Jeremiah Wright, liberation theology, and Thabiti Anyabwile
Wow! There is a lot of buzz in the “religion & politics” news this week regarding Barack Obama and his
pastor former pastor Jeremiah Wright
I understand that a pastor feels a burden to show courage and boldness in the face of hostility towards personally-held beliefs, but you’ve got to be amazed at his absolute inconsideration to his friend Barack, knowing the impact his statements might have on Obama’s campaign.
Ok, that ends my armchair-politics talk (an area I know little of, and care even less about).
Now, onto what I find even more interesting about all this – the theological element.
Liberation theology is getting a lot of air time these days (see here for today’s Google news search of the term). I’m not so sure all the pundits know what they are talking about when they use the term.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of talk about Wright’s own liberation theology. As I’ve read some of the analysis, it seems as though there is an unspoken assumption that liberation theology is the only brand of theology fit for the African American Christian. Further, with great historical blindness, it is also nearly assumed that this is the only type of theology African American Christians have ever held.
So, Wright’s comments come at a great time for me personally, as I am in the middle of reading two books written by one particular African-American pastor, currently serving a church in the Cayman Islands (must be tough).
His name is Thabiti M. Anyabwile (click the link to read his personal blog, including a fresh post about the Jeremiah Wright events).
The two books of Anyabwile are:The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors
andThe Decline of African American Theology: From Biblical Faith to Cultural Captivity
I recently had the privilege of hearing Pastor Anyawile preach on the topic of Christianity and race.You can hear the message here, or see the video here.
Regarding The Decline, here is a blurb:
“Anyabwile offers a challenging and provocative assessment of the history of African American Christian theology, from its earliest beginnings to the present. He argues trenchantly that the modern fruit of African American theology has fallen far from the tree of its early predecessors.”
Anyabwile discusses men like Howard Thurman, Jupiter Hammon, James Cone, Marcus Garvey, and T.D. Jakes. In so doing, he provides us with great analysis of the history of African American theology.
The next book, The Faithful Preacher, contains biographical information and some excellent selections from the preaching and writing ministry of three African American preachers from a bygone era. Lemuel Haynes, Bishop Daniel A. Payne, and Francis J. Grimke each receive compelling attention.
I’m not through reading these books yet, but I thought I’d put them out here (and Anyabwile’s message) for your own consideration.


Scott Lamb pastored Providence Baptist Church in St. Louis for seven years, and now serves as Director of Research for the President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
I read the latest post by Anyabwile on the Wright situation. It certainly illustrates the point hat anyone talking about “the Black Church” in America is grossly oversimplifying the situation; obviously there is a great deal of theological and political diversity among African-American pastors and their congregations.
I’m curious about his statement that “Wright sees himself as a servant of the marginalized and oppressed, a role he asserts Jesus assumed.” The tone of the rest of that paragraph suggests
that Anyabwile does not necessarily see Jesus as a servant of the marginalized and oppressed.
Am I misreading that? If I’m not, can you clarify a reading of the Gospel that understands Jesus in some other light? I realize these aren’t your words, but maybe your more extensive reading of Anywabwile’s work (I admit I had never heard of him before this post) can shed some light on this topic. Seeing Jesus as a servant of the marginalized and oppressed (and therefore seeing him as calling all of us to serve the same) is of primary importance in my own faith.
Jesus is is indeed “servant of the marginalized and oppressed.” That comes right from the mouth of Jesus himself. But how we define and understand what his work of “liberation” is - that is the difference between Wright and Anyabwile.
Is the ‘black liberation theology’ of Rev. Wright and others a direct reaction and response to the mostly political conservative, mostly white, mostly southern ‘prosperity gospel’? You can’t look at it in a vacuum. What is he responding TO?
Liberation theology predates current prosperity gospel.
I understand that Black Liberation Theology is a Marxist political movement rather than a theological movement.
Centrist,
That would no be accurate.
