By Bishop C. William Page
The alleged improper intimate matters concerning President Bill Clinton and Miss Monica Lewinsky amount to a great American tragedy. Families are embarrassed, relationships strained, interpersonal communications challenged, hearts broken, friends and associates both betrayed and embarrassed. What individual would want to suffer a similar predicament? None I know.
From a world perspective, people of wholesome moral values are appalled. Our friends are hurt and embarrassed for us. Many are ashamed of us. Some of our enemies are laughing and pointing accusatory fingers. At home, some of those who are less patriotic are seeking opportunity to gain more control during a period of national embarrassment and perceived weakness. So, it is indeed tragic. Yet, there may be another side. Behind the dark, scary, moonless night could be a beautiful, peaceful day. Shielded and concealed by the lingering angry, threatening, opaque-appearing storm cloud could be a sparkling brightly-shining sun. Yes, America, behind the season which is filling your bottle with bitter tears could be seasons filled with gently-flowing rivers of joy.
"Could be". That is the key phrase. This apparent tragedy "could be" a great opportunity. Opportunity out of tragedy? It certainly isn't an unAmerican concept. Americans expect silver linings behind our clouds. "Could be" is conditional. What are the conditions? How may Americans transform what is already a tragedy of great proportions into a great opportunity and benefit thereby?
The answer lies in perspective. If we see President Clinton and Miss Lewinsky as the only problems and culprits in this situation we will grossly deceive ourselves. I would propose, rather, that they are possibly barometric indicators of a greater problem which threatens our nation. They may be sinners but so are many of us. They may have problems but so do many of us. They may have sin conditions in their hearts, but so do many, many of us. The great difference is, they have been brought face to face with that which has apparently infected and compromised them. They have publicly admitted many of their wrongs. However, many of us are still in denial. So, we are in worse condition than are they.
Yes, perspective is the key. If we see them as the patients and Congress and the Supreme Court as the medical professionals set to treat and cure the ills, we are deceiving ourselves. True, their situations may be infected sores on our national face but they are not the patients. Their situations could be healed and the patient could still fail to recover.
The operation was successful and the patient died. This slight variation of an old cliche could become a reality if the patient doesn't wake up and participate in the operation. The real patient is the United States of America. The inaccurate self-diagnosis of its condition has deluded it into a dangerous state of denial. The patient has diagnosed and highlighted what it wants to believe is the problem. Its diagnosis says the problem is President Bill Clinton. Apparently lab tests have revealed a serious sensual infection and the patient is considering which treatment to apply: 1. Let it wear off; 2. Let it age out; 3. Lance and drain it through a procedure called censure; or 4. Do radical surgery and remove it by a process called impeachment. The patient finds itself strangely divided. Each procedure has pockets of support at various locations in the body.
The key question is, Will either of the above-mentioned remedies guarantee the patient a return to health? The patient hopes so. However, reality may dictate otherwise.
We tend to think that action is better than inaction. That may be true. However, even though we choose the two more proactive of the four remedies, neither the lancing nor the removal of the sore on the face guarantees the healing of the infected body. Why? Because the body, America in general, is infected with the disease of heightened sensual awareness and improper sexual activity. Pornography is widespread and growing. Average American families are bombarded weekly by highly sensual and oftentimes explicit sexual images in the print and broadcast media as well as in other forms.
So, though the President's Lewinsky situation may be an easily identifiable sore on the face of the American nation, however, much of the nation's body, below the neck, is also infected. What is the patient to do about those problems?
Here is the major obstacle to effective treatment: The patient, for the most part, is in denial. Whether one is a drug addict, alcohol addict, or sex addict, denial hinders effective treatment. Rather than deal with its overall problems, America is focusing on a facial sore that has made it look defective in the eyes of the world. Certainly that condition should be addressed. This is not an attempt to deny the seriousness of the Clinton-Lewinsky situation. Rather, this is a plea for America to go into its dressing room, remove its robe of hypocrisy, and examine itself again. Many infected sensual sores will be found. When will the nation deal with those conditions? Does it think the Clinton matter is an aberration? Does it think that Bill Clinton is some kind of supersinner, doing what most other American men would not even think of doing? I somehow wish I could pass it off as an aberration and not characteristic of a significant segment of American men (and women). This is the scary part. It's such a nasty sore, we hesitate to examine the body further, for fear that many more sores, as nasty, or worse, may be found. So, we revert to our position of denial.
Clinton has taken a step, whether in sincerity or not (I cannot tell), which many other Americans need to take. He has admitted that he did wrong, said he was sorry, and asked for forgiveness. Only God knows the true depth of his repentance. But what about the remainder of America? Have we repented? Have we said we were (are) wrong? Have we asked for forgiveness? Yes, heal the sore on the face, but, for God's sake, don't ignore the numerous sores on the remainder of the nation's body.
Great men have committed great sins. Yet, repentance has won for them God's mercy and restoration. We see David repenting of adultery and murder (Psalm 51). As a result, David's reputation remains intact today. Clinton has repented. If God found his repentance genuine, Clinton's place in history may be rescued also.
But God is also concerned about the sins of the not-so-great. The sins of the mailman, delivery man, traveling salesman(woman), port-calling sailor, traveling executive, secretary, babysitter, preacher, office worker, plant worker, construction worker, landscaper, grandma, car salesman, next door neighbor, school boy and school girl, college student, housewife, teacher, food service worker, foreman, supervisor, manager, CEO, and all others, grieve God.
God hates sin (though he loves all people). The class or condition of the sinner makes the sin no less serious.
So, America, let's 'fess up. Let's admit that we are in serious sins; that sensuality has gotten out of control. Let's admit that we have turned from the Word of God to the reason of man. Let's confess, as did King David, that we have sinned against God. Let's ask God to forgive us, cleanse us, restore us. Let's admit that we've almost forgotten how to have a nice, decent date that does not end in a sex demand. (In a basic sense, a human sex act is a marital act. So, we have imprisoned ourselves in a sex sin maze. Our dates demand marital acts without marital vows. So, we go around joining ourselves to person after person without understanding what we have really done. The denial continues. We deny that there is anything wrong with what we are doing.)
So we are on a denial binge. Is denial also an addiction? Anyway, it seems that being "on" something is very characteristic of Americans these days. We are an "on" people. We are "on the go", "on the road", "on the pill", "on the phone", on the computer", "on the 'net'", "on the golf course", "turned on", etc. We seem to be "on" everything except our knees. That's where we really need to be--on our knees before God, asking for His forgiveness, cleansing, restoration and infilling.
Let's repent, here and now!!! If you are involved in any ungodly relationship(s), stop it (them), now!!! Turn to God, now!!! Now!!! Ask Him to bring forth your deliverance. You see what embarrassment President Clinton, his family and the nation have suffered. Stop your sinning now. Repent now!!! Urge those around you to do likewise. If we don't stop now we could suffer the outworkings of the judgment of continued denial. We need mercy and deliverance, not judgment. We want the patient to live, not die. God's word to the house of Israel some twenty five centuries ago is very applicable to America today. He said: Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. (Ezekiel 18:31-32) The Holy Bible
Come on, America. Let's take this glorious opportunity to reach behind this sinful, dark night of tragedy and lay hold on the brightly-shining day of repentance, and be healed, and live.
Copyright © 1998 Clarence William Page.
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