonor it and, in my opinion, those who sacrificed to protect what it represents. I was discussing this with a Vietnam veteran who told me that it “heartens” him to see young people wearing the U.S. Flag on their t-shirts. I understand his sentiment. But we must also understand that when we decide to use the flag as a t-shirt, we lessen its significance. If we ignore the code, we can say nothing about the U.S. Flag being used as, a dress shirt, a tie, a hat, a cocktail napkin, a credit card, toilet paper, underwear, or even an object to show hatred for America.

It seems to me that if we truly want to express our patriotic spirit by using the U.S. Flag, we should do so, first and foremost, by honoring the provisions established to protect its honor. So, rather than wearing it, fly it! Just do so according to the Code.

Well, I missed Cinco de Mayo this year. Actually, not being Mexican, I’ve never celebrated it. Maybe we will celebrate it next year. I’ll make a batch of my Two Time’s Hot Salsa with chips and enjoy a Margarita with my wife. Furthermore, I’ll proudly fly the U.S. Flag and we’ll celebrate how blessed we are to live in a nation where Mexicans, Ethiopians, Swedes, Germans, Italians and people from all nationalities can live, work, play and worship as United States Citizens!

God bless America!

"Who's more foolish the fool or the fool who follows him?" retorts Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi when called a fool by Han Solo.

We should be asking ourselves the same question. While we tend to associate foolishness with incompetence and stupidity, Scripture does not. The Bible associates foolishness with immorality. Consider the following passage:

The fool has said in his heart, “"There is no God."” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; Psalm 14:1 (my emphasis)

First, the passage does not say that the fool thinks that there is no God. Rather, it says that the fool says in his heart that God does not exist. The distinction is one of knowledge vs. essence. This is not a matter of ignorance for Scripture makes no provision for this (Romans 1:18-32). Rather, this is a matter of outright denial and rebellion. This posture is one that is affirmed by one’s actions; actions that offend God. Put differently, such people insult God to His face. This person’s deeds are “abominable.” In the Hebrew this may be rendered as detestable or repulsive. They are actions which God hates for they directly oppose God’s holiness. Consider Psalm 53:1 which further clarifies this:

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God, They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice (Psalm 53:1).

Here, instead of using the word deeds, the Psalmist uses the word injustice to emphasize a violation of God’s holy standard. So how exactly is this related to Obi-Wan Kenobi?  Recently, I read the following quote from Ravi Zacharias,

"It is a mindless philosophy that assumes that one's private beliefs have nothing to do with public office. Does it make sense to entrust those who are immoral in private with the power to determine the nation's moral issues and, indeed, its destiny? .... The duplicitous soul of a leader can only make a nation more sophisticated in evil." -Ravi Zacharias

When we who call ourselves Christians hire (put into public office) those who openly oppose God’s moral code, we likewise commit a grave injustice. We place our nation under the authority of those who deny and mock the God of Israel to His face by their actions. By compromising our so-called values for a better life, a better economy, a more stable political environment we, as Zacharias asserts, put our nation on a path towards a more sophisticated evil. Proverbs 26:10 warned us in saying,

“Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool” Proverbs 26:10

Sadly, we are reaping what we sow. Perhaps it is time to repent and confess our own wrongdoing. Perhaps it is time to cry out to God as a community of saints and pray for the plight of our nation and for our President. Perhaps it is time to get out of our anemic mentality and take seriously and respond to God’s cultural mandate to restore our world not by might or by power but by the Spirit of God (Zechariah 4:6).

So, then, I ask, “Who's more foolish the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Oh, now I get it! I thought they were talking about fertilized embryos all this time. Stupid me. I feel much better now. Thanks for clearing that up Bill ... Slick!

..."(Obama) he has apparently decided to leave to the relevant professional committees the definition of which frozen embryos are basically going to be discarded, because they’re not going to be fertilized..."

"...I think the American people believe it’s a pro-life decision to use an embryo that’s frozen that's never going to be fertilized for embryonic stem cell research..."

"...any of the embryos that are used clearly have been placed beyond the pale of being fertilized before their use..."

"...there are large numbers of embryos that we know are never going to be fertilized...."

"...these committees need to make it clear that they’re not going to fool with any embryos where there’s any possibility, even if it’s somewhat remote, that they could be fertilized and become human beings..."

I highly recommend reading Mark Bates' post entitled, "A Brave New World Meets 1984". Mark makes some interesting and important points regarding the executive order signed by President Obama allowing federal funding for stem cell research.

I highly recommend that you watch John Piper's, seven-minute video entitled: Thoughts on Voting and Politics. I've embedded the video at the end of this post.  I've also provided  a link to Justin Taylor's remarks about Piper's video. While both are pre-election commentary, they are still critically relevant.

