-Caveat Lector-
Treachery in Our Midst,
A Biblical response to 'Blinded by Might'
(a new book by Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson-- no relation to Dr. James Dobson)
by Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue
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It is with grief I tell you that we are once again being betrayed and sold
out to our ethical, cultural and political opponents - by Christian
leaders. There is treachery in our midst.
I have just finished reading the new book, Blinded By Might; Can the
Religious Right Save America.
Have you seen it, or read it? Blinded By Might was written by Cal Thomas,
syndicated newspaper columnist and radio commentator, and Ed Dobson, pastor
of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids Michigan, (no relation to Dr. James
Dobson of Focus on the Family).
Both men were high level leaders in the Moral Majority. Both were close
associates of Jerry Falwell. Their book is a "mia-culpa" for having been
involved in the political realm, and a challenge to the Church, Christian
pastors, and individual Christians to abandon the culture wars.
I know this is hard to believe. I still can hardly believe it. But I have
read the book slowly and thoroughly. That is why I am so grieved.
I give you Cal Thomas' own words: "We have tried to build a strong case for
the church to lay down its impotent weapons of political activism in
exchange for the greatest force we have to change the world: the gospel of
Jesus Christ." (Page 191)
I believe this book is in many ways more dangerous than the
child-pornography at Barnes and Noble; and certainly more deplorable (in
content and aim) than some of the most villainous books of history.
Furthermore, the interview the authors did on 60 Minutes was tragic. I ask
you for the opportunity to present my case, quote from their book, and then
refute their arguments using scripture and logic. Allow me to make some
opening remarks.
The Grief
First, writing this is grievous because these men are Christians. They are
brothers in Christ, and I do not relish drawing swords with Christians.
Secondly, however grievous, I must respond. Too much is at stake. These men
are using out-of-context Bible verses and fatally flawed logic to
emasculate and disembowel the Church, her pastors, and ultimately the rank
and file. They seek to gut us of courage and vision; they seek to pervert
or dismiss our duty; and they seek to justify cowardice, retreat, and
escape - all in the name of Christ.
Third - I must confess, I am angered: They have falsely represented Jesus,
and they have spoken treacherously concerning our duties as Christians.
They have said Jesus is not political - yet the scriptures teach he is King
of kings, Ruler of the nations, that all thrones were created by Him and
for Him, that the government is upon His shoulder, that the increase of His
government and peace will have no end. He warns kings and judges to obey
him, or he will strike them down if His wrath flares up (Psalm 2).
They have said Jesus does not have a "political agenda" concerning laws and
government and the judiciary - yet the scriptures show that God has clear
laws and guidelines for thieves, murderers, rapists, and those committing
assault; The word of God deals at length with legal/judicial questions. He
says of Himself there is one Lawmaker - Him.
I am grieved that they have changed Christ, the Man of war, into the cosmic
coward; that they have painted the one who has a two-edged sword and a rod
of iron into one bearing articles of surrender; they have denied the
political and cultural crown rights of King Jesus, and have made Christ,
His law, and His church subservient to wicked politicians and governments.
I am distressed that they use the Bible to further their agenda of glorious
defeat, courageous cowardice, and commanded surrender.
Like Satan's temptation of Christ in the wilderness, they misquote the
Bible for an unbiblical end. They use out-of-context verses and horrible
Bible interpretation, while they ignore volumes of Scriptures dealing with
our duty in the civil realm.
In this dark hour, the church militant - in other words Christians and
Christianity that are sweeping and victorious in their sphere and
authority; a Christianity that serves, leads, and prevails in the
political, judicial, educational, business and cultural realms - the church
militant is under attack. Obviously we are attacked by the enemies of God -
but far worse; we are under siege from theological traitors and assassins
in our midst. These are those that misuse God's Word like a surgeon's knife
to castrate us of our will to fight, and disembowel us of our hope for
victory.
We expect cries for our surrender from the enemy's camp. However, the cries
of "Amen," and the raising of white flags tattooed with Bible verses from
our chaplains is something new. The Red Cross used to be our rear guard,
caring for the wounded: under the leadership of Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson,
it would be the vanguard, announcing our intention to lay down our arms.
