POLITICS - YES OR NO?

Christianity Today likes to talk about the perils of politics in the pulpit. Frankly, I get nervous when the left or the right is overly political from the pulpit.  The funny thing, in black churches, there has been active campaigning and partisan political activity forever, and I do not see Christian publications alarmed about it.  Since most of it is for leftists with anti-God policies, it would seem if there is to be an objection, it would be campaigning for people who oppose the faith you profess to believe rather than those who advance ideas more consistent with our faith whether they be Christians or not. However, in a worship service in church, I find it distasteful for any overly political commentary to be presented, even when I agree with it.  I do advocate people being informed, however, and sharing with their friends, as not everyone is tuned in to what is happening.

The argument for being political in the pulpit, of course, is that a significant number of Christians are woefully ignorant of the issues and what is actually going on that will impact their church and their lives as Christians.  There is a brutal and unrelenting war against Christians today in the United States and elsewhere seeking to remove all conscience, all rights, and to force them to hire people whose only goal is to destroy their message.  Of course, the perpetrators of this never allow this in their own organizations. Name an LGBTQP... group that would hire a Biblical Christian for ANY position in their organization whose goal would be to subvert their message and neutralize it. I thought so.

Nonetheless, it is telling that while Jesus made some politically charged comments from time to time, and he lived in a day where it could have taken 100% of his time given the evils of the day, that was not at all his focus, and he would not have been crucified for anything he said by the Romans.  He was crucified ONLY because the Jewish religious leaders totally rejected him as the only begotten Son of God. Jesus' ventures in politics were primarily calling out the corrupt religious system with only scattered comments on secular leaders.

Time spent talking partisan politics to the church takes away from Bible teaching which is sorely needed for a largely Biblically illiterate church. In actuality, if one preaches the Bible in power, most people will come to the correct political conclusions on their own. Those who preach a compromised gospel usually produce people on the wrong side of God in their political views as well. I met a pastor whose church was in pre-foreclosure. He was a black pastor of an inter-ethnic church who strove to avoid partisan politics and simply preach the Bible. Those on the left interpreted his MORAL teachings as being against them, which while not intended had that affect since the left rejects the Bible and all morality stemming from it. They blew up the church with tried and true divide and conquer tactics and a Bible-teaching church in a mixed community in the Philadelphia suburbs with a very nice setting and building had to be sold.

My personal approach is to steer clear of overt politics when I preach from the pulpit, though by preaching the Bible, some of what I say will naturally have consequences with those who reject God's standards and God's ways. I teach the Bible verse-by-verse on the radio and have for many years and let the chips fall where they may. 

That said, I also have a radio program with messages based upon current events, and those tend to emphasize differences with clear political overtones between the world system and the Kingdom of God.  I have written and been published many times in diverse media on politics for well over 55 years and have been a guest on talk radio and on TV on programs with strong political overtones.  I also have a long-running political blog separate from this one called Avoiding Political Deception. (There is link if you look in my profile). Occasionally I put the same post on both, but that is really quite rare. This blog is intended for people of varying beliefs though if those beliefs are in opposition to the scriptures, they may still take issue with what is said.

The main thing is that our citizenship is in heaven and this world is doomed and rapidly winding up for the tragic end. Some say just let it happen as it is inevitable. I say much tragedy in human history could have been avoided had Christians not been so laid back and not been either hopelessly naive or impotent.  The spiritual destruction of the country of Lebanon would be a prime example.  I believe we need to act and be proactive and aware of Satan's schemes.  We need to pray hard, pray aggressively, and work for the good of all.

BONDAGE

 Bondage seems to be everywhere.  Universities are in bondage to absurd anti-science suicidal "woke" policies.  Most students have to self-censor to survive. There is no critical thinking and lies are routinely accepted as truth with no questions allows.  While claiming to fight racism, the woke folks firmly believe in black inferiority.  Rather than seeking to improve academic performance and close the substantial gap that shows up on every objective measurement, they are eliminating ALL objective measurements and going strictly with unreliable data and emotional campaigns.  Ironically standardized tests actually predict HIGHER outcomes than are achieved.  Their answer to to engage in hard racism, even calling for separate colleges in California, discriminating in the classrooms, and blaming everyone else.  They also rob all high-achieving blacks of the rewards for their hard work, giving everyone the impression that they did not deserve it, got special treatment, etc. They also engage in hard core racist pressures against the increasing number of blacks who identify as conservatives with a moral agenda.  What they endure is covered up by fake media which is so lopsided it is ridiculous. This is classic Marxist cultural warfare, of course, and feckless university and corporate administrators are in bondage to it.

People are in bondage to unbridled sexuality, with the result that kids have tried everything in their teens and now want t explore every perversion out there.

People are in bondage to pot, ignoring the fact that almost all ass shooters were pot smokers - 9t is a gateway drug that indeed affects the brain, but the potheads are in total bondage to it.

People are in bondage to fake science, fake history, and totally failed political ideas.  Fools who refuse to believe in God come up with their wild hypotheses and push it on impressionable people who are too scared to have their grades lowered to protest.   They believe slogans and revisionist history and never bother looking into the matters for themselves.

The Apostle Paul believed it was intelligent for people to question him and see if what he said was supported by the scriptures. Remember the Bereans?   So many Christians are in bondage to abusive churches and ideas. Man-made rules which are of no value against fleshly indulgence.  Some of the worst sexual abuse has happened in Christian and other religious groups with oppressively strict dress and behavioral codes.  Only CHRIST can free people from bondage.

Some churches require members to submit IRS 1040 forms to be accessed a "tithe".  Never mind that the Bible says Not to give under compulsion and that EACH MAN is to determine in his heart what to give. Of course they are clueless that the Old Testament taught THREE tithes, two annual ones and a third every three years for the poor - so 23.33!  So many ministries on TV are all about money and the damage done to unbelievers in undermining the integrity of Christians  is probably even worse than what naive Christians go through sending money to be wasted on riotous living rather than spreading the real gospel.

My friends, do not remain in any bondage - Christ came to set us free.  Be free indeed!