Lighting a flarepath through the fog of ignorance. Chuck Baldwin on why Christians need to wake up and learn some facts.

An Open Letter To Christians
By Chuck Baldwin


I was led to Christ at the tender age of 5 while sitting on my mother's lap.
I was raised in a devout, churchgoing Christian home. I have been in Gospel
ministry all of my adult life (I am 57 years old). I have attended or have
degrees and/or diplomas from 4 fundamentalist/evangelical colleges or Bible
schools. I have been the Senior Pastor of a local Independent Baptist
congregation for 34 years and counting. I have spoken in churches and
Christian gatherings all over the country.

I say all of that simply to provide my Christian credentials (in much the same way that the Apostle Paul
provided his Jewish credentials in Philippians 3:5,6). As such, I believe I
know something about the attitudes, conduct, philosophy, mindset, etc., of
America's Christians. I am not an outsider; I speak as one within the
conservative/fundamentalist Christian camp.

As it relates to the rightful understanding of following Christ's
instruction that we are to be "salt" and "light" (and what that means for us
Americans), and properly rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God
what is God's (and knowing the difference), there are basically 2 groups:
those who sincerely want to help America maintain its foundational
principles and those who, frankly, are too preoccupied (or cowardly) to give
much thought to it one way or another.

I would say that the first group is slightly larger than the second group. The problem is, among the first
group, there is a vast void of understanding regarding exactly how we are to
implement and carry forth the principles of Christian liberty--which are the
principles upon which America was built, of course.

As I see it, there are two glaring obstacles that keep today's Christians
from being truly effectual and influential in helping to restore America's
freedoms and founding principles. And let's be honest enough to admit that,
for the most part, today's Christians (including our pastors) are
ineffective and irrelevant in providing any meaningful solutions to
America's many problems. Sadly, more often than not, we are little more than
gullible pawns, which wily and wicked politicians use to advance their own
nefarious agendas.

Obstacle Number One: America's current generation of Christians has allowed
itself to become pathetically ignorant as to the Biblical, Natural Law
principles of liberty and government. And when it comes to America's
historical principles of self-government and federalism, the ignorance
quotient goes up even further.

It is really sad: we Christians (including our Christian pastors) know
virtually nothing of real American history, law, government, etc. For
example, I'm not sure that we can begin to remotely understand what Thomas
Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence if we have not read John
Locke's Second Treatise of Government. I'm not sure we can begin to
comprehend the American philosophy of government if we have not read George
Washington's Farewell Address. Without reading The Federalist Papers, one
cannot begin to properly appreciate the US Constitution and the principles
upon which it was predicated. Without reading Pastor Jonas Clark, one cannot
understand what really happened at Lexington Green and Concord Bridge.
Without reading Alexander Stephens' History of the United States, it is
doubtful that one can truly understand or appreciate the principles of
federalism and State sovereignty. And how many of us have read even one of
the above? And this does not even scratch the surface of necessary
knowledge.

Let's admit it: today's Christians, for the most part, are operating in a
vacuum of truth and understanding. Without a firm grasp of necessary truth,
how can we know what to do, who to believe, or how to act?

Accordingly, smooth-talking "conservative" politicians who know how to use
religious clichés and terminology to gain our support and votes easily dupe
the vast majority of sincere Christians. But it is actually worse than that.
We Christians are, for the most part, unwitting contributors to the demise
of freedom and rise of oppression in our land.

For example, Americans--including Christian Americans--lost more freedoms
under former President George W. Bush than under any President since Lyndon
Johnson, or maybe since Franklin Roosevelt. Yet, even today, most
evangelical Christians continue to hold Bush in high esteem. They seem to be
totally oblivious to the fact that Bush set the table and provided the
opportunities for virtually everything that President Barack Obama is
currently doing to advance socialism and globalism in our country. For the
most part, Christians seemed to never notice that President Bush did almost
nothing to change the course and direction set by his predecessor, President
Bill Clinton. And liberals are just now beginning to wake up to the reality
that, at the executive level, Obama is doing precious little to change the
course set by George Bush--including escalating Bush's war (now Obama's war)
in the Middle East. Will the American people never awaken to the fact that,
for the most part, the only difference between these two parties at the
national level is one of degrees, not direction?

