The last presidential election was interesting, of great concern and steeped in religion. God, it seemed, was in use by all candidates. On the Republican side, the candidates came down to a choice of three. Mitt Romney (Mormon), Mike Huckabee (Evangelical) and John McCain (Raised Episcopalian; now attends a Southern Baptist church). On the Democrat side it came down to Hillary Clinton (United Methodist) and Barack Obama (Trinity United Church of Christ, Afro-centric rooted in Black Liberation Theology which at its core is Marxism wrapped in Christian sounding terminology).
Evangelicals seemed to be split into four segments which I think made all the difference in the outcome of the election. One segment, the Emerging Church represented in Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Donald Miller and others in the merging Evangelical Left. They supported Barack Obama because his plan was to redistribute the wealth. They favor Socialism over capitalism (even though they personally have done quite well in their book sales and speaking fees). Another segment worked hard against Mitt Romney in order to prevent a Mormon, someone from a New Religious Movement or what is regarded by Evangelicals as a cult, to be president. Mike Huckabee did remarkably well with little money but a great grass roots movement and remained in the race up to the bitter end a week or two before the national nominating convention. Another group worked against John McCain who is viewed by them as a traitor to conservatism, many of them simply boycotted the election and thus didn’t cancel out any votes for Barack Obama. The fourth segment worked for conservative candidates in the Republican and Independent parties but didn’t seem to have as loud of a public voice. All of this is interesting to me but MCOI is not a political activist organization. Government won’t save us but God may use it to bless of punish a nation. As long as MCOI does not advocate for a candidate or party we are legally free to comment from a religious perspective on issues of ethics and morality. The online article The IRS, Churches, & Politics helps to clarify this point. Barack Obama’s followers and the main stream media give him a nearly messianic allegiance and defense. Nearly everything about his presidency derives from a religious worldview ( Black Liberation Theology ) and commitment to carry it out in the world. While Obama says US cannot impose its values: BBC interview he now has the power to force his views on the citizens of the United States against their will and to their detriment. Currently the Congress and main stream media support him in his mission and implementation of his wonderful plan for your life, to remake America into a Socialist State.
Obama’s beliefs are what one of MCOI’s Advisory Board members, Dr. Jerry Buckner calls, “The Cult of Black Liberation Theology.†Talk show host, Glen Beck (Mormon) did one of the better jobs in the national media of a thumb nail expose of Barack Obama’s Black Liberation Theology. In it Beck quotes from one of the key leaders which Trinity’s pastor, Jeremiah Wright, states he gets his views from, James Cone. Cone writes in his book Black Power and Black Theology:
Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the Black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then He is a murderer and we had better kill Him. The task of Black Theology is to kill gods who do not belong to the Black community…
It is interesting that Obama has found so much support from Pastor Rick Warren (opened the DNC convention in prayer), Donald Miller (he opened one of the DNC session with prayer) Brian McLaren (headed up a large group of the rising Evangelical Left). I wonder if they noticed they are the wrong color. Cone continues:
Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of Black People to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity we must reject His love.
Ken Blackwell of the Family Research Council states:
It is an alternative doctrine of the church that embraces big government. It advances a collectivist idea and it says the state not the individual is central to society and that is very disquieting but it also gives you a better understanding of the undergirding of Senator Obama’s big government liberal philosophy that would increase spending, would increase taxes, weaken our military and out position in the world.
Ken Blackwell explained this prior to the election but very few listened.
As we sat and watched the nationalization of some of the major banks, the dismantling of U.S. auto manufacturers and many wondered why. Did he not understand what he was doing they answer is, he did and does. His worldview, which directs his plan for our lives us as citizens and the nation as a whole is to eliminate individualism and make the collectivist “state central to society.†As much as Obama is overtly denying what he is doing the consequences of his actions are clear for all to see. Even the Russian news agency, Pravda, is shocked that American Capitalism Gone with a Wimper. They even recognized the role of the church in assisting in this process, something we have been pointing out for several years:
Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different “branches and denominations” were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the “winning” side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the “winning” side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America
I think their prediction on where this is all heading is right on target:
The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America’s short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.
The moves to eliminate freedom of speech for radio, television and Evangelicals are in the works. Barack has been successful as most false teachers are, at creating and maintaining a sense of urgency in his followers to implement his worldview and wonderful plan for your life. This will very much change how the church carries out its mission for America, for the first time, will be controlled by a New Religious Movement. Apologetics will become essential to pre-evangelism and challenging the worldview which is being embraced by so many. Is your church ready or will they embrace Barack’s love and wonderful plan for their lives as well?
Hi Don,
Thanks for this. Great facts and very, VERY scary.
Bill
Interesting comments about Black liberation theology.
Thank you,
Mrs. Webfoot
I have been thinking about this. There is a lot of food for thought, here. I am especially interested in Marxism and how it has tried in many ways to marry itself to Christianity.
I’m sure you have heard the flap over Obama’s statements about our religion – that we aren’t a Christian nation, that we are a Muslim country. 🙂
Obama:
“One of the great strengths of the United States,” the President said, “is … we have a very large Christian population — we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values.”
Obama:
“[I]f you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.”
What do you think that he is talking about?
I wish he’d quit telling us what our religion is and what it is not. Isn’t that above his pay grade? It seems like it to me.
God bless,
Mrs. Webfoot
Thank you, Don, for this article. A friend and I were just discussing this very thing last week, and altho she was initially terrified (her words) of Obama winning the election, she now thinks he’s doing a pretty good job, considering what he was left do deal with upon coming into office. She said she certainly doesn’t believe Obama is intentionally trying to dismantle and destroy the economy, remove our freedoms, and remake the USA according to his socialist vision for us, and she was shocked to know that I believe that he is!! Of course, my friend thinks I’m nuts…. I’m glad to see I’m in good company!!! 🙂
God bless!
Norma
Thanks. About a year ago I was trying to find info on this topic but had no luck.
I wonder why I don’t hear about it preached more from the pulpit esp from black evangelicals.
Christians and God’s church should not support or criticize any politicians. To become involved in a corrupt system that relies completely on obscene amounts of money is to compromise the gospel and give the false impression that we believe in a gospel of morality.
Democracy itself is based upon the leverage of the majority which is completely at odds with the teachings of Christ. Our calling is the salvation of souls, not the morality of a nation. America has never been a Christian nation, it has always been a plualistic society based upon the pursuit of happiness, not the service of Jesus Christ.
The first amendment is more honest that many Christians are when it comes to portraying this nation as Christian. Neither the constitution nor the Declaration of Independence mention the name of Jesus at all.
The political diversion of the church has been to the detriment of the kingdom of God.
Rick,
As far as I know, the only brands of Christians who hold the kind of position you describe are Anabaptists and certain types of fundamentalists. I personally believe that involvement in politics is part of our God-given stewardship over creation. And since redemption will ultimately include all of creation, the fall does not negate our responsibility.
Technically, our form of government is not a democracy—at least not a direct democracy—but a republic. The founding fathers were suspicious of democracy. The primary differences between the republic they founded and the one we have today are (1) more authority has been concentrated in federal government since the Civil War, and (2) suffrage (the right to vote) is virtually universal for everyone 18 or older. The fact that our founding documents do not mention Christ does not answer the question of how God expects us to relate to our government.
I think Christians should be cautious as to how they engage in politics, but I think they would be negligent if they didn’t.
I normally dont take the time to leave comments, however it is difficult to find actual infomation on this subject today. You did a great job in this post and I am going to take the time to look at the rest of your posts. Keep up the great work!