What are the Responsibilities of Believers Regarding Government?
1. Christians can Influence those in Government
Wayne Grudem lists many examples of Christians positively and significantly influencing government: “Christians influence on government was primarily responsible for outlawing infanticide, child abandonment, and abortion in the Roman Empire in AD 374; outlawing the brutal battles-to-the-death in which thousands of gladiators had died in AD 404….In England, William Wilberforce, a devout Christian, led the successful effort to abolish the slave trade and the slavery itself throughout the British Empire in 1840” (Politics: According to the Bible, pages 49-50).
Read moreCan Evangelism and Politics Mix?
Put bluntly, America is becoming more secular. Albert Mohler identifies the problem: “Recent studies have indicated that the single greatest predictor of voting patterns is the frequency of church attendance. Far fewer Americans now attend church, and a recent study indicated that fully 20% of all Americans identify with no religious preference at all. The secularizing of the electorate will have monumental consequences.”
Read moreBefore we seek to correct the justification of the murder of abortion doctors like George Tiller by referencing Deitrick Bonhoeffer's plot to murder Adolf Hilter, we must remember our responsibilities to God ordained human government.
Read moreThe late Dr. Jack L. Arnold agreed with John MacArthur that the Revolutionary War was rebellion against God:
In our own American Revolution, Christians were divided over how to understand their responsibilities to the state and over the right to revolt. Some, especially those of the Church of England, fought on the side of the British in an attempt to be faithful to Romans 13:1. Others fled to Canada. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a Tory and sided with England rather than with the Colonies because of his biblical conviction. Yet the Reformed Churches, especially the Presbyterians, felt the revolution justifiable. This revolution was somewhat different from others as it did not result in a breakdown of law and order. Political, social, and economic order was maintained. In fact, the Congress of 1774 had no thoughts of revolution and tried for two years to gain equal representation by lawful means. History shows that Britain, not the Colonies, forced the issue. It was in 1776, after much prayer, that the Continental Congress decided to declare its independence. This ultimately led to the formation of our Declaration of Independence, which acknowledges God as the Creator of all men. Our Constitution and form of government were set forth to a nation that was God-fearing, Christ-living, and biblically oriented. However, this does not prove it was biblically correct to revolt…To resist government is to resist God because government is merely an instrument of God.
Read moreOn July 4th we celebrate Independence Day, the day commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This document declared our independence from the government of Great Britain in 1776.
Great controversy between evangelicals rages concerning what the Founding Fathers did in the Revolutionary War for Independence.
Was the America Revolution civil disobedience or rebellion against God’s Word in Romans 13?
Was the Revolutionary War Self-Defense against Great Britain or Sin?
Was the War for Independence Just War or offensive war?
Was the Declaration of Independence a declaration of unbiblical treason?
Read moreAs a kid, I loved Mission Sundays, when missionaries on furlough brought special reports in place of a sermon …. There is one visit I've never forgotten. The missionaries were a married couple stationed in what appeared to be a particularly steamy jungle. I'm sure they gave a full report on churches planted or commitments made or translations begun. I don't remember much of that. What has always stayed with me is the story they shared about a snake.
Read moreMichael Bryson, a first-time father, surprised his wife on her first Mother’s Day. He did so by bringing their six-month old son, Jason, to the hospital where she worked as a nurse. After the balloons and the laughing and the sharing was over, Miriam returned to her post and her two men returned to the car for the trip home.
Read moreThe Gospels give us the historical fact of Christ’s crucifixion. The Epistles explain the theological signification of His death. Wiersbe explained it this way: “History states that ‘Christ died,’ but theology explains, ‘Christ died for our sins’ (1 Cor. 15:3).”
Read moreThe late Dr. Colon Smith thought the acrostic B-A-P-T-I-S-T is harmful in teaching the Baptist distinctive rather than helpful. For example, Dr. Smith asks, “Where is the “C” for congregational rule in the acrostic?” Dr. Smith tells of a church that changed its form of government form congregational to elder rule. The pastor sent a challenging letter to the sate association, saying congregational church government is unbiblical. This pastor further claimed that our fellowship must not believe in congregational government because there’s no “C” in the B-A-P-T-I-S-T acrostic. Apparently, someone took the B-A-P-T-I-S-T acrostic as the official definition of the Baptist distinctive, and not simply a handy artificial memory device!