Please understand: I do not count these compromised ambassadors as my
enemies - I count them as hostages of their own theology; a theology that
is twisted and poisoned. I count them as sincere, yet sincerely deluded. I
count them as those who have been captured by crafty arguments of
separatists and defeatists, and are now repeating the half-truths, turned
half-lies, turned error, turned heresy to the Lord's people.
And remember, the misguided and deceived in our own camp can do far more
damage than our enemies outside the camp. Leaders wearing clerical garb and
quoting the Bible will lead far more sheep astray than will ambassadors
with pointy tales, horns and pitchforks dressed in satanic red or dragon
greed.
These well-meaning brothers have tragically become false witnesses of
Christ's authority and our duty, and so they must be confronted and
disarmed. With God's help, I am going to draw the sword of truth. I intend
to do my best to disarm them before they disembowel you, or your loved
ones, or other Christians. But more importantly, I hope to equip and arm
you with the Truth to such an extent that you will be emboldened and
enabled to protect yourself and rescue other Christians from this
treachery.
The faith of our fathers is under attack - and you and I have a duty to
defend that faith, even from her misguided friends inside Christianity.
When you are done with this response, I don't want you saying, "Amen," and
walking away. I want you girding up the loins of your mind, searching the
scriptures for yourself, and arming yourself to liberate others from this
theology, and to restore the gates of power to their rightful owners: the
righteous.
Finally, I'm going to quote extensively from the Scriptures. Why? Because
the Bible is the foundation for our theology, whether that theology applies
to salvation, the Church, our families, civil government, our duty,
Christ's authority - whatever. I want you to see that while Cal Thomas and
Ed Dobson sound "spiritual" in their arguments, they have violently
misrepresented the Bible and Christ. Furthermore, I want you to have some
Biblical starting points so that you can do further study on your own.
Let's draw swords.
They Say Confronting Wicked Politicians is Wrong
Blinded By Might spends a great deal of time explaining how awful it is
that we hold government officials accountable for their evil actions and/or
policies. They condemn Christian leaders who have confronted, rebuked, or
exposed Bill Clinton's wicked agenda.
"Even if every accusation against the Clintons were true, there is a
criminal justice system and a legal process that deals with these things,
and even as we write, that system is working. It is the worst possible
witness to unbelievers to have a minister running down the president of the
United States." (Page97)
Can they be serious? Do they really believe the "worst possible witness to
unbelievers is to have a minister" speaking the truth? On the contrary -
the Bible shows that confronting and rebuking civil leaders is part of a
minister's duty! Elijah confronted King Ahab and Jezebel (I Kings 17- II
Kings 2). Nathan exposed King David (II Samuel 12). The priests withstood
King Uzziah (II Chronicles 26). Jeremiah preached against Jehoiakim
(Jeremiah 22-26). John the Baptist - the greatest man who ever lived
according to Jesus - lost his life because he rebuked and prophesied
against King Herod (Matthew 14 & Mark 6). Christ himself called Herod a fox
(Luke 13:32).
Far from being a bad witness to confront wicked magistrates, it is a good
witness; it is our duty. The Bible says, "They that forsake the law praise
the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them." Proverbs 28:4
And
"He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people
curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be
delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them." Proverbs 24:24 & 25
The "worst possible witness" for a minister might rather be cowardice and
silence in the face of gross wickedness and tyranny in political leaders.
Furthermore, God Himself threatens wicked princes. "Be wise now therefore,
O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with
fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye
perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are
all they that put their trust in him." Psalm 2:10-12
Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson have falsely represented Christ, falsely
represented our duty as Christ's Ambassadors, and given umbrage to
cowardice, silence, and retreat among ministers.
Preachers: Monks, or Dual Office Holders?
The book urges pastors to be non-political; to be politically "neutral."
But is this a Biblical goal?
