By Dr. Tony Beam.

Saturday nights GOP debate at Wofford College in South Carolina focused on foreign policy and national defense. The most memorable line of the debate came from an unlikely source considering previous debate performances. About two-thirds of the way through the debate Gov. Rick Perry said his administration would start with zero international aid asking each nation, including Israel, to earn their support from the U.S.

This is the kind of red meat rhetoric that excites the Republican base and energizes the Tea Party. But is it sound policy or just tough sounding political talk? To answer that question intelligently requires more than just a cursory knee jerk reaction. For starters, the entire International Affairs budget for 2011 is just over $56 billion. That is less than one percent of the total U.S. budget. The request for 2012 is $55.7 billion and that includes $8.7 billion for overseas contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That money represents influence in a region where a void of leadership will lead to our enemies gaining ground America has paid for with the blood of our sons and daughters. We simply cannot afford to allow Iran and Syria to fill the void that would be left if the U.S. withdraws all international aid and thereby relinquishes our influence in the region.

Both China and Russia are aggressively seeking to forge new alliances with India, Pakistan, and Iran. As China grows economically and Russia returns to a policy of competing with the U.S. for influence in world we must not pull back into an isolationist mode that will curtail our influence and threaten our national security. The Arab Spring is still showing signs of becoming a radical Islamic winter. Egypt is teetering on the brink of embracing the Muslim Brotherhood. In Tunisia, recent elections reveal a sharply divided country that could easily descend into the grip of Islamic extremists. The recent uptick in the persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt and the military’s reluctance to intervene to protect their rights should chill everyone in the West who hoped for a more democratic Egypt.

The Republican debate on international affairs divided the GOP hopefuls into two camps with most participants criticizing Pakistan for being an unreliable U.S. ally. While it is true Pakistan’s record on helping the U.S. hunt down terrorists is spotty at best it is also true, as Senator Rick Santorum pointed out, that Pakistan has nuclear weapons. While some of the candidates wanted to withdraw all aid from Pakistan and label them our enemy only Santorum made the point that we need to make sure Pakistan considers us a friend. Pakistan is a divided country with four active factions vying for control. The military, Islamic radicals, the recognized but weak civilian government, and the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate are all working to control the country. With the United States moving toward wrapping up its mission in Afghanistan a friendly Pakistan will be critical to the stabilization of the country. The United States should continue to seek out moderate elements within the Pakistani government and help them gain control over the more radical elements within the county.

Historically, international aid has helped the United States by turning struggling countries into strong allies. Almost ten years ago over 13 million people in Ethiopia faced starvation. The United States intervened with agricultural and global health development programs that ultimately empowered local farmers to become self-sufficient. The result…. the number of people at risk of starvation has dropped by 70 percent and Ethiopia has become a reliable ally in our efforts to curtail the influence of violent extremist groups in Africa.

Aid to Germany, Italy, and Japan after World War II and aid to South Korea after the Korean War helped to create stable democracies, strong economies, and important trading partners for the United States. If the United States had abandoned Europe, Japan and the Korean peninsula chaos would have risen and old conflicts may very well have reemerged in its wake.

Finally, American businesses are greatly aided by our efforts in international relations. To a great extent, our economic security is tied to our diplomatic and development efforts around the world. According to the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization) 1 in 5 American jobs are tied to international trade. All over the world our embassies advocate for U.S. business interests overseas. Wisely invested international aid dollars mean American jobs at home and the more stable the world becomes the more secure our American interests.

It is true the United States can no longer afford to be the sugar daddy of the entire world. Our international aid must be closely scrutinized and appropriate cuts should be made as our out of control government spending gets reeled in. But while we cannot afford to spend money abroad like drunken sailors we also cannot afford the sobering prospect of total American isolationism.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

In 1980 the American electorate rejected the gloom and doom demeanor and overall political ineptness of Jimmy Carter. They chose to reject the image of evening falling on the greatness of America and embraced the image of morning in America that would lead to a return of American confidence. On paper the presidential election of 1980 was close. In reality it was a landslide victory for a former actor turned Governor. That Reagan won was not a surprise. That he won going away shocked the political pundits who saw Reagan as nothing more than an interesting anomaly.

