There are a growing
number of Christians who
think that believers
should not be involved
in government and
politics. There are
several reasons for this
attitude:
1. Afraid of
promoting a social
gospel (churches which
are only trying to make
the world a better
place…to go to hell
from)…substituting
culture for
Calvary…never talk about
getting saved, or the
blood of Jesus. This is
a viable concern, we
don’t want that. But we
shouldn’t throw the baby
out with the bathwater!
Yes, we need to keep our
focus on getting people
saved…a heart change
(educate criminals…no
heart change?…smarter
criminal…now, instead of
petty theft, just
embezzle!) It will be my
privilege to show you
from the Bible that
involvement in
government IS part of
the work of the church.
2. Given up hope. They
say, “it’s too late for
America”, we’re past the
point of no return…all
that remains is
judgment. Well, I see
their point, we are
moving swiftly to
judgment if we don’t
repent and come back to
God…but I look at my
children, and I say, I
will not give up on
America! I look at
Romans 13 and say, I
will not give up on
America! There IS hope,
if (and that’s a big
if), if we will do what
the Bible says: II Chron.
7:14 "If my people,
which are called by my
name, shall humble
themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear
from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and
will heal their land".
Read the book of
Judges…clearly, our God
would rather forgive and
restore, than judge!
Over and over, Israel
would turn their back on
their Godly heritage.
But, they would repent,
and God would forgive
them and restore
them…but it was always
conditional!
3. “I see politics as
dirty…it’s beneath us as
Christians…all
politicians are
crooks…my citizenship is
in heaven…all we’re
voting for is the lesser
of 2 evils” These people
are so tired of
scandals, and so tired
of the political news
section of the paper
looking like a tabloid,
they’ve lost their heart
to be involved at all.
4. Some Christians have
been intimidated…and
they’ve heard the ACLU
talk SO much about the
separation of church and
state—that they’ve
actually started to
believe in it. In case
you don’t know, that
phrase never appears in
the Constitution!
(however it is found in
Karl Marx’s Communist
Manifesto!) It was
coined in the U.S. from
a letter the principle
framer of the
Constitution and Third
President Thomas
Jefferson wrote to the
Danbury Baptist
Association assuring
them that he would keep
the Government out of
the Church (NOT the
Church out of the
Government). He was
saying, never again will
there be a government
sponsored church like
you had back in England,
where everyone is forced
to attend and support!
Check it out for
yourself, the first
amendment actually says:
Congress shall make no
law respecting an
establishment of
religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise
thereof…If there IS such
a thing as separation of
church and state, it is
intended as a one-way
street!
Some say, no, they
wanted to keep both
separate! Well, let’s
think about that.
Our first president,
George Washington, took
the oath of office and
put his hand on what?
(the Bible)
What was his first
official act as
President? (kissed the
Bible, then held a 2 hr.
praise/worship session
in Congress)
How did they
determine to open
sessions of Congress?
(prayer)
Who would lead in
those prayers?
(chaplains)
How would they be
paid? (tax dollars)
Does all of that sound
like they wanted to keep
God out of government?
By the way, opening in
prayer is a mystery to
investigate…why is it
that the little boys and
girls cannot, but the
big Congressmen can? Who
decided to put “In God
We Trust” on our coins?
(because they pulled a
fast one on a government
that wanted to keep God
out of government!) It
was adopted by Congress
in 1956!
---In 1776, 11 of the 13
colonies required that
one had to be a
Christian to be eligible
to run for political
office.
---In 1777, the
Continental Congress
voted to spend $300,000
to purchase Bibles for
distribution in the
nation.
---The GETTYSBURG
ADDRESS states "...this
nation, under God, shall
have a new birth of
freedom..."
---94% of the
writings of the founding
Fathers of the U.S.
contained quotations
from the Holy
Scriptures.
---The State
Constitutions of all 50
states mention God.
---On that First
"Thanksgiving", who do
you think the people
were giving thanks to?
To God!
---The famous
"Liberty Bell" has part
of Leviticus 25:10
inscribed on it:
"Proclaim liberty
throughout all the land
unto all the inhabitants
thereof."