In their 60 Minutes interview, Pastor Ed Dobson whined, "Stop pressuring
pastors to be politically active from their pulpit"
In the book Ed Dobson testifies of himself, saying: "I decided that
political involvement would hinder my ministry as a pastor. Therefore I
would avoid all political entanglements. I would not attend either
Republican or Democrat events. I would not march for or against anything. I
was convinced that as a pastor I was called to reach Republicans and
Democrats and Independents with the gospel. I was called to reach pro-life
people and pro-choice people. I was called to reach pro-gay and anti-gay
people. If I engaged in public political activities, I ran the risk of
alienating the very people I was called to reach." (Page 152)
He then quoted his father's advice. "He believed that when you were
ordained to pastoral ministry you were immediately exempted from political
action, and when you were called to political service you were immediately
exempted from pastoral ministry." (Page 154) Doesn't this sound spiritual?
The problem is, it isn't Biblical.
A pastor, a priest, a preacher, a prophet, etc., is someone who has
authority in God's church. They hold an "office" in God's house; they are a
minister of God. A statesman, a legislator, a judge, or civil magistrate,
etc., is someone who has authority or an "office" in civil government.
Romans 13:4 and 5 call the righteous civil magistrate the "minister of
God." Ed Dobson claims these two should never be mingled in any way.
But the Scriptures teach something else.
David was both king (Acts13:22) and prophet (Acts 2:29 & 30).
Moses was both prophet (Deuteronomy 34:10) and lawgiver (John 1:17).
Samuel was both prophet (I Samuel 3:20) and judge (I Samuel 7:6).
Deborah was both prophetess (Judges 4:4), and judge (Judges 4:4).
It was Solomon - a King - who built and dedicated Israel's temple. (1Kings
8)
Melchisedeck was Priest of God most high, and King of Salem (Hebrews 7:1)
Jesus Christ - our perfect example - is Priest (Hebrews 3:1) and King
(Matthew 27:11). All of these and many more were dual office holders. They
had both ecclesiastical and political offices.
In Hebrews chapter eleven - the great chapter that teaches that faith
pleases God, at least five of the heroes held authority, or were active in
both "spiritual," and "political" realms. This does not mean that having
authority in one automatically qualifies someone for authority in the
other, it just means that the Bible does not support the claims of Ed
Dobson. Let God be true and every man a liar.
Our own history is rich with men who were dual office holders - preachers
who were active in politics. Eighty percent of America's revolutionary
literature was written by clergy. Perhaps the most famous example is Rev.
John Witherspoon. He was a renowned preacher, as well as an elected
delegate to the Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of
Independence. Would to God that America's clergy of today followed the
courageous example of John Witherspoon rather than the paltry, retreatist
example of the aforesaid authors.
Ed Dobson continues: "Being a pastor does not mean that we have no
citizenship rights and privileges. We should vote, but we should not use
our pulpit to influence the votes of others." (Page 156)
Is this leading the flock of God responsibly? If a candidate wants to
murder babies, give birth control to children behind their parents' backs,
promote special rights for homosexuals, and oppress Christian families, how
could a pastor claim a clear conscience before God if he doesn't try to
lead the sheep away from such a wolf? How could the pastor believe he is
doing God a service to not influence people toward the righteous and away
from the wicked?
The Bible asks the question: "Who will rise up for me against the
evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?"
Psalms 94:16
Ed Dobson answers, "Not I Lord! I'm a pastor!" This is as tragic as it is
absurd.
We have seen that Jesus threatens and warns wicked princes, and that the
religious leaders of the Bible rebuke and berate evil leaders. Ed Dobson
would have preachers smile and politely hold their tongue. In fact Ed
Dobson would have rebuked Mother Theresa for rebuking President Clinton to
his face for supporting the child killing. But frankly, her forthright
courage in speaking the truth to wicked princes is a rebuke to the Ed
Dobsons of this world.
The sorry truth is Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson will not help people discern
between the good and the evil. Such silence is treacherous.
The Role of Government
The authors make an astounding statement on page 108. Here it is: "The main
purpose of government is to promote an ordered society."
A communist could not have said it better. A fascist would raise his voice
in agreement. The devils running the Chinese slave labor camps would give a
hearty "amen!"
