"... Hate what is evil; cling to what is good" (Rom. 12:9, NIV).
"To fear the LORD is to hate evil..." (Proverbs 8:13, NIV).
"When we are not governed by God, we will be ruled by tyrants." --William Penn
"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice for the oppressed of my people ... What will you do on the day of reckoning...?" (Isa. 10:1-3, NIV).
"... But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (1 Peter 3:12, NIV).
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST SERVES AS AN INDICTMENT ON ALL PARTY LOYALISTS OF WHICHEVER PERSUASION, WHO PUT PARTY AND POLITICS ABOVE PRINCIPLE, WHICH IS ONE OF MAHATMA GANDHI'S SEVEN DEADLY SOCIAL SINS.
CAVEAT: "WE LIVE IN THE AGE OF THE RISE OF TRIBALISM AND IDENTITY POLITICS; BEWARE!"
Personally, I do not think Jesus would join any party because he would be nonconformist, untraditional, anti-establishment, and counter-cultural and no party would even want him. The Bible warns against compromising with the devil--give no opportunity to the devil, in other words (cf. Eph. 4:27; 5:11)! Don't give an inch, he'll take a mile! Our nation has been deceived and beguiled by the devil's strategy to divide and conquer in the manifestation of identity politics or an "us versus them" orientation and scheme of thought. What does God hate, but to sow discord among brothers? The devil is a great divider, not a unifier who builds bridges--because he doesn't stand for the truth and there is no truth in him. Blessed are the peacemakers, not peacekeepers or the peaceable!
Our nation hungers for leadership and has fallen for an authority figure who can push his weight around and bully and insult his way to power like a demagogue--note that God is no bully and His authority is persuasive, not abrasive. Note that we don't need a ruler, but a leader. Whoever heard of returning insult for insult, only worse politics such as taking revenge on political opponents? It seems that people "identify" with our president and these are the so-called "forgotten" or disenfranchised voters, who long to just be heard by anyone. But power does tend to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely per Lord Acton, and those in power misuse it to their own detriment as well as those they influence--it only reveals the real you.
Our nation is guilty of spiritual idolatry--worshiping political power per se and our leaders themselves, where only God should be given such superlative status. They deify their party by adhering to principles such as "my party, right or wrong." God will not ask us what party we belonged to at the Judgment Seat. When you get to the point where you are no longer critical, where it's due, you have gone beyond respecting to fearing or worshiping your leader--we must maintain our discernment and see good as well as evil. We ought always to pray for our leaders, even if it is for them to repent and see the light; we ought not to pray that God blesses evil or evildoing! God is not mocked, whatever we sow as a nation, we'll reap according to Gal. 6:7! Our God is the moral center of the universe as the final Judge and will also judge the nations at the appropriate and opportune time.
Our nation set up the world order of the free world after WWII and our president is dismantling it because it doesn't serve his interests. It is only one example of why a Congress is derelict of duty to pose restraint and to be a check and balance as an equal branch of government. It is obvious that some have no regard for ethics, principle, and morals other than their own agenda or issue. The point is that when you close your mind to principle there's no telling what you'll approve of and sanction.
Christians should be appalled at the refugee border crisis. We must restore liberty and justice for ALL. When we castigate one category of humans as not worthy of their dignity and rights, we have gone the way of Fascism and are on the road to a holocaust like the Nazis.
Philosophically what some have done is force their agenda on a secular society by force as if legislating Christianity made people believers. You can't outlaw all sins. Is this not unlike shariah law where Muslims legislate their religion on non-Muslims? They will tell you that it's all worth it after all because we will get conservative jurists (even if incompetent) on the Supreme Court--in other words, the ends justify the means or pragmatism, is a legitimate worldview and methodology, which would be an activist court, so denounced by conservatives. This is anti-Christian! Wisdom is doing the right thing in the right way and even having pure motives. We must never forget that Christ's kingdom is not of this world!
The devil celebrates the times he can aid Christians if they will give him what he wants--power! This is the way the Antichrist will ascend too, by the aid and sanction of the religious authorities. We don't want the tyranny of an individual who is authoritarian and has a lust for power. We must never worship political power and think God is a member of our party because He cannot be labeled or put in a box. We must not be negligent of being the watchdog and worshiping at the shrine of political power, as we deem our turf and job security as Job One, being intimidated, not speaking truth to power! And unwilling to stand up and be counted for what's the right thing to do.
