"I don't know about you but I'm politicked!" said the lead pastor of one of the largest churches in the country as he kicked off a controversial sermon series on faith and politics.
"Many of us have been drinking deception for so long that we don't understand the implications and seriousness of the game," Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, told congregants Sunday. "It's time for us to sober up, to step up and to get into the game."
With many people asking hard questions about the role of the church in politics at a time when the country is facing the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, is in the midst of a war on terror and is just about to elect its next president, Young has decided to "point people to the answers" – from the pulpit.
The "Politicked" series began this past weekend, just two weeks after a group of pastors across the country endorsed political candidates to their congregations in protest of IRS rules, which does not allow nonprofit groups to intervene in a political campaign if they want to receive tax exemption.
Many pastors and most Americans, however, do not support politics being preached from the pulpit.
But Young feels the Church has a responsibility to speak to the issues especially when so many people are asking questions.
"Here's what you don't understand. The Church has become more and more a non-prophet entity," he said in his fiery weekend sermon. "But I'm excited a lot of churches are becoming for prophet. The prophets of God, men and women of God, are standing up and saying 'thus sayeth the Lord.'"
Giving congregants and television viewers a depiction of America's landscape, Young says there are battles between effectiveness and bureaucracy, responsibility and victimization, truth and relativism, and wisdom and intelligence.
"Name me one thing the government has their hands on that's run efficiently and effectively," he said. Sounding out the time's up buzzer, Young immediately followed, "You can't do it!"
"What's the government's job? It's to protect. But now we've turned the government into fedzilla! It doesn't protect us anymore. Fedzilla is now preying on us," Young emphatically stated.
Inevitably commenting on the $700 billion bailout bill for Wall Street, Young posed, "Isn't that sort of like giving booze to a recovering alcoholic?"
In other highly debated matters, Young lamented the relativism pervading the country.
"I cannot believe that our nation is trying to redefine marriage," Young said, adding that the removal of absolute truth from the culture results in chaos. "God has said from cover to cover, marriage is for one man and one woman in this commitment."
"I'm all for everyone having equal rights but when it comes to this institution called marriage, give me a massive break!"
Touching on abortion, Young recalled a time he came across sea turtle eggs on the beach. They were fenced off with a sign that warned of imprisonment or a hefty fine if the eggs were harmed.
"So our government is into that but it's OK to take the lives of developing babies," he denounced. "It's OK to take the lives of 3,200 developing babies every 24 hours."
"What's right is now wrong, what's wrong is right. Truth versus relativism."
Viewing the current state of the country, he told congregants, "As people who love God and who want the best, we should be ticked."
Young urged fellow Christians to step up and get involved in the political process and ultimately "return this nation to 'one nation under God.'"
"We're going to stand for God's truth and be the Church because what a time in history that we have right now to be the Church," he said. And they're not going to be shy about it.
In his next sermon in the "Politicked" series, Young will endorse a presidential candidate.
On the Web: Fellowship Church
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is america becoming a THEOCRACY? is there a union of church & state in america?
daniel 3:1-20
Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be instantly cast into a white-hot furnace."
7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments, the nations and peoples of every language all fell down and worshiped the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 At that point, some of the Chaldeans came and accused the Jews
9 to King Nebuchadnezzar: "O king, live forever!
10 O king, you issued a decree that everyone who heard the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments should fall down and worship the golden statue;
11 whoever did not was to be cast into a white-hot furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom you have made administrators of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego; these men, O king, have paid no attention to you; they will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up."
13 Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and sent for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were promptly brought before the king.
14 King Nebuchadnezzar questioned them: "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not serve my god, or worship the golden statue that I set up?
15 Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made, whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe, and all the other musical instruments; otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace; and who is the God that can deliver you out of my hands?"
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
"Many pastors and most Americans, however, do not support politics being preached from the pulpit."
I don't know where the support is for this statement.
Based upon the blogging I have been reading, Christians are as hungry to hear about politics as they are to hear the truth of the Word of God from the pulpit.
The greater issue is that the church has been far too comfortable taking the safe road, not wanting to be controversial.
This gives Christians a false sense of identity since Christ was anything but safe, very controversial.
But Christians have to learn how to stand up to the challenges. This means really knowing and experiencing the Word of God.
Pastor Ed Young is on the right track. But does this renewed push only last until the elections are over and the emotions have calmed down.
Pollock Steve? Sounds a bit fishy to me....
