A worrying trend continues to build, as politics increasingly hijacks the Christian faith. And we must make no mistake — the faith is under direct attack from nefarious people who are far from being true Christians.
There is no easy way to say this other than bluntly: bad actors are corrupting our faith and in the process, are committing grave sins and leading people astray. We are being lied to by individuals who claim to be Christian, but are actually Wolves in Sheep’s clothing who crave earthly power and wealth. These pretenders are using Christianity as a shield — as a means to deceive people into supporting them so they can enrich themselves with money, power and influence.
Recently, some of these duplicitous and unscrupulous people have actually claimed that they are “protecting and defending God.” If you are a true Christian, then you know that God does not need us to protect Him — He is omnipotent and all powerful on every level and to suggest that any man needs to somehow “protect” Him, is beyond blasphemous.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” – Isaiah 40:28
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” – Revelation 19:6
“And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD before the new court and said, “O LORD God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” – 2 Chronicles 20:6
“I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” -Job 42:2
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16
The Reverend Benjamin Cremer recently shared some keen insight on social media about this worrying trend and we’d like to share it with you:
As someone who has studied history extensively, do you want to know the common lie of every single tyrant?
They try to convince people of the completely illogical narrative that homeless people, immigrants, minorities, women, and the poor are the cause of all their problems, rather than those who have the greatest amount of power and wealth among them with the ability to exploit the entire nation for their own benefit.
They try to convince religious people of the completely illogical narrative that their all powerful God who created the entire cosmos is somehow under threat and needs their unbridled protection and defense, rather than the poor and the powerless.
They use all the fear based propaganda they can to get a set of people to forget that other sets of people are human beings so that they will support their pursuit of power and wealth by any means necessary.
This is why authoritarians rage against the proper teaching of history. They ban books, try to erase past sins, bigotry, and oppression because they know that once people are educated about the tyrants of the past, they will want nothing to do with the tyrants of the present.
We should be so aware of this tired, old, exhausting narrative of tyrants throughout history that we find it laughably absurd today.
When Christians buy into the false narrative, we literally become a people who are against the very people Jesus called us to serve: the poor, the marginalized, the sick, the hungry, the immigrant, the oppressed, and the other.
Yet fear is such a powerful swaying force and the constant tool of choice by tyrants to sway the masses.
This is why a people committed to love over fear is such a dangerous threat to tyranny. A people who choose to love all people, even their enemies, and refuse to demonize and fear others is a people who can smell tyrants coming from miles away and reject their nonsense immediately.
It’s no wonder authoritarians demonize empathy, compassion, and mercy. Those things are a direct threat to tyrant’s consolidation of power.
It’s no wonder Jesus was crucified for his gospel of love, compassion, and justice. For bringing good news to the poor, the sick, the stranger, and liberation for the oppressed. For telling people to put their swords away and love their enemies instead. For telling people to sell what they had and give it all to the poor. For critiquing the wealthy and the powerful for their abuses of their positions and privileges.
Tyrants just can’t gain traction among a people who insist on love and refuse to fear others.
This is our call today. To insist on love over fear and call others to do the same.
And watch wealthy tyrants lose their thrones and be sent away empty (Luke 1:46-55).
– The Reverend Benjamin Cremer
There is no question: Christianity and thus, Christians, are commanded to obey God and to put Him above all else. We are commanded to be loving, compassionate and peaceful. Any person who tries to convince us otherwise, is not to be trusted. Believing such a false Christian is tantamount to committing a grievous sin, because God and Jesus have shown us the way — if we ignore the Will of God, we are, without question, engaging in open rebellion against God Himself. Put no man and no political party above God — Christians are rewarded with peace, joy, love, prosperity and eternal life if we obey the Will of God and reject the lies spread by men who crave worldly power. God is not in our world, we are in His and we are to obey Him and pray for His Will to be done.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
