The Price of Silence

Under cover of darkness and nothing more than the result of succumbing to political correctness, the President of famed Duke University in Durham removed a statue of General Robert E. Lee from the front of its chapel.

In all honesty, and much to the chagrin of my many friends in the state of NC, I have been a sizable Duke basketball fan for years. After having read an outstanding piece by Coach “K” a number of years ago (an article in which he boldly stated, “I am not a basketball coach. I am a developer of young men. When I find a better avenue than basketball for accomplishing that task, that’s what I’ll do.”), I became an even more faithful fan.  However, after Friday’s statue removal travesty, I am questioning my loyalty.

What is so disturbing about the Duke decision, as well as all other removal decisions across the nation, is that it is all being done based on flawed thinking. First, it is being done based on political correctness. Honestly, the longer I breathe air, the more perturbed I become toward this heinous motivation. In an effort to be “kinder,” “gentler,” and more socially acceptable, we are throwing away the very history of our nation. Acknowledgment of one’s history is not equal to approval of the same. For heaven’s sake, where is this all going to stop? What’s next that will be offered on the altar of political correctness?

Second, most of the reasons being offered for removing General Lee from our national memory are based on incorrect history or outright lies. Ronald Reagan stated it best. “It’s not that my friends on the other side of the aisle are ignorant. It’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.” Well, there is a boatload of “history” being purported that SIMPLY ISN’T SO! To call General Lee a racist is incorrect, insulting, and just plain stupid! He was nothing of the sort. Additionally, the attempt to connect the multiplicity of Confederate statues across the land to their erector’s racist motivations is, well, a brazen stretch to say the least. In fact, it’s almost unforgivable in its stupidity. Yet, this is what is being peddled on unsuspecting and ignorant minds.

Lastly, and most troubling, is the fact that ALL of this is being promoted by individuals/groups with very nefarious designs on America and her future. From George Soros, and his stated hatred for America, to progressive organizations bent on eliminating America’s connection to God, sinister elements abound who will stop at nothing less than destroying America and her Judeo-Christian heritage.

I don’t know about you, but I agree with Todd Starnes (FOX News contributor and friend of our ministries) when he says, “Enough is enough.” It’s time we stand up and say, “You will not malign, demonize, and threaten good people–present and past. Whether it’s the reverse racist Southern Poverty Law Center, or a very misguided state Senator (who ought to be in jail for threatening the President), we will not remain silent while good men are destroyed.

There’s no way to say it other than this. The things that have been stated about General Robert E. Lee (and others of the Confederate generals) are nothing less than the most egregious form of character assassination. The difficulty is this. Lee, Jackson, Stewart, and their companions are not here to defend themselves. So, we, who know the truth, must do so!

Most of all, we must not sit idly by while our history is taken from us by deceptive, diabolical, demonic individuals who hide behind racist accusations, using that to cover their true intent. So, now is the time to arm ourselves with the truth, stand up, and speak with clarity. Acknowledging our history is NOT a direct or tacit endorsement of it’s negative aspects. Respect for imperfect, but great and godly, men is NOT wrong. Recognition of self-less sacrifice in behalf of a cause is not evil. What IS wrong is to allow our nation to be stolen from us by those who care nothing for it, or the one’s they claim they wish to protect.

One final thought is in order. Is the current generation so morally and mentally weak that they cannot deal with the presence of a differing opinion? Are they so fragile that any and all references to that which is, or may border on being, negative must be removed? If so, then God help us if/when they face REAL hardship. If one cannot take an exam because they’re so emotional destabilized over an election result that they are unable to do so, then “Katy bar the door” as a real crisis emerges.

As parents, pastors, politicians, and common people, we MUST again return to that which made us great, saw us through the deepest divide in our nation’s history (the Civil War), and has been the cause of unprecedented blessing as a people–the Bible. Only in its pages can we find the requisite wisdom and moral fortitude for an uncertain future. Only in its pages can we find the One who is the Source of all the above. His matchless name is Jesus Christ–the One Who birthed and has blessed America!

“America, America, God shed His grace on thee
And crowned thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.”

Dave Kistler
President, HOPE Ministries International/HOPE To The Hill
President, North Carolina Pastors Network (NCPN)
Co-host, Stand In The Gap Radio