The presidential election of 2012 is shaping up to be similar to 1980. Despite the killing of Osama Bin Laden and constant campaigning by the President the American electorate appears to be in no mood for another four years of big government solutions to our problems. The “mediscare” tactics used by Democrats to frighten voters into rejecting the Republican plan for fiscal sanity appears to have worked temporarily but the shelf life is likely very limited. If Republicans stick together in the defense of true conservative values the electorate will grow tired of the scare tactics and will focus on the facts. Our worst enemies at this point are the political elites, some who are already calling for conservatives in Congress to back off. President Obama’s tax-payer funded re-election campaign and trumped up sexual harassment charges against Herman Cain should not discourage or distract conservatives from the task of finding the most conservative candidate we can to face President Obama next fall.

William Crystal’s editorial in a recent edition of The Weekly Standard rightly compares the mood of conservative elites prior to the 1980 election and today. Crystal writes, “Of course, as signs of renaissance came into view in the late 1970s, many conservative elites were lapsing into despair, and many in the Republican Party waffled and wavered. So it is now. The main obstacle to November 6, 2012, turning out as happily as November 4, 1980, is a kind of premature intellectual resignation, a pseudo-sophisticated political pessimism, that would lead us to settle over the next year for uninspiring champions and timid agendas.”

Crystal is right…uninspiring champions and timid agendas will not defeat Barak Obama in 2012. In 1996, Bill Clinton was wounded and weak following the Lewinsky scandal. Unfortunately, Bob Dole ran an uninspired campaign that was bereft of bold ideas and he was soundly beaten when all of the political signs pointed to a Republican victory. What conservatives need is a roadmap written large with big ideas and bold strategies. Now is not the time to shrink back or slink away because of the temporary success of the Democrats demagoguery.

Ronald Reagan stormed onto the political scene because he understood the times. He knew the tired liberalism of the 60’s had run its course finding its last gasp in the Carter Administration. Reagan stuck to his message in the face of a media onslaught and against the incredulity of the elitist Left. He won because he caught the rising wave of conservatism and refused to let it dissipate.

America is standing at another crossroads, similar to where it stood in 1980. The roadmap to victory has been written but the Republican leadership has not yet embraced it. What we need is the emergence of a candidate who can soundly articulate and staunchly defend conservative values. The smoke of demagoguery will clear before the 2012 election. Clear, consistent conservative values put forth without apology will win the day.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

President Obama’s approval rating has been hovering around the forty percent level for several months. The U.S. economy continues to struggle in spite of recent news reports that suggest a turnaround. Unemployment remains above nine percent, the housing market still hasn’t reached bottom, and the news from retail sales and manufacturing remains mixed. The Stock Market turned in its best October performance in over sixty years but then lost almost three percent of its value on the last day of the month. All this points to continued volatility in all areas of the economy as President Obama turns up the heat on the campaign trail.

Since no sitting president in the modern era has won a second term when unemployment was over seven percent President Obama appears to be headed for an early retirement from the White House. President Carter presided over an unemployment rate just north of seven percent when Ronald Reagan crushed him in the election of 1980. President George H.W. Bush had an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent hanging around his neck when he lost to Clinton in 1992.

So, with an economy languishing and 77 percent of the people believing the country is on the wrong track, how can President Obama possibly hope to be reelected? The formula is simple. President Obama plus the 2012 election plus a third party equals reelection for the President. Democrat defenders of President Obama are just now waking up and warming up to the idea of promoting a third party candidate in 2012. Former Clinton pollster Douglas Schoen and former Carter pollster Pat Caddell recently drove the first nail in the plank of a third party platform when they co-authored a column for The Wall Street Journal titled “Expect a Third-Party Candidate in 2012.” The column might just as well have been titled “Praying for a Third-Party Candidate in 2012.” Both Caddell and Schoen are seasoned politicos who know a third party means a sure victory for President Obama in 2012.

