November, 2020 – A Forgotten 400th Anniversary

The 102 Mayflower passengers occupied the Gun Deck portion of the ship for the harrowing 10-week journey (less than 4 hours today on a nonstop flight).

The Mayflower arrived on November 21, 1620.

Much is said pro and con about the aftermath of that arrival. We must not forget the travail of natives as Europeans arrived. But this should not erase the positives.

Arriving in November, they had to survive unprepared through a harsh winter. As a result, only half of the original Pilgrims survived the first winter at Plymouth. Without the help of local Indigenous peoples to teach them food gathering and other survival skills, all of the colonists may have perished. The following year, they celebrated the colony’s first fall harvest along with the Indigenous people, which centuries later was declared the first Thanksgiving Day. (Wikipedia)

The Pilgrims were religious dissidents who yearned for religious liberty and the chance to form their own spiritual community in the New World. What appears to be exclusivity and bigotry to some today made good sense then. If you didn’t like the way of life in their version of a good society, you were free to go to another colony. Only at the federal level would an official state religion be forbidden in the United States (1st Amendment). *

Before disembarking at Cape Cod, 41 men put their signatures on “The Mayflower Compact,” a document intended to govern life in the New World.
The compact was distinctly monarchist, stating their loyalty to King James. The Pilgrim’s purpose was clear: to advance the Christian Faith. The signers promised allegiance to the government of the new colony as it established good order and just and equal laws for the general good of the colony.

The Mayflower Compact is one of our nation’s foundational documents.
“It was the foundation of liberty based on law and order, and that tradition has been steadily upheld. They drew up a form of government which has been designated as the first real constitution of modern times.” – Calvin Coolidge

We must neither deify the Mayflower party nor sugarcoat the issues brought by the arrival of Europeans. We should not grasp this or that historical event as the defining moment of America nor ignore what was positive or negative.

Some settlers saw America as a “New Israel” and tried to live accordingly. For all who lean that way, here is a verse to ponder: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34 NIV)

* The courts now consider the First Amendment as binding on the states as well as the federal government.

Narratives of the “Herods” for Christmastime

Herod the Great – No Room for God’s Son

“Better to be Herod’s pig than his son,” said Herod’s friend Augustus Caesar. The pig was safer.

Herod the Great, whose kingship over the Jews was due to the good grace of the Roman Senate, was known for his ruthlessness as well as his largesse. One of his many great projects was the renovation of Jerusalem’s Temple. But he also slew many in his own family including one of his wives, Mariamne.

This Herod ruled for 37 years. Readers of the Bible meet him in the Gospel of Matthew, when the Magi approach him with the question, “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:3).

Not a man known for tolerance, Herod tried to trick the Magi. “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him” (2:8).

The Magi found the Christ Child in Bethlehem. They bowed before him in worship and presented him gifts. But after being warned by an angel, they returned home without returning to Herod. *

Realizing he was “had,” Herod furiously ordered the death of all the Jewish boys in Bethlehem ages two and under—another account to add to history’s long list of atrocities against the Jewish people. ** Jesus’ family fled to Egypt.

Herod died shortly thereafter. Joseph and Mary and Jesus immigrated back to Israel from the relative safety of Egypt. Fearful of Herod’s son Archelaus who now reigned in Herod’s stead in Judea, Joseph settled his family in Galilee.

Herod the Great against Jesus—He reminds us that the world often has no tolerance for Jesus—not for his teachings, not for his people, not for him.

* Here we have another New Testament instance of Civil Disobedience. I previously wrote of the Apostle Paul’s civil disobedience (see the two-part series on Civil Disobedience in my 2020 September and October newsletters). The Magi obeyed “higher” authority when it conflicted with the “lower authority” of Herod.

** While this account has not been verified in any secular histories, it is totally consistent with Herod’s ruthless and paranoid disposition. Josephus writes about Herod: “Antiquities of the Jews” Book 14, Chapters 9-33; “Wars of the Jews” Book 1.

Herod the Tetrarch – No Room for God’s Law

The next “Herod” we meet in the Gospels is “Herod the Tetrarch,” one of Herod the Great’s many sons. Also known as “Herod Antipas,” he ruled Galilee for over forty years, till A.D. 39.

The House of Herod would make quite a soap opera series today, with its many intrigues. Antipas divorced his wife so he could marry Herodias, wife of his brother, Herod II (Philip). Josephus put it this way: “Herodias took upon her to confound the laws of our country, and divorced herself from her husband while he was alive, and was married to Herod Antipas.” *

Enter a strange prophet, the forerunner to Jesus whom we call “John the Baptist.” He denounced Herod with “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). **

John “spoke truth to power” (to use a tattered phrase), so Herod jailed him and wanted to kill him. Irony of ironies, Herod knew in his heart John was a righteous man and liked to hear him speak. Herod is thus a type of many a person who knows truth when he hears it and rectitude when he sees it. But when conviction strikes the heart he wants to “kill the messenger.”

