Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, March 2, 2018

BEWARE THE PEOPLE WEEPING

"There is sobbing of the strong,
And a pall upon the land;
But the people in their weeping
Bare the iron hand:
Beware the people weeping
When they bear the iron hand."

Herman Melville wrote those words in a poem he called, "The Martyr" upon the death of Abraham Lincoln Those are wise words about our fallen nature and who we are--when in emotional turmoil, tempers flare, irrational and angry words pour forth. A rage no one wants to control roars front and center. Irrational deeds follow.

1865

In the aftermath of the Lincoln assassination, America boiled over in rage. A mob outside Ford's Theater where the murder had occurred, threatened to burn it down with the actors in it; the actors who had nothing to do with Lincoln's murder. The military had to quell their blood lust.

Outside the theater, those in the North who were sympathetic to the South hid in their homes or fled to police stations for safety. A man, hearing the news of what Booth had done expressed his delight and, had it not been for four armed soldiers nearby, a mob would have lynched him.

Some were tarred and feathered, others were ridden out of town on rails. There were instances of open supporters of the South being beaten to death, and of Union troops shooting people who exulted in Lincoln’s death. Police arrested some for insulting Lincoln, dragging them to courts where prison sentences were meted out. Alternately police were called upon to save the lives of others who had uttered some similarly foolish comments.

Newspapers fueled the public fury, calling for vengeance on the South for the Good Friday assassination. On Easter Sunday, just two days after the assassination, preachers in the North joined with those who had lost their moral bearings and called for retribution against the South even though there was no evidence of their involvement. The same pulpits compared Lincoln to Moses, even to Christ. 
1963
In the aftermath of the assassination of President Kennedy on Friday, November 22, 1963, a mob formed outside the Texas Theater where the assassin was hiding and upon seeing the police bring him out, there were cries of "Kill him!" 

The press began to fuel the fires of rage by blaming, not the killer who pulled the trigger, but the city in which the murder occurred. Texans who were traveling had their cars vandalized.
People in legislative positions rushed to rename things--schools became "John F. Kennedy" schools; Cape Canaveral became "Cape Kennedy," The space center became the "The Kennedy Space Center." They changed the name of streets and avenues. On December 24, 1963,  Idlewild Airport in NYC became "The John F. Kennedy International Airport." (Even the President's widow saw all the renaming as ridiculous.) 

The new President called on an emotional Congress to pass legislation that Kennedy wanted made into law. They did so in an emotional hangover.

Phil Ochs paid tribute to Kennedy in his song, "That was the President," which he wrote shortly after the assassination, and again two years later in a composition called, "Crucifixion," connecting Kennedy and Christ. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
When the Dallas Cowboys played the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland two days after the assassination, the play-by-play announcers were instructed not to refer to the team as the "Dallas Cowboys" during the game, but as "the Cowboys." The Dallas players were worried about getting shot on the sideline. Their coach, Tom Landry, told the players, "Don't go to a restaurant and say you're with the Dallas Cowboys. Don't go in large groups, try to stay inconspicuous."
The owner of the Cleveland Browns was so concerned for the safety of the visiting team that he stationing police sharpshooters throughout 83,000-seat Cleveland Municipal Stadium. As players took the field, men toting weapons also stood guard on the roof of the aging building. Beware the people weeping.
2018
The recent high school shooting in Florida brought forth words of rage and irrational calls for "something" to be done. As fast as they could, the media put cameras on and microphones in front of parents rubbed raw by grief in order to broadcast their "insights." And out came rage and irrationality with the familiar refrain of blaming the National Rifle Association for being an organization of "child murderers." 

Print and media journalists immediately intruded into the shock and grief of distraught and crying students asking, "What was it like," and "What do you think should be done?" We're consulting the immature for advice?

 Politicians and journalists rushed to, as the motto goes, "Never waste a crisis," and we heard their calls for legislation, as they turned mass murder into political hay for their cause. Our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution so as to make it a long and cumbersome process to pass legislation, lest it be done with the stroke of pen without calm deliberation.

Within days a plan was in the works for a national student walkout from the classrooms calling for something to be done in Washington, thus marking a giant step toward the politicization of American high schools.

A representative of the NRA fired back at the media, saying, "Many in legacy media love mass shootings. You guys love it. Now I'm not saying that you love the tragedy. But I am saying that you love the ratings. Crying . . .  mothers are ratings gold to you and many in the legacy media in the back (of the room)." Her first two sentences should have never been said. Then there were those in the NRA who started talking about a civil war.

 ENTER PROVERBS

 Proverbs tells us to make our words few and measured. It's best to be silent when in an emotional upheaval, giving ourselves time for biblical reflection. Proverbs 10:19: "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise." "He who restrains his words has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding." (Prov. 17:27) 

And what does Galatians say is a fruit of the Spirit? The last one mentioned is "self-control."Winston Churchill said, "Life is fraught with opportunities to keep your mouth shut."

 Melville was eloquently right: Beware the people weeping.






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