It appears to me that Rev. Wright is consistent in everything thing that he has been saying since the inception of his ministry. He spoke the truth regardless of the convenience to Barack Obama. The truth is usually never convenient is it? A true Christian would never compromise the truth because of inconvenience to anyone.
I think that Rev. Wright was being a very unselfish brother, one that was willing to sacrifice his relationship with Obama for Obama’s sake and dream to change the way things are done in America on a political scale. I believe that Rev. Wright forced Obama to denounce him realizing that this was the only thing that could possibly help Obama in face of all the foolish attacks because of their relationship. Obama, being the honorable man that he is would not have denounced Rev. Wright so Rev. Wright did a very unselfish thing in forcing Obama to denounce him knowing that this was the only thing that would please the unknowing foolish in heart.
It is and was cruel and evil for Americans to require and force such an action on the part of Obama. How many of us who are Christians have people in our lives that we totally disagree with on issues and beliefs? But, would never ever abandon them or turn our backs on them over harmless matters where our example and friendship is good for them. Some of us have witnessed people in our lives change their views on certain issues because of our friendship and influence in their life. It sickens me what the wicked people in this world caused to happen in that relationship. I have no doubt that Rev. Wright loves God/Christ and is a good Christian.
What minister, teacher, pastor, priest etc… have the nerves to claim that they are right all the time? The only thing that I can say that I disagree with concerning statements of Rev. Wright is the HIV claims. However, anyone with the truth in them knows that even that ideal is not something beneath mankind or our government. Such has been at the very hearts of many in our country and government, including other governments and countries also, with the first being the king of Egypt as recorded in the book of Exodus 1:1-22, where the king of Egypt and that government decided to kill all the Jewish male children as the Hebrew woman were giving birth to them because they were becoming so numerous and strong and that government felt that they were a threat to them because in case of war they might join their enemies and fight against them.
There will always be a need for liberation preaching because of the corrupted sick hearts of people, even those in the church. Yes even in the church I remember when many White churches got all offended about Dr., Pastor, Fred Price’s series and teachings titled, “Race, Religion and Racism”. Such truths always offend people who are indifferent to the truth just as the Scribes and Pharisees were.
The American Christian church freely acknowledge today the racist views and scheme of Planned Parenthood’s founder Margaret Sanger, but the church at that time failed to protest these views why? Was it because they too held these same views? Most White church also held such views as Margaret Sanger’s, which were:
(a) to use birth control to exterminate the genetically inferior races, which to her meant most of the non-white world; she wrote an article in 1921 called “Birth Control to Create a Race of Thoroughbreds”;
b. believed the poor should be sexually sterilized, and she endorsed euthanasia; she believed in selective breeding of the human race to produce “perfect” individuals (it was later that the Nazis adopted this philosophy). Her slogan was “more children from the fit, less from the unfit”;
c. approved of Hitler’s extermination of Jews in Europe, and had as a goal the extermination of the black race in the U.S. through sterilization and encouraging birth control via prominent black clergy (who would be “paid-off” if necessary. (Note: We see these clergy men all the time on cable news.)
d. In 1922, Sanger declared that Jews, Hispanics, and Blacks were “human weeds” that would by reproduction, “bring a dead weight of human waste into the world”; in April of 1932, Sanger outlined a “plan for peace” to eliminate these groups (in an article titled “Birth Control Review”). The article also advocated: (1) close doors to emigration to certain aliens; and establishment of sterilization and/or segregation of groups, namely people considered to have bad genes;
But, the demonic lie being spread presently is that Rev. Wright is a nut case and not a Christian or man of God.
It is deplorable what this country, but mainly those who claim to be Christians has caused to occur in the relationship between Obama and Rev. Wright but I will not spend one second worrying about it because I know that those ones will be bought to such a test in their own lives concerning loved ones in there own life.
Do they not know that it is evil to cause friction between family members and even friends in this way?
The America church and Christians in the U.S. as a whole is much like the church of Laodicea that Jesus spoke about in the book of Revelations at 3:14-22.
