TRUST: In God We Should!

BRIDGES OVER TROUBLED WATERS! [James 3:1; other topics - Ethics, fidelity, fiduciary honor]

May 26, 2002, was a beautiful Oklahoma morning, the sun rising in the East as his 18-wheeler ascended the rise to the bridge spanning the Arkansas River. At 60 mph, there just was not enough time to react as he realized the bridge was gone.

In the words of an eyewitness, “It was just like watching one of those movies where the truck is just hanging there in the air.” That was before it plunged into the maw of the bridge collapse.

What happened? For some reason a barge captain lost control of his fully loaded barges, allowing them to drift into the dual concrete supports under the Western end of the bridge. Without warning, the bridge groaned and fell to the water some forty feet below. The 18-wheeler and its driver disappeared into the depth.

An obvious parallel exists with Adam’s failure in the Garden of Eden, but I see a more contemporary analogy.

Everyday, all day, the citizens of this “third rock from the sun,” cross bridges spanning the common dangers of life. At any moment, a vessel traveling beneath one of those bridges could veer out of control and destroy the supports they take for granted.

For example: a disease might smash a column out from under one of life’s travelers; an accident might swerve into a support pillar on another of life’s voyagers, perhaps causing the loss of a loved one; or unemployment might yank the entire support structure out from under a whole family of life-trekkers.

However, these are random, unintentional events. If, as some suggest, the barge captain failed in his fiduciary responsibilities, that’s a horse of another color.

Unfortunately, we have amongst us, in the spiritual community, those whose intentional behaviors and philosophies are not only dangerous but are abject violations of community or public trust.

We have godless theologies (Unitarians), materialistic spiritual communities (Binny Hinn, "name-it, claim-it"), murdering pro-lifers, insurgent supporting organizations (NCC), subversive doctrine (Liberation Theology), pedophilic youth pastors, predatory priests, shepherd abusing sheep, adulterous pastors, and Enron-like denominational leaders (Arizona Baptist Foundation).

These perpetrators of wrong are not only wrecking havoc on the bridges of life but are destroying the foundations of the ages, bringing down the Bridge of Life, which leads to eternal life. God help us!

Godliness

We are told that in many places in Indonesia, the tidal wave from the Christmas earthquake of 2004 off the coast of Sumatra came as a wall of water 30-50 feet high is many places.

Most people simply drowned; but witnesses are saying that a large number of them were battered to death or were cut to ribbons by the debris caught up in the water.

The godless forces of this age have become like a wall of water, climbing high over our heads. The debris they pick up on their rush to overwhelm us is battering the best parts of our existence and slicing the remainder into scrapes.

Lifestyles which allow no room for the elderly have fueled the “physician assisted suicide” movement. Lifestyles which allow no room for the inconvenience of children have fueled baby murders by the millions. Lifestyles which allow no room for personal responsibility have fueled the drug and pornography industries, leading to the ruin of countless thousands of lives.

What is going on here? No one person has the definitive answer but research is pointing back to the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution; where the questioning of God and life began, and where people began to look for salves for the guilt associated with their new wealth, toys, and lack of concern for others.

The former questioned the value of any non-humanistic philosophy, man became man’s new god; the latter fed the hubris and greed of man, leading to class distinctions along the lines of intellect and wealth.

One philosophy says, “If you can’t keep up, it must be your fault.” The other says, “If you’re poor or sick it isn’t our fault, we’ve worked hard for what we have. And no, you can’t have any of ours.”

Without Christianity interceding at every juncture the slaughter of “the least of these” would be worse than it is … you see, the destination of godlessness is human perfection, an unreachable objective.

The Caesars, the Hitlers, the Pol Pots, the Idi Amins, the Mao Zedongs, and our Islamo-fascists have revealed their "solution" for man’s problems, death to all who will not submit and serve their altar death.