Pastor's Update
Mixing Church and State, Part 2
By Rev. Dallas E. Henry
Aug 30, 2006, 09:21

“A true believer cannot simply check his Christianity at the door when he leaves the church facility and never mention it again.  Christ lives inside of me and He is a vital part of everything I do.”  [Quote from “That’s What Christians Do Now” by Dr. Don Wildmon]

Our forefathers understood the central theme of Biblical Christianity and built a unique system of government that:
1. Recognized man’s “fallen sin” nature and
2. Recognized that true Christianity empowered people to rise above that nature by exercising self restraint, and also
3. Provided for checks and balances in every human relationship because we live in an imperfect world where some who profess Christ do not possess Christ and others make no pretense of knowing Him at all.

They created a system that was unashamedly built on Biblical principles and ideals.  For example, the three branches of government that would oversee one another through a system of checks and balances was birthed out of Isaiah 33:22, which states: “For the Lord is our Judge [Judicial branch], the Lord is our lawgiver [Legislative branch], the Lord is our King [Executive branch]; He will save us.”

When George Washington and his colleagues wrote about religion, it never occurred to them that later generations would interpret that to include non-Christian religions.  They used religions and denominations interchangeably.  Their writings make it clear they were speaking of Christian religions, and while they demanded a nation that would be tolerant of other belief systems, they never in their wildest dreams conceived of a country where atheism would be preferred over Christianity in laws and through judicial rulings.

The only way to separate the church from the state is to prevent Christians from participating and that is the goal of the atheistic movement today.  They use everything they can, including intimidation, in an attempt to keep Christians quiet.

Paul and Silas Mixed Church and State
When the American governmental system was conceived, it was designed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people.  An American Christian is the government, and he is the Church.  The two cannot be separated any more than I can be separated from being both a father to my children and a husband to my wife.

The story of Paul and Silas and their ministry in Philippi is a great example in Scripture of the necessity of mixing church and state.  While Paul and Silas were not politically minded, they were not politically ignorant either.

Paul and Silas entered the roman city of Philippi with no political agenda (see Acts 16).  They went to Philippi believing that God had sent them there to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Once there, they had some immediate success with the conversion to Christianity of a wealthy professional woman named Lydia, who then opened her home to Paul and his band of missionaries (Acts 16:13-15).

One day as they were going to the place of prayer, a girl, Cleo, who was a fortune teller began following them and shouting, “These men are servants of the most high God, who are telling you the way to be saved” [Acts 16 :16-17].  When examined on its face, there is nothing incorrect about what this young girl was saying, but clearly her manner was a distraction to Paul and Silas and a hindrance to their work.  After a number of days, Paul finally turned and addressed the girl, whom he perceived to be demonic.  Her abilities to read fortunes were satanically induced and clearly not from God, and there were a group of enterprising businessmen in town who had devised a scheme to capitalize on this young lady’s misfortune.  When Paul rebuked the spirit in the name of Jesus, the spirit of divination left her, and so did her fortune-telling abilities.

Without question, this was a great day in the life of the young lady, for finally she was free from the bondage that had driven her to make a public spectacle of herself. However, her lost abilities infuriated the owners.  They viewed her as a commodity to be brokered.  Paul and Silas saw her as a soul to be rescued.  They were not politically correct.
 
THE SAME THING IS TRUE IN TODAY’S CULTURE.
• Pre-born babies are called fetuses to be destroyed by abortionists who pervert their skills of healing to become instruments of killing. 
• Full-term babies are being eliminated through a procedure known as partial-birth abortion, and the babies’ organs are harvested for sale or experimentation.
• The “Plan B” morning after pill is now available without prescription to young women 18 years of age and older.
• Drugs are smuggled into the country by sophisticated and well-connected criminals, some of whom are able to bribe law enforcement officials.
• Young athletes are bought and sold by wealthy businessmen who discard them like garbage when they can no longer meet expectations, while other, more sophisticated athletes do the same to the general public.
• Warring parents are in divorce courts across the land where children are bought and sold through negotiations.
• The homosexuals have pretty much taken over our state government and have begun to redefine marriage and the family.

Getting back to Paul, he understood there was more at stake than his personal comfort and convenience.  Tragically, many Americans today, including Christians, have bowed to the god of personal convenience and ease.  People refuse to stand up for what is right because they do not want to be bothered or embarrassed.  Apathy and complacency seem to be the order of our day with continuing moral decay and the erosion of our freedoms and civility being the price we are willing to pay.

