WHY the "TEA PARTY" is UNCHRISTIAN

[lesjude]

WHY the "TEA PARTY" is UNCHRISTIAN
-by Andrew Strom.

I write this as a conservative evangelical Christian. I am anti-abortion
and hold all the usual 'conservative' views. But I have come to believe
that the Tea Party is one of the most misguided and misleading
movements in America - especially since it claims to be so "Christian".

I saw a piece written by pro-Tea Party activist recently who quoted
statistics saying that the majority of Tea Party members are
evangelical Christians. He coined the term, "Teavangelicals". He
says they are going to have a new Awakening and "Take Back
America". I don't know what kind of "Awakening" he is talking
about, but it is very different from the true spiritual Awakenings of
the past. America certainly needs a Revival. But not the kind that
these guys are pushing. I believe it is a counterfeit of the real thing.
And if we fall for the counterfeit, then the true can be utterly lost.

So what exactly is the problem with the "Teavangelicals"? Below
is a very basic list of things that, in my view, make this movement
truly un-Christlike and unchristian:-

(1) -An Unhealthy Mixing of Christianity with Nationalism-.
When you "wrap the cross in the flag" so-to-speak, you instantly
distort the entire message and essence of Christianity. You are
taking two totally different "kingdoms" and mixing them together.
Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world." So in mixing
Christianity with Nationalism, you are totally distorting what His
kingdom truly stands for. Thus you get "Patriotic" actions such
as saluting the flag or the Pledge of Allegiance being seen as
"Christian" things to do. Marching off to war becomes a "Christian"
activity. The two "kingdoms" are being completely confused. There
is a great deal of this happening in the church in America right
now - and the Tea Party is really pushing it. -Utterly distorting
what real Christianity is all about.

(2) -Being Basically the Biggest Supporters of WAR in America-.
(This is closely related to # 1). One US commentator seriously
stated that without the support of the American Christians the war
would be over much quicker - because they are the staunchest
and strongest supporters of War in the whole country. Now, can
you imagine Jesus being like this? Can you imagine Him telling
his disciples, "I want you to support military invasions and the
shooting, killing and destroying of thousands of people"? -Because
that is what WAR is. Does it sound "Christian" to you? Can we
find anywhere in the New Testament where true Christians had
this attitude? NO! They wouldn't have dreamed of being the biggest
supporters of War in their generation! Just think what a terrible
testimony this is today - to all the unbelievers who are watching.
How un-Christlike. No wonder they call us "War-mongers".

(3) -Siding with the Rich and Against the Poor-. This is the exact
opposite of Jesus - as we see again and again in the gospels and
the entire New Testament. Pay close attention to the following
words of Christ- "Woe to you that are rich, for you have received
your comfort" (Lk 6:24), "How hard it is for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven" (Mt 19:23) and "You cannot serve God and
Money." (Mt 6:24). Jesus also said: "Blessed be you poor, for
yours is the kingdom of heaven" (Lk 6:20) and "I have come to
preach good news to the poor" (Lk 4:18).

Can you imagine Jesus coming across like today's "Tea Party"
Christians - where they seem utterly against the cause of the poor,
and totally for the Rich and the 'Big Money' interests? Perhaps we
have forgotten that Big Business exists largely for MAMMON and
GREED. Can anybody tell me anything "Christian" about that?




4. -Pushing the Idea that "Political" Answers can Solve America's
Problems-. To me, this is the worst deception of all - the idea that
America's problems can mainly be solved with "Political" activism,
or a change of government, or a new President. The USA's problems
are almost entirely SPIRITUAL. It is because she has lost her way
SPIRITUALLY that is causing all the other problems. And to get
the Christians all caught up in a "Political" movement is a total
distraction. A PRAYER movement - Yes! A "Political" movement -
NO! It will not solve the problems in any real way at all. In fact, it
is like a "counterfeit" Awakening - to push the Christians into
Political activism instead of focusing on the SPIRITUAL. It is like
a false savior - a "pseudo" solution. The problems in America are
Spiritual - and they need Spiritual answers. Not this "counterfeit"
that gets everybody caught up in Political fights.

