Religion

Theological escapism in the church has prepared the way for cultural corruption and governmental tyranny in the world. Pietism combined with the Two Kingdom Theory and End Time defeatism has produced fatalism within God’s people. It has paralyzed us to be salt and light in our poor fallen world. – Pastor Rusty Thomas

Is Pietism The Reason Pastors Avoid Public Policy Matters?

Pietism teaches that Christianity should be a purely private matter and that God’s law has no place in the governance of nations. Those that believe in Piety always tells us that we are wasting our time when it comes to being involved in seeing that good laws are established in our nation. They mock it as mere “moralizing.”For example, if one tries to help pass laws against abortion, the Pietist immediately objects, saying, “That is an utter waste of time – women are not saved by not having abortions, but by hearing the Gospel. We should just preach the Gospel.” Though what the Pietist says sounds “spiritual,” in reality their position works against men coming to know Christ (not to mention the proliferation of lawlessness it promotes in society).

Article and Video by Pastor Matt Trewhella HERE

Horton’s inglorious “two kingdoms” theology

A recent political post by the White Horse Inn’s Dr. Michael Horton illustrates the dialectic of two kingdoms theology, and why it is almost always a radical dialectic in practice. Pondering the then presidential election on the horizon, Horton essentially mused that it doesn’t much matter:We can cast our votes while casting our fears on our risen and returning King. We can even promote our candidates (outside the church!), with restored sanity. United to Christ, we should be the most responsible and the least fearful people at the polls on November 6, 2012, because our King already achieved his landslide victory in Jerusalem during Passover, AD 33.Horton made a further point to dismiss what he calls “the illusion that somehow our cultural and political labors are building or restoring Christ’s kingdom.”Note especially this idea that we can only promote political candidates “outside the church.” While this could have some reference to 501c3 laws, I don’t think Horton found it necessary to remind his Christians readers of that point (which really only applies to spokespersons of the church). No, this is about the fact that Jesus, our king, reigns in the church, and that politics thing happens “outside the church.” Two kingdoms, and never the twain shall meet.

Continue Dr. Joel McDurmon’s article at americanvision.org

Dispensational Theology or End Time defeatism

As one raised in Dispensational theology, I understand first hand the End-Time jitters and paranoia associated with that particular interpretation of Scripture. I lived through the Hal Lindsey and Edgar Whisenant’s End-Time scares. Through the years of study in the Scriptures, however, I have rejected that view for a number of reasons.Most rest their conjectures of the End-Times based upon Jesus’ Olivet discourse found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Dispensational theology regulates these passages of Scripture to a future fulfillment, perhaps in the near future. Thus the reason for some of the hysteria over the current events taking place in the Middle East. Jesus spoke of wars and rumors of wars, natural disasters, the rise of false teachers and religions, etc. In conjunction, people also read newspapers, watch the news, see some of these things happening in this generation, and are led to believe the time is at hand and the end of the world has come upon us. There are a number of problems with this interpretation.

Continue Pastor Rusty Thomas’ article at Elijah Ministries

CHURCH IN CHAINS

The spiritual, political and social demise of America is directly linked to the demise of the Lordship of Christ over His Church. Most American churches (87%) have been coerced by the government into becoming an incorporated church, i.e., IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, or better yet a “state church”.The church leaders of these corporations have sold out and surrendered the Lordship of Christ over His body, the Church, all for the sake of money. In the process they have put themselves in the position of being totally controlled and manipulated, both legally and spiritually, by the government.The true Church used to be a powerful force in America. The elitists, our “shadow government”, realized, if their atheistic plan was to work, something had to be done to squelch the Churches’ influence and power over the people. The best way to subtly shut-down and shut-up the Church was to give her a pay-off. This came in the form of tax incentives for the church members and the pastors. However, it came with the usual strings attached to any government handout…the government gets to be the legal and spiritual head of the church.