Parties do not abandon good people, but leave them! There are still Christians in our parties but they have become numb and desensitized to evil and need a spiritual wake-up call. It no longer can claim the moral high ground and has lost its moral authority by all its compromising and loyalty to a person instead of the rule of law. That's what democracy stands for in the final analysis: the ultimate rule of law and that law is based on natural law and divine law, not the law of whims or expediency. Many times we should be saying, "There oughta be a law," but have overlooked the evils in our country for the sake of being loyal to a party--but that kind of blind loyalty, obeisance, or homage belongs only to God--who is no respecter of persons. Too many confess the creed: My party right or wrong!
What we have is a Congress of moral cowards! Just because a party is in power doesn't mean they have God's seal of approval! God may very well be punishing our nation, for He does so by giving unjust leaders. It is no sin to call a spade a spade and to fly your Christian colors or declare war on evil as you see it--woe to those who don't discern evil from good or who call evil good. We aren't called to be apologists for the president and defend immoral and unethical executive decisions--but stand up for what is the right thing to do as a higher allegiance to God.
When we are unequally yoked with the infidel we cannot blame God for the evil that results--we must take responsibility if we do something in God's name, known as hijacking the faith for our cause or agenda. We need no working arrangement with the devil! Don't give him free rein to usurp the domain of the church! There is no middle ground or place for neutrality, we must assume our marching orders and stand up for Jesus, not standing on the sidelines or behind the scenes.
One must ask, not "Where's God?" but "Where's the church?" as we are the moral compass and conscience of our nation heeding the commission for social justice--the church must preach the truth and equip the saints. Therefore, we can only expect anarchy or chaos in the political arena when we eradicate Christ from the public square and take God out of the equation. Indeed, that leads to a bleak outlook, but our faith is more than a creed, it necessitates action and practicing what we preach.
In the final analysis, we must realize we get the politicians we deserve because some politicos want a party to become a party of social revolutionaries and polarizing politics and think they have the God-given right to wreak havoc on the social order and political landscape or to upset the legal applecart to their fancy and whim--they wanted change and they will very well get it, but change for change sake is not good.
CAVEAT: "We cannot remain silent and concede everything away and lose by default," as C. S. Lewis articulated it. Soli Deo Gloria!
"To fear the LORD is to hate evil..." (Proverbs 8:13, NIV).
"When we are not governed by God, we will be ruled by tyrants." --William Penn
"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice for the oppressed of my people ... What will you do on the day of reckoning...?" (Isa. 10:1-3, NIV).
"... But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (1 Peter 3:12, NIV).
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST SERVES AS AN INDICTMENT ON ALL PARTY LOYALISTS OF WHICHEVER PERSUASION, WHO PUT PARTY AND POLITICS ABOVE PRINCIPLE, WHICH IS ONE OF MAHATMA GANDHI'S SEVEN DEADLY SOCIAL SINS.
CAVEAT: "WE LIVE IN THE AGE OF THE RISE OF TRIBALISM AND IDENTITY POLITICS; BEWARE!"
Personally, I do not think Jesus would join any party because he would be nonconformist, untraditional, anti-establishment, and counter-cultural and no party would even want him. The Bible warns against compromising with the devil--give no opportunity to the devil, in other words (cf. Eph. 4:27; 5:11)! Don't give an inch, he'll take a mile! Our nation has been deceived and beguiled by the devil's strategy to divide and conquer in the manifestation of identity politics or an "us versus them" orientation and scheme of thought. What does God hate, but to sow discord among brothers? The devil is a great divider, not a unifier who builds bridges--because he doesn't stand for the truth and there is no truth in him. Blessed are the peacemakers, not peacekeepers or the peaceable!
Our nation hungers for leadership and has fallen for an authority figure who can push his weight around and bully and insult his way to power like a demagogue--note that God is no bully and His authority is persuasive, not abrasive. Note that we don't need a ruler, but a leader. Whoever heard of returning insult for insult, only worse politics such as taking revenge on political opponents? It seems that people "identify" with our president and these are the so-called "forgotten" or disenfranchised voters, who long to just be heard by anyone. But power does tend to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely per Lord Acton, and those in power misuse it to their own detriment as well as those they influence--it only reveals the real you.
