Socialized Medicine's Inevitable End: Physician Assisted Suicide

With the growing sentiment from the left side of the aisle in favor of "Medicare for all", one should look at other countries at how big brother run healthcare has a dark side. 

The Christian Post reported the following tragic story a couple of days ago,

"The family of a Canadian man says the government-run healthcare system failed their son who felt his only option was to die by physician-assisted suicide after his requests for home healthcare were denied. 
Forty-one-year-old Sean Tagert died on Aug. 6 after Vancouver Coastal Health, a publicly-funded healthcare provider, refused to cover the 24-hour in-home healthcare his doctor said he needed, the CBC reported earlier this month. The provider said it would cover 15 to 20 hours a day for care, but Tagert would be required to pay for the remaining hours at a cost of $7,905 a month, which he could not afford."

Mr. Tagert was suffering from ALS, and I know these patients will eventually require 24/7 care. Mr. Tagert had his home set up so that he would not have to be institutionalized someplace where staffing would not be able to provide for his comfort. Placement in an understaffed facility was the option his health plan offered.

Physician assisted suicide saved Canada time and money in this case, but at what cost?

Once you surrender medical ethics to a secular government, what will be next?

  

Who is coming to dinner?

This Sunday's lesson comes from Luke 14:7-14,

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’

 This is why we have assigned seating when we host a formal dinner party.

He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’

The 1986 film, "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" details the problems you might encounter with some of your guests.

Better to stick to inviting the poor in spirit, those whose faith has been broken, and those who are blind to Jesus and his saving grace. They aren't hard to find.

Shaky Faith: emotion based, uncritical, uneducated, and therapeutic

In a recent e-mail from the Colson Center, John Stonestreet writes about "A Failure of Faith Formation: What We Learn from Public Disavowals of Christianity". 

"Last week, following the high profile falling away from faith of Joshua Harris, former Hillsong singer and songwriter Marty Sampson posted this on Instagram: 'Time for some real talk...I’m genuinely losing my faith...and it doesn’t bother me.'" 

If he had studied his theology lessons, he should be bothered by the consequences of losing faith. This confirms my suspicions that some contemporary Christian song writers are not conveying sound theology in their music.

"The next day he deleted this post and clarified that he hasn’t fully renounced Christianity, at least not yet. Still, he admitted, his faith was quite shaky. He then reiterated his doubts and said that 'the majority of a typical Christian’s life is not spent considering these things' because they fall into the 'too hard basket.'"

Once again, one cannot work out those "too hard things" like same-sex marriage, gender confusion,  the role of women in the Church, etc unless one has done the hard work of Bible study. 

"Sampson’s claims, I’m sad to say, are not uncommon among young evangelicals. And let me just say this as directly and bluntly as I can: they reveal a failure on the part of the church to take the difficult but essential task of faith formation seriously enough."

The article goes on to describe the foundations of a "shaky" faith: an emotion based faith, an uncritical faith, and uneducated faith, and a faith based on moral therapeutic deism (MTD).

The solutions to a shaky faith are harder to find. "Faith Formation" is a popular term among Christian educators. It is evident that current efforts at faith formation in the mainline denominations are not doing anything to reverse their declining numbers. It seems to me that positive results depend more on the motivation of the individual. Motivation to do the hard work of study, the discipline to keep at it, and the support of others is what is needed.

Getting to the heart of the matter, there are extrinsic motivators such as sermons, and there are intrinsic motivators, things we call "heart" or "desire". Which ones are stronger and which ones will last the longest and which ones will see you through the hard times? The intrinsic ones.

There once was a professional football player, a number one draft pick, a quarterback, a divisional champion who went to his coach and said that his heart was no longer in it. That is something that no coach wants to hear because the "heart" cannot be coached. Needless to say, that quarterback soon found himself out of a job.

Don't lose your heart my dear readers. Stay with the team. Do the hard work of studying your playbook and practice, practice, practice.

And Brother Against Brother?

