Should Christians Avoid Political Issues?
Recently, yet another Pastor of a local church said to his congregation that we, (the church) should stop being so concerned about political and social issues including this year’s coming elections. He said that the church should get back to concentrating on prayer and evangelism and not be involved with these secular issues; there were many people clapping with approval in the background as he spoke! If you profess you are a Christian, how do you feel about this? Granted, prayer and evangelism are important Church issues, but the bible is full of references and teachings concerning politics and government! Additionally, many people do not realize that the government of the United States of America has its roots in the Bible! Nevertheless, more and more churches are teaching that discussing or engaging in political issues only “opens up can of worms,” which leads people down “Rabbit Trails” away from God and His Word. The fact of the matter is that political discussions, in most cases ultimately lead to discussions concerning morality, which is a major Biblical issue! This in affect opens up opportunities to show people the relevance of God’s Word to our present daily lives, which in turn opens the door to presenting the “Gospel Message” which should be our ultimate goal!
Our job as Christians is not to force our beliefs on others, as some religious radical groups tend to do. We are however, instructed to plant seeds in the minds and hearts of people to make them think and examine their own hearts in relation to what the Word of God says, not to simply react emotionally to things going on around them, or what this or that political group says or endorses. In our modern society, we are bombarded daily with moral opinions, most of which are not biblically based. Most are of a secular world viewpoint, and these opinions are not only dominating what people see and hear in the media, some of these moral stances and opinions are in fact being forced on people through government mandates that ignore the beliefs or the moral stance of many, if not the majority of individuals! So what does this mean to us as Christians? As Christians and Patriots, we cannot simply sweep these issues under the rug when God included them in His Word, especially when we have the power through our vote to make changes that align more favorably with Biblical morality and teaching! It is time to “seriously consider” our standing with God in the midst of all the political opinions and rhetoric that too many are in essence condoning by their apathy and silence.
Some reading this might say “What about me… I don’t believe in God or the Bible.” Everyone has the right to their opinion, to believe, or disbelieve as they see fit. However, while there is so much talk of “Tolerance” these days, especially by Left Wing Radicals; these people tell everyone they must be tolerant of others yet they will beat you to death if you disagree with them… they do this as they call us Christians “hypocrites!” God is the one who has been very tolerant toward every one’s hypocritical behavior, including the behavior of both Christians and Political Radicals. However, even His tolerance has limits, and according to the signs we are instructed to watch for in the Bible, things are about to change. According to those very signs, the “Age of Grace… the Church Age,” is soon to coming to an end! You might not believe in the “Prophetic Signs,” after all, prophetic dates have come and gone and life goes on. However, allow us to plant a seed of thought as there is a list of 355 Prophesies and Fulfillments concerning Jesus Christ; predictions concerning His birth, His life and His death… predictions of His resurrection, some made thousands of years in advance… all have been fulfilled to minute detail! It is a safe bet that the remaining predictions concerning the return of Jesus will be fulfilled as well. Admittedly, there have been many “False Teachers” in the past who have set dates concerning the fulfillment of various prophesies, thereby going against the teaching of Jesus himself! Ironically, these “False Teachers and Prophets” are themselves a fulfillment of prophesy, Jesus himself warned us of them!
In agreement with the pastor referred to previously, prayer and evangelism are indeed important. Nonetheless, consider this… A woman in England recently arrested for praying silently while walking past an abortion clinic, stated she wasn’t talking to anyone, she wasn’t confronting anyone; she was praying silently as she was walking; this is now considered illegal near an abortion clinic in England! Closer to home, on “This side of the Pond as they say,” it is now illegal in Canada for a Christian to council a person (even a child) who is considering transgender surgery or sexual preference, with or without the child’s parents consent! Here in America, California recently passed a law enabling the government to take children away from their parents if the parents interfere with their child’s decision to transform their gender, including children less than twelve years of age! If we proclaim to be “Christians,” and do not get “actively involved” in voting out the government officials that are passing these laws, what is going to be next? To Christians and Pastors who discourage our involvement in government… Most Christians respectfully disagree! Christians should be more vocal and involved in our government than ever before!
This is a Spiritual Battle, Silence and Apathy is not an option.