In this day of worldwide communication and instant media coverage, it is often difficult to gauge the actual significance of an event unfolding before our eyes. Still harder to judge its place in history. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, are potent reminders that we have entered a new chapter in history even if we don't yet know its title.
In comparison, the suffering of one person seems less important, less significant. If it weren't for the Schindler family fighting to make it more than just a "personal matter," as the mainstream media would so desperately have us believe, then Terri Schiavo's plight would be relegated to obscurity along with the hundreds of other senseless tragedies occurring daily in the United States. And for the Christians who believe this type of thing should remain family business, then God has made certain this "personal matter" cannot, and will not, be ignored.
As Terri Schiavo is starved to death, America plunges into one of its darkest hours. Trendy catch phrases like "right to die" and "dying with dignity" have received tacit approbation from a society thoroughly soaked in humanism, secularism, and Social Darwinism. If indeed we believe God to be our Lord and Creator, we cannot possibly say we have a right to die any more than we can say we have a right to be conceived. And what dignity is there in death? As a human race, we are condemned to death because of our sin, and we all share the consequences of sin in death. Death is the ugly physical reflection of our spiritual sin.
God gave us His standard for life in Chapter Two of Genesis:
7 The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.There has been a lot of talk about "persistent vegetative states" and chances for recovery and so on. When it comes to the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, it matters little whether or not she has the capacity to improve so long as the breath of life is in her. She breathes without the aid of a machine. No one would want to be in that condition; finding ourselves in such a state, many of us probably would want to die. But this is not a choice we can make. It may seem cruel to resign someone to a fate like this for the rest of their lives. That is the logical conclusion made by the humanists and secularists. What is missing in their considerations are God's Will and God's Glory.
It is worse, though, when believers arrive at the same conclusion as the humanists. Abraham proved his true faith when he agreed to sacrifice his son Isaac for the Lord (cf. Genesis 22). God stopped him, of course. It was a a test. Abraham's faith in God was stronger than his faith in humanity. Faith is tested when the Godly thing to do diverges from the humane thing to do.
The Bible clearly states that mankind's sense of righteousness (humanism) is compromised and delusional:
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12)It would be easy to hate Michael Schiavo and the tyrannical judges who've ignored even reasonable injunctions to give this case more time for legal deliberation. But this is a systemic problem, reflecting broad cultural changes. Humanism is the religion of the day, and its dogma is pervasive. The judges only believe what is now generally accepted. In much of the Western world, the secularists have succeeded in driving Bible-based Christianity away from the public forum. The only Christianity given uncritical acceptance by secular media today is the kind that says God does not get involved in "personal matters" and that God changes and evolves with the times.
All our righteous acts are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)
In the last few days, there have been calls from Christian quarters for Florida governor Jeb Bush to save Terri Schiavo's life in defiance of court orders and at the risk of losing his position of power. (Alan Keyes has written a comprehensive breakdown of legal scenarios in this case.) This is where America is today. To take action, Godly action, is to now increasingly find oneself at odds with not only the state but even public sentiment (judging from the less-than-objective media polls).
There is a backlash brewing towards Bible-believing Christians in the wake of the Presidential election and the Terri Schiavo case. The secular media is hoping to capitalize on the moment by manipulating an apathetic public whose conscience has been dimmed by materialism and humanism. There are more and more stories in the media warning how out of touch "fundamentalist/right-wing" Christians are from "regular" Christians. Believers find themselves standing idly by as society quickly grows antagonistic towards them. We end up countering (defensively) that we don't know everything and feel compromised by our weaknesses and doubts. Wasn't Paul? Yet we must submit to God these weaknesses and doubts if we are to act upon conviction.
Meanwhile, America is throwing away its Christian foundations with near wild abandon. Darker chapters lie ahead.
Also:
America the Beautiful? Part 2
America the Beautiful?
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