Fauci’s Fiery Furnace: A Biblical Morals Tale, by Kristi Stone Hamrick

For those of us raised in Sunday School, a Bible story about three men and a mandate is most timely. As airlines, commerce, and education screech to a halt in light of mandates such as President Biden’s order to as many as 100 million Americans to get vaccinated or else, it’s worth considering whether that kind of pressure is a long-term play. Pronouncements about “the science” have changed like a weather report, with each new finding treated like biblical truth rather than an educated guess. But as our current generation of rulers threaten their own version of a fiery furnace moment, it’s worth considering what happened last time.

Refusing an Arbitrary and Offensive Order

As the book of Daniel describes, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken prisoner as boys to serve a conquering king and lived in Babylon where they worked in government. By all accounts, they were talented. When they were evaluated by the civil service test of the day, King Nebuchadnezzar “found none equal” and awarded them top posts. But like a lot of men reading their own news releases, the king decided that in his pluralistic society, all must bend the knee to an idol of gold he had built when ordered. Perhaps it was either build an idol or collect an Emmy for the rulers of the time. …

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