Its High Noon in America

Gary Cooper in High Noon

It’s high noon in America and I see two steely eyed, heavily armed cowboys walking out into the middle of the street ready to face each other down. You can almost hear the theme music from a Clint Eastwood movie as you stare into the eyes of the two warriors fixed in a laser- like gaze on each other as they slowly maneuver themselves closer and closer, hands on their revolvers ready to pull and draw at the slightest hint of the others move to clear leather and fire.  The threats and gauntlets have been laid down and now there is no way out they must duel to the death and there is only room for one to walk away from this deadly war of words.  Both claim to be the one in the white hat, the defender of truth. He sees himself as the brave knight defending all that is good and true. Each claims to be the true spokesman for no other than the greatest truth crusader, Jesus Christ. The words are no longer enough its time to let the hot lead fly and only one cowboy walk away the victor.

            There is another dark figure in this story.  He is the one that always wears the black hat.  He’s the one that has been silently slinking around in the background putting choice tidbits in each of the cowboys ear always pitting one against the other appealing to their pride and their fears and driving them to believe that they themselves are the only true hope, the only way that all things will turn out right. You must be the defender of truth he whispers, though this dark hat cowboy knows nothing of truth, only twisted lies masquerading as light.

            I hope the reader will indulge my lame attempt at humor but in reality the scenario I am describing is not a laughing matter. I am talking about the ongoing battle of political speak between conservative media celebrities such as Glenn Beck and a few well known evangelical televangelists who are speaking out in support of Glenn’s attack on churches promoting the social or economic justice gospel.  Glenn has repeatedly appealed to churches in America to unite and speak up against these social justice perversions of the Gospel. He is warning loud and clear to Christians in America that the phrase social justice or economic justice inserted or preached in pulpits are in fact “code words” for a political ideology that denies salvation through the propitiation of the blood of Christ and replaces it with a salvation based on a collective redistribution of wealth. Glenn believes that the political left is in fact actively trying to turn churches in America into community organizations that are not about Christ and personal salvation through faith in Christ’s deity and his sacrifice of atonement, but rather a collective type of salvation through actively lobbying for social reform.

            I do not know if one could truthfully make the case that all churches that are teaching about social reform and economic reform can be charged with completely supplanting the Gospel’s message of redemption through the blood of Christ. I do not know if one could say that anyone who uses those terms are part of some great conspiratorial ring that are in truth are only fronts for left wing radical socialist or communist agendas. Undoubtedly there are some that are very much perverting the Gospel and twisting it into a means for a socio-political end. This is not a new thing but something that has been going on since the beginning. Paul warned young Timothy in 1st timothy 6:3-7 “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (NIV)

Indeed men that miss the meaning of the Gospel and twist it into some method through which we attain worldy fleshly gain have as Paul states been “robbed of the Truth”.

Financial gain in this passage means so much more than just the silver coin or the printed money.  It is referring to all the things of this flesh that men pine for such as power , prestige , influence , property or anything that is the currency of the love of this world.

            One such opponent of Glenn’s would be the very vociferous editor in chief of the Sojourners organization, Jim Wallis. There has been some sparing in the media from these two lately. Wallis has been compared to Jerry Falwell in his outspoken belief in merging his religious beliefs with his politics. In an article written four months ago entitled “Glenn Beck, Jim Wallis, and Falwell-esque Dangers of Mixing Politics and Faith” columnist Peter Wehner wrote; “In many respects he is, ironically enough, the mirror image of the late Jerry Falwell. Like Falwell, Wallis is drawn to power and attention like a moth to a flame on a dark summer night. Like the former founder of the Moral Majority, Wallis takes biblical principles and simplistically connects the dots to public policies he supports. He has, as the Reverend Falwell had, enormous confidence that he knows the mind of God on matters of politics. And Wallis says harsh and irresponsible things about those who hold views different than his. It is reasonable to say, I think, that there is little evidence of a spirit of grace and reconciliation in the words of Wallis.” Wallis is a very outspoken political activist that believes that using political means to achieve his spiritual goals is an integral part of the work of the church. He believes that the whole meaning of the incarnation of Christ was as much to right social wrongs and bring justice to the deprived than to offer himself as a sacrifice of atonement for sin. Consider these quotes from the Sojourner’s web site. The mission statement: “Our mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world,” the Web site Quotes William Stringfellow, an early activist civil rights lawyer who was an early supporter of the sojourner community, an Episcopal church clergyman, also heavily involved with the World Council of Churches. “The politics of the cross delivers a message to the nations, to all regimes and powers, and even unto the ends of the earth, marked by the cry of Jesus which invokes the psalm: kingly power belongs to the Lord, and dominion over the nations is his (Psalm 22:28). That is truly what the Incarnation is all about.” Jim Wallis also writes about the role of the state in an article entitled All Hands on Deck. “There is a biblical role for the state, just as there is for the church. And they are not the same. According to Romans 13, the state is supposed to uphold the rule of law by protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty. It suggests a clear role for the government in ensuring the common good. And when the state fulfills its role properly, it allows the church to do its work in the world. The church must become "bilingual" in speaking the evangelistic message of the kingdom of God to all that will hear and also speaking to the state about its role and responsibilities. Justice, equity, and fairness are biblical concerns for the Christian community and standards to which the government should be held to account.”

