This past Sunday, as he often does, a leading presidential candidate appeared at a local church, speaking to the congregation, hoping to inspire his main voting bloc. The pastor of the church was so enamored with the ideas and politics of the candidate that he may have stepped over the line.
In introducing the candidate, the pastor said, “the more he speaks, the more he wins my confidence, and . . . if the polls were open today, I would cast my vote for this [politician].” Then just in case that wasn’t enough, the pastor encouraged his congregation to follow his voting lead, “If you can’t support your own, you’re never going to get anywhere. . . . I want to see this man in office.”
Have you heard about this as one of the top political stories? Nope, it was only mentioned in one local newspaper and it was downplayed in that story (16th paragraph, no mention in the headline or sub-head). Why? Because it wasn’t Mike Huckabee reaching out to evangelicals. It was Barack Obama at a predominately black church.
How much play will this get in the media (if any)? And how much flak is Pastor Leon Smith and Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ going to be facing for their clear violation of federal tax law? I think I can guess.
"I think I can guess."
That would be exactly none.
We, of course, know about the extreme double standard that the liberal media takes on religion. They are pathetic. That's why I get my news from a more balanced source – Fox News. Although I admit, I also listen to the biased coverage of National Public Radio.
Hi Seeker:
The so-called liberal media DOESN'T complain when evangelical conservative pastors as much as tell their congregations how to vote. The so-called liberal media at most quotes "wall of separation" groups about the issue. If some group of Huckabee supporters complain the so-called liberal media will cover that too.
your friend
Keith
The solution is to enact a law that states if ANY church supports ANY candidate, then that church looses it's tax exempt status.
Am I mistaken, or is that already the law?
Pastors preach morality and virtue, and if they are good, a biblical world view, which includes a biblical view of government and politics.
While they should not endorse specific candidates, they most certainly ought to teach biblical stands on the issues.
People are against this for two opposite reasons – those who hate biblical morality want to sequester it to the realm of private faith.
Those who are liberal or isolationist Christians want to withdraw from teaching the whole counsel of God, and hide behind the canard that we should only preach the gospel and keep it unsullied from any other subjects. And while we must be careful in that regard, I think it is heretical, if not cowardly, to shy away from, for example, God's concern for the poor and helpless (like the unborn who are murdered daily) because we don't want to pollute the gospel.
The gospel is not just believing in Jesus, it is following all he has commanded, and living according to the whole counsel of the scriptures. The gospel means surrendering your ENTIRE life to the authority of the scriptures, not just your prayer time and your Sundays, but your heart, your time, your career, your gifts, and your world view and beliefs about ALL subjects.
I am not talking about surrendering reason, but rather, making reason the servant rather than the master. But those who lack faith in God are entirely unable to do this. Helpless, or as Luther would say, their willpower is in bondage to their sinfulness, and they have no power to change until God first reaches out to them. The best that they can do is ask God for the ability to see. That's true for all of us.