Decision Magazine: The Midterm Elections

 

Issues surrounding life, marriage, gender, education, parental rights and religious liberty are all on the ballot this fall. As Christians, we should pray over the issues and vote for candidates who most closely align with God’s Word. 

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has prepared a free special midterm election edition of Decision Magazine to help you prepare to vote on November 8.

Check it out here at Decision Magazine.

Weighing Obedience and Resistance: What Romans 13 Does and Does Not Affirm about Governing Authorities

 

As America's Founding Fathers resisted obedience to King George III, they were motivated in part by their theology. And through church history, many early Protestants were thoroughly biblically literate, steeped  in the Scriptures, which led them to embrace resistance theories in opposition to tyrannical governments.

As the West continues to move further away from individual, God-given liberty, and closer to government-controlled tyranny, Western Christians need to be steeped like our forefathers in what the Bible does - and does not affirm - about responding to government.

David Schrock writes, “Instead of investing in a biblical theology of God and government, God’s Law and man’s laws, too many churches have, for generations, not taught their members in matters of religious liberty. We assumed that religious liberty was our lasting birthright, not knowing that we needed to fight to keep it.”

Hear Douglas Wilson's message, Resistance, Revolution, Reformation, and Romans (13, that is).

The following article by David Schrock draws from the thoughts of Doug Wilson and others. . . .

"In his commentary on Romans, Colin Kruse observes that in Romans 13 'Paul is drawing upon teaching in Jewish literature about God’s sovereignty over the rise and fall of earthly rulers' (Paul’s Letter to the Romans, 493).

Standing upon this biblical worldview is important not only for understanding Paul’s argument in Romans 13, but also for understanding its limits. In other words, as Paul commands believers to willingly submit to governing authorities (Rom. 13:1, 4), he does not mean that governing authorities have absolute autonomy or unchecked authority. As Romans 13:4 says, they are 'God’s servants,' hence subject to God himself. And it’s this point of reference—the relationship between governing authorities and God—that we need consider more fully.

Far too many have a simplistic, even child-like, understanding of Romans 13. And if the church is going to survive our post-modern, post-Christian world, we need to think more carefully (read: more biblically) about Romans 13.

Obedience and Resistance

When we read Romans 13 we need to see what it says and what it doesn’t say. Namely, the faithful Christian is to obey the command to submit to those in authority, seeing them as God’s servants. But at the same time, when governors misuse their God-given authority and violate God’s law, faithful Christians can and must obey God and not man. Or as Francis Schaeffer once put it, 'since tyranny is satanic, not to resist it is to resist God, to resist tyranny is to honor God' (A Christian Manifesto; cited in the Introduction to Lex, Rex, by Samuel Rutherford)."

Click here to see the entire article by David Schrock at Via Emmaus.

See also the following:

Does Romans13 Prohibit All Civil Disobedience? by John Piper

Submit or Defy: The Romans 13 Debate from the Standing For Freedom Center at Liberty University

And the following, What About Romans 13?, from Eric Metaxas and Dutch Sheets:

Picture courtesy of Pexels

Returning God to Government

 

How can we prevent a conversation about politics from turning contentious and polarizing? Best-selling author Tony Evans takes a step back to explore biblic
al principles for framing our view of the government's purpose, our political affiliations, and how we navigate divisive issues—while demonstrating Christ's love and compassion. Discover tools to speak with grace when you disagree! 

View Pastor Tony's series here.

And see his new book, Kingdom Politics.

Why Honor My Pastor?

 

I wrote the following post years ago but always re-share it in October. It's one of my top ten most-viewed blog articles ever . . .

Dick Lincoln once said, "Church at its best is as good as it gets, and church at its worst is as bad as it gets."  No one understands this reality more than pastors and their families.

Every October I consider writing a post about Pastor Appreciation Month.  However, being a pastor, it seems awkward.  John MacArthur said it well when teaching his church about honoring pastor-elders, "I feel a little bit awkward up here telling you that you need to honor elders of which I am one. Obviously I could be accused of a conflict of interests and I could also be accused of having a self-serving motive. So I want to put in an immediate disclaimer on any of those things. I'm trying to teach you the Word of God."

I will bite the bullet this year and write a post with the hope of eventually providing encouragement to some man of God out there serving his church.  It's a little like a fireman raising money for the firefighters' fund. Hopefully, persons from other congregations will read it and the article will spur them on toward love and good deeds toward their pastors.

Worthy of Double Honor

Through the years we have tried to teach our children to honor certain people.  We have explained that to honor someone means "to treat them special."  The Webster Dictionary defines honor as "high estimation, respect, consideration."

One of those persons I believe deserving honor are pastors of congregations.  Michael Miller shares great insights in his article The Importance of Honoring Your Minister.

Jesus said in John 13:20, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives [or welcomes] whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 

Click here to read my entire article, "Why Honor My Pastor?"

Picture courtesy of Pexels.

The Rise of the Term "Christian Nationalism"

 

In the spirit of discernment, the following webinar is well worth the listening.

One current attempt to minimize the influence of conservative, evangelical Christians is the rise of the term "Christian Nationalism."

The Family Research Council held a Town Hall this week addressing the issue head-on.

Don't be deceived. Liberty is at stake!

View it here.