A few years ago, Michael Crichton, of Jurassic Park and the television series ER fame, wrote a novel called State of Fear.[1] Crichton's book wasn't just for entertainment, though; it had an agenda, evidenced by the presence of footnotes, a 31-page bibliography, two appendices, and an addendum, titled "Author's Message." One of the basic messages of the book is that governments and special interest groups try to control society through maintaining a constant "state of fear" by manipulating and even creating the information made available to the public on social issues and world events.
While a person might question many of the conclusions Crichton suggests, his basic premise resonates with God's verdict against the religious and political rulers of God's people in the days of Jeremiah,…