---Part of the
Scripture Proverbs 14:34
is inscribed above the
Los Angeles City Hall
door: "Righteousness
Exalteth A Nation: But
sin is a reproach to any
people"
---An image of
Moses carrying the
tablets of God’s Law
faces the Speaker of the
House of
Representatives.
---The entering
President takes his
courtroom OATH OF OFFICE
with his right hand on
the Holy Bible, and
concludes his vow "So
help me God."
---The Supreme
Court itself begins each
of its sessions with the
phrase ’God save the
United States and this
honorable court,’
First Vice President and
Second President, John
Adams wrote in 1798:
"Our Constitution was
made only for a moral
and religious people. It
is wholly inadequate to
the government of any
other."
President Thomas
Jefferson:
"I tremble for my
country when I reflect
that God is just; that
His justice cannot sleep
forever." - 1781
Our sixth President,
John Quincy Adams said:
"No book in the world
deserves to be so
unceasingly studied, and
so profoundly meditated
upon as the Bible." -
At the Constitutional
Convention in 1787,
Benjamin Franklin said,
"God governs in the
affairs of men. And if a
sparrow cannot fall to
the ground without His
notice, is it probable
that an empire can rise
without His aid?"
The Christian writings
and pronouncements of
our 16th President
Abraham Lincoln would
fill an entire book. He
said this when he
assumed leadership over
a nation on the brink of
civil war: "We have been
the recipients of the
choicest bounties of
heaven… But we have
forgotten God. We have
forgotten the gracious
hand which preserved us
in peace and multiplied
and enriched and
strengthened us; and we
have vainly imagined, in
the deceitfulness of our
hearts, that all these
blessings were produced
by some superior wisdom
and virtue of our own.
Intoxicated with
unbroken success, we
have become too
self-sufficient to feel
the necessity of
redeeming and preserving
grace, too proud to pray
to the God that made us.
It behooves us then, to
humble ourselves before
the offended power, to
confess our national
sins, and to pray for
clemency and
forgiveness." - 1863
Theodore Roosevelt,
America’s 26th
President, wrote: "In
this actual world, a
churchless community, a
community where men have
abandoned and scoffed
at, or ignored their
religious needs, is a
community on the rapid
down-grade." - 1917
Woodrow Wilson, our 28th
President and Governor
of New Jersey, said
this: "America was born
a Christian nation.
America was born to
exemplify that devotion
to the elements of
righteousness which are
derived from the
revelations of the Holy
Scripture." - 1911
Calvin Coolidge, our
30th President, said
this about our founding
fathers: "They were
intent upon establishing
a Christian commonwealth
in accordance with the
principle of self-
government. They were an
inspired body of men. It
has been said that God
sifted the nations that
He might send choice
grain into the
wilderness... Who can
fail to see it in the
hand of destiny? Who can
doubt that it has been
guided by a Divine
Providence." - 1923
Franklin Roosevelt
prayed this prayer on a
national radio hookup on
D-Day, June 6, 1944, as
our troops stormed the
beaches of Normandy,
France: "Almighty God...
with Thy blessing we
shall prevail over the
unholy forces of our
enemy. Help us to
conquer the apostles of
greed and racial
arrogance. Lead us to
the saving of our
country. Thy will be
done, Almighty God.
Amen."
Harry Truman, our 33rd
President, not known to
be a committed believer,
understood the spiritual
heritage of this nation:
"If men and nations
would but live by the
precepts of the ancient
prophets and the
teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount, problems
which now seem so
difficult would soon
disappear”
Gerald Ford, our 38th
President, quoted a 1955
speech by Dwight D.
Eisenhower on December
5, 1974: "Without God
there could be no
American form of
government, nor an
American way of life.
Recognition of the
Supreme Being is the
first - the most basic -
expression of
Americanism. Thus the
founding fathers of
America saw it, and thus
with God’s help, it will
continue to be."
President Ronald Reagan:
"If we ever forget that
we are ’One nation,
under God’, then we will
be one nation gone
under."
And so, as we look today
at our civic
responsibility, the
question is not, should
a Christian be involved
in government…the
question is: Can you be
the Christian you are
commanded to be and not
be involved?
Jerry Shirley
Grace Baptist Church
http://www.gbcdecatur.org/
All rights reserved.
Reproduced with
permission of author