In summary, I want to say that I believe that many of the attitudes
and behaviours of the "Tea Party" evangelicals in America are
totally un-Christlike and unchristian. They come across as ugly,
mean-spirited and anger-filled. It is awful to see real believers
caught up in anything so unlike Jesus.

I would like to challenge every Christian reading this to forward it
to your conservative friends. Tell them to come and meet me over
at our discussion board, if they think they can prove me wrong.
I am open. If they think they can prove from the New Testament
that Christians should be thinking and behaving the way these
"Tea Party" people behave, then let them come. I will be waiting.
THE CHALLENGE is LAID DOWN.

Here is the link to our Discussion Board to post your comments-

JOHN THE BAPTIST TV - Revival, Repentance, Reformation - Andrew Strom, Paul Washer, Ray Comfort, Leonard Ravenhill

PLEASE FORWARD this EMAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS.

God bless you all.

Andrew Strom.

--
YES! - You have permission to post these emails to friends
or other groups, boards, etc - unless there is a Copyright
notice above which says differently.

 

[Nautilus]

I normally dont participate in such outbursts, but AMEN! I personally cannot stand the tea party and find their beliefs to be disgusting and uneducated nonsense. I truly hope they never get any real form of power.

 

[systemdown101]

Well, my mother-in-law is a member of the Tea party, which in and of itself makes it suspect to me. Nevertheless, from what I personally know of the Tea Party, there's a few things wrong with what this guy has written. The Tea Party only stood for one thing, at least at first: Taxed Enough Already. That was it. And they never really got that far away from the message. They essentially believe in a smaller limited government, cuts in spending, constitutional rule, increased patriotism (or at least not having patriotism seem like an insult anymore) closed borders, and greater financial responsibility. Some of the fringe elements would push for isolationism and religious revival. But the religious message was never a main one.

His second point, that without American Christians the war would have been over quicker, rings a bit false. There was never a huge religious reasoning given by Bush for invading Afghanistan or Iraq, and not much in the way of evangelizing was done IIRC while we maintained a military presence there. Thus, the leap from war to Christians are maintaining the war, to "because the Tea Partiers are Christian, therefore they are the reason we're still over there," is faulty logic on the part of the letter writer at best. In fact, the isolationist parts of the Tea Party would tend to indicate they would be against the military being sent abroad for almost any reason.

"Siding with the Rich and Against the Poor" Well again, this isn't what the Tea Party was about. If anything, they were against the powerful and disconnected from Washington taking more money away from them, although the general amount of money made between a typical member of the TP was higher than a typical OWS member, mostly because the typical member of the OWS was young and generally either a student or unemployed.

But this - THIS was just off the charts:

"Pushing the Idea that "Political" Answers can Solve America's Problems" To me, this is the worst deception of all - the idea that America's problems can mainly be solved with "Political" activism, or a change of government, or a new President."

There's so much wrong here that I don't even know where to begin. The idea this writer has flies in the face of American political thought, that political activism can change America, that our problems can be solved by such an outmoded concept as an "election" - why, the nerve! Now, do we need a spiritual revival? Heck yeah. But to go so far as to say that a group of people running about concerned with the way the country is going should just stop because it isn't persuing a Christian revival - meanwhile, the same writer says most of them are Christians - HUH? He loses me there.

But wait a minute - What about Michelle Obama? Didn't she say in 2008 that we should vote for her husband to change America for the better? And she's a Christian, right? Well, I guess she's wrong too. Better hand the Presidency over to McCain. Or maybe back to Bush. Yeah, that seems about right.

Come to think of it, isn't it time we got rid of ALL the things political activism has done for this country because they didn't include a spiritual revival? Women's suffrage - well, no more votes for you! Jim Crow Laws? Back they come! Child labor laws? Better get used to those 14-hour work days, junior! But I DO remember one bit of political activism that did have a religious base to it. That's right - Prohibition. How well did that work for us again?

