A poignant memory from 'shelter in place'

This article was published in the May 2020 issue of The Fort Wayne Lutheran 

By Donna Volmerding

My husband received an email from a Christian organization asking churches to ring their bells at 3:00 p.m. on two Sundays in March. Churches in Europe would ring their bells, too, on their time. What a superb idea! Church bells would ring in America, in Europe, perhaps all over the world to proclaim the presence of God in our lives. 

We arrived at our church and walked through shadowy hallways, past empty offices into a deserted sanctuary. I sat alone in the church pew; the church, once bustling and alive, was dark, bleak, desolate. When the church bells pealed, I was overwhelmed with how much this church has meant to me. I attended grade school here from kindergarten, was confirmed here, married here, my daughter was baptized here, my children attended school here and were confirmed here. 

We have so many wonderful friends here, people who are strong and wise and good. Our lives are intertwined with the life of this church, with the lives of God’s people, with God. I miss it all so much. This invisible enemy has taken away so much in such a short time, but it will not destroy us. 

Our churches will be alive again with worship and songs, sermons and Bible readings, dinners, fellowship and coffee hours, events and gatherings — the stuff of life for God’s people, their lifeblood, the church and the God it serves. 

Life will continue, perhaps not the same, but God’s name will be praised nonetheless, always and forever. May we never have to go through a crisis like this again to appreciate the great blessings we have received from the God Who never deserts us. 

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire you will not be burned;

The flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel,

Your Savior.” Isaiah 43:1-3a

Donna and David Volmerding are members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 3705 S. Anthony Blvd. 

Columnist misleads on scientist's critics

This article was published in the Sunday, May 31, 2020, issue of The Journal Gazette

Michael Gerson’s article, “The right’s sick parody of populism,” is filled with half-truths, fabrications and vitriol. He states that “the right has turned hard against science and expertise.”

Perhaps, but I have questions. Does the left believe, as settled science, that preborns are indeed human life, possessing all necessary human DNA that is separate from its mother’s, and is not just a cluster of cells? Does the left dismiss hard science about male and female chromosomes, and choose to believe that gender is only what we want it to be?

Gerson states that “Tucker Carlson questions whether Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is ‘right about the science.’”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the only U.S. senator to have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 who also is a physician, asked Fauci about the science on the other side, stating that the public-health response to the pandemic has been riddled with “wrong prediction after wrong prediction.”

Carlson proved this, pointing out several wrong or misleading statements made by Fauci, including this one in March — “Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks. … there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.

Concerning COVID-19, Fauci stated in January that “we need to take it seriously and do the kinds of things that the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security are doing. But this is not a major threat for the people in the United States, and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about.”

Fauci even stated that it was fine to have sex with strangers met on Internet dating apps but also said that “nobody should ever shake hands again, just to be safe.”

After calling President Trump a “proven and perpetual liar,” Gerson states that Carlson called Fauci a “buffoon.” In truth, Carlson said, “This is just buffoon-level stuff …, and we’re not doing this to mock the guy (Fauci). … (But) is this the guy into whom you want to vest all of your trust? Is this the guy you want to chart the future of the country?”

Gerson clearly is not being honest about what Carlson said, nor is his harsh assessment about millions of intelligent, compassionate citizens who value freedom.

Does this make Gerson a proven and perpetual liar?

Vote! Our Christian liberties are at grave risk

 This article was published in the November 2020 issue of The Fort Wayne Lutheran.

By Donna Volmerding

The election of 1860 may have been the most critical election in the history of the United States, but the election of 2020 is the most critical election in our lifetimes. 

In this election of hoopla and hype, sometimes it is difficult to sort through all the issues. Sometimes we may even find ourselves burned out, tired of it all, just wishing the election would soon be over. 

I think it is time, however, to remind ourselves of the importance of choosing leaders for the greatest nation in the world and of the truly wonderful process we have at our fingertips: the right to vote. 

In a world in which countries change governments by force overnight, where despotism and atrocities against human freedoms abound, where people live in constant fear of upheaval, riots and firing squads, we, the American people, have the right to decide the fate of our country through one simple task — voting. 

Our Christian liberties are at grave risk, as Christian values, beliefs and expression are removed from the public square. Have we forgotten the words of President John F. Kennedy when he declared in his inaugural speech, “The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God”? 