" Le Martyr de Saint Pierre " par Michel-Ange"

            I wonder what the apostle Peter and Paul might make of these two opposing views. The one vocalized by Glenn Beck that the role of the church is to unite in a political battle against the social justice churches to save the true gospel and to save the true form of Government, the democratic republic, which he believes is the “inspired” form of Government given by God to the founders. Would they espouse The role vocalized by Jim Wallis that the role of the Church is to right the social wrongs in our society by preaching a gospel of social economic justice and uniting every faith based organizations into political pacs that teams up with the state or alternatively pressures the state into playing it’s role as protector of the innocent and punisher of the guilty. It would seem to me that according to Mr. Wallis the church cannot play it’s proper role unless the state is properly playing it’s role. He seems to advocate that the church is woefully deficient in resources and ability to accomplish it’s purpose unless the government plays it’s proper role along side it.

            I suppose that Jesus in saying Matthew 16:18 “Upon this rock I shall build my Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it,” must have meant only if the government cooperates and helps provide the environment by which it can fulfill it’s mission. That mission being to bring justice to this corrupt world as defined by Mr. Wallis.

            To both of these men who would be the protectors of truth I would humbly submit that the Church will and has for more than 2000 years been fulfilling it’s role. That role as defined by Christ is multifaceted but uniform in its goal. The church is to be the “pillar and foundation of the truth” according to Ephesians 3:10,11 “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” What is the purpose of the Church? To preach the Gospel which means good news, to the world. The good news is that we can be reconciled to God through the blood of Christ as a propitiation for our sins. Romans 3:21-25.  How can we approach God with freedom and confidence? The Hebrew writer explains,  Hebrews10:20,22 “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

            The apostle Paul outlined the basic elements of the Gospel of Christ in 1^st Corinthians 15:1-9. Paul says that “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken

your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I

preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” Paul continues spelling out the basic elements of the message which is the eye witnessed fact of the death , burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He goes on to refute those who would deny the resurrection and argues that, vs 17, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”

Paul also warns sternly in his letter to the Galatians that perverting that gospel or preaching any other gospel would result in condemnation and loss of salvation. Ga. 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the

2  Cor.11:14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”

2Co. 2:11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not

unaware of his schemes. 

            Perverting the gospel of Christ is a serious matter. The apostle Paul holds both men and angels responsible for the way in which the gospel of Christ is preached. Galatians 1:12 “ I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” It is so important that men who profess to know the gospel accurately profess it because of its holy origin.

 Paul warned Christians in Colossians 2:6-10, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the Head over every power and authority.”

            It is a troubling thing to me to see these two culture warriors bringing their respective political and philosophical ideas into the limelight both claiming to be the spokesman for the true will of God for America’s political future.  It occurs to me that both the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter both died as martyr’s testifying to the truth of the gospel under the heavy hand of tyrannical Roman emperors, who were being used by satan to try to stamp out Christianity in it’s infancy. The blood of countless Christians still stains the hands of rulers of every kind throughout the centuries. Kings and monarchies of every kind, communism, socialism, democracy, republics, empires it matters not. The kingdom of Christ exists and flourishes no matter what the form of government or who might be its power. When Christ stood before Pilate and asked if he was a king he answered. John 8:36 “My kingdom is not of this world.” Christ’s kingdom, his church exists to testify to the deity of Christ and to his gracious purpose in coming to this world to save sinners. They do not use the weapons of this world, such as promoting  divisive political parties, lying, slandering , demonizing , propagandizing and pitting one segment of society against another to achieve a political agenda. These tactics are the common currency of that black hat shadowy stranger that wants to destroy Christ and his church. Paul wrote, 2Corinthians 10:3 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

            As Peter was about to be hung upside down on a cross because of his testimony about Christ he wrote to Christians. 1Peter 2:17 “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 13:1-7 “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has

established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

           

            Glenn I appreciate the history lessons and the fact that you have warned all of America of the hidden and nefarious ways in which a political movement has gained power. I appreciate that you love your country and the form of government that has long been a blessing to our country, but be careful friend. Do not let the black hated stranger twist your zeal for country and truth into a backdoor attack on the church through an appeal to preserve our nation. I too love this country and it’s form of government but I love the Lord and his church more. I look to a heavenly country whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:16.  I believe the founders humbly prayed to the Lord and asked for wisdom as to how to form a government that would provide as much freedom and opportunity as possible to it’s citizens. I believe the Lord answered there prayer and blessed this country abundantly.  I believe he did that for his own purposes.  The church, however, is his own special people set apart for a special purpose, and that purpose must remain pure and not mingled with lesser purposes such as the preservation of democracy.  Let the preservation of our nation be done If the Lord wills.  A Christian can speak and write and vote as any other citizen to help preserve our freedoms but be careful oh Christian. Do not leave a holy calling in order to pursue a temporal one.

To Jim and all who long to see justice done and society more equal and harmonious I say be careful that your longing to reform this corrupt world not become a tool by the black hat deceiver to twist the message of the gospel of peace into a gospel of health and wealth and redistribution of this worlds goods.

            The church belongs to Christ and is a kingdom unto itself. A monarch, king Jesus Christ, rules it.  Its purpose is to glorify Him and reveal Him to the world. Its supreme law is His word and it is a kingdom that shall never end. It is comprised of men and women from every nation, from every period of time, and will survive every attempt from Satan to destroy it.

May God bless our nation and heal the land.

Psalms 60:2 Thou hast made the land to tremble; thou hast rent it: Heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.