Our nation is guilty of spiritual idolatry--worshiping political power per se and our leaders themselves, where only God should be given such superlative status. They deify their party by adhering to principles such as "my party, right or wrong." God will not ask us what party we belonged to at the Judgment Seat. When you get to the point where you are no longer critical, where it's due, you have gone beyond respecting to fearing or worshiping your leader--we must maintain our discernment and see good as well as evil. We ought always to pray for our leaders, even if it is for them to repent and see the light; we ought not to pray that God blesses evil or evildoing! God is not mocked, whatever we sow as a nation, we'll reap according to Gal. 6:7! Our God is the moral center of the universe as the final Judge and will also judge the nations at the appropriate and opportune time.
Our nation set up the world order of the free world after WWII and our president is dismantling it because it doesn't serve his interests. It is only one example of why a Congress is derelict of duty to pose restraint and to be a check and balance as an equal branch of government. It is obvious that some have no regard for ethics, principle, and morals other than their own agenda or issue. The point is that when you close your mind to principle there's no telling what you'll approve of and sanction.
Christians should be appalled at the refugee border crisis. We must restore liberty and justice for ALL. When we castigate one category of humans as not worthy of their dignity and rights, we have gone the way of Fascism and are on the road to a holocaust like the Nazis.
Philosophically what some have done is force their agenda on a secular society by force as if legislating Christianity made people believers. You can't outlaw all sins. Is this not unlike shariah law where Muslims legislate their religion on non-Muslims? They will tell you that it's all worth it after all because we will get conservative jurists (even if incompetent) on the Supreme Court--in other words, the ends justify the means or pragmatism, is a legitimate worldview and methodology, which would be an activist court, so denounced by conservatives. This is anti-Christian! Wisdom is doing the right thing in the right way and even having pure motives. We must never forget that Christ's kingdom is not of this world!
The devil celebrates the times he can aid Christians if they will give him what he wants--power! This is the way the Antichrist will ascend too, by the aid and sanction of the religious authorities. We don't want the tyranny of an individual who is authoritarian and has a lust for power. We must never worship political power and think God is a member of our party because He cannot be labeled or put in a box. We must not be negligent of being the watchdog and worshiping at the shrine of political power, as we deem our turf and job security as Job One, being intimidated, not speaking truth to power! And unwilling to stand up and be counted for what's the right thing to do.
Parties do not abandon good people, but leave them! There are still Christians in our parties but they have become numb and desensitized to evil and need a spiritual wake-up call. It no longer can claim the moral high ground and has lost its moral authority by all its compromising and loyalty to a person instead of the rule of law. That's what democracy stands for in the final analysis: the ultimate rule of law and that law is based on natural law and divine law, not the law of whims or expediency. Many times we should be saying, "There oughta be a law," but have overlooked the evils in our country for the sake of being loyal to a party--but that kind of blind loyalty, obeisance, or homage belongs only to God--who is no respecter of persons. Too many confess the creed: My party right or wrong!
What we have is a Congress of moral cowards! Just because a party is in power doesn't mean they have God's seal of approval! God may very well be punishing our nation, for He does so by giving unjust leaders. It is no sin to call a spade a spade and to fly your Christian colors or declare war on evil as you see it--woe to those who don't discern evil from good or who call evil good. We aren't called to be apologists for the president and defend immoral and unethical executive decisions--but stand up for what is the right thing to do as a higher allegiance to God.
When we are unequally yoked with the infidel we cannot blame God for the evil that results--we must take responsibility if we do something in God's name, known as hijacking the faith for our cause or agenda. We need no working arrangement with the devil! Don't give him free rein to usurp the domain of the church! There is no middle ground or place for neutrality, we must assume our marching orders and stand up for Jesus, not standing on the sidelines or behind the scenes.
One must ask, not "Where's God?" but "Where's the church?" as we are the moral compass and conscience of our nation heeding the commission for social justice--the church must preach the truth and equip the saints. Therefore, we can only expect anarchy or chaos in the political arena when we eradicate Christ from the public square and take God out of the equation. Indeed, that leads to a bleak outlook, but our faith is more than a creed, it necessitates action and practicing what we preach.
In the final analysis, we must realize we get the politicians we deserve because some politicos want a party to become a party of social revolutionaries and polarizing politics and think they have the God-given right to wreak havoc on the social order and political landscape or to upset the legal applecart to their fancy and whim--they wanted change and they will very well get it, but change for change sake is not good.
CAVEAT: "We cannot remain silent and concede everything away and lose by default," as C. S. Lewis articulated it. Soli Deo Gloria!