Among all in his era, Noah was the most godly. He alone was considered by the Almighty, blameless. In a time when terrible wrath was about to unfurl, Noah alone found favor with the Lord. Consider this man Noah and what he experienced: Aware that the end of his world was at hand, he faithfully preached repentance for over one hundred years, yet his words converted no one. His eyes beheld the terrible descent of the wrath of God; his ears heard the terrifying cries, the final cries, of an entire civilization. His mind experienced the horrifying destruction of every man, woman and child outside the ark.

What burden does such an experience create upon the human soul? What nightmares? We don't know how Noah processed the catastrophic end of the world, but here's what we do know: After the flood, Noah began mankind's journey anew. He farmed and planted a vineyard. From the harvest he produced juice, which fermented into wine. We don't know if this was the first time he, or any man, tasted the effects of wine, but we do know that he drank it and it made him so drunk that he collapsed in his tent. The great man of God lay unconscious and naked, in a drunken stupor.

Here was a righteous preacher who, for whatever reason, had fallen short of his own high standards. Into this scene comes Ham, one of his three sons. Ham entered Noah's tent and saw the shameful state his father was in. Then, Ham reported the scene to his two brothers. Instead of silently, discreetly covering his father's shame, he sought to expose it. His brothers, Shem and Japheth, the Scriptures tell us, took raiment and, walking backward with the sheet on their shoulders, they covered Noah with it. Keep this point in mind: Ham dishonored his father by seeking to expose his shame; Shem and Japheth honored their father by covering his weakness. Your future and the future of your children is attached to how well you understand the value of honor and the curse that follows a dishonoring spirit.

I want to talk to you about honor and dishonor. From our cultural inception, Americans have been a bold, and often defiant, people. Our founding fathers, reacting from the tyranny of kings and bishops, dreamed of making this land free of authoritarianism. The swing away from honor thrust us, however, into an opposite error: dishonor. Consequently, because we have learned to dishonor the civil and religious institutions of life, we have become the home of lawlessness and disorder; we are experiencing the breakdown of the family, the church, and society at large.

America has become one huge reaction to tradition; even wholesome traditions that provide peace, stability and respect to the human condition are considered enemies to our nature.

Recall: several early American state flags displayed a serpent coiled around a staff. The inscription read, "Don't tread on me." This brazen banner actually identified those who looked to it as a standard against any rule, even the rule of Christ Himself.

Most nations possess a singular focal point that epitomizes their culture. For the Asian nations, honor and respect preside over their societies; for Germanic nations, discipline and obedience set the standard. For America, the central theme would be freedom and rebellion to tradition. To express compliance or honor is considered a weakness.

Even among the early American Christians, there existed a strong independent heart attitude. Most of our first ancestors came from "Protestant" stock: they were "protest-ants." Not only had they protested the errors of Catholicism, but during various eras, Protestant denominations persecuted and protested against themselves as well. Their legacy of visible, vocal dissent as a means of change has been structured into America's subconsciousness; this legacy defines much of our societal chemistry. For the secular individual, to protest was to walk a heroic, patriotic path. For the religious soul, to defy the edict of a king or pope was courageous and noble; it was to follow the righteous pattern of the Old Testament prophets.

Thus, confrontation emerged in America as a means through which change materialized. Certainly, there is virtue to be found in a heart that fearlessly speaks against evil. However, "confrontational spirituality" has been carried to an excessive extreme. It is mainstreamed as a legitimate American form of communication, both among the religious and non-religious alike. In America, our "right to protest" is not just a privilege, but a moral and even spiritual obligation; it is to be accomplished with zeal.