Read moreFuller Theological Seminary illustrates the effect of a Christian institution or local church abandoning a solid doctrinal statement. The Domino Effect took place at Fuller Theological Seminary which was founded in 1947 by Charles Fuller.
Read moreI want to grapple with what is necessary for the preservation of a local church or any Christian institution i.e., adhering to a Biblical doctrinal statement. I will eventually discuss Fuller Theological Seminary which slowly abandoned its doctrinal statement. Possessing a Biblical doctrinal statement is only one necessary step to preserving a local church or Christian institution. If the solid doctrinal statement is not adhered to; it is a worthless piece of paper. I would like to survey the inspiring and disappointing history of doctrinal statements and creeds to substantiate my thesis.
Read moreKurt Willems writes a post entitled “Why the Rapture isn’t Biblical … And Why it Matters at Patheos.” He has adamantly repudiated what he was taught at church as a child and is also disturbed by the success of the Left Behind series (65 million have been sold). I’m sure the new 2023 Left Behind movie only adds to his frustration.
Read moreWe support the three moral and political issues The Manhattan Declaration defends. We support the sanctity of life which the culture of death threatens in the form of abortion, ethnic cleansing, and euthanasia. We also support the integrity of marriage and the defense of religious liberty.
Read moreChurch consultant, Joseph Miller reports that national surveys of evangelical churches indicate that 80 percent of the giving in those churches comes from 20 percent of the constituency. The balance of 20 percent comes from another 30 percent of the people, leaving 50 percent of the constituency contributing nothing.
Read moreThe church must impact culture which include our music.
We must embed ourselves in a culture and develop friendships with lost people so that we can be informed and avoid making erroneous judgments…. As a missionary, you will need to watch television shows and movies, listen to music, read books, peruse magazines, attend events, join organizations, surf websites, and befriend people that you might not like to better understand people that Jesus loves” (Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004, pages 97, 103).
Read moreThe powerful influence of music is seen in 1 Sam. 16:14-23 when David, the greatest harpist in Israel, calmed troubled King Saul with his music.
Aristotle said, ‘Music has the power to shape character.’ Satan is clearly using music to do that today. The rock lyrics of the 1960s and 1970s shaped the values of most Americans who are now in their thirties, forties, or fifties. Today, MTV shapes the values of most people in their teens and twenties (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, page 279).
Read moreEven before the Missional/Missions debate over the call of God and ordinations, Raymond Bailey made the following suggestion: “Perhaps the doctrine of the priesthood of believers could best be demonstrated by doing away with ordination altogether. It may well be that the greater diversity of ministries does not call for more ordinations but for the abolition of the practice as counter-productive to the missions of the church in the modern world” (Raymond Bailey, “Multiple Ministries and Ordination, Review and Expositor 78, no. 4, 1981: 533).
Read moreIn his testimony about the call to preach, John Piper, wrote: “The calling to preach and pastor had become irresistible.” Paul describes his call in Ephesians 3.
The Call to The Ministry and The Call to Ministry is not Either/Or but Both/And.
God called Paul to preach the truths in Ephesians 3:1-6 as he states in 3:7: “I was made a minister.” This historically happened in Acts 26:14-18.
Read moreThe debate between advocates of the Missions Church and the Missional Church (old conservative wing of the Emerging Church) continues:
The Missions Church emphasizes global missions and the Missional church emphasizes your local culture, i.e., your city. The Missions Church stresses a special call to the Ministry and the Missional church stresses a call to ministry. The Missions church emphasizes a professional ministry and the Missional church a ministry for everyone. Which is correct? Both.
Read moreWhen a church needs a pastor they should go courting a potential candidate. Here are some brief suggested guidelines that certainly can be modified according to the need and policy of the church.
1. The deacons form a Search Committee or sometimes the deacons are the Search Committee. The committee members should be mature leaders in the church because of the weighty decision they will lead the church to make. Certainly no novices. These Search Committee members should be able to recognize the qualifications for the pastor in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
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