The statement, "The main purpose of government is to promote an ordered
society," is a lie from hell.
The main purpose for civil government is justice.
Romans 13:3-4 says, 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to
evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you
will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good.
But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for
he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices
evil. (NKJV)
The Bible commands: "Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:17 (NKJV)
The Bible asks, "Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
have fellowship with You?" Psalm 94:20 (NKJV) The answer is no.
You can have "order" in hell. You can surely find "order" in Cuba and China
and North Korea. But you don't have justice. You don't have freedom. You
don't have governments founded on Christian principles. You have oppression
and tyranny. And you have civil magistrates who have betrayed God's design
for their office. They are not punishing the wicked and praising the
righteous. They are punishing and oppressing the righteous, and
strengthening the wicked. As such they are no longer God's ministers of
justice: they are tyrants.
God's plan for civil magistrates is clear.
"The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: 'He who rules over
men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God." II Samuel 23:3 (NKJV)
What does it mean for a ruler to be "just," to rule in the "fear of God?"
Good and evil, right and wrong - justice and injustice - are defined by God
in His Word. The purpose, parameters, and duty of the civil magistrate and
civil government are defined in the Scriptures.
We are not free to make up the rules for family government or church
government. Why would we think God does not have a just plan for civil
government?
Yet the authors make these astounding statements.
"Politics is a necessary evil... Politics is necessary - but it is also
evil." (Page 171)
Have they lost their minds? Was politics with David evil? Was politics with
Joseph or Daniel evil? Was politics with Josiah evil? Was politics with the
signers of the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence evil?
Certainly politics would be evil with Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson leading the
way, because they would lead us, pastors, the church, and Biblical Law off
the battlefield. That would make for truly evil politics. And it would make
evil politicians delighted.
The Duty of Christians to Government
The reasoning of Blinded by Might, though it sounds spiritual, would do
little more than make knaves and slaves of Christians - bowing at the feet
of tyrants.
Here are the concise points of advice they list for our Christian
responsibility toward government: "We are to pray for government leaders."
(Page109) "We are to submit to government leaders." (Page 110) "We are to
honor government leaders." (Page111) "We are to pay our taxes." (Page 113)
In this section, they make another slavish statement. "Submitting to
government authority involves recognizing that authority is from God and
then willingly and completely subjecting ourselves to that authority."
(Page 111)
This could have been preached by a German pastor who was afraid to oppose
the Nazis. It certainly is being preached by Chinese Government Church
pastors to keep their parishioners in line. It is the stuff that slaves are
made of.
The only authority we are to "completely subject ourselves to" is Almighty
God.
"For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King;
He will save us;" Isaiah 33:22 ( NKJV )
In the light of Thomas' and Dobson's Christian/political worldview, the
founders of our Republic were in rebellion to God when they rebelled
against King George III and the British Parliament. We should still be
British subjects.
American Patriots such as George Washington, John and Samuel Adams, Patrick
Henry, John Witherspoon, all the great American heroes and advocates of
Christian thought, government and revolution, should have been nice boys
who prayed, submitted, paid their taxes, and shut their mouths. They should
have licked the boots that trod on their backs.
And as for St. Patrick, or John Knox, or Samuel Rutherford, or Oliver
Cromwell, we won't even discuss their heresies!
Can you imagine what a horrifying world this would be if for the past two
thousand years the church as a whole had been led by retreatists and
escapists and defeatists like Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson?
Frankly, these men should have had a clue that they were in error when 60
Minutes host Leslie Stahl was oohing and cooing as they called on
Christians to retreat.
I've been interviewed by Leslie Stahl for over an hour. She is a hard-core
pro-abortionist, who is openly antagonistic toward a Christianity that has
fixed laws, judgements, commandments, etc. When the dragons say "amen,"
you've got a problem.
The Power of Law
Blinded by Might trots out the old clich�, "government does not have the
power to force virtue on a people who do not wish to be virtuous." This is
partly true, but mostly false.
Obviously government does not have the power to change the heart, only God
does. But government certainly has the power to change behavior.
