58: From the Frying Pan into the Fire

Like golf, where you call penalties on yourself, capitalism is partly self–reglementing, but with the abandonment of Christian morals in the West, the free enterprise system has fallen into disrepute. The only real savior is Jesus and a spiritual revival, but many now turn to pagan spirituality where there is no conscience, and to a socio–political program of multi–faiths, multi–cultures, multi–sex and multi–government (socialism). This is like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. A case in point.

Relief: I write in the departure lounge of the Airport of the border town of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where I was obliged to spend one night. I am relieved at leaving a growing police state for the freedom of my adopted country, the USA. My sleep was fitful because two weeks ago, in a hotel on the same seedy block as mine, henchmen of Evo Morales, the new President, broke in and murdered three Europeans in their beds on suspicion of fomenting terrorism—and me with my British passport, having been on national television just a few days before, not exactly under the radar! Though his noble goal is the elimination of right wing, deeply embedded corruption and privilege, and the bringing of social justice to the poor, Morales may be the first Western head of state, democratically elected, raised a Catholic, who recently declared himself an atheist Marxist before the United Nations, and the night before his official taking of power, was inducted into his office by a powerful group of shaman/witch doctors, who now serve as an informal shadow cabinet. These shamans are associated with a holy place near La Paz where humans can become gods and with the esoteric knowledge thus derived can finally end poverty and realize a this–worldly utopia. The politics of Morales has deep anti–Christian religious connections.

For centuries no one batted an eye at the blending of civil and spiritual power, when, for centuries, the English monarch was coronated by the Christian Archbishop of England. It is still “normal” for the president of the United States to place his hand on the Bible, in effect, swearing that he will obey the constitution in accord with the principles of Scripture—but shamans? Is this the new normal? How our cultures are changing in different though strangely similar ways.

The next king of England, Prince Charles, has announced that he will be “defender of faiths” not the classic “Defender of The [Christian] Faith.” The Obama cabinet is made up of people intensely opposed to the Bible’s worldview, so tax dollars were immediately liberated to fund abortions world wide. Such a tendency appears now, in South American Technicolor: Morales’ stated goal is the officialization of ancient Andean spirit worship as the true religion of the Bolivian people. He plans to take over totalitarian control of three branches of government, and yesterday made known, by simple decree, his right to accuse and arrest, without due process, anyone he considers guilty of his definition of anti–government activity. My European hotel neighbors of two weeks ago got a first taste of what that can mean! The frying pan looks a lot more comfortable than that fire–power Morales appears ready to use.

Thanksgiving: My experience in Bolivia has been most useful. Things have become a lot clearer in my mind, having seen firsthand where a commitment to pagan monism, when left unhindered, can very well lead to this worldly totalitarianism—in the name of justice and freedom, (always the inspiration behind Marxism). It was also a great privilege to teach a group of Bolivian pastors the essential nature of paganism (One–ness) over against the Two–ness of God’s truth, revealed in Scripture. To do it I had to invent two new Spanish words, “Un–ismo” and “Dos–ismo,” but they got it, with great enthusiasm! It was sobering, however, to teach servants of God who are seriously asking about the limits of Romans 13 and the need to submit to the magistrate, and if and when that does not apply, as well as consciously preparing for suffering. On Sunday, I preached in a church called Horeb, so I gave a sermon “From Carmel to Horeb to Calvary,” where I showed Elijah’s courage against the paganism of Baalism (which is another version of that Andean Nature religion), his subsequent depression at the continuation of evil and his restoration through his return to the basics, Horeb/Sinai, which finally leads him to Jesus on another Mount of Transfiguration who is on his way to Calvary. At the end, one of those stooped little Andean ladies with flowing skirts and a bowler hat stuck right on top of her head shook my hand and planted a kiss on my cheek. The pastor told me that such a gesture was quite atypical of those indigenous people and demonstrated the power of Jesus in someone, who, according to Morales, should be worshiping shamans!

Hallelujah!