The Paul Wyerich Legacy

Harry R. Jackson

Last week Paul Wyerich, a true American hero, passed away at the surprisingly young age of 66. Wyerich was a political activist and commentator with an almost prophetic sensitivity to the trends of culture and politics. As a leading conservative he will be most remembered as a co-founder of the Heritage Foundation (a conservative think tank) and the idea man who gave Jerry Falwell the concept of the moral majority. Wyerich also actually helped to found many other organizations including: the Council for National Policy (CNP) (an organization strategically aligning social conservatives), the Free Congress Foundation (an association of conservative activist organizations), and National Empowerment Television (a cable TV network, also known as America's Voice, designed to mobilize the conservative grassroots).

Who will take his place? This is the first question that arises at the death of a national leader. This is often the wrong question, because pioneers are usually impossible to replace. A more important question is: who will continue his work in light of the gift that this great man has been to our world? In other words, how do we carry on the legacy of Paul Wyerich? I believe that the man who once advocated the abandonment of many of our basic, public institutions in order to set up values-based alternatives would tell us that it is time for conservatives to re-engage in grassroots politics. He would not encourage us to engage in politics for politics sake. He would urge us to make sure that the conservative voice does not disappear as we enter what many are calling “the most liberal, one party government in American history.”

I think that a recent op-ed (opinion-editorial) piece written just 10 days before Wyerich’s death carries the tone and spirit of the conservative great. “Keeping a Conservative Voice” written by Mike Pence of Indiana, newly elected chairman of the House Republican Conference, sets forth four necessary steps for conservatives to take if we are to carry on Paul Wyerich’s legacy.

Although Pence did not mention Paul Wyerich and was probably not aware of how close the leader was to death, his words are as hauntingly reminiscent of Wyerich’s work as they are instructive. Pence began his article by explaining that only 22 percent of the voters on Nov. 4 described themselves as “liberal.” He is essentially saying, as Paul Wyerich did in 1979, that there is a moral majority among American voters.

If we accept Pence’s premise, then his first step is absolutely imperative for the conservative movement. Step one is simply to confess that both Republicans and conservatives have lost their way. Private lifestyles have undermined the credibility of the movement’s public policy choices. Observers have noticed that the personal hypocrisy of some legislators is aggravated by governing hypocrisy. Governing hypocrisy is when I advocate one philosophic way of doing things before I get into office, while making laws or administrating programs in an inconsistent manner. For example, Republicans have started drifting toward their own brand of big government, despite years of decrying the dangers of big government. This move has become most glaring as we look at record deficits, federal involvement in education, and the current financial bailouts.

As the result of this double dealing, the Republican brand has lost a great deal of credibility and the word “conservative” is becoming synonymous with words like “narrow minded” or “bigoted.”

Second, these solutions have to be based on timeless principles that every conservative would share - defending the nation, balancing our budget, and promoting conservative social values.

Third, in his Dec. 8 article Pence exhorted conservatives to work with people of every race and socio-economic strata based on the clear principles stated in step 2. Having worked with Paul Wyerich on many projects during the last four years, I am sure that Wyerich would advocate reaching out to blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities. We must do everything we can to prevent our 21st century conservatism from being labeled as racist, sexist, or elitist.

Fourth and finally, Pence exhorted conservatives to support the next president in every way that they can. As the loyal opposition, conservatives must work harder at genuine problem solving that looks out for the interests of the American people. This means that conservatives must lay aside partisan opinions and serve the nation based on proven principles.

In my opinion, it is unfortunate that in the current ideologically polarized environment, remaining faithful to conservative principles may put us at odds with the administration on many occasions. There may need to be spirited debates based on principles that we engage in despite our inability to carry a majority vote. Faithfulness and principled leadership should be encouraged by all of us.

In conclusion, let me remind you that every aspect of life, including politics, goes through cycles. There are periods of revival and periods of decline. In today’s culture we need many men to arise with the tireless spirit of Paul Weyerich and the clear message of Mike Pence to preserve our faith, our freedoms, and our national prosperity.

Harry R. Jackson Jr. is senior pastor of 3,000-member Hope Christian Church in the nation's capital. Jackson, who earned an MBA from Harvard, is a best-selling author and popular conference speaker. He leads the High-Impact Leadership Coalition.

Surprisingly Gay

Harry R. Jackson

Call in Gay Day” and the new tension between blacks and the gay community have been surprising post-election developments. But last week’s surprise took the cake!