Punishment, or the fear of punishment, is the primary power of law. In
fact, God states specifically that the law is for wicked people. "But we
know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the
law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient,
for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of
fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for
them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for
perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound
doctrine;" I Timothy 1:8-10. That is the purpose of law.
Unfortunately, the authors do not understand the place of Biblical law in
regulating men's behavior and stopping acts of evil and oppression. Let me
make an illustration, after sharing their flimsy solution for the abortion
holocaust. "So what can the church do, for example, about abortion? First,
the church can faithfully preach the Scriptures and declare the uniqueness
of human life, that it begins at conception, that it must be valued and
protected. Second, the church can offer assistance to those who have had
abortions and suffer from guilt and depressionAt the end of the Bible study
we conduct a memorial service to honor the memory of these babies who were
never born but who now live in heaven." (Page 163)
These ideas sound spiritual, and indeed they are. Certainly they are okay
as for as they go, but they do little (or nothing) to protect babies
scheduled to die today and tomorrow, and they do nothing to change the laws
so that it would be illegal to kill babies.
Let's apply their logic and solution to the horrific practice of
man-stealing - American slavery.
"So what can the church do about slavery? First, the church can faithfully
preach the Scriptures, and declare the uniqueness of every slave, and that
the slave should be valued and protected. We can even preach to the slaves
themselves. Second, the church can offer assistance to those slaveholders
who suffer from guilt or depression. We can conduct a memorial service to
honor the slaves who have died from being whipped too severely by the
master. Third, we can offer alternatives to owning slaves - such as cheap
labor.
(But of course we will never help slaves escape via the underground
railroad, because that would be breaking the law. And our church won't
lobby for a law that would free the slaves, because our church never fights
for any political cause.)"
Frankly, if you're a slave, what do you care if a preacher is preaching to
your master? What do you care if your master is Baptist or Presbyterian, or
agnostic? (I wonder which one would beat him harder?) What you care about
is freedom. The folly of their logic is that they forgot about the victim;
the law of God is always concerned about the victim.
A slave is a victim and a slave wants freedom. What it took to end slavery
in America was a constitutional amendment - a law - which changed men's
behavior, even if it didn't change their hearts. I'm sure many
ex-slaveholders still wanted slaves in their hearts, but the law and the
punishment they would incur detoured most slave-holding behavior.
It was government - the law - that outlawed slavery in the British empire;
it was law that ended Druid human sacrifice in Christendom; it was law that
ended the hideous practice of child-prostitution in India, or the
horrifying practice of tying widows to their husbands funeral pyres, to be
burned alive. Undoubtedly many hearts longed for the good old days of Druid
sacrifices or child-prostitution, but the law curtailed most evil behavior.
Those who broke the law and were caught were punished. This served as a
warning to others and further deterred these hideous crimes.
The history of what we call Christian civilization is in large part a
history of Christian law - founded in the Ten Commandments, that was
applied to nations via civil government. Those who want to separate the
"preaching of the gospel" from Christian law, make a false, unbiblical, and
unhistorical dichotomy.
What pre-born babies need is not just respect, or a change of heart in
mothers or society, they need the protection of law.
Cal Thomas laments that our political pro-life efforts have been a waste.
"Abortion is not the cause of our social problems; it is a reflection of
themThe American Enterprise Institute and Roper Center examined opinion
polls on abortion for the last twenty-five years. In January 1998 they
concluded that despite the rhetoric and campaigns by both sides, attitudes
about abortion remain pretty much unchanged . . . In perhaps the biggest
and costliest battle waged by conservative Christians, twenty years of
fighting has won nothing." (Page 24)
"Abortion is not a cause of social problems"? Tell that to the dead
children. "Twenty years of fighting has won nothing"? He speaks as a fool.
We have saved hundreds of thousands of babies through direct action of all
sorts. And legislatively, where parental notification laws and twenty-four
hour waiting periods have been imposed, the number of children murdered has
been cut in half.
This, of course, is only a beginning. We cannot rest until all children
have the protection of law against being murdered just like you and I. But
the small victories we have won show the power of just laws.
