Every so often, I get an email which I really enjoy. (Amid a torrential downpour of unsolicited ads, it is comparatively rare to get a good email at all!) And today I received one from Pastor James W. Knox of the Bible Baptist Church of Deland in Florida. In it, he quickly and easily sums up a few points regarding current events, which I want to share.
Please do not be offended or insulted if you are among the many who have written in recent days expressing concern over current events. In responding to those letters I am sending out a general reply to all on our mailing list, thinking many others must have the same concerns.
- While I agree that the news media rejoices whenever it has an opportunity to make Christianity look bad, the case of Haggert [sic] in Colorado was in no way a man being persecuted because he is a Christian. According to Romans 1 the man is a vile, perverted, reprobate, sinner who has been given over by God to the lusts of his flesh. He has not been disgraced because he is a preacher of the gospel, he has been disgraced because he has given himself over to the nastiest of sin. You have got to turn off your TV sets, stop listening to preachers who don’t believe the Bible and get away from this notion that we are supposed to feel sorry for people who destroy their lives, families and testimonies. We are to demand their repentance. When that is dealt with we’ll work on forgiveness.
- Ken[t] Hovind is not in jail because he is a Christian. He is not in jail for preaching the gospel. He is not in jail because the government attacked his church. He is not a pastor. He does not have a church. He is in jail because the love of money drove him to break the law, to lie, steal and engage in practices he knew were not blameless. His millions were not enough to satisfy his lusts. That is why his testimony is gone. You have got to stop idolizing Christian celebrities and get away from this notion that if someone we like violates the word of God they are standing up for something good. If you go to jail for preaching the gospel you are a hero. If you go to jail for dishonesty, having made Christians look like dopes, I hope you like your cellmate [sic].
- The elections Tuesday had nothing to do with Christianity. Baby-sprinklers, blood-deniers, Bible-rejecters [sic] and papists may be the “Christian-right” in your book but they are hell-bound sinners in God’s book. I have said for the whole 30 years I have been preaching that every minute a saved person devotes to politics is a minute wasted. The great commission is not go stuff the ballot box, it is go preach the gospel. If you compare the USA of forty years ago when preachers emphasized the gospel to the USA today when preachers emphasize conservative politics a blind man can see the churches have erred. Stop joining hands with those who hold false doctrine and other gospels to advance secular causes. Give your all to Jesus.
- This is why your pal, Brother James, never gets invited to hang out with the big boys.
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However, regarding Haggard, I realize that God demands repentance, but are we to withhold our forgiveness from someone until they repent? I have never thought so before, but I’m curious if I have missed something regarding that.
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