Ralph Reed holding a sign: Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed.

© Win McNamee/Getty Images Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed.

 

 

One Example of the Awful State of American Christianity

In response to the article below titled “Render to God and Trump”: Ralph Reed calls for 2020 obedience to Trump

 

Idol worship and nationalism have no place on the throne of God and Jesus, nor does idol worship and nationalism sit equally with the pursuit and worship of God Almighty, or discipleship of Jesus Christ the Lord, or faithful meditation upon, faith in and obedience to the inerrant living infallible Word of God.

The right to vote is just that. A right. Not an edict. Not a proclamation. Not a law one must vote or else. Voting is a right. Period. No one should be telling anyone else how to vote. That this sinful nation must have one person in such and such office in order to continue to withstand, to overcome, and so on.

Nationalism has no place in the kingdom of God.

Idol worship has no place in the kingdom of God.

Preaching politics and who to vote for from so-called evangelicals has no place in the kingdom of God.

The state of Christendom and evangelistic Christianity in America is sad. Sickening. A diseased and ailing body, infected, corrupted due to the fact it went to and allowed Satan to begin prescribing what the body needs rather than always going to the Head! To the Lord! To the Bible! To God in fervent prayer!

Yes, we give to the government (Caesar as the reference is in the Bible) what is the governments. We are to pay our taxes. Obey the laws of the land — as long as they do not oppose or go against the Word of God. If we want to vote we still have that right. We are not ordered to vote. If we do not want to vote because none of the choices meet the Biblical criteria of morals, character, so on — to not vote is also our prerogative if in good conscience we believe we cannot endorse, put our stamp of approval on someone if none appear upright and even giving a modest example of morality and basic principals contained within the Bible.

Yes, in voting for any democrat in these woeful, sin-filled decadent immoral times is to certainly vote for continued and increasing murder of children, pushing the boundaries, some ripples within so-called ethicists writing papers that children up to one year of age ought to be killed LEGALLY if the parents determine to do so. Yes, what is and what is coming is beyond horrific comprehension dear ones — but no man, no woman who professes to be a disciple of Jesus, a genuine transformed, regenerated believer and thus genuine Christian needs to make speeches, write books, go on TV, in public and tell people they need to vote for such and such.

But Donald Trump is not the savior and ought never even be considered close to being one, or some avenging angel, or prophet. He is far from any of those.

What is taking place in America and has been since the early to mid-1980s of mixing politics with the Christian faith?

This goes against the Word of God.

Why? Because nothing and no one is to come between God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and obedience to the whole of the Bible. Nothing and no one. No matter what, who, where, when or why there is no justification for placing nationalism and idol worship on equal footing with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and going against Their instruction and words of warning within Their word.

There has been, and is an ever increasing mingling of the world, politics, worldly ideologies and practices — appearing no different from anyone in the world — within so-called evangelical Christianity. A continual erosion, perversion, corrupting and twisting, an ever so subtle and oft times not so subtle twisting of God’s word to fit an agenda, a carnal (fleshly) purpose. Not God’s purpose.

Want to know God’s will? To truly know God? To truly know Jesus? Then spend more and more and more and more and MORE time in the Holy Bible. Live within the pages and words of the Holy Scriptures!

And there anyone can and will find there is no place for nationalism or idol worship, or mixing 2 parts carnal manmade philosophies and practices with 1 part Scripture, mix well and serve it up…

doing such is being among the world, among the false teachers, placating those with itching ears turned to fables, to those pleasing and acceptable to the master they serve here on earth but not living according to the Word of God.

I am a patriotic American. I love our country. I love our foundations, which are continually and ever-increasingly being eroded, corrupted and torn asunder, but that does not mean I serve country and any person here, including any person running for public office, or in public office on anywhere near the same plain as I do God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Not even close.

America is going to vanish away. America, for all we have been and are is going to pass away.

All men idolized, adored, and placed on pedestals are going to die. Take nothing with them. And be turned to dust again. Their flesh forever gone.

Yet eternity, ahh, eternity goes on forever and ever and ever. The kingdom of God is what we are to seek and obey. Not the kingdoms of this world. Obey the laws? Certainly. Pay taxes? Certainly. But let nationalism and idol worship not come anywhere close, anywhere nearer our God and Lord Jesus Christ!

Enough already.

Where, ask yourself where, search out where is the speaking or writing of placing all our trust and faith in God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit in all the speeches, the sound bytes, the books, articles, campaign rhetoric, pushing of candidates and agendas in all of this? All of it? Where is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit truly? I’ll tell you where — used in vain! Used for carnal purposes! Used to entice people! Used to deceive! And these are so-called men and women of God doing such?

Where is God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures in all of the below, in all of it? Except to be used in vain! To be used for worldly purpose and agendas rather than advancing the kingdom of God, rather than advancing the gospel!