At the national level, Democrats want to expand Big Government for the
benefit of advancing the Welfare State, while Republicans want to expand Big
Government for the benefit of advancing the Warfare State, but both want to
expand Big Government. Make no mistake about it: neither major party in
Washington, D.C., has any intention of returning America to the
constitutional principles of limited government and federalism. But do
Christians see this? No, they do not!

For the most part, today's Christians seem to have the attitude that G.O.P.
stands for God's Own Party. That the Republican Party in Washington, D.C.,
is equally culpable for the destruction of liberty and constitutional
government never seems to once enter their minds. The sum total of their
patriotism seems to be voting Republican, watching Fox News, and paying
taxes. The shallowness of today's pastors and Christians is a major obstacle
preventing us from doing much of anything that would actually contribute to
good government.

Obstacle Number Two: Today's Christians are not willing to support the
principles they profess to believe.

I could not count the number of times that a sincere Christian brother or
sister has asked me, "What is wrong with my pastor? Why does he refuse to
take a stand?" or questions to that effect. Dear Christian Friend, as kindly
as I know how to say it, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

I ask you, Why should your pastor "take a stand"? Why should he "get
involved"? You and all the others of his congregation are more than willing
to support his ministry the way it is. You sit under his preaching. You
follow his leadership in the church. You give your tithes and offerings to
support his vision for God's work.

Look around you. What do you see? You see the Joel Osteen-type churches
bulging out at the seams. Churches--where pastors are unwilling to get
involved in anything "controversial," where pastors are content to stay
completely disengaged from anything that might be deemed "political," and
where pastors refuse to even hear the truth of what is really going on--are
filled every Sunday. They have the largest crowds, biggest offerings, and
most ornate buildings. Why, in the name of common sense, would you expect
your pastor to "take a stand" or "get involved"? Why should he? You have--by
your support, attendance, and offerings--clearly told him that you like him
just the way he is!

Yet, throughout history, it has been pastors and preachers that have led the
great civil movements and revolutions--including our own American
Revolution. It is no hyperbole to say that without the leadership, courage,
and resolve of Colonial America's clergymen, we would still be a Crown
colony of England, with no Declaration of Independence, no US Constitution,
no Bill of Rights, and little freedom. And, it's not like we do not have the
same kind of lionhearted preachers today as we did in days of old, because
we do. All across America, there are hundreds of Bible preaching men from
virtually every Christian denomination who are more than willing to "take a
stand" and "get involved." As an example, go to my Black Regiment list and
see the names of over 200 pastors who are out front in the fight for right.
The problem is, the vast majority of America's Christians today will not
support these stalwart spiritual statesmen.

See the Black Regiment list at:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/blackregiment.php

So, Christian friend, why do you continue to worship under the leadership of
a pastor who has no intention of standing in the gap for our country's
freedom? Why do you continue to give your tithes and offerings to such a
church? It is time for Christians who know and care about what is going on
to GET OUT of these spineless churches! If you really believe the principles
you profess, how can you continue to deny those principles by staying in a
church that has no intention of teaching those principles?

If you cannot find a patriot-pastor of your denomination, look for one
outside your denomination. I would rather worship with a man with whom I
disagree on secondary doctrines (but who is firm on the fundamentals, of
course), but who is willing to stand for truth and freedom, than worship
with a man of my preferred denomination, but who will do nothing to confront
the evils that are currently destroying our republic.

Good grief! We have thousands of evangelical pastors who are willing to
follow a man such as Rick Warren; a man who has become a partner with one of
the most devilish and sinister organizations in the world--an organization
that is actively working against the principles of freedom and independence,
and in support of the principles of globalism and universalism: the Council
on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Remember, it was Rear Admiral Chester Ward, former Judge Advocate General of
the Navy, who rightly said, "The main purpose of the Council on Foreign
Relations is promoting the disarmament of U.S. sovereignty and national
independence and submergence into an all-powerful, one world government."
Most Christians readily discern any attempt at global government to be "of
the devil." Yet, Rick Warren is now an active member of the one organization
whose major claim to fame is its incessant promotion of globalism.

