Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Listen To The Debate Tonight!!


"Is America One Nation under God?"

There is great confusion today in our country as to whether or not we are a Christian nation. Most people are not even clear as to what we mean by that statement. 

It is my conviction, as a Christian, that the Scriptures teach us to bring every area of culture under the Lordship of Christ. Our duty as pastors and members of our church is to do all that we can to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ and to apply the biblical principles and laws of Christ and God’s Word to every facet of society. How will the nations know what is morally right or wrong if there is no authority to which we point people? Without the authority of the Word of God we are left to accept someone else’s view and opinions. I believe the reason there is so much confusion today in our country is because we do not have a consistent message that we present to the nation. The authority for all moral and ethical positions rests on the Word of God.

Years ago, I came across some information that was helpful to me and I want to pass it on for our Berean family to read and meditate upon. I trust that it will be a blessing to each of you.

Before you give these thoughts consideration let me remind each of you to listen to the debate tonight night between the two candidates who are running for the highest office in our land. I believe that the issues will be clear as to where these two leaders stand on biblical issues. It is our duty to be informed as much as possible in this critical hour of our nations history. With that in mind, I trust the following comments will be a help to you regarding our beloved country. There are scholars and educators who want us to conclude that this republic was never a Christian nation and was never intended to be a Christian nation. Is it true that our founding fathers just wanted a land where all religions would be viewed as morally and ethically equal? Can we really say that they had in mind this sort of pluralism? Here is some information that I trust will help you with this question:

“Even a cursory examination of our nation’s history belies this theory; yet many American Christians have accepted this falsehood and are reluctant to become too involved in the political process else they be accused of advocating a "theocracy" or imposing their beliefs upon non-Christian Americans.Tolerance of other’s beliefs, or lack thereof, is not only fundamental to American freedom and democracy, but it is also a necessary ingredient of true Christianity. Our Creator, in His infinite wisdom, gave us each and every one the freedom and responsibility of making a personal decision to accept or reject the Lord Jesus as our personal savior. Therefore, while it is incumbent upon us as Christians to spread the Gospel, and do everything within our power to inform and educate non-believers about the amazing saving grace of Jesus, we must remain tolerant of their God given right and responsibility to make a personal decision.

However, this tolerance does not pre-empt our right to defend and promote our beliefs and values, and it does not preclude our right and responsibility to fully participate in the political process. It also does not mean that we should allow anyone to destroy all that is decent and good in America, or that we should be a party to the re-writing of our history, or denial of the fact that this country was founded by Christian men and women and built upon religious principles.

Our history books are filled with statements by our great leaders—Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Webster, Lincoln, etc.—that prove beyond doubt that they recognized the importance of religion in our society, and realized that our republic could not succeed without it.
Perhaps the most profound analysis of the importance of Christianity in America came from a non-American—the French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville—who visited America in the early 1830s to study our democracy. De Tocqueville was overwhelmed by the influence and impact of Christianity on our society, as documented in his great work "Democracy in America."

Tocqueville wrote: "There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America; and there can be no greater proof of its utility and conformity to human nature than that its influence is powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation of the earth." He is also thought to be the originator of the following popular quotation: "Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the greatness and the genius of America. America is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

These truths are just as pertinent and imperative today as they were when they were penned. Indeed, the consequences and results of our failure to adhere to the Biblical principles and values that our nation was founded upon are evident in the headlines of our newspapers every day.

In order for America to once again become great, America must once again become good. This will only be accomplished by Christian Americans doing their duty to God and country by becoming involved in the political process and electing good, decent, moral, and Godly men and women as their leaders.”

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