Read Time: 5 Minutes 17 Seconds
Joshua Michael Zeitz (born 1974) has authored several books on American political and social history along with holding faculty positions at Harvard, Cambridge and Princeton. Last week, Politico Magazine featured his article titled, “Why You Should Be Worried About the Split in the Methodist Church—Protestants are splitting up over LGBTQ issues.”
He writes: “Last weekend, over 400 Methodist churches in Texas voted to leave their parent denomination, the United Methodist Church (UMC). Their decision followed the mass exodus of Methodist congregations in other Southern states, including North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Arkansas and Florida.
“At first blush this might seem like an issue that’s peripheral to American politics—a purely religious matter. But it’s actually an indicator of just how fractured our politics have become. And if history is any indication, it’s about to get even worse.”
Zeitz is Jewish and ran in 2008 for Congress in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District as a Democrat. His assessment that “it’s about to get even worse” is likely more prescient than he might want to admit. First and foremost, we’d have to realize that the war in American politics is not between Democrats and Republicans. It explicitly concerns two distinct religions vying for control of resources and ideological supremacy in the culture and public square.
In Luke 11:24-26 (NIV), Jesus tells the story of an impure spirit seeking rest after coming out of a person. Unable to find rest anywhere, it decides to return to the house (i.e. the person) it left. When finding the house swept clean and put in order, “it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there.” The moral of the story is that “the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”
Before debarking the Mayflower in 1620, the Pilgrims created America’s first governing document, the Mayflower Compact. They defined the ultimate goal of their mission as having been “undertaken for the glory of God and advancements of the Christian faith.”
Christianity was next established in the early 17th century all across the 13 Original States Charters and Constitutions in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. Read about it here.
Subsequently, over the following 150 years, biblical Christianity laid down the essential foundation of American culture by means of electing like-minded believers to public office, leading to the creation and passage of righteous and reverent legislation, thereby codifying into law consecrated values and consolidating the moral principles of government.
America certainly wasn’t perfect then, but with the emphasis on godliness, righteousness became the public manifestation of the nation’s religion. A perfect example of this comes in the form of the Northwest Ordinance drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1787, which prioritized the teaching of religion and morality as the basis for the admission of future states.
As it says in Article 3 of the Ordinance: “Religion, morality and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” This demonstrates how it was understood in the late 18th century where the focus should be in a nation founded for the “glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.”
Given the exemplary model provided by American Christendom throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the current disconnect between contemporary Christians and civic responsibility is difficult to understand. In a republic, civic engagement determines who reigns supreme in the public square. Speechifying is not a denomination of political currency; mobilizing is.
Contemporary Christendom has squandered the Judeo-Christian heritage and biblically-based culture established by the American founders. This brings us to Jonathan Cahn’s new book, “The Return of the Gods.” Cahn says:
“The gods of old now dwell among us. They inhabit our institutions, walk the halls of our governments, cast votes in our legislatures, guide our corporations, gaze out from our skyscrapers, perform on our stages and teach in our universities. They saturate our media, direct our news cycles, inspire our entertainments and give voices to our songs. They incite new movements and ideologies and convert others to their ends. They instruct our children and initiate them into their ways. They incite the multitudes. They drive otherwise rational people into irrationality and some into frenzies, just as they had done in ancient times. They demand our worship, our veneration, our submission, and our sacrifices.”
The battle waged seems to be in the realm of morality, spirituality, politics and culture. As Cahn notes, it is much deeper than just cultural. In its deepest essence, the conflict is spiritual, representing the unbridgeable divide between the debased profanity of the secular god Baal and the purity and inviolability of Jehovah God.
Rather than between Republican and Democrat, the conflict is between two distinct religions vying for control of the public square. Since they cannot coexist, one will ultimately collapse and go down as a consequence of the rise and elevation of the other.
From a superficial point of view certain historical developments may seem irrelevant, such as the removal of prayer to Jehovah God from public education in Engel v. Vitale in 1962, the removal of the Bible in Abington School District v. Schempp in 1963 and the removal of the Ten Commandments from public schools, courthouses and government buildings in Stone v. Graham in 1980. In reality, what they did was spiritually depleting America’s house, leaving it to be filled with “more wicked spirits,” as Christ forewarned in Luke 11:24-26.
The void created by the radical Warren Court’s (1953-1964) crusade against Christianity resulted in the current dissolute inculcation of youth in the nation’s classrooms, which would have been completely inconceivable a mere 50 years ago. It would seem that America’s adolescents are being mustered and equipped through public education for war against God Jehovah and His son Jesus Christ.
Yet, thankfully, three of the 13 freshmen elected to the NC State House on Nov. 8 are pastors. Three pastors in Iowa were elected to the legislature on Election Day as well. If we are to make it through, every church in America should have a pastor, elder, deacon or congregant running for local office in 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 and thereafter.
A.W. Pink in his classic, “The Life of David,” shows us the best way to go:
“There is great need today for the above principles to be explained unto and impressed upon professing Christians. Neither God’s glory will be maintained nor the good of His people promoted if we conceal and are silent about the requirements of His righteousness. God’s mercy is exercised in a way of holiness: where there is no repentance, there is no forgiveness; where there is no turning away from sin, there is no blotting out of sins. Something more is required than simply asking God to be gracious unto us for Christ’s sake. There are many who quote ‘the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7), but there are few indeed who faithfully point out that that precious promise is specifically qualified with ‘IF’ we walk in the light as He is in the light.”
Thankfully Gideon’s and Rahab’s are entering the public square. America’s spiritual resurrection is just around the corner. {eoa}
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David Lane is the founder of the American Renewal Project.
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