From one preacher to another, hear me out, please.
I’m not impressed with the preacher who refuses to preach and teach against the current culture war because it’s “political.”
He lacks understanding.
Of course, it is wrong to make politics the underlying theme of one’s messages with the notion that he might transform the world through government. The churches that do that are out of sync with the purpose of preaching and teaching for spiritual edification leading to spiritual maturity, resulting in God’s greater glory in the world on the highest plane.
BUT when “politics,” as they say, makes heinous sins the main theme of its governance over the culture, even forcing the most egregious ungodliness on the street where you live; and when “politics” encourages the mutilation of children in your school district and grooms your own children into choosing devious behavior that will destroy their lives (and that’s only the beginning) – and when the God we preach about, who gave us this country along with the right and duty to participate in its governance, has made us the moral salt and light in the world, we should not refrain from calling out the perpetrators of such evil from the pulpits. And LOUDLY!
Jesus said (Matt. 18:6-7):
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”
“Politics,” as they say, has made this and so much more the front-and-center rage of the hour. A faithful preacher should not be reprimanded when he speaks out about it. He should NOT be silent!
The fact that the government is the main perpetrator, and that the gospel is not a political message, should not provide a shelter for politics to freely roll through our streets!
We MUST preach against it and against those who impose it on society even if they happen to be political, and we MUST teach what is right.
- To be silent in such a dark and world-changing devilish culture war would be cowardice!
- To let the culture war replace or even overshadow the message of repentance and faith toward God and spiritual truth for spiritual maturity would be short-sighted and off the right path.
There is a difference between those two. Learn to discern.
Learn what to pick up, how far to carry it, and when to put it down.
Billy Sunday’s preaching on prohibition was a much-needed message for his time. It was directly connected to politics because politics made it so.
Again, when the government makes egregious sin the issue of the hour, and with the obvious intent of destroying families in your own congregation and community, politics is the one out of bounds, not the preacher.
The preacher, out of necessity, MUST speak about it, and loudly!
