Go figure. Could it be more than just a coincidence? Why, just last week we were discussing Vanity Fair’s article that disparaged both Christ and Christianity. Yet, this week we find that the entire issue of Mother Jones magazine is dedicated to covering “Where [the editors of Mother Jones apparently think] the Christian Right is Leading Us.” A sampling of the subjects listed on their cover includes:
Our Godless Constitution – “No matter what the religious right says, the Founding Fathers purposely left God out of the Constitution.”
Radio Stations of the Cross – “In the beginning, the creators of Salem Communications set out to found some Christian radio stations. Oh, what they have begat.”
Antigay Inquisition – "For a thousand years the Catholic Church has been a refuge for gay men. Now Pope Benedict hopes to ‘purify’ his priesthood.”
Before running out for a copy, however, I warn you – please, exercise caution. This publication could leave you with the possibly mistaken impression that the magazine’s editors believe a majority (of “normal” people) in our society think that everything that Christians say, do or think is weird, if not actually a dangerous threat to our culture’s scientific advancement, rational thought, spiritual well-being and economic welfare.
But, wait a minute. Is it possible I have evaluated their motives wrongly? Could it be that in fact it is their ultimate purpose to cast aspersions upon Christ, Christians and Christianity? No! Surely not … well … Okay, it is a remote possibility I suppose. So … in an abundance of caution (lest Christians be thought of as being less than open-minded) perhaps we should take a moment to contemplate the implications of this gross improbability.
First, if such secular hostility to the teachings of Christianity were to take root in our society, logic suggests to me it could eventually lead to the persecution of Christians. But wait a minute. Didn’t Christ himself say that just such times would precede His return? Specifically, He said that in those days people throughout the world would grow to hate Christians to the point that they would not only persecute them, but would kill them on account of His name. However, even I must admit that, without more, it’s a stretch to say that those are the days we are living in. So let’s see if there exists any other evidence that might corroborate it.
Other events mentioned by Christ that would occur immediately prior to his return include: the existence of wars and rumors of wars; the occurrence of nations rising up against other nations; and the spread of pestilence, famines and earthquakes in diverse places around the world. Well? So far so good? Doesn’t that at least sound interestingly descriptive of events we find ourselves witnessing today? Then, add to that, Isaiah’s prophecy (delivered with some degree of incredulity I might add) that in those same days the nation of Israel would be reborn in a single day … sort of similar to the way the U.N. created the present day nation of Israel in 1948 in a single day perhaps. Coincidence? Maybe, but first we might want to consider also the descriptions of the same events found in Chapter 37 of Ezekiel, or better yet, the one found in Chapter 9 of Amos where he prophesied, ‘“I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat fruit, and they will never again be rooted out from their land.’ Says the Lord your God.” (MEMO TO IRAN: please read the last clause very carefully one more time.)
For now, trust me … these passages are but representative of many others found throughout the Bible validating the thought that we could be living in those times. For our purposes, however, perhaps those given will be sufficient to lend credence to the possibility. And if so, we would be remiss to not mention expressly at least one other – that is Christ’s warning to those who would be alive when they actually did commence – they are instructed to be both alert and prepared because that generation will not pass away until all of the events prophesied, including Christ’s return, have occurred.
I admit … the foregoing probably does seem weird to anyone who doesn’t believe in a God; much less that Jesus Christ was His son. Thus, I concede that, to those who have chosen to view both the world and their existence from that perspective, even if it is true that Mother Jones is hammering Christianity, it really is for them probably a matter of little significance. For them, the editors are merely affirming what they already believe to be a valid point of view: Christians are weird. Before committing oneself to join their ranks, however, one might first want to investigate just a few additional Old Testament passages, like Chapter 53 of Isaiah and the 22nd Psalm that seem to describe with chilling accuracy the prophesied Christ. At least then those with such inquiring minds may have reason to at least question in the future whether or not it’s a good thing when others rebuke, ridicule and revile Christ, Christians and Christianity. Who knows? Eventually, they might even find themselves asking, “Could we be living in the end-times generation about which Christ spoke?” And, why might that be important? Because, if it is that generation and if Christ is who He said He was, one thing is certain: we will not have long to wait before we are given a most definitive answer. If Christians are wrong, the good news is that nobody stands to lose very much. However, if Mother Jones’ position is wrong, many who may be misled by them will have a lot to lose, and perhaps for eternity. Now, might that be something worth pondering this Christmas? If so, maybe now… as we scurry about doing our Christmas shopping … would be a good time to “go figure”.
© 2005 Clifford C. Nichols, Esq.
Cliff Nichols is an attorney practicing criminal defense/entertainment law in Santa Monica, California. He may be contacted regarding this editorial at either (310) 917-1083, cliff@cliffnicholslaw.com or www.cliffnicholslaw.com and you may join his blog at www.thedailystand.com
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