That today's Christians appear to be among the most gullible people on the planet seems to be a gigantic understatement. For example, it was just a couple or three decades ago when the largest and most influential churches in America were pastored by strong Bible men: men who preached hard against sin; men who didn't try to tickle ears and didn't mind stepping on toes; men who were not afraid to call civil and business leaders to account; men who called a spade a spade. Those days are gone.
Today, the largest and most influential churches are pastored by fluff-daisies such as Joel Osteen, Bill Hybels, and Rick Warren: men who preach entertainment evangelism, political correctness, and feel-goodism. Today's largest churches share absolutely nothing in common with America's historic revival-style churches. How can Christians be so gullible to fall for these snake oil salesmen?
Consider, too, how so many Christians seem to consider President George W. Bush's "war on terror" to be bona fide and legitimate. Yet, this escalating and never-ending "war on terror" is doing more to ruin America than anything Osama bin Laden could ever dream about.
The war in Iraq is not only depleting our military readiness, it is facilitating America's entrance into fascism and even endangering our economic stability. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Bush's "war on terror" will soon cost U.S. taxpayers over $1 trillion. Private economists say the actual figure will double that prediction. It is no hyperbole to say that Bush's war in Iraq has America teetering on the brink of economic recession or worse.
(To get a real-world glimpse into the sobering economic situation in the U.S., see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWksEJQEYVU ).
Beyond that, Bush's "war on terror" has convinced Americans (including many Christians) that they need to surrender more and more liberties in order to be "secure." And for those Democrats who expected that their party's congressional victories last November would help thwart Bush's insidious infatuation with fascism, they didn't. Congressional Democrats have caved to the Bush "surrender your liberties or face terrorism" hysteria time and again. In fact, just before breaking for their current recess, Democrats in Congress approved Bush's latest request to expand warrantless wiretaps and eavesdropping. (See: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/washington/06nsa.html?ei=5065&en=4e05f95a4b60ac78&ex=1187064000&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print ) .
Bush's war is also working hand in glove with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) blueprint for a North American Union, including a NAFTA superhighway and an increase of imports from Communist China. In fact, Jerome Corsi reveals that the bridge collapse in Minneapolis last week could be largely due to the extra burden of trucks coming from Mexico, per Bush's SPP agreement with Mexico and Canada. (See http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57017 ). If this is true, and I suspect that it is, we can expect to see more of this in the months to come.
Even Newt Gingrich, a globalist insider himself, said that Bush's war on terror is "phony." (See http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/03/newt0803.html ).
Consider, too, that in spite of a dangerous lack of inspections of all products imported from China (including food products) President Bush is determined to increase imports from the communist country. His administration is now even working to loosen restrictions against poultry products from Red China. This is being done in spite of the dismal track record of China's health standards. One could even say that China's food imports may be poisoning Americans. And not only does this administration not care, it is in the process of assisting this atrocity.
Plus, this does not even take into account how Red China is supplying weapons and ammunition used to kill American soldiers and Marines, or how it is obtaining much of Iraq's oil, or how this "president, proudly bestowing upon himself the title of 'war president,' supports trade policies with China that actively undermine the national security interests of the United States and our armed forces." Neither does it take into account "that under the administration's prevailing trade policies, America's chief export to China consists of U.S. jobs, which are disappearing at an estimated rate of 2,250 per day." (Source: Kevin O'Brien, President, Sovereign Advisers in Editorial appearing in The Washington Times, June 29, 2007. See SA at: http://www.sov-advisers.com/aboutus.htm )
In spite of all this, (and a whole lot more), Christians still support Bush in large numbers. How can they be so gullible?
I believe one of the reasons, if not the main reason, that Christians are so gullible lies in a mistaken, and even dangerous, intrinsic trust of government. I hear and see this attitude expressed among my brethren constantly.
Part of this problem stems from an illogical and unscriptural interpretation of Romans Chapter Thirteen. Christians have been drilled (and dare I say, brainwashed?) into believing that government is endemically good and should be thoroughly trusted. Of course, this was not the belief of America's Founding Fathers, and neither was it the belief of Church Fathers.
In fact, our entire system of government is predicated upon a deep-rooted DISTRUST of government. Our three branches of government stem from the suspicion that no one branch could be thoroughly trusted and must have at least two other branches to help keep it in check. Yet, even that was not considered enough of a deterrent to combat the propensity of government to become tyrannical. What the separate branches of the federal government could not do to police each other, the states and people were to do. In other words, if Christians were really good Americans, they would distrust, not trust, their government.
(For a more complete discussion of Romans Chapter Thirteen, I invite readers to listen to my radio interview with Dr. Greg Dixon, former pastor of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana. Go to http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/Interview_Dixon.html )
Of all people, Christians should understand the fallen nature of man: that man in a sinful state is capable of anything (unless they attend a "Purpose Driven" church, of course). How is it, then, that they cannot seem to comprehend the evil machinations of people in high office? Are they totally taken in by the "I am a Christian" façade so many politicians use? Perhaps.
However, I believe that constant preaching from milquetoast preachers instructing their people to trust their government is the main culprit. The lack of discernment and courage of America's pulpits is frightening. They have produced a generation of Christians incapable of understanding, much less opposing, the manifestations of evil and oppression.
I doubt that most American pastors have even heard of, much less read, R. J. Rummel's book, Death By Government, in which he factually documents that more people have been murdered by their own governments than by all of the world's terrorists, gangsters, and outlaws combined. They have probably never read Frederic Bastiat's book, The Law. They have never read Erwin Lutzer's book, Hitler's Cross. I'm sure they have never heard of or read the book Vindiciae, Contra Tyrannos, one of the most famous of the Monarchomach treatises ever written, which advances a systematic justification of resistance against legitimately constituted political authority. I doubt that they have ever read William Rawle's A View Of The Constitution, Secession As Taught At West Point, etc.
In other words, most American pastors are unschooled and untaught in the finer points of Biblical authority, the doctrine of jurisdiction, the causes and necessities of civil disobedience, constitutional government, natural law, etc. As such, they have not taught and trained their congregants to be good Christians, much less good Americans.
In short, Christians are blind and gullible because our pulpits are blind and gullible. As the shepherd goes, so go the sheep.
(Please help me locate the Black Regiment preachers. See: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20070724.html )
© Chuck Baldwin
This column is archived as http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20070807.html
*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:
Chuck Baldwin Live Donate Form
I also have many books and DVDs available for purchase online. Go here:
Chuck Baldwin Live Store
To subscribe to my weekly columns, click here:
Subscribe to Chuck's Column
Related
|