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From the Ridiculous to the Sublime
By J. Jeff Toler for Shenandoah Christian Alliance j.toler@sca4christ.org
To say 2024 was an amazing year, is an understatement. If for no other reason, America experienced the greatest political scandal in modern history. We came within millimeters of witnessing a horrific assassination on a live transmission.
The sheer audacity of a fully politicized justice department executing brazen lawfare on the leading presidential candidate. The broadcast mental collapse of a sitting president—also before our very eyes—has no historic parallel.
America became polarized, radicalized, racialized, and… broke. But this same year has also produced sweet signs of a turnaround—one in particular as we will see.
In a commentary penned for Brookings, June 1, 1997, William G. Gale wrote the following as part of a broader study of saving funded by the National Institute on Aging and TIAA-CREF:
“The baby boom generation—the roughly 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964—has been reshaping American society for five decades. From jamming the nation’s schools in the 1950s and 1960s, to crowding labor markets and housing markets in the 1970s and 1980s, to affecting consumption patterns almost continuously, boomers have altered economic patterns and institutions at each stage of their lives. Now that the leading edge of the generation has turned 50, (remember, this is was written 27 years earlier) the impending collision between the boomers and the nation’s retirement system is naturally catching the eye of policymakers and the boomers themselves.”
“Retirement income security in the United States has traditionally been based on the so-called three-legged stool: Social Security, private pensions, and other personal saving. Since World War II the system has served the elderly well: the poverty rate among elderly households fell from 35 percent in 1959 to 11 percent in 1995.” [https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-aging-of-america-will-the-baby-boom-be-ready-for-retirement/]
Among the millions of baby-boomers who have survived this far, I did not prepare for this economy… or any other for that matter. My three-legged stool was missing two legs. But there is little solace in the fact that I’m not alone.
The Washington spending orgy these last four years has the potential of upending a lot of us.
Baby boomers are the longest living generation in the history of the United States, and according to records from the U.S. Census Bureau, baby boomers—those born after the end of World War II, or from 1946 through 1964—number 73 million.
In 2031, the youngest boomers, those born in 1964, will turn 67 and become eligible to receive Social Security benefits. If they still are in tact.
Nearing the end of the 2000’s the subprime mortgage debacle, and widespread post-recession losses of retirement savings made some members of this generation very reluctant to retire.
It’s not just a matter of being reluctant, it’s more a matter of necessity. For me, a career in marketing as an in-house graphic arts creative with packaging, print media and web design, was, for all intents, ended owing to that debacle.
I had no choice but re-invent myself—a term all too familiar to many—when I relocated to Louisville from the Los Angeles area. My family and I had become refugees from the home of our nativity.
What Americans should have learned from this situation was to look for political leaders who, at the very least, possessed a better understanding of economics and financial planning than I did. But they didn’t.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
Case in point: “On Monday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) released the latest edition of his annual “Festivus Report,” pitching it this year as being not just a precursor for the incoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but also a useful guide for anyone looking to cut down on federal spending.
The 2024 report highlights more than $1 trillion of “government waste,” including a Florida man stealing $8 million in COVID-19 relief funds and using the money to buy an island and more, “ice-skating drag queens,” a $12 million Las Vegas pickleball complex, $4,840,082 on Ukrainian influencers, $32,596.12 for breakdancing, and the U.S. Navy being “set to waste almost $90 billion on ineffective Navy vessels.” [https://www.dailywire.com/news/doge-before-doge-was-cool-rand-paul-unveils-annual-festivus-report-showing-1t-in-govt-waste?topStoryPosition=3]
Senator Paul—notable for his “Festivus Report”—blames everybody for the nation’s crushing debt. In many ways it’s not a stretch to lay blame on everyone. One way or another, we all have contributed.
It’s understandable to focus on the politics of this past year. It’s been spectacular. Amazing turns of fortune already are emerging just from the battering of legacy media and entertainment. This development alone is good news for the body politic to be sure.
But one heart-warming news story caught my attention.
Breitbart News carried this Christmas Eve headline, “Denzel Washington was baptized and received his minister’s license Saturday as the movie veteran looks to take his life in a new direction after dedicating himself to Christ.”
Denzel Washington (photo by Norman Jean Roy)
The 69-year-old was baptized by Archbishop Christopher Bryant at the historic Kelly Temple in New York City. [https://www.kellytemplecogic.org/]
“It took a while, but I’m finally here… If [God] can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you,” Washington said, according to Bryant. “The sky literally is the limit.”
Washington’s Hollywood career is long and remarkable, with over 75 movie and TV roles, including the hit series: “St. Elsewhere.” Notably, he played Robert McCall in the feature film franchise, “The Equalizer” from 2014 through 2023.
In this one, he played a mysteriously well-trained, experienced killer of really bad characters, who terrorized innocent people.
If this seems quite the leap from a “license to kill” to a license to preach, there is ample evidence that Washington’s faith has been developing for some time. Washington recently admitted you “can’t talk” about religion in the entertainment industry. Maybe Denzel Washington can change that.
“When you see me, you see the best I could do with what I’ve been given by my Lord and Savior,” the Gladiator II star wrote last month for Esquire. “I’m unafraid.” [https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a62888212/denzel-washington-gladiator-2-interview-2024/
It seems being unafraid is something God wants for all of us. His grace and His mercy is more than enough, if we will only believe. All we need to do is leave salvation—for our country and our souls—up to Him.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” —Luke 2:8-14
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
* The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund, now known as TIAA
Photo by Xulong Liu on Unsplash