Finally, is Mr. Thomas saying that innocent babies are not worth the time,
effort, and money we have spent?
Have Patience
Cal Thomas made these two astounding remarks on 60 Minutes.
"We had Newt Gingrich and the 'Contract with America' and the House of
Representatives under Republican and mostly conservative control for the
first time in forty years. If we couldn't get it done with all of that
presumed political power-then it's quite clear to me at least-that it can't
be done." (Cal Thomas, on 60 Minutes)
"Why would people send money to an organization or to a person, who never
succeeds? It's just it's very curious. If you take your car to the car
dealer to be repaired and they say, that will be seven hundred dollars, and
it falls apart, it'll be another seven hundred dollars-you don't go back
probably more than once" (Cal Thomas, on 60 Minutes).
Cal, have some patience. Can you imagine if Cal Thomas had been advising
William Wilberforce? It took Wilberforce fifty years of parliamentary labor
to finally make slavery illegal - just after he died. He would have told
Wilberforce to throw in the towel. Likewise, it took multiple decades for
the American Abolitionist movement to reach its goals. He would have cut
off the funding of the anti-slavery movement if they hadn't produced quick
results. Does the word perseverance mean anything?
Furthermore, if Cal Thomas thought Newt Gingrich was a true friend, a true
believer in justice and liberty based on Biblical law, he showed a sorry
lack of discernment. Newt was always using us. Cal just needs to pick
better political friends and allies.
Church and State
Lest any be misguided, we do believe in the separation of Church and state.
We believe that Church government and civil government should be separate.
At the same time we do believe that a man or woman could hold an office in
both governments, also believe that the civil government should not run the
affairs of the church; neither should church government run the affairs of
civil government.
However, we do not believe in the separation of the civil government and
the Law of God. The civil government has no authority to legalize murder;
nor does it have the authority to make it a crime for parents to spank
their children. The civil government is obliged to stay within the
parameters set forth by God. Otherwise, politicians and judges become
pretenders to the throne of God, legalizing and legitimizing every crime
and atrocity, and oppressing just and righteous behavior. That, of course,
is tyranny.
Is Satan tempting us?
In perhaps the most perverted, twisted argument of all, the authors
insinuate that Satan himself is leading Christians into political activism.
"The third temptation of Jesus was the most subtle and the most dangerous,
and it speaks clearly to those of us who want to use politics to usher in
his kingdom. Those familiar with the story recall that Satan, who has had a
lot of practice at this sort of thing (and gets new people to practice on
with every generation), led Jesus into the wildernessIn the early days of
the Moral Majority we were taken up to the mountain, and we saw how we
could finally win the battle for Jesus' sake. Unfortunately, the voice we
were listening to was not that of Jesus." (Page 53)
"Before evil characteristics are attributed to Satan, he is first called
"subtle" or "crafty." Could it be that the very strategy of Satan is to
corrupt religious conservatives by luring them into the trap of focusing on
political kingdoms instead of the eternal kingdom?" (Page127)
I must be honest, this misapplication of scripture is an offense to God and
the angels.
Were David and Solomon and Daniel and Joseph and Josiah all lured by Satan
into focusing on political kingdoms? Does Satan lure someone to be a
minister of God? (Romans 13:1-5) Such an assertion is ludicrous. If Satan
is divided against Satan, how can his kingdom stand? (Matthew 12:26)
In many ways, the next quote is worse, for it borders on blasphemy.
"The temptation is always to do good, never evil. That's what makes it so
subtle, and that's why so many fall for the deception. Even the noblest
political causes (and there is great nobility in saving the innocent
unborn) can be a form of corruption when they divert our attention and
effort from the work of Jesus in the world. For believers, this vision of
worldly power is not a calling, but a distraction - another case of the
good being the enemy of the best. It is a temptation Jesus rejected - not
because it was dangerous, but because it was trivial compared with his
greater mission." (Page 94)
In other words, it is a temptation for us to try and save babies from
deatha temptation that Jesus would reject.