That is why Caddell and Schoen site a poll of 1,000 Americans where a clear majority (57%) expressed a desire for a third party. They claim that America is in what they call “a prerevolutionary moment” and that “an increasing number of Americans are now searching beyond the two parties for bold and effective leadership.” Americans are always restless for new leadership when the current leadership is clearly failing. But most Americans haven’t clearly considered the history of third party spoilers who would be president. The high water mark for a third party candidate running for president came in 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt won 27.5 percent of the popular vote and 88 Electoral College votes while running as a member of the Progressive Party. After the election Roosevelt retreated back into the Republican Party and the Progressive Party was no more.

Second place for third party candidates goes to Millard Fillmore. In 1856, Fillmore ran for president as a Whig-American garnering 21.5 percent of the vote. The bronze medal goes to Ross Perot who won 18.9 percent of the vote in 1992 when he ran as a Reform Party candidate. Roosevelt, Fillmore, and Perot all had two things in common. They failed to mount a serious challenge to the two party system and they all contributed to the defeat of a Republican and the victory of a Democrat.

While third party candidates never win they always have a profound effect on elections. Because he knows this to be true President Obama and his cheering section in the mainstream media would be happy to see a third party emerge in 2012. In an op-ed column for the New York Times Thomas Friedman wrote, “There is a revolution brewing in the country, and it is not just on the right wing but in the radical center.” Friedman claims to know of “at least two serious groups, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast, developing third parties to challenge our stagnating two-party duopoly that has been presiding over our nation’s steady decline.” That sounds like a combination of wishful thinking and desperation.

In 2010, the Tea Party resisted the siren song of the third party and avoided sending the Republican Party crashing into the rocks of a divided defeat. Instead, the Tea Party rallied around the most conservative candidates they could find, and in doing so, radically altered the political landscape in a historic win for conservatives. Their refusal to bolt led to the election of a conservative freshman class of lawmakers who are the real deal.

We need to learn a lesson from history because we can’t afford to repeat the last fours years known as the Obama Administration. This time a third party candidate could mean America is history.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. Visit Dr. Beam’s website at www.tonybeam.com.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

In 1765, the British parliament passed a tax on the American colonies that came to be known as The Stamp Act. Long before the passage of this most offensive act, Parliament abandoned its responsibility as a representative body of the British people embracing instead the idea of a king appointed landed aristocracy. The Founders understood this form of government would never be truly representative of the people so they rejected it in favor of a grand experiment in self-governance.

In his book, We Hold These Truths, Matthew Spalding of the Heritage Foundation captures the essence of the American Revolution when he notes, “It began as a tax revolt…. but it is important to understand from the start that the debate was never really over the amount of taxation but the process by which the British government imposed and enforced these taxes.”

John Dickinson decried this monarchial process in a 1766 essay when he wrote:

“Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness, as you confess those invaded by the Stamp Act to be…. they are not annexed to us by parchments and seals. They are created in us by the decrees of Providence, which establish the laws of our nature. They are born with us; exist with us; and cannot be taken from us by any human power, without taking our lives. In short, they are founded on the immutable maxims of reason and justice.”

Did you get the part where Dickinson says; “the rights to essential happiness are not annexed to us by parchments and seals?” Our rights come from God and are protected and expressed through a legislative body elected by the people. Parchments and seals are the tools of choice for the rule of a king. Kings hand down pronouncements on parchments sealed by birthright and enforced by brute force. People who love liberty will always reject the heavy hand of an unelected monarch who governs by fear in favor of a representative body that governs by consent.

On October 24th of this year President Obama cast his lot with the monarchs by announcing that instead of following the proper legislative process he intends to issue an executive order per week for the rest of the year. He has decided to rule by fiat rather than governing by the rule of law. The President boldly and brashly announced, “We don’t have to wait for Congress, we’re just going to go ahead and act on our own.”

