Political Complacency?

I know I'm about to get into hot water but here it goes.

While listening to the radio today, I heard that 100 pastors in our country have signed off to lose the tax exempt status for their church by directing their church members to vote for particular political candidates. This practice violates federal laws governing non-profit organizations. Since this issue has, however never been tested in a court of law, these pastors believe they are not in danger. Their belief is that the IRS would not want to litigate against a church.

Recently, I received a news article from World Net Daily. In the article entitled, Pastors Taken to Task for Political Apathy, Rick Scarborough, a former Southern Baptist pastor and now the president of a group called Vision America said this, "What we have in America is a preacher problem." Mr. Scarborough castigated pastors and especially large church pastors for political complacency. He said, "The problem with us Christians today is that we're so afraid of offending our little ears that we've dug holes and buried our heads in them," he said. "The holes that the 'gays' came out of, the church went in, and it's not going to change until the church comes out." Mr. Scarborough finished his speech by saying, "If the church doesn't awaken now, if the tea party and everybody involved doesn't understand that God is at the heart of it all, then we lose".

Now understand that what I am about to write is my opinion. I believe that we definitely have a preacher problem in America. I am one of them. But the problem is not in political complacency but in prayer complacency. It is my opinion that we don't need a church that is politically active as much as we need a church that is active in prayer. But in our intellectual, Western mind ruled by rational, scientific logic, we fail to understand the role Satan and his demons are playing in this drama. We fail to realize that angels are at our disposal to assist in this conflict. But we would rather attend a political rally than a prayer meeting because that makes more sense to us. We would think nothing of spending hours soliciting votes for a candidate or arguing the merit of one form of government over another but to think of spending two hours in prayer boggles our minds.

We need a move of God in America. To hell with the tax exempt status. We need the Holy Spirit to awaken us, to rekindle the flame not for national patriotism but for our allegiance to Christ and the Kingdom of God. I love my country of birth. I am blessed to be an American. I honor and pray for those who defend our freedom. But the nation that will be sustained until the coming of Christ is the Holy Nation, the church. And it is that nation that must do business with God on bended knee. If only pastors, (me included) would take seriously 2 Chronicles 7:14 and equip the priesthood of believers to invest serious time and energy in their closet of prayer.

OK, I've ranted enough. I know there are those that will take me to task on what I've said but believe me, it won't be the first time and hopefully not the last. "Iron does sharpen iron".

The last three words that Mr. Scarborough uses I disagree with adamantly. "...then we lose."
Mr. Scarborough, I have read the book many times and each time, I close the book with a certainty in my heart. "We win!" Praise be to our King.