A Prayer for Civic Righteousness

O God, thou great governor of all the world: We pray for all who hold public office and power, and for the life, welfare, and virtue of the people who are in their hands. Strengthen the sense of duty in our political life. Grant that the servants of the state may feel ever more deeply that any diversion of their public powers for private ends is a betrayal of their country. Purge our cities, states, and nation of the deep causes of corruption which have so often made sin profitable and uprightness hard. Breathe a new spirit into all our nation. Give our leaders new vision and set their hearts on fire with large resolves. Raise up a new generation of public men [and women] with the faith and daring of the kingdom of God in their hearts, who will enlist for life in a holy warfare for the freedom and the rights of all people. Amen.

Taken from The Methodist Book of Worship for Church and Home, 1965

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Taxes, Part 3 (A Sermon)

Special Guest Contributor: Rev. Michael Hudson
Preached on April 29, 2012

11) And what do we do when we see these problems? We say, “the govt needs to….” Government has replaced fathers with a welfare check leaving men in many communities unwanted in the home.  Do you know what the most common denominator of men in prison is?  No fathers.  An act of “compassion” ends up destroying families and locks people into dependency for life.  The government has undermined the authority and role God gave to the family.  We think we are being compassionate by giving people money, but putting our trust in government has brought more devastation than help.

 12) I have found that in most cases, the people coming to the church have families but they can’t or won’t go back to them for help.  They need reconciliation.  Think about the prodigal son for a minute. (Luke 15:11-32)   Poor, hungry, homeless, destitute.  He needs help.  He could go to the welfare office and get an EBT card but does that bring transformation in his life?  It hasn’t for millions of Americans.  It can’t because there is no individual accountability, no care and nurture.  His problem only continues.

 13) How can we bring transformation to the prodigal son’s situation?  What is his biggest need? Reconciliation with his father.  His father is waiting for him to repent and come home.  Not only are his material needs taken care of (finest robe, ring for his finger, shoes for his feet, and a beef brisket bbq) but, forgiveness and new life are found as well.  That does not happen with a tax-funded government program.  All he has to do is swallow his pride and go home.  Do you think God is in the business of getting people to swallow their pride?  Family keeps us humble.  The family is instituted by God and is the most effective and efficient way to care for individuals in society. 

 14) But what if they have no family?  The second question I ask someone who comes into the church looking for help is, “Where do you attend church?”  Why? Because a church family is going to know you!  It is still about RELATIONSHIPS.

 15) God also institutes the Church for the betterment of individuals and society.  Through the church we have the sacraments to receive God’s grace, the Scriptures to preach salvation and the good news of Christ to society, and to know right and wrong.  How is the family and the government to know what pleases the Lord, what right and wrong is if the church remains silent?  The church is to be the conscious of the state.  To put that in the vernacular, we must speak truth to power.  The church is also instituted by God to be agents of mercy.  But she has abdicated her role to the government.

James 2 ¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

We have allowed the government to be the dispensers of mercy and charity.  It requires faith on behalf of the church to be able to supply people with needs.  The church must look to God to provide, especially when the need is bigger than it can handle.  But since we have allowed the government to handle those needs, little faith is required by the church. No wonder the church is anemic and everyone ignores what she says.   

 16) So much so that society no longer prefers to use the word mercy.  What do we call ministries that feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked?  They are not mercy ministries, we now call them “social justice”.  Do you know why?  Because you cannot demand that people give mercy, but you can demand justice.

 The church cannot seize your bank account or throw you in jail if you don’t tithe.  But the government can if you don’t pay your taxes to support their mandated charity.

 17) Mercy, in order to be mercy, must be freely given.  When mercy and love are freely given they become redemptive and transformational in people’s lives.  But if acts of love and charity or mandated, then they are no longer acts of love and charity.  You cannot require people to be merciful.  When mercy is mandated it ceases to be mercy and becomes tyranny. 