What “we” is the president referring to? Does he mean himself, Democrats in Congress, his lawyers, and his willing accomplices in the mainstream media? If so this left-wing “coalition of the willing” must be held in check by an American electorate who, through their elected representatives, are determined to restore power to the people through the Congress.

While it is true President Obama’s ninety-five executive orders are no more than other modern presidents (President Bush signed over 300 during his two terms) it is also true that this is the first time a president has flaunted his power in such an open and oppressive fashion. Dr. Andrew Rudalevige, Dickinson College professor (named after the above quoted John Dickinson) and author of The New Imperial Presidency writes, “He’s doing something a whole sequence of presidents have done without legislative support. But it’s more blatant and partisan than usual with the organized roll out.”

President Obama has instructed Attorney General Eric Holder to ignore the Defense of Marriage Act subverting the will of the majority in exchange for the political support of a vocal minority. Following the President’s lead the Environmental Protection Agency and the FCC are both rolling out rules that circumvent Congress and constrict the rights of the American people to have their voices represented by a duly elected, constitutionally sanctioned legislative body.

On the day of the announcement of his private monarchial war on the Constitution, President Obama signed an executive order that will greatly expand the power of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The new rules will allow these government birthed twin terrors to refinance over-appraised or underwater mortgages. Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Barney Frank refused to reign in Freddie and Fannie in their infamous Dodd/Frank debacle and now the President is giving them more rope in a desperate attempt to prop up the housing market. But accounting gimmicks and financial parlor tricks can’t hide the fundamental flaws of too much government influence and too little personal responsibility in real estate.

Thanks to the wisdom of our founders Americans have long been accustomed to hearing Hail to the Chief played when the President makes an appearance. If fail to remain vigilant we just may end up chanting, “Long live the king.”

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. You can also listen to recorded broadcasts in the Christian Worldview Today Archive.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Joseph Warren was a patriot and respected physician who lived and served in Boston in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. He opened his medical practice in Boston in 1764 and became politically involved the next year when be began writing a series of newspaper essays critical of the Stamp Act. His reputation as a bold leader and outspoken critic of the Crown continued to grow and in 1774, Warren became the leader of the rebellion when Samuel Adams left Boston to play his role in the First Continental Congress.

In March of 1775 Warren was asked to give the principle speech at an event that would honor those who died in the 1770 Boston Massacre. He delivered the speech while under the threat of death and while being heckled by a group of British officers who were in attendance. During the speech, Warren said, “Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends.” Near the end of the speech Warren challenged the packed house saying, “On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves.”

Less than three months later Joseph Warren answered his own call to act worthy of himself by joining the battle of Breeds Hill. Warren was a respected leader and could have taken the position of an officer but he offered himself as an infantryman as part of the reinforcements sent to help Col. William Prescott defend Boston against the British. The brave but outnumbered and outgunned patriots repelled two attacks by the British before being overrun when their ammunition ran out. At the end of the battle, Warren was shot in the head and died instantly.

Joseph Warren was a man of means who was willing to risk his material wealth and if necessary, lay down his life for the cause of liberty. His final public speech given just months before he died echoes through the corridors of history reaching our ears at a time when once again we find our country in danger. Today, as in 1775, we face enemies that are numerous and powerful but we must not despair. We must act worthy of ourselves committing to do whatever it takes to return America to the hands of a leader who understands and respects the Constitution.

Since taking office in February of 2009, President Barak Obama has been on a path to transform America from a Constitutional Republic to a European socialist state where government is our god and our liberty is but a faint shadow of the freedom we once enjoyed. The Obama Administration has thumbed its nose at the rule of law, refusing to defend the Defense of Marriage Act and using the power of executive orders to implement his green agenda. When faced with the undeniable fact that his must pass $767 billion stimulus bill did not create jobs or lift the economy of our its worst recession since the Great Depression his response has been to double down asking for another $445 billion stimulus package. His so-called jobs bill has yet to win even the support of the Democrat controlled Senate let alone the Republican led House.

