Chuck Baldwin -- An Open Letter To Christian Conservatives

AN OPEN LETTER TO CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVES

By Pastor Chuck Baldwin

January 31, 2004

NewsWithViews.com

My purpose in writing these columns is to make people think, to confront current events and trends with an intense appreciation for truth. My desire is also to awaken a lethargic population to an ever increasing societal, cultural, political, and spiritual departure from America's historic Christian roots and from a commitment to constitutional government.

When I confronted the foibles and fallacies of President Bill Clinton, Christian conservatives hailed me a hero. I was deluged with congratulatory emails and letters. Their appreciation for my work could not be expressed loudly or often enough.

However, when I confront the foibles and fallacies of President George W. Bush, those same Christian conservatives call me every dirty name in the book. I am suddenly their enemy. Their songs of praise for my work have turned into a cacophony of hate. But amazingly, I am saying the same things now that I said then. So, what has changed?

I submit that what has changed are the attitudes and principles of vast numbers of Christian conservatives. Where once they stood for truth, they now stand for political parties. Where once they gave their loyalty and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and even the Bible, they now swear loyalty and allegiance to G. W. Bush and the Republican Party. It seems that many Christians have become little more than spineless lackeys for a political machine. They seem to have lost the ability to think critically and objectively.

Scores of readers have chastised me for criticizing President Bush, calling him God's "anointed." Countless numbers of Christians seem to believe that G.W. Bush deserves the kind of unquestioned loyalty that they would give to the Apostle Paul or even to Christ Himself. Of course, such thinking is beyond foolishness; it borders on blasphemy!

G. W. Bush is an elected politician. He was elected President of these United States. Nothing more; nothing less. He has no more divine "anointing" than any other elected politician.

Where was all this "anointing" talk when Bill Clinton was elected President? The same God that permitted Bush to become President permitted Clinton to become President. Yet, Christian conservatives called Clinton the Anti-Christ, whereas they now want to add Bush to the Holy Trinity. However, they can't have it both ways: If Bush is God's "anointed," so was Clinton.

While we are on the subject, it seems lost to most Christian conservatives that G.W. Bush is a member of the same church denomination as Senator Hillary Clinton. Yet, I doubt that we will hear many of them referring to Hillary's divine "anointing."

The fact is, under our form of government, God has given to "we the people" the right and responsibility of selecting our leaders. Therefore, we have the President, the Congress, the courts, and the state and local leaders that we elect.

There is no king or monarch in America! There is no "divine right" to any political party or to any politician to any public office in this country! In America, the people must rule themselves. They do this through their elected lawmakers and elected chief executives.

When the people's elected leaders stray from their oaths of office, when they violate their contracts with the people, when they govern unjustly or unconstitutionally, it is the right and duty of the people to openly criticize them, scold them, and replace them.

One of America's finer presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, said, "To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or anyone else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."

My criticisms of President Bush are consistent with my criticisms of President Clinton. They are based on his policies, statements, and administrative decisions. I never attempt to judge his heart, for only God has judgment and authority there. However, I will continue to judge his actions, or inactions, as is my constitutional right and duty to do.

Accordingly, I charge G. W. Bush with posturing himself as a conservative while giving us bigger government than did even Bill Clinton. I charge him with creating the machinery with which a police state may emerge. Furthermore, I charge President Bush with attempting to take more freedoms away from the American people than any president in modern memory.

I also believe that Mr. Bush has redundantly violated his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and that he has given nothing but lip service to the pro-life and pro-family agendas. It is also my contention that President Bush has jeopardized the security of these United States and has made a mockery of our nation's laws by his treacherous illegal alien amnesty proposal. He also lied to the American people by saying he supported the Second Amendment only later to endorse the Clinton gun ban.

Even worse, I charge Christian conservatives with willingly surrendering their independent thinking as well as their American heritage in order to accommodate President Bush and the Republican Party. I further charge them with selling their spiritual birthright for a mess of political pottage!

We should expect more of our leaders than lip service. Indeed, if any elected office holder talks the Christian talk, he should be held to a higher, not lesser, standard. Beyond that, the one standard that really matters for any elected politician is not his rhetoric, but his loyalty and commitment to America's founding principles. This should be the overriding determinate as to whether he or she is re- elected or un-elected, party affiliation or denominational affiliation notwithstanding.

Therefore, I stand by my criticisms of President Bush. And I will continue to warn the American people of his big government, pseudo-conservative policies. I will not be partaker of his political sins.

Whether readers react with anger or appreciation to these columns is not my responsibility. If, however, these columns can somehow create a hunger for truth, a thirst for freedom, and a reverence for America's founding principles, they will have attained their intended purpose.

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Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. In 1985 the church was recognized by President Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and influence.

Dr. Baldwin is the host of a lively, hard-hitting syndicated radio talk show on the Genesis Communications Network called, "Chuck Baldwin Live" This is a daily, one hour long call-in show in which Dr. Baldwin addresses current event topics from a conservative Christian point of view. Pastor Baldwin writes weekly articles on the internet http://www.ChuckBaldwinLive.com and newspapers.

To learn more about his radio talk show please visit his web site at: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com. When responding, please include your name, city and state E-mail: chuck@chuckbaldwinlive.com

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"When I confronted the foibles and fallacies of President Bill Clinton, Christian conservatives hailed me a hero...

However, when I confront the foibles and fallacies of President George W. Bush, those same Christian conservatives call me every dirty name in the book."