By Rose Unplugged
I heard a sermon recently where the pastor quoted King Solomon, who noted that government is run by sinners and therefore will always be corrupt; Ecclesiastes 5:8: “If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied do not be surprised at such things, …”. King Solomon saw the corruption in leaders and in government. Solomon said we should not be surprised by this.
The idea is that Government is corrupt – it has always been corrupt. The pastor said that if our issues today seem bad – they were worse in the past. I say – They are every bit as bad today – and arguably worse. Think about that. Think about the radical agendas being taught in our schools today. Think about what is happening in society. You don’t want that baby – hey we can get rid of it. You don’t like your gender – we can change that. So, no –our issues today don’t match up to those of centuries prior – they are worse.
Let’s put the matter of “issues” aside for the moment. What Solomon said of government is true. Of course it is. Governments have been corrupt since the beginning of time. But – here is where that pastor had an opportunity for a teachable moment; because Government is corrupt – limiting government is the point of this election and every election since Feb. 4, 1789, when George Washington was unanimously chosen as the first president of the United States. More government means more corruption. The pastor could have noted that we have two parties; one believes in less government and therefore less corruption while the other argues for more government and therefore more corruption. Without naming them he could have taken a stand. Instead, he emphasized that his church doesn’t endorse any party. Considering the issues facing America, from borders to radicalism in our schools, he presented a sermon about how we needed the moral courage to say the truth and bear the consequences, and then failed to do so himself. Ironically, the pastor also shared from a book he was reading that highlighted the characteristics of a good leader. One of those characteristics was moral courage.
This country was founded on the idea that man was created – by God to be free. And the only way to establish and maintain that freedom was to reduce the size of Government. In the founder’s case – it was a King, an oppressive, imposing, freedom restricting King. And by the way pastor – the most oppressive aspect of living under tyrannical rule – for them – was the inability to worship freely. It was either the King’s way or no way. And if you spoke out against the King – well you would be appropriately punished.
So, Solomon was right – but those who came to this country – to establish a life away from oppressive government (read corrupt) were people whose goal – whose mission was liberty. They left a culture in Europe that believed that creativity resided within one’s station in life. The founders believed there was genius in every human being. And the best way to explore and cultivate that genius was liberty.
Tyrannical governments and dictatorships out of socialism, have brought nothing to enhance the human condition. Only we, who love freedom have raised the baseline of human existence beyond anything ever conceived before.
This experiment of theirs has lasted 246 years. But it lasted that long only because of true leaders, courageous leaders. It’s always been about men and women who have taken a stand for freedom, encouraged freedom, gave their lives for freedom. And you weren’t courageous enough to give a half hour sermon on how important it is to preserve that freedom. Leading up to the final effort to separate from England– those who believed in the cause of freedom (the separation from what Solomon called corrupt government) were not just the colonists but the pastors of that time. Especially the pastors. They demonstrated “Moral Courage” – you know – that thing noted as a characteristic of a good leader.
In those years leading up to independence – clergy argued that a separation from Britain – from a corrupt king was approved by God. Abraham Keteltas in a sermon celebrated the American effort as “the cause of truth, against error and falsehood . . .the cause of pure and undefiled religion, against bigotry, superstition, and human invention . . .in short, it is the cause of heaven against hell–of the kind Parent of the Universe against the prince of darkness, and the destroyer of the human race.”
Wow. That is one heck of a case for freedom. And the pastors of that time were not afraid to make the case. It can only be made by the most “morally courageous” among us. And so yes, we need morally courageous men and women – and pastors. Not milk toast leaders – but rather those who recognize that this race – this election, is one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime.
I honestly don’t care if a pastor, as a rule, doesn’t endorse candidates or political party. I am totally cool with that. But you had an opportunity – before thousands – to make a difference. To be unafraid to, at the very least, talk about the issues that you said were not important – because they are. And they are biblical. I would rather someone were completely cold on the subject than lukewarm. It wasn’t a lukewarm effort that brought about a declaration of independence from corrupt governments. It wasn’t a lukewarm effort to draft the most radical document of all time – our constitution. This is the closest humans have come – closer than any other country – from decreasing the corruption of government by establishing those truth’s that were self-evident. Given that it has been long recognized that our U.S. constitution is the greatest document ever conceived, did you ever wonder why no other country has adopted a constitution like ours? It is because no other government wants to give up that much power to the people. The only reason we have a constitution in the first place is that there was no bureaucracy here to oppose it. We are facing a time of struggle for that power. Will it be for the people and by the people – or will it be handed over entirely to the government.
In his Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln made what is believed to be one the greatest statements on America’s national purpose. And he began that statement by referring to the signing of the Declaration of Independence; “four score and seven years ago” a nation “conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” He then addressed the end of the Civil War and honored those who perished defending those principles. He said that; “these dead shall not have died in vain- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Yes, King Solomon was a wise man. But so too where those who were also influenced greatly by God and who sought a solution to the human condition- a solution to the “corrupt governments”. Our government today is corrupt, and we hang on to our Republic by a thread – but we are ever striving to return, as Lincoln said, to that new birth of freedom, and a government that takes second place to the people. And we do that by election.
Our liberty from corrupt government was secured 246 years ago. It was crafted for us by men who pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the cause. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence knew they would never fully enjoy the fruits of that liberty. They understood they were doing this for a generation of people they would never know. They were doing it for us. We owe them a life dedicated to preserving that liberty.
And we preserve that liberty by not only voting this Tuesday but voting for the candidates – the party – that have demonstrated that same commitment to liberty. The founders were not lukewarm in their quest for a free country. Nor should any of us be when we consider whom it is we must vote for.
And by the way – there are many pastors in this country who are unafraid to be honest with their congregations about what really is at stake in this election. To them I say, thank you for your moral courage.
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Rose has been a prominent figure for twenty years as a syndicated conservative political talk show host. Her Podcasts can be found under “Rose Unplugged” on all platforms including Rumble. She is a frequent guest host for Sean Hannity’s Radio Show and serves on the Executive Board for “Moms for America”. Rose has authored a book called “Thanking Our Soldiers”BTW: Rose has the moral courage to declare her party – Republican and candidate of choice for PA US Senate – Dr Oz