When faced with falling poll numbers and division in his own party President Obama decided to roll out the often tried but now tired “tax the rich” playbook. His decision to plunge the Republic into an endless class warfare between now and November of 2012 is not the act of a principled leader attempting to reverse our financial downturn, but rather the act of a desperate politician attempting to hold on to the reigns of power.

Our country is precariously teetering on the precipice of tyranny. We are on the verge of rejecting the principles of liberty and replacing them with the principles of the nanny state. We appear to be ready to exchange the high ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for the common calling of apathy, dependency, and the placation of the human spirit.

The American Dream is something people all over the world long to embrace. It is the idea that people can govern themselves, live in peace and prosperity, and pass their values along to their children who will have a better life than they enjoyed. President Obama would replace the American Dream with the nightmare of the Great Society. Speaking last week in Washington at the Family Research Council sponsored Values Voter Summit, Missouri Senator Roy Blunt said, “The next election is about whether or not we are going to remain the envy of everybody else or just be everybody else.”

My prayer is that we will hear and take up the call of Joseph Warren and for our sakes and the future of millions yet unborn we will act worthy of ourselves by going to the ballot box and reclaiming our Republic.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. You can also listen to recorded broadcasts in the Christian Worldview Today Archive.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

In 1980 the American electorate rejected the gloom and doom demeanor and overall political ineptness of Jimmy Carter. They chose to reject the image of evening falling on the greatness of America and embraced the image of morning in America that would lead to a return of American confidence. On paper the presidential election of 1980 was close. In reality it was a landslide victory for a former actor turned Governor. That Reagan won was not a surprise. That he won going away shocked the political pundits who saw Reagan as nothing more than an interesting anomaly.

The presidential election of 2012 is shaping up to be similar to 1980. Despite the killing of Osama Bin Laden the American electorate appears to be in no mood for another four years of big government solutions to our problems. The “mediscare” tactics used by Democrats to frighten voters into rejecting the Republican plan for fiscal sanity appear to have worked in New York but the shelf life is likely very limited. If Republicans stick together on the Ryan plan the electorate will grow tired of the scare tactics and will focus on the facts. Our worst enemies at this point are the political elites, some who are already calling for newly elected conservatives in Congress to back off. Democrat Kathy Hochul’s upset win over Republican Jane Corwin in New York District 26 has beltway Republicans crying over their poll numbers.

William Crystal’s editorial in the June 6th edition of The Weekly Standard rightly compares the mood of conservative elites prior to the 1980 election and today. Crystal writes, “Of course, as signs of renaissance came into view in the late 1970s, many conservative elites were lapsing into despair, and many in the Republican Party waffled and wavered. So it is now. The main obstacle to November 6, 2012, turning out as happily as November 4, 1980, is a kind of premature intellectual resignation, a pseudo-sophisticated political pessimism, that would lead us to settle over the net year for uninspiring champions and timid agendas.”

Crystal is right…uninspiring champions and timid agendas will not defeat Barak Obama in 2012. In 1996, Bill Clinton was wounded and weak following the Lewinsky scandal. Unfortunately, Bob Dole ran an uninspired campaign that was bereft of bold ideas and he was soundly beaten when all of the political signs pointed to a Republican victory. What conservatives need is a roadmap written large with big ideas and bold strategies. Now is not the time to shrink back or slink away because of the temporary success of the Democrats demagoguery.

Ronald Reagan stormed onto the political scene because he understood the times. He knew the tired liberalism of the 60’s had run its course finding its last gasp in the Carter Administration. Reagan stuck to his message in the face of a media onslaught and against the incredulity of the elitist Left. He won because he caught the rising wave of conservatism and refused to let it dissipate.

