Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's because I am about 10 days out from summer vacation with the family. Or maybe it's because I'm on edge about a doctor's appointment on Friday. But I'm in a sorry mood. The staff are keeping their distance. The family waits for me to speak first when I get home and the dogs run the other way when I pull into the driveway. You know what's ticking me off now. Some religious group, who appears to speak for all of us evangelicals, is telling people to not participate in a call to prayer this Saturday in Texas.
It seems Governor Perry of Texas is calling for people of faith to come together this weekend. He is going to lead out in prayer for this country. There are no T-shirts being sold. No concession stands. Just prayer and reading from God's Word. So why is this religious group opposed. Here are a few of the headlines they have sent to me. "Texas Governor's August 6th Prayer Event Includes Cult Members", "How the Church of Rome, Protestants, Hindus, and All the World’s Religions Are Becoming One", and "God Cannot and Will Not Bless this Event or Our Nation for being Unequally Yoked with Unbelievers." It seems some of the group are not of the same denomonation as the fundamentalist group reporting these headlines. Thus they are unbelivers.
Do you think that God might be wise enough to discern whether a prayer is coming from an unbeliever or one of His children? Would it be better to boycott an event because not everyone is of our faith, or by being a part bring the presence of the Holy Spirit with us? Come on. Can't we just applaud a politician for standing up for his faith? Do we have to alienate every unbeliever on the planet because we are so isolated we cannot speak without our face turning blood red with indignation and self righteousness. Here me well. I believe Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. I believe the Bible is true from cover to cover. There is a real heaven and a real hell. But I do not believe any one group of Christians has exclusive rights nor have the right to condemn other believers who are not as right or as left as they are. Being a Southern Baptist I can attest to the truth of that. When we secured our seminaries from the hands of liberal professors and adminisrtators, we then proceeded to hunt down those who were not conservative enough. It has led to a decline in our denomination and baptisms. We need to get over ourselves. (I told you I was in a sorry mood!)
Thank you Governor Perry for calling your state to prayer. I wish we had faithful national leaders who would do the same. I am praying for you and your event. I would encourage you to do the same.
AMEN Pastor Ken!! And I wouldn't call your mood "sorry" at all!
Posted by: Amy Phillips | August 04, 2011 at 05:52 PM