In this Sunday's reading from Luke 12:49-56, Jesus predicts the division of households,

‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:father against son   and son against father,mother against daughter   and daughter against mother,mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law   and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Jesus' words are still applicable today. My house is  divided. One of my siblings attends a liberal, same-sex blessing, anything goes TEo church, my other sibling is not a church goer, my aunt and uncle are Roman Catholic, and my children are anti-church rebels.

As a Christian who believes that a Christian marriage is between one man and one woman, that abortion is the killing of a baby, and that divorce of a believing couple should never happen, I have experienced rejection many times, but I have made a few surprising friends. While it shouldn't, the fear of rejection makes me avoid raising the subject of my faith with new acquaintances. At least I can discuss contemporary Christian issues with pewsterspouse and my Roman Catholic relatives without ruining a dinner party.

Jesus did not say anything in these verses about dividing brother against brother, but that is the picture that some are trying to paint of the Anglican divide? Are we brothers united with people who claim to be Christian yet who openly deny the very words of the Lord, or are we then a house divided by Christ himself?
The Bishops of Tanzania think so. In their recent communique, they state,

"That, we will not attend Lambeth 2020 – because it is organized and planned in such a way that bishops who have departed from the authority of Scripture as understood in historic Anglicanism are invited and bishops who are standing faithful to Scripture are excluded, in particular those from the Anglican Church in North America and the Anglican Church in Brazil." 

Do you think that Jesus came to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, until His coming again, there will always be division!

Episcopalian Teen Arrested For Racist Video and Threatening to Shoot Up His School

Last week we received the following message from Bishop Waldo of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, 

Many of you may have already heard of violent, racist videos created by a Columbia, South Carolina 16-year-old threatening mass violence against African-Americans generally and a particular school community, which were shared, at first, among his peers. Two of the videos have since been widely distributed on the Internet and have attracted enormous media attention. The young man who created the videos is a parishioner in the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Law enforcement is investigating the videos and the young man’s motives. I have been in close and regular contact with the clergy of the congregation where the young man worships, both to discern facts pertinent to the Diocese and to support them in the midst of a supremely complex and difficult pastoral situation.

Why the need "to discern facts pertinent to the Diocese"? I doubt that the Diocese is teaching racism and violence. Could it be that the Bishop recognizes the failure of Episcopalians to teach the fear of the Lord as a possible cause for deviant behavior?

We are a community within which we worship, minister and break bread side-by-side with beloved brothers and sisters who were the subject of attack in the videos by virtue of the color of their skin. We stand with them in their fear and in their anger. In Holy Baptism, we promise to love our neighbors as ourselves, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. These foundational promises of the Christian life are of first importance in the life of the Episcopal Church. We welcome all persons. We re-commit to resisting and working to overcome the evils of racism and violence of any kind, and to aligning ourselves with God’s purposes of justice and love. Thus, as we sorrow whenever any child of God fails to live up to these commitments and pray for the renewal of life in Christ by the Holy Spirit, through the strength of purpose of that same Holy Spirit, we must and we do stand in unflinching solidarity with all those whose lives are under threat again, because of ethnicity and race.

I wonder if he is trying to pander to Presiding Bishop Curry?

This day, we struggle inwardly and outwardly with the destructive intentions and implications of this young man’s actions, especially in this moment when we reel from the devastation of countless lives by senseless and ongoing acts of gun violence across the land. Nonetheless, we express our fundamental love for him and for his family as brothers and sisters in Christ. Whatever the consequences for him of law enforcement’s investigation, this family has also had its world irretrievably turned upside down. Our work is to shine Christ’s own abundant love into the darkest corners of human life. We will persist in this. And we pray,

I hope the kid has learned a lesson.

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may somove every human heart, that barriers which divide us maycrumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that ourdivisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Faithfully in Christ, 

The Rt. Rev. Andrew WaldoThe Episcopal Church in Upper South Carolina

FitsNews broke the story. I have redacted the name of the boy.