How can any sincere Christian who is even remotely aware of what is going
on--and who truly cares about the preservation of freedom--follow any pastor
who follows someone such as Rick Warren? Yet, the Warren-type churches are
flourishing all over America; and, at the same time, many of those
congregants complain that their pastor is not "taking a stand."

So, why don't YOU take a stand by GETTING OUT of these soft, straddling,
sugary, superficial, shallow, saltless churches?

It is infinitely more important that you be in a church that preaches the
truth and takes a stand than that your teens attend "the most exciting youth
program," or that your kids are in one of these glorified playgrounds
(called "children's ministries") so they can play games and stay
entertained, or that your church has a softball team, or that it has the
prettiest buildings, or that it has music you think is "just right," or that
it is the "premier church in town" for social gatherings or business
contacts.

If you live near Phoenix, Arizona, why not attend Pastor Coleman's church,
35th Avenue Baptist Church? If you live near Three Rivers, California, why
not attend The Church of Kaweah, which is pastored by Warren Mark Campbell?
If you live near Fort Myers, Florida, why not support Pastor James Riddle at
Morningstar Baptist Church? If you live near Savannah, Georgia, why not
support Pastor John Weaver's Dominion Ministry? If you live near Ocean
Springs, Mississippi, why not help Pastor John Mayfield's Chapel of Faith?
If you live near Kalispell, Montana, why not support Pastor Jim Huff and
Bible Presbyterian Church? If you live near Omaha, Nebraska, why not support
Pastor Phillip Kayser and Dominion Covenant Church? If you live in the
Oklahoma City area why not help Pastor Jason Murphy at New Life Church in
Collinsville, or Pastor Paul Blair at Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, or
Dr. Steve Kern and Olivet Baptist Church in Oklahoma City? If you live near
Greenville, South Carolina, why not help Pastor Tony Romo at South Pointe
Baptist Church in Pelzer, or Pastor Mark Dibler at Bible Baptist Church in
Pickens. If you live near Madisonville/Athens/Etowah, Tennessee, why not
support Pastor Jim Headings at the Piney Grove Community Church in
Englewood? Daniel New has a home church in Hamilton County, Texas. Clell
Drumheller pastors Truth in Love Ministries in northwest Houston. Why not
support Pastor Brandon Teague at Faith Baptist Church in Paris, Texas?
Pastor Butch Paugh is a patriot-pastor in Nettie, West Virginia. Pastor
Wayne Sedlak is a patriot-pastor who ministers at Reformation Hope Church in
West Bend, Wisconsin.

These are only a handful of the hundreds of dynamic patriot-pastors across
America who are truly "taking a stand." Ask yourself, what could the Church
do if, instead of Rick Warren and Joel Osteen, men like those listed above
pastored churches that numbered in the tens of thousands? Imagine what could
happen if Black Regiment-type churches were the largest churches in a
majority of the great metropolises throughout America?

I say again (as kindly as I know how): if you stay in, support, attend, and
give your offerings to these churches that are pastored by men who will not
take a stand, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

And though I would prefer that everyone have a local church they could
support in good conscience, there are hundreds of people across America who,
because they cannot find such a church, worship online with me and my church
every Sunday morning, as we Livestream our service. We do this specifically
for those who cannot find a church that will take a stand in their area.

To tune in to our Livestreamed service each Sunday morning at approximately
10:30am (CST), go to:

http://crossroadbaptist.net/live.html

If Christians today are to regain any semblance of relevancy in preserving
America's liberties, they must do two things: (1) immediately become
acquainted with the foundational principles that created this country, and
(2) get serious about supporting only those churches and ministries that
truly know what's going on and are willing to courageously stand in the gap.
Anything short of this is pious-sounding rhetoric. And rhetoric will do
nothing to help us--not now, anyway.

P.S. Educating Americans about their history is what motivated me to compile
THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS. We are almost sold out of the current printing, and
this is the final announcement. If you want to obtain copies of THE FREEDOM
DOCUMENTS, which contains 50 of the finest historical documents of American
history in one volume, you must order NOW! Order here:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/products.html

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

(c) Chuck Baldwin


08/05/2010

 
 
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A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
1 Timothy 2:11-14

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