Lazy, Critical Christians: Too ‘Spiritual’ To Fight The Good Fight
Written by Brittany Pounders
I’ve recently noticed a circular trend among Christians to haughtily chastise those of us in the bloody political trenches as perhaps not having enough “spiritual” focus. Ironically, I’ve noticed that those same politically apathetic people aren’t exactly burning up their own cities and streets for Jesus.
Admittedly, I’m a girl of deep passion and conviction. I recognized early on in my life, as a young girl, that I have a heart in need of a forgiving Savior and I wake up everyday thanking the Lord for His abundant mercy and the undeserving grace that He gives me- just because He loves me. I get overwhelmed with wonder and gratitude when I consider the debt that He paid for me. It is that indebtedness and awareness that has dug a deep groove within in my soul that brings forth the thought every day that, “He who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is a sin.” (James 4:17)
I look around me and I see a country that was founded by the blood, sweat and tears of many Christian men and their families who were forced to be involved in…politics. It was these families who rallied around their men that brought about the greatest change that civilization had ever seen, the birth of the most incredible nation known to earth, and the heroes whose names we speak with such respect and reverence today.
The high price that our Founders had to consider for a cause that seemed almost impossible to pull off would be inconsiderable to most people today. They faced the loss of everything dear- their children, wives, families, friends, careers, reputations and their own lives. It was undoubtedly assured to them that the moment they put pen to paper and signed their names on that Declaration of Independence they would be forever labeled a traitor.
But now, we’ve been derelict in our duties to protect that gift. And it’s largely because “Christians” have dropped the heady responsibility we have to be the living leadership of patriotism, honor and faith.
We slaughter our babies in the womb in the name of convenience…and Christians shake their heads at how terrible it all is and turn away. We are largely silent about this American Holocaust that has left a fourth of my generation missing. Thank God men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer didn’t have this same view of “politics” in Nazi, Germany that many American Christians have today while claiming “their citizenship is heaven and not on earth”- therefore, it can’t be their concern. They spoke out…loudly, not just resisting the wicked culture but actively fighting against it unto their death.
“Silence in the face of evil is in itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
We watch the disintegration of the family and the assault upon the sanctity of marriage and are too scared of the public backlash to take a stand. Because, what would some of our friends think?
We watch from the comfort of our homes how our President deals with foreign policy and we stand idly by unmoved and disinterested by the massacre of millions of Christians in the Middle East and worldwide. It’s as easy to forget as flipping the channels on our television. We stay quiet as we watch our President abuse our relationship with our strongest Ally in the Middle East, Israel. Which as a Christian should be of the greatest import that America chooses wisely, for as the Bible makes clear, it’s very possible that those who fight against Israel will, indeed, suffer dire consequences.
We sit dumbly by and watch the Scripture that we claim to live by manipulated from Congressional and Presidential pulpits to pass the very socialistic and communistic legislation that our founders fought to be free of. This has been going on since Roosevelt and the New Deal, where he found politically liberal and wishy-washy clergymen to carry the flags of his proposal for a welfare state all under the false guise of “the Christian thing to do.” And since then, we’ve enslaved millions upon millions to reliance upon government over God.
We have ignorantly bought into the trendy notion (that is nothing but a guise for more governmental powers) that we can control the earth, and we’ve turned from simply taking care of our resources to worshiping the creation rather than the Creator.
Where is the sense of responsibility that Christians have in all of this happening on our watch? All of these issues are directly related to spiritual matters that you claim to hold dear. Are those of you sitting critically by and watching those of us in the trenches, so simple minded that you cannot engage in two things at once? My question to you would be: How can you have a heart for God and people that you claim to have and not be engaged in this fight as well.
I understand that God gives us different passions, strengths, and interests. Many have a heart for ministry and they dedicate their lives to it. They are pouring their lives into people and for this I applaud and support them. They might not have the deep interest in politics. But, interested or not- there is a struggle right now in our country between good and evil. Thank God for willing pastors who risk it all to speak up for the truth. Thank God for willing Christians who don’t limit their time to Sunday School and church services, but will get their hands dirty and take the verbal and emotional bullets that are shot at them every single day for speaking up politically and defending the principles that are also precious to God’s heart.
My politics do not define me. My faith defines my politics and it loudly dictates that I cannot sit silent in the face of evil and injustice happening in our country. But others simply do nothing while disdainfully dismissing those of us who do as something other than “spiritually focused.” There are too many Christians who are negative, critical people who shroud their laziness and apathy in a spiritual cloak. This is the pathetically shameful silent majority. We are fortunate enough to live in a Democracy where you can live your faith in the light and have an impact all across society. Yet, there is no guarantee that you’ll always have that if you continue to sit idly by while your liberties are stolen during the night. Get busy, or get out of the way for the rest of us who have committed to this work.
In closing I leave you with a quote from Reverend Charles Finney made in the early 1800′s:
“It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation are becoming rotten, and Christians seem to act as if they think God does not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it, and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course Christians take in politics.”
Originally published at LibertyJustice.com.