America is standing at another crossroads, similar to where it stood in 1980. The roadmap to victory has been written but the Republican leadership has not yet embraced it. What we need is the emergence of a candidate who can soundly articulate and staunchly defend conservative values. The smoke of demagoguery will clear before the 2012 election. Clear, consistent conservative values put forth without apology will win the day.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. You can also listen to recorded broadcasts in the Christian Worldview Today Archive.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

The Obama Administration swept into office on a promise of hope and change. Two years later most Americans realize the hope was nothing more than warmed over liberalism and the change was actually a return to the failed government based solutions of previous democratic administrations. In much the same way, the so-called Arab spring that first appeared in Egypt and was billed as a push for democracy, human rights, and peace is quickly turning into a winter of terrorist discontent.

The Associated Press reports that over the weekend, “an angry mob attacked a group of mainly Christian protestors” leaving 15 dead, 65 wounded, and a Christian church burned to the ground. The violence raises more questions about the Egyptian military’s ability to keep order until free elections can be organized and carried out. And, while it is certainly true Hosni Mubarak wasn’t a model of tolerance, it is also true that he was both restrained in his approach to Israel and outright resistant to any pro-Iranian influence in Egypt. His regime demonstrated a pro-Western, pro-American attitude that was open to the possibility of free enterprise and a Middle Eastern expression of a capitalist economic system.

In the weeks and months since the February 11 ouster of Mubarak, Egypt has appeared to be moving in a pro-Iranian, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel direction. The Muslim Brotherhood has joined forces with the more radical Salafis and massive street demonstrations that once denounced the tyranny of Mubarak now denounce Israel and occasionally lead to violence against Coptic Christians.

The attempt to unseat Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has bogged down into a stalemate and there continues to be a lack of clarity concerning the true political allegiances of the Libyan rebels. There is no guarantee that if or when Gaddafi goes he will be replaced with Libyans who long for some form of democracy. It is more likely a Gaddafi void would be filled with radicals who look more to Iran than to the West for their marching orders.

The rush to intervene in Libya was predicated upon the idea that Gaddafi was slaughtering his people. The civilian death toll was said to be over one thousand with the Gaddafi controlled Libyan air force conducting bombing raids on non-military targets. As horrific as the Libyan situation is, it is no more horrific than the situation in Syria, where tanks and armored vehicles have reportedly fired into crowds of civilian protestors. According to several international civil rights groups an estimated eight thousand people have been jailed or gone missing. If action in Libya was necessary because of the potential loss of human life why is the United States and our NATO allies refusing to intervene in Syria? It is beginning to look like we supported rebels in Egypt who are now turning toward Iran and against Israel while refusing to defend civilians in Syria who are fighting against a known terrorist regime that is sympathetic to Iran and decidedly anti-Israel.

President Obama waffled on what to do about the Libyan situation until pressure by France, Great Britain, and the Arab League forced his hand. Our direct involvement in Libya lasted as long as the political left, a.k.a. Obama’s base, could stomach military action. After saying Gaddafi must go we have been relegated to a support role in a conflict with no end in sight and little hope for a pro-Western outcome.

The Arab spring blossomed in Tunisia where the seeds of a genuine liberal democracy seemed likely to take root and flourish. The Tunisian military supported the initial revolt and Tunisia’s history of a relatively secular society and successful development, plus strong ties to the United States created a soil conducive to positive change. But the rise of an Islamist party similar to the Muslim Brotherhood is now threatening to swamp the upstart secular parties in the upcoming July elections.

An unfortunate byproduct of the Arab spring has been the rise of radical Islamic opportunists who never let a crisis go to waste. The jury is still out on whether secular liberal democrats will be able to hold back the rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism. Upcoming elections in Tunisia in July and in Egypt in September will give us a clearer view of where those countries are headed. If the Islamists prevail Iran will become the undisputed dominant power in the region leaving the Saudi’s as the only major pro-western Arab country in the Middle East. And of course, the Saudi’s are dealing with a stubborn rebellion that will not go away.

