Ramon Arias | September 16, 2013
I am not amazed at the collective indignation of the politicians and their minions in the media and the intellectuals’ reaction to Putin’s statement published in an Op-Ed in the New York Times appealing to the American people not to allow the government to strike Syria. Putin criticized Obama’s message to the nation about the role the U.S. plays as the exceptional leader of the world, as misleading the public, reckless and dangerous.
You know Putin’s statements lit a fire, and believe it or not, Democrats, many Republicans, Christians and the dominant left were spewing rage against the ex-KGB powerful man for trashing the U.S. To make matters worse, Putin really poked the eye of pride by highly criticizing America’s military role in the world as being interventionist and using the excuse of defending her national interests. With scorn, he reminded the American people how bad they are viewed as pushing the democracy agenda by brute force. You can read Putin’s letter here.
It is not the first time the N.Y. Times writes about Putin. Peter Berger wrote on June 12, 2012 the article “Vladimir Putin, Defender of the Faith?” The Christian faith that is. Putin’s declaration of his Christian faith can be found all over You Tube. Do your research and make your own conclusions.
No one trusts Putin’s intentions for the world in spite of his Christian conversion to the Orthodox Christian faith and his constant calling for the defense of Christians persecuted in the Islamist nations of the Middle East [including Saudi Arabia]; which by the way, you very seldom hear any of our politicians call for the cease of criminal hostilities against Christian under persecution in these lands. It seems politicians are more than willing to fully support the same terrorists who kill, rape, torture, burn churches, oppress and chase Christians out of their dwellings. Is that Exceptionalism?
The majority of Americans claim the U.S. is more exceptional than other nations. The Rasmussen Report reveals 59% view it that way, while 27% disagree and 14% are not sure.1 Are we a divided nation? You bet we are!
Why are the humanists, secularists and atheists from the left, right and center uptight against Putin’s affirmation of America not being exceptional? Ever since the 19th century humanists have pursued their goal to fundamentally transform America and in the early 20th century they were making great progress in rewriting the original history of America, later on they took control of the public schools to teach children that America was not exceptional and taught them the evils of the Free Market. Their control of colleges and universities gave them a greater platform to drive their agenda into the minds of the future leaders of the nation. They now control most of the media outlets to constantly dupe the viewers with their godless worldview. Don’t you think they should be praising Putin for speaking to the whole world about the misguided conceived idea that America is not exceptional? Or, do they see Putin’s professed Christian faith as his defense of Christianity and the Free Market? If they do, why? Could it be because he has condemned the evils of the ex-Soviet empire and no nation should model after that cruel, despotic and murderous worldview in international and all kinds of forums? So, which is it?
Am I saying the Orthodox Eastern faith is the real thing? I’m surely not saying that because it was that same faith that dominated the Russian empire which gave birth to the Bolshevik revolution and gave the world communism.
American Exceptionalism can never be understood under the present cultural condition. Exceptionalism was born with the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620 whose original vision was tainted by others who brought the cruelty of slavery, condemned by God’s moral law, to this land. By 1730 the Great Awakening took place calling everyone to return to God’s moral law. Then the creation of the new concept of human government took place with no immediate solution to slavery and the nation was born under the flaws of compromise and since then many see the compromise of values as the norm. Can we call that Exceptionalism?
I do not deny the unmatched generosity of the American people to help other nations in times of great suffering. I also do not deny that the biblical foundation, as flawed as it has been, is the reason that has sustained the nation from collapsing in the past. However, that has been changing for over two hundred years.
If we do not review our understanding of what it means to be exceptional, not from man’s view but from God, we will continue to go down the road of national destruction. We can yell or be upset and curse Putin’s remarks made to the American people and the whole world but I guarantee it will change nothing.
Can a nation that kills the unborn in the millions simply because the law says it’s a woman’s right to do so be exceptional? Can it be exceptional when it redefines the main building block of marriage and family in a society? Can a nation be exceptional when it embraces the religion of evolution as a proven fact? Can a nation who was born with a biblical foundation but now persecutes Christians be exceptional? Can a nation be exceptional when it steals from the productive class through taxes to share the wealth with those who are enslaved and condemned to remain in poverty and always dependent on the “generosity” of the government? Can a nation be exceptional when pedophiles are free to roam looking for their next victims? Can a nation be exceptional when it destroys people’s wealth and enslaves future generations to pay for an exorbitant national debt? Can a nation be exceptional when it promotes immorality as the norm for living and lying is applauded? Can a nation be exceptional when millions of her citizens are drowning in drugs and alcohol? Please write your own list and ask yourself if all the ills America faces makes her exceptional.
Do not be offended by Putin’s remarks and say “ouch, that is not acceptable.” Rather, be offended by the collision course the nation is on. Putin’s Eastern Orthodox denomination is in trouble, but so are Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals. It is not a light matter when I repeat that we desperately need a Biblical Reformation. If we refuse to understand the times we live in and do not do what is biblically correct we have no one else to blame but ourselves of what is coming upon this nation and the world.
We would do well to learn a lesson from the prostitute Rahab who thousands of years ago transformed her life and became a heroine of the biblical faith by acknowledging who God is and what His people are supposed to do in the here and now:
“… For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11).
God who rules Supreme in heaven and earth is exceptional and His exceptional plan for all the nations will be done. God’s enemies must know and understand there are consequences for fighting the God of heaven and earth.