[1]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Only the Christian faith can adequately address our nation’s crisis.
And, on a personal level, only the Christian faith can adequately calm the anxiety now burdening our hearts.
Nationally, our options in resolving the increasingly bitter stalemate of our Nov. 7 elections seem to be these:
— the court system.
— contemporary conflict resolution theory, mediation, arbitration.
— wisdom drawn uniquely from the Christian faith.
[2]— chaos.
Likely all four of these avenues will be active as our nation tries somehow to decide whether Al Gore or George W. Bush should be in the White House.
On a personal level, our options seem to be these:
— Worry, fear, terror, anger.
— Norman Vincent Peale-type positive thinking.
— Inward peace provided by Jesus Christ.
Likewise, these three avenues will be active as each of us watches the unpredictable twists and turns of unfolding events.
I repeat: Only the Christian faith can adequately address our nation’s crisis and, within each of us, calms our hearts.
Only the Christian faith can adequately address the questions of selfishness, greed, personal gain, the thirst for power, forgiveness, healing, prayer and love.
Only in the Scriptures can we find the overarching wisdom needed to cope with a nation’s turmoil and its effect on each of us, such as the truths from:
— Jesus’ words in Mark 9 in the New Testament, verse 35: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (NIV).
— Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:26: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (NIV).
— Jesus words in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (KJV).
— Matthew 18: 21-22: “… Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'”
Only in the Scriptures do we learn about the quiet yet supernatural dynamic that can transform our hearts from inward upheaval to inward peace: “… if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
Sadly, it is the Christian faith that has been roundly ridiculed and dismissed by so many in our culture, in the courts, in other realms of government, in the media and entertainment industry and even within the family of faith.
It is the Christian message that we are least able to hear right now, at a time when we may need it as much as ever.
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