The blue wave didn’t topple our wall. Neglect did

By Mark W. Salley | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

A wall has fallen in Texas. In Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina and Maine.

This wall did not fall as the result of a sudden assault or storm. This wall fell due to lack of maintenance. No one was overseeing or inspecting the wall. Its foundation was crumbling. And those who should have noticed and done something to repair and strengthen the wall…did nothing.

Now, who will come and be Nehemiah to these broken walls in America?

How could a state so strong and big and red as Texas turn blue? How could individuals who preach a false gospel be praised and supported? How could the people be duped into nodding their heads in affirmation of individuals who spout “God is non-binary” or “America got what it deserved on 9/11”?

This is how walls are weakened…by lies, by untruths masquerading as truth.

In biblical times a city’s walls were its protection, its security and the strength of the community or nation behind them. It’s the foundation of the wall that makes it strong and secure.

And America’s walls were built on the foundation of faith. America’s First Continental Congress opened with a prayer.

“O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee … Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. … All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.”

It is important to note this was not a prayer to Hindu gods or Aztec gods or Norse gods or Greek gods or Allah or Buddha…this prayer by Reverend Jacob Duché of Christ Church of Philadelphia was a prayer to God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth.

Yet, Senator-elect James Talarico, when speaking of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism, said, “I see these beautiful faith traditions as circling the same truth about the universe, about the cosmos.”

Sadly, no. That’s a lie. Such words, such arguments or statements are nothing more than attacks on the foundation of the nation.

Tragically, America’s firm foundation — faith in God and His Word — has been slowly eroded over 250 years. The erosion has caused half the nation to lose sight of America’s foundational principles.

Is it not okay to insist there are only two genders? Is it not okay to insist jobs and advancement be awarded based on merit, not skin color or gender? And is it not true that the country runs on fossil fuels…not windmills?

Of course. These are truths.

We conservatives are not going to restore America’s foundation without effort, without organization. The principles upon which the United States was founded are indeed found in the Bible. Equality, liberty and justice are all biblical principles. If too many Americans are afraid to stand on this foundation, we are in trouble.

When Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, was asked why his face was sad, he responded by explaining the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and needed to be rebuilt. Nehemiah said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”

Such rebuilding was crucial for the protection and restoration of his nation.

And when Nehemiah laid the work before the people, they answered, ‘Let us arise and build.’ That’s the answer America needs today.

While the midterm election results produced a huge “blue wave,” such a wave won’t topple a nation whose walls have been built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. And we who remain faithful to the nation’s founding need to begin the rebuilding today!

Let’s call lies lies. Let’s call foolishness foolishness. And let’s stand on the truth of God’s Word. That’s how America was built — and it is the only way to see it rebuilt. Let’s join Nehemiah to rebuild America’s walls!

Mark W. Salley is a former communications and media specialist for Xcel Energy; the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; and former deputy press secretary for Gov. Bill Owens.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.