Friday, July 04, 2008

Happy 4th

I doubt I'll be posting any of my in process book reviews today, although I started one on Horbury yesterday. But Happy 4th of July all the same. For all my lover's quarrel with the state of the union, I am quite proud of this grand experiment in democracy.

1. The social contract of the 1700's was a brilliant model for a society. So many things flow from it--freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom to do just about anything that doesn't impinge on the rights of others.

2. Representational government with appropriate checks and balances. The exact formula shifts a bit from time to time and from administration to adminstration, but even Bush can't pull a Mugabe here to stay in office.

3. Our pragmatist, entrepenureal flavor. Get 'er done. We're of course becoming lazy but perhaps there is still hope.

4. We're big. No one deserves it, but it sure is nice to have the biggest muscles on the block. You worry less.

Just a few thoughts. What do you like about the U. S. of A?
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5 comments:

Angie Van De Merwe said...

Happy 4th to you too!
I'm starting a book "Infidel" about the woman who escaped a Muslim background to get her bachelor's in the Netherlands and situate herself in the Parliment there, only to have her citzenship taken away due to a lie on her application. The human spirit desires freedom above all and some don't even realize the slavery that they are in until they are free! So, freedom for me is the epitome of "the image of God". But, just as we believe (by faith) God cannot do what is outside of character, hopefully, we cannot either. At least, that should be a goal for all of us.

9:37 AM
Keith Drury said...

I'm in...

However I sometimes wonder if I had lived in 1770s where I would have stood. I might have sided with John Wesley against the revolution. I might have not adopted so easily the "liberalism" and the freedom ideas of John Locke along with the new ideas from France...

As it turned out Americans may have have a slight bit more "freedom" than we would have if we had stayed with our parents-England--at least we did get the freedom from a stupid leader George III. Now we have the right to elect our own leaders... some have been wiser then England's and some have been stupider.

But I do not overlook the fact that England essentially banished homeland slavery by 1772 and "freedom" to hold slaves is not a freedom I admire.

But the taxation imposed by England "without representation" certainly invited the grown-up-kid to move out... so we did. And now the kid is bigger than the parents, though not always as well-behaved.

Si "I'm in" but m,ore so in for what we have become than I may have been on how we left home.

ON THE OTHER HAND...if I had been in England at the time and not America I think I would have been on the other side--"either give them representation or let them go.

Maybe I just tend to be on the other side wherever I live?

Now to go eat hamburgers and watch fireworks we are no longer have the "liberty" to purchase ;-)

12:18 PM
Anonymous said...

I am glad for freedom of religion and speech which we possess as part of the first amendment. My commitments are to God(Father,Son,and Holy Spirit, my wife and extended family and then to the United States. I believe that the revolution in the United States was not a just war except that as a result of the revolution slaves who were freed in the north(and some were manumitted in the South). The British treated the colonies stupidly and there were bad laws enacted. However incompetence and poor laws do not justify violence by Christians in the colonies. Britain ended the slave trade in 1807 and slavery throughtout the Empire in 1833 without a Civil War that took 620,000 lives as in our Civil War.I think that world war two(to protect our country and stop genocide) and the Civil war(to end slavery) were just. I believe that we would have freedoms similar to Australia and Canada even without the revolution.
We have been a generous country towards others but have tended in the post world war two period to use military might too readily. We need to protect our country from attack, follow the Spirit and Christ as our advocate with the Father and evangelize those outside Christ and disciple Christians within our churches(including of course all sinners like this Wesleyan from Wisconsin).
All of us as Christians must also help the poor and those who have lost employment through technological changes or as a result of economic decline and trade. Protectionism will not work. Competition is ruthless but we can compete if we have excellent education at all levels, encourage immigration where necessary to attract scientific talent, and have family friendly tax policies. We will need to sacrifice as Americans by both paying higher taxes and cutting spending to gradually eliminate and control deficits. I consider myself an Abraham Lincoln Republican.
John Gardner
Onalaska Wisconsin

2:44 PM
Scott D. Hendricks said...

Thanks for this Post, Dr. Schenck. Yes, there are several aspects of our country for which we can be thankful. I appreciate the at least hypothetical notion that we are an immigrant nation (failing to mention wiping out native americans, ick). I respect this a lot. I just hope we don't screw this up with our illegal immigrants right now.

In school we used to pledge allegiance to the flag, but I don't anymore, especially after reading Yoder and Hauerwas, a good dose of Mennonite theology will do this to you. Watching a celebration on TV last night, and everybody singing "America! America! America!" sounded an awful lot like people praising the salvation of the Roman empire, of which I am of course wary due to Revelation. I don't know how much of a parallel we can safely draw between America and Rome, but we must of course recognize that God's kingdom and the church are the hope of the world, not liberal democracy.

America, America, God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. America, America, may God thy gold refine, till all success be nobleness and every gain divine.

7:34 AM
Angie Van De Merwe said...

Have you heard of "Communitarianism"? It is a social/political movement. The center is at George Washington University. I find it interesting...

1:15 PM

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