Articles by Dr. David Jeremiah
When Clerow Wilson turned 16, he was ready to get out of foster homes and reform school, so he lied about his age and joined the U.S. Air Force. Blessed with a non-stop personality, he entertained fellow airmen with so many funny stories they claimed he was “flipped out.” The name stuck. Leaving the Air Force, “Flip” Wilson found work as a bellhop and started performing between paid acts at the hotel’s stage show. Before long he was a successful comedian. One of Flip’s most popular characters was Geraldine Jones, whom he portrayed in a dress, a copper-colored wig, and with exaggerated facial expressions. Geraldine was constantly misbehaving, crossing the line, and violating her conscience. But she had a one-sentence explanation for her behavior: “The devil made me do it.” The phrase, “The devil made me do it,” became part of entertainment lore. I wonder why. On its surface, it’s not a particularly funny line. Perhaps it struck our funny bones because it struck a nerve. We know we’re sinners. We’re bewildered at how easily we do wrong and how hard it is to do right. We need a rationale for our evil habits, or at least an excuse. It’s as good an excuse as any. In some way, this tagline became an expression of national self-justification: “The devil made me do it.”
The military operation that killed Osama bin Laden was dramatic but fairly typical: soldiers, helicopters, and guns. The Navy SEALs that carried out the mission represented centuries of military strategy: armed men, on the ground, seeking to take out the enemy. But later, when another Al Qaeda leader, Anwar al-Awlaki, was killed, the operation was one that armies of past decades wouldn’t have believed. Al-Awlaki was killed in Yemen, but there were no Americans or materials on the ground at the scene of the attack. An armed drone was flying silently thousands of feet above him. The pilot was thousands of miles away at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada using this small, computer-controlled plane deploying a laser-guided bomb. Yesterday it was called “science fiction.” Today it’s called “technology.” But the Bible calls it “prophecy”!
Clothing designers are some of the most creative people on earth. The dress, slacks, pants, jacket, or shirt you’re wearing right now is the result of armies of people working day and night to produce clothing for the world’s 7 billion people. Most garments are mass-produced, and fashion is a global industry that represents one of the largest employers on the planet. Think of what goes into your wardrobe. From the development and processing of the raw materials, to the designers, to the manufacturers, to the sales force and advertising departments, to the retail outlets—the world of apparel is a huge player in the global economy, providing paychecks for everyone from underpaid seamstresses to overpaid executives at Vogue. All designers—young or old, local or global—dream of sewing their label into our garments. The designer’s mark is a source of prestige and profit. Sometimes that label is stitched discreetly inside our clothing, but sometimes the logo or designer’s mark is visible on the outside for everyone to see.