I happen to be the pastor of a small-town Baptist church in Northern Kentucky. Recently I received a letter from “The Rev.” Barry W. Lynn of the Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This letter, as they send it out every political season, is to threaten churches and church leaders about endorsing political candidates. Oh, he is clear that as an individual I can endorse a candidate, but I cannot do so from my church pulpit or have any function that would lean toward any form of endorsement. Otherwise, he threatens with sanctions from the IRS. This annoys me greatly as an attempt to threaten me or the church I pastor.
First of all, I would not tell my people who to vote for. It’s not my place to dictate their political choices, their parties, or anything else. I cannot make decisions for the people, but what I can do is share the truth. I can present the truth and I can challenge/encourage my people to stand by it as we are called to do as believers. No, I am not afraid to make a claim and personally support a candidate, but I have better things to preach from God’s Sacred Desk (the pulpit). I preach the Word of God, “no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” and no apologies for it. For in it, we find the character of our Mighty God and our calling and mandate to imitate His character in our lives.
Secondly, I believe Mr. Lynn (as I cannot call him “The Rev.”) is dead wrong about this issue of church and state. Anybody who looks at the historical context and documentation of our nation’s laws would recognize the fight for religious freedom and willingness of our founding fathers to protect for us the ability to worship however and wherever we choose. It’s one of the great freedoms of our nation. But some would pervert the truth about our history to say keep religion out of politics. Now I must make it clear, I believe that a Muslim, a Mormon, a Jew, a Buddhist, or a person of any other religion should have the right to worship just as they choose as well. It’s a fact of the freedom of choice God has granted us. Neither do I want any particular denomination or religion to control the nation. But a right is a right, and we as believers have rights to speak our minds and our convictions. We shouldn’t have to be afraid that speaking out would threaten our tax-exempt status. What I find in this letter is a government-sponsored group with certain leanings, trying to bully churches into keeping their mouths closed. That is the two-faced double-standard in the world of politics. As long as those who promote conservative ideals keep their mouths shut “everybody” (in the liberal world) is happy. But nothing is ever said when a candidate who supports the liberal agenda enters a church to speak. The news media shows up. The red carpet is rolled out. And nobody ever complains. It is ridiculous really.
I also need to make it clear that according to the Scripture (the Bible, the Word of God), faith in Christ should permeate all of our lives, even the political part of us. That means that if I am a person of faith in Jesus Christ, and I am, I have a responsibility to allow that faith to impact every area of my life. If Jesus is Lord, and He truly is, then He is to be Lord over my personal life, my public life, my hobby life, my home life, my financial life, my work life, and my play life. He is also to be the Lord of my political life and opinions. And if He is Lord of my life, then I cannot help but to allow my faith to impact and direct the political decisions that I make. It is a must!
Now, here is what really annoys me. It’s a burden really. There are way too many Christians that have bought into the nonsense that Mr. Lynn is promoting. “Don’t mix politics and religion!” I’m from the South and I have heard this numerous times. Listen, nowhere is it recommended or encouraged in Scripture that we compartmentalize our lives as we have chosen to do, especially when we leave our Lord and our faith out of something. God and His Word should drive everything about our lives and it’s high time we stand up for something before every freedom we have enjoyed is taken away. Look at Scripture! Those disciples were radical in their faith and in their lives (a state which few church members find themselve today). They couldn’t get over Jesus and they sure didn’t try and leave him at home when they dealt with issues of the government (persecutions, trials, etc.). He was at the forefront of their lives and that passion drove them to commitment and consistency, even at times to the point of death as martyrs.
The sad fact is that many professing believers are more interested in protecting their pocketbooks than they are their so-called faith. Jesus said, ” Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destory and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where theives do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Accordingly, many “believers” hearts are in their pocketbooks and not in the things of Kingdom. Many “believers” hearts are wrapped up in this world and not in Jesus. Maybe, just maybe, we need to define believe.
