Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Pastors for Presidents
Don’t think it’s by chance that pastors are playing a huge role in this year’s upcoming presidential elections. People seem to forget that they’ve long been at the heart of our nation’s political process—and will continue to be.
It was impossible for the mainstream media to ignore the pastors-and-politics connection when Mike Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor and denominational leader, stepped into the ring—then befuddled everyone by sticking around. Then came the hubbub over Barack Obama’s relationship with his pastor, Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, who just happened to be a longtime supporter of Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan. And as the apparent next contestant in the “Who’s Your Pastor?” political game show, John McCain recently found an endorsement from San Antonio pastor John Hagee to cause more of a stir than he’d hoped.
By now it’s obvious that the evangelical vote, no matter how fragmented, is still a hot ticket. What else explains the smiles among candidates as the roll call of Christianity’s biggest names—and their valued endorsements—continues? There’s an interesting shift that has taken place, however, in this wild electoral season. Call it the “new evangelical vote,” the “rising vote of social justice-based believers”—however you dub this development, it boils down to an age-old scenario that’s been a cornerstone of American politics since the Founding Fathers: a local pastor preaching his heart out on biblical values—values that, yes, connect directly with how we vote and just might line up with a particular candidate.
This used to be called “normal”; now it’s called into question. Such is the vacuum created when generations of pastors resigned from the political arena and allowed their sheep to fall prey to a “separation of church and state” agenda. (After all, when pastors don’t speak, someone else always will.)
I invite you, dear pastor, to find a place in history when pastors have ever been excluded from the American political process. You are, and always have been, the key to declaring God’s truth among the people—in every arena of life. That doesn’t mean you’re endorsing Obama, McCain, Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, Ron Paul or anyone else for that matter; it means you’re urging people to vote as followers of Christ, just as you’ve always done.
On that note … I’ll probably be plugging these again in the future, but I can’t think of a better time to promote two articles we’ll be running in upcoming issues of Ministry Today. If you’re a pastor and unsure what you can and can’t say from the pulpit in regards to politics, you won’t want to miss Mat Staver’s article “Pastors, Pulpits & Politics” in our May/June issue. If, on the other hand, you subscribe to the belief that pastors shouldn’t be part of the political process, I strongly urge you to check out David Barton’s piece in the following issue.
It was impossible for the mainstream media to ignore the pastors-and-politics connection when Mike Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor and denominational leader, stepped into the ring—then befuddled everyone by sticking around. Then came the hubbub over Barack Obama’s relationship with his pastor, Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, who just happened to be a longtime supporter of Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan. And as the apparent next contestant in the “Who’s Your Pastor?” political game show, John McCain recently found an endorsement from San Antonio pastor John Hagee to cause more of a stir than he’d hoped.
By now it’s obvious that the evangelical vote, no matter how fragmented, is still a hot ticket. What else explains the smiles among candidates as the roll call of Christianity’s biggest names—and their valued endorsements—continues? There’s an interesting shift that has taken place, however, in this wild electoral season. Call it the “new evangelical vote,” the “rising vote of social justice-based believers”—however you dub this development, it boils down to an age-old scenario that’s been a cornerstone of American politics since the Founding Fathers: a local pastor preaching his heart out on biblical values—values that, yes, connect directly with how we vote and just might line up with a particular candidate.
This used to be called “normal”; now it’s called into question. Such is the vacuum created when generations of pastors resigned from the political arena and allowed their sheep to fall prey to a “separation of church and state” agenda. (After all, when pastors don’t speak, someone else always will.)
I invite you, dear pastor, to find a place in history when pastors have ever been excluded from the American political process. You are, and always have been, the key to declaring God’s truth among the people—in every arena of life. That doesn’t mean you’re endorsing Obama, McCain, Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, Ron Paul or anyone else for that matter; it means you’re urging people to vote as followers of Christ, just as you’ve always done.
On that note … I’ll probably be plugging these again in the future, but I can’t think of a better time to promote two articles we’ll be running in upcoming issues of Ministry Today. If you’re a pastor and unsure what you can and can’t say from the pulpit in regards to politics, you won’t want to miss Mat Staver’s article “Pastors, Pulpits & Politics” in our May/June issue. If, on the other hand, you subscribe to the belief that pastors shouldn’t be part of the political process, I strongly urge you to check out David Barton’s piece in the following issue.
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Peace be with the moderator, as well as all the readers of this message.(that is if it is not censored)
The time has come.
I am here to bring judgment to the living and the dead. The harvest is ripe.
Use the believers information network website to spread the news.
The Faithful Witness
Duke
The time has come.
I am here to bring judgment to the living and the dead. The harvest is ripe.
Use the believers information network website to spread the news.
The Faithful Witness
Duke
I hope you don't fall for Barton's 27 of the singers of the Declaration were ministers line like Huckabee did. In reality only one was: John Witherspoon.
From the Pray Before You Vote Blog Spot posted
Friday, May 23, 2008
McCain Denounces Pastors Hagee and Parsley
Okay Christian brothers and sisters, this has been a world wind week! Tapes are now surfacing about Pastor John Hagee and Pastor Rod Parsley's comments. Both are mighty men of God. I always say that if I want a loved one or friend to get saved, I would put them in front of John Hagee or Rod Parsley! I know they will be convicted and accept Jesus as their personal savior! They know how to reach the soul!
