When I’m in church, I’m there to try to be close to God. It’s as if He is bending down to my level and saying, “Hello, my beloved one. Tell me all about what is on your mind.” Just as I stick my daughter’s finger paintings on my refrigerator, I hope that the tiny gifts of my prayers and singing will please Him. When I’m really looking upon the face of God, I can hardly tear myself away. To have that cast aside and be told, “Meh. Check THIS guy out! He’s really great!” would really destroy any good feelings I had for that church.
Sadly, many of the comments under the tweet of condemnation by Ray Ortlund were along the lines of, “well, it’s not your church, so it’s none of your business what they do.” It is our big-C Church, however, so it is our business. First Baptist Church of Dallas embarrassed themselves and all of us yesterday. I say this as a two-time Trump voter who still has a Trumpy-hair punisher sticker on my truck: He should have rented out the nearest big auditorium and held a rally in the afternoon after services were all done.
That’s not to say that there is never a time that things political might be discussed in church. Issues of life, marriage, children, sexuality, and religious liberty are certainly of interest to the church body and should be discussed within the greater context of biblical Christianity. But it’s not appropriate to interrupt worship for a totally secular political message. They might as well sell advertising spots to the highest bidders and run commercials on the church jumbotron screens.
Spot on, Peter - we are imagers of God need to be about building His kingdom and not buidling worldly empires regardless of their individual leanings. Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
It ALWAYS bothers me when ANY political figure uses a church as a platform. If they happen to be practicing Christians and are invited to speak a Christian message ONLY, I could approve of that, but not to "rally" support. That President Trump has done this disappoints me greatly. That a church would endorse the practice bothers me even more. A church should be one place where an individual can go to be alone with God with no outside influences to distract from the intended purpose of worship, inspiration, and salvation.
It makes me heartsick that any church would take such a sacred moment in our year and turn it into something so banal. Why would the church ever alienate so many to please so few? My church is leaning hard in the opposite direction and i am torn between staying and loving and fighting for the soul of a community I’ve been for 32 years or leaving, feeling unwelcome and defeated. The question is ‘what can one do?’ when this happens. Thank you for doing your part.
Thanks, too, for not just linking but using a screenshot of the Tweet you referenced. Since their new rules I no longer see linked Tweets (they show up as error messages probably because I don’t have an account) so miss all context.
Thank you for your thoughtful and important words which seem to matter more and more in this broken world. Christians need to be very careful not to infuse idolatry into their faith, and guard our hearts and minds. We are what we behold, afterall. You nailed it with the last two paragraphs..."Too many of believers have come to trust those lies...One thing alone will save us. His name is Jesus. And the weekly gatherings of HIS church should have no room in our service schedules, our hearts or our minds to praise anyone or anything but him." Amen!
When I’m in church, I’m there to try to be close to God. It’s as if He is bending down to my level and saying, “Hello, my beloved one. Tell me all about what is on your mind.” Just as I stick my daughter’s finger paintings on my refrigerator, I hope that the tiny gifts of my prayers and singing will please Him. When I’m really looking upon the face of God, I can hardly tear myself away. To have that cast aside and be told, “Meh. Check THIS guy out! He’s really great!” would really destroy any good feelings I had for that church.
Sadly, many of the comments under the tweet of condemnation by Ray Ortlund were along the lines of, “well, it’s not your church, so it’s none of your business what they do.” It is our big-C Church, however, so it is our business. First Baptist Church of Dallas embarrassed themselves and all of us yesterday. I say this as a two-time Trump voter who still has a Trumpy-hair punisher sticker on my truck: He should have rented out the nearest big auditorium and held a rally in the afternoon after services were all done.
That’s not to say that there is never a time that things political might be discussed in church. Issues of life, marriage, children, sexuality, and religious liberty are certainly of interest to the church body and should be discussed within the greater context of biblical Christianity. But it’s not appropriate to interrupt worship for a totally secular political message. They might as well sell advertising spots to the highest bidders and run commercials on the church jumbotron screens.
Spot on, Peter - we are imagers of God need to be about building His kingdom and not buidling worldly empires regardless of their individual leanings. Matthew 6:33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
It ALWAYS bothers me when ANY political figure uses a church as a platform. If they happen to be practicing Christians and are invited to speak a Christian message ONLY, I could approve of that, but not to "rally" support. That President Trump has done this disappoints me greatly. That a church would endorse the practice bothers me even more. A church should be one place where an individual can go to be alone with God with no outside influences to distract from the intended purpose of worship, inspiration, and salvation.
It makes me heartsick that any church would take such a sacred moment in our year and turn it into something so banal. Why would the church ever alienate so many to please so few? My church is leaning hard in the opposite direction and i am torn between staying and loving and fighting for the soul of a community I’ve been for 32 years or leaving, feeling unwelcome and defeated. The question is ‘what can one do?’ when this happens. Thank you for doing your part.
Thanks, too, for not just linking but using a screenshot of the Tweet you referenced. Since their new rules I no longer see linked Tweets (they show up as error messages probably because I don’t have an account) so miss all context.
Well said and amen. This act is an embarrassment to the bride of Christ.
100%. Excellent.
Thank you for your thoughtful and important words which seem to matter more and more in this broken world. Christians need to be very careful not to infuse idolatry into their faith, and guard our hearts and minds. We are what we behold, afterall. You nailed it with the last two paragraphs..."Too many of believers have come to trust those lies...One thing alone will save us. His name is Jesus. And the weekly gatherings of HIS church should have no room in our service schedules, our hearts or our minds to praise anyone or anything but him." Amen!
This is what I try to tell my Christian-Maga friends but they can't hear it. He's not our savior!
I agree totally- it is akin to those want to associate Santa with Jesus’ birth...