Thursday, I read with incredulity the words of Lisa Miller in a Newsweek article advocating gay marriage entitled, “Our Mutual Joy.” Although I knew that there would eventually be an all-out attack by the gay community on traditional marriage, I did not expect mainstream magazines to submit to the gay agenda so easily. It seems to me that the defeat of the attempts by gays to secure marriage rights has hurt the pride of their movement. Therefore, gay advocates seem to have a need to flex their muscles and exert their influence around the nation.

Miller’s article turned out to be nothing more than propaganda for the gay rights movement.

Further, she set herself up as a biblical expert speaking out against the bias of the nation’s churches. I was especially surprised that Jon Meacham, Newsweek’s managing editor, decided to place this article on the front page of the famed magazine. Ironically, I participated in a symposium with him last month entitled, “One nation under God?” In the symposium setting, Meacham came off as an ivory tower, religious liberal even though the title of his last book was American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. The book was well researched, powerfully written, and critically acclaimed. Given Meacham’s brilliance, I expected a more fair and balanced presentation from his “shop.”

Further, given the tumultuous times in which we live, I expected more content and substance from such an authoritative, national voice. Perhaps Meacham only had the bottom line in mind - increased weekly sales. If that was his measure, I am sure he met his goals. Last week the magazine sold out quickly at newsstands around Washington D.C. and it nationally received over 40,000 responses to the piece. Newsweek officials reported that the vast majority of these contacts were negative, stemming from a letter-writing campaign led by the American Family Association.

Was there any value to the article? Not really. It was a diatribe aimed at discrediting the biblically based opposition to gay marriage. Lisa Miller’s compelling, opening paragraph began with a huge misrepresentation of biblical truth and then it went downhill from there. She ended her introductory paragraph with the following negative query, “Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple …turn to the Bible as a how-to script?”

Her article questioned both the content of the Bible and the applicability of its lessons. Like so many casual biblical observers, Miller mistakenly painted Bible heroes solely in terms of their personal problems. In essence, she glibly recited superficial facts from the Bible without understanding the moral lessons they illustrate.

In addition to misrepresenting the content of the scriptures, Miller exaggerated the magnitude of the theological battle over gay marriage. She compared the battle for gay marriage, “waged for more than a decade,” with the pulpit controversy over slavery in the 1860s. Although gay marriage has become a huge cultural debate, only a small number of Bible scholars or theologians would make a case for gay marriage. As a result there are only a handful of churches in any city that are affirming to gays.

Not stopped by logic, history or cultural tradition, Miller boldly made this declaration, “Scripture gives us no good reason why gays and lesbians should not be (civilly and religiously) married – and a number of excellent reasons why they should.” Her assertion was so wrong headed that only people who have never read much of the Bible could believe it.

At the end of the day, the gay community realizes that the Bible-believing, faith community will continue to block its efforts to make gay marriage the law of the land. Their hope is that younger Christians who are not committed to mainstream theology will change their views and their votes. Therefore, I expect to see more articles espousing bizarre theological arguments and doctrines in an attempt to re-define this clear-cut, moral issue of homosexuality.

Let the Newsweek article serve as a warning to the Bible-believing, Christian community. We cannot rest on our laurels. We must do three things. First, we must determine that we will honor the covenant of marriage. Our nation is in need of covenant couples, who will raise the standard for lifelong marriage again, demonstrating to hurting people in noncommittal relationships that lifelong married monogamy is the happiest, most fulfilling arrangement ever created.

Second, we must let our voices be heard as the 40,000 protestors did last week. We must not remain silent. Third, we should boycott media sources that move beyond reporting the news to attempting to ‘create’ the news.

It is not too late to save the family in America. Our movement simply needs to remain focused upon creating a nation that respects biblical marriage and the multiplied benefits it gives to us, and our children.

Let’s roll.

Harry R. Jackson Jr. is senior pastor of 3,000-member Hope Christian Church in the nation's capital. Jackson, who earned an MBA from Harvard, is a best-selling author and popular conference speaker. He leads the High-Impact Leadership Coalition.

The Bail Out Blues

Harry R. Jackson

Last week I was forced to look at the car crisis head-on. The lease on my expensive, foreign luxury car had finally come to an end. The car was not eco-friendly, gas conserving, or compatible with my desire to keep the American car industry afloat. Motivated to help both the nation and my pocketbook, I scoured domestic models and found that I could save money and fuel by buying American.