In summary, I want to say that I believe that many of the attitudes and behaviours of the "Tea Party" evangelicals in America are totally un-Christlike and unchristian. They come across as ugly, mean-spirited and anger-filled. It is awful to see real believers caught up in anything so unlike Jesus.

That must be why you never heard of a - well, look here. Good non-partisan explanation of the difference between the TP and OWS if you're interested. And although OWS wasn't a part of the letter, I'm going to use it as a frame of reference vis-a-vis the TP.

While there have been a few incidents that the media tied to the Team Party, Tea Party rallies have not (as far as I can tell) been involved with any arrests, any allegations of violence or any run-ins with law enforcement.

The Occupy movement has not been so lucky. The number of arrests made at Occupy movements seems to be near 2,500 and still growing. There have been many times when police officials felt compelled to react and control the crowd ... Perhaps worst of all, there have even been reports of sexual assault at Occupy events.

You know, considering the "ugly, mean-spirited" comments, I'm going to make a guess that the writer may have an axe to grind at best, or a flawed political motive he isn't hiding too well at worst. In any event, this is a poorly written and poorly thought out letter.


I can't believe I defended the Tea party. Good Grief.

 

[meecha]

Speaking as a non American I have been hugely impressed with Ron Paul....ofton cited as the father of the T Party...and certainly Americans are taxed enough already though not as much as us. But Ron Paul does not fit the stereotype neo con. Paul's anti war position is ....he says...based on the golden rule...and Paul is "to the left" of the democrats re America's imperialist empire building.
It's normal now days to think that Left= for the poor; Right=for the rich but reducing tax and stimulating the free market is always in the best interest of both groups from the point of view of prosperity. Big government is a curse ...it is for the Christian a type of idol worship.
Ron Paul is a Christian but unlike most politicians he does not parade his Christian credentials and I personally like that approach.
I think the Tea Party is essentially a healthy rejection of big government but I despair at the amount of support among American evangelicals for war.

 

[psychomom]

Speaking as a non American I have been hugely impressed with Ron Paul....ofton cited as the father of the T Party...and certainly Americans are taxed enough already though not as much as us. But Ron Paul does not fit the stereotype neo con. Paul's anti war position is ....he says...based on the golden rule...and Paul is "to the left" of the democrats re America's imperialist empire building.
It's normal now days to think that Left= for the poor; Right=for the rich but reducing tax and stimulating the free market is always in the best interest of both groups from the point of view of prosperity. Big government is a curse ...it is for the Christian a type of idol worship.
Ron Paul is a Christian but unlike most politicians he does not parade his Christian credentials and I personally like that approach.
I think the Tea Party is essentially a healthy rejection of big government but I despair at the amount of support among American evangelicals for war.

Don't worry-- our taxes will be as high as yours as soon as socialized medicine is a complete reality. lol and
The tea party began well, exactly as you say in rejection of big gov't, but was quickly hijacked by the GOP to suit their agenda, IMO. Many members of it still don't realize that, sadly, but I applaud what they personally work for. However, I also think one's political ideals ought not be confused or conflated with one's faith in the Most High God.
And as an "evangelical" who one might assume to ba a war supporter, I really support the men and women who wear the uniforms of our armed forces. They choose to defend our nation, and have no control over where they're sent ot what they're told to do. The fact it isn't typically to simply defend the country is the politician's fault. And these soldiers take a lot of flak for being war-mongerers, when they give their time and too often their lives for very little in return. I just think it's a common mis-conception that ppl who support the troops support the things they're ordered to do by their Commander in Chief. (aka the president, whoever he may be at the time)

Always nice to hear from someone in the UK! In spite of the (shocking and rude) way our current presidential administration has treated you guys, I consider you friends, and am glad for it! Wish I could say that to your whole country.
Cheers!

