FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART
OP-ED BY DR. ROBERT KENNEDY
Of late, I have been reading many articles and listening to many news analysts discussing the transformation of many Evangelical churches in America. Their concerns are that many churches have moved from being Bible-centered to politically-centered.
While some analysts and reporters are bemoaning the transformation, others are simply using the opportunity to trivialize their faith and religion, stating that they are not bothering with faith or church or religion anymore because of the actions of many religious communities. I have heard the latter being stated by some analysts and reporters who also claim to have been once fervent Catholics. Of course, the Evangelical churches are being highlighted now, but that issue might be for any church and faith.
And for anyone who does not know, let there be a warning. History has records of the tragedy of all religious communities that have lost their focus on proclaiming the gospel and gotten themselves so caught up in politics that they can no more distinguish between the gospel and the political. One only has to think of what happened to the Christian church in Rome, how instead of carrying the pure gospel, it was corrupted because it became the protectorate of the State.
Some argued that “The worst thing that ever happened to the Christian Church was when Constantine became a Christian.” Many historians believe that when Constantine became a Christian, he did so to use the church as a political arm of the State. And the church got so caught up in State politics that it became a Religio-political power within a short time and lost much of its reason for existence.
We can also reference what happened to many Christian churches in Germany under Adolf Hitler. They got caught up in the party politics of the Third Reich so much that they did not realize how much they were being used to carry out the atrocities perpetrated by Hitler. We must thank God for the reforming churches that decided that their agenda was not that of Hitler but the gospel and the Bible. The reforming churches led by Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others saved the Christian church and uplifted the name of God.
While I have made reference to the Evangelical and Catholic churches in general, the truth is that I wish to direct my comments to all persons of faith, personally and individually. All of us need to understand that we are called to serve God individually and personally and that we cannot allow any political ideology to control our faith to the point that we trivialize the name of God.
While I am mourning with those who see the tragedy of the Evangelical churches that are turning into a politically centered reality, I wish to remind all who are trivializing their faith, church, and religion that Jesus had made clear that:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” – Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV
“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that will be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.” (Luke 13:23-26 NKJV)
In effect, while it might be quite fashionable for us to call ourselves Evangelical, religious, or persons of faith, if we have lost the focus as to what it means to serve God and get so caught up in political gimmickry that our faith is mocked, then that becomes a tragedy. We will be placed under the curse of God.
Remember what is recorded in the third of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 NKJV)
For those of us who are persons of faith, especially those who are calling on the name of Christ, let us ask ourselves, how are we treating the name of God? Are we engaging in political expediency and forgetting the purpose for which we were called by God? Are we doing things “in God’s name” that do not represent God? Are we taking the Lord’s name in vain by making the name a curse word? My concern, above all else, is that we need to be careful that if we are going to use the name of God, we must make sure that it is truly respected and represents what God has declared it represents in the Bible, from the first to the last. While I have not offered that we should avoid political participation, I do argue that we need a balance so that we must not allow political ideology to corrupt our faith in a way that we forget our gospel mandate. Let us put the gospel as our first trust if we declare ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ and the servants of God.
