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http://www.townhall.com/columnists/douggiles/dg20040717.shtml
Pastors, Priests, and Politics
Doug Giles
As I see it, The God job has two fronts: to reach out to and lock in lost
souls and to righteously leaven our current cruddy culture for Him.
First, Pastors and Priests are to study and teach the word of God
carefully and apply it to our lives practically, so we don’t end up
knocking on the pearly gates castrated, in a Star Trek uniform wearing
Nikes and asking where the hell the Hale-Bop comet went. Additionally,
they are called to help their congregants graciously implement God’s way
and will, to build the good society in their nation.
Hear me, man of God: your job does not end when the sinner secures his
soul and is guaranteed that he’ll go to heaven, walk around in a peignoir
playing the harp, aglow in the promise that he’ll never be in jeopardy of
eternally roasting on Dante’s Viking Grill. Yes, your vocation also
entails taking the saved ex-sinner and equipping him to change this planet
into something approaching God’s taste.
Ministers have massive influence woven into their job. Instead of using
it to fleece their sheep, to molest altar boys, or simply to dole out
clichés like an over-medicated Oprah Winfrey, why not re-align with the
scripture and focus on fixing this mucked up culture? What about using
your powerful impact to establish this nation in righteousness, according
to biblical standards?
This means you must divide your attention from evangelism and weigh in on
all things which effect our culture, i.e., Business, Entertainment,
Education and yes, Politics. All the aforementioned directly affect the
health and wealth of the people you are trying to reach and require that
you have a biblically based opinion on each category, in order to
influence them in ways which honor God.
Given that this is a presidential election year and that the culturally
dividing issues are more obvious than Courtney Love’s last lip implants,
it is mind-boggling that many clergy are mute or side with parties,
policies and principles that are antithetical to what scripture clearly
states is holy, just and good.
With the clear “secular versus sacred” issues, how can a minister stay
silent when he should be at the forefront, challenging evil policies and
the politicians and judges who are trying to enforce them, the way Elijah
challenged Ahab and Hillary … I mean, Jezebel.
In some kind of ascending order, it seems to me there are 10 reasons why
pastors and priests avoid political issues, and why they remain silent.
1. Fear of man. If you purport to be a man of “the cloth”, then your
regard for God and his opinion must trump the trepidation of the creature
he created from spit and mud. Come on, man of God … don’t fear us. We’re
ants with cell phones who’ll shoot Botox into our foreheads. We’re
friggin’ weird and fickle weather vanes of the modern media. Lead us …
don’t just follow us!
Man of God, fear God! Declare his will and his way and let the chips fall
where they may. Within both the Old and New Testaments there are very
unmuddled, eternal opinions on current political issues. These opinions
should be embraced and shouldn’t be publicly curbed and bridled because
some deranged deacon, some quacky congregant or a preening politician
doesn’t agree with the scripture and might get their panties in a wad over
a particular political issue.
Never live for a nod from the congregation or some political twerp or a
particular party, especially when said group is way off biblical base.
2. Ignorance. Most people are not bold in areas where they are ignorant
... always excepting Michael Moore, of course. I know keeping up with all
the pressing political issues is maddening but that’s life, Dinky, and if
you want to be a voice in society and not an echo, you have got to be in
the know. Staying briefed, running each political issue through the
gauntlet of the scripture and determining God’s mind on a certain subject
is par for the course, for the hardy world changer. It’s the information
age. Get informed and watch your boldness increase.
3. Division. I hate the current non-essential divisions in the church as
much as the next acerbic Christian columnist. Squabblin’ over the color
of the carpet, who’ll play the organ next Sunday or who the Beast of
Revelation is? Puhleese!
Dial down on the inconsequential seditiousness, okay, Jedediah? Relax.
Go into the desert and get focused. The church is currently so divided
and defeated with such minutiae … that we can’t agree on which shade of
white to use for our surrender flag.
That said, however, there’s a time and place for a biblical throw-down and
an ecclesiastical split from political policies and parties:· when the
taking of an unborn life is the issue, or· when marriage is being
redefined, or· when runaway judges are attempting to expunge God and his
law from our country’s national life.
For a minister to seek unity when secularists are trashing and rewriting
scripture with impunity, is to side with evil and allow darkness to
succeed. On these kinds of issues, the minister cannot group hug the
secular or quasi-Christian thugs who profess them.
Doug Giles pastors a church in Miami and hosts two award winning radio
programs |
