I found this on wnd.com’s letters to the editor page:
Sins of the church
Jane Chastain is right [“Christians are slackers”], but her singling out failure to vote is simply emphasizing the gnat over the camel. Any idiot over the age of 18 can vote and whole hordes of idiots do, both Christian and pagan.
Here are just a few of the bigger sins against freedom that today’s ignorant Christians are guilty of:
- Voting for evil. Yes, you read this right. As a group we have bought into the lie that voting for the lesser of two evils is somehow going to stem the tide of evil in our country. Christians should not support evil, whether it’s Republican evil or Democratic evil.
- The Social Gospel. Jesus never said to feed the poor and house the homeless by starting a government program funded by theft (taxation). He commanded us to take care of our neighbors of our own free will and out of our own pocket. Opting for government social programs over church/individual assistance is nothing more than buying a conscience at someone else’s expense. Even worse, corrupt politicians use your tax dollars to buy votes from special-interest groups and support causes that are completely antithetical to our faith.
- Misapplication of Romans 13. This chapter of the Bible is misused by apathetic, lazy and stupid Christians to justify not taking action against fraud, unjust taxation, unconstitutional mandates and a host of other evils perpetrated by government. When government ceases to be a force for good, when it commands us to do evil, it becomes our duty not only to disobey government, but to abolish it. The Bible is replete with examples of prophets (i.e., Elijah, Jeremiah) and the apostles themselves willfully disobeying civil authorities to do what they were commanded by the Lord to do. While the Bible does teach us to be good, law-abiding citizens, it does not teach blind obedience to government.
- Poor constitutional knowledge. Take the phrase, “separation of church and state,” for example. Ask your average Christian where that phrase comes from, and most will tell you it’s in the Constitution. Dead wrong. It’s not there. In fact, the founders alluded often to God and the idea that our republic was only as good as our faith in Him. The church has earned a failing grade in civics and history. The Federalist Papers should be required reading for every Christian.
- The church as a social club. Does your pastor water down the Word so as not to offend anyone? Is he politically correct in order avoid desertion by his flock? Where is his focus? If it is on buildings, programs and filling the collection plate as opposed to unashamedly speaking God’s Word, find a new church immediately. The church is not a social club. It is a place to fellowship, learn, study and grow in the faith. Look at today’s megachurches and mainline denominations. They have all the appearance of wealth but are wretched and poor, spiritually.
- False doctrine. Most Christians don’t know their Bible well enough to spot erroneous doctrine, whether it comes from a neighbor or their pastor. New-age philosophy pollutes the literature found in many Christian bookstores. Whether it’s “The Shack,” “The Secret,” the Prosperity Gospel, Liberation Theology, Replacement Theology or what have you, the church has embraced it all, much to our detriment.
- Public education and the myth of salt and light. Christians should do whatever is necessary to pull their kids out of government schools. Anyone believing that their children are to be salt and light in the public system might as well throw their kids into a lion’s den or a pit of vipers. Young children are not equipped to fend off the barrage of anti-God propaganda they will receive six to eight hours a day in the government education system. Sending your kids to a government school is nothing more than abdication of your responsibilities as a godly parent. It is insane.
- The 501(c)(3) corporation. This is probably the most insidious enemy of the church in America. Acceptance of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is nothing more than your pastor and/or denomination accepting a bribe to keep its silence on issues of social and political importance. The government knows what a powerful enemy of tyranny the church can be. Instead of fighting a losing battle against us, the government simply paid us off.
Just because your neighbor, a cop, a politician or even a pastor states something as fact does not make it so. We must be biblically and constitutionally literate. We must be wise as serpents. Christians must stop equating Republicans with biblical principles. The Republican Party has done every bit as much damage to our republic as the Democrats. Just because a politician carries a big, black Bible to church every Sunday does not make him our brother. Photo opportunities and speeches are no substitute for sound principles and an impeccable legislative voting record. We must stop falling for the same old lies every election cycle.
When Christians put aside the frivolity of “doing church,” stop attending religious social clubs, stop accepting unsound doctrine, pull their heads out of the sand and return to the One True God, we may see a revival spiritually and politically, but not until then.
Ken De Vries