Category: culture

On 10/7, a Reminder Why the Christian Should Stand With the Jew

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Earlier this summer I was walking with my wife in a pleasant waterfront area in Michigan when a man pointed at me and smiled. I was puzzled for a minute, and then I looked down at my t-shirt.

An illustration featuring a Christian cross and a Jewish star of David overlapping on a light blue background.

I was wearing a shirt that had the American and Israeli flags together. He walked over and introduced himself. He and his wife are American Jews and were visiting the area. My wife and I are Americans and Christians.

The four of us spoke for quite some time. The conversation kept going because we have so much in common. 

I am thinking of this conversation today, October 7, the third anniversary of the heinous attack by Hamas on Israel. I know several pastors and others who went to Israel after this attack. The Israeli government showed them in private some details of this attack on video—taken by the sick Hamas attackers—that was too abhorrent to be shown to international media. A description in words is bad enough—taking civilians of all ages captive, rape, sodomy, murder of parents in front of children, putting babies in ovens in front of their parents, beheadings. And the recorded this themselves and celebrated and sent messages that they had “killed Jews” to their parents who praised them. The evil murderers praised Allah as they did it, a demonstration of demonic deception.

But what is most stunning and egregious in all of this is the large numbers of the world population who responded with anti-semitic hatred, blaming the Israels and Jews for the incident and their response. It is reminiscent of the inhumanity to man against the Jews during World War II and the fact that some deny the holocaust.

But hatred of the Jews is prophesied, it is ancient, it defies logic, and it is on the rise in our day.

It is why now, more than ever, on this day especially, the Christian must stand with the Jew.

It is not only mandatory, but easy to do this, given the truth of our faith. The Jewish and Christian sacred texts overlap. The Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament, and the prophets and other writings in the Old Testament are shared with Christians. In the New Testament, Christians read the genealogy of Jesus through Jewish history, how Jesus is the promised messiah, and how the non-Jews (gentiles) may also receive salvation in Jesus.

Christians have a shared heritage and potential future. In fact, at the time of Christ, the Bible records that many Jews came to believe in Jesus even as others rejected him. Today also, many Jews do not believe Jesus to be the messiah, while others are called “messianic” Jews because they have accepted Christ. I know some of them and have read books by rabbis who accept Jesus is the son of God and Messiah spoken of in the Hebrew prophets. When some of them write books, their deep knowledge of Hebrew as well as faith in Jesus gives a rich meaning to my Christian faith.

Much of the hatred of Jews today is focused on Israel as a nation, as well as Jews as a people. But this hatred of Israel—and parallel support of Hamas and Palestine—is born out of ignorance of important facts and perspective:

  • Gaza, also known as the Gaza Strip, is a territory that resulted in a land for peace deal. Israel gave up the land, but the Palestinians in Gaza did not keep the peace. In fact they used UNESCO and other international support funding to build expensive tunnels, accumulate weapons, and plot their hate-filled war.
  • Hamas, which means “violence” in several biblical references, is adept at propaganda that many Americans and global citizens routinely fall for. I heard about this directly when I visited Israel in 2018 and tour guides with military background explained this to us. Hamas launches an attack with weapons from a bunker in a school or residence, and when Israel responds they tell the world Israel attached civilians. A military officer with the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) explained that they are the only army in the world that sends leaflets out to an area to warn they will be bombing there soon. The goal is to destroy weapons and fighting positions, not civilians. I also know otherwise intelligent people who shared on social media a photo of an emaciated boy in Gaza and blamed Israel for starving Gazans. But the photo cropped out the boy’s well-fed mother and brother, and failed to mention the boy was thin because of a medical condition, and that the boy was at a medical facility to treat that condition, and that Israel paid for it. They also leave out that Hamas takes Israeli food and supplies away from the people for whom it is intended and uses them for themselves. No one expresses outrage over Hamas’ treatment of women or children in their care.
  • Palestinians are not an ethnic group. The term Palestine comes from Philistine, the people “of the sea” mentioned in Bible stories who attacked Israel. The giant Goliath, slain by David with a slingshot in a famous story, was a Philistine. The Roman empire referred to the region as Palestine, a derivative of Philistine. To the Romans, many different people groups lived in that region—Hebrews, Philistines and others. They were just designating an area in their vast empire in that era. So to chant “Palestine must be free” misses the point.
  • Speaking of that chant, the rest of it is “from the river to the sea.” Ask most useful idiots chanting this at rallies what it means, and they can’t tell you. It literally means from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, the area that borders Israel. It is a call to genocide and elimination of Israel. It is another form of genocidal mania that you used to hear from Iranian Mullahs who oppress and kill their own people and yell “death to Israel” in a sick evil posing as religious fervor. Israeli’s and Jews do not chant for the death and elimination or genocide of others, but other evil people and their useful idiots call for the genocide of Jews.
  • Israel is not an oppressor. Their claim to the land goes back to Abraham. It is the size of New Jersey situated in the vast Middle East that spans as far as the western United States. Today, it is the only democracy in the entire region and is appropriately pluralistic. Israel does not oppress its people or those around them. They share their national land with others who are not Jews. The IDF includes Arabs and Muslims and others, as does the Knesset, the national legislature of Israel. In Israel, there is dialogue and debate among many peoples as there should be in a democracy. In many of Israel’s neighbors, there is rule by one party, one family, one ethnicity, and short of debate, those who dissent are hanged or beheaded or shot. Yet advocates of these people bizarrely call Israel an oppressor?