 

[Red33]

This country of ours has been a two party country for so long that it would be a good thing to have a third one that could balance the other two. Two are better than one and a three-fold cord can't easily be broken. The national entity of any country is important to its people that live and raise their families there and it is important to God in preparing them to receive the message of the gospel. If a nation is suppressed by its government then the people are oppressed and the door of opportunity is barely open because liberty and freedom has been taken from them. When a nation has liberty and freedom, as reckless as it may be at times, then the window of opportunity remains and the gospel has access to the people. This is why we are to pray for that window of opportunity to open in these many countries that have lived under oppression for so long.

The nations and the souls of the people that have been established throughout the world belong to God and not the devil. The various kingdom rule that has been established within these nations is where the suppression can come in to take over and oppress the people, perverting justice and preventing liberty from establishing a free people. I don't believe for a moment that the 'Tea Party' in any form plays any role in suppressing the people or the national entity of the USofA. We really need people that can be organized under a banner that will keep the USofA a Republic where the rights of individuals are looked after and protected by the government of the people and not a democracy of some form of mob-rule.

We are a Republic first and our rights exist under that Republic and not under a democracy. When we vote we vote as free individuals to make selections based upon our convictions and persuasions that we believe and hold dear to our heart. The voting booths are booths that establish our nation as a Republic with individual rights established through freedom, a strong constitution and laws that protect that freedom. When this kind of rule is in place in any nation, the gospel has the freedom to be carried unto the people to either be received or rejected by individuals without government regulations or interference. If any individual rejects and wants no part of the gospel message then the government protects their right without establishing laws against the rights of those that propagate it through their religious freedom of expression.

 

[Spartacus1122]

WAIT A MINUTE...
...so now the Tea Party is UNCHRISTIAN?!?

Uh?

I have never seen so many self-rigtheous Christians accusing other denominations, organizations, institutions, individuals, products, political views, and ideas... as being unChristian.

Everything is unchristian here!

I mean, seriously?
This is a mini-version of ol' Salem, where once a week someone steps out on the town square, and cries out:
"NOT CHRISTIAN!"
"Oh-oh, I agree!"
"Me too, me too!"
It's a weekly ritual that is both comedic and perplexing.

In other words, as clearly evident in the original post, Lesjude does not agree with the Tea Party, as neither do other.
So what do intelligent human beings do when they disagree with others?
"NOT CHRISTIAN!"
"Oh-oh, I agree!"
"Me too! Amen!"

Just browse around every forum on this website. Nearly every page has at least one thread on:
"XYZ is unchristian..."

So far...

Yoga, acupuncture, Harry Potter, magic cards, other denominations, Tea Party, tattoos & piercing, etc. have been labeled unchristian.
I am still waiting the "Mickey Mouse is Satanic" thread to pop up.

So this is the lesson visitors learn when entering CC:
- if you disagree with us, you are unchristian
- if you do not share our same doctrines, you are unchristian
- if you do not take the Bible 100% literally, you are unchristian
- if you don't randomly speak Aramaic, you are unchristian
- if you practice Christianity differently than us, you are unchristian
- and if you are not Christian (in our form and likeness), you will burn in Hell. Guaranteed. Sorry, no refunds.

Basically this is the equivalent to Jeff Foxworthy's "If you are/do .... You are a redneck" skit on Blue Collar Comedy, only you substitute it with "unchristian."

This is ridiculous.

Gotta give it to the Buddhist monks. They just walk around like it's a toga party every day, shave their heads, and don't annoy anyone.
We are the brothers and sisters of Christ, and we lecture, accuse, condemn, and annoy each other and others, on a weekly basis. At best.

Hilarious.

Have a nice day.


p.s. no, I am not a tea-partier

 

[resurrection33]

I don’t think you’ll find any political movement totally without fault.

 

[Dude653]

Reason 1 and 2 are nothing more that propaganda. There is nothing unchristian about being patriotic to one's country. This reasoning is a slap in the face to all those who have served our nation, to all those who have given their lives to protect this nation. I know war is terrible, but unfortunantly, sometimes it cant be avoided. What if had ''turned the other cheek'' when Hitler was murdering jews by the millions. This idea that christians are supposed to be anti government and anti military is completely false and unbiblical.

