Tim Wildmon
AFA president
February 1997 – For this month’s topic we shall begin with a question that has sent many a seminary student packing. Did Adam have a navel?
Before we attempt to answer this question we need to cover a little background material. First, who was Adam? Adam, of course, was the first human created by Almighty God and also the first human being who tried to pass the buck. Later, President Harry Truman would make up for us guys with his famous, “The buck stops here” line, but Adam – he was ready for a nap and he didn’t like the tone in the Lord’s voice, so he blamed Eve for his partaking of the forbidden fruit.
Now, as a general rule, what Adam did was perfectly normal and makes for a good marriage. Of course, I’m talking about doing whatever your wife tells you to do without question. I do this today as do most of my friends and we’re cool with it. Adam did this and, well, his problem is pretty well summer up in one verse in Genesis 3:6 which says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband with her, and he ate.”
Actually Adam’s problems began with just one sentence in one verse.
One minute you’re enjoying paradise in the heavenly hammock, 75 degrees, sunshine splashing down as a gentle breeze plays on your face, everything’s great. Then, your wife reaches over and says, “Here Honey,” and hands you a piece of fruit while you’re not half paying attention – maybe even got your eyes closed – when you take a nice bite down and WHAM!, the next thing you know you’ve changed the plight of the human race for eternity.
This was a bad day in the life of Adam.
But did Adam have a navel? That was our question.
Answer: Really, I don’t know and I don’t care.
What I’ve used here, students, is an exaggerated example of the kind of “issue” or question that often takes up far too much time of Christians and diverts attention from the things that matter most. This is also representative of the type of “issue” that often divides the Christian community so unnecessarily. In an even broader sense, the traditional values or pro-family movement sometimes divides along such trivial lines.
Just what are our goals and objectives? It seems to me they should include:
- Reaching people with the Good News that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to peace and everlasting life.
- Upholding the 10 Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and biblical morality in an age of moral relativism.
With three young children now, I have a vested interest at heart. I want an America for my children and grandchildren that honors the law of God again. Maybe, I’m living in LaLa Land with this hope. But I know one thing, I’m going to fight for this dream until the day I die. I’ve staked by life on the Holy Bible being true and Jesus Christ being God.
America is spiritually sick. In fact, I’d say she’s on life support. And those of us who are the two goals mentioned above have the medicine. We can help lead this great country we love to spiritual wellness and moral sanity. But we’ve god to decide what is important in life and we’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing. Too often we allow trivial matters or questions to divide us or get us off course when we need to keep a “foxhole” mentality.
Do you agree?
“Yes, but did Adam have a navel?” you ask.
Well, let me tell you one thing, buddy. In the first place you haven’t paid attention to one thing I’ve said, and secondly, any ignoramus knows it isn’t a “navel” it’s a belly-button, and another thing . . . . 
Tim Wildmon welcomes your responses. Write him at:
P.O. Drawer 2440
Tupelo, MS 38803
E-mail [email protected]