It appears he is saying that Jesus would say, "I'm so busy preaching the
gospel of the Kingdom, that I can't divert my attention to saving babies
from having their heads torn off. It bothers me that babies are being
murdered, but I must resist the temptation to save them. Making
child-killing illegal is trivial compared to my greater mission."
This is damnable heresy. This is a satanic picture of Jesus; a Jesus who
turns a blind eye and deaf ear to the cries of the innocent. This is a
Jesus who makes heroes of the Pharisee and Levite as they ignore the man
dying in the ditch on the way to Jericho. He now instructs his disciples
that to love your neighbor is to let them die in the ditch. "Yes, we should
mention abortion from our pulpits, but we should not march or become
politically active on their behalf. Their death is trivial."
Obviously, it is not Satan who calls God's people into the service of being
a righteous civil magistrate, nor is it Satan who lures God's people to
support righteous legislators. The Bible says:
"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the
wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." Proverbs 29:2
As already quoted, God says "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling
in the fear of God." II Sam.23:3b
However, I do believe Satan would call the righteous out of the political
arena. I'm sure Satan hated Josiah - who used "politics" to destroy
child-sacrifice and homosexual prostitution in the Temple. And I'm sure
Satan hated every righteous civil minister of God (Romans 13:4) since the
beginning of time. And I have no doubt that Satan is giving his hearty
"Amens!" to Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson as they use the Bible and the name of
Jesus to urge the Church and Christians to "lay down it's impotent weapons
of political activism."
I truly fear that these brothers have voiced the wishes of the underworld.
Apply their logic and theology to any other era - any other great fight -
slavery, human sacrifice, child-prostitution, and the demonic nature of
their logic is made manifest.
The state cannot change a man's heart to convert to Jesus. Salvation, that
is a matter of faith. However, the state can regulate a man's behavior,
that is a matter of law.
Top Down
The authors make another argument common among naysayers; namely, you can't
change a country "from the top down."
"Two decades after conservative Christians charged into the political
arena, bringing new voters and millions of dollars with them in hopes of
transforming the culture through political power, it must now be
acknowledged that we have failed. We failed not because we were wrong about
our critique of culture, or because we lacked conviction, or because there
were not enough of us, or because too many were lethargic and uncommitted.
We failed because we were unable to redirect a nation from the top down.
Real change must come from the bottom up or, better yet, from the inside
out." (Page 23)
Again, this sounds spiritual, but it belies a lack of Biblical knowledge,
and historical example.
Consider the transformations of culture recorded in the scripture during
the reigns or ministries of Deborah (Judges 4 & 5), Gideon (Judges 6-8),
Josiah (II Kings 22 & 23), Hezekiah (II Kings 18-20) and more. These were
all transformations of righteousness.
Consider the wicked transformations under the political leadership of Ahab
(I Kings 16 - II Kings 2) or Manasseh (II Kings 21). In fact, God warned
Solomon that if he as king, or his sons as kings, turned their backs on God
that the whole country would backslide and be judged.
"But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and
will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you,
but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel
out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have
hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a
proverb and a byword among all people: And at this house, which is high,
every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they
shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought
forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon
other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the
LORD brought upon them all this evil." I Kings 9:6-9
Those who say change doesn't come from the top down don't know their Bible;
and they don't know history.
The end of human sacrifice in central America came from "the top down."
The abolition of slavery came "from the top down." The end of pagan
idolatry in the Roman Empire came "from the top down." The end of
child-prostitution came "from the top down."
In fact, most of the great transformations recorded in the scriptures, and
most of the great "revivals", were led by dual office holders. Study the
lives of Samuel, Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, David, Hezekiah, Moses, Josiah,
Ezra, and Nehemiah. To assert that change doesn't come from the top down is
folly, and betrays the clear record and instruction of the Scriptures.
Also, have you ever heard a missionary testify that he preached for twenty
years and converted no one, but when the village chief converted, so did
scores of others. This is a fact of history.
We do want individuals and families converted. We want hearts changed. But
if you're a slave, you don't care if the masters heart is changed - you're
happy if your freedom comes from the top down. You're free!