Read the dreadful story of how John was executed as a birthday gift to Herodias’ daughter (Mark 6:17-29)!

We meet Herod the Tetrarch one more time, when the Governor, Pontius Pilate, sent Jesus to stand before him. Herod was delighted, for he had heard about Jesus and hoped Jesus would perform a miracle for him. ***

But Jesus does not cast his pearls before swine. So Herod ridiculed and mocked him and sent him back to Pilate, who soon thereafter ordered Jesus’ crucifixion (Luke 23:1-12).

Herod the Tetrarch—against God’s Law and against Jesus. He reminds us that the Word of God cuts us to the heart and exposes our evil thoughts and deeds. He also reminds us that we can’t have Jesus on our own terms.

* Again, Josephus is our source: “Antiquities of the Jews” Book 18, Chapter 5. John the Baptist was popular with the Jewish people and many regarded the later destruction of Herod’s army as punishment from God for killing John (18:5:2).

** Herod broke the Law of Moses: the 7th and 10th commandments plus Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21 against sexual relations with, and marriage to, a brother’s wife.

*** For an amazing depiction of this scene complete with ragtime piano, see Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” (1970).
“Prove to me that you’re divine. Change my water into wine!”
“Prove to me that you’re no fool. Walk across my swimming pool!”

Herod Agrippa – No Room for God’s Glory

There is one more story about a “Herod.” Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great, who had actually killed his own son, Agrippa’s father.

Herod Agrippa’s political rise was due to his good “connections” with Rome. When his childhood friend Claudius became emperor, Agrippa became ruler over all of Judea and Samaria.

But only for three years. In the Book of Acts, chapter 12 we learn that the first apostle to be martyred, James the brother of John, was killed at Agrippa’s hand. Crowd-pleaser he, he also imprisoned the Apostle Peter with plans to execute him as well. But God’s angel released Peter, who then visited the believers who had earnestly prayed for him and quickly left town.

Shortly thereafter, Herod went to the seaside city of Caesarea. The people there sought an audience with him. Apparently (politicians, take note!) Herod let the fawning and flattery of the crowd go to his head:

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:21-23)

If we’re skeptical of the biblical account, once again Josephus comes to our aid:

The king did not rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery… A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner… And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age…

The crowd that had flattered him then celebrated with feasting and garlands, ointments and libations, “drinking to one another for joy that the king had expired” (“Antiquities of the Jews” Book 19, Chapter 9).

Beware of flatterers!

Herod Agrippa – Crowd-pleaser and unprincipled Man of Pride. He is a type of all, politicians and preachers especially, who think more highly of themselves than they ought to think; who use their position for their own aggrandizement and not for the praise and honor of God; and who forget they stand by God’s appointment alone and that God is able to humble all who are full of themselves.

A Christmas Carol

Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in greatest humility.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.
– E. S. Elliot (1864)

“Take-Aways” from the Recent Election

Which statement is true?

“Joe Biden, the President-elect, got more votes than any other candidate in history!”

“Donald Trump, the President-elect’s opponent, got more votes than any other opponent in history!”

Of course both are true, and we should not think of one without the other.

Now, the election of Lyndon B. Johnson over Barry Goldwater in 1964 was something else! Johnson won the popular vote by 22.6%! The largest proportion of the popular vote since 1820.

Johnson carried 45 states for 486 electoral votes. Goldwater carried six states (his own Arizona and five Deep South states) for 52 electoral votes. (Ronald Reagan holds the prize on electoral votes: 525 to 13 for Walter Mondale.)

And Johnson had coattails! Two Democrats were added to the Senate, thirty-seven Democrats were added to the House of Representatives. Both houses of Congress had “supermajorities” of Democrats (as if it mattered). Lyndon Johnson began his full term almost with a blank check from Congress.

In the 2020 election, Joe Biden won the popular vote 52.1% to 47.2% and will win the electoral vote when it is cast on December 14. But he did not have coattails. Republicans gained five [?] seats in the House and (pending a special election in Georgia) will have 50 to 52 seats in the Senate (loss of one or two or three). Republicans will control the Senate unless they lose three seats.

Take-Away #1 – Democracy Worked!!!

“Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect, but we never had to put a wall up to keep our people in.” – John F. Kennedy (Berlin, 1963)

Flaws aplenty were exposed in this year’s election process. We should commit to mending our system (see below) while appreciating it. After all, the United States is one of the world’s longest democratic traditions. Preserve it!

Take-Away #2 – The Outcome was neither a Mandate nor a Strong Message.