The Jews and Israel have been maligned, mischaracterized, hated and killed for two thousand years. It is called the “ancient hate” for a reason. But because of my faith and my desire to consider truth, I can tell you this October 7 that I love the Jews, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that Jews everywhere—along with gentiles— come to know Jesus as the promised savior who came into this world through the Jewish people.

Avoiding a More Serious Form of Identity Theft

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Every once in a while you see an ad or get some mail that warns you of identity theft and offers some protection against it. This form of identity theft involves some nefarious individual gaining access to one of more important numbers that identify you in the marketplace—drivers license, social security number, address, phone number, email, bank account, credit card and more.

This is disconcerting, as it should be. If some person you don’t know has access to your personal information and is posing as you for their financial gain—and your loss or even ruin—then you feel significantly violated and angry.

This is why there becomes a need to protect yourself. We are warned against “phishing” and other scams intent on getting you to unwittingly give away your financial and legal identity.

But the same is true of another form of identity—social or spiritual identity. Sadly, and oddly, many people are falling victim to scams in this arena as well and willingly relinquishing their true identity to falseness.

One of these false identities is perpetuated by the scam that the whole world falls into a dichotomy of “oppressor and victim.” Deceiving people into thinking they are a victim robs people of their identity as someone who is both capable and responsible. I wrote about the problems of this false-dichotomy and the spurious arguments associated with a one-sided view of DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion—in a previous post.

I would also recommend the episode of Matt Walsh’s ‘Real History” series about civil rights, which logically and empirically demonstrates that minority populations in our nation’s inner cities were significantly better off before policies followed the flawed notion of victim identity. Another good resource is the Woodson Center, named for the late civil rights pioneer Robert Woodson, which stesses common sense solutions to poverty based on ability and responsibility vs victim mentality. 

A protection against this kind of identity theft is to see yourself as an individual with your own merit, and do not allow someone who does not know you to assign you to a broadly defined and irrelevant group. An individual is unique and not merely a member of a category.

Another devious form of identity theft is that of sexual identity. In spite of theological and biological clarity, there is an organized effort to deceive people into thinking they are not the gender that the are. Much of this attempt to steal identity is often behind the backs of their parents.

What’s most puzzling in all of this is the fact that some who are not victims of this identity theft feel compelled to “affirm” the change in identity. To gain a self-satisfaction of being caring, they offer faux compassion to affirm that someone is oppressed or that their gender does not actually match reality, regardless of their chromosomes or the fact that God created humans with two genders, knowing each person while they are in the womb. It makes no more sense than “affirming” the criminal who has stolen someone’s financial identity. What’s most sad about this form of identity theft is that people would rather be randomly popular on social media than intimately loved by God,.

A final form of identity theft happens to people like me who dare to speak of such cultural issues and raise a red flag. Our identity theft culture has bred cancel culture and gaslighting as well. I will be—and have been—framed as a white, evangelical, straight male (all true) with some sort of phobia and full of hate (not true). I actually am rational and speak out in love. People should know who they really are, as designed by God. Knowing who you are in the eyes of God is positive, true and unchanging. There is a good book on this topic: “Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Who We Are in Christ” that gives hope and addresses other forms of false identity.