If we are not “endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights,” then where do our innate rights come from? If they come from the state, the state can remove them. If they come from God, they cannot be rescinded. 

Before you vote, contemplate these considerations. Which candidate and party better understand the moral challenges we face? Which candidate and party better understand that our rights, freedoms and privileges are God-given, not state provided? Is the candidate and/or party supported by groups and organizations that are hostile to Christianity? 

The late Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote, in his dissent on Roe vs. Wade, that the court should not depart from the longstanding admonition that it should never “formulate a rule of constitutional law broader than is required by the precise facts to which it is to be applied.”

Courts, and the Supreme Court in particular, are to interpret the law where people disagree as to its meaning.

Activist judges have usurped the rights of lawmakers to decide the laws by which we are governed. Instead, we are forced to live under laws enacted by courts and judges, not elected legislators who answer to the people for the laws they pass. 

As Christians, we are losing ground in the culture wars. We are outgunned by autocratic judges who bypass legislative processes and constitutional procedures to make laws that are not of the people, by the people or for the people. This is not the government that our forefathers gave us; this is tyranny.

Activist judges display open hostility to Christians, Christianity and Christian values. At the same time, many Christians are lulled into complacency by misinformation, lies and deception. 

What are the primary voting issues of our day? As Christians, they are ensuring our rights to express our faith in the public square and in our public schools, and to present a Christian worldview in all cultural, moral and political discussions.

Our nation was founded on Judeo/Christian principles, justice and morality, and our country will continue to decline until we win the overarching moral battles we face. 

We have the honor and the privilege to live in the greatest nation on earth. Let’s not allow her to be destroyed by the enemy within. 

Freedom is a hard-won privilege, paid for by the blood of hundreds of thousands of patriots, and it must be nurtured and protected against all harm. Only a strong, involved, informed electorate can do that. It is easy to become lazy, careless and apathetic, but democracy demands diligence and courage. 

Our forefathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor to liberty when they signed the Constitution. Most of them paid dearly, with their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to secure that freedom. 

The next time you feel a little overburdened with the ballyhoo of an election, remember the wondrous gift we have been given — the gift of deciding our own destiny as a nation and a people. This is a gift that is rare in our world, even today. 

Congressional chaplain Peter Marshall wrote: “The choice before us is plain: Christ or chaos, conviction or compromise, discipline or disintegration. I am rather tired of hearing about our rights and privileges as American citizens. The time is come, it now is, when we ought to hear about the duties and responsibilities of our citizenship. America’s future depends upon her accepting and demonstrating God’s government.”

Our country is at a crossroads. Will we choose to live in “the last best hope of earth” (Abraham Lincoln) or a reincarnation of Venezuela?

It is not just our right to vote — it is our sacred duty. 

 

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity and freedom of worship.” 

Patrick Henry

Biden a patsy for unAmerican ideas, forces

This article was published in the Monday, October 19, issue of The Journal Gazette.  

 

UNELECTABLE — Biden a patsy for unAmerican ideas, forces

The election of 1860 may have been the most critical election in the history of the United States, but the election of 2020 is the most critical election in our lifetimes. 

I read the paper, and I must share another side of reasoning. 

• Joe Biden has total disdain for the truth. 

He has lied about his stance on fracking. On March 15, 2019, he said he wanted “no more subsidies for (the) fossil fuel industry. No more drilling on federal lands. No more drilling, including offshore. No ability for the oil industry to continue to drill, period.” On September 6, 2019, Biden said, “I guarantee you we’re going to end fossil fuel.” In April 2019, vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris said, “There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.” But during the vice-presidential debate, Harris said that she and Joe are very clear — they will not ban fracking. 

He said he graduated in the top half of his law class at the University of Syracuse law school. In truth, he graduated at the bottom half of his law class (76th out of 85). He stated that he was the only one in his class to receive a full academic scholarship. Not true. He said he graduated with three degrees; nope, he graduated with one. He said he was named outstanding political science student; he was not.

He has plagiarized several notables, including Hubert Humphrey, Robert F. Kennedy and British politician Neal Kinnock.

He said he attended a historically black college or university (HBCU). “I got started out of an HBCU, Delaware State,” Biden said, a claim denied by a representative of the school.