The nation as a whole supported a balance of power between Congress and the White House, assuming the Republicans retain their Senate majority. Regardless, the election does not show or signal a dramatic political shift.
If anything it moves the political dial more to the middle, not to the left.

Take-Away #3 – News Coverage was Slanted and it often mixed Reporting and Commentary.

News reporting (both print and electronic) has more and more compromised the “wall” between factual reporting and editorial commentary. Just read and watch the news with this reality in mind and you’ll see!

The Washington Post’s late on-line edition for November 7 said: “Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was elected the nation’s 46th president Saturday in a repudiation of President Trump powered by legions of women and minority voters who rejected his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his divisive, bullying conduct in office.” Sounds like a huge landslide to me!

But Mr. Biden wasn’t “elected” on that Saturday (the news media are not a priesthood that anoints winners). More to the point, the close election was not a “repudiation” by “legions of women and minority voters.” That and “divisive bullying” belong in the commentary section.

TV news reporting of the campaigns was the same. The network news I’ve watched loyally for 35 years often mixed editorializing with reporting.
To see how the press slants the news, compare how the NY Times on page one (below left) depicted Mr. Trump’s choice of Mike Pence as his running mate in 2016 (lower half of right column—a man “out of sync with his times”) to Mr. Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris in 2020 (entire front page):

Take-away #4 – A Major Assessment of the Voting Process is a MUST.

“No! No! No! No!”
That was my reaction when I went to vote in 2018. I was told I had already voted in advance of Election Day! It said so right beside my name on the signature sheet. I guess my protest to the contrary was convincing. I was given a provisional ballot. Sometime later I got a letter stating my provisional votes had been accepted. But who voted and what happened?

Jesus once gave an illustration on the importance of “counting the cost” of following him (Luke 14:28-30):

…which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.”
Wise advice. Don’t set in motion something big and important until you are sure the process will work and you will achieve your goal. Remember the chaotic rollout of “Obamacare”?

Let’s give Jesus another illustration to use: “Which of you, desiring to hold an election, would do so unless you have taken all the safeguards needed to ensure that it will be accurate and honest and timely in its results? Otherwise, when people learn of the problems, will they not mock the process and doubt its conclusions?”

Mail-in ballots were the big rollout for this election. Absentee ballots are necessary. But they are the “weakest link” in the chain of election integrity, when it comes to ensuring that the votes were truly cast by the person whose name is printed on the return form. Absentee ballots should be the back-up exception, not the primary way to vote.

The process of voting should move with reasonable dispatch and as few foul-ups as possible. This includes eliminating long lines for those voting in person and efficient, accurate calculation of results. Election observers from both major political parties should be able to view the tabulation process in a satisfactory manner without interfering or themselves being interfered with.

I remain skeptical of the safety of free-standing ballot drop-off points. I oppose “ballot harvesting” and attaching the word “official” to non-official drop-off boxes, as one party did in Southern California. Collecting ballots at places of worship is questionable, both for accuracy and for wisdom’s sake.

I’m not hereby impugning anyone’s motives. But the heavy reliance on absentee votes and the overall count process need thorough review before the next major election (2022).

“We aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man” (2 Corinthians 8:21) remains wise practice both for handling church money (the context) and processing elections.

Take-Away #5 – “Federalism” continues to be much better for our Country than Centralization of Power in Washington.

I once thought the Electoral College was a useless relic. It is not. It is one way to keep power diffused throughout the states. We have never elected a president by a nation-wide popular vote. Our system of government seeks to keep power limited in Washington and have it spread throughout the states. The Bill of Rights was intended (in part) to secure this. See especially the first, second, ninth and tenth amendments.

It would be wrong to eliminate the Electoral College. It would be unwise for a state to give all its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote (thus diluting that state’s own election statement). I would much more prefer the model followed by Maine and Nebraska: whoever wins a congressional district picks up an electoral vote, and whoever wins the state’s entire vote picks up two additional votes (electoral votes are one per district plus two for the whole state, similar to representatives and senators in Congress—see Article 2, Section 1 (2) in the U.S. Constitution). One benefit for California: the state wouldn’t be ignored during presidential campaigns.

Our nation has almost a 250-year heritage of governance secured by:
• The Five Freedoms: Religion, the Press, Speech, Assembly, Right to Petition the Government
• Separation of Power (“Packing” the Supreme Court would make it an appendage of the Senate and White House)
• Limited Federal Government (with enumerated powers only)
• Federalism: Power to the States and to the People
• Maximum freedom for citizens and private institutions to make choices and determine how they will live and function, consistent with the rights of others and the causes of justice

Back the Badge

“Blessed are those who
maintain justice.” – Psalm 106:3