A recent sermon at my church reminded me of
the challenges we face collaborating with other compatriots as members of the
Sons of Confederate Veterans. One of the
frequent issues cited among camps is the interpersonal conflicts that often
disrupt the good work we are trying to accomplish to further the Cause. We sometimes lose site of the entire premise
for being a part of the SCV as embodied in the Charge. The sermon message pertained to Philippians
2:12-18 and instructed believers and their faith to “shine like stars” and
similarly, when we gather with compatriots for SCV events and perform community
service and outreach or recruiting events within our communities, we should
strive to shine as positive lighthouses.
The core takeaway from Philippians 2:12-13 is to “let God’s work become
visible in your life.” Especially when
we project to our friends and neighbors in our community, we need this to be in
a positive light and highlight the great things the SCV does and what we are
doing for the community in the way of service projects and donations and
preserving historical vestiges including cemeteries and monuments. We have used a poster exhibited in our
recruiting booths to illustrate photos from school living history presentations
and JROTC Hunley awards as well as cemetery maintenance and food drives and
these have elicited statements of surprise from passers-by and potential
detractors. Put a spotlight on the
positive things the SCV and your camp is doing.
Those verses in Philippians also instruct
believers to “refuse what dims the light.”
My takeaways from the sermon along these lines applicable to the SCV and
camps is to curtail the complaining.
Minimize the grumbling and arguing – keep your eyes fixed on the Charge
and why we are attempting to advance to Cause to honor our Confederate
ancestors. We are all volunteers in this
organization and should respect the efforts of all compatriots and show
humility in our interactions. It is
human nature to think our ideas, our way is best but we must strive to respect
other perspectives and experiences and work together in a spirit of cooperation
to further the Cause. “Shine like stars,
don’t whine like stars.”
The final message from the sermon pertained to
Philippians 2:15-16 and the takeaway was to “live differently in a dark
world.” We are living in a dark and
twisted generation. Isiah 5:20 states,
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” Today evil is framed as good and this is
defined as “moral inversion or ethical deception”. LGBQTXYZ is embraced as a normal alternative
lifestyle. Abortion is framed as
personal choice and empowering women to have ultimate control of their body;
they have lost sight of their bodies as a temple to the Lord and that another
God-given human life is growing within them. Replacement of western cultures
with third world migrants is presented as diversity, equity and inclusion. Our vestiges to our Southern history and our
noble honorable Confederate heroes are being desecrated, removed and
destroyed. Some of these are beautiful
priceless works of art like the monuments which have graced the boulevards and
parks in Richmond and Atlanta and other Southern towns. We are attacked and denigrated as Lost
Causers and slavery apologists. But we
know the truth of our Confederate ancestors’ struggle for independence and
their brave defense of their homes and families in the face of insurmountable
odds. As SCV compatriots we should shine
like stars, as examples of Southern gentlemen.
We must hold firmly to the Cause and be enthusiastic in advancing the
Charge to a community which may be surprisingly unreceptive to the true history
of the South, prepared to defend our ancestors virtues and the ideals which
motivated them to secede from the Union and resist the tyrannical invading
federal forces for four arduous years.
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