Blinded by Fright
I started this polemic stating that Blinded By Might could be more
dangerous than the child-pornography at Barns and Noble. Why? Because while
child-pornography is offensive, and abusive to children, the purveyors
could be prosecuted, and the vast majority of the material banished. But
Blinded By Might encourages Christians to abandon the fight to criminalize
such filth. Blinded By Might sustains the legality and hence, acceptability
of this wickedness. It insures this evil will survive.
Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto are both vile, oppressive
anti-Christ works. But they can only flourish and take root in a world that
has a Christ and a Christian community that retreat from their political
agendas. Blinded By Might provides the blueprint for our retreat, and the
Jesus who leads the way. Thus the theology and content of Blinded By Might
are critical for the health and success of these vile world-views. In that
way, Blinded By Might is far more dangerous for it neutralizes the only
force for truth that will ultimately stand and prevail against such
tyranny.
The Fear of Man
I think the authors unknowingly tipped their hand concerning why they
really want out of the culture wars: they're embarrassed. "Too many of us
in the conservative Christian community are trying to fight the Philistines
using the wrong weapons. It has resulted in our not only being defeated,
but humiliated. Even as Gary Bauer publicly muses about the possibility of
running for president, my journalism colleagues are snickering.
"If we truly desire to transform the world in which we live, we must look
to God, his power, and the might of his Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we will
continue to bring dishonor and embarrassment on the high cause to which we
claim allegiance." (Page 129)
I ask you: who cares if pagan journalists are snickering? If you are trying
to win the approval of your journalistic colleagues, stay away from the
Crucified Carpenter, who boldly threatens to send them to hell if they
don't repent and believe in Him.
If you want to be free from embarrassment, stay away from the rantings of
Jeremiah and the howling condemnation of John the Baptist. Slink into the
shadows before. Slink into the shadows before you're embarrassed by the
extremism of Ezekial, the visions of Isaiah. Quietly walk away from the
lunacy of the prophets who call to be struck with a sword; and please, give
ample excuses for Jesus, as He harshly calls people names, overthrows
tables, chases people with whips, and otherwise embarrasses you.
But if you want to be blessed, remember the words of Jesus:
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Matthew 5:10-12
Notice that he says, "persecuted for righteousness sake." Because you did
the right thing - in life, in family, in business, in politics. You stood
up. You spoke the truth. "For so they persecuted the prophets which were
before you." Prophets who rebuked kings. Prophets who meddled in political
issues. Prophets who were thrown into a lion's den because they were
righteous politicians, like Daniel.
Reader: take your pick. You can lay down your political weapons in the name
of Christ, and win the approval of the Philistines and the snickering
journalists. Or you can hold high the banner of God's Truth and the
Authority of the King of kings in the political realm, and be scorned at,
scoffed at, and hated by the Philistines and the snickering Journalists.
Have the approval of men, or have the approval of God.
Which do you prefer? And which do you think will lead to the reformation
and restoration of our Republic? If we will stay in the fight, we will win.
If the authors of Blinded By Might wish to curry the favor and interest of
the pagan elite, they should become Amish. There they can have their
separatism and religion with a curious flare. But don't try and recruit us
into your religious ghetto, and don't misuse the scripture and Jesus' name
to vindicate your flight from the fight. I call on you, as a brother in
Christ, as a student of the scriptures and history, abandon your defeatist
theology, forsake your respectability, and learn at the feet of the warring
King Jesus as He reveals Himself in Psalm 2 and Psalm 110.
If you will not, then I leave you with the words of a true Christian
patriot, Samuel Adams, who said: "If ye love wealth better than liberty,
the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom,
go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsel or arms, crouch down and
lick the hands that feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you. And may
posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
Permission given to reprint in its entirety when referenced with the
following details:
Authored by: Randall A. Terry,
PO Box 600, Windsor, NY 13865
� Copyright 1999
607-655-1900 Fax 607-655-1920
website: www.RandallTerry.com
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
----------------
Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the
Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to
plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these
presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of
another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body
Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of
the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and
frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and
Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and
convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise
all due submission and obedience.
-Mayflower Compact, 1620
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