Bible open on the pulpit. Hordes of church attendees listening raptly to his every word. Gigantic American flag proudly draped behind him as he preaches on the Fourth of July. Applying Proverbs about Israel to America. Ignoring Romans 13: 1-7 and 1 Peter 2: 13-15.
People. God's main concern is not combating socialism. Nor is it defeating Al-Qaeda. Nor is it preserving America or returning America to its "Christian heritage".
If you are going to stand up in a pulpit, at least preach Christ and Him crucified instead of acting like a bad imitation of George C. Scott in the intro to the movie Patton.
3 comments:
"Applying Proverbs about Israel to America."
Arthur, do you think these proverbs only apply to Israel or just not to America?
It would appear that John the baptizer violated the teaching in Romans 13 with respect to Herod the tetrarch. He was beheaded. Should John have pointed out Herod's adultery? If honor means something different than money (tribute, custom)here, was John dishonorable?
Eric, what I am saying is that proverbs addressed to the nation of Israel are not applicable to any of the secular nations that exist today. Calls for a nation to return to God when those nations were never God’s covenant people in the first place make no sense. The Old Covenant nation of Israel held a unique and now obsolete status as a covenant nation, His people among all of the other people. Too many preachers assume that the word “nation” in an Old Testament passage can be automatically applied to America.
As far as John the Baptist, I think the issue is submission to authority. I see no conflict between pointing out the deficiencies in Obama's policies while at the same time recognizing his authority as the secular leader of the nation I happen to live in. That is why I pay my taxes and follow the laws of the land (except speed limits).
I only watched the embedded video(and not the following parts) so maybe I missed something, but I don't see the proverbs in the first one being Israel-specific. I do agree with you that superimposing America on Israel (ala 2 Ch. 7:14) is not valid. I think I understand what you are saying. I also do not view America as a "christian nation". God's people are in every nation, kindred, people and tongue (Rev. 7).
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