The prospects of a sustained movement led by proponents of a secular, liberal democratic form of government are quickly fading. The Arab spring that appeared to be riding a wave of freedom may come crashing down on the shore of Islamic fundamentalism. If that happens, the world will experience a bitter winter of discontent.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. You can also listen to recorded broadcasts in the Christian Worldview Today Archive.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind mass murderer of Americans and the literal and figurative leader of Al Qaeda is dead. According to tapes captured in his squalid home (originally referred to as a “mansion” by various news media outlets) in Abbottabad, he spent the closing years of his life watching himself on television and dreaming of killing more Americans. His news was delivered to him via thumb drives by a trusted courier who proved to be the key to his demise. Once surrounded by adoring masses that would carry out his every whim, Osama died in a house that was little more than a prison that he shared with three wives, children, and a few trusted couriers.

The fact that Osama bin Laden is dead is lost on the conspiracy theorists. Facts only serve as a catalyst for those who live in a made up shadowy world where no one can be trusted and where everyone (with the exception of the theorist of course) is involved in “the plot” whatever the plot might be. Just as the Obama Administration fueled the birther fire by refusing, until recently, to release a copy of the long form birth certificate it succeeded in fanning the flames of conspiracy by disposing of bin Laden’s body at sea less than twelve hours after his death and releasing no less than four narratives about how he died. If that were not bad enough the Administration sent Leon Panetta out to announce pictures of bin Laden’s body would be released to the press only to contradict that statement less than 24 hours later. The Administration behaved as if it wanted to start rather than quell a conspiracy theory over Osama’s death.

The unrestrained jubilance that accompanied bin Laden’s death has turned quickly to fear in the face of possible Al Qaeda reprisals launched as revenge against the United States. It became obvious people’s nerves are on edge when earlier this week, three U.S. flights had to divert to alternative landing sites due to strange behavior by passengers. Crewmembers and passengers wrestled a yelling Yemini man to the floor and cuffed him after he charged the cockpit, beating on the cockpit door.

A Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Chicago diverted to St. Louis after a 34-year old man from Illinois tried to open one of the doors while the plane was in flight. Just a few hours before that incident a Delta Air Lines flight from Detroit to San Diego was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico when the crew became concerned that there might be “suspicious devices” on board but none were found. Also, a Dallas train station was evacuated after a police dog alerted authorities to a passenger onboard with two suspicious packages. They turned out to be harmless. Nevertheless, these and other security concerns including four men who were arrested for videotaping security lines at the Denver International Airport have everyone on edge.

Joy, fear, anger, justice…. do they have anything in common? These three emotions and one concept are linked together in the minds of most Americans. But do they really belong together?

Is it right for a Christian to experience joy when an enemy is slain? The Bible gives us a clear answer to that question. Proverbs 24:17-18 says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.” The prophet Ezekiel reveals God’s heart. “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked”, declares the Lord God, “Rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?”

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked because His heart is inclined toward the redemption and restoration of all who rebel. When we openly rejoice at the misfortune of those who hate us we put ourselves between God and His desire for redemption. When we allow our anger to lead us, the path we follow always takes us through fear to revenge…not justice. But when we lay aside our anger and seek true justice rather than revenge we please and bring glory to God.

James reminds us, “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” When Osama bin laden planned the attack that murdered over 3000 people he was acting out of anger that had led him to seek revenge for what he perceived to be evil done to his people by the United States. His actions were motivated by hatred, not justice. He chose not to attack soldiers on the field of battle but rather civilians who were on the top floors of the World Trade Center. They were not engaged in war. They were engaged in life.

So…is there any room for joy at the death of one who caused so much pain and suffering for so many? Yes. We can celebrate the fact that justice was served as the Navy Seals made Osama bid Laden pay for his exercising vengeance without mercy. Psalm 101:1 says, “I will sing of loving-kindness and justice, to You, O Lord, I will sing praises.”

We should mourn the death of bin Laden but celebrate the exercise of justice. Our celebration should not be in our strength but in the righteousness of God and the establishment of His justice.

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. You can also listen to recorded broadcasts in the Christian Worldview Today Archive.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

By Dr. Tony Beam.

