Pastoral Responsibility
Given the threats against America today of both external and internal origins, each of us must make a decision as to what extent our tolerance is exceeded in permitting these threats to continue without voicing our objections. Just how much will we allow before we speak out against them? When was the last time you wrote a letter or an email to your congressman or senator to make him/her aware of your feelings of any given situation? Or, moreover, have you even taken the time to assess your feelings as to whether you feel strongly enough about something to even bother complaining? What will it take?
America’s president has voiced his opinion, no doubt based upon his astute observations of our society in general, we are no longer a Christian nation and has gone world-wide with his opinion! He has decided we are too much of a melting pot of ethnic and religious groups to be called one over another. Others must feel the same since “God” is being systematically removed from our language and any references to His Son, Jesus, are forbidden to be displayed in all manner of places and especially in our schools and public buildings. Prayer, which is to say Christian prayer, is forbidden in most places but not the prayers of other beliefs. These facts are the paramount reason so many attacks have come against what was once known as the “American way of life,” the envy of the world in terms of its freedoms experienced by its citizens.
The prevailing worldly attitude is that those who have belief in Jesus, the Christ, Son of God and Savior of man, are in fact weak-minded, one-dimensional in their outlook of life, and intolerable of others who refuse to view the world as they do. Consequently, their naiveté and lack of sophistication causes a mindset which, at least from a world standard, is considered archaic and old-fashioned, based upon a belief which has no real substance because it lacks a proof of its existence.
Those of us who profess to be Christians know this is nonsensical and accept the fact those people are entitled to their opinions based upon their own ignorance of God. Have any of us asked ourselves why that ignorance exists? We think others have had the same opportunities as we had growing up, especially in America, in hearing of the saving grace of Christ. We think others, upon hearing of this, would end up believing as we do, having the same moral values and compassion for others’ situations in life’s struggles. Each of us knows personally of those with whom we have grown up but have turned their minds to other things of the world and have become antagonists rather than protagonists for Christian values.
There is a responsibility which has been evaded here; a responsibility which has been ignored in favor of other considerations, whether real or imagined. In “organized religion,” churches are formed and chartered, with permits for their existence issued by some governing authority (what authority other than God’s is necessary?). Somehow, churches have evolved into any other type of business wherein the “customers” are those who frequent the establishment and “purchase” its merchandise; in this case, the merchandise is the Word of God. From these purchases, the church may operate in a collective sense, allowing it to purchase property and build its sanctuary and classrooms and pay for its minister and his staff.
However, because the church is a “business,” the self-appointed governing authority which issued the church its permit would like its “cut” of the “business.” In order to relieve itself of the burden of giving a kickback to the governing authority, the church must apply for an exemption through making application to the Internal Revenue Service for status as a 501(c)(3) organization. This exemption is only given if certain considerations of function are made in its operation and the church is continuously monitored by the IRS to insure these considerations are met.
How does this apply to the problem of the lack of understanding of the Bible and its teachings which in turn has allowed this country to deteriorate in its moral attitudes. The church consists of a congregation and a pastor, minister, preacher, or priest, all of which are the same: the spiritual leader of the congregation. The congregation chooses its pastor, hopefully following the guidelines set forth in the Bible; and, the pastor, upon accepting the offer of the congregation, does so following the guidelines set forth in the same Book. Both the congregation and the pastor have obligations and responsibilities to themselves and the community in which they exist, as well as to God. That responsibility is the dispersal of the Word of God accurately and completely without omission for any reason, especially because of the dictates of some self-styled autocrat and his sycophant bureaucrats.
I believe many pastors in churches today are too much intimidated and threatened by the rules imposed upon them as to what may actually be said from the pulpit. They fear the consequences of what they say. It is almost as though they fear the forces of Caesar more than they fear the forces of God. It is a simple matter of his accepting the personal responsibility of the position held, both in his intentions as well as his actions. Since, as a Christian he is accountable for his thoughts and actions, and is therefore capable of choosing the good as revealed in Christ, accepting that part of his duty in minimizing the mystery of evil and to pointing out that sin is universal and exists in all men. The only way to do that effectively is to preach it from the pulpit, regardless of the consequences.
One of the restrictions placed upon pastors because of their church’s exemption under the 501(c)(3) rule is they are prohibited from conducting political activities in order to influence any member of the congregation in their choice of candidate for public office. They must not openly take a stand against one candidate in favor of another or risk the revocation of their exemption in paying for the privilege of being a church. In short, the pastor is under a gag order by the government in preventing him from telling his congregation that one candidate is a bad choice and another a good choice. Is he really or is he only restricted by this so-called gag order because he simply accepts it as “part of doing business with the devil.”
This is where personal integrity comes into play; the pastor must recognize his duty is to those in his congregation in presenting the Truth based in God’s eyes and not the eyes of men or the threat which may come from men. Paul told those members in the church at Thessalonica, “…for out exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.” (1Th 2:3f) Jesus’ brother James followed this with, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (Jas 4:17) The responsibility to reveal the evilness in men, whether political candidates or not, is imperative regardless of whatever punishment may come about. The accountability to man’s directives is meaningless compared to the ultimate price to be paid when speaking out against evil or allowing evil to proceed without complaint. For a pastor to bow to the dictates of government is to sacrifice his conscience and those of his congregation in order to hopefully to “stay in business” in service to the community is a violation of the covenant made with God. That covenant commands, “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them…[but] it is Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.” (2Ki 35f)
In all fairness to pastors in general, we must realize each of us who are called of God are, indeed, pastors; priests of the first order, appointed to strengthen His Church. Peter, the Rock, said, “…you (who have tasted the kindness of the Lord) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1Pet 2:9) The apostle John, in his opening comments to the Book of Revelations, spoke of Jesus, who “…has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father…” As Christians, members of a congregation (regardless of the church denomination or size), we must stand against any and all who would destroy the Word of God in our nation, taking our God-given right to worship Him the way we see fit, and our right as well as our responsibility to bring our children up to know His Grace and His Love and His Glory.
Today, we Americans serve a false god in the name of Barack Hussein Obama who has put into positions of authority men of evil over every aspect of our lives. Our Congress has a vituperative fungus rampaging through it because men of ignorance put others into positions of power over them, believing these men would bring fulfillment and fruition to their lives, giving them more of whatever they felt their lives lacked. This administration is ripe with cronyism, self-serving czars, and corruption in every level of government. We, as Christians, have the ultimate responsibility to speak out against these persons of evil at every opportunity, whether from the streets or from the pulpit. There will come a day soon when such opposition will not be tolerated and punishment will come immediately from those who believe they are in control, but such threat does not relieve us of informing those who need to know about evil against good, the good being Jesus, the Christ. How long will we wait to strain our voices, admonishing those who will not listen? At what point will we Christians have had enough?