********, a 16-year-old former student at Cardinal Newman high school in Columbia, South Carolina was arrested by local law enforcement officers last month after he appeared in a pair of racist “public service announcements” that were circulated among students at his school.
******** is further alleged to have threatened to “shoot up” the Catholic school following his forced withdrawal from the institution last month.
“Howdy, I’m ******** and I hate black people,” the teen begins in the first clip. “They’re the worst. They’re stinky and they just suck. They’re just bad people.”
********* proceeds to fire a weapon at what he claims are “a box of Jordans – the favorite pair of shoes for a black man.”
“I’m going to show you what I think of a black man,” ******** says, unloading his weapon at the box of shoes.
“F*ck all n*ggers,” he says after firing.
A second video is even more graphic, with ******* firing two weapons into the same shoe box.
“It seems that our n*gger hasn’t quite learned his lesson yet,” ******* said. “It seems like he needs twenty-five rounds to the dome.”
Other videos and text messages allegedly sent by ******* have yet to be published, but are reportedly in possession of law enforcement.


******* is the son of prominent Columbia, S.C. attorney *********....
The graphic videos were posted on social media over the weekend by Annabelle Robertson, a former Democratic candidate for South Carolina’s second congressional district. Robertson’s daughter is friends with several students who attend Cardinal Newman, and her “peer group” was reportedly sharing the threatening clips.
“This video landed on my daughter’s phone last night,” Robertson tweeted.
The videos were filmed back in May, according to reporter Sammy Fretwell of The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper.
Sources close to *******s family tell us the young man is not a hateful person by nature, but was part of a group of boys who made videos purely for “shock value.”
“The idea was to see who could be the most outlandishly, ridiculously offensive,” the source told us. “They weren’t being serious.”
Law enforcement took the situation very seriously, however.
******** was arrested last month by officers of the Richland County sheriff’s department in connection with alleged threats made against the school.
According to deputies, ******** threatened to “shoot up the school’’ after he was expelled for his involvement in racist videos and text messages.
Cardinal Newman did not notify parents until 10:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, August 2, 2019 – when The State was publishing its first story on the matter.
In posting the videos, Robertson wrote that “people MUST understand the ramifications of teaching their child – or even allowing – racism to go unchecked.”
We cannot speak to Robertson’s claims regarding *******’s upbringing, but they will likely resonate with many in South Carolina given the neo-Confederate roots of *********’s empire, which was referred to in the Palmetto State as “The *********dom.”
Robertson also slammed U.S. president Donald Trump, referring to him as the “racist-in chief.”
Our view on this situation? We have any number of thoughts, which we will be addressing in a column on the matter very soon …
Stay tuned …
UPDATE: Some editorial thoughts on this story.
UPDATE II: More developments …
UPDATE III: Our founding editor Will Folks explains this news outlet’s decision to identify ******* …

 Being a minor, and being from a prominent family, and having an attorney as a parent, I suspect this kid will get a slap on the wrist and community service as punishment. I doubt the pastoral services from Episcopal clergy will be of any benefit to him or his family in the long run because Episcopal clergy are too timid to tell someone that we are all depraved human beings who desperately need a Savior. For without Jesus, we are all bound to fall into the trap of racism and hatred of our neighbors.

1st Century Preppers

In this Sunday's Gospel lesson Luke 12:32-40, our Lord reminds his followers to never let their guard down because "the Son of Man" may come at any time.

‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

 ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 

‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’

  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary, explains the last section best,

"If men will take such care of their houses, O let us be thus wise for our souls: Be ye therefore ready also, as ready as the good man of the house would be if he knew what hour the thief would come."

The gist of this and last week's reading is to focus on heavenly things and not earthly things at all times and at all places.

That may seem an impossible ask, but with Christ, anything is possible. This is one ask that we can quite legitimately include in our prayers. 