• Biden and his family are corrupt.

Author Peter Schweizer, in his book, “Profiles in Corruption,” states that Biden is the most corrupt vice president ever. He speaks of “the Biden five,” comprised of son Hunter, younger brothers James and Frank, sister Valerie and daughter Ashley. Through a complicated tangle of taxpayer-funded loans and grants, business dealings and consulting fees, these five family members received millions of dollars, cashing in during the Obama administration. 

• Biden and his vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, refuse to state if they will pack the Supreme Court. 

In 1983, Biden said that FDR’s attempt to pack SCOTUS was “a bone-head (sic) idea” and a “terrible, terrible mistake to make.” Even the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was opposed to packing the court. Now, Biden states that voters don’t deserve to know what he will do. During the primaries, Harris said, “I am open to increasing the number of people on the Supreme Court.” 

• Biden foments violence. 

As Antifa riots, burns and destroys our cities, and bullies citizens, Biden stated that Antifa is just “an idea.” (No, Joe, that’s the tooth fairy.) He finally denounced the riots on August 31, while our major cities were looted and destroyed. In fact, staffers for Biden and Harris bailed out an alleged child abuser through the Minnesota Freedom Fund. 

• Biden wants to remove all borders and have U.S. taxpayers pay for healthcare for all illegals. What could go wrong?

• Biden wants to enact the Green New Deal, which would essentially ban the internal combustion engine, impede air travel and basically eradicate natural gas for more expensive renewables. 

• Biden called our troops “stupid bastards.” Trump’s alleged comments about “suckers” and “losers” have been discounted, even by Trump hater John Bolton, who was with Trump when he was supposed to say this. 

• Biden is “mentally deteriorating,” says Democratic strategist Justin Horwitz. His “gaffes clearly indicate that he is not all there anymore.” Democrats are well aware that a Socialist cannot win the presidency, but a “moderate” could win, then step down and let radicals run the country. 

These extremists are not your parents’ Democrat party. No, these new Dems are militant Marxists who want to destroy America and its Constitution. Our country is at a crossroads. Will we choose to live in “the last best hope of earth” (Abraham Lincoln) or a reincarnation of Venezuela? 

A mother's thoughts

"Like the dawn of a new day is the miracle of birth, bright with hope and colored by tomorrow’s dreams."
Donna Volmerding, on the birth of her son, October 13, 1974
"More wondrous than the universe at twilight is the miracle of birth. When we gaze in awe at the workings of the Lord, we realize how little a role we play in them."
Donna Volmerding, on the birth of her daughter, June 26, 1977

Columnist misleads on scientist's critics

This article appeared in the Sunday, May 31, 2020, issue of The Journal Gazette.

Michael Gerson’s article, “The right’s sick parody of populism,” is filled with half-truths, fabrications and vitriol. He states that “the right has turned hard against science and expertise.” 

Perhaps, but I have questions. Does the left believe, as settled science, that preborns are indeed human life, possessing all necessary human DNA that is separate from its mother’s, and is not just a cluster of cells? Does the left dismiss hard science about male and female chromosomes, and choose to believe that gender is only what we want it to be?

Gerson states that “Tucker Carlson questions whether Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is ‘right about the science.’” 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the only U.S. senator to have had a confirmed case of COVID-19 who also is a physician, asked Fauci about the science on the other side, stating that the public-health response to the pandemic has been riddled with “wrong prediction after wrong prediction.”

Carlson proved this, pointing out several wrong or misleading statements made by Fauci, including this one in March — “Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks. … there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.” 

Concerning COVID-19, Fauci stated in January that “we need to take it seriously and do the kinds of things that the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security are doing. But this is not a major threat for the people in the United States, and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about.”

Fauci even stated that it was fine to have sex with strangers met on Internet dating apps but also said that “nobody should ever shake hands again, just to be safe.”

After calling President Trump a “proven and perpetual liar,” Gerson states that Carlson called Fauci a “buffoon.” In truth, Carlson said, “This is just buffoon-level stuff …, and we’re not doing this to mock the guy (Fauci). … (But) is this the guy into whom you want to vest all of your trust? Is this the guy you want to chart the future of the country?” 

