Perhaps the 666 Beast (Bull and Bear Market System)? You've heard of Star Wars before? Today, I will introduce you to the political infighting that is, surreptitiously and quietly taking place between factions within the American Christian religious community. The opponents are the true conservatives, that follow the principles of Jesus Christ, and the modern-day pseudo-religious conservatives, often referred to as evangelicals.
At times, it is hard to tell the two groups apart, however, do not be deceived. One group with all of their foibles and impotence, I believe, are harbingers of the spirit of Christ, and the other group is a modern day pseudo-Christian American political capitalist organization. The latter is pursuing a political agenda under the cover of following Jesus Christ.
Even though churches are restricted by Law from endorsing political candidates, many 501(c)3 churches permit politicians to stump in their pulpits, and to endorse politicians as much or more than any other non-political or special interest groups does.
However, keep in mind that some churches openly ignore the laws on the books that pertain to churches, invoking their first Amendment right which states that the government shall not make any laws pertaining to religion. The Tom Delays of the world (is he still in jail), have exploited this law, along with other Christian leaders, more than anyone else has done.
He and ilk were permitted to use the church as their bully pulpits, in the manner that many other famous protestant clerics, use their media time, Radio, TV and the Internet, to get their message across to their followers. It is understood that the politicians that they helped to elect, will remember and pay their political debts to their churches, once they get elected. Again, keep in mind that the Tom Delays of the world, and other Christian conservatives on the American political right believe that they are above the law!
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There used to a time when the church taught probity and encouraged religious values among its followers. However, more and more the church that has become settled in the world, that is more and more an integral part, as well as a supporter of the American Capitalist Church Political System agenda, has lost its way, that is if it ever found it.
For having left the righteousness of God, they have gone about to establish their own righteousness, having been influenced with Dominionism and white-supremacist cultural values and a dream of American-Christian conservative superiority. To them the former is synonymous with the vision of Jesus Christ.
I am convinced that Jesus Christ might repeat what was written before, and tell them to depart from [you had an agenda of your own], I never knew you., and you never knew me. Instead, you created an agenda of your own, which is far from God's. And from that agenda, you set out to, and almost succeeded in creating what looks like instead, an American capitalist military-political-economic theocracy.
The church world, once considered to be a unified body of Christ, has of late been divided into 2 camps, the true conservatives, individuals who adhere to biblical principles, and the pseudo-conservative church, that more and more is a growing Evangelical real time monetary-political group, that has its own theology. In fact, one of its stars, Bishop Jakes said, and I quote, 'the church is a business'. The new conservative America church, more and more, looks just like that, a business, as opposed to a spiritual organism.
The sheer size, accumulated financial resources and media exposure for churches in the conservative Right, has been and still is responsible for drawing millions of church members away from smaller, less than 100 member conservative church congregations. Many of their former members, could not resist the allure of being members of larger, more prosperous looking, wealth carrying, entertaining, camping trip going …. and in many ways, everything that is offered in the world church centers.
The strength of these organizations, lies not only in their crazy numbers, however, but in their ability to construct a large political bloc in order to pursue a political agenda, by teaching, preaching and translating scriptures in a manner that bolsters their political positions. And even though, people of color are being attracted and added to their memberships in large numbers, make no mistake about the political agenda of what the political agendas of these churches is what members from minority groups will be expected to follow. And if they don't, they won't be considered to be 'good evangelical Christians'.
Typically, minority pastors that join these alliances will fare better for a time, many of them will even be asked to come and to be teach or preach to these more conservative congregations, although they will be summarily ignored, corrected or chastised if they were to veer from the proscribed script.
And even though members of minority churches, join in with these larger mostly white conservative conventions, other than the pastor and a few members of the inner core, will continue to languish in poverty.
The conservative faction of the church (the ones who do not believe in the American Christian Political Church) v. the pseudo-conservative faction, is comparable in many respects to what Jesus encountered, when faced with the the Pharisee/Sadducee conflicts found in scripture. The Pharisees, a powerful group, were rebuked by Jesus, and told that not only would they not enter the Kingdom, they were keeping others from doing the same. The question today, is the same as it was then, which group is really following God. And, which Kingdom have they become a part of, God's or the American Capitalist Christian Church system
It is easy for a church and its leaders to go astray. In fact the scriptures warn believers to beware of false prophets ... to test spirits, and to know them who labor among you in the world. Why? Because according to scripture, our wrestling is against the spirit, that is behind a movement or leader who may not be aware of what motivates him or her. And Solomon explained in the book of Ecclesiastes, that the end of a thing is better than the beginning.