No, I am not a Prius driving, latte drinking, east-coast intellectual. Yes, I could have striven more to minimize my carbon footprint on the earth. But it seemed to me a great time to buy to support Detroit. As I got engrossed in my “little step” to save an American industry and the Jackson fortune, I realized that one of the reasons the American auto industry is not competitive is that they offer too many choices – too many models, too many colors, and too many options. Suddenly “a blinding flash of the obvious” entered my world – nothing short of a stem-to-stern overhaul will help the auto industry at this juncture in history.

Although the proposed bailout of the big three auto manufacturers has shocked the nation, I can remember discussing the industry’s woes nearly thirty years ago in business school, when the famed Lee Iacocca worked his genius and innovation. The current problems are anything but new. The problem has been that nobody has had the boldness to take on the task of correcting the course of the industry.

As a former steel industry employee, I know that competing with foreign manufacturers in high fixed-cost industries can be tricky. The newcomers have an advantage technologically. They purchase the latest, most cost-effective equipment and target their efforts at the most profitable segments of the going concerns. Time and time again, high-cost plants with heavily entrenched unions have been a major factor in drowning stable American industries in a sea of expenses – making them uncompetitive.

In addition to all of these problems, the big three have a decreasing market share in a diminishing market, while they are drowning in debt. If these were other businesses in nations overseas they would have been tossed aside years ago. Fortunately for them, America cannot afford to lose an industry that involves 1 out of 10 jobs. Although we all can agree with the premise that the industry has been mismanaged, we can also agree that now is not the time to let them go down the tubes. A painful reminder of this fact came last Friday when official data showed that the nation had lost 533,000 jobs in the month of November alone.

So let’s face the music and stop bellyaching! An auto bailout is coming and it is probably the only thing we can do in this economic and political environment. In fact, Congress reached an agreement in principle this weekend to lend billions of dollars to our struggling carmakers. This has all been done to avert the industry’s collapse. Most experts agree that this is about half of what the auto chiefs need to keep them afloat.

The only silver lining in this dark cloud is the fact that the national awareness of this process gives us an opportunity to make changes and force corporate accountability. Listed below are the 4 steps I would like to see in the bailout structure.

First, our legislators should strongly encourage GM and Chrysler to merge. This move would allow major cost cutting within the “new company.” Although many jobs would be lost, it would give some market share “breathing room” for the two domestic companies, which would remain.

Second, Congress should engage the companies to enter in an unofficial “bankruptcy-like” reorganization in which all parties make major sacrifices. This step would be comprised of the following four mini-steps:
· Management, labor, and suppliers would have to make major concessions to make the companies viable again.
· Immediate financial help should only be given if a new structure with competitive management and labor salaries is established.
· Excessive benefit and retirement packages should be rolled back immediately. Large debts levels must be negotiated down or some how converted to equity.
· Enterprises must be “right sized” to a sustainable level. This probably means the loss of 15 percent to 25 percent of each company’s workers.

Third, banks will have to be encouraged to loosen credit. Credit is needed to help manufacturers create strong central inventories for each region of the country. Dealership inventories are also managed by credit. Finally, aggressive consumer financing programs for both lease and purchase of American vehicles is needed to move cars. After all, many buyers wonder if they are purchasing a product that will not be serviceable in three years or be unable to trade-in later. In light of these factors, all domestic manufacturers should be enabled to offer great purchase packages for the average, stressed-out American.

While we don’t want a repeat of the sub-prime problem, the companies have to move their 2008 inventories and sell all of their paired-down 2009 offerings. It is important to note that a number of the high–end American vehicles do not even have lease programs. This is probably because of the difficulty companies will have determining accurate residual values on these vehicles. Nonetheless, many small business owners and salesmen will be scared off by non-competitive financing programs on vehicles costing $40,000 and more.

So let’s roll up our sleeves and work things out, while not nationalizing the auto industry. It will be a delicate balance. Let’s live out the words of the Dave Clark Band of years ago, “Come on people, now; Smile on your brother! Everybody, come together; try to love one another right now!”

Harry R. Jackson Jr. is senior pastor of 3,000-member Hope Christian Church in the nation's capital. Jackson, who earned an MBA from Harvard, is a best-selling author and popular conference speaker. He leads the High-Impact Leadership Coalition.