Concerned Christians Part 4

Just because I’ve shared the rest…here is what I am assuming is the LAST letter I received from “concerned Christians.”  I’ll offer it to you without commentary (which is very difficult for me )

Dear Pastor:

It is critical for the protection of Israel, the defense of Christianity, and the prosperity of the American people that right-thinking persons be elected into high office.  How will the responsibilities of the Oval Office be carried out if its occupant does not believe in the one true God, and reverence the principles that have made our country great?  What character of person would sit for two decades without protest, at the feet of a preacher of a radicalism that is the antithesis of the teachings of Moses, and is anathema to the spirit of Christianity?  How will our country fare if its new president does not have the good of all the people at heart, is not resolute in defending America against her enemies, and does not possess the wisdom, and the stamina, to grace the world’s most powerful office?  This coming Tuesday, voters in Indiana and North Carolina will make a choice that will strongly influence whom the next occupant of the Oval Office will be.  As persons of faith, we are urged to pray for “all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2).  As fellow-overseers of the souls of those in our congregations, we have the responsibility to guide them in the principles involved in making the right choices.  Let us, therefore, partake in urgent prayer, and powerful preaching this weekend, in view of a righteous result on May 6th.

With sincerity,

From Concerned Christians

Concerned Christians Part 3

O.K.  Got another letter at the church (I know you all are thinking I’m making this up but I promise these are all true letters we received…ask Ann Lynn) from the anonymous “Concerned Christians.”  Once again, I’m assuming they are going after Barack Obama (who interestingly enough was at the 4-H fairgrounds yesterday…just a few blocks away from my house…he didn’t buy me gas though…what is up with that?!!).  Here is the letter (with my commentary laced in parenthetical notes):

Dear Pastor (that would be me) :

It is our grave responsibility to weigh up current events (who appointed you with such a grave responsibility?), and look ahead to determine the direction our nation, the home of liberty, is heading.  In the Middle East, Israel’s only true friend is the United States, and America’s only true friend is Israel.  Iran is a sworn enemy of us both, and Iraq is a small and very troublesome child.  Most, if not all, of the other Arab nations cannot be trusted, since the brotherhood of the descendants of Ishmael is a more powerful force than peace and pragmatism.  Not only that, but radical Islamic elements seek to bring their hatred to our shores, and spill the blood of Christians and Jews alike.  Against this backdrop, the institutions of democracy run their course.  We are in the midst of a presidential election campaign that will determine, to a large extent, the direction in which our nation will be heading over the next four years.  The choices in the upcoming primaries in Indiana and North Carolina are clear (really?):  on the one hand, an untested candidate who would sit down at the table with our common, unrepentant, sworn enemies (and how exactly does meaningful peace and reconciliation happen apart from this?).  On the other hand, an experienced politician (translation: career politician) who will not stoop to such compromise (dialogue is compromise?), but has promised “massive retaliation” (wow!!  massive!!  that must make Jesus happy…I’m sure he will look beyond that whole “love your enemy” thing…I’m sure he probably didn’t mean it on a “national scale”) against any nation which attacks Israel.  Times are too critical to bathe the dark intrigues (that sounds kind of poetic) of the Middle East in an unrealistic millennial glow (I feel soothed just saying that over and over).  The time will come when the lion will lie down with the lamb (so compromise is coming as the lion sits at the same table as the lamb?), but in the meantime our Messiah (are you sure we have the same Messiah?  I’m following that crucified suffering servant one…which one are you talking about?) is holding us responsible for the government (when did he say that?  I don’t remember him ever saying we were responsible for our government…maybe it was in that Gospel of Thomas book?) that we choose.  (Translation:  someday Jesus will make things right…until then…let’s kick the crap out of all of our nationalistic enemies just like Jesus would want!)

With sincerity,

From Concerned Christians

Concerned Christians Part 2

O.K.  I shared last week an anonymous letter I received from “Concerned Christians.”  You can read it here.  This week I have received another.  I thought I would share with you the Barack bashing:

Dear Pastor:  We write as a follow-up to our letter of April 4th, concerning current events that threaten the foundations of our Christian nation (wow…serious assumption right there).  We will quote, verbatim, from a town hall meeting held at Hocking College, Nelsonville, Ohio on March 2nd – so that you can see for yourself the character of person that could be our next President:

“I don’t think my church is particularly controversial.  It’s a member of the United Church of Christ.  It’s got a choir (sweet).  We read scriptures (very nice).  You would feel at home if you were there (do you serve coffee and donuts?).  Jeremiah Wright has said some controversial things, calling for divestment of South Africa and things like that and he thinks it’s important for us to focus on what’s happening in Africa, and I agree with him on that.  I think what you may be referring to probably has to do with two issues, which is abortion and gay marriage.  Which has become, I think, how people measure faith in the evangelical community, and, you know, I think that there are genuine differences of opinion in this area.  I will tell you that I don’t believe in gay marriage.  But I do think that people who are gay and lesbian should be treated with dignity and respect and that the state should not discriminate against them.  I believe in civil unions that allow a same-sex couple to visit each other in the hospital or transfer property to each other.  I don’t think that it should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state.  (author of letter bolded last sentence) If people find that controversial, then I would refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think, you know, is in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans.”

For a professing Christian to manipulate and denigrate the Holy Scriptures is apostate in character.  When what is apostate in character seeks the most powerful office in the Western World, it is the duty of Christians everywhere to sound the alarm!

With sincerity,

From Concerned Christians

Well…

• I’m not a Barack Obama supporter.  I’m not a Barack Obama hater either.  But why is this ALL about Barack Obama.  Has anyone asked about Hillary Clinton’s views?  What about John McCains?
• “Apostate”?!  Is Barack running for Pope, for Bishop, for some religious office?
• Do you know what Thomas Jefferson did to the Bible?  Has anyone ever heard of the Jeffersonian Bible?  He didn’t believe in the possibility of miracles, so he literally cut them out of his Bible.
• Many of the earliest founding fathers of our country were Deists who would hold “apostate” views of Scripture in the eyes of many and yet we celebrate them as some of the great leaders of our country’s history.
• Is our standard of for the Presidency someone who interprets the Bible in the same manner and same hermeneutic as “Concerned Christians?”
• If “Concerned Christians” don’t want to vote for Barack Obama because of his interpretive views of Scripture, then by all means…don’t vote for him…but please don’t contend it is the “duty of Christians everywhere to sound the alarm!”  The alarm of what?!  Barack doesn’t see the Bible like I do.