And I believe that we are beginning to witness the beginning of the end of the dangerous Mega-rich, religious political church phenomenon. Interestingly enough, Bill O'Reilly and other TV commentators on the Right, were instrumental in having the Federal government to go after the N.A.A.C.P., Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton , NAACP … and other non-conservatives for 501(c) infractions when campaigning. And at the same time, other political candidates on the Right, who used 501(c) organizations to stomp, they summarily ignored.
To boot, the whole crop of 360,000 or so conservative ministers who signed on to a petition to stop the so called liberal agenda ... and to have it and them condemned, spend every day, engaging in mixing in conservative politics and politicos.
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington DC, sound legitimate , has been instrumental in disseminating fascist religious materials and positions, from Washington DC, that favors the right, to the rest of the American Religious Capitalist Church System.
Let's be honest, right now the Conservatives, have the power , religious, military, political and economic power, and they also have the wealth, however, when you consider the condition that they country is in today, given the candidates that they are responsible for having placed into office and on the Supreme Court, in Judgeship …, I believe that the Beast, that has risen up from among the Sea of the people, is about to have its legs cut off. Why? The people of the sea, have become restless, and even though for a time, many of them drank the conservative Kool-Aid, more and more thinking Americans, are beginning to recognize how poison it is, and that it is flavored to represent only a few on the Right.
Investigative and inquiring minds recognize that the political Rightest-Church is as responsible for America's political problems , as is the T-Party along with other conservative Republicans politicians.
The incredible transference of wealth from the people, since the Right, with the aid of the Rightist Church, disposed of Bill Clinton, recovered it and placed that wealth solely into the control of a minority group of conservatives on the right, has begun to awaken a sleeping giant. Four hundred Americans, currently have the equivalent wealth of 60% of Americans on the bottom rung. In other words, 400 Americans have the equivalent wealth of 180M other Americans, who are mostly laid-off, underpaid, living outside, on public assistance … So what God was the conservative church on the Right praying to, given their participation, direction and support in such a debacle?
Now, do I have a personal dog in the fight? Factually, I like some of these fellows personally, and others I find to be amusing. And before you say, “you are being disrespectful”, I am a minister, pastor on hiatus too – so I can talk about my fellow members of the cloth. Some of them are political, others greedy and extravagant, and a few I believe are genuinely confused. In my opinion, too many of them gave up on Jesus Christ a long time ago, and are following after the spirit of this world.
Why the comparison. Because there are many ministers who, similar to Jesus, languished in poverty, while preaching to their small followings (while they went about doing the work of the Lord), having watched their brothers in Christ, amass large land-holdings, wealth, huge followings and bloated salaries (not to mention that they stole away the few members that they had), decided, well, if you can't lick 'em, you might as well join them.
Suddenly, the liturgies in these once traditional churches changed, to a rocking, finger-popping, hand-slapping, joke telling, rapping, preacher driving Benzes, Airplane flying, and other luxury car, living in near mansions … while other people suffer, has became their new reality. Go and sell what you have today, give it to the poor, and your income stream will be replenished tomorrow - oh come on!
And their new sermons became, money-oriented, God wants you to have money, and show me the money sermons. And guess what, for a while, it worked. What brought people into these churches, is what I believe in the end will lead them back out of the door, money and the lack of many. Already, some of these mega-moolah land churches that succeeded for awhile, are being fore-closed upon, and I suspect that might be a good thing. The teaching, training and personal attention that these parishioners once received, was forfeited, for fast-singing, hand-slapping performance oriented Sunday morning weekly presentations. The better you are at telling jokes these days, the better you happen to be as a preacher. David Letterman, could make more money if he were to crossover as a preacher, than 20M or so that he makes a year, working on the television.
