(11/10/2015) Strong Families?

Today, focus is upon childbearing, family, and marriage as devices to maintain modern cities and nations.  Just as all the problems within such urban centers as Baltimore (MD) and Detroit (MI) may not be blamed upon a single class, ethnic group, or political alliance, neither should they all be attributed to broken homes, dysfunctional families, and single-parenting.  The quality of life among us yet depends upon the quality of our shared communication and exchange while prosperity continues to vary according to how we acknowledge divinity.  The nature of law is forward-looking and promissory.  For a truly useful public dialog to occur, we must be careful to declare what we mean by “strong” families along with more precise statements to describe “success”.  For Christian believers there can be no success through the things that promote complaining, hate, selfishness, and ungodliness with hidden and open violence in our society (e.g., passive aggression, domestic violence, child abuse, riots, corporate raiding).  Consider again the following from the Bible, and the discussion appearing below:  Proverbs 29:  18, King James Version (KJV):  18 Where there is no vision, the people perish:  but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.  Also, 1st Timothy 5:  8, KJV:  8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.  Proverbs 3:  9-10, KJV:  9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.  10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.  Proverbs 11:  9-11, KJV:  9 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour:  but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.  10 When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth:  and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.  11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted:  but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.  The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” using the ID “Elliot” (Level 7 with 43,799 points, a member since April 11, 2011) posted the following:


Is the real problem in places like Baltimore and Detroit that so many children are born out of wedlock, and kids need strong families...?

in order to achieve to success?


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom:  and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;  Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?  For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom:   but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.  (Genesis 18:  16-22, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  Why the Jews Were Called Out? (06/15/2015); Secular Israel? (04/08/2015); Babies Given A Second Life? (01/25/2015); Family and Beliefs of Children (08/29/2014); Stories Repeated in the Bible? (08/20/2014); Blessing and Inheritance from Abraham? (06/05/2014); On Christians Executing Judgment (06/06/2014); God Bless America? (09/12/2013); Law, Slavery and Redemption (09/13/2013)


“Elliot”, we can regard the family as one of many social groups.  Few of the problems for modern cities, communities, and nations can be directly traced to such elements as family size, gender dominance (matriarch or patriarch), and the absence of behavior models and emotional nourishment from specific relationships and roles (e.g., husband, wife, son, daughter, parent).  On the one hand, all such things have an impact upon the intended benefits of family life.  On the other hand, the demands and provisions from larger social groups (e.g., gangs, sororities, the military, the workplace) may counterfeit, replace, supplement and surpass the contributions of family.

Instability and weakness within families can not be described or remedied in the same way as instability and weakness in multi-family groups.  For these two types of association, the operation of such elements as aggressiveness, authority, fear, intimacy, respect, and trust may be entirely different.  In general, we assume the benefits of family for its members to be growth, learning, protection, and security; and these are to be carried over and maintained at the level of every larger community.

For Christian believers, a great part of our expectation for families have been generated through what we see from the model of Israel in covenant to divinity.  Continuity and stability for a nation are most completely established through law addressing such elements as birth order, prenatal care, dynasty, inheritance, marriage, and management of sexual appetite.  Correctly understood, however, increase and  prosperity for Israel resulted from their being in a continuing contract as instruments of divinity for revelation to all mankind.

There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, we could agree, perhaps, that what children need from the family unit is an inner sense of value and worth that comes by unconditional acceptance, love, and knowing you have permanent membership.  To save the cities, the young must be taught to acknowledge their duty, their ownership, their opportunities, and the tools they are being given that are to be mastered and applied.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.


THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC