ENGAGING CULTURE

What do the recent deaths of the “Godfather of Soul” and America’s 38th president have in common?

Brown died at a relatively young age of 73, while Ford was the ripe old age of 93 when he passed. Brown was a trendsetter, Ford was following in the wake of Nixon. Brown was “the hardest working man in show business,” Ford lived by the philosophy, “The harder you work, the luckier you are, I worked like hell.” While he worked hard to do damage control after Vietnam and Watergate, ultimately is one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated presidents.

Brown was the leader of the Disco-Funk era and influenced the careers of many artists. Ford was only in office for 896 days, but those days radically changed the outlook of our country. He restored our trust in the office of president and paved the way for monumental change.

One thing they have in common is their office of leader. Ford never expected to be the leader of the free world, but in the wake of the first presidential resignation in history he was thrust into this role. And Brown never expected to be a leader but every celebrity that is thrust into the limelight by their talent invariably becomes a role model for better or for worse.

Brown died in the hospital on Christmas morning after a bad case of pneumonia of heart failure and Ford died in his home the day after Christmas after being in and out of the hospital for nearly a year. But despite their similarities and differences, they are both dead.

In the end this is the fact that unites all people: famous and obscure, leaders and followers, affluent and indigent, black and white, Christian and non, we will all die. All of us will breathe our last and meet our God. By “our God” I mean that his existence is not a matter of our belief. Though both Brown and Ford claimed some form of the Christian faith, the fact of the matter is that the moment they closed their eyes in death they opened them before the God of the universe who would judge them.

Gladly, God does not judge us on our singing skills or leadership ability. Neither does he rank us by our accomplishments. God judges all men by the unchangeable standard of his own perfect righteousness. And just as surely as we all die, we all fall short of this standard. Therefore, the hope of all people is Jesus Christ, who in his death, burial, and resurrection applied his righteousness to all who would believe upon his name and follow him with their lives and in their deaths.

So, are Brown and Ford in heaven in fellowship with God and Jesus or are they enduring eternal punishment in the fires of hell? I don’t know. That decision is for God to make. And that decision is one that each of us must face. You will die, you will meet your judge, and you will be found guilty. The question is, “will the innocence of Jesus cover you on that day?”

Technorati Tags: Gerald Ford, James Brown, Death, Judgment