Question: City of God, and City of Man
I would love to know the opinions of DTS-ers on this:
Two candidates for President have closely mixed their religion and politics: Barak Obama and Mike Huckabee. Throughout the campaign, multiple news stories have reported that Obama and Huckabee have been behind pulpits in churches as part of their campaign. (See Obama's pulpit hopping here, and here, and Huckabee's here, here, and in DTS's backyard here)
My question: Is it appropriate for this to occur? I have two selections for you to consider: the story of King Uzziah, who went to perform the tasks of the temple and was told this was only for the ordained: (2 Chron 26:18-19). Also, a Protestant Confession, The Westminster Confession, includes this section : "Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and sacraments."Is it wrong for churches to allow politicians to use their pulpits? Let me know if I am misreading this...
Labels:
pastors
3 comments:
Good question, and I say that they should NOT be allowed into the pulpits. I agree with the WCF and feel that the pulpit is not the place for politicians at all. It is the place of those ordained to preach the word of God.
At minimum, it's hard for me to grasp how a pastor and church would not feel used for political purposes by giving up the pulpit to politicians.
I would agree that such would cheapen the place of proclamation.
"I have two selections for you to consider: the story of King Uzziah, who went to perform the tasks of the temple and was told this was only for the ordained: (2 Chron 26:18-19). Also, a Protestant Confession, The Westminster Confession, includes this section : "Civil magistrates may not assume to themselves the administration of the Word and sacraments."
This my first visit to your blog. I am a DTS grad and thought I would give a quick comment.
I don't think the pulpit is the place for politicians to be campaigning, nor do I think it is the place for pastors to be campaigning for politicians. Both sides of the coin apply. The pulpit is for those who "Preach the Word." Preaching the Word does not mean, as you well know, riding hobby horses or spouting personal opinions. It is the place for those who have been called to the gospel ministry to proclaim God's Word.
I must add, however, that I don't think the biblical text nor the bit from the WCF apply. First of all, these men cannot be said to be administering the Word or the sacraments. Moreover, Mike Huckabee is an ordained minister. So would it apply to him? In his case it would simply be a case of "misusing" the pulpit for his own political purposes (which might actually apply to the WCF, although it is possible that he does not hold to the WC and thus it would not apply). In either case, these men, at least Barak Obama, aren't making an attempt to exegete the Scriptures, they are simply "stumping." And, in agreement with you, I don't think the pulpit is the right place for it. And I don't really need a biblical text to come to that conclusion, since I don't think there is one, nor does one have to refer to the WCF. It is simply wrong.
But the criminals in these instances are not Mike Huckabee or Barak Obama, the guilty are the pastors that allow this to happen. Those whose pulpits these men are filling are guilty of the terrible crime of politicizing their pulpits. I think pastors should preach the Word and allow the congregation to come to its own conclusions. We must remember, they are led by the Spirit (the believing ones) and He is able to do far more than we. Pastors should keep their political opinions to themselves while in the pulpit and use other venues for these discussions.
Well, that's my rant. I hate to see this kind of thing happening!
Post a Comment