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by Mel Griffith
We are all familiar with the story of David and Goliath. It appears that Christianity in America is engaged in another David and Goliath struggle. The bad news is that the church is Goliath and Goliath is losing this one too. Goliath was powerful and well equipped to fight battles the way he wanted to fight them. He was prepared for anyone who fought on his terms. In spite of all his power and preparation he had a weak spot. He was not prepared for someone who was good with a rock. He lost because he did not prepare for the specific type of attack he faced.
Our churches today are strong and well prepared for most things just as Goliath was. Our churches have the advantage of numbers, with millions of members. They are well organized, with large bureaucracies, perhaps too large in some cases. There are many fine buildings for people to worship in. There are numerous institutions of learning to insure that Christians are at least as well educated as anyone else. A majority of public office holders at least claim to be Christians. Yet Christians routinely lose battles to a ragtag fringe of atheist agitators. Thousands of Christians want to pray at a sporting event or graduation and a half-dozen atheists prevent them from doing it. The ten commandments are removed from courthouses despite overwhelming public support for them. How can this be? The same way David killed Goliath. By finding a weak spot that has not been protected. The slingshot being used against Christians in America is the court system. Atheists don't convince a county commission to remove the ten commandments. Christians are in the majority and commissioners have to run for election. Instead, the non-believers get a court to order the commandments out. Prayer is banned from many places by the same means. Most judges don't have to run for election. The anti-Christian forces in the country have identified a Christian weak spot. That weak spot is failure to pay proper attention to who gets to be a judge. Once the judge is in office it is too late.
People get very excited over elections, but pay no attention to who is nominated and confirmed as a judge, with the possible exception of Supreme Court nominees. But most cases never get to the Supreme Court. Realizing that the Christian majority isn't paying any attention to who becomes a judge, the folks who want to abolish Christianity in America have loaded the courts with fellow non-believers. Federal judges (they are the ones who cause most of the problems) are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Until Christians start demanding, if they ever do, that only people with Christian values be confirmed as judges, a handful of non-believers who pay close attention to such things will continue to run circles around ineffective Christians whose power is not focused where it is needed. Christians will then spend their time complaining uselessly after it is too late to make any difference.
Moslems, unlike Christians, have no problem dealing with troublesome minorities. While we wouldn't want to adopt their methods, some of their enthusiasm for the faith might be helpful.
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