There is a dichotomy when it comes to identity. It is not oppressor-victim. It is oppressor-redeemer. Satan oppresses and possesses people to think what is a lie—that they are a victim, that they are the wrong gender. But God, who created all, is truth. People are loved, have potential, and their identity is in relationship to God, not other people or human culture. As Paul reminded residents of Galatia in his letter to them: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:26). 

Anyone today can also see themselves in the light of the sacrifice of Jesus and be a son or daughter of God. That’s an identity that can’t be stolen, and lasts for an eternity. 

Navigating College as a Christian

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With classes starting next week at the university where I teach, I thought I would re-post this article from several years ago.

In recent years the value of college has been increasingly a subject of debate. There are books that call it an outright scam, and others point to college as a necessity for a successful career and stable lifestyle. One of the better recent articles with an objective outline of pros and cons of college was in Forbes.

For the Christian, concerns about college are not just about cost and career preparation. Parents and students wonder about the wisdom of paying to have their faith values denigrated and secular values pushed in the name of education.

I can relate to these concerns. As a Christian college professor on a secular campus, I have felt everything from slight insult (micro aggressions) to broad attack for expressing my personal faith. These happened on my campus and in society at large.

But as a college professor I would say the question is not only whether or not to go to college. It may not be for everyone, and as the Forbes article outlines, there are other alternatives to college. For those who are Christian and decide to go to college, the question becomes how to navigate the experience and maintain your faith.

I recently spoke to a group of parents and students about this topic. I share the basics here.

The College Landscape

Before navigating, it’s important to understand the landscape of college. In doing so, you can identify the specific areas where challenges to faith may arise. These challenges can be in or outside the classroom, from faculty, staff or peer students.

Most four-year colleges require a form of general education. These are groups of courses grouped into categories that could be art, science, history, world cultures and so on. The point is to give every student a broad education in a variety of subjects. Then students select a major and possibly a minor, which are a set of courses focused on a subject or career, such as nursing, communication, business, engineering and others.

Outside of class there is what is commonly called student life. There are a number of student organizations that range from professional in focus, like an accounting association, to a hobby or personal interest, such as the backpacking club. There are hundreds of these, and they are a great way to provide students productive and fun activities and a way to meet like-minded students outside the classroom. (See my list of Christian student organizations at the end of this post).

After class and formal extra-curricular activities there is just the informal college experience. This means friends chosen to “hang out” with as well as roommates in campus housing or an off-campus apartment.

In all of the above, a Christian student could be confronted with assertions and behaviors by professors, college staff, or peer students that is in direct opposition to what they believe and how they would choose to act in accordance with the Bible. But, if a young person goes into the trades and does not attend college, they will also face the same contrary beliefs from bosses, customers, co-workers and others.

So, some of the fears we have about college are unavoidable in the culture at large. And a college degree still offers many benefits for those who attend. What college students–and their parents–need is a compass to navigate college. A typical compass or weathervane has four letters indicating the four directions: north, south, east and west. I have come up with a way for Christians to navigate college that has four Ws: worldview, wonder, weather, witness.

Worldview

You can’t navigate without a map or a course setting. You need to know where you’ve come from and where you want to go, and where the obstacles and dangers are. For the Christian, this is called a biblical worldview. It’s important for students to have this embedded so they can recognize views contrary to the gospel and be able to stay the course.

It is especially important to know what you believe, and how it is rooted in the Bible, because that is extremely rare in our culture. Arizona Christian University’s American Worldview Inventory 2023 shows an alarming drift from basic Bible truths in terms of what people believe: 7 cornerstones of Biblical worldview that a Christian should believe and the percent who actually say they do. Be prepared to be a minority in college. But that’s ok–you would rather have the truth of God than the assertions of people.

  • Believing God is perfect and just creator and eternal ruler of the world (50%)
  • Realizing that all humans are not basically good; everyone, including you, is a sinner (27%)
  • Knowing Jesus Christ is the only means to salvation, through our confession of sin and reliance on His forgiveness (35%)
  • Believing the Bible to be the true, relevant, and reliable words of God that serve as a moral guide (46%)
  • Accepting the existence of absolute moral truth (25%)
  • Acknowledging your purpose in life: knowing, loving and serving God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind (36%)
  • Understanding genuine success in life: consistent obedience to God (23%)

Wonder

In spite of the fact that college will challenge personal Christian views, students should still see college as a learning opportunity. It is valuable to learn what others think, what those alternative views are. It should not be a shock or cause fear to know that not everyone believes the Bible as it is written, especially when the Bible is full of evidence of that.

