Another "evil power"

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Chen Tan-sun uses this familiar term for to describe Chinese designs to grow in the dominant Asian power through increased arms sales from the European Union. Japan is also concerned this would upset the delicate balance of power in the region. Japan defense officials feel China merits "careful scrutiny". In Brussels yesterday United States Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice said, the U.S. has "deep concerns about the military balance in east Asia". Read the story here .

China is a fast growing power with designs to rival America in influence both economically and militarily. Most Americans have little awareness of this looming power. We ran an article on China in the January issue of World News and Prophecy that give more background with the Biblical perspective.

Prince Charles to Wed Camilla. Twoo Wuv!

World News and Prophecy Senior writer Melvin Rhodes, himself a Brit, offers this comment on today's announcement that England's Prince Charles will marry Camilla Parker Bowles.

When King Edward VIII had to choose between the British throne and the "woman he loved", he opted for marriage and declined the crown. Edward's problem was that his relationship with the twice divorced Mrs Simpson was considered to be incompatible with his role as titular head of the Church of England. That was in 1936.

Times have changed.

The Church of England today is a very different church. In contrast to 1936, today's church ordains women as priests and permits actively gay clergy, both of which are proscribed in the scriptures. It's no surprise then that they have liberalized the teaching on divorce, though not as much as some other churches have done. The new rules do not permit Charles and Camilla to marry in church as she was instrumental in coming between him and his first wife, the late Princess Diana.

However, a civil ceremony is acceptable to the church and will go ahead at Windsor Castle on April 8^th.

The prince's future subjects are naturally divided on this. Older people are all too aware of the scandal that rocked the British Empire 70 years ago. But younger people have grown up in a society that increasingly accepts alternative lifestyles, including "living together". Most people seem to feel that marriage is more respectable than what used to be called "living in sin", so it's doubtful that the news of the upcoming marriage will do any damage to the throne.

That damage has already been done.

When Elizabeth II became queen 53 years ago this month the monarchy was at the center of what was still the biggest empire in history. It was a highly respected institution that was the unifying symbol of the Empire and Commonwealth. The queen herself was looked up to by all her subjects and was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds wherever she went. As Sir Winston Churchill, British prime minister at the time of her ascension to the throne, put it: "The queen is the lady we respect because she is our queen, but whom we love because she is herself."

When Churchill died 13 years later, those feelings remained intact. But it was all to change in subsequent years. There are a number of reasons for this:

1. Loss of empire - which reduced the universal role of the monarch. The queen remains Head of the Commonwealth but is now Head of State in only 16 out of 54 Commonwealth countries. In 1952 only India had become a republic within the Commonwealth, replacing the queen's father with a figurehead president.

2. Britain's loss of sovereignty to the European Union. The ultimate goal of an "ever closer union" for the EU means the monarchy is seen by many as an obstacle to further European integration. The sovereign is the very symbol of sovereignty.

3. The media. Greater exposure to the media has exposed too much of the private lives of members of the royal family, thereby diminishing respect for the monarchy as a whole, although the queen herself remains above reproach. Additionally, television, which once was of a high standard in Britain, now makes fun of the royals along with politicians, with resultant cynicism amongst the populace.

4. The queen's four children must also accept responsibility for the diminished respect for the monarchy. Proverbs 14:34 tells us that "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." It was in Queen Victoria's time that the monarchy gained universal respect and admiration, partly as a result of Victoria's strong religious beliefs and family example. Although we now know that it wasn't as perfect as it seemed at the time, the scandals of the last few years are unprecedented in recent history and have diminished the monarchy in the eyes of many. The queen's children and grandchildren clearly need to be reminded of their duty to serve and to always set a good example in their personal behavior.

What it comes down to is this:

God has given us His Law, the Ten Commandments, for our benefit. As we see in Deuteronomy, chapter 28, there are blessings for obedience, while negative consequences inevitably follow disobedience. This applies to all of us, including members of the British royal family or presidents of the United States. The difference between most of us and our leaders is that their sins have a much wider impact. They can have political consequences and can reduce the nation's stature in the rest of the world.

It is very important for world leaders to understand this and to take it to heart.

Here here...perhaps Camilla can teach Harry how to dress in public.