Christianity as practiced (I am talking about how people are living their daily lives each and every moment of each day) as required as a follower of Christ (a Christian) cannot be found anywhere in scripture as teachings of Jesus.
There is what Scripture describes as lukewarm people within the church, and this is what I feel is the state of the majority of Christians in American churches today with the exception of just your plain outright hypocrites.
Jesus says in Revelation 3:16, 17, “Because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
A lukewarm person is one who is hot on the outside, but cold on the inside. It’s the kind of person who knows all the rules and regulations, and scripture and who can be seen on a regular basis in the church, but still keeps God at arm’s length. The Laodicean is one who is so busy attempting to appear good on the outside, but doesn’t have time or the true desire to spend time with God by reading in His Word or in prayer. These types refuse to acknowledge and believe that it doesn’t matter how long they have had their name on the church books or how many good deeds they have performed or how much money they give to the church, they still are not a Christian, because a Christian is one who knows Jesus as his personal Savior and Friend.
One in this position, is lukewarm according to Christian scripture. God would prefer that one be completely cold instead because the one who is cold can be brought more easily to understand his need. The tragedy of the lukewarm church member is that although he is wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked, HE DOESN’T KNOW IT. That’s what makes his condition so serious.
The other type of individuals we see here in America are the hypocrites claiming to be Christians, like the Scribes and the Pharisees during Jesus day. Jesus said to them:
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness”.
The central point of Jesus rebuke was that they were like whitewashed tombs. The looked good on the outside, but the inside was a dark evil mess. And Jesus called them hypocrites because of this.
The whitewashed tombs that Jesus spoke of were white because the Jewish people would go out every year to the cemeteries, on their memorial day, and paint the tombs of the prophets.
They would say, “Isn’t it a terrible thing what our fathers did to these lovely prophets?”
They were referring to how their ancestors murdered all God’s prophets of the past because they could not bear hearing the truth about their wicked ways from the prophets of God just as we see today.
These very same ones who were saying that their ancestors had done such a terrible thing by killing God’s prophets were the very same ones who headed back to Jerusalem to plot a scheme to murder Jesus, (the crucifixion). These same ones were responsible for the unjust, unfair and illegal arrest and illegal five trials of Jesus.
The unjust and illegal trials that these ones plotted against Jesus were absolutely illegal and wicked. The laws of that day governing criminal trials were blatantly and openly ignored by these very evil hypocrites.
These same type of injustices still occur today in our country and in our courts and judicial system by law enforcement, attorneys, judges and other court and judicial officials, where some of these ones claim that they are Christians, but are really the children of the devil. You can read about the illegal and unjust trials of Jesus at the below sites. It is just plain foolish and dangerous that ones would practice such injustices. But, because of Satan’s hold over so many it is to be expected.
http://www.leroychristianchurch.org/greatest_trial.pdf
http://ecclesia.org/truth/trial-jesus.html
We have those who proclaim to be Christians who believe in war and the invasions of other countries when we are in no immediate threat, very un-Christian. We have Christians who believe in the death penalty ignoring God’s grace and the total faith and trust that we are suppose to place in Christ in deciding who of us deserves death.
I find that the hearts of today’s Christians in most American churches, and most of those who proclaim to be Christians are much like the Scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus day. Their hearts are cold, intolerable and deeply evil full of schemes and plots. They say that they are Christians, but they are so blind that they cannot not see that they can’t possibly be based on the condition of their hearts, actions and inactions.
The God/Christ that I worship does not allow one to practice injustices, selfishness, ——or even to keep silent concerning these things because when one even think about such evil, the God that I worship corrects one through their conscience, convicting their hearts, bringing them into repentance to turn their hearts around to follow His will and do the right thing.
To worship God/Christ one much worship Him in truth as disclosed in scripture or it is not Christianity or Christ who one is following, but the devil.
