Theology has always been a part of the American political discourse. And, despite what the radical left has to say about our American history, America was never intended to be a godless nation. While much debate continues about the exact theological leanings of the nation’s framers, the fact that they believed in God and expected Him to be a part of our national identity is indisputable. The very Declaration of independence, from which we draw our authority to exist as a sovereign nation, draws its authority from a single deity credited with the creation of men as equals and responsible for bestowing upon them certain rights that cannot be revoked by other men. And, while much debate also exists about the exact nature of this Supreme Being, there is a significant plurality of our nation’s electorate that recognizes this deity as the Judeo-Christian God made known to us through the Bible. While I count myself in that number, I reject outright the notion that the Evangelical Christian right is in line with what the God of Bible thinks of and wants for America. Likewise, I find it equally ridiculous that those of the political left are any more righteous or Christian in their thinking. Every day, evangelical and liberal preachers alike tell lie after lie about God and His view of what we are doing here in America. Many do it intentionally for some political gain or agenda. Most do it unwittingly by focusing on a particular verse or passage that may align with their own particular view or purpose while ignoring or omitting others that may not be so supporting of the point they may be trying to prove.
According the Bible, the Christian right is correct in their view on their two headline issues, abortion and same sex marriage. There is no way one can read the Bible and surmise anything other than God’s complete disapproval of our nation’s “tolerance” for people marrying those of the same sex or our national obsession with murdering the unborn for the sake of convenience. The establishment of homosexuality as a sin is well established in scripture - both Old and New Testaments. You cannot claim a belief in Holy Scripture without acknowledging this fact. There are those who claim that the Bible is in error on this topic but that belief is a repudiation of the Bible’s central claim – that every word of it is breathed out of the mouth of God. In the case of abortion, the Bible is equally clear. Life does not begin “AT” conception; it begins in the mind of God prior to conception. A “fetus” is a living being with a soul, spirit and God given purpose in life.
The fatal flaw in the thinking of the Christian right is twofold. First, they hang on to these two issues for dear life while ignoring much more fundamental truths to the Bible. Yes, abortion and homosexuality are recognized and well established as sin in the bible. On the other hand, Jesus Christ himself declared that we would be judged by God according to how we treat “the least of these”. To spend billions of dollars fighting gay rights and abortion and oppose programs that establish a safety net for the least fortunate in our nation is nothing short of hypocrisy and borders on the blasphemous. Secondly, their approach to these headline issues is usually counterproductive, divisive and often unchristian in its execution. To spend billions fighting abortion and nothing tending to the unwanted children who are already here is again the epitome of hypocrisy, and the vile rhetoric suggesting that God “hates” gays or would seek to deny them certain legal protection is outright demonic.
The other side of the aisle is just as warped in its thinking.
Every election cycle, the political left spends untold cash and political capital forcing upon us the morally bankrupt policies of the liberal extreme. We can no longer pray in the schools we pay for but more and more our children are forced to learn about “alternate lifestyles” and taught to accept it as a viable life choice. Abortion for the sake of convenience, the teaching of sexual immorality and an all-out assault on anything that resembles traditional family values have all become a central part of the liberal political agenda. Furthermore, while they do understand the necessity of taking care of “the least of these”, their political methodology has created a “poverty industry” and a crippled dependent permanent welfare class in America.
To sum it all up, any preacher (Rod Parsley and David Forbes included) that would suggest it is more Christian to vote one American political party over another is not speaking the truth and misleading you! They have an agenda and it is NOT the Bible. Jesus Christ would not vote Republican – or Democrat! That is not to suggest that we should not vote, it is only to say that whatever party we belong to, we have a Christian responsibility to influence the political agenda of that party to better reflect what we believe as Christians. Remember, a vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil.
The Burning Sword 8/10/11
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