Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    honor is not fitting for a fool.
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
    an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
    and a rod for the backs of fools!
Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
    or you yourself will be just like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
    or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Sending a message by the hands of a fool
    is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison.
Like the useless legs of one who is lame
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like tying a stone in a sling
    is the giving of honor to a fool.
Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like an archer who wounds at random
    is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.
As a dog returns to its vomit,
    so fools repeat their folly.
Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?
    There is more hope for a fool than for them.

• Proverbs 26:1-12

“There is nothing progressive about being pigheaded and refusing to admit a mistake.”

• C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

A few things have been floating around in my mind.  This C. S. Lewis quote just drove it home.

Four years ago, I went to the state capitol of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, to hear a talk by Franklin Graham.  Our church rented a bus.  In the talk, he said that the Progressive movement was to be fought at all levels.  In his opinion, “progressive” and “atheist” were one and the same.

I was watching an old panel discussion on Youtube the other day.  The three pastors who were answering the questions were R. C. Sproul, Albert Mohler, and Ravi Zacharias.  Rev. Zacharias said that he had gotten into trouble for saying this, but he would say it again.  “Liberals are the most bigoted people on the face of the earth.”  He went on to say that they only agreed with themselves and others who parroted what they believed.  R. C. Sproul then asked, “Ravi, have you ever met a liberal liberal?”  When the laughter died down from the audience, Sproul qualified the question by saying that back in the day when the USA was largely conservative, with conservative views discussed on every street corner, we would allow varying opinions to be expressed.  Now, dissenting opinions to the liberal viewpoint are shouted down, denigrated as foolishness, and silenced.  The video link is below, the second half of a long Q&A.  This video is over an hour, but it is packed with great theology.  Due to the length, you may want to come back when you have more time or go on Youtube to view both hours.

We need to learn that change, in and of itself, is not progress, and the change of the progressive politician is evil, not necessarily those who have bought the politician’s lies.  These progreesive politicians will take over and destroy our government.  They will make Christianity illegal.  They will allow most other religions as being ‘cultural diversity.’  And they will oppress the entire nation.  After all in the progressive politician’s mindset, if we would be foolish enough to allow them the control of the government, why not oppress fools?  Am I a prophet or just someone who has seen the same thing happen in other places of the world throughout history.  I am just a man who knows that if we do not learn from our mistakes, we will be doomed to repeat them?

But who is the fool?  And what is progress?  I remember a quote from one of the Narnia books, where one of the characters refused to take a step back, because only taking steps forward was ‘progress.’

Maybe it is time to take a step back.  While retreated, a single step, we can get down on our knees and pray for God’s will to be done and the wisdom to be a part of the carrying out of God’s Will.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.