Baal and the Billy-Bob Churches

Do you suppose there are seven-thousand in America who have not bowed their knee to Baal?

Elijah, the last remaining Prophet of God during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel over the northern kingdom, Israel, is found under a broom tree in the desert, asking God to take his life:

Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors…I have been very zealous for the Lord Almighty.  The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.  I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too (1Kings 19:4-14).

 

 

(The Lord said to him) I have reserved seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him (1Kings 19:18)

The religion of the god Baal was widely accepted among the ancient Jews and was never permanently stamped out. Ordinary people worshipped this sun god because their prosperity depended on the productivity of their crops and livestock.  Once physical and financial security became more important than truth, Baal was a convenient god created in their own image.

It is interesting that one of the common ceremonies was the sacrifice of sons and daughters to preserve the status quo – appease the gods.

Fast forward to shortly after 9/11, 2001, President Bush addressing a joint session of Congress:

"The advance of human freedom — the great achievement of our time and the great hope of every time — now depends on us." (The nation must go forth to) "…confound the designs of evil men.  Our calling, as a blessed country, is to make the world better…Once again, this nation and our friends are all that stand between a world at peace and a world of chaos and constant alarm. Once again, we are called to defend the safety of our people and the hopes of all mankind. And we accept this responsibility…and we go forward with confidence, because this call of history has come to the right country."

The hopes of all mankind, then, rest on the United States of America, under the leadership of a President who admittedly makes decisions with his gut: "I'm a gut player," he told Bob Woodward.  Those gut decisions, he claims, are forged out of spiritual inspiration through prayer — his own and that of others.  His gut instincts have led to the willing sacrifice of thousands of our nation's sons and daughters for a dubious goal. 

Any doubts that those gut decisions may be influenced by a previous history of insulated privilege, the cultural influences of his Dad's doctrine of "New World Order" or the residuals of an alcoholism in non-recovery fly out the window when under the presumed direction of God.  God becomes the perfect defense, and President Bush becomes the perfect instrument of God for any McChurch that longs for a god you can see on the evening news.   

"Don't ask me; ask Him!"

Like his Christian Right constituency, President Bush has little need for the kind of careful analysis of which wise decisions of state are made.  He has his gut; he has his God; the Billy-Bob churches now have theirs.

The question remains, "What if his gut is out of sync with God's will?"  Well, a number of possibilities come to mind:

• Weapons of Mass Destruction thought to be in Iraq are never found…

• He (Osama bin Laden) who "…can run but can't hide" is never found…

• Corruption reigns among those political and business leaders for whom the righteous end justifies the means…

• Tens of thousands of women and children are killed…

• God's will changes from eradicating evil to bringing democracy to a region whose politics center on sectarianism…

• The Democrats frustrate the will of "Sovereign God"…

• Iran becomes the power broker in the region…

• The US invades Iran?

• The US secures the '67 borders of Israel?

• The Dome of the Rock is wiped out and temple worship is restored?

• The "Battle of Armageddon" has no decisive winner but lots of losers?

• America becomes a Third World country?

• Pat Roberson carries on as before – more listeners than ever: "Gee Whiz…You mean you got up out of your bed and walked? Praise God!"

Do you suppose there are seven-thousand in America who have not bowed their knee to Baal?