Topic category:  Other/General

“One of the most reliable constituencies of the Republican Party in recent years has been born again Christians. A new national survey of likely voters conducted by The Barna Group, however, shows that the Republicans have lost the allegiance of many born again voters. The November election is truly up for grabs - and if the election were held today, most born again voters would select the Democratic Party nominee for president, whoever that might be.” –-The Barna Report

Say what? If these people truly were “born again” how could they give serious thought to voting for a Democrat? Has it escaped their notice that abortion on demand is part of the Democratic Party Platform? It’s no secret that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are pro-aborts! Granted, there is nothing in the Bible that says God’s people are to be political conservatives. But there are plenty of reasons to think they shouldn’t be liberals.

Conservative principles are found in the documents that framed this nation: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Conservatism is based on the Constitution. Drawing up a list of conservative’s principles is beyond the scope of this article but here’s the nuts and bolts of it.

First and foremost, conservatives hold to an enduring moral order. “That order is made for man, and man is made for it; human nature is a constant, and moral truths are permanent."

Another important principle is that our laws and our system of justice “must demonstrate a reverence for Divine Law in the Public Forum, without prejudice to any single denomination.”

Moreover, conservatives take pride in America’s history and traditions. Conservatism advocates individual responsibility; smaller government; low taxation; strong national defense; sanctity of human life; traditional moral values. Conservatives believe that the traditional family is the foundation of a free society; God ordains the institution of marriage, hence marriage is between one man and one woman; there are natural differences between men and women.

Looking at the presidential candidates it would seem that some Republicans are moving away from the GOP’s core beliefs. Moderate Republicans (progressive conservatives) are pushing to redefine the party platform to meet the political goals of a few, but certainly not the majority of conservatives. Middle-wingers (wishy-washy moderates) are pragmatists, their goal being a more inclusive party.

In an attempt to reinvent itself the Right has made a Left turn. What was once considered the Left is becoming the Right. Confusing? Well, one thing’s for sure. There’s a collision of differing worldviews within the GOP. George W. Bush ushered in Compassionate Conservativism to the chagrin of the Regan Republicans. Other movements we’re hearing about are the Talk-Radio Republicans, Dobson Republicans, Huckabites, Pauliacs, Mavericks, even Log Cabin (gay) Republicans. The elephant is beginning to bray!

I’m drifting from my point, so I’ll move on.

The Barna Report revealed that if the election were held today “and all of the remaining candidates from both parties were on the ballot, the frontrunners among born again voters would be Hillary Clinton (favored by 20% of born again likely voters), Barack Obama (18%) and Mike Huckabee (12%). No other candidate reached double figures. Thirty percent of the born again likely voters said they were still undecided as to who they would choose.” [1]

Since Clinton and Obama are the frontrunners among born again Christians let’s take a look at what it means to be born again, according to Barna: “Born again Christians’ are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.”

In view of the fact that people are familiar with “Evangelical Christian,” I’ll digress for a moment to shed some light on how Barna defines evangelicalism: “’Evangelicals’ meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as ‘evangelical.’" [2]

What’s striking is that, unlike evangelicals, some born agains feel no obligation to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians. By Barna’s definition of born again it would seem they’re mostly concerned with saving their own skin. How does that square with Christ’s admonition to “love your neighbor as yourself?”

God desires that our salvation result in acts of service (I don’t mean “works”). We are saved, not for our own benefit but to build up the Church. Which leads me to conclude that some born agains have a “said faith” not the new birth. (See Titus 3:5-8) In other words, they say they’re born again but haven’t trusted in God. What this means is that they haven’t come to “know” Christ personally. Keep in mind that a person’s worldview can be very telling. Which is why it’s essential for mature believers to find out a self-professed Christian’s worldview. Is it sacred or secular? If it’s secular the person is either immature believers (a babe in Christ) or may not be born again. So probe! (No doubt this will generate a slew of emails with this dire warning: “Judge not lest ye be judged!” Don’t waste your time emailing me. Christ’s ire was directed at the religious leaders, His point being that no one should judge self-righteously or hypocritically. I am guilty of neither. Please read 1 Cor. 2:14-16. On this I rest my case.)