 19) Politicians are quick to promise other people’s money to demonstrate how much the care.  And we are quick to say look how compassionate they are.  If they we so compassionate they would give out of their own pocket and not take from the public’s money.  I out gave the Vice President last year in charitable contributions 2 to 1.  I’m not talking about percentage of income, I mean dollar for dollar.  But he will go around and tell me that unless I pay more in taxes I’m not compassionate.  I recommend you read  Davy Crocket’s speech “It’s not yours to give” in Bill Bennett’s The Book of Man, pg. 245. Or you can google it.

 20) But, I have plenty of colleges that think the Kingdom of God will come through a government program.  I had a seminary professor say, “You’d better vote Jesus and not you wallets!”  I don’t ever remember Jesus being on my ballot.  But what he was saying essentially was I was being selfish and uncaring if I voted for candidates who wouldn’t raise taxes.  He was suggesting that the government would be more compassionate and caring with my money than I would.  Really?  Think about this for a minute realistically.  Who will be more effective with the money God has entrusted to me in bringing about the Kingdom of God in my community?  Me or the US Federal Government?  Who will bring God more glory with the resources I steward, me or the US Congress?

 21) This is not a political problem it is a spiritual problem.  We have put our trust in government and it has given us entire communities without families, a dead church and 15 trillion dollars in debt.  My unborn grandchildren will be paying this debt off their entire lives.  That is slavery.

 22) You might say, “But Mike, this is too big a problem for broken families and an anemic church.  The government has to have some role in providing for the welfare.”  Remember the preamble to the Constitution?  It says the government is to promote the general welfare.  That happens best by allowing the family and church to do what God has instituted them to do and not replacing them.

 It is a big problem, but is the arm of the Lord too short to save?  Was the Red Sea too big to part?  Was Goliath too big for a shepherd boy?  Was the crowd too big to feed with only 3 loaves and 2 fish?  Was the grave stone too big to roll away?

Ps. 118:8-9 says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.   It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

 Looking to the government to provide for us instead of the Lord is idolatry and God hates it.  It is a blatant violation of the 1^st Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)  We must repent and look to Him to be a our source and solution.  We do that best in families and the church.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, You are the God of all nations, the God of our fathers.  Forgive our idolatry.  May the motto, “In God We Trust” be written not just on our coins but our hearts as well.  Hear our prayer for deliverance.  Come quickly and heal our land.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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Taxes, Part 2 (A Sermon)

Special Guest Contributor: Rev. Michael Hudson
Preached on April 29, 2012

5) Knowing that leads us to this question: Is that where our taxes are going?  According to the Office of Management and Budget at the Heritage Foundation about 30 cents of every tax dollar pays for those things.  70% of the federal budget goes to pay for welfare and dependency programs. 

 A fundamental spiritual shift took place in our culture during the great depression.  Our country began to look to government to provide and solve our problems instead of God.  This spiritual problem accelerated with the Great Society plan in the 1960’s.  All of these compassionate programs to help the needy, the underprivileged, those who are down and out began to be funded by the government.  The war on poverty is now almost 50 years old and are there less poor people? Actually there are more people on food stamps now than ever before.  In 2010 we spent almost $900 billion on welfare programs, more than we spent on the war in Iraq during all of GWBush’s presidency.

 6) Since the beginning of the war on poverty in 1965, the US has spent 15.9 Trillion dollars on welfare.  The price tag for all the wars the US has fought is only 6.4 trillion.  (Please don’t get me wrong.  I am not in favor of war nor do I think, as some might accuse, that it is cheaper to kill people than help them.  I am simply comparing numbers.  Both Republicans and Democrats have suggested that fighting wars is the cause of such large spending and deficits.  I am simply pointing out that this is not the case.  These numbers come from the Heritage Foundation.)

 Having said all that let me emphasize that this is not a political problem.  Both Republicans and Democrats have controlled the government and contributed to this.  This is a spiritual problem.  Why?

 7) We have made an idol of the government and we worship it instead of God.  I know our national motto is “In God We Trust.”  But our actions are “In Govt we trust.” 

 Who do we look to for food, housing, jobs, education, child care, health care, and retirement?  Whenever there is a problem or crisis the first thing out of people’s mouth is, “The govt should….    The govt needs to…”  And politicians are quick to say, “We need a program that provides…..for all Americans.”  Whenever a person looks to anything other than God to provide, that other becomes an idol.  America is guilty of idolatry.  We worship at the altar of big government.  The only thing lacking is little wooden statues of Uncle Sam that we can bow before and pray.