Think long, hard and deeply on that dear ones…

Pray and repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand — not the kingdoms of man, any man!

 

Ken Pullen

ACP — A Crooked Path

Wednesday, October 9th, 2019

‘Render to God and Trump’: Ralph Reed calls for 2020 obedience to Trump

 

 

By Gabby Orr

October 9, 2019

 

 

One of Donald Trump’s most prominent Christian supporters will argue in a book due out before the 2020 general election that American evangelicals “have a moral obligation to enthusiastically back” the president.

The book’s author, Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed, became a loyal foot soldier for Trump immediately after he nabbed the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 — commanding hordes of white evangelical voters from his perch on the candidate’s religious advisory board to trust that the New York businessman would grow the economy, defend religious freedom and dismantle federal protections for abortion, if elected.

According to the book’s description, the original title for the book was “Render to God and Trump,” a reference to the well-known biblical verse, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” The message from Jesus in Matthew 22 has been used in contemporary politics to justify obedience to government — or in the case of Reed’s book, to Trump.

Regnery Publishing confirmed the book’s existence but said the title is “For God and Country: The Christian case for Trump.” The publisher declined to comment on the reason for the title change.

In his book, Reed will “persuasively” argue evangelicals have a duty to defend the incumbent Republican leader against “the stridently anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and pro-abortion agenda of the progressive left,” according to the description.

He will also rebut claims by religious and nonreligious critics that white evangelical Protestants “revealed themselves to be political prostitutes and hypocrites” by overwhelmingly backing Trump, a twice-divorced, admitted philanderer, in 2016.

“Critics charge that evangelical Trump supporters … have so thoroughly compromised their witness that they are now disqualified from speaking out on moral issues in the future,” the description reads.

Reed, who once said Trump’s comments about women in the leaked “Access Hollywood” tape were low on his “hierarchy of concerns,” belongs to an informal group of evangelical leaders — including Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., Robert Jeffress and Paula White — who have become some of the president’s most devoted fans and vocal defenders since he took office. They have cast his foray into politics as divinely inspired; equated him to biblical figures such as Esther, an Old Testament heroine; and frequently cited Scripture to rationalize his most controversial policies — actions that other religious scholars and leaders have found particularly cringeworthy.

“I think evangelical efforts would be far better spent critiquing their own shortcomings than sanctifying a president,” said Matthew Rowley, a research associate with the Cambridge Institute on Religion and International Studies at Clare College.

For his part, Trump has inspired loyalty among his white evangelical base by positioning himself as a warrior against the secular culture they fear. He’s frequently appeared at conferences hosted by conservative Christian groups, including the “Road to Majority” summit put on by Reed’s organization each summer; strengthened conscience protections for religious Americans in the labor force; nominated dozens of socially conservative judges for lifetime federal appointments; and fervently supported Israel.

“Part of the reason why many religious leaders support Trump is because he is great on life, religious freedom, judges, Israel, taxes, conscience protections, fetal issue and also because Hillary Clinton and his would-be opponents next year are so awful on all of the above,” a senior administration official said.

But the same official said there‘s a difference between the president’s alliance with influential evangelical leaders and his private reaction to those who publicly fawn over his administration. Asked about Reed’s book, in particular, this person responded, “Oh, for crying out loud.”

“It shows how little they understand Donald Trump. He actually abhors obsequiousness,” the official said.

Indeed, the president has been known to mock right-wing television personalities and former aides who have showered him with praise on their shows and in books. After an on-air interview with Sean Hannity in which the pro-Trump Fox News host admitted to warning Trump on Election Day that he was likely to lose, the president reportedly complained to aides about Hannity’s “dumb” softball questions. Trump also teased former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who now serves as one of his personal attorneys, after he unabashedly defended him in the wake of the “Access Hollywood” tape scandal, The Wall Street Journal reported last week.

Reed, however, hasn’t always heaped praise on the president. At the height of the Trump administration’s family separation scandal at the U.S.-Mexico border, the former Georgia Republican Party chairman penned a letter to lawmakers encouraging them to pass an immigration bill that would “strengthen the nuclear family” by ending the “heartbreaking and tragic” practice of placing migrant children and their parents in different detention facilities. And a person close to Reed said he has at times taken issue with the president’s obscene tweets and profanity-laced speeches.

But when it comes to protecting the president and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill, Reed has gone all-in. His group invested $18 million in get-out-the-vote efforts during last year’s midterm cycle, and he has warned conservative Christians that “pretty much everything” is on the line in 2020.

“Our plan in 2020 is to have 500 paid staff and about 5,000 volunteers. Some of these folks are knocking on doors eight hours a day,” Reed recently said on a podcast.

Reed’s book is expected to be released next April, seven months before voters will decide whether to reelect Trump. He has written seven books, including three political novels.