With the new birth your old life must die. What do I mean by that? You were bought with a price, thus your life is not your own anymore. You’re a new creature in Christ. You belong to the Master, lock, stock and barrel. (Gun owners will understand this idiom.) The truly amazing part of the new birth is that your body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit – so it must be treated as sacred! (See 1Cor. 6:19-20)

Returning to Barna, it’s obvious from the report that when it comes to the pressing social issues of our time a large number of professing Christians have no clue what Jesus would have them do. Could the reason be that they’re not spirit-filled? In Paul’s words, “The man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14). The Holy Spirit indwells those who have trusted in Jesus Christ alone, repented of their sins, and are following Him.

The man without the spirit lacks discernment. This explains why such a large number of “Christians” are influenced by all the propaganda fed to them via Hollywood, the biased media elite, liberal educators in our government-run schools and universities, radical feminists, extremists homosexual groups and even “Progressive Christian” leaders. What amazes me is that followers of Jesus Christ not only admire but also emulate people who embrace an anti-Christian worldview that runs the gamut from Secular Humanism to New Age spirituality. To me that’s incomprehensible!

Could it get any worse? Oh yes. Contemporary Christians make decisions based solely on their “feelings.” Now why is that when it’s common knowledge that emotions cannot be trusted? It matters not that what they “feel” doesn’t line up with Scripture. Paul counsels Christians to, “Test all things; hold fast what is good. Avoid every kind of evil” (I Thes. 5:20-22). God’s Word should be the Christian’s authority – the final court of arbitration! Why not follow the Master’s example? When Jesus was being tempted by Satan, He hurled Scripture at him! "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Mat. 4:4). Knowing Scripture can be useful against the enemy.

A question I’m frequently asked is, “When the Bible is silent on an issue doesn’t it mean it’s not a sin?” Certainly not! Those who interpret silence on a subject as consent to support his or her views are committing the “argument from silence.” Two examples of the “silence” argument are abortion and homosexuality. What does the Bible tell us about abortion? It may not address abortion directly, but what it does tell us it that human life begins at the moment of conception. You don’t believe me? Then take a look at what David said about his beginnings:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:13-17)

God himself puts us together in our mother’s womb and determines the span of our lives. The life growing inside the womb is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” It is not a blob of tissue, as some would have us believe. God knit together a precious human person. You can believe what you want to, but the committed Christian must look at when life begins through the lens of Scripture and disregard the Planned Parenthood manifesto. Ask yourself, “What does God say?” There is only one way to find out. Explore the Bible!

If you’re a Christian who’s confused about when life begins but won’t read the Bible because you’re convinced it’s “full of contradictions and inconsistencies” and as a consequence holds no answers for you, ask yourself this question: Did God design your DNA prior to conception…or in the womb? Now then, if you believe DNA is established inutero, how long were you a blob of tissue before the Creator got down to the business of writing your genetic code? Raise your hand if you don’t know the answer. If you’re honest enough to admit that you don’t know, you’re not alone. No human knows the moment life begins. Not even Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama.

Sadly, when it comes to abortion many women decide to abort a baby based on how they personally “feel” about it. Thanks largely to the radical feminist movement that helped deliver Roe v. Wade to desperate women, it’s now legal to terminate a life because, among other reasons, the pregnancy was unplanned, hence inconvenient. Columnist for Townhall.com, Mike S. Adams, quipped in an article, “But, of course, for feminists, the debate on abortion involves more than just the question of when life begins. It also involves the question of whether there is a right to life once it begins.”

Another contentious moral issue Christians wrestle with is homosexuality. And on this issue the Bible is definitely not silent. (See Gen. 19:1-29, Romans 1:26-28, 2 Pet. 2:5-9 and Jude 7) It is clear from Scripture that God deems sodomy an egregious sin. So, should Christians believe what the Bible says or believe the propaganda coming from radical “gay” activists who have a political agenda? Now let’s be honest here. Homosexual sex goes contrary to the way God designed the human body. That’s a no brainer. Hence “gay” sex is unnatural. In Romans 1:26-31 no less than twenty-three punishable sins are listed with homosexuality numero uno. Paul wrote, “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion” (Romans 1:26, 27). What Paul is saying is that lesbians and “gays” suffer in their mind, emotions and body for their “shameful lusts.” Both the desire and the act of homosexuality are condemned in the Bible as sin.

