You’re Men Ain’tcha?

I love Westerns. The Searchers. High Noon. Riders of The Purple Sage. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. Tombstone. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Dances With Wolves. 9:10 To Yuma (Original). Lonesome Dove (The original TV mini-series).

One of my favorites, probably in the top two or three actually, is Open Range starring Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner. I saw it in 2005 at the theatre when it first came out and loved it. I even wrote a blog post about it at my old Kingdom>>Church>>Culture blog. You should read it. Here’s a short excerpt from that original blog post that captures the theme of my post today.

“In Open Range, we are drawn to Boss Spearman (Duvall) and Charlie Waite (Costner). On the surface, they appear to be simple, freegrazing cowboys, driving their herd of cattle across the lush green hills of Montana in search of better grazing ground. But underneath, they are complex men who cherish their freedom, men who will be forced to decide what price they are willing to pay to preserve it.”

A couple of weeks ago, The Hallmark Channel broadcast the movie. I recorded it and watched it for the first time since I had seen it at the theatre. It was just as good. And as I heard the many “one-liners” from the film, I remembered how they had grabbed me in 2005.

If you haven’t seen it, the story goes like this. Open range freegrazers, Boss and Charlie encounter Denton Baxter, a wealthy, local rancher who wants to put an end to freegrazing because he wants control of all the land. He also wants Boss and Charlie’s cattle. Baxter has a group of paid henchman and the town Marshall in his pocket. The townspeople despise him, but are too intimidated to take action.

As the inevitable confrontation draws near, the town’s men fear what’s coming, shrinking  back from joining Boss and Charlie in the defense of their own freedom. Boss and Charlie find themselves in the saloon, speaking with the men of the community. Each offers his reasons for not standing with the duo against Baxter, the bully.

“I’m just a blacksmith.”

“I run the General Store.”

“I have a wife and children.”

Now, here comes the punch line – the phrase that grabbed me on my second viewing of this great Western film. Let me set it up for you.

Charlie (Costner), standing at the bar with his rifle in one hand, his pistol holstered, and his ammo belt full of bullets, listens to each of their excuses. When the last one is offered, he chugs down a shot of whiskey and calmly sets the glass on the bar. Looking up, and at no one in particular, he raises his provocative question.

“You’re men ain’tcha?”

When I heard that line afresh, I knew I had a new blog post coming.

Charlie’s question, Dear Reader, is the very question I dare ask you, and particularly my male readers. What is your excuse for non-engagement in the battle for our nation? Do you not yet understand what’s at stake? Have you not yet seen how our free American republic has been ravaged by those who hate liberty? Is your head buried in the sand? Do you not realize that your children and your grandchildren will not only be living in poverty, but will suffer at the hand of an over-sized, big-brother style, oppressive, national government, if we don’t stop our nation’s sprint into full-blown socialism?

Maybe you’re a Christian and your eyes are fixed on heaven, or on “spiritual things.” Maybe your “spirituality” does not make room for “worldly” things like politics or government, or culture.

Don’t be shortsighted. Recognize that your ability to move freely, to think freely, and to speak freely about your faith in Christ, is possible only because our historically “good” government still protects your right to do so. Don’t think for one minute that such freedoms are a given, an automatic entitlement that comes without a price.

If this “good” government that we have taken for granted is taken away from us because of our failure to act, those freedoms will disappear. We MUST engage now, or risk losing it all.

You think I’m being over-dramatic? Unnecessarily provocative? Fine. Sit back and do nothing. I just happen to think these things need to be said.

But while you’re sitting there, admit it. You hate what has happened to our country. You either inwardly cringe when you read things like this, or this, or this, or you deliberately choose to remain in the dark because the truth of where this nation is headed is too difficult to face. You can hide behind whatever excuse you choose, but in the end, you will still have to explain to your children and your grandchildren, why you fled in the face of trouble.

I am not talking about taking up pistols and rifles and other earthly weapons. I am talking about taking up the “sword of the Spirit,” the Word of God, and engaging on the battleground of ideas. I am suggesting that you arm yourself with truth, with understanding, with wisdom, and with sound character.

The men of Nehemiah’s day defended their city. The warriors and the workers stood side by side on the wall, one defending while the other one built.

Their wall was stone and mortar. The walls of our cities are ideological, and we have not defended them. They are torn down and nearly destroyed. Many of our communities are overrun and even governed by those who reject Judeo-Christian principles and ideas. It’s time we fight back.

Take up the truth and find your place on the wall. Defend your freedom and the freedom of your children and grandchildren. Don’t shrink back. And don’t  think for a minute that you can’t make a difference.

After all, “You’re men ain’tcha?”