Many church leaders and their church members are naive or unaware about these issues, and the terrible insidious, destruction which occurs when a church incorporates. But according to the lawmakers – “…ignorance of the law is no excuse.”. Well maybe you can understand this, when the church incorporates, it becomes neither a church nor a corporation, it is nothing more or less than any other non-profit organization, like Planned Parenthood. Can you imagine the Lord’s Church being in the same category with that Godless group? Via: Barbara Ketay

MUST READ: THE 501(c)(3) INCORPORATED CHURCH “DOWN AND DIRTY” by Barbara Ketay

New Research: Pastors Deliberately Keeping Flock In The Dark

George Barna

George Barna is the foremost researcher of modern Christianity in the country. He recently spoke about a two-year research project studying why modern-day pastors and churches are so silent regarding political issues. The result of his research only confirms what I have been trying to tell people for years. But there was one thing his research uncovered that did somewhat surprise me. OneNewsNow.com covered the story:

“On Thursday, George Barna–research expert and founder of The Barna Group–shared with American Family Radio’s ‘Today’s Issues’ about new information he’s compiling at American Culture and Faith Institute over the last two years, gauging where theologically conservative pastors are at politically.

“‘What we’re finding is that when we ask them about all the key issues of the day, [90 percent of them are] telling us, Yes, the Bible speaks to every one of these issues. Then we ask them: Well, are you teaching your people what the Bible says about those issues?–and the numbers drop…to less than 10 percent of pastors who say they will speak to it.’

“When researchers ask those pastors what else they are willing to do to get their people active in the political process, Barna said ‘it’s almost nothing.’

“‘So the thing that struck me has been that when we talk about the separation of church and state, it’s that churches have separated themselves from the activities of the state–and that’s to the detriment of the state and its people,’ stated the researcher.”

Does Government OWN and RUN your Church and its Doctrines?

Most churches in America have organized as ‘501c3 tax-exempt religious organizations. This is a fairly recent trend that has only been going on for about fifty years. Churches were only added to section 501c3 of the tax code in 1954. We can thank Senator Lyndon B. Johnson for that. Johnson was no ally of the church. As part of his political agenda, Johnson had it in mind to silence the church and eliminate the significant influence the church had always had on shaping ‘public policy.’

Although Johnson proffered this as a ‘favor’ to churches, the favor also came with strings attached (more like shackles). One need not look far to see the devastating effects 501c3 acceptance has had to the church, and the consequent restrictions placed upon any 501c3 church. 501c3 churches are prohibited from addressing, in any tangible way, the vital issues of the day.

“For a 501c3 church to openly speak out, or organize in opposition to, anything that the government declares ‘legal,’ even if it is immoral (e.g. abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriages, etc.), that church will jeopardize its tax exempt status. The 501c3 has had a ‘chilling effect’ upon the free speech rights of the church. LBJ was a shrewd and cunning politician who seemed to well-appreciate how easily many of the clergy would sell out.” Peter Kershaw, In Ceasar’s Grip

Before we go any further with this issue, it is important to view the BIG picture. Without the LARGER view, there will only be confusion.

Islamic indoctrination in American Schools

Public Schools

The American public school system is notorious for spending lots of money on each student, failing to produce well-educated kids, and along the way, coming up with lots of really bad ideas about education. One of the worst ideas is inviting Muslim indoctrination into the schools in the interest of multicultural “tolerance” and “awareness.”

Religious studies are generally unwelcome in public schools, with the exception of the study of Islam. Perhaps there are those in the education system who think that a broader understanding of Islam will make it easier to rationalize barbaric acts of mass murder, such as we saw on September 11, 2001. But there is another more likely goal: making all religions morally equivalent, so that no specific religion is considered superior to any other.

For a collection of 100+ articles on Islamic indoctrination in public schools, click HERE.

Brigitte Gabriel Exposes Radical Islamic Indoctrination in US Schools & Universities

Islamic indoctrination through Catholicism?

Muslim prayers and Koran readings were held at the Vatican for the first time in history on Sunday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres joined Pope Francis in the Vatican gardens for a prayer meeting.

Jewish, Christian, and Muslim prayers were all offered in an “Invocation for Peace.” The Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, also attended.

Pope Francis said he hopes his prayer summit with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders will help bring peace in the Middle East.

Continue Reading at CBN News

Should America Fear Sharia?

For nearly a decade since 9/11, America’s national security establishment’s understanding of the threat of Islamic terrorism and its approach to contending with that danger flow directly from a conviction that they have nothing to do with Islam, except to the extent al Qaeda “perverts” or “hijacks” that religion.

But what if this characterization of the problem we continue to face is simply and utterly wrong? What if there actually is a direct tie between what recognized, mainstream authorities of Islam call “sharia” and the jihad (or holy war) it demands of adherents, some of which is manifested as terrifying violence? What if, in addition, jihadists engage in non-violent – and, in some ways, far more insidious – efforts to accomplish the same goal: the supremacy of sharia worldwide under a caliph?