The Story of Two Nations
FRIDAY, October 7, Robert Jeffress, the pastor of a Southern Baptist mega-church in Texas, got his 15 minutes of fame when he introduced presidential candidate, Rick Perry at a Values Voters Summit in Washington. Jeffress asked, “Do we want a candidate who is a good, moral person — or one who is a born-again follower of the Lord, Jesus Christ?” He later told reporters that Mormonism was a “cult.” (Mormonism doesn't recognize Jesus as God - but rather, the son of God, the brother of Satan))
The scuttlebutt over the next several days centered on whether or not Jeffress should have said what he said. Is someone’s faith relevant to being the leader of our country? The Constitution, Article 6, Clause 3: “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” So legally, one’s faith is not a factor. But democratically, elections are not about what is legal, but about what “we the people” want.
TUESDAY, October 11, Mitt Romney called on Rick Perry to repudiate Pastor Jeffress’ remarks. He said that Jeffress’ remarks were divisive. He said, “I believe in the spirit of the founders, when they suggested in crafting this country that we would be a nation that tolerated other people, different faiths -- that we’d be a place of religious diversity,"
What do you think? Are you sympathetic to the verbal pounding Pastor Jeffress has received? Or, do you think he was an idiot for saying such a thing? Should we choose a Christian to lead us? Or, is the economy the issue that trumps all others?
In Egypt…
In Egypt, there has been a growing tension between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority (which make up 10% of the population) ever since President Mubarak was overthrown in February.
MONDAY, On October 10, 25 people were killed and 329 wounded (mostly Christians), when Christians protested the partial destruction of one of their churches by radical Muslims. They demanded the resignation of a governor for failing to protect them. The Los Angeles Times reports, "To support its version of events, which starkly contrasted with video posted by activists and protesters, the military aired video of the clashes taken by state TV and independent Egyptian media."
What are we to believe? Are the Christian’s at fault for protesting? Are the Muslim’s at fault for how they treat the Christians? Is the leaders at fault – for turning a blind eye to how the Muslims treat the Christians, and for how they handled the Christians who were protesting?
The Story of Two Kings
Once upon a time, there was a king named Ahaz, who lived in Judah. King Ahaz was a business man. He saw what all the other kings were doing, and how rich and powerful they had become, and he wanted to be like them. So, he closed the Temple of the Lord (2 Chronicles 28:24) and worshipped their gods and made the worship of these gods popular and convenient. King Ahaz was a religious man.
But the Bible says Lord handed him over to these kings he envied. He was attacked by Aram and Israel, the Edomites and the Philistines and Assyria. They experienced heavy causalities. 120,000 men were killed in one day, and 200,000 wives and children were taken into slavery. His kingdom was plundered (2 Chronicles 28:8).
Years later, there was a new king named Hezekiah (Ahaz’s son). Hezekiah sought God. He led his people to repent and turn to God. He united the people by teaching them the Word of God (2 Chronicles 30:12). The people were blessed. The people were safe. And his kingdom prospered (2 Chronicles 31:21)
So, I ask you, how important is the faith of our leaders? Is it enough for our leaders to be religious? To be moral? Do we see that our leaders need to be led by more than just a Higher Power, but the Highest Power – the King of kings, Jesus Christ. Do we see that our safety, our well-being, our prosperity as a nation is dependent on not who is leading our nation, but who is leading our leaders?
Go Bless,
Pete
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. - Psalm 127:1
