Should a church leader stand at the pulpit and express his/her political views? Should a church leader tell his/her flock how to vote, what to support or who to call? Does that cross a line that separates church and state? And, more importantly, does that take away from the main point of church -- to worship the Lord?
This is an issue that has risen its ugly head in the past six months. First we had the November election. Here in the conservative South it was a clear issue for some. Good Christians voted for McCain and bad Christians -- if they were truly Christians at all -- voted for Obama. At least that was the view of some preachers. What about the Christians who voted for Obama? Was alienating them an acceptable trade-off for expressing a conservative view? A political opinion? An opinion rooted in human minds and hearts and not in the Bible? Because the truth is Christians are both conservative and liberal, black and white, male and female. And church is for everyone. Jesus died so that everyone who believed in Him could approach the altar.
Recently we've had the same conservative vs. liberal issues rising up in Alabama. It's all about electronic bingo. Should it be regulated and taxed? Should it be swept under the red clay as some try to ignore it exists and ban it all at the same time? Let the people vote, the ads say. But the conservative leaders, starting with Gov. Bob Riley and continuing onto the pulpits of some churches, say no. Don't let the people decide. I guess the people -- that would be me and you -- are too stupid to make a decision that honors God.
I've never completely understood the strong opposition to gambling. Yes, some people get addicted and destroy themselves and their families. Some people get addicted to drugs and alcohol, too. Some people are addicted to food. The list could go on and on. The Bible says not to lead someone into temptation when we know they are weak in one area or another. Does that mean no desserts at church potlucks because some folks are overweight? I don't think that would go over too well. We would urge them to practice self-control or to stay home. Same thing applies to other issues as well.
But what really bothers me is this notion that the conservative leadership doesn't believe the people of Alabama should decide this issue. Gov. Riley's task force shut down a gaming operation, putting a hundred or more people out of work. It's back now. Sort of. The judge told the state to give back the machines and the money. The state hasn't complied completely. The facility is open but not at full capacity because it's still missing machines. So is it okay to ignore a judge's ruling because he didn't side with you? Apparently in Alabama it is. I guess they figure the ruling is temporary. Now they're trying to get rid of the judge.
Attorney General Troy King, a conservative Republican, has said the law doesn't prohibit the machines. He has said that Country Crossings, a development just south of Dothan, is legal. Does he support electronic bingo? No. But King appears to be an honest man. His job isn't to make the law but rather to enforce it. And, he says, the electronic bingo included in the plans doesn't violate Alabama law. The newspapers say King is under investigation now. Former workers have gone before a Grand Jury. That's just downright scary.
Do the church leaders see any of this? Do they believe that the end justifies the means? Is it okay to manipulate and violate laws to prohibit something they have decided should be illegal? Jesus didn't advocate violating laws unless they went against the Bible. The Bible doesn't ban gambling of any kind.
That brings me back to the practice of preachers taking the pulpit to talk politics. They justify it as practicing their faith. Standing up for their beliefs. Yes. I guess that's right. Their beliefs. But what about God? While they're up there expressing their views, they aren't talking about God. They aren't winning souls for Jesus. They're playing politics. And that's a greater sin than anything the electronic bingo advocates are attempting.
Church is about God. Period. Don't insult Him or us by using time that should be devoted to worshiping Him to promote a conservative agenda that has nothing to do with Jesus and everything to do with man.
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