There is a time when we must say, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”

Some may be able to remember an America where citizens did not worry about locking their homes at night and even left their keys in the ignition of unlocked cars without fear of them being stolen.  Parents in the ‘50s did not fear strangers kidnapping and brutalizing their children, and divorce was rare.

Today we live in an America where
• Crime is rampant, children are victimized daily by virtually everyone, and the family is literally disintegrating. 
• Every illicit and evil act imaginable is not only out of the closet but has its own advocates marching in the streets and lobbying Congress, while the church of the living God is being forced into the closet and its proponents are being ridiculed and arrested for “intolerance”.  (Keep your religion within the four walls of your church building)

Can you remember how America used to be?
• When every broadcast day on television began with a devotional and ended in prayer, as did every school day in the public schools?
• When abortion was a crime, homosexuality was viewed as deviant behavior, divorce was rare, and educational institutions were the envy of the world, fathers were honored on sitcoms, families could watch a comedian’s routine without being compromised or embarrassed, and a child being murdered by a fellow student while attending the local high school was inconceivable? 
• When the President of the United States having an affair with an intern half his age in the oval office and then using his Cabinet to perpetrate his cover-up was incomprehensible; and that he would finally admit it and be exonerated by the Senate of the United States of American was simply unimaginable?

DOES ANYONE TRULY BELIEVE THAT WHAT WE KNOW AS AMERICA TODAY IS WHAT OUR MEN AND WOMEN DIED TO SECURE?

This is America today.  But is does not have to remain that way. 

REMEMBER…WE NEVER LOSE UNTIL WE QUIT!

Paul understood his responsibility to leave a legacy for those who would come after him.  
What kind of legacy do you want to leave for those who will be the church after you are gone?

I believe we must, of all people in society, be more involved in public policy in some way.
I believe we must take the time to stay informed and exercise our civic responsibility by voting our consciences.

WHO IN OUR SOCIETY IS BETTER QUALIFIED TO SERVE IN PUBLIC OFFICE THAN A WELL-INFORMED CITIZEN WHO IS GROUNDED IN BIBLICAL TRUTH? 

WE MUST ENCOURAGE CHRISTIANS TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SEE THAT THEY ARE ELECTED.

No one enjoys being marginalized or slandered publicly. JUST ASK MICHAEL HEATH!  But the greater pain and damage comes when a fellow preacher then goes before the press and condemns such preaching of Biblical principles as being unloving and judgmental.  Then they declare in their pulpits that they only “preach Christ and His forgiving love.” 

Can you imagine some very polished pastor of the “Big” church on the corner, standing outside the courtroom in Rome granting an interview with the “Roman Daily Press” or the “Roman Empire today” newspaper while cameras flash, condemning Paul as a bigot for calling worship of Caesar idolatry.  Can you imagine confronting the Caesar for his orgies and homosexual activities, and then pointing to the government and declaring how proud they are to live in a country where all gods are equal?

God has given American Christians a gracious privilege that few believers in world history have ever known.  Every day around the world, millions of Christians risk the loss of their life for being believers in Jesus Christ.  They live under tyrannical regimes where they have no control over their own lives.  They pray for the freedoms we take for granted every day.  For their sakes, and out of gratitude to our forefathers and gracious God, we must again return to the conflict and engage the enemy. 

WE MUST STAND UP, SPEAK UP, AND REFUSE TO GIVE UP, FOR WE DO NOT LOSE UNTIL WE QUIT.

WOULD YOU PLEASE CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH THE LEAGUE IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY? 

The fall season of each year is membership time at the League.  It is the time when all members renew their memberships and non-members become members for the first time.  There are three levels of membership.  The first type is individual membership which is $10.00.  The second type is family membership which is $30.00 and covers the whole family.  The third type of membership is for churches and organizations.  The membership is $50.00.  The importance of membership cannot be overstated. 

The other area of church support that is available is what we have named the 5-5-5 Project.  We created this project one year ago with the goal of having 500 churches support the League at the $50 per month level in the next 5 years.  We have made a little progress with this new project but are far from our goal.  Again, the importance of local churches partnering with the League by supporting us as a home mission cannot be overstated.

I have League membership and 5-5-5 Project applications for anyone who is interested.  Just let me know, and I will be happy to get that information to you.  The church I serve has been supporting the League with monthly missionary gifts for 20 years and consider it a privilege to do so.  There are League representatives who are available to come and speak to your congregation or missions committee about the League ministry.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration.