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AFA ActivismAction Alert - May 25, 2001The Blood of Veterans and MartyrsJohn Quincy Adams once said, "you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you make good use of it." Sadly, many Americans have not.
To: AFA Alert Team From: Dr. Donald E. Wildmon along with staff and management of American Family Association and American Family Radio. Have a blessed Memorial Day Celebration! The Blood of Veterans and Martyrs by Rev. R.J. Rooney, Jr. Verona United Methodist Church Sacrifice is the theme of Memorial Day. The sacrifice of individuals. The sacrifice of families. The sacrifice of communities. The sacrifice of a nation. Memorial Day is a time when America's war dead remind us of the price for freedom. John Quincy Adams once said, "you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your reedom. I hope you make good use of it." Sadly, many Americans have not. There are many today who propose that our war dead paid the ultimate price so that they could do anything their minds could imagine under the rubric of "freedom." To them "free speech" means the right to view and distribute obscenity to adults or children. It means the right to burn and/or desecrate the flag of our nation. It means the right to level unsubstantiated and incoherent claims against one's ideological opponents with impunity. Allegations of sexism or racism are all that is needed to destroy reputations today and ruin lives. No evidence or proof is required. Any kind of insistence for or requirement of personal or corporate responsibility is met with cries of "intolerance" or "censorship!" This is what our war dead sacrificed their lives for? So that any reference to God in general and Christianity in particular in government or education could be deemed "unconstitutional"? Did they die on distant battlefields or go to watery graves so that Biblical teachings concerning the sin of homosexuality could be classified as "hate speech"? The question really is, "Did our war dead pay the supreme price so that any American could fulfill any lust or desire their hearts could imagine with the government's sanction and even blessing? I hardly think so. I think it is safe to say that our war dead gave their lives in defense of their loved ones. They died because their sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, and those they loved were being threatened with subjugation, tyranny, and even death. Whether it was the Redcoats, the Axis powers, or the Viet Cong, battlefields and oceans were stained red with American blood to protect and defend the lives and livelihoods of our loved ones. Only the grossest misrepresentations of facts can suggest that our beloved war dead gave up life itself so that people could have unfettered access to pornography, unrestricted abortions, and/or unlimited (no accountability or responsibility) "freedom". Our war dead deserve more credit than that. Of all people who should be able to understand, appreciate, and identify with the concept of Memorial Day the Church should be paramount. The Church has never been unopposed and unpersecuted. The privilege to worship God and acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as the world's Savior has been afforded us by the same heavy price as our war dead. Untold millions have sacrificed their lives because they refused to disavow Jesus as Lord or sit idly by while superstition, false religions, and anti-Christian world views (such as communism) ushered the ignorant and indoctrinated into the bowels of hell. Christians have been fed to lions, burned at the stake, and murdered in cold blood for their devotion to Jesus Christ for centuries. Like those Americans who fail to comprehend why their war dead paid the supreme price so too, many in churches today fail to appreciate and understand why the martyrs gave their lives in defending their faith or in propagating the Gospel. Was Peter crucified upside down so that Church leaders could declare homosexuality an "orientation" rather than a sin? Was Paul decapitated so that Church doctrine could be modified to reflect a more moderate spirit of inclusivity and ecumenical sensitivity regarding the means to salvation? Did all those listed in "Fox's Book of Martyrs" give up their lives so that Christ could be proclaimed as one of the many ways God has afforded mankind to attain eternal life and happiness? I think not. Christian martyrs gave their bodies to the crosses, their heads to the executioners, and flesh to the fires of hatred and bigotry because they knew in their hearts that Jesus of Nazareth is the only way to be accepted by God. They believed in the Lordship of Christ and that His promise was true that those who would lose their lives for His sake would be rewarded with everlasting life. And how do many in the Church choose to honor the ultimate sacrifice by so many for their Savior? By condemning those who oppose ordaining homosexuals as ministers of God. By preaching a gospel of tolerance rather than repentance. By stigmatizing and thereby punishing those who are faithful to proclaim the truths of the Holy Bible that happen to be at odds with current societal mores or popular culture. The martyrs deserve better than this. For many Memorial Day has been trivialized and relegated to nothing more than a three day week-end. Time off from work and more time for recreational activities. What a shame the sacrifice of our war dead has been reduced to such insignificance. I think that all our dead veterans would want would be an acknowledgement of their sacrifice and a willingness for others to follow in their footsteps if and when the need and call arises. The Church's dilemma is similar. Many in the Church today would suggest that the martyrs were narrow-minded and insensitive to the cultures they sought to influence and ultimately change. They say that Christ was for peace and their heroes are the peacemakers and negotiators (the compromisers would be more accurate). They feel the role of the Church is to reflect society rather than transform it. I think all the martyrs would want is for the world to understand their sacrifice and the Church to acknowledge the legitimacy of it. Unfortunately, the world has yet to learn and many in the Church refuse to appreciate and uphold the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and the devotion to Him that each martyr was willing to express. Love is not about making people feel good or rest in comfort. It is about that which our nation's war dead and Christianity's martyrs have in common: sacrifice. May God continue to bless America on behalf of those who gave their lives for her. May God forgive the Church for not appreciating and appropriating the blood of the martyrs. Jesus Is Lord! ACTION NEEDEDPlease take time with family and friends over this Memorial Day weekend to reflect on the cost of freedom and our responisbility to defend and promote it.Resources: Send A Memorial Day E-Card Memorial Day History Arlington National Cemetery In Memory of Our Honored Dead Every Day Memorial Day Every Day Memorial Day DC City Pages: Memorial Day History Channel: Memorial Day Memorial Day At The Davis Virtual Market The National Memorial Day Concert
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