The Church and Politics

Often during my lunch break I will go out to my vehicle and listen to John Macarthur's Grace to You radio broadcast. The particular radio station I listen to this on seems to repeat a lot of series, and they will preview new series before airing them to check for too much Calvinism, and sometimes they won't air particular sermons they deem too Calvinistic.

Fortunately, they have a poor understanding of Calvinism so, for example, in a series by John Macarthur about the doctrines of grace, they balked at the sermons on limited atonement and irresistible grace at first, interrupting the series and airing two sermons from a previous series in their stead. They didn't seem to realize that Dr. Macarthur's excellent messages on total depravity, unconditional election and perseverance of the saints were completely incompatible with their own semi-pelagianism and once-saved-always-saved beliefs. They did finally air the two missing messages at a later date, to my surprise, perhaps they got some angry calls.

Anywho...

Usually I hear a message I've heard before as this has been a lunchtime tradition of mine for some years now, but today I heard a new one to me that just flies right in the face of so much of modern American Christian belief.

How many times do we hear of "America the Christian Nation", "America was founded on Christian principles" and the like. Prominent Christian leaders will equate an attack on the pledge of allegiance to an attack on Christianity, and pretend that our Democratic Republic system of government is God's favorite and that spreading Democracy militarily or by other means is a righteous cause of Christians.

Now, I believe that in this world of fallen people with sinful agendas, which is all of us, that the system of checks and balances with which our country was founded is the best form of government I can imagine. I believe in religious freedom and equality among men. I believe our American constitution has done a good job of ensuring our individual freedoms and I am thankful for and enjoy them. I believe that the United States exists because God ordained that this nation exist.

I also believe that God has ordained that every nation on earth exist, and that every leader, no matter how evil, is in their position of power because God put them there according to the council of his own will and for his own purpose. I believe these things because the bible clearly teaches them.

Moreover, spreading Democracy and pursuing regime changes and fighting social injustice and not paying your taxes are not Christian activities! Where is the biblical mandate for such pursuits? These things are not in themselves bad things (except for not paying your taxes), but tying them together with Christianity is a very bad thing.

Now, this is a dangerous belief to convey to your fellow Christians, and as many Christians have relatives or children in military service, it could get you a sock in the mouth. American Christians are convinced of American righteousness and superiority. And I am certainly no eloquent opiner, and so I remain quiet and cringe only slightly as I am berated with "evidences" of "righteous America".

I encourage you to read or listen to this message by John Macarthur expositing Romans 13 that really hits the nail on the head with exactly what I'm trying to say. Here are a few provocative quotes:

[Romans 13:1-7] The truth of the matter is, and you need to think about this - the truth of the matter is that our own nation was borne out of a violation of this biblical text. Now that may throw you for a loss, but that's the fact. Our nation was borne out of a violation of this text. In the name of Christian freedom.

It amazes me that you have a list of true believers, charlatans, frauds, false prophets - all jumbled together for the sake of "religious freedom" to do the political lobbying that people think is going to preserve the kingdom of God in America.

So Jesus came into a world dominated by slavery and by one man rule. The absolute antithesis of democracy, which we believe to be so dear. All the power of the state was in one man's hands.

He [Jesus] did not come with power and force to overthrow the Roman tyranny. He did not seek social change. He did not attempt to eliminate slavery. He did not come with political or economic issues at stake. They were not the concern of his life and Ministry. He did not come to bring new government, to bring democracy, to wave the flag of Judaism, even. His appeal was ever and always to the hearts of individual men and women. Not their political freedoms. Not their rights under government.

To read the whole meassage, click here.

To listen on GTY's pop-up audio player thingamajig, click here.

To download high quality audio, click here.

Islamic Europe

I have somewhat against this video; Islam is not a race, and Muslims are not born but created. If Europe only had a vital, vibrant Christian witness, the influx of Islamic peoples could be an evangelical boon! Imagine the opportunity to preach the gospel unfettered to millions of Islamic people, many of whom would return to their former countries to tell others of the good news of Jesus Christ.

But I'm afraid this opportunity will not be exploited but squandered, and the rise of Islam will enslave Europe in the stranglehold of useless religion and oppressive moralism.

The Muslims are mearly filling the vacuum created by the indigenous people when they traded Christianity for worldly pleasures and sought satisfaction in sin rather than Christ. Western civilization has been ingenious in facilitating its insatiable fornication desires with abortion and contraceptives. Marriage has become a by-word and children are seen as obstacles to one's own fulfillment in life, not to mention bad for the environment.

And don't think the United States is not on the same path. Christianity is rapidly losing ground in America to heretical imitations and rival religions as the church has lost its message and has become timid, fearful and worldly.

Pray for the believers in Europe.

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Same sex marriage? Impossible!

TThe brew-ha-ha over the Miss USA pageant contestant possibly losing the crown and money over her response to a question about "gay marriage" provoked me to post.

First of all, I have a problem with professing Christian girls parading their nearly naked bodies in a worldly exhibition that triumphs the carnal sexual lusts and superficial "virtues" of an evil society. It's getting harder and harder to tell Christians apart from the unregenerate walking dead who are enslaved to sin and Satan. This ought not to be! If this is not patently obvious to any professing Christian, they should seriously examine themselves to see whether they be in the faith.

1John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

That being said, the question was loaded and far beyond the scope of a beauty pageant. I have far too little knowledge of the law of this land to speak intelligently on whether states should have the right to decide on same sex marriage or whether a federal law protecting homosexual marriages would be constitutional. As far as I know, either thing may be a perfectly legitimate course of action as concerns our nation's constitution. It seems to me that our founder's had in mind a system of government ruled by consensus view, with some individual rights written in to protect minority groups.

There may be coming a day (and probably sooner than later) when the majority view in the United States is that gays have the right to marry. I'm sure that our founders would never have envisioned such a thing, but as they have written our nation's constitution with a purpose of protecting the people from the tyranny of state churches, there is no clause that such matters must be settled biblically.

Those Christians who protest that biblical language was used in our founding documents, that the founders were largely Christians etc. seem to largely ignore this point. The founders did not omit the bible as a legal guide in the constitution out of ignorance; they knew that such language would require that the government have an agency to interpret the bible on legal matters and that requires a state church.

But the point I want to make is this; it makes no difference whether states or the federal government or the world government or the popular view says gays can marry- it is impossible for two people of the same sex to get married. Because marriage is not a human institution but divine. It was instituted by God and God decides the parameters of marriage. And those parameters are clearly defined in the scriptures. God does not recognize same sex unions as marriage but rather an abomination and grievous sin. It is rebellion and hatred for God to despise his parameters concerning marriage and sexual relationships.

Moreover, marriage is a covenant pact that is witnessed by God and joined by God. A piece of paper or a state or federal bureaucrat or a judge or liberal "minister" does not join people in marriage, only God does or can.

And what God hath not joined, let no man bind together. There will never be any two people of the same sex married. No matter what they believe or our culture stipulates. Same sex marriage is impossible.