Based upon what I have observed, the people are not being taught to follow God, they are being conditioned to pursue wealth through religious means, and to support a white American political agenda. Okay, I said it!
Now here is what is so ironic, on the way up, the wealthy politicians who required the help of the church to make their ascent, are beginning to abandon the mega churches, during these church groups time of financial need. Good I say, that is what you get for getting in bed with the devil in the first place. Besides, conservative churches were paid back given President Bush's Faith-based Pay-off initiative.
I can recall several years ago, when Senator John McCain, switched sides. At first he stood for principles, and recognized that when it came to political and religious issues, that the two should remain separate. It is a part of the American implied social contract, that is that the two would remain apart. He insisted that he would not be dominated by the Religious or Christian Right, pander to the Right, Bob Jones University … but later, when he needed the support of the Religious Right, off to Bob Jones … he went.
He is making similar comments about the T—Party today, but trust me, that craving to get elected, will eventually lead him to give in again, but this time to the T-Party faction of the Rightist Christians, mostly members of the evangelical church. In some circles, Klan members, would be wise to abandon their robes, and to join mainstream evangelical churches.
You might not get to burn a cross anymore, and you might have to admit invoking the name of Jesus, while at the same time that you hate Jews, but on the other hand, you will be a part of a group that will legitimately keep minorities in their place.
People who believe in what is real ought to pursue what is real, I believe, And much of the American church world, especially political evangelicals, are a part of one massive money-making religio-political organizational stream, and their politics are both local, national and international, and I do not believe that Christ is at the center. Remember, conservative Christians in Germany and Hitler, individuals who had similar views as conservative churches in America have, supported Adolf Hitler.
Be careful folks, and trust me, I don't believe that a lot of these guys and gals are bad people, I believe that the majority of them have simply been seduced, or have been sincerely misdirected! Their ways and their words, are neither the ways nor the words of Jesus Christ. Show me the money Christianity, that is not the power agenda that Jesus pursued or recommended for his followers?
The rest of us must continue to pursue what is real, and to beware of false prophets, even the ones who are simply misguided it would appear, and have good intentions. What they are saying and doing in practice, are often 2 different things.
What is my motive: It's simple, as a minister, I have a responsibility to warn the innocent and misguided to be careful of trends and what appears to be God. What is taking place in America today, giving the mixing between evangelicals especially, and the church ,is a dangerous phenomenon. Isn't it amazing that Christian churches criticize the Theocratic forms of governments that exist in other parts of the world, while sanctifying the spirit of a conservative theocracy in the West, that is driven by monetary-power values.
Never forget, no matter how they use the Canon, to make their points that Pat Robertson, Late Jerry Falwell, John Hagee, Dr. Dobson, Parsley, Perkins, Delay … shall I go on,? All of these folks are, or were in bed with the politicians on the Right. And look where they has got America, following 8 years of George Bush Jr., and obstructionist Christian conservatives on the Right. They might as well as had a seat on reserve in the House.
And Pat Robertson, actually tried to run for President, a couple of decades ago? Of course, God, told him not to, but he attempted a reprise a few years afterward. And he wanted President Hugo Chavez knocked off? Folks beware of wolves who come to you in sheep’s clothing.
And I expect that you will be told that I am the wolf in sheep's clothing – but I am not one. However, Christians, ought to remember what happened to Jesus and others in the Canon, when he and they spoke truth to conservative religious power – in Jesus's case, he became a picture hangar with nails in his hands in feet, a sentence that was insisted upon and carried out, as a result of a conservative religious poltical agenda, similar to the one that America has been confronted with, 2000 years later!
Much like the Klan did, these churches are white supremacists organizations (that includes minority members), and they are still following and supporting a white supremacist-capitalist agenda) . “The end of a thing, is better than the beginning”, Solomon wrote. And in time, the truth will be revealed, or better yet understood I believe. In the meantime, and I repeat, the rest of us, let's pursue what is real and at the same time do all that we can to repeal, repel and stand up against the spirit of error that operates in a church world that supports an agenda that favors the few and the privileged.
And before you think it, I do not believe that all whites are white supremacists, on the other hand, I believe that there are whites who are, but do not know that they are, they simply believe that they are right!
Peace and corrections and revisions later - 2nd draft.
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