The Pulpit and Politics: Time to Come Out of Our Shell
Jimmy PorterFrances Schaeffer asks, “If not you, who? If not now, when? And if not this, what?” These remarks were usually made to motivate Christians to get involved with the world.
As a pulpit guest, I had completed a sermon on the family in which I encouraged the congregation to vote for and support the Mississippi Marriage Amendment. After the sermon a lady approached me and said, “Thank you for that word, Brother Jimmy. We know all these things, but we are not going to do much until our pastor tells us to.”
Her comments were not 100% accurate, but there is enough truth in them to cause us to stop and consider the importance of the pulpit and the influence of the church in our world. In a recent article, Coming of Age in the 70’s, (Faith & Family Values, March-April 2006), Richard Land sheds some light on the prolonged silence of the church through most of the 20th century.
Land alludes to a couple of articles by George Weigel, who discusses the return of conservative Evangelicals from the cultural hinterlands to which they were consigned in the aftermath of the Scopes Trial of 1925. Weigel asserts that Evangelicals were content to remain in their enclaves, worshipping and educating their children as they saw fit, asking only to be left alone by the larger society.
The opinion was that it seemed best for Christians to stay behind this often self-imposed wall that separated one’s religious convictions from the affairs of the state. It was not until the Supreme Court Decision, Roe vs. Wade in 1973 that most people realized the church and the pulpit could no longer remain silent. Many conservative Evangelicals began to get involved in the process to implement cultural change by speaking out on social issues from their pulpits and places of work.
Having grown up as a young pastor in the 60’s and 70’s, I can now look back and see that this “wall of separation” was real. The sad part is that in some ways it has never gone away. Have you ever heard statements like this: “Preacher, preach the Bible and leave politics alone;” or “Pastor, you are meddling in community affairs and you are going to make someone mad;” or “Preacher, get ‘em saved, and the rest will take care of itself.”
All this presents a dilemma for the pastor. Should the church remain silent on abortion, substance abuse, pornography, domestic abuse, gambling, race, and other issues, or should God’s word be applied and Christian conduct be taught and expected?
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for prophet is used more than 300 times. Even though the etymology of the word is unclear, the general consensus is that prophet is related to Akkadian and Arabic words meaning “to call” and to “announce.” Thus, taken in an active sense a prophet was an “announcer” or “proclaimer of the purpose and activity of God.”
In the New Testament, John the Baptist and Jesus were both perceived to be prophets by their contemporaries, which ignited an interest in their ministries. The Apostle Paul often highlighted the importance of the gift of prophecy, “the intelligible preaching that builds upon the church in faith” (The Interpretative Dictionary of the Bible).
Woven throughout the Scriptures are the stories of men and women who confronted the issues of their day. It was not easy. In fact, Isaiah 30:10 says, “Who says to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits’ (NKJV).” A modern translation to this verse is “Preacher, if this is going to ruffle a few feathers and make someone mad or offend someone — don’t preach it.”
The role and responsibility of preaching is not for the weak or for those who desire comfort. I have often wondered how Nathan felt as he sat before David and announced that the king was the scoundrel who took Bathsheba for his wife and had her husband killed. Sometimes the message that comes from God speaks loud and clear to cultural issues. It challenges and convicts. Sometimes it will cost you, but ultimately it is the Word that stands. Often the truth is not “smooth,” but still must be spoken. If we don’t say it, who will?
In my years of ministry one thing has become crystal clear. The world is not going to change without a clear concise call that comes from the pulpit and the pews of our churches. We must move from behind the wall that separates our religious convictions from our worldly conversations.