What is Wrong With This Political Add?

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.