"the church, religion & christianity has become a way to get votes & use it as a political tool for the agenda of a party - like the GOP."
...and the dems and the independents and ....
"which does not allow nonprofit groups to intervene in a political campaign if they want to receive tax exemption."
Not true. Our church explored this issue when we incorporated. (Our church is actually a non-profit corp vs. a 'church' but still 501(c)(3) I believe.)
Churches are not allowed to support a candidate or endorse a candidate. They can, however, speak to the issues of election as a whole (abortion, gay marriage and such) and teach the Biblical positions on these social issues. In fact, 'fedzilla' isn't even a violation as it equally attacks all politicians in DC.
"It's too bad he ran out of things from the Bible to preach about."
Actually, no.... Jesus preached to issues of the day and used them as examples. He's actually just gotten back to Biblical preaching.... Calling it as the Bible sees it.
the church, religion & christianity has become a way to get votes & use it as a political tool for the agenda of a party - like the GOP.
According to the Bible, there is only one person who sets up and takes down national leaders. His name is not Young, nor any other high profile pastoral name. His name is God Almighty. He and He alone will determine who the next leader of America is, and when that leader is elected I will pray with all my heart that leader will do the will of God, and not the will of the the religious right who think they are God.
In His Love,
Pastor Kim Wenzel,
Smoldering Wick Ministries
To Dan65802
He didn't preach about things not in the Bible. Read it. Life and marriage and personal responsibility and managing finances are all in there. Over and over and over. They are major Biblical themes.
This should be the norm, not the exception. It only is not because of a very basic principle: nothing from the government is ever "free". When the government offered special tax status to churches, it wasn't "free". There was a catch... Its the same for all of us in our lives - anything and everything the government does for you - it isn't free.. ask for as little from the government, and take as little as possible, and don't get tied up like many of our churches are today. Who in their right mind can possibly justify a church not taking a stand on social issues (of which ALL have political ramifications)??!!! Give to Caesar what is his, but above all else stay true to what you are called to do.
I think the best thing to do is to address the issues facing the nation, the positions of each candidate, indicating which candidate comes closest to what God has said. I also think it there is a clear difference, where one candidate's positions are closer to the word of God, that should be indicated as well. I have no problem with a pastor indicating from the pulpit which candidate HE thinks is closer to following the word of God.
P.S. Pastor young is not doing anything special, He is only doing what he should have done a longtime ago.
It's his duty to preach the Bible, to those inside the church, as well as those on the outside of the church.
even if they don't want to hear.
When man stands before God he will not ask them which political party they belonged to, But he will talk to them about the sin of abortion, or homosexuality, among other thiings.
that goes for obama, McCain, and everyone who voted into office, those who support the death of unborn babies.
The church better stand up and preach the Bible. And as a Christian, I cannot vote for anyone who is pro-abortion.
This is completely within the rights of the church and their pastor, quite Biblically sound. We have twisted that the country has freedom from religion. Rather it is the church that is free from the country, and states infuence upon the church! For too long the church has sdood quietly by and let the unsaved heathens of our country tell Christians not to pray in school, remove the Bible from the classroon, and take any eveidence of Jesus Christ form the public eye. Pastor Ed Young has my total approval. God save the United States from those who dare to keep the pulpit from preaching against abortion, or other evils in our country!
it's great to hear pastors are finally stepping up. for to long our churches have been directed to much by the gov't. when i read the Bible, it was the prophets who the kings bowed to in respect.
Every Pastor has the right to preach morality and what
is right and wrong based on the word of God, but any
hint to endorse a candidate or political party is simply
misusing the authority of his/her pulpit. In every
Church, there are people of different political affiliation and thinking. The Pastor can declare a
few days for special prayer before election so that
the believers may be guided by the holy spirit to make
the right decision to cast the ballot at the right
box. American public have enough political will and
decision making power to elect the right candidate
according to their political conscience.
PT 1-B: Some of these same preachers preach the nice-sounding fluff that's popular, but refuse to preach "the WHOLE counsel of God", to obey Titus 1:9 where it says to encourage with SOUND doctrine, and REFUTE those people who contradict it." That is outside and INSIDE the church. Paul warned those in Acts 20 that after he left, grievous wolves will enter the flock. So few pastors really obey Titus 1:9, which is addressed to elders/pastors. Also, the Bible says "Judgment begins at the house of God". Young & all other Christians should keep that in mind before they refuse to hold professing Christian preachers, etc., accountable for doctrinal and behavioral error.
However ...SEE PT 2......