 

[psychomom]

WAIT A MINUTE...
...so now the Tea Party is UNCHRISTIAN?!?

Uh?

I have never seen so many self-rigtheous Christians accusing other denominations, organizations, institutions, individuals, products, political views, and ideas... as being unChristian.

Everything is unchristian here!

I mean, seriously?
This is a mini-version of ol' Salem, where once a week someone steps out on the town square, and cries out:
"NOT CHRISTIAN!"
"Oh-oh, I agree!"
"Me too, me too!"
It's a weekly ritual that is both comedic and perplexing.

In other words, as clearly evident in the original post, Lesjude does not agree with the Tea Party, as neither do other.
So what do intelligent human beings do when they disagree with others?
"NOT CHRISTIAN!"
"Oh-oh, I agree!"
"Me too! Amen!"

Just browse around every forum on this website. Nearly every page has at least one thread on:
"XYZ is unchristian..."

So far...

Yoga, acupuncture, Harry Potter, magic cards, other denominations, Tea Party, tattoos & piercing, etc. have been labeled unchristian.
I am still waiting the "Mickey Mouse is Satanic" thread to pop up.

So this is the lesson visitors learn when entering CC:
- if you disagree with us, you are unchristian
- if you do not share our same doctrines, you are unchristian
- if you do not take the Bible 100% literally, you are unchristian
- if you don't randomly speak Aramaic, you are unchristian
- if you practice Christianity differently than us, you are unchristian
- and if you are not Christian (in our form and likeness), you will burn in Hell. Guaranteed. Sorry, no refunds.

Basically this is the equivalent to Jeff Foxworthy's "If you are/do .... You are a redneck" skit on Blue Collar Comedy, only you substitute it with "unchristian."

This is ridiculous.

Gotta give it to the Buddhist monks. They just walk around like it's a toga party every day, shave their heads, and don't annoy anyone.
We are the brothers and sisters of Christ, and we lecture, accuse, condemn, and annoy each other and others, on a weekly basis. At best.

Hilarious.

Have a nice day.


p.s. no, I am not a tea-partier

Hmmmm...if merely posting on the thread means you agree with its premise and the article quoted, then I suppose we would all be equally guilty, no? I think I can understand your frustration. Sorry you found the topic so annoying.

 

[lesjude]

Reason 1 and 2 are nothing more that propaganda. There is nothing unchristian about being patriotic to one's country. This reasoning is a slap in the face to all those who have served our nation, to all those who have given their lives to protect this nation. I know war is terrible, but unfortunantly, sometimes it cant be avoided. What if had ''turned the other cheek'' when Hitler was murdering jews by the millions. This idea that christians are supposed to be anti government and anti military is completely false and unbiblical.

Who would Jesus shoot? Who would Jesus tell His disciples to shoot?
The US military are trained and paid killers fighting wars that cannot be won, started by lies and false flag incidences, were never intended to be won, for an agenda that suits only those that are benefited by perpetual war. Anyone that thinks an "election" can change any of this is deluded and under the cult mind control methods of the false religious cult of nationalism.
The US people learned nothing from Vietnam and willingly are following the same old lies and are committing the same atrocities they claim to be against. The neocon slogan could easily be: behave and cooperate or we will bring democracy and "capitalism" to your nation.

"Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."

 

[Dude653]

Who would Jesus shoot? Who would Jesus tell His disciples to shoot?
The US military are trained and paid killers fighting wars that cannot be won, started by lies and false flag incidences, were never intended to be won, for an agenda that suits only those that are benefited by perpetual war. Anyone that thinks an "election" can change any of this is deluded and under the cult mind control methods of the false religious cult of nationalism.
The US people learned nothing from Vietnam and willingly are following the same old lies and are committing the same atrocities they claim to be against. The neocon slogan could easily be: behave and cooperate or we will bring democracy and "capitalism" to your nation.

"Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."

well, let me call you a WAAHHMBULACE. This is just the kind of thing that gives christianity a bad name. Its this paranoid sense that all government is evil and they are out to get us. Well guess what, you are on this forum now, expressing your views, because at some point, someone fought to protect that very right.

 

[lesjude]

well, let me call you a WAAHHMBULACE. This is just the kind of thing that gives christianity a bad name. Its this paranoid sense that all government is evil and they are out to get us. Well guess what, you are on this forum now, expressing your views, because at some point, someone fought to protect that very right.

Who would Jesus shoot? Who would Jesus tell His disciples to shoot?

 

[Dude653]

Who would Jesus shoot? Who would Jesus tell His disciples to shoot?

Do you not recall when Christ instructed His desciples to go out a buy swords?

 

[meecha]

well, let me call you a WAAHHMBULACE. This is just the kind of thing that gives christianity a bad name. Its this paranoid sense that all government is evil and they are out to get us. Well guess what, you are on this forum now, expressing your views, because at some point, someone fought to protect that very right.

Dude. All government IS evil because sinful man can not handle power...therefore as the American founding fathers recognised it is vital to limit government. The smaller the government the better the prospects for freedom and the more freedom the better for the prospects for the spread of the Gospel.

 

[Nautilus]

the tea party itself is bad regardless of this one article...

 

[lesjude]

Do you not recall when Christ instructed His desciples to go out a buy swords?

They said they had 2 and he said it was enough. It was for the lesson he was going to give them in nonrersistance.
Matthew 26:51-52

New King James Version (NKJV)
51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish[a] by the sword.
No disciple EVER used violence in the NT.

 

[systemdown101]

the tea party itself is bad regardless of this one article...

If that article represents the thinking processes behind the people who think the Tea party is bad, then the Tea Party must be the greatest thing on Earth.

 

[Hurricane1]

WHY the "TEA PARTY" is UNCHRISTIAN
-by Andrew Strom.

I write this as a conservative evangelical Christian. I am anti-abortion
and hold all the usual 'conservative' views. But I have come to believe
that the Tea Party is one of the most misguided and misleading
movements in America - especially since it claims to be so "Christian".

I saw a piece written by pro-Tea Party activist recently who quoted
statistics saying that the majority of Tea Party members are
evangelical Christians. He coined the term, "Teavangelicals". He
says they are going to have a new Awakening and "Take Back
America". I don't know what kind of "Awakening" he is talking
about, but it is very different from the true spiritual Awakenings of
the past. America certainly needs a Revival. But not the kind that
these guys are pushing. I believe it is a counterfeit of the real thing.
And if we fall for the counterfeit, then the true can be utterly lost.

So what exactly is the problem with the "Teavangelicals"? Below
is a very basic list of things that, in my view, make this movement
truly un-Christlike and unchristian:-

(1) -An Unhealthy Mixing of Christianity with Nationalism-.
When you "wrap the cross in the flag" so-to-speak, you instantly
distort the entire message and essence of Christianity. You are
taking two totally different "kingdoms" and mixing them together.
Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world." So in mixing
Christianity with Nationalism, you are totally distorting what His
kingdom truly stands for. Thus you get "Patriotic" actions such
as saluting the flag or the Pledge of Allegiance being seen as
"Christian" things to do. Marching off to war becomes a "Christian"
activity. The two "kingdoms" are being completely confused. There
is a great deal of this happening in the church in America right
now - and the Tea Party is really pushing it. -Utterly distorting
what real Christianity is all about.

(2) -Being Basically the Biggest Supporters of WAR in America-.
(This is closely related to # 1). One US commentator seriously
stated that without the support of the American Christians the war
would be over much quicker - because they are the staunchest
and strongest supporters of War in the whole country. Now, can
you imagine Jesus being like this? Can you imagine Him telling
his disciples, "I want you to support military invasions and the
shooting, killing and destroying of thousands of people"? -Because
that is what WAR is. Does it sound "Christian" to you? Can we
find anywhere in the New Testament where true Christians had
this attitude? NO! They wouldn't have dreamed of being the biggest
supporters of War in their generation! Just think what a terrible
testimony this is today - to all the unbelievers who are watching.
How un-Christlike. No wonder they call us "War-mongers".

