Is Bernie Madoff an American Hero?
Consider the facts! He battled against the tyrannical oppression of mindless over-regulation and exercised the very best of capitalist ideals. He bought low and sold high. He single-mindedly pursued the good of profit. He improved himself and the lifestyle of his family. He crushed the cause of socialism by bankrupting bleeding heart liberals who only existed to redistribute the wealth of the hard-working few to the undeserving many.
Well, perhaps not.
But tell me - when did hatred of government come to pass for patriotism? This past holiday, while many gave thanks for the forming of this nation, too many others gathered in protest of its very existence. Has our public education system failed so drastically that we no longer understand that one cannot be a nation without government? Do we no longer understand that the existence of a public body which regulates common life for the best good for the most people is the very definition of what the Declaration meant to accomplish when the founders signed it in 1776?
And do they not know that it is also a Godly thing that they defy?
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval … Romans 13:1,3
This is the Madoff question. If you suppose him to be an aberrance, one occasional quirk in the human gene pool, then you might argue that government is the enemy. But if you are clear-headed and honest and have even the slightest experience with people or familiarity with news headlines then you know that a tiny Madoff seed lives in each of us. Few of us climb to such dizzying heights of evil and carnage. Mostly of our bad is petty and pitiful, but bad nevertheless, and destructive for its own sake, and for the sake of the good of all, worthy of restraint.
Do we imagine that God does not know this? Do we grieve grace so much that we cannot accept the gift of government, to aid us in our struggle to uphold his vision of peace and justice? Do we doubt his redemption so much that we would rather allow evil free run than be put out in joining the battle to progress toward his kingdom, if only in small, insignificant steps?
What exactly are we protesting against?
You will remind me, of course, that it was a Declaration of Independence that they signed in Philadelphia that hot summer long ago. But independence of what? Of common humanity? Of mutual responsibility? Of society at all? It was taxation without representation they feared, not taxation at all, not shared sacrifice, not the very hard work of the grand vision of what could be accomplished when all humanity joined its one work.
The founders loved government. They loved it so much that they dared to imagine it embracing not just some the people, but all of them.
For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:6-7
America is so much - her people, her industriousness, her role in history, her works both good and bad. But it is the height of ignorance to suggest that we can be American without our government. Human institution, fragile, occasionally incompetent and far-too-often corrupt, yes, but the American government it is. There is none like it in the world. It is that institution that men and women have died for, and that we all should aspire to love.
And it is the birth of that government we celebrate. It is what it means to be an American.
Consider the facts! He battled against the tyrannical oppression of mindless over-regulation and exercised the very best of capitalist ideals. He bought low and sold high. He single-mindedly pursued the good of profit. He improved himself and the lifestyle of his family. He crushed the cause of socialism by bankrupting bleeding heart liberals who only existed to redistribute the wealth of the hard-working few to the undeserving many.
Well, perhaps not.
But tell me - when did hatred of government come to pass for patriotism? This past holiday, while many gave thanks for the forming of this nation, too many others gathered in protest of its very existence. Has our public education system failed so drastically that we no longer understand that one cannot be a nation without government? Do we no longer understand that the existence of a public body which regulates common life for the best good for the most people is the very definition of what the Declaration meant to accomplish when the founders signed it in 1776?
And do they not know that it is also a Godly thing that they defy?
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval … Romans 13:1,3
This is the Madoff question. If you suppose him to be an aberrance, one occasional quirk in the human gene pool, then you might argue that government is the enemy. But if you are clear-headed and honest and have even the slightest experience with people or familiarity with news headlines then you know that a tiny Madoff seed lives in each of us. Few of us climb to such dizzying heights of evil and carnage. Mostly of our bad is petty and pitiful, but bad nevertheless, and destructive for its own sake, and for the sake of the good of all, worthy of restraint.
Do we imagine that God does not know this? Do we grieve grace so much that we cannot accept the gift of government, to aid us in our struggle to uphold his vision of peace and justice? Do we doubt his redemption so much that we would rather allow evil free run than be put out in joining the battle to progress toward his kingdom, if only in small, insignificant steps?
What exactly are we protesting against?
You will remind me, of course, that it was a Declaration of Independence that they signed in Philadelphia that hot summer long ago. But independence of what? Of common humanity? Of mutual responsibility? Of society at all? It was taxation without representation they feared, not taxation at all, not shared sacrifice, not the very hard work of the grand vision of what could be accomplished when all humanity joined its one work.
The founders loved government. They loved it so much that they dared to imagine it embracing not just some the people, but all of them.
For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Romans 13:6-7
America is so much - her people, her industriousness, her role in history, her works both good and bad. But it is the height of ignorance to suggest that we can be American without our government. Human institution, fragile, occasionally incompetent and far-too-often corrupt, yes, but the American government it is. There is none like it in the world. It is that institution that men and women have died for, and that we all should aspire to love.
And it is the birth of that government we celebrate. It is what it means to be an American.
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