A Vibrant and Vital Christianity
To minimize the relevance of Christianity in our history and our society is to our peril!
Orthodox Rabbi Daniel Lapin of the Jewish Policy Center said, “Without a vibrant and vital Christianity, America is doomed, and without America, the west is doomed.”
Without the framework of principles, rooted in Christianity, woven together, working together, we cannot survive as a free society.
Each time we eliminate God from the basis of even one of these principles, we weaken and ultimately destroy it—because the principle is rooted in a belief in God.
Here me on this! Destroy these principles and our society cannot be sustained. It will give way to a form of government that constricts more and more until it ultimately chokes out our freedoms, our personal liberties, and our prosperity!
The Primary Purpose of Government
So . . . what is the primary purpose of government?
Government’s primary purpose is to protect its citizens by restraining evil—including restraining evil in government itself!
. . . profoundly demonstrated in the fact we have three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial.
They’re to keep each other in check.
Why? Because of the capacity for evil in the human heart!
The fact that we have three equal—or supposedly equal—branches of government is an acknowledgement by our Founders of a deeply-held theological truth: humans are capable of evil.
They knew what they were talking about! They’d fled evil in the lands they left, constructing a new government to hold evil in check. That’s why the Bill of Rights limits government.
Peter said: “. . .do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”
(Scripture reference from 1st Peter 2:16)
Self-Evident Truth
The Word of God is self-evident truth!
It doesn’t need us to defend it! Rather we must proclaim it!
Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.”
Allow me a Garlow paraphrase: “If we want to see America thrive politically, morally, economically or any other way, we’ll have to be “well versed”—applying spiritual truths from the Word of God.”
. . . that it has the answers for a nation adrift in the anti-biblical posture that calls evil good and good evil.
My prayer is that God raises up a bold people who’ll proclaim biblical truth to power, and take captive every unbelieving thought and make it obedient to Christ—the source of all wisdom.
Bottom line? If you’re “well versed” in biblical ways, people will have a reason to listen to you!
(Biblical references from Psalm 33:12; Isaiah 5:20; 2nd Corinthians 10:5)
A Silent Pulpit Means a Silent Pew
A silent pulpit means a silent pew!
So what’s the problem?
Just this: pastors who refuse to speak to the issues, produce an uninformed electorate.
An uninformed electorate won’t know what the One who created civil government has to say about how it should be run.
The Bible speaks to every important issue of life—personal, family, community, city, national or global.
God established government.
The Bible even uses the strong metaphor that “the government will be on his shoulder.”
The inevitable question is always, “what about separation of church and state?” So where is that in the Constitution? It’s not!
Government, if properly ordered, can do what it is supposed to do.
There is a biblical base for government—and for how it should work. And we need to speak up—to be well versed—literally!
Waste, Fraud and Abuse
Where’s all the money going in our country?
I suggest it’s the big three: waste, fraud and abuse.
Time here doesn’t allow me to list the frivolous spending.
You’ll hear both political parties discussing this ongoing problem of waste, fraud and abuse.
But neither party addresses the real reason.
At its core, it’s spiritual.
Waste. Caused by the lack of a biblical understanding of stewardship and gross mismanagement.
Fraud by a lack of redemption of the human heart, setting it free from the temptation to evil.
Abuse is incompetence, along with manipulation of truth and exploitation of resources.
All three could be dealt with by dealing with the sinful nature of the human heart. Installing truly honorable and virtuous lawmakers. And with the backing of a godly electorate who understand biblical principles—insist on integrity in all areas of government!
Deciding What’s Best for Your Children
As parents we must decide what’s best for our children!
Education is failing because of a failed government education system—and a lack of parental choice.
But at the heart of it, is a lack of parental involvement in their child’s education.
The Bible says Jesus Himself “increased in wisdom and stature” as He grew up—implying that education was part of the process.
How much more important is a solid education needed to prepare our children for the future.
We’ve allowed ourselves as parents, to be pushed away from the decision table. We’ve allowed policy makers, school administrators and teachers—and worst of all, self-interested teachers unions—to decide what’s best for our children.
We have no greater challenge nor responsibility than to do what Proverbs 22:6 commands: “Train up your children in the way they should go.”