I am enrolled in two classes in seminary at the moment.  One is a theology class on the doctrine of God.  I have just finished a study on the doctrine of God's providence. I am also taking a class on the so called, "silent years" of the Jewish people; the intertestamental period. It covers that period in which Israel fell into captivity and found herself living among the influence of paganism, the incursion of Hellenism and finally Roman occupation. Ultimately, their city, their temple and their national identity was destroyed.  Why?  In short, because they failed to obey God. They repeatedly turned to idolatry in spite of the prophets' warnings. Using biblical language, they prostituted themselves.

So how is this relevant for us in light of the election?  The concern is that our newly elected President and Congress are altogether hostile to a Christian world view and ethics. Issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and the installation of an extremely liberal Supreme Court are matters of grave concern. The responses are varied within the Christian community.  Some are exuberant having supported President Elect Obama. Other reactions range from indifference to despair and anger. Many remember Romans 8:28 which says, "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."  But is it enough to simply rest in that assurance?  Romans 8:28 is not a license for idleness. Rather it is an encouragement and warning against fear and anxiety. So then, is there a proper Christian response?

We would be mistaken to look at history like that of Israel's and that of our own as merely the chronicling of events. Rather, history is the outworking of God's providence over time. Regarding providence, one theologian states, it is God's directing of all things to their appointed end.¹ We are not deists that believe that God has no active role in the events of history.  Nor are we fatalists that subjugate all events to an impersonal fate, as though we have no part in their outcome. To be sure, God chose the leadership for America and we certainly played our part - good and bad.

That said, one would think that we might learn from our history. I couldn't help but consider points made by both Taylor and Piper.  Taylor, in agreement with Piper, remarks, "Politics can easily become a source of idolatry. We are dual citizens with a higher allegiance to the City of God. If our candidate loses, we should not grieve as the world grieves."  I would add that we should not fear as the world fears.  The question must be asked, have we, the church in America, prostituted ourselves and placed our faith in everything but God alone? Have we shifted our allegiance from God's kingdom to that of the world's? I am speaking of our actions prior to this election. I believe we have.  Consider:

• We have placed our faith in political might rather than in the sovereignty of God
• We have vigorously pursued social change through political activism at the neglect of changed hearts through the love of Christ
• We have fought to protect our comfort, but have been unwilling to step out into darkness to be light
• We have failed to reflect the Gospel in the pulpits of our churches and in the pulpits of our lives
• We have stopped preaching truth, but instead made inspirational speeches to help us feel better about ourselves
• We do not preach holiness and obedience; we are more concerned with attaining knowledge and/or filling our pews
• We have bought into the lie of fear. We have Christian organizations to foster it, rather than fostering the truth and the hope we have in Christ
• We have concerned ourselves with life in America, and have forgotten about life in the Kingdom
• We would rather listen to Rush Limbaugh then to John Piper or many of the other numerous teachers of God's word
• We will spend hours watching TV or surfing the net, but can't spare a few minutes reading Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis or much less, our Bibles
• We, fathers, ignore God's clear commands to raise our own children; we have delegated that role to youth pastors, school teachers and to our wives who have essentially become single moms

I could go on. If there is any question as to whether we have stood on the corner and whored ourselves away,the answer is a clear, yes!

For eight years we have failed to use political influence redemptively and we neglected kingdom advancement. It is no surprise that Christianity in America is declining while other religions have grown, all on our watch! ²  We have shifted our focus from the Gospel and the advancing of God's kingdom to issues of the world.

And so it would seem that God in His infinite wisdom has handed that power to another who will lead us - Barak Obama, God's servant for these times. In a sense, conservative Christianity has been exiled. Perhaps we should seriously consider Piper's assertion that issues like abortion are not those for which we will be judged, but that they ARE the judgement. 

The main issue for all Christians now is this question. How do we respond? Will we respond fearfully (as some already have) or will we repent, turn from idolatry and make the Gospel our passion?  Will we be consumed by a renewed and intensified political activism or by the Great Commission?  Will we be absorbed by the desires of this world or, by the grace of God, will we strive to live lives of holiness?  I pray our response is the latter on all counts. I hope we realize that by stripping from us our idol of political might, God has freed us to participate in His redemptive program; what an honor! Let us not despair but be joyful; let us not fear but be encouraged; let us not be angry but instead let us rejoice for God has handed us a great opportunity to partake in the advancement of His kingdom. Will we answer that call or will we remain on the path leading to exile?

This week our pastor encouraged us with this great truth:

Jesus still sits on His throne!

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

¹ Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 4th ed. (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1941), 166. 

² There are mixed opinions and reports on this trend. Some would claim that Christianity is on the rise. I suppose if one counts the Oprah Winfrey form of Christianity we could agree that it is growing at monumental rates.

disclaimer: I do not condone the notion that as Christians we have not the right nor responsibility to exercise our civic duties to partake in the political process. On the contrary, it is both necessary and required of us.

John Piper's Heart in the 2008 Election

Justin Taylor Comments on Piper Video