Goshen College decides not to play the national anthem at sports events

From the Glad that Goshen College Won't be Playing the National Anthem Facebook page:

Goshen College is a Mennonite college in northern Indiana.

Because Mennonites have historically understood loyalty to Christ and loyalty to country to be often in conflict -- especially when Jesus' call to nonviolence conflicts with the nation's call to war -- the college has traditionally not played the national anthem at sporting events.

For a year, it reversed that practice. However, on June 6, 2011, the college board of directors returned the college to past practice. This is their statement:

“As a result of a thoughtful, thorough, prayerful period of listening, learning and discerning, it is the Board’s judgment that continuing to play the national anthem compromises our ability to advance the vision together. As a result, the President should find an alternative to playing the National Anthem that fits with sports tradition, that honors country, that resonates with our core values and that respects the views of diverse constituencies.”

This group is for those who are against Goshen College playing the national anthem.

Those who disagree with the purpose of this group and would like to debate/discuss the issue are invited to use the group "Discussion of Goshen College and the National Anthem." There is also a group called "For Goshen College Honoring Our Country with the National Anthem." Posts and comments challenging the purpose of this group will be removed. There are other groups for those comments.

Having lived around Mennonites and having a limited understanding of their tradition, I'm not sure why they should feel obligated to play anything at all; but if the tradition of playing patriotic music before a game is just too strong to resist, I would suggest "God of Our Fathers, Who in Ages Past," sometimes known as "National Hymn."

Blind loyalty to a country is nationalism, not patriotism. In America, patriotism is loyalty to the principles on which the country was founded. When the government of a country betrays the principles on which the country was founded, the true patriot will work to alter or abolish that government. Thomas Jefferson said so, July 4, 1776; reaffirmed by the Ohio Constitution (Article I, Section 2), March 10, 1851.

Disciple of Liberty

Christians awake! And once you do, Jason Rink will explain to you why it is the duty of a Christian to participate in the system as an activist for freedom.

In his book Disciple of Liberty, he begins by describing how a young, politically apathetic Christian pastor became inspired to become a passionate political activist, and the questions about faith and authority he had to resolve. He then lists seven priorities that every Christian patriot should have: define the limits of authority, demand fidelity to the Constitution, defend liberty for all people, despise debt, demand honest money, desire peace with all nations, and disciple others in liberty. In each chapter he comments on relevant Bible references and cites works of the Founding Fathers in support of his points. He also provides texts of the Declaration of Independence, the original Constitution, and the Bill of Rights for easy reference.

The book is not long (about 100 pages, excluding the documents) and very easy to read. Most people will be able to read the entire book in an evening or two. For a limited time, he is giving away .pdf files of the book from his website. The printed version is also available for $14.95, plus shipping and handling.

Jason lived in Columbus before moving to Austin, Texas, about a year ago. I know him personally, and we have worked together on the "Introduction to Liberty and the Constitution" videos that appear on my Links page and other projects for the Ohio Freedom Alliance. He is also publisher of The Liberty Voice, in which I am a columnist.

While I have been aware of the book for some time, I did not take the opportunity to read it until now. I heartily endorse it, not only for yourself, but as a gift to anyone who needs to understand the Biblical basis for liberty and be motivated to join the movement that seeks to restore it in our country today.

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

That's "Merry Christmas" in German. Fox 29 in Philadelphia reports that, in a triumph of common sense over "political correctness", Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter reversed a decision that would have forced the organizers of a German "Christmas Village" on city property to rename itself "Holiday Village" in an attempt to make it "more inclusive."

Anyone who knows anything about German culture knows that renaming Christmas to anything else in that context would make no sense whatsoever.

However, let's call it the way it is: "political correctness" when related to Christmas is simply an attempt to suppress freedom of cultural (let alone religious) expression for Christians. Philadelphia Managing Director Rich Negrin inadvertently acknowledged as much when he defended a related decision on Tuesday:

"This is not about taking Christmas out of the holiday. It's about being more inclusive," Negrin said. He went to add, "I am a preacher's kid. I love Christmas. This is not about political correctness or trying to say something negative about Christmas."

In an interesting side note, Negrin defended the city's decision to light its annual Tree on Thursday. (The city calls the tree a Holiday Tree and not a Christmas Tree.) The tree is OK, Negrin said, because it's "not a discreet* religious symbol. It's a pagan symbol."

Uh-huh. Point proven.

* The writer probably intended to use the word discrete.

Glenn Beck coming to Wilmington Dec. 15

Update Nov. 22: The statement below that Wilmington is recovering without government help is not true. Here is the correction.

I probably like Glenn Beck a little too much for my own good. I know he doesn't get it about Lincoln, is too pro-war any war to suit me, and has a bit too much of the huckster in him. On the other hand, it is obvious he has a good heart and has presented in a popular, easy-to-understand way basic the principal concepts of U.S. history and Judeo-Christian morality.

The story of Wilmington (county seat of Brown Clinton* County in southwestern Ohio a bit northeast of Cincinnati) has clearly touched his heart. Wilmington (population 12,000) was a freight hub for DHL, when that company decided to close it in November 2008. Two-thirds of the town had been employed by DHL.

However, the town is recovering, without governmental help. Apparently, most of the help is coming from local churches. Mr. Beck is visiting the town to show it off to America as an example of recovery without governmental help.

* My mistake. See comments for additional discussion.

Virtual buckeye to the Ohio Liberty Council on Facebook.

CAN a church burn the Koran? Yes. Should it? No.

On this issue, Glenn Beck gets it right (The link is mine):

What is wrong with us? It’s just like the Ground Zero mosque plan. Does this church have the right? Yes. Should they? No. And not because of the potential backlash or violence. Simply because it is wrong. The more I reflect on what happened on 8/28 the more I realize the amazing power of GOOD.*

We must be the better person. We must be bigger than our problems. Bigger than the times in which we live. Burning the Koran is like burning the flag or the Bible. You can do it, but whose heart will you change by doing it? You will only harden the hearts of those who could be moved. None of those who are thinking about killing us will be affected, but our good Muslim friends and neighbors will be saddened. It makes the battle that they face inside their own communities even harder.

Let us rise above the current levels and elevate ourselves and our country. The only thing this act would prove is that you CAN burn a Koran. I didn’t know America was in doubt on that fact.

Let’s prove to each other that while there are many things we can do, there are maybe many more things that we choose not to do.

* I agree on this point also, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that his Lincoln- and military-worship works to undo our efforts to restore liberty in this country.

Quotation of the day

"Wherever politics tries to be redemptive, it is promising too much. Where it wishes to do the work of God, it becomes, not divine, but demonic."

-- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) on liberation theology,

in Truth and Tolerance (2004), p.168,

quoted at Ignatius Insight Scoop.