WHAT IS WRONG
WITH THIS POLITICAL AD?
The above ad was made by Mike Huckabee to urge believers to vote Biblically for two specific moral issues, traditional marriage and abortion. Now this kind of add excites the evangelical and conservative base and in case you do not know, Huckabee is an ordained Baptist minister. So the ad has all the necessary ingredients to suggest that God is actually communicating His political desires. And to reinforce the gravity of the situation Huckabee draws on the metaphor of fire to suggest that some day in eternity your vote will be placed in the fire and see if it meets the divine requirements. OK, get it?
Let’s first agree that although the Scriptures do not specifically address abortion that the Scripture clearly indicate a pro-life stance. And even though the Old Testament has many men who God loved and used had more than one wife, and although the New Testament deals very sparingly with the sin of homosexuality, we can still draw from the preponderance of Scripture than God does not approve of gay marriage. Let us begin by agreeing with those two issues raised by the add.
But there are several underlying errors in that ad. The overall error is that we as believers have never been called to promote two specific moral issues and in doing so we are contending for the faith. It is a subtle form of idolatry and moral self righteousness. It presents the absolute wrong picture of Christ to a lost world, and it clumsily shoehorns God’s Word into the fallen and hollow system of American politics. And with the metaphor of fire flickering suggests that God is watching intently into each voting booth and stoking his refining fires that await any vote for a candidate that does not give lip service to those two moral issues. That is using and misusing God in a profound way.
But let us expand the Biblical horizon and see what it does not say and see if that gives us some indication of the constricted nature of the add. Does it say God will test any vote by fire that votes against policies that help the poor? Does it say that God will test by fire any vote that allows for legal divorce? How about hatred? How about greed? Do you see what this add does? It has made Christianity into a small subset of moral issues and have lifted two specific moral issues and sensationalized the implications of a vote that goes against the will of God.
But can you see how the church has not only cast their vote in favor of the entire sinful system, but now is fully invested in it to the point of manipulative adds based upon a future narrative of divine testing? And the voices that used to complain loudly and reject the notion of a division between church and state have now welcomed the state into the church.
Brethren, this is not contending for the faith. This is political manipulation at the expense of the souls of men. Contending for the faith is living like Jesus and sharing the everlasting gospel. Our banner must be Jesus not a two set moral platform. Why do sinners now irritate us and cause us to confront them with public adds to believers that make unbelievers think God is political and is just waiting for people to vote against His wishes. This year has seen the depth of ecclesiastical depravity that ignores the gospel and drowns in the arena of secular politics. It has been a shame and indeed a sham.
Seek Jesus alone and ask the Spirit to help you love sinners unconditionally. Remember, the Spirit like Eleazar is searching for a bride for the Son of God. He knows that all men have sinned and walk in soiled garments. But just like you and I, when they are drawn to Christ then they can wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb. If we wish to spend money on adds, let us present the Christ and His offer of eternal life.
There will come a fire which will try our works. But it will not be about votes. Did you love? Did you pray without ceasing? Did you deny yourself? Did you witness to sinners? Did you show grace to your fellow man? Did you read the Scriptures? Did you seek Jesus and His kingdom above all? Those are some of the things which will be tested by fire. Politics? Pure nonsense. away with it all in complete deference to all that is Christ!!
We have a responsibility to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if we believe every soul will spend eternity in one of two places, there is no time to waste in worthless political games.
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15 comments:
Apparently this will be the election that never ends. It is rare to find a site or individual that does not want to keep discussing the ills we have brought upon ourselves by voting or not voting. I have read that the flames of hell are waiting for those that voted for....(pick your candidate or lack thereof) I am including your site and many others. Sigh.
It is not the election that is the problem. It is the heart of the church revealed in this and every other election. Until repentance is laid at the roots the tree will continue to grow. We need to continue to address it and call people to repentance. That is how God delivered me. I cannot leave my deceived brethren alone; I must speak.
Agree in entirety, this ad is so wrong, and it being done by a minister no less. How much money does it cost to run these ads? Did God supply the millions from other people's pockets to pay for these expensive ads? Is that how the god of Huckabee works now these days? Not through the shod feet of the saints, but through the wealthy donors.
I wonder about the statement that life starts at conception to natural death. Does Huckabee and others really believe that God should be in charge of life to natural death, or does the death penalty not count. Does sending young military men and women in harm's way part of the sacred obligation of protecting life until natural death?
Yet this ad tells people they must vote for the man who loves liberty so much that he would send others to their deaths just to protect self interests back at home. The ads says that christians must know that this vote will be recorded in eternity. But does Huckabee know this ad will also be recorded in eternity?
Cleverly using emotional techniques with intense dramatic music to scare people to do a certain thing is a form of witchcraft. It's manipulation technique is from the pits of hell. It's the blind leading other blind people down the road to perdition.
Exploiting God in this manner is akin to serving oneself up to a sort of godhood. They believe, through a sinfully-expensive ad, that they can convince people to make a stand on several issues, minus a whole range of other issues, to keep God happy enough that He'll give them their man.
I guess Huckabee doesn't care that the Lord, God Almighty, the Everlasting Father, also cares about the permissive-sexually active society, the high rate of divorce, the materialism, the submission to every foul caged bird demon that has been released in the world. These pastors and self-made leaders make their own god, one who says it's OK to obey certain parts, but to not worry about the others, that the others sins will all take care of themselves. These same leaders then believe they are being assigned from their self-made god that they are voices of the prophet that will bring prosperity to them if the people listen. Not only do they themselves want to be idols, they create their own god for others to idolize. What these men don't see is that they are not appointed as kingmakers on earth, but they raise up idols on poles for all to see as a savior that keeps God's wrath away. It is Old Testament legalism. There's nothing New Testament in any of it.