Christianity it is a very serious matter where one must get their life and heart right in God’s sight and to turn away from sin and wrong doing because no one knows when God will say enough and harden ones heart where they will be condemned even on this earth where they will no longer be given another opportunity to repent and be saved by God’s grace. God will harden the heart where one will not be able to turn away from evil as described in the below scriptures:
Because those people who refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, He has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. They know that God’s law says that people who live this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these things, but they even approve of others who do them. [Romans 1:28-32].
They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank Him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say they are wise, but they are fools. [Romans 1:21,22].
[Revelation 22:12-17]
“Listen!” says Jesus. “I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Happy are those who wash their robes clean and so have the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life and go through the gates into the city. (Note: The Kingdom of God). But outside the city (Note: Hell), are the perverts and those who practice magic, the immoral and the murderers, those who worship idols and those who are liars both in words and deeds. I, Jesus have sent my angel to announce these things to you in the churches. I am descended from the family of David; I am the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Come whoever is thirsty; accept the water of life as a gift, whoever wants it.
Lastly, the God that I worship is a very forgiving God who would like to see everyone turn away from their sins and wrong doings, put them away and follow after Him in truth as disclosed in scripture and not make-up their own ideas of Him as it pleases them to believe that He is in order to live a life that selfishly pleases themselves and not God. This type of worshiping is idolatry and is what I see most often practiced by those claiming to be Christians here in America.
We have all been guilty of wrong doings even those of us who are Christians, but those of us who are truly Christians cannot live with any wrong doing or guilt in our conscience. True Christians are brought into repentance by God (the Holy Spirit) and must correct our wrongs because we do not wish to live separated from God, which is the state one is in until one repents and correct their wrongs against God and others. Nor can those who truly believe in and follow Christ stand by and watch and be quiet and watch injustices done to others no matter who that person’s race, religion or sexual morality. True Christians understand what a Christians’s duty is and that they are to live by love, righteousness and charity first and foremost. This is what a Christian not only knows, but genuinely desire and strive for more than anything else in this world. And, when we fall and come up short in our Christian walk we acknowledge it and repent make do everything in our power to correct our wrongs and continue to strive for perfection in the ways of Christ.
The Christian church is to go beyond their walls and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to come and the teachings of Christ that we are expected to live by to make it into God’s Kingdom. Christ never taught anyone to place wasteful energy in this pro-life movement and other moral causes that we are witnessing happening by Christian organizations today.
When Christ walked the earth, do you not realize that was a popular practice for pagans to sacrificed their own children to gods? Is that not even worst than abortions or at least as bad? Did Christ spend his energy focusing on that one evil? No!! Christ and His disciples focused on the teachings of the Kingdom of God to Come and what it will take for one to make it into God’s Kingdom to come.
If the church and all those proclaiming to be Christians would only follow the true teachings of Christ, all these other things would change at a miraculous rate because only God can change hearts and He has given us instruction on how to cause that to come about.
Last but not lest, I have personally come to accept God’s truth that a Christian cannot become part of this world or government system, this is exactly what a politician must do. Christians are to live in this world, but not become part of it and as a politician, you become part of this wicked world where compromises are required. I now feel sorry for Obama who is now experiencing the wickedness of this world and how if you become part of it you will sooner or later lose Christ goodness that reside inside you.
I truly would rather see Obama or any Christian not be President or hold any office in this government than to be corrupted by this evil world. I do not know what God has layed on the heart of Obama, I do believe that for some reason God has caused Obama to be placed in this position of a viable Presidential candidate and is involved very much in what is taking place throughout this election, just as He was in the year 2000, same as He was when the Jews wanted a king to lead them and got King Saul, (a disaster). Christians wanted a Christian to lead this country at any cost and God allowed Christians to have their wish, Pres. Bush.
It is true that this world belongs to Satan and those of us who love Christ and follow Him have been given the necessary weapons to survive this truly wicked place. There is a greater life to come for those who are truly God’s children to look forward to that is more rewarding than all the successes and material gains of this present life here on this present earth.
