Drawing the Line

Ted Williams was the last man in baseball to bat over .400 (.406 in 1941). He credited his visual acuity. Williams claimed he could see the spin of the ball's stitches from the moment it left the pitcher's hand, letting him distinguish a fast ball from a curve and anticipate the ball's placement and motion.

An interviewer asked Williams about his legendary batting skills. It was simple, Williams said: he made it an absolute rule to never swing at a ball unless its path would touch the strike-zone.

"But with your eyesight," said the interviewer, "surely you could have connected with pitches that were only an eighth of an inch outside, or a quarter-inch. Couldn't you have gotten even more hits that way ?"

"No !" Williams said. "If I did that, where would I draw the line ?"



The Church' first charge is to draw the line. God's has entrusted no one else with His spiritual acuity to distinguish good from evil. But the Church follows its own batting philosophy.

Ronald Reagan took office preaching rebellion: "...government is the problem."

George W. Bush used the anniversary of 9/11 to teach blasphemy. In the same words with which scripture lauds Jesus, Bush told us the "ideal of America" is "the hope of all mankind," and "the light [that] shines in the darkness."

Eighty percent of American evangelicals in 2012 voted their personal choice was to be led by a priest of anti-Christ.

Where does the American Church draw the line ?

A parable

Two rival politicians were on the platform, ready to pitch their candidacy to a crowd of voters.

The first politician took the microphone and began to build his case. He represented the party of the great Abraham Lincoln, he told the crowd. Moreover, he espoused the principles of Lincoln. As his speech progressed, he compared himself to Lincoln in more particulars. By the time he made his final humble plea for listeners' votes, it was clear the candidate was the near-reincarnation of Lincoln.

The second candidate took the microphone. "It's true my opponent bears a striking resemblance to the great Abraham Lincoln," He began, and paused. When he had the full attention of the surprised crowd, he rasped, "If you can imagine a short, fat, dishonest Lincoln."

Some say America is a Christ-like nation. That may be true...if you can imagine a rebellious, violent, greedy Christ.