College, and life, is about understanding if not always adopting non-Christian views. As I noted earlier, everyone will encounter this in the workplace, in the news, in entertainment, from neighbors and everywhere. In other words, wonder what others think and why they do.

In this way college can be seen as a training for how to navigate culture as a Christian. Christians should not be alarmed at the culture, but prepare to be in the world but not of the world.

And, most of the topics of study in college will be non-confrontational. They will focus on business, engineering, art, communication, or whatever a student has chosen to study to prepare for a career and life.

Weather

In addition to navigating with clear direction, a Christian in college needs to be able to weather storms. I spend a lot of time outdoors and I like the idea that there is no bad weather, just bad gear. So have the right gear!

For a Christian that means staying in touch with parents and a church–either a home church or one near campus. Read the Bible daily, and even memorize scripture that bolsters faith and speaks to a present situation. Pray often, not just at meals and bedtime. Pray specifically for current struggles and opportunities, and for other people.

Another key piece of gear to weather attacks on faith are to choose friends wisely. If you can choose roommates who are also believers that is an asset. Choosing which students to spend time with also matters. A really strong protection for your faith is to join a Christian student organization (again see the list below).

Just be ready. The Bible warns us we will be attacked for our faith. Don’t be surprised, afraid, or think you need to change to “blend in.” As Paul writes, “do not conform to this world” (Romans 12:2), and “be patient in tribulation” (Romans 12:12).

Witness

Finally, consider that being in college is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Don’t be shy to express your Christian perspective in college environment that claims it welcomes and explores all ideas.

Here are some thoughts about how to be a witness:

  • Don’t be influenced; BE the influence. Don’t feel outnumbered into silence. You know the truth of God and that is powerful. Share it humbly when you have occasion.
  • Don’t argue or try to persuade. Share what God has done in your life, that is what it means to “witness.” No one can contradict your experience. Also, give the basis for your statements, explain that your values are based on the Bible and not popular culture.
  • Acknowledge that multiple views exist, but also in that spirit insist on respect for yours.
  • Finally, pray. No one can change someone’s heart and persuade them to believe in Jesus. Leave that to the Holy Spirit.

America 250: An Idea Worth Knowing, Celebrating and Keeping

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Earlier this week, I spoke to the summer interns at the Mackinac Center. My topic was public relations at the time of the American revolution. This topic coincides with the fact that this decade is the 100th anniversary of public relations being called such as a full-time profession. But public relations scholars have long pointed out that forms of public relations were practiced in all of human history. In my remarks, using material from the PR Museum, I showed how this was so at the time of the American revolution when people throughout 13 colonies needed to be convinced that it was necessary and appropriate to declare independence from Britain. Of course, this topic was also timely given the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is being celebrated this week.

Our yard is festooned proudly with patriotic ornaments.

My subject was to be an entire special topics class this fall semester at the university where I am a professor. Unfortunately, there were not enough students enrolled by a certain scheduling deadline and the class had to be cut. I don’t know if it was added too late and students had their schedules set, or if there is disinterest in history among college students Maybe some of both. The ones who had signed up had been eager to take the class and were disappointed.

The interns at the Mackinac Center, none of whom are even public relations students, showed keen interest in the subject and asked good questions. That was encouraging and fun. 

I am naturally passionate about public relations and its history. That would be expected from someone who has been a professor of public relations and published articles and chapters on its history among my other research subjects.

But I am also interested in American history and keenly appreciative of the uniqueness of our founding documents and the uniqueness of our form of governance. What we celebrate this week is 250 years of shedding oppressive control, forming our own government, and gaining national and personal liberty unlike any that has been achieved in the world with the possible exception of ancient Greece.

Therefore, education  and celebration on this subject has always been important. But it is more so now. That is because many today, in the grip of the re-emergence of a flawed Marxist ideology, actually deplore America and are “offended” by seeing reverence for the flag and celebration of national history. They see America as an oppressor, not a liberator. 

This is nonsense when as an abstract, socially constructed idea it is measured against experience and observation. 