Those who say sodomy is normal believe that men and women should be true to their own sexuality as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. But passing on a disease does hurt someone else. Facts are stubborn things. And it’s a fact that “gay” sex is risky. Homosexuals suffer from the ravages of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, rectal gonorrhea, and Syphilis. It was recently reported that drug-resistant staph (MRSA) is being transmitted among homosexuals during sex. Sexually active “gay” men are 13 times more likely to be infected than heterosexuals. “This superbug [that lives around the anus] can cause life-threatening and disfiguring infections and can often only be treated with expensive, intravenous antibiotics.” [3] All the diseases (I’ve only mentioned a few) associated with high risk sexual behavior raises the question whether or not certain sexual activity is okay from a public health perspective. According to liberals there should be no sexual taboos, even if it presents a public health hazard! When you vote remember who incorporates this attitude in their platform. (For a more in-depth commentary on homosexuality read my article, “Would the Son of God Contradict the Father?” [4])

Committed Christians should find abortion and homosexuality deplorable. Which raises the question, “What exactly does is mean to be a committed Christian?” Listen to what the Apostle Paul says, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:3-6).

In case you haven’t noticed, there are a multitude of fakers in churches. Ray Comfort calls them false converts, and rightly so. Comfort contends, “A false convert doesn’t know Him (see 1 John 2:3-4, 1 John 4:6-8). He fakes it, but time exposes his hypocrisy. Judas is a good example of a false convert. He faked it for 3 ½ years. He was so trusted, he looked after the finances, but the Bible says that he was a thief (see John 12:6). When Jesus said that one of the disciples would betray Him, they said, “Is it I, Lord?” They suspected themselves, rather than the trusted treasurer. When Judas went out to betray Jesus, some of the disciples thought that he went to give money to the poor. He fooled everyone but God. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus knew from the beginning who would betray Him (see John 6:70).” [5]

Incalculable Judas’ wormed their way into the fold the moment pragmatism reared it’s ugly head. When the Church abandoned the authority and clear teaching of Scripture, Christianity plunged into apostasy. What are we to do about the mess we’re in? Well, one thing Christians can do is to think biblically. Before making any decision God’s people must ask themselves, “What does the Bible say?” Always error on the side of historic orthodox Christianity. Steer clear of “Emerging Church” gurus as they will lead you into apostasy. To see through the smokescreen of “Progressive Christianity” Christians have got to learn the central doctrines for which the martyrs shed their blood. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Pastors, feed the sheep! Teach the ones Jesus has entrusted to you the word of truth! Far too many Christians are biblically illiterate -- and whose fault is that? God’s people should be able to discern truth from falsehood -- but they can’t! The reason? Most Christians don’t even know what (who) they believe in and why they believe it. Moreover they’re ill-equipped to share the gospel!

Which is why pastors must start preaching expositorily from the pulpit. Churches must also teach expositorily to youth. To put it bluntly, stop giving people what they want and give them what they need – meat, not milk! I mean, think about it. A pastor’s primary focus should be to equip his flock to “defend the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints,” not to make them feel good about themselves. How anyone can expect to grow in knowledge and discernment without a firm grasp of what the Bible says is beyond me. Some pastors must think Scripture is learned through osmosis.

Committed Christians, buckle down! “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

One last comment on the Barna Report. In light of the abhorrent positions most Democratic candidates take concerning abortion and homosexuality, which goes against historic orthodox Christianity, would it be wise for a committed Christian to vote for anyone who is far-left in his or her ideology? As much as the conservative candidate might not represent many of your views, he or she comes far closer than liberals. Worldview matters a great deal. “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col. 2:5

Marsha West
Berean Research (Owner, Editor)