It appears to me that Rev. Wright is consistent in everything thing that he has been saying since the inception of his ministry. He spoke the truth regardless of the convenience to Barack Obama. The truth is usually never convenient is it? A true Christian would never compromise the truth because of inconvenience to anyone.
I think that Rev. Wright was being a very unselfish brother, one that was willing to sacrifice his relationship with Obama for Obama’s sake and dream to change the way things are done in America on a political scale. I believe that Rev. Wright forced Obama to denounce him realizing that this was the only thing that could possibly help Obama in face of all the foolish attacks because of their relationship. Obama, being the honorable man that he is would not have denounced Rev. Wright so Rev. Wright did a very unselfish thing in forcing Obama to denounce him knowing that this was the only thing that would please the unknowing foolish in heart.
It is and was cruel and evil for Americans to require and force such an action on the part of Obama. How many of us who are Christians have people in our lives that we totally disagree with on issues and beliefs? But, would never ever abandon them or turn our backs on them over harmless matters where our example and friendship is good for them. Some of us have witnessed people in our lives change their views on certain issues because of our friendship and influence in their life. It sickens me what the wicked people in this world caused to happen in that relationship. I have no doubt that Rev. Wright loves God/Christ and is a good Christian.
What minister, teacher, pastor, priest etc… have the nerves to claim that they are right all the time? The only thing that I can say that I disagree with concerning statements of Rev. Wright is the HIV claims. However, anyone with the truth in them knows that even that ideal is not something beneath mankind or our government. Such has been at the very hearts of many in our country and government, including other governments and countries also, with the first being the king of Egypt as recorded in the book of Exodus 1:1-22, where the king of Egypt and that government decided to kill all the Jewish male children as the Hebrew woman were giving birth to them because they were becoming so numerous and strong and that government felt that they were a threat to them because in case of war they might join their enemies and fight against them.
There will always be a need for liberation preaching because of the corrupted sick hearts of people, even those in the church. Yes even in the church I remember when many White churches got all offended about Dr., Pastor, Fred Price’s series and teachings titled, “Race, Religion and Racism”. Such truths always offend people who are indifferent to the truth just as the Scribes and Pharisees were.
The American Christian church freely acknowledge today the racist views and scheme of Planned Parenthood’s founder Margaret Sanger, but the church at that time failed to protest these views why? Was it because they too held these same views? Most White church also held such views as Margaret Sanger’s, which were:
(a) to use birth control to exterminate the genetically inferior races, which to her meant most of the non-white world; she wrote an article in 1921 called “Birth Control to Create a Race of Thoroughbreds”;
b. believed the poor should be sexually sterilized, and she endorsed euthanasia; she believed in selective breeding of the human race to produce “perfect” individuals (it was later that the Nazis adopted this philosophy). Her slogan was “more children from the fit, less from the unfit”;
c. approved of Hitler’s extermination of Jews in Europe, and had as a goal the extermination of the black race in the U.S. through sterilization and encouraging birth control via prominent black clergy (who would be “paid-off” if necessary. (Note: We see these clergy men all the time on cable news.)
d. In 1922, Sanger declared that Jews, Hispanics, and Blacks were “human weeds” that would by reproduction, “bring a dead weight of human waste into the world”; in April of 1932, Sanger outlined a “plan for peace” to eliminate these groups (in an article titled “Birth Control Review”). The article also advocated: (1) close doors to emigration to certain aliens; and establishment of sterilization and/or segregation of groups, namely people considered to have bad genes;
But, the demonic lie being spread presently is that Rev. Wright is a nut case and not a Christian or man of God.
It is deplorable what this country, but mainly those who claim to be Christians has caused to occur in the relationship between Obama and Rev. Wright but I will not spend one second worrying about it because I know that those ones will be bought to such a test in their own lives concerning loved ones in there own life.
Do they not know that it is evil to cause friction between family members and even friends in this way?
The America church and Christians in the U.S. as a whole is much like the church of Laodicea that Jesus spoke about in the book of Revelations at 3:14-22.
