Crossing the Jordan

Last week we saw how the nation of Israel faced a moment of great decision just before they crossed the Jordan River and entered the promised land. Moses implored the Israelites to remain faithful to the covenant so that they might enjoy the blessing of God. Moses also sternly warned them: if they turned away from the worship of the one true God and refused to obey his commands, then they would surely bring upon themselves the covenant curses.

Here are some of Moses’ final words: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

These words were spoken to the children of Israel more than three thousand years ago. But this wisdom remains hugely relevant to all people in every age. For God did not simply thrust random rules and regulations upon Israel, arbitrarily calling some things “right” and thus worthy of his blessing and other things “wrong” and therefore worthy of his condemnation. No: The God who created the universe fashioned the world in such a way that certain behaviors invariably lead to life and flourishing while the opposite conduct inevitably brings about misery and death. In other words, the blessings and the curses are built into the very fabric of reality.

Therefore, these principles are every bit as true for those of us living in the modern United States as they were for the twelve tribes of Israel poised to cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan. The mid-term elections will again test our nation. Will we follow the path of God’s wisdom leading to blessing and life? Or will we turn down the dark road that ends in suffering and death?

Sadly, it must be clearly stated that the Democratic Party has turned sharply away from path of light and life; their policies stand in stark opposition to the Christian world view. We can all be thankful that the Republican Party – though flawed in many ways – has continued to advocate policies which remain broadly consistent with Christian faith.

Last week we looked specifically at the subjects of abortion and energy. This week we’ll engage additional key issues.

(3) Crime – Undeniably, the death of George Floyd in May of 2020 was a tragic tipping point for our nation. Fueled by endless liberal media propaganda, the nation’s consciousness was seized by the false narrative of systemic racism. Millions of Americans came to believe that our justice system – from police officers to judges and jurors – has been infected with pervasive bigotry. Many liberals mendaciously claimed that thousands of young black men were being slaughtered by white supremacist cops.

Amidst this turmoil, the Black Lives Matter movement gained huge momentum. Many Americans posted BLM symbols on their social media accounts, believing themselves to be advancing the cause of “racial justice.” Even some misguided Christians were drawn into this posturing, despite the fact that BLM explicitly promotes anti-Christian policies such as on-demand abortion, the destruction of free markets and the dissolution of the nuclear family.

The BLM organization raked in millions of dollars in donations. Race hustlers used media pressure to shake down corporations for hefty contributions. Pusillanimous CEOs quickly capitulated, handing over their wallets in order to avoid being smeared as bigots. Predictably, this was all a fraud. None of these resources were allocated to helped struggling black communities, schools or families. Instead, the despicable founders of the BLM movement used their newfound riches to buy mansions in exclusive Southern California neighborhoods.

Even worse, police officers across the nation were badly disheartened by hateful rhetoric from the political left. Many Democrats eagerly embraced the movement to defund the police. Thousands of discouraged police officers either left their careers in law enforcement or retired altogether. Departments in many Democrat-controlled cities are now severely shorthanded. Unsurprisingly, criminal activity in the United States has exploded. The FBI reported that in 2020, murders increased by 30%, by far the largest increase on record.

Other Democratic politicians have pressed forward with an agenda of criminal justice “reform.” These reforms come in many different guises, all of them deeply harmful. For instance, progressives in the state of Oregon succeeded in decriminalizing all drug use, including highly lethal substances such as heroin and fentanyl. It would be difficult to concoct a more disastrous policy, especially considering the fact that in 2021, the United States suffered a staggering record of 107,000 overdose deaths. Roughly 2/3 of these fatalities were attributed to fentanyl.

Widespread drug addiction has devastated our nation, particularly cities on the West Coast. Research clearly demonstrates that the phenomenon known as “homelessness” has very little to do with lack of housing. In reality, the vast majority of the people living on the streets are incapacitated by the twin evils of drug addiction and mental illness. Progressive policies have only compounded these maladies. Liberal malfeasance has turned Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles into dystopian wastelands, covered in tent cities. Sidewalks and public parks are covered with human feces and used needles. Violent crime abounds.

Examples of irresponsible Democratic crime policy are legion. The state of Pennsylvania is instructive although hardly exceptional. Progressive District Attorneys like Larry Krasner in Philadelphia frequently refuse to bring charges against criminal offenders. Rather than being held accountable for their actions, these miscreants are immediately released back onto the streets where they’re free to continue their assault upon civilized society. One New York precinct recently reported a man arrested 167 times, mostly for larceny, before being denied bail. No wonder why thousands of businesses are fleeing blue cities.

The Democratic nominee for the Senate from the Keystone State is a man named John Fetterman. Central to Fetterman’s candidacy is his perplexing passion for releasing criminals. He has repeatedly stated his desire to free one-third of the state’s prison population. Moreover, John Fetterman used his role as the Chairman of the Board of Pardons to advocate for the release of dozens of brutal first-degree murderers.

One of the most basic functions of government is to secure public safety and order. Tragically, the Democratic Party has repeatedly proven that it fails to meet this fundamental requirement.

(4) Border Control – Americans are generally a very generous people, willing to welcome those who seek a better life. Indeed, each year the United States absorbs roughly one million legal immigrants. Until just a few years ago, there was a strong national consensus in support of legal immigration but against those who attempted to enter our nation in violation of our laws. In 2005, President Barack Obama stated, “We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants.”

Long gone are the days when such a reasonable approach prevailed in the Democratic Party. The sentiments offered by Obama in 2005 are now considered anathema. Astonishingly, the present Democratic Party opposes any attempt to control our nation’s borders. Those who voice any concern whatsoever are shouted down as evil bigots.

Since Joe Biden took office, roughly 5.5 million illegal immigrants have poured across our southern border, generating a humanitarian crisis. Border towns have been completely overwhelmed; they simply do not have the resources to manage this flood of humanity. Although most migrants are law abiding, the lack of border control has allowed thousands of criminals to enter our nation undetected. As we’ve already mentioned, absence of border security has also allowed traffickers to transport vast quantities of deadly drugs into our country, killing thousands of US citizens.

The flow of illegal migrants is tightly controlled by Mexican cartels, who have grown rich extorting money from those seeking transport across the border. Virtually all women attempting this journey are assaulted and raped. In 2022 alone, at least 853 migrants lost their lives due to dehydration, heat stroke or simply by drowning in the Rio Grande River. The world would be a far better place if our nation would reject the feverish madness of the Democratic Party and return to a sane immigration posture.

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I originally intended to cover much more ground, but it seems I’ve gotten carried away covering just a few of the crucial issues facing our nation. We haven’t even addressed Democrat failures such as runaway inflation, the burgeoning national debt, floundering government schools and the transgender madness. Hopefully by now readers have gotten the picture. The policy positions of Joe Biden and the Democratic Party have already plunged our country into a miasma of misery. Thankfully, on November 8th, our citizens will have the opportunity to choose a better way.