(3) -Siding with the Rich and Against the Poor-. This is the exact
opposite of Jesus - as we see again and again in the gospels and
the entire New Testament. Pay close attention to the following
words of Christ- "Woe to you that are rich, for you have received
your comfort" (Lk 6:24), "How hard it is for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven" (Mt 19:23) and "You cannot serve God and
Money." (Mt 6:24). Jesus also said: "Blessed be you poor, for
yours is the kingdom of heaven" (Lk 6:20) and "I have come to
preach good news to the poor" (Lk 4:18).

Can you imagine Jesus coming across like today's "Tea Party"
Christians - where they seem utterly against the cause of the poor,
and totally for the Rich and the 'Big Money' interests? Perhaps we
have forgotten that Big Business exists largely for MAMMON and
GREED. Can anybody tell me anything "Christian" about that?




4. -Pushing the Idea that "Political" Answers can Solve America's
Problems-. To me, this is the worst deception of all - the idea that
America's problems can mainly be solved with "Political" activism,
or a change of government, or a new President. The USA's problems
are almost entirely SPIRITUAL. It is because she has lost her way
SPIRITUALLY that is causing all the other problems. And to get
the Christians all caught up in a "Political" movement is a total
distraction. A PRAYER movement - Yes! A "Political" movement -
NO! It will not solve the problems in any real way at all. In fact, it
is like a "counterfeit" Awakening - to push the Christians into
Political activism instead of focusing on the SPIRITUAL. It is like
a false savior - a "pseudo" solution. The problems in America are
Spiritual - and they need Spiritual answers. Not this "counterfeit"
that gets everybody caught up in Political fights.

In summary, I want to say that I believe that many of the attitudes
and behaviours of the "Tea Party" evangelicals in America are
totally un-Christlike and unchristian. They come across as ugly,
mean-spirited and anger-filled. It is awful to see real believers
caught up in anything so unlike Jesus.

I would like to challenge every Christian reading this to forward it
to your conservative friends. Tell them to come and meet me over
at our discussion board, if they think they can prove me wrong.
I am open. If they think they can prove from the New Testament
that Christians should be thinking and behaving the way these
"Tea Party" people behave, then let them come. I will be waiting.
THE CHALLENGE is LAID DOWN.

Here is the link to our Discussion Board to post your comments-

JOHN THE BAPTIST TV - Revival, Repentance, Reformation - Andrew Strom, Paul Washer, Ray Comfort, Leonard Ravenhill

PLEASE FORWARD this EMAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS.

God bless you all.

Andrew Strom.

--
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I like a lot of what you said here, but I have one question for you...

Was the American revolution anti- christ as well?

I hate war, but I was in the military to fight for my country. I don't believe in "nationalism", but I do love freedom. Freedom from sin was bought with the blood of Christ. Freedom from oppression is bought with the blood of patriots. As Jesus said, "greater love has no man than this, that he would lay his life down for his friends".

 

[Hurricane1]

well, let me call you a WAAHHMBULACE. This is just the kind of thing that gives christianity a bad name. Its this paranoid sense that all government is evil and they are out to get us. Well guess what, you are on this forum now, expressing your views, because at some point, someone fought to protect that very right.

Those people that truely run the financial system (thus, the governments) ARE out to enslave us. Government is inherently evil. Why do you think the founding fathers put so many checks and balances in? Why do you think they issued so many warnings to the furure generations? Just take an honest look at all the freedoms we have lost since 1776. Most of them since the 1910's. Our government is quickening it's pace towards totalitarianism. BOTH political parties are guilty and it won't be long until the US (as we know it) is gone.