 8) Now I’ve heard many Christians, even Bishops say things like God judges nations on how they treat the poor and marginalized, the widows and orphans, the aliens and the unwanted.  It is true.  God will judge us on that scale.  But God also sends nations into exile and slavery for idolatry.  (See ancient history of Israel.)

 We are to love our neighbor as our self, so how are we to care for the least of these if we don’t look to the government?

 9) Whenever someone comes into the church looking for assistance (food, rent money, electric bill, gas) the first thing I ask them is “Do you have any family?”  Why?  Because just as the government is instituted by God to maintain justice in society, the family is instituted by God to care for individuals in society.  

9a) Family is to provide for the basic needs of a person: food, clothing, shelter, etc.  1 Tim 5:4,8.  

⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.

⁸ If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

 10) Family is the best institution for this kind of care because it is most able to adapt to the specific and individual needs of each person.  I care for each of my children differently because they respond differently to discipline, attitudes, even food on the table.  “One size does not fit all.”

 It does not take long to trace every social problem to the root. Pick one: poverty, poor education, crime, drug use.  The root is simple: the breakdown of the family.  Do you know what the #1 cause of childhood poverty in America is? Unwed motherhood.

Check back tomorrow for the conclusion of this series of posts on Taxes.

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Taxes, Part 1 (A Sermon)

Special Guest Contributor: Rev. Michael Hudson
Preached on April 29, 2012

1) As I read a little bit of the history of the Midway Society and especially their contribution to the founding of our nation, I thought I would preach about a spiritual issue that sent Dr. Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett from here toPhiladelphiato sign the Declaration of Independence 236 years ago. A spiritual issue that gave birth to our nation.  A spiritual issue that affected everyone one of your ancestors that lived here and will affect every one of your descendants for generations.

 2) That spiritual issue is: taxes.  Read Mark 12:13-17.  Taxes have always been a controversy for preachers.  Some people get upset when you talk about money from the pulpit, how much more so if you talk about taxes?  Which is exactly why the Pharisees ask Jesus this question.  They want to get Him in trouble.  It is a trap.

 But Jesus doesn’t do what most of us do (avoid the issue) He answers the question.  “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”  Well, the Lord’s answer leaves us to ask a few follow up questions.  “What is Caesar’s? And what is God’s?”

 3) Let’s start with easiest question, “What is God’s?”  The answer is obviously, “everything.”  Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  It is all God’s.  We are just stewards of His creation.  All the gifts (materials, talents, breath in our lungs to the beat in our hearts) that we possess are really His and we will give an account of how we used them on judgment day.  (For further reading see Matthew 25:14-30, Parable of the Talents.)

 Did we use all of our resources to glorify Him and expand His kingdom or not?  So what does God require of us with these resources? Jesus summed it up nicely, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:30-31)  In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah put it this way,  “What does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

 4) Now, what is Caesar’s?  What is owed to the government?  I’m sure you’ve seen the bumper sticker, “If 10% good enough for God, good enough for the IRS.”  In order to answer that question we need to know what God has established government to do.

Romans 13:1-7.  ¹ Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. ⁴ For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

 ⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

4a) God establishes government for maintaining justice in society.  Commend those who do what is right and punish those who do wrong.  You see the Bible says that all of us are sinners.  Left to ourselves we have a natural inclination to sin and do evil.  We are not basically good.  The Bible calls this condition of humanity original sin.  (See Romans 7:14-25). 

 God gives us government for the benefit of society to bring order from chaos, provide the rule of law and ensure justice is done among the people.  We pay taxes to pay for the courts, police, prisons, salaries, maintain defense, roads, etc. 

 The preamble to the United States Constitution gives us the reason our founders established our government.

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

God institutes government for these reasons and we owe Caesar for these services. 

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of Taxes

Click here if you would like to read Mike Hudson’s article on social justice.

