Ethics Do Matter !!

In the 1992 Presidential Election George Bush Sr. based his Presidential Campaign upon the high ethical standards of his Administration, the military victory achieved over Iraq in Desert Storm, and a long term economic policy aimed at balancing the Federal Budget. The last issue, the economic issue, required a tightening of the economy, job loss, and economic hardship born by all. Perhaps no one ever considered that it takes four to eight years to turn an economy as massive and complex as that of the United States ?

Bush's challenger, on the other hand, Bill Clinton, ran his Campaign focused on the last issue, the issue of the economy. In fact, the defining slogan of his campaign was... "its about the economy, stupid". In other words, everything else (ethical behavior included) took second place to the economy. Apparently many Americans agreed with this focus, for Bill Clinton won the Presidential Election by a wide margin.

It is no secret that the Clinton era of American government was widely characterized by unethical behavior. In fact, great efforts were taken by that Administration to remove, cover-up, or alter the doctrinal foundation on which ethical behavior is based. The Monica Lewinsky Sex Scandal was only one of many publicized examples of unethical behavior. The lack of the exercise of personal ethics by many within the Administration during this era was staggering. A week would not go by without still another example of members of the Administration exercising great license for personal gain or pleasure at the expense of the populace.

In the 2000 Presidential Election George Bush Jr. based his Presidential Campaign upon the same type of high ethical standards which his father had eight years earlier. His opponent, Al Gore, based his Election Campaign upon maintaining the current state of the economy (which was good) and fears of returning to the 'narrow' type of Bush influence. As you know, Bush won the election by the narrowest of margins.

Now the Fall of 2001 comes. We have Hanson's 'sell out' of the FBI and National Security. We have the Enron Scandal. We have the Terrorist attack on The World Trade Center and The Pentagon. Suddenly the frailty of our entire society becomes glaringly apparent.

Suddenly we see the true impact of a void in personal ethics. Suddenly we see the truth... and the truth is that the compromise of ethics by even a few, threatens the lives of all. 'Innocents', even those far removed from the epicenter of the events, loose their jobs, their retirement, their spouse, their mother or dad, their son or daughter, their sense of peace and security. Even today, the dominos continue to fall because of the interrelationships of one person to another and one business to another.

This week in Houston a political leader who once said "its about the economy, stupid", now called for business people to be 'ethical'. When he claims that 'business' people need to be ethical, isn't he still focusing only on one segment of society, the economy ? Isn't it imperative that we are all ethical ? How about the legislator himself who switches horses in mid stream because of political expediency ? How about the judges who have interpreted the law of the State in a manner which cut society loose from the root of ethical behavior? How about all of us who pledge to be 'good' citizens, and yet primarily serve our own self interest ?

Question: How and where is this ethical behavior to be found now, since it is temporarily in vogue ? Do we just snap our fingers and ethical behavior appears after being discouraged so long ? Those who have labored so long to remove the root of ethics from the agenda of the state, really have no clue to the true solution for that dilemma... but you and I do. And we dare not be silent!

Ethical behavior is based on what we believe. The doctrine we believe impacts the ethics (behavior) we put into practice. If we believe that there is no other higher authority or purpose than serving ourselves, then that belief impacts what our ethics (behavior) is. We do what we believe. If our doctrine is in error then in turn our ethics are in error.

Christians believe that the doctrine God sets forth in his Word is true, right, and salutary. Christians believe that God is the highest authority and that his will is to be followed. Christians believe that God's will which he reveals to us in his Word is meant for 'good' for us and for others. Thus Christians believe that the doctrine God sets before them in his Word is the 'right' thing to not only believe, but to do .

What we believe about God impacts our behavior. Doctrine, the 'right' doctrine, God's Word informs and motivates the 'right' behavior which results in 'good' for us and others.

What we must do, if we are going to return to the type of ethical behavior in which all of us prosper, is to return to the knowledge and practice of God's Word. It is the doctrine (teaching) of God's Word which informs and empowers the correct ethics and by which we are continually blessed by Almighty God.

The correct course of action is before us. Now we need to take that course together. Now we need to raise our voices together as one.

[Jesus says} "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. [Mat 7:24-25]