You have to hand it to Michigan Pastor Rob Bell. Not only did he put Hell on the map of the evangelical landscape and on the lips of almost every evangelical; he ultimately managed to get Hell on the cover of Time magazine just in time for Easter. For Bell, what began as a creative art exhibit that encouraged artistic expressions of peace in a broken world has led to the supposed downfall of a bedrock belief of Christianity. You can almost feel the glee flowing through Jon Meacham’s keyboard as he writes:

“Bell’s book sheds light not only on enduring questions of theology and fate but also on a shift within American Christianity. More indie rock than Rock of Ageswith its video and comfort with irony (Bell sometimes seems an odd combination of Billy Graham and Conan O’Brian), his style of doctrine and worship is clearly playing a larger role in religious life, and the ferocity of the reaction suggests that he is a force to be reckoned with.”

Meacham’s article chronicles Rob Bell’s attempt to put the doctrine of Hell on trial in his book, Love Wins. The book flowed out of a comment left next to a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that was part of the afore mentioned art exhibit. The note said: “Reality check: He’s in hell.” The idea that Gandhi could be in hell sent Bell into a reflective, relativistic theological tailspin. He began asking questions like, “Somebody knows this without a doubt?”, and “Somebody decided to take on the responsibility of letting the rest of us know?” These questions didn’t lead to a concrete answer mind you, for there is no such thing in the Emergent church world of Rob Bell. Evangelicals who have immersed themselves in the emergent world of post-postmodern theology long ago jettisoned biblical answers to tough questions in favor of an endless conversation. It’s kind of like driving down a road that has no destination or listening to a symphony of unresolved chords. Since there is no there at the end of post and post-postmodern theology, the journey becomes the ultimate goal, with reaching a destination considered to be the new heresy.

The plain truth of the matter is the Bible is God’s revelation so that we can know who God is (within the limits of our finite minds of course) and what He expects of us. When Luke wrote his magnificent two-volume work (Luke/Acts) for Theophilus he described his writing as “an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:3-4, NKJV, emphasis mine). The Apostle John wrote, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (I John 5:13). And Jesus rebuking the Sadducees as they tried to trap Him said, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). Clearly in just these few examples we should be able to see that there are many things Jesus said we could know for sure about God. One of those things is the surety of Hell.

Consider just a few of the many passages where Jesus speaks of the surety of Hell. At the end of the parable of the king who arranged a marriage for his son, Jesus says, “Then the king said to his servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot , take him away, and cast him into out darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13). Jesus was more direct when instructing His disciples in Matthew 10:28. In that verse Jesus told them, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.” In another passage from Matthew’s gospel Jesus, speaking of those who ultimately demonstrated their rejection of Him by their lack of compassion, said, “Depart from Me you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…”(25:41).

But perhaps the most compelling passage on hell can be found in Luke’s Gospel in chapter 16. It is there Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man mistreats Lazarus in life and in death the rich man is punished while Lazarus is comforted. Verse 23-24 speaks of the rich man, “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame.” Call me a fundamentalist but that sounds like Hell to me.

In the Time article, Rob Bell is quoted as saying, “I have long wondered if there is a massive shift coming in what it means to be a Christian. Something new is in the air.” I would say to Rob Bell that his questioning of sound Christian doctrine that is based on the veracity of God’s Word is not a new scent in the air but is rather the same stench of universalism and warmed over liberal theology that has assailed the nostrils of Christians since the beginning of the Church. It has taken many forms and operated under many names deceiving many. But the remedy in the 21st century is the same remedy Paul gave Timothy in the first century. “Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing from whom you have learned them and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 3:13-14).

You can hear Dr. Tony Beam live on Christian Talk 660 weekday mornings from 7:00-9:00 AM (EST) as he is the host of Christian Worldview Today. You can also listen to recorded broadcasts in the Christian Worldview Today Archive.

Dr. Tony Beam is Vice-President for Student Services and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina, Dr. Tony Beam received his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and his Doctor of Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.