Individual rights, liberty, and responsibility are the foundation of the US, and the ingredients for a system that has enabled more opportunity and prosperity than any nation in history. Yes there are flaws and imperfections, but that can be addressed by policy within our governing framework, not throwing out the system. Some today want the government to provide for them in the form of free health care, busses, education even universal income as opposed to embracing self-reliance and getting government out of their lives. Recently elected politicians in New York City and other local governments across the land are promising such things, and many are falling for it. This form of government as nanny, socialism, central planning, Maxism, call it what you will has never worked, and in fact is abusive. Read Road to Serfdom, written 80 years ago but applicable today.

The issue is, nothing is free. Those who succumb to accepting so-called free things from government lose their personal liberty. I once asked a student who thought free things from government was a good thing if he would live with his parents after graduation for the remainder of their lives. He said of course not. I said what if they gave you free rent, free food, free use of a car? He said no. I asked why. He wanted his independence. Exactly.

I once saw two families at the beach. Each had a toddler. It came time for both families to leave and they started gathering their things and trudging across the sand. The toddler in one family said “I carry!” He boldly dragged a beach chair to the family car. The other family’s toddler whined and said “carry me!” His father added the child to his collection of cooler, chairs and bags. The former child knows the joy of self-reliance and independence. The other is a malcontent destined for a life of dependence, dissatisfaction and marching at rallies with signs protesting the fact that he is “oppressed.” 

As former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of socialism: “it works until they run out of other people’s money.” Or eminent economics professor and author Thomas Sowell’s apt description of socialism: “favoring what sounds good over what actually works.”

America, at 250 is an empirical lesson in what works. Our republic as a system is not perfect, but it was precisely designed to manage those imperfections. It remains the best, most exceptional effort at self-governance that the world has known.

Bernie Sanders, a long-time U.S. Senator who champions socialism and decries millionaires and billionaires, has never held a job outside of government. Nevertheless, he flies first class and has three homes. When questioned about doing this as a public servant and having only a taxpayer-funded salary, he defends himself by saying he wrote books that sold well. So, taking personal initiative and being rewarded financially is ok for him, but not others. And all he generated was words, much as I love books. Meanwhile, those millionaires and billionaires he hates created millions of jobs, products and services people need, and numerous other positive outcomes. 

The Sanders story is just one. Look at the long history of socialism and see how its leaders become enriched and the people for whom they claim to serve suffer in terms of limited liberty, choice, opportunity and personal advancement.

The very things those who hate America are proposing are the very reason so many people are flooding our borders to get to America. They are not coming here to be “oppressed” by our federal republic—they are fleeing the oppression in the socialist states in which they live. While some Americans live in other countries as expats, and do so for the weather, family relationships, or other nominal reasons, there are few Americans who immigrate completely and take up citizenship in other countries for more personal freedom.

But an anti-American sentiment persists. That is because each generation must be taught about the unique and beneficial values of America. But our education institutions are actually teaching our young to hate America, and pushing socialism and communism on students. I know K-12 teachers who personally have stood up against curriculum that does this and they were reprimanded. Universities, often founded to train pastors and citizens with civic pride and professional abilities, now seem bent on conditioning the youth of the nation to turn against it. Read more about how a radicalized left has worked to undermine America in Christopher Rufo’s America’s Cultural Revolution. 

We have seen a rise recently of local and state candidates winning elections who are part of the Democratic Socialists of America. They claim to be for workers, but their website also makes clear they are a political activist organization, not a party. And they are less about the economic well-being of American workers than they are about flawed globalist ideologies, such as open borders and intensification of anti-Semitism. 

It is interesting to see some people today liken our current president to Adolf Hitler or a NAZI. This may be hyperbole or a literal assessment. Either way, in their emotional ignorance, they forget that the term NAZI is an abbreviation of the German word Nationalsozialist, which translates to National Socialist in English. It specifically refers to a member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), which was led by Adolf Hitler. The Democratic Socialists of America, with their fiery rhetoric, claims to be for workers, but its candidates’ unabashed hatred of Jews, disdain for individual initiative and propensity for violence seem far more like the NAZIs in 1930s Germany than any other party of movement in America today. Yet the re-programmed youth and others stirred to anger blindly vote for them.

Another unique and brilliant aspect of the founding of the USA is acknowledgement that rights come from God, not government. This was revolutionary and reformative, spoken of by Hobbes, Locke, and others. The government is merely other people, and who are they to presume the granting of rights. We have the rights as our founding documents say to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The anti-Americans among us favor Marx over Locke and seek to eliminate faith from our culture. They devalue life with promotion of assisted suicide and abortion. They want the government to control everything at the expense of our individual liberty and choice. And rather than allow people the freedom of their own pursuits they would propose the government supply what they think will make people happy. Socialism runs its course is arrogant and elitist. The bedrock of America’s founding values is actual respect for individuals.