I don't rejoice in any of this. I hope that these men soon begin to see their folly. Everyday I need to shake some old patterns off of my natural thinking. All reasoning alone must come from the Word of God. It's the bread of Life.
Yesterday while grocery shopping another woman started talking to me about how high food prices are. I agreed with her that they are rising quickly. She then proceeded to explain to me it was because Obama won and if Romney had been elected the prices would not be as we are currently finding them.
Just a tiny example of the level of thinking that I am encountering.
After writing a comment here, a song popped into my head.
I just remembered a few words, then found the lyrics. Text: Joseph M. Scriven, Music: Charles C. Converse (What a Friend we Have in Jesus). It really says it all, Thought I'd share the 3 of 4 verses of the song:
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer! Oh, what a peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear; All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness. Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior still our refuge. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do they friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In His arms He'll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there."
So nice to know this song was freely given, like Jesus freely gave.
Thinking about all this post-election stuff and realizing how the Church in the US seems to want to be like Israel, during the Old Covenant. There were strict rules, quick accountability for breaking those rules. They didn't have to wait for Judgment Day. Theirs was immediate righteous retaliation to any breakers of the law. It was a Church/State affair. They had to obey every rule that God gave through Moses. When it was impossible to obey every detail, they needed the blood of a sacrificial lamb to carry their sins every year. Old Covenant Law made some feel very self-righteous and 'exceptional' in the eyes of their enemies. It became their stumbling-block. They didn't cry out to God and ask him what to do. They knew they failed in the Old Covenant plan; they kept failing to live up to it and became legal experts of sin.
The New Covenant that we live in now (I'm not a bibical scholar here) is, it seems, doesn't agree with some christian americans. They want to resort to Old Law. They find grace offensive, because it takes away their ability to throw sin in the face of others. Feeling right in the eyes of God is more important than feeling thankful and appreciative for the gift of salvation through Jesus. Forgiveness, meekness, submission to authorities are all points they hate. They want to be the Head, not the tail, the policemen of the world, not Christ-like servants. They want material blessings, and like Old Testament Law, blessings can't come unless they make others in society conform. If breakers of the Law keep breaking it, they feel that curses will come to them as a whole. Our God, during the times of the Old Law was faithful to His contractual deal, and gave the priests and prophets the duties where they could stone and physically punish breakers of the Law. Why would christians now want to resort back to this Old way?
I think this sick need to accuse others of 'breakers of the Law' doesn't come from a Christ-centered saved born-again mind, but from the Mosaic Law.
When Jesus was asked from the young rick man what more should he do, besides keeping all the commandments of the Law, to gain eternal life, Jesus told him to sell everything he had and follow Him. I think this is where the church in the US has stopped. They don't want to go beyond this line in the sand.
oh if only the Christian life were as simple as punching a hole in a disposable ballot.
And do Iraqi and Palestinian babies constitute innocent life? Or is it not ok to be Pro Life when we are at war?
Agree entirely with Rick's above comment about the proper way to regard this (or any) election.
Elections don't really CHANGE anything important. (If we believed it did, we'd have to follow the gospel of politics.) God rules all men and nations, whatever human ruler He's pleased to put in place at any given time or place.
But elections do give at least a rough idea of what's in our hearts: especially what kind of men and ideas we WISH to be led by. The rough figures I've seen are that 79% of "evangelicals" voted a desire to be led by enemy spiritual forces.
Yes, the election is thankfully over. But what it tells us about where Christians' hearts are, the urgency of crying repentance TO THE CHURCH is greater than ever, and continues.
In Jesus, Steve
why are you calling it an "add" instead of ad. Is there some reason for this?
Old age!
We do not have the capacity to serve two masters. Do not see the majority of professing believers lining up with the early church. The early church was persecuted by the world.
Do not understand believers are fighting and loving this present world system which is antichrist. Enemy of the faith is the world.
Agree with Steve most evangelicals want to be led by the enemy spiritual forces. Trusting in man and wanting and desiring the American Dream.
Do not understand why a believer would encourage other believers to put their faith and trust in someone of this world to lead/guide them.
Has Jesus Christ ceased being the Hope of the world? If so, when? Since this world is not our home, why would a believer give precious time, monies, energy, thought to changing, preserving, fixing etc, this world?
Yes, Kelli, these encourage paying homage to two masters. This is impossible to do. We can only serve one...this world leader/system, or the King Jesus!
Today's professing believers are definately not lining up with the early church. They are not willing to suffer persecution, instead will compromise any/all to get whatever will pamper the flesh.
Fighting for and loving this present world is idolatry, plain and simple. 1John 2:15-17
Shannon
Yes Shannon, thank you for the reminder, the world IS passing away.
Satan will be in and among the church getting believers to reform non believers not by receiving Christ but by other means, through works, politics, entertainment.
What did Jesus say about the Pharisees?
Made converts twice the sons of hell:
1. By a false doctrine of works
2. Prevented people from going to and receiving the true gospel.
What is exactly happening in churches today? We have the world in the churches:
We have programs, politics, fame, entertainment and then claim to have the true gospel.
The wisdom of the world is earthly and demonic and yet we have believers and professing believers listening to the voices of strangers.
Just thinking about this statement of Kelli's:
"The wisdom of the world is earthly and demonic and yet we have believers and professing believers listening to the voices of strangers."
Yes, the church is looking to the world for wisdom, as if the world has the answers we need to govern our daily walk, and to grow and mature in the Lord. The world is "strangers" to those of us born anew of His Spirit. There can be no unity with them. 2Cor 6:14-16.
shannon
Professing believers have invited the world into the church. Believers are allowing the world's pragmatic approach to grow the Church. Does God need the world's help to add numbers to His Church?
Shannon
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