Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12:21 )
I grew up during a time in American history called “The Cold War.”
Both America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russia) had
armed themselves heavily with nuclear warheads and everyone was
very aware that pretty much the entire world could be wiped out with
the push of a couple of buttons. Many people had bomb shelters in
their back yards. Public schools taught children to “duck and cover”
in the event of nuclear attack, but we knew there was little chance of
survival.
We lived in a state of fear.
It was called “the Cold War” because there was no shooting, no
bombing, no hand-to-hand combat. Each nation tried to out-spend the
other in producing nuclear weapons and the technology to deliver them
accurately. Much of this war was also a war of words.
In 1950, Senator William McCarthy claimed that the Communists were
engaged in propaganda to destroy America, and that many members of
the Communist Party were actually working within and making policy
within the State Department. He also claimed the Communists had
infiltrated Hollywood and many actors, actresses, and writers were
engaged in Communist propaganda.
The nation became fervent in its fear of Communism and many people
lost their jobs and could not find work as a result of investigations and
black-lists. The FBI engaged in illegal activity to squelch Communism.
There were many excesses and examples of a lack of Christian love in
dealing with Communism in America. Eventually, this fervor turned
public opinion away from persecuting Communists and “McCarthyism”
became a term of derision.
Later, it would become clear that Russia had indeed been engaged in
propaganda. The Venona project decoded Soviet messages and found
that the Communist Party of the United States of America was directly
under the control of Moscow and was not just a splinter political party.
The American Civil Liberties Union had been founded by a Communist.
On January 10, 1963, a list of 45 Communist goals, from a 1958 book
called “The Naked Communist,” was read into the Congressional
Record. I encourage you to do an internet search for “Communist goals
congressional record 1963” and read the entire list, but items 27 and 28
are of particular interest to Christians:
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion.
Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does
not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the
ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
Clearly, America is in a state of moral decline and (given this
information) it would be easy to blame the Communists and join the
ranks of the conspiracy nuts (See “Jesse Ventura”).
The danger there is that doing so would distract us from our true
enemy. If we hate Communists, Muslims, racists, homosexuals, or
anyone else who is deceived by the father of lies, we fall into the trap
set by him. All of these people are loved by the One True God and their
sins can be washed away by the blood of Jesus.
The lesson of McCarthyism is that we attempted to overcome evil with
more evil. As our youth would say, “Epic Fail.”
Of course, we should pray for our nation, imploring the Holy Spirit to
soften hearts and create a time of awakening, repentance, and revival.
We should also model the love of Christ and be lights that draw people
to him. Supporting Kinship Christian Radio to spread that light is one
way to do that. What are other ways we can turn this nation around?
Today’s Praise
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow
due to change. (James 1:17 )