Another threat to our democracy from socialism is its intended divisiveness. We have on our currency the latin phrase “e pluribus unum,” which means out of many, one. This is a statement that even in our different races, philosophies, religions, and individual differences, we are still united on foundational national—and positive—principles as indicated above. Some today insist that all agree to certain moral and political perspectives based on hatred and anger, or face gaslighting and cancellation. 

I can end this essay with some hope as I think about America going forward. 

Occurring concurrently with our national 250th birthday is the World Cup on our soil. There have been many articles, such as this one from the BBC, about how these fans from many other countries realize they were lied to (one person interviewed actually said this) about the USA and are ecstatic about their actual experience. They are raving about everything from the splendor of suburban homes, to the vast offerings at supermarkets, to the kindness of average Americans. 

Most Americans are still in line with founding and other positive values, and are not on board with what socialists are pushing, according to some research by independent journalist Michael Shellenbarger shared in his Substack called “Public.” He notes: “Abolishing the police drew just 15% support even back in 2020 at the height of the power of Black Lives Matter. Seventy-four percent of Americans approve of the separation of powers, 90% favor co-equal branches, and only 9% want any one branch to hold more power. Eighty-one percent of Americans view free enterprise positively, while only 39% view socialism positively, and that 39% reflects the diluted Scandinavian sense of the word, not expropriating apartment buildings and other forms of housing. Seventy percent support closing the border, and 69% support limiting who can claim asylum.”

Perhaps reading the statistics and polls, more traditional Democrats are trying to save the party—and the nation—from the dangerous leftward tilt of Neo-Marxist communists in socialist clothes. As one example, New York Democrat U.S. Representative Tom Suozzi wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning that “Democrats Need to Show Our Love for America.” 

Another reason for hope is the 15 or so young people I spoke to earlier this week. I am pleased to see they understand all of this. I encouraged them to speak positively about and advocate for our country as often as they can in their personal and professional lives.

On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the world is showing love for America.  Some Democrats are standing up to socialists in their party who pose a threat to our unique democracy and national culture. A sample of young college students is showing respect and appreciation for our history. All Americans must maintain that view as well as we celebrate a quarter millennium of history. We need remain very mindful that ours is a country not based on geography or ethnicity but an idea. That idea brought positive change and centuries of benefits. The idea of America is worth celebrating and keeping.

10 Things to Remember on Memorial Day

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Memorial Day, like many holidays, is one that seems to lose its distinction after a while. People tend to focus on the traditions of celebration rather than the reason for them. The Fourth of July is obvious—the national birthday. But Memorial Day to many can mean the start of summer, a long weekend, a picnic, a parade, a day at the beach, a cookout.

A field adorned with numerous American flags, celebrating Memorial Day, with a sunset in the background and 'MEMORIAL DAY' text overlayed.

Those are all nice, but there of course is a more. Memorial Day started in the Civil War, and became official in 1971, as a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. According to history.com, it was originally called Decoration Day to reflect the practice of placing flowers and other decorations on gravesites. 

With another Memorial Day weekend upon us, I was reflecting on this holiday. And I was thinking there are a number of specific things we could remember on Memorial Day, especially as this year coincides with the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation. So here is my list of 10 things to remember on Memorial Day.

1. The sacrifices of soldiers.

This is the original point of Memorial Day, and it needs to be stressed. My wife and I had the opportunity to visit the American Cemetery in Normandy, France while I was teaching in the country. That and other sites really drove home the reality that these soldiers, often only in their teens, got out of boats onto a beach and climbed a hill while being shot at. They prevailed as a force, but many died. To this day the resident of Normandy are grateful. We should be as well, for soldiers who maintained freedom in this and other wars.

2. The uniqueness of our independence. 

I have recently enjoyed watching some films and documentaries about George Washington, the signing of Declaration Of Independence, and other national history from the revolutionary era. Other nations have established themselves, but the American experience was unique for what it established. Not just a national independence, but one in which individuals were free of the tyranny of a monarch. Bold souls listed their grievances against a king and invoked God to establish what we have today. On Memorial Day we remember soldiers who died defending it. We should also remember what it is that has been worth the sacrifice of lives. I’d suggest reading a transcript of the Declaration of Independence this Memorial Day.

