 Pastor's Update
This being Father's Day weekend, below is a brief encouragment to fathers: CHRISTIAN FATHERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I. The History of Being Politically Correct Political correctness is a term used to describe language, ideas, policies, or behavior seen as seeking to minimize offense to racial, cultural, or other identity groups. Conversely, the term “politically incorrect” is used to refer to language or ideas that may cause offense or that are unconstrained by orthodoxy (conforming to the usual beliefs or doctrines). Some have argued that this term “political correctness” was invented by conservatives to discredit progressive social change, especially with respect to issues such as race, religion, and gender. The term is not a new term and can be traced all the way back to the 1700s in the United States, and possibly even earlier than that in Europe. The whole premise around being politically correct is to not offend others by the things we say, the policies we support, or the way we act. It covers a wide range of ideas and actions that would govern what we should and should not be doing. Here is the question that each of us should begin thinking about: “How much of our 'Christianity in practice' are we willing to give up in order to be politically correct?" What is in the future of God’s Church if we do not start to take a stand at some point? We’ve already lost prayer in school, and for the most part Christian activities in public places. You can use the term “God” on TV, but not “Jesus” unless you’re saying His name in a moment of frustration, which is actually cursing. Have you wondered why it is okay to call out His name in public when cursing but you cannot call out His name in public when you are grateful? The world wants us to become closet or silent Christians because a closet/silent Christian will have no impact on this world. People do not want to know that we are Christians; we must hide it under the premise of being “politically correct” so as not to offend all of the other religions and those who have no religious beliefs at all. This goes against the very command that Christ has given us. Matthew 28:19-20 records the Great Commission where Jesus says: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you……..” How can we accomplish this if we are being politically correct and keeping our Christianity in the closet? I have called what is going on in our society the “A.B.C.” syndrome. “Anything But Christian”. Have you noticed that public schools enthusiastically welcome and accommodate Islam but not Christianity? To make this point even more clear, look at the words of Jesus. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus makes the following statement: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Jesus said that we are the light of the world. The world wants to be in darkness, yet we are called to be a shining light in this world of darkness. Next, Jesus says that “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” The light that is given off from a city at night (especially one that sits on a hill) allows others to see it, even from great distances. You have probably had the experience of flying in a plane at night and looked out of the window to see a cluster of lights surrounded by darkness. Those lights were the lights of cities, far below. The lights of the city allowed it to be seen from miles away. The next thing that Jesus said was “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.” This is what the world is trying to get us to do; put our lamps in a bowl by making us keep our Christianity in the closet so as not to offend. How can we demonstrate to others that Christ lives within us if we keep our Christianity alive only within our homes or churches? It is impossible. What draws people to Christ is something that they see within us, and sometimes that means not being politically correct. Jesus said that we are to “….let our (your) light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” This goes against where the world is trying to get us to go. We should never be offensive in our behavior as Christians. Aactually the only way we will draw others is to let them see Christ within us. That cannot happen if we think shining our light occurs inside the church. We don’t shine our lights at other Christians; likewise it cannot happen if everything we wish to do as part of our service to Christ is put on hold because we do not want to offend someone. The world is fine with us being Christians as long as we do not try to influence anyone else. If you read the Scriptures closely, that is exactly what we are supposed to be doing. When you examine the life of Christ and His disciples, you will see that although they walked in meekness, they were not being politically correct. They were in the public square talking about Jesus. They were actually being politically incorrect and this is why they were hated by those in power and eventually killed. However, their deaths did not quench their lights, it made them shine that much brighter and that is why we are here today – because they let their lights shine. There is a saying in the secular world concerning people in authority. It goes something like this: “people do not care about how much you know until they know how much you care.” This is the same for Christians. We must be people of integrity if we are to influence our world. We need to reflect Christ in everything we do so that no one can condemn with any honesty. When you walk in integrity based on your relationship with Christ, Christ comes showing through. If people cannot see Christ in us, they will not accept what we are offering. So as we continue to move forward in a world that would prefer to put Christianity in a closet not to be seen in public again, how do we respond? We respond by doing just what Christ said, “….let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” We let our lights shine. Our shining lights come through in how we act, how we speak, and how we are motivated. When someone sees Christians “on the job,” most will respond with the statement “I knew there was something different about you.” If Christ is abiding within us and we are allowing Him to rule, He will come through. As He comes through, the Holy Spirit will begin to open doors to allow us to share Christ with others. We need to ask ourselves this question: are we going to be closet Christians or shine our light? As we continue down the path to the point where anything pertaining to Christ is politically incorrect are we going to shut down Christ within us so as not to offend others? As a Christian, I will speak up for the family, traditional marriage, and the protection of our children. We need to be people who are not ashamed. We need to express the love of Christ in all sectors of society including public policy that attempts to destroy Biblical values and morality. Political Correctness: Whose Bright Idea Was That? Will you love your fellow man enough to join the hundreds of volunteers who are collecting signatures for the Christian Civic League’s referendum that will return Maine to “The Way Life Should Be”? For more information on how you can help, please call the League office at (207) 622-7634, ext. 1. Free material is available to assist you. Click HERE and HERE for reasons to help out. Gay Activists Are Headed To The Churches. READ Government to Pastor: Renounce Your Faith Homosexual Bishop Gets Married Same Sex Marriage Threatens Religious Liberty Learn about Tim Gill money being pumped into political races © Copyright by Christian Civic League of Maine. All rights reserved. |