Christianity as practiced (I am talking about how people are living their daily lives each and every moment of each day) as required as a follower of Christ (a Christian) cannot be found anywhere in scripture as teachings of Jesus.
There is what Scripture describes as lukewarm people within the church, and this is what I feel is the state of the majority of Christians in American churches today with the exception of just your plain outright hypocrites.
Jesus says in Revelation 3:16, 17, “Because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
A lukewarm person is one who is hot on the outside, but cold on the inside. It’s the kind of person who knows all the rules and regulations, and scripture and who can be seen on a regular basis in the church, but still keeps God at arm’s length. The Laodicean is one who is so busy attempting to appear good on the outside, but doesn’t have time or the true desire to spend time with God by reading in His Word or in prayer. These types refuse to acknowledge and believe that it doesn’t matter how long they have had their name on the church books or how many good deeds they have performed or how much money they give to the church, they still are not a Christian, because a Christian is one who knows Jesus as his personal Savior and Friend.
One in this position, is lukewarm according to Christian scripture. God would prefer that one be completely cold instead because the one who is cold can be brought more easily to understand his need. The tragedy of the lukewarm church member is that although he is wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked, HE DOESN’T KNOW IT. That’s what makes his condition so serious.
The other type of individuals we see here in America are the hypocrites claiming to be Christians, like the Scribes and the Pharisees during Jesus day. Jesus said to them:
“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness”.
The central point of Jesus rebuke was that they were like whitewashed tombs. The looked good on the outside, but the inside was a dark evil mess. And Jesus called them hypocrites because of this.
The whitewashed tombs that Jesus spoke of were white because the Jewish people would go out every year to the cemeteries, on their memorial day, and paint the tombs of the prophets.
They would say, “Isn’t it a terrible thing what our fathers did to these lovely prophets?”
They were referring to how their ancestors murdered all God’s prophets of the past because they could not bear hearing the truth about their wicked ways from the prophets of God just as we see today.
These very same ones who were saying that their ancestors had done such a terrible thing by killing God’s prophets were the very same ones who headed back to Jerusalem to plot a scheme to murder Jesus, (the crucifixion). These same ones were responsible for the unjust, unfair and illegal arrest and illegal five trials of Jesus.
The unjust and illegal trials that these ones plotted against Jesus were absolutely illegal and wicked. The laws of that day governing criminal trials were blatantly and openly ignored by these very evil hypocrites.
These same type of injustices still occur today in our country and in our courts and judicial system by law enforcement, attorneys, judges and other court and judicial officials, where some of these ones claim that they are Christians, but are really the children of the devil. You can read about the illegal and unjust trials of Jesus at the below sites. It is just plain foolish and dangerous that ones would practice such injustices. But, because of Satan’s hold over so many it is to be expected.
http://www.leroychristianchurch.org/greatest_trial.pdf
We have those who proclaim to be Christians who believe in war and the invasions of other countries when we are in no immediate threat, very un-Christian. We have Christians who believe in the death penalty ignoring God’s grace and the total faith and trust that we are suppose to place in Christ in deciding who of us deserves death.
I find that the hearts of today’s Christians in most American churches, and most of those who proclaim to be Christians are much like the Scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus day. Their hearts are cold, intolerable and deeply evil full of schemes and plots. They say that they are Christians, but they are so blind that they cannot not see that they can’t possibly be based on the condition of their hearts, actions and inactions.
The God/Christ that I worship does not allow one to practice injustices, selfishness, ——or even to keep silent concerning these things because when one even think about such evil, the God that I worship corrects one through their conscience, convicting their hearts, bringing them into repentance to turn their hearts around to follow His will and do the right thing.
To worship God/Christ one much worship Him in truth as disclosed in scripture or it is not Christianity or Christ who one is following, but the devil.