3. That we are a federal republic.

One of the classes I teach is about law, and I have to remind students of the unique form of government we have. Not a simple democracy, the United States is a federal republic, a federation of independent states. This is the result of founders who wanted a strong government but were also wary of a government with too much power. The colonies that became states had different personalities, histories, and interests. To get them to join the new union required preservation of some of their autonomy. This created out country and its system of state and federal laws. It is worth remembering that and what it means today. Here is more information about a federal republic from the Bill of Rights Institute. 

4. The five freedoms of the first amendment. 

If you ask most people about the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, they will say it guarantees free speech. That is not wrong, but it is incomplete. I one time asked a class what are the five freedoms in the First Amendment. Two could answer. I told them to thank their high school government teachers. For the record, the freedoms in order listed are religion, speech, press, assembly and petition the government. Note that “press” does not mean journalism exclusively but anyone with the means to distribute information. Also, “separation of church and state” is NOT in the First Amendment or anywhere in the constitution. Read it for yourself. It is especially important to remember this Memorial Day as even democratic governments around the world are censoring free speech. 

5. The meaning, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship.

Citizenship, and becoming one, has not been an issue in most of our national history. People who immigrated to the United States would often go through the process to become citizens, and appropriately celebrate when they had done so. To be a citizen grants privileges, to be sure. But citizenship also implies a responsibility and a loyalty to the national values and culture. In recent years, we have seen a number of people advocating for open borders, violating law and diminishing citizenship. The growing problem of “anchor babies,” an abuse of the intent of the 14th Amendment, also demonstrates a desire to enjoy the privileges of citizenship without the responsibility. There is an industry of “birth tourism” to enable this. In some cases, this practice has not been about enjoying citizenship benefits but an insidious plot  to subvert the United States. To be a citizen should be to assimilate and embrace our founding values. 

There is another set of things to remember on Memorial Day that go beyond our nation. These are more about personal reflection.

6. Your childhood.

As a man of a certain age, whose parents are in advanced years, I sometimes have been thinking way back to my childhood. It is good to do this from time to time. For one thing, it brings up memories of a simpler time that shows we can be informed and entertained without cell phones and the internet. Conversations are best in real time in person. I also think about my uncertainty about the future and can reflect that things worked out ok for me. I am glad that in my childhood I developed a joy of reading and being outside, two things that are passions of mine to this day.

7. What you love about your spouse.

It is unfortunate that the rate if divorce in this country is at or higher than 50 percent. I don’t blame people, but I do hurt for them. Often I hear people explain a divorce by saying thy drifted apart. I can see how that happens. But after three decades of marriage, I find myself thinking about what first attracted me to my wife (and wonder what the heck it was that attracted her to me!). We all change and live through a variety of circumstances. We are not perfect and have disagreements. But the things that first attracted me to her are still there and worth remembering, especially if I may be momentarily annoyed by something else.

8. Those you love who have passed away. 

As I wrote about my spouse above, I am very mindful of the many friends who have had to endure their spouse passing away. On Memorial Day, we remember fallen soldiers. Many of the spouses of my friends were fighters too—fighting disease if not war. Memorial Day is a good day—as if this doesn’t happen every day—to remember in a special way those who have died and are missed. I would suggest not thinking about their absence and their death, but remember with gratitude and comfort when they were here and how they loved their lives as a blessing in the lives of others.

9. Your career path.

My college students are just starting out on this path, but even they can reflect on Memorial Day about how they chose their field, or a specific role within it. As we age, we have a much longer view. Periodically I think it is health to consider how one’s passion, ability, and calling intersect and led to a career or aspiration. Memorial Day for many is a day off from work. But it is also a good day to re-calibrate and think about why you work. Hopefully it is for more than a paycheck and health benefits. 

10. Where you were when God laid the foundations of the world.

This one is a play on multiple passages of the Bible in which God responds to someone complaining about a life circumstance, even a severely difficult one, bye asking “where were you when I laid the foundations of the world?” It is a rhetorical and theological question, not one seeking an answer. The point is, God is bigger than anyone or anything, He created all, and He has a plan. I have reminded myself of this often when going through deep valleys in my own life. Memorial Day is another day (as is every day) to remember the majesty of God.