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The Money Hole

with John Stossel (and featuring Veronique de Rugy from the Mercatus Center) – from Liberty Pen

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Buckley and Thatcher

I was delighted to learn that a movie about the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, will be coming out either late December or some time in January (starring Meryl Streep). I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Here’s a clip of her in the early days with another of my heroes, William F. Buckley, Jr.

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Some Thoughts on Mormonism and Politics

I grew up in the United Methodist Church… and one thing I’ve learned about my denomination over the last 45 years is that, Lord knows, we never want to offend anyone at any time. Yet, even within that environment, I still grew up being taught that Mormonism was a cult. I don’t think I ever learned what was meant by the word cult. I just always assumed it meant something along the lines of “not Christian,” and yet not quite a world religion. Instead, it was a “sub-something” at best or something to be feared at worst. Those aren’t very flattering descriptions. Thus, I can see why folks would not welcome being considered members of a cult.

Over the last week a great deal of controversy has come from the pastor (apparently connected with Governor Rick Perry) who dared to call Mormonism a cult… in public. The press has made much of this, as though this was a novel idea. Again, I can see why the word “cult” would be offensive. And yet, on my bookshelves I have several books that address the subjects of world religions and cults. In every single one of them Mormonism is listed in the cults section of the book. All of these books were written before this election cycle.

I understand why an organization or institution would not want to be called a cult. I’m fine with that. I have no problem not calling Mormonism a cult. However, I don’t think they would be any more happy being called a “non-Christian religion,” which is what I think we have to say they are (especially if any of those books on my bookshelves are even close to being accurate). It’s my understanding that even the left-leaning World Council of Churches, at one time, would not permit Mormons to become members because they were not trinitarian. I don’t know if that is still the case.

At any rate, I thought it would be helpful to share four articles that I’ve read in the last couple of days that address the issue of how Christians ought to think of Mormonism… not Mormons. These writers also address the relationship between religion and politics and address the question of whether or not the two should ever meet in voting for a candidate. These four authors are all evangelicals, (though of different traditions), but they do not all agree on how to understand these issues. Certainly worth reading and thinking about.

Enjoy,
Dale

Mormonism, Democracy, and the Urgent Need for Evangelical Thinking by Al Mohler

There are numerous ways to frame these questions wrongly. Our responsibility as evangelical Christians is to think seriously and biblically about these issues. The first temptation is to reduce all of these issues to one question. We must address the question of Mormonism as a worldview and judge it by the Bible and historic Christian doctrine. But this does not automatically determine the second question — asking how Mormon identity should inform our political decisions. Nevertheless, for evangelical Christians, our concern must start with theology. Is Mormonism just a distinctive denomination of Christianity?

Click here to read the whole article.

My Take: This Evangelical Says Mormonism Isn’t A Cult by Richard Mouw

We evangelicals and our Mormon counterparts disagree about some important theological questions. But we have also found that on some matters we are not as far apart as we thought we were.

I know cults. I have studied them and taught about them for a long time. It’s worth noting that people have wondered whether I belong to a cult, with a reporter once asking me: “Evangelicalism, is that like Scientology and Hare Krishna?”

Click here to read the whole article.

Is Mormonism a Cult or a Christian Denomination? by Timothy Tennent

My own view is that whether a candidate is a Christian or not is only one of a myriad of considerations which one must weigh in an overall decision to vote for or against a candidate.  I would never say that someone being a Christian carries no political weight for me at all. However, I would also not say that someone being a Christian or not carries the entire weight in my decision.

Click here to read the whole article.

The Mormon Factor: Why Mitt Romney Makes Some Nervous by Stan Guthrie

Of course, Martin Luther, the great German Protestant Reformer, is believed to have said, “I would rather be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian.” In other words, Luther (assuming he really did say it) would have preferred an intelligent Muslim in charge of the government over an incompetent Christian. This principle speaks to the fact that the government is not the same as the church, and that, at least in some cases, competence trumps ideology.

This reminds me of something Christian author and radio host Hugh Hewitt told me the first time Romney ran. “I’m not looking for a pastor,” Hewitt said. “I’m looking for a president.”

Click here to read the whole article.

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