The Journey From Intolerance to Tolerance to Affirmation

D.W. Griffith's classic 1916 film, Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages may not have caused the current "Age of Affirmation" for all the variations of love that we have discovered over the past one hundred years, but the silent film's theme certainly sounds like a modern day talking point for progressives when it comes to issues surrounding sexual identity and behavior.

It seems to me that there are five stops along the progressive highway. Four of them sound innocent enough,

1. Intolerance
2. Tolerance
3. Acceptance
4. Approval
5. Affirmation

Intolerance, at its extreme, leads to bloodshed, but we all have things that we will not tolerate that do not move us to violence. One personal example: When I was single, I would not tolerate a date who smoked anything. It was not a hateful intolerance mind you but one born out of love and concern for their health and mine. If the break up of those relationships appeared to be the result of a hateful intolerance, so be it.
What is it that you will not tolerate?
I will not tolerate same-sex activities under my roof. Is that hateful?
I will not tolerate a false teacher in the Church. Does that make me a bad person?

Tolerance, on the other hand, does not lead to violence, but it does not mean you have to like something. I might tolerate a date who chews gum, but I probably wouldn't consider them to be a prospective spouse. I might tolerate homosexuals being open and agree with their not being persecuted, but I become intolerant when they attempt to change the Church's definition of what is a sin, or upend the Church's traditional teachings on marriage. I am intolerant when they flaunt their sexuality parading about in revealing clothing (or lack there of) in "Pride" events in front of impressionable young children

Acceptance occurs when you shrug your shoulders and accept the fact that your date smokes or chews gum, and that there is nothing you can do or say that will change their ways. Once you agree that a behavior is acceptable for that person, it is likely that you will begin to accept the behavior in anyone. You have lost the ability to be intolerant in a loving way. An example for the Church would be the acceptance of homosexual priests as a fact and no longer being capable of defrocking them for same-sex activities.

Approval is the welcoming of what is now an acceptable behavior into your household, public library, public streets, or the Church. Once you approve of it, you will see more of it.

Affirmation is the final step in the process, and that is where you encourage others to engage in the behavior. When your church marches in a "Pride Parade", you have reached the end of the line.

We shall have the opportunity to see the process in action over the next decade or so as polyamory and polygamy follow the trail blazed by their LGBT predecessors.

Recently, an article at the Christian Post reported that,

"The American Psychological Association has established a task force on 'consensual non-monogamy,' an effort they say is necessary in order to reduce 'stigma' on persons who practice polyamory."

"'Finding love and/or sexual intimacy is a central part of most people’s life experience. However, the ability to engage in desired intimacy without social and medical stigmatization is not a liberty for all. This task force seeks to address the needs of people who practice consensual non-monogamy, including their intersecting marginalized identities,' the website for the task force of the APA's Division 44 explains."

"The work of the task force, which is led by psychology Ph.D.'s who are based in California universities, promotes 'awareness and inclusivity about consensual non-monogamy and diverse expressions of intimate relationships.'"

 "Since American mental health experts have largely given up on their job of investigating underlying factors that may be contributing to marginal sexual behavior, this is what we are left with, the cult of affirmation."

We will learn to tolerate "consensual non-monogamy" (note the more tolerable language), and then we will accept it. Eventually the law will approve of it. The natural progression to affirmation will result in the Church employing polyamorous or polygamous deacons, priests, and bishops who will be marching in the streets on some future "Poly Day" as the crowds cheer and the media celebrates what was once considered "intolerable".

You can rest assured that the "cult of affirmation" will attack anyone who does not complete the five step process from intolerance to affirmation.

Being Rich Towards God

The last words of this Sunday's Gospel reading from Luke 12:13-21 gives us the title for this post,

Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’

The lesson is simple, don't spend your short life accumulating material goods when you have a much longer eternity for which to prepare.

And how do we prepare for eternity? First confess Jesus as Lord, accept him as your Savior, and follow him faithfully. You will find yourself drawn to study the Bible as that is where you will encounter Jesus from witnesses you can trust.

And you will be changed by the spiritual riches that will serve you well for the rest of eternity.