Gerson clearly is not being honest about what Carlson said, nor is his harsh assessment about millions of intelligent, compassionate citizens who value freedom. 

Does this make Gerson a proven and perpetual liar?

Lewis and the Third Commandment

This article was published in Indiana Policy Review, November 2, 2016

On C.S. Lewis and his meditation on the Third Commandment

By Donna Volmerding

Particularly in this election year, Christians are having discussions about the candidate whom they think is the better one, and the philosophy and ideology that they believe is best for America and shows God’s love the best.

In C.S. Lewis’ Meditation on the Third Commandment, he discussed the “growing desire for a Christian ‘party,’ a Christian ‘front’ or a Christian ‘platform’ in politics.”

He expounds by saying “Nearly all parties agree in professing ends which we admit to be desirable — security, a living wage, and the best adjustment between the claims of order and freedom. What distinguishes one party from another is the championship of means. We do not dispute whether the citizens are to be made happy, but whether an egalitarian or a hierarchical State, whether capitalism or socialism, whether despotism or democracy is most likely to make them so.”

We do not have a Christian party in America, and most Americans would not want one. (I haven’t found anyone who would.) First, our kingdom is not of this world. While we certainly are commanded to make this world as good as we can for ourselves, our families and our neighbors, it is not the final resting place for Christians. It is a stepping-off point.

Second, there is so much disagreement among Christians about what ideology and/or system of government truly serves God’s ends the best. As Lewis stated, some Christians believe that no one can be trusted with more than minimum power over others, some that an authoritarian state better promotes the Christian life, and some demand a Left revolution and redistribution of wealth.

Third, our Constitution was wisely based on a government with deep Christian influence and thought but one that allows freedom of religion. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Political science professors at the University of Houston collected 15,000 writings from the founding era, isolating 3,154 direct quotes made by the Founding Fathers. This is the breakdown of the source of those quotes: Baron Charles de Montesquieu, 8.3 percent; Sir William Blackstone, 7.9 percent; and John Locke, 2.9 percent. Most interestingly, the researchers discovered that the Founding Fathers quoted directly from the Bible 34 percent of the time. Blackstone, a brilliant 18th-century English judge, author, professor and lecturer of law at Oxford University, used the Bible to arrive at his conclusions.

These are quotes from our Founding Fathers:

• Benjamin Franklin:

“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: ‘that God governs in the affairs of men.’ And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” (June 28, 1787, at the Constitutional Convention when the delegates were deadlocked)

“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.”

• George Washington:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. … Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. … It is impossible to govern rightly without God and the Bible.”

• John Adams:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

• James Madison:

“We have staked the future of all of our political institutions … upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

In 1800, Congress approved the use of the Capitol as a church building for Christian worship services. As president, Thomas Jefferson attended these services and employed the military band to play for them, at taxpayer expense.

John Quincy Adams said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: that it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of Christianity with the principles of civil government.”

The influence of Scripture is evident in the Supreme Court building, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol Building and the Library of Congress.

Author Jerry Newcombe says that “Without exception, the constitutions of all 50 states refer to ‘the Almighty God of the universe, the Author and Sustainer of our liberty.’”

Almost every Ivy League school was established primarily to train ministers of the gospel. Harvard College’s first presidents insisted that there could be no true knowledge or wisdom without Jesus Christ.

In 1892, the Supreme Court stated that “Our lives and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise … our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian … This is a religious people … this is a Christian nation.” (Holy Trinity Church vs. U.S.)

Because of their understanding of the Bible and laws based on Judeo-Christian principles, our Founding Fathers gave us several invaluable gifts — a comprehension of the importance of limited government because of man’s fallibility, laws based on a wise understanding of Who gives us our freedoms, and the right of conscience with freedom of religion.

Can there be any doubt, even among those who profess a strong central government as the ideal, that our Constitution gave us the greatest, richest, most free, most powerful nation that ever existed? It is certainly one that has been exceedingly blessed by God. It would be a travesty to deny the wisdom and discernment of the Founding Fathers and trample the documents they produced.

As C.S. Lewis explained, “By the natural light He has shown us what means are lawful: to find out which one is efficacious He has given us brains. The rest He has left to us.”
Donna Volmerding, a member of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation, is editor of The Fort Wayne Lutheran newspaper.