Pastors and Christian leaders are called to speak biblical truth to government and politics, not to compromise on biblical truth for the sake of political expediency. The Bible is clear as to the role of a man ordained by God. The Word of God says:
“And He [God] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).
While I agree that pastors and Christian leaders need to be involved in politics, the main goal with any involvement is to speak truth in love to politics, not to compromise on this truth for the sake of political expediency out of fear of the possibility of a “greater evil” winning an election. I am deeply concerned that many evangelical leaders today are forgetting and, therefore, failing at their main responsibility, which is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, building up the body of Christ until we all attain the unity of the faith.
These leaders who are endorsing the Republican candidate for president simply because he is, in their eyes, the lesser of two evils are actually causing more confusion and disunity rather than building up unity among Christians. These leaders like James Dobson, Wayne Grudem and others, despite their years of spiritual maturity and wisdom, have actually been tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by human and political cunning, by craftiness in deceitful political schemes of this current election cycle.
Because of this, a large section of the “Evangelical” community has, instead of growing into Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church, pulled away and followed their own flawed human understanding rather than leaning on God’s wisdom and His Word (The Bible).
Wayne Grudem is a theological giant in my eyes, a man whose works I have read and consulted often. Yet he too has been carried away by the craftiness and deceitful schemes of this election season and its poor choices of candidates. You can read Grudem’s endorsement by googling “Grudem endorsement.” In his endorsement, Grudem says it’s a “morally good choice because the GOP candidate is just flawed.” This after he lists so called “flaws.” These are not flaws these are unrepentant sins according to Grudem’s own definition of sin. Again Dr. Grudem has watered down terms for political expediency.
Even James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, said that the GOP candidate “appears to be tender to things of the spirit. If anything, this man is a baby Christian who doesn't have a clue about how believers think, talk and act. All I can tell you is that we have only two choices. Hillary scares me to death. And, if Christians stay home because he isn't a better candidate Hillary will run the world for perhaps eight years. The very thought of that haunts my nights and days. One thing is sure: we need to be in prayer for our nation at this time of crisis."
As a pastor whose calling is to shepherd and nurture Christians, new and seasoned believers, I see no evidence of this candidate being tender to anything of the Holy Spirit. In all my years as a Christian and as someone in the ministry, I have never met a “baby Christian” who is not on fire for Jesus let alone one who claims to not need forgiveness.
Shame on these evangelical leaders for failing to live up to their God given responsibility of speaking truth in love at all times no matter who is on the ballot. I do not support the Democratic or Republican candidate. I will vote my conscience because “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” (Acts 24:16)
I am not afraid nor do I lose any sleep over this election because as a Christian I believe "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7) So to every person of faith and especially to all evangelical leaders I say claim your power in Christ, continue to love all people, even the candidates you dislike. And for goodness sake exercise some self-control!
And yes, Dr. Dobson, I agree with you on your last point. We must all be in prayer for our nation at this time of crisis.
* The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of Chadds Ford Live. We welcome opposing viewpoints. Readers may comment in the comments section or they may submit a Letter to the Editor to: editor@chaddsfordlive.com
About Rev. Marcos O. Almonte
Rev. Marcos O. Almonte is senior pastor at Brandywine Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church west of Philadelphia. Pastor Marcos is a graduate of Palmer Theological Seminary with more than 10 years working with families with an expertise in theology, trauma and addictions. Pastor Marcos and his wife Mary have three children, Carmen, Joseph, and Lincoln.
(7 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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