THE POLITICALLY CORRECT MESSAGE

There was a time when the pulpits across America were aflame with the message of sin, righteousness, repentance, salvation, hell, judgment. From these holy platforms came a message of righteousness, moral purity, and cultural integrity. As a result, that aided in what was to become the most blessed, influential, compassionate culture in history … America.

However, over the past forty hears, we have been progressively abandoning that righteous compass. Christianity in America is under attack as never before. The "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" mentality has been sweeping across the land to the exclusion of our Judeo – Christian heritage. And, as a result, church attendance has been declining. Folks want to sleep in or go out and play, when they ought to be in church.

Pastors, who receive good salaries, attractive retirement plans, and have elaborate building costs have to do something to keep the ‘tithers’ from leaving, or like a house of cards, it will all come tumbling down. So, what does he do? It’s very simple. Don’t say anything that will upset the people. Give them the ‘fuzzies’, but don’t give them the truth. If you make them mad, so long preacher! We’ll go to another church. Or, perhaps just stay home next Sunday.

What does the average church member get from the pulpit in exchange? Politically correct, socially accepted messages. Don’t use inflammatory words like, hell, judgment, sin, condemnation, death, Jesus, submission, homosexuality, and so forth. People don’t want to hear this. They do not want to be reminded of their sin. They want to attend a ‘feel good’ church, go home, and pick up where they left off. You know, the ‘we’re ok because we went to church or mass today’ mentality.

A popular massage being presented from the pulpit today is what’s often referred to as the ‘Norman Vincent Peal’ theology. Preacher like Robert Schuler, Joel Osteen, and others deceptively use this approach. That is, look inside yourself and pull out your best potential, and develop yourself into a better person. Everyone has good inside that can be tapped. Think positively, act positively, and you will experience what God has for you.

However, the Bible tells us that there is nothing good in any of us. We are all sinners. We are morally bankrupt in the eyes of God. Noting good and acceptable can come from man because of his / her sin nature. By nature, men run from God because they enjoy their sin. In this context, it is impossible for one to find salvation. One can NEVER please God by being good!

The Bible warns us of this time in history. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) We are witnessing the beginning stages of this era in the church. People do not want to hear the truth. They want to hear things that will make them feel good about themselves. Any pastor that will not cooperate in this area will be replaced by one that will. “If you want me to attend your church, don’t tell me what I don’t want to hear!”

The political correctness issue has moved out of the church, becoming a weapon against Christianity in general and freedom of speech in the pulpit specifically. Pastor’s in America are already being called to account by officials outside the church for preaching against such issues as same sex marriage, the sexually immoral behavior of homosexuals, abortion, and so on.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, he quickly moved to censor the churches. Those that looked the other way, those that ‘didn’t make waves’ were allowed to continue. Those preachers who spoke against the evils of the day were arrested and transported to concentration camps. The surviving churches compromised the message in order to save their hides.

In much of the Islamic world, churches are permitted to exist as long as those in the pulpit do not expose the evils of Islam, or attempt to proselytize Muslims. Doing so will result in destruction of the church’s property and the imprisonment and death of its pastor.

Although things have not escalated to that degree in America yet, political correctness and homosexual marriage is being used to keep churches and pastors in check, with the threat of the loss of tax-exemption status and worse.

God help America when she endeavors to silence the pulpits of the land.

* ‘Word of God’ refers to the Bible only, in all instances in this work. No other source is assumed in that phrase. The Bible is God’s inerrant, infallible, and complete and sole Word to mankind. No other work on earth appends too or replaces the Bible.

** All Bible references are from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted.