Although many of you who are faithful listeners of "Issues in Perspective," might expect me to
lead off with continued discussion of the election mess, I have chosen instead to focus on
Thanksgiving, its origin and its meaning. Let's think about this together.

The national day of Thanksgiving commemorates the celebration of the Pilgrims in 1621 after their first harvest in Plymouth. After 1630 Thanksgiving was celebrated annually and became common in the New England colonies. In 1789 George Washington named Thursday, 26 November, a day of thanks for ratification of the Constitution and in 1795 for God's general blessings on the nation. In 1815 James Madison declared a similar day in thanks for peace after the War of 1812. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln began the practice of a national proclamation, setting the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving Day. Each President thereafter has issued a similar proclamation. It is a holiday deeply ingrained in our historical and national consciousness.

This week is also National Bible Week, the Sunday before Thanksgiving to the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It began in 1940 when a small group of businessmen met in New York City, with war raging in Europe and the nation still struggling out of the Depression. Their goal was to strengthen the nation spiritually. As a result they announced the first national Bible week. Later Franklin Delano Roosevelt riveted the nation in an address to enlisted personnel: "As Commander in Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries, men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book, words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a foundation of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul." Therefore, this week is a time to pause and reflect on God's revelation to us. Each year some 30 governors and 500 mayors recognize the Bible's contributions to this nation in their National Bible Week proclamations. A Gallup survey reported that 8 million people begin reading the Bible each year as a result of this annual campaign. Combining Thanksgiving with National Bible Week gives us pause as a nation as to the source of our blessing and the Provider for our future.

Tragically, many people this Thanksgiving Day will celebrate the day with food and football. Neither is sinful; but if your day is only characterized by these two pastimes, then you are not following through with the true intent of the Day. Please be certain that you take some time during this Thanksgiving weekend to truly give thanks to God for all that He has done for your salvation, for your material blessings, for your family, for your job, your home, etc. Thanksgiving gets our eyes off of self and onto the true Provider of all things God!! Also, take this week as a time to recommit to reading the Bible as a part of each day. It is God's revelation to the human race and the source of true wisdom. It is pleasing to God as we thank Him and as we seek to understand His revelation to us.

See The Dictionary of Christianity in America, pp. 1166-67 and "Breakpoint," (20 November
2000).

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IMMIGRATION AND THE NATIONAL CHARACTER

Virtually all the writers agree that there is a sharp decline in the education level of new immigrants, especially among Hispanic immigrants. Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, notes that in 1999, about one-third of new immigrants were high school dropouts. Tamar Jacoby writes that while nearly 60% of Asian immigrants have college degrees, for Mexicans it is less than 5%.

In short, there is a growing concern that this new wave of immigrants, especially Hispanics, because of the language barrier and because of the Postmodern focus on multiculturalism, instead of the focus on what binds us together as a nation, will not be fully integrated into American society and will not truly understand the nation's heritage and history.

The Founders were very clear: The democratic-republic they established would only last if the citizens had an understanding of public virtue and the responsibilities of citizenship. They believed that public education must go hand in hand with religious instruction to produce good citizens who would be virtuous and responsible. Multiculturalism, fueled by postmodern pluralism and relativism, is undermining this goal among the newest wave of immigrants. This article demonstrates it is a matter of national concern. Ethnic consciousness and group rights are
undermining the very fabric of our democratic republic. This should be a focus of national debate and understanding.

See "The Chronicle of Higher Education Daily Report," (21 November 2000).

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND WISDOM

Ken Myers has written a brilliant article on the impact of our information age on our ability to
acquire wisdom. When we have hundreds of factoids assaulting us virtually all the time, through
e-mail, Web sites, and non-stop TV broadcasts, we lack the leisure to assess information. In
many ways he writes, we are becoming "idiots," in the unique meaning of that word. The word
"idiot," comes from "idio," which means something that is uniquely one's own, wholly private
and personal. An idiot is a person who is incapable of sharing knowledge with others. Just as
true knowledge requires engagement, so it must have a shared quality. We must share
knowledge through systems of ideas, in which knowledge is related and ranked.

The crisis of information overload is finally a crisis of truth. Wisdom is never simply the
incremental acquisition of data. Within a godly framework, information, properly engaged and
set in context, yields knowledge. Knowledge in turn cultivates the achievement of wisdom.
What are we to do?

Exercise self-control by reducing the flow of information to prevent overload
Recognize the forgettable quality of so much infomation that comes our way
Recognize the difference between what is edifying and what is titillating
Be thankful for our finitude as humans

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