Christianity it is a very serious matter where one must get their life and heart right in God’s sight and to turn away from sin and wrong doing because no one knows when God will say enough and harden ones heart where they will be condemned even on this earth where they will no longer be given another opportunity to repent and be saved by God’s grace. God will harden the heart where one will not be able to turn away from evil as described in the below scriptures:
Because those people who refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, He has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others. They know that God’s law says that people who live this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these things, but they even approve of others who do them. [Romans 1:28-32].
They know God, but they do not give him the honor that belongs to him, nor do they thank Him. Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness. They say they are wise, but they are fools. [Romans 1:21,22].
[Revelation 22:12-17]
“Listen!” says Jesus. “I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to what he has done. I am first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Happy are those who wash their robes clean and so have the right to eat the fruit from the tree of life and go through the gates into the city. (Note: The Kingdom of God). But outside the city (Note: Hell), are the perverts and those who practice magic, the immoral and the murderers, those who worship idols and those who are liars both in words and deeds. I, Jesus have sent my angel to announce these things to you in the churches. I am descended from the family of David; I am the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Come whoever is thirsty; accept the water of life as a gift, whoever wants it.
Lastly, the God that I worship is a very forgiving God who would like to see everyone turn away from their sins and wrong doings, put them away and follow after Him in truth as disclosed in scripture and not make-up their own ideas of Him as it pleases them to believe that He is in order to live a life that selfishly pleases themselves and not God. This type of worshiping is idolatry and is what I see most often practiced by those claiming to be Christians here in America.
We have all been guilty of wrong doings even those of us who are Christians, but those of us who are truly Christians cannot live with any wrong doing or guilt in our conscience. True Christians are brought into repentance by God (the Holy Spirit) and must correct our wrongs because we do not wish to live separated from God, which is the state one is in until one repents and correct their wrongs against God and others. Nor can those who truly believe in and follow Christ stand by and watch and be quiet and watch injustices done to others no matter who that person’s race, religion or sexual morality. True Christians understand what a Christians’s duty is and that they are to live by love, righteousness and charity first and foremost. This is what a Christian not only knows, but genuinely desire and strive for more than anything else in this world. And, when we fall and come up short in our Christian walk we acknowledge it and repent make do everything in our power to correct our wrongs and continue to strive for perfection in the ways of Christ.
The Christian church is to go beyond their walls and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to come and the teachings of Christ that we are expected to live by to make it into God’s Kingdom. Christ never taught anyone to place wasteful energy in this pro-life movement and other moral causes that we are witnessing happening by Christian organizations today.
When Christ walked the earth, do you not realize that was a popular practice for pagans to sacrificed their own children to gods? Is that not even worst than abortions or at least as bad? Did Christ spend his energy focusing on that one evil? No!! Christ and His disciples focused on the teachings of the Kingdom of God to Come and what it will take for one to make it into God’s Kingdom to come.
If the church and all those proclaiming to be Christians would only follow the true teachings of Christ, all these other things would change at a miraculous rate because only God can change hearts and He has given us instruction on how to cause that to come about.
Last but not lest, I have personally come to accept God’s truth that a Christian cannot become part of this world or government system, this is exactly what a politician must do. Christians are to live in this world, but not become part of it and as a politician, you become part of this wicked world where compromises are required. I now feel sorry for Obama who is now experiencing the wickedness of this world and how if you become part of it you will sooner or later lose Christ goodness that reside inside you.
I truly would rather see Obama or any Christian not be President or hold any office in this government than to be corrupted by this evil world. I do not know what God has layed on the heart of Obama, I do believe that for some reason God has caused Obama to be placed in this position of a viable Presidential candidate and is involved very much in what is taking place throughout this election, just as He was in the year 2000, same as He was when the Jews wanted a king to lead them and got King Saul, (a disaster). Christians wanted a Christian to lead this country at any cost and God allowed Christians to have their wish, Pres. Bush.
It is true that this world belongs to Satan and those of us who love Christ and follow Him have been given the necessary weapons to survive this truly wicked place. There is a greater life to come for those who are truly God’s children to look forward to that is more rewarding than all the successes and material gains of this present life here on this present earth.