HOW FAR LEFT HAS THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT STRAYED?

By Debbie O'Hara
December 3, 2004
NewsWithViews.com

Seeking to take advantage of the momentum gained by the recent re-election of "conservatives" to public office, the Rev. Jerry Falwell has announced the formation of his new "Faith and Values Coalition" that will serve as a guide to Christian voters. In order to assure that "conservatives" are again elected in 2008, Falwell said the group will help keep momentum going "to maintain an evangelical revolution of voters who will continue to go to the polls to 'vote Christian". But is what we saw in this past election really an "evangelical revolution" of Christian voting or was it more a matter of the sheep following blindly behind leaders who have gone astray? Who is leading these Christians and where are they going?

Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Dr. Donald Wildmon of The American Family Association and Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries, were among the Christian leaders Falwell credited with getting out the evangelical vote. Of the over 30 million evangelicals who turned out on election night, Falwell stated, "I proudly say they voted Christian!" Really? By whose standards does he make such a claim? Certainly not by Christ's!

Rather than telling Christians to research individual candidates to see who held a godly position, our nation's top Christian leaders overwhelmingly urged people to vote Republican and to re-elect President Bush to the highest office in our land. Let's take a look at Bush's first term in office to see if we can say that evangelicals "voted Christian" by giving President Bush a second term.

During his first term, President Bush signed Domestic Partnership Bills that for the first time gave federal benefits to same-sex couples. He appointed numerous open homosexuals to high public office even paying travel expenses for their homosexual partners. Bush increased abortion funding through "family planning" organizations like Planned Parenthood. His open border policy leaves our nation vulnerable to more terrorist attacks while Americans are being sexually abused at airports in the name of protecting them from terrorists. Knowing how anti-Christian our government schools are, what benefit is there for Christian families under Bush's proposed Orwellian "New Freedom Initiative" that calls for all children under the age of 18 years (eventually all Americans) to be examined by a psychiatrist? Sounds more like Stalinist Russia than America to me. In this age of "political correctness", both religion and aversion to socialism are considered mental illnesses. On ABC News with Charles Gibson, Bush again stated that Muslims and Christians worship the same God - we just have different routes of getting there. It seems that I could continue on with this list almost endlessly, but I think I have proven my point overwhelmingly that Falwell's statement "I proudly say they voted Christian" is false. Those who use the voting for the "lesser of two evils" argument certainly cannot claim that as a Christian concept. We did have a better choice. (See Leave the Results to God.)

It's interesting to note that President Bush says he owes his "conversion" to the Reverend Billy Graham. While Graham, often known as "America's pastor", is probably one of the best-loved individuals of the 20th century, you might be surprised at some of his statements. On Larry King Live in December 1994, Graham stated that "homosexuals are born that way and that it's in their genes."[1] This statement of course is false because homosexuals cannot reproduce and therefore cannot pass on their genes to the next generation. Unfortunately by his statement, Graham leaves the thought open to millions of his followers that homosexuals are not responsible for their lifestyles. If Graham is responsible for Bush's "conversion", perhaps this is why Bush along with many other Americans accept "civil unions" (virtual marriage) for homosexuals. This of course contradicts the Word of God.

Graham also said that one does not have to believe in Jesus to go to heaven! When Pastor Robert Schuller, one of the fathers of the church growth movement, asked him "�what do you think is the future of Christianity?" Graham responded in part "�Outside the Christian groups, I think everybody who knows Christ, whether they are conscious of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ." He went on to say, "�whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they've been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus �and I think they are saved, and that they are going to be in heaven with us."[2] Perhaps it is because of Billy Graham that President Bush thinks that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

So where are the Christians of America being led? Not to Christ, but to accepting a socialist world government and the ecumenical movement where common ground is to be found among the world religions in order to bring about peace and unity among men on earth without God! The Bible speaks of unity in doctrine, but in this "new world order" being created for us, doctrine is to be thrown out in favor of world "tolerance". The only thing that all men around the globe have in common is their sin and that is what our world leaders want us to have tolerance for!

Scripture encourages us to accept guidance from other people in the body of Christ. "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Ephesians 4: 11, 12. However, we were also given a word of caution. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1.

How do we try the spirits? By testing them against Scripture, of course. Professing Christians don't seem to be testing anything. They have bought the liberal left's philosophy of a gushy unbiblical kind of "love" that wants nothing to do with holiness, righteousness or justice. They believe it is "unchristian" to hurt people's feelings by exposing deceit. Jesus sure didn't think so.

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" (Matthew 23) In speaking woes unto the religious leaders of His day, Christ still sends a strong message to us in our day. Deceit is to be exposed wherever it is found.

It seems that Christians will accept the lie of "liberalism" as long as it is disguised behind the term "Republican". I heard a lot of vitriolic speech spewed forth from professing Christians who were upset with their brethren who would not vote for George W. Bush. They said that not voting for Bush was the same as voting for Kerry. While I don't agree with that statement, I would at least like to comment that if Kerry was in the White House there would be far more objection from America's Christians to the totalitarian agenda being forced upon us!

To those Christians who voted to give President Bush and his fellow leftists - ahem - "conservatives" another term, I ask, were they seeking the Shepherd or were they just following the flock? As a nation, we must prayerfully seek guidance daily for President Bush and for our other leaders. But surely we must wonder how far "left" the "Christian Right" has strayed when they choose for themselves such ungodly leaders?

Footnotes:

1 Billy Graham and His Friends, A Hidden Agenda? Dr. Cathy Burns
2 ibid

� 2004 Debbie O'Hara - All Rights Reserved