Hey, Pastor (and Churchgoer) – This Political Season, Don’t Sweat “The Letter”
By Jeff Mullen
As a pastor, one of my goals for the church is to be continually engaging our culture. When there is a need in the community I want to see the church in the forefront of meeting those needs.
And when we find people and families who are hurting either through tragedy or through their own poor personal choices we want to care and minister to them. And in times of natural disaster, like you, I want to see the church join together with the community to care for the needs of those impacted.
Teaching people in our congregations to engage our culture is one of the things we as pastors should be doing. Now, one way we can engage our culture is to help those in our churches to fulfill their responsibilities as good citizens of these United States by participate in the voting process.
I know you can already hear people in your congregation crying out, “but what about separation of Church and State?” Look, Reverend, this probably isn’t your first rodeo and this won’t be the first time as a pastor you’ve heard someone complain – and it won’t be the last.
Now when you encourage your congregation to get involved you can expect to receive a letter. You’ll get a letter claiming to want to unite us in separation of Church and State.
The letter itself is threatening in tone. It basically says how all kinds of bad things will happen to you and your church if you engage your congregation to participate with the rest of your community at the ballot box.
It’s even signed by someone who claims to be a “reverend”. So I need to tell you something … in the history of the Republic there has never been a church (never) who has lost their tax-exempt status from what was said from the pulpit or for handing out non-partisan voter guides … it simply hasn’t happened.
And unlike the picture “the Reverend” tries to paint – government agents are not going to barge into your church building and stop you from encouraging your congregation to vote Biblical values.
In fact, just the opposite is true. Most every community leader and elected official wants the churches to be involved in voting. If this “reverend” wants to preach fear and intimidation that’s his business – but his pathetic little letter means jack to me and he isn’t going to tell me what I can preach from my pulpit.
The letter he produces is intended to mislead and bully pastors, elders, deacons and church attendees into silence. Look – this guy is a total punk. He is a pinhead liberal used by the left to spew lies in the name of liberty. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s a godless reprobate attempting to strip away our rights; using as his theme a completely warped progressive view of “Separation of Church and State”.
Now, while I firmly believe the government should not be establishing a church, I also believe the government should not be hindering the church. “Separation of church and state” was intended to keep the government out of the churches, not the church and Christianity out of the government.
Don’t let those attempting to silence the church intimidate you as a pastor, as a church leader or as an attendee of a church.