They have both endorsed John McCain and now that the messages have surfaced, messages that many of us are used to hearing, everyone is in a frenzy! Now McCain sought out their endorsements and gladly accepted them. Remember, this is how the election was won last time because of the evangelical Christian vote! The Republican political strategy was to court the church and get the vote! This strategy worked! The Christian vote has become a political marketing strategy and many of our leaders have embraced right-winged leaders and denouncing left-winged leaders.
Now, we have two candidates who profess Christianity. One has an outspoken Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the other has accepted endorsements from outspoken Pastors, Pastors John Hagee and Rod Parsley, all men of God. Now, all Pastors have their view of world events and politics from a spiritual perspective, but we have seen how the media has replayed those comments in an endless loop! All I hear is "chickens flying back to the coop!"
Now, I'm curious to see what the response will be now. Senator Obama had to denounce his Pastor's views so he wouldn't isolate patriotic Americans and Senator McCain had to denounce Pastor Hagee and Parsley's views so he wouldn't offend the Catholics and others. I see so much denouncing going on, I don't what the candidates stand for anymore. Are they denouncing the word of God? Because that what these Pastors are preaching, the prophetic word of God. God says in His word that His word is foolishness to those who do not know of Him. Many are taking quotes out of context. That is why it is imperative that we test the fruits to see if they are of God!
I believe God is allowing the egg to be put in our face as Christians because we want to make one Pastor wrong and others right. We want to endorse our candidates instead of God's candidates. We have our own agendas.
We can't be loyal to a political party, our race, or our gender. We, Christians, have to be loyal to the word of God! Everyone has their own agenda. We have to ask God what is his agenda. We missed the opportunity to put in a Pastor, Mike Huckabee. Christian Pastors did not even endorse him, the very same Pastors that endorsed McCain! What are we doing? When I saw this endorsement on television, I gasped! How could Christian Pastors not endorse Christian Pastors. What is really going on? What type of backroom deals are being negotiated to make us to go against God's appointed people? We need to check ourselves!!!
What are our motives? God is watching us. This reminds me of how God appointed a leader to the people but they wanted their own. God gave them their own and the people suffered. So now, we will have to live with the choices we have made. Our seed is our vote and we have sown seeds that we will have to reap for four years. I pray that our Christians Presidential candidates will not denounce the word of God. I pray that as they have professed their Christianity to get their votes, they will be doers of the word and not hearers only.
Let's stop the hypocrisy and pray before you vote.
Freya S. Williams
Author, Pray Before You Vote! Jesus Is Not a Democrat or a Republican, Jesus Is Lord!
http://www.praybeforeyouvote.blogspot.com
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Friday, May 23, 2008
McCain Denounces Pastors Hagee and Parsley
Okay Christian brothers and sisters, this has been a world wind week! Tapes are now surfacing about Pastor John Hagee and Pastor Rod Parsley's comments. Both are mighty men of God. I always say that if I want a loved one or friend to get saved, I would put them in front of John Hagee or Rod Parsley! I know they will be convicted and accept Jesus as their personal savior! They know how to reach the soul!
They have both endorsed John McCain and now that the messages have surfaced, messages that many of us are used to hearing, everyone is in a frenzy! Now McCain sought out their endorsements and gladly accepted them. Remember, this is how the election was won last time because of the evangelical Christian vote! The Republican political strategy was to court the church and get the vote! This strategy worked! The Christian vote has become a political marketing strategy and many of our leaders have embraced right-winged leaders and denouncing left-winged leaders.
Now, we have two candidates who profess Christianity. One has an outspoken Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the other has accepted endorsements from outspoken Pastors, Pastors John Hagee and Rod Parsley, all men of God. Now, all Pastors have their view of world events and politics from a spiritual perspective, but we have seen how the media has replayed those comments in an endless loop! All I hear is "chickens flying back to the coop!"
Now, I'm curious to see what the response will be now. Senator Obama had to denounce his Pastor's views so he wouldn't isolate patriotic Americans and Senator McCain had to denounce Pastor Hagee and Parsley's views so he wouldn't offend the Catholics and others. I see so much denouncing going on, I don't what the candidates stand for anymore. Are they denouncing the word of God? Because that what these Pastors are preaching, the prophetic word of God. God says in His word that His word is foolishness to those who do not know of Him. Many are taking quotes out of context. That is why it is imperative that we test the fruits to see if they are of God!
I believe God is allowing the egg to be put in our face as Christians because we want to make one Pastor wrong and others right. We want to endorse our candidates instead of God's candidates. We have our own agendas.
We can't be loyal to a political party, our race, or our gender. We, Christians, have to be loyal to the word of God! Everyone has their own agenda. We have to ask God what is his agenda. We missed the opportunity to put in a Pastor, Mike Huckabee. Christian Pastors did not even endorse him, the very same Pastors that endorsed McCain! What are we doing? When I saw this endorsement on television, I gasped! How could Christian Pastors not endorse Christian Pastors. What is really going on? What type of backroom deals are being negotiated to make us to go against God's appointed people? We need to check ourselves!!!
What are our motives? God is watching us. This reminds me of how God appointed a leader to the people but they wanted their own. God gave them their own and the people suffered. So now, we will have to live with the choices we have made. Our seed is our vote and we have sown seeds that we will have to reap for four years. I pray that our Christians Presidential candidates will not denounce the word of God. I pray that as they have professed their Christianity to get their votes, they will be doers of the word and not hearers only.
Let's stop the hypocrisy and pray before you vote.
Freya S. Williams
Author, Pray Before You Vote! Jesus Is Not a Democrat or a Republican, Jesus Is Lord!
http://www.praybeforeyouvote.blogspot.com
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