I have had some thoughts rattling around in my head for some time now….(ok go ahead and say it. I know you’re thinking…”well I’m sure there’s plenty of room in there for things to rattle around”). If you're through with your playing around....let me say that comes as no shock to most people, that there are a number of things that bother me about what is going on in the government. In addition to that, there are a number of things going on in churches that bother me as well. (Some of you will be clicking off the page right about now….so let me say…”see ya’ later…you should have stuck around to hear this…’cause it might be good”)
There are people in this country who hear someone say a prayer at a football game…or any other public gathering, for that matter….and will immediately try to play the “separation of church and state” card….Let me say that far too many of those who play that “card”…don’t have a clue what it really means….or why the founders of this great nation even addressed the issue. For some, it is likely that they heard it said somewhere….and without doing any research on their own as to whether or not it is valid….they just keep repeating it over and over as if it were fact. Allow me to explain: That term, in the form that it is so often quoted…(“separation of church and state”) does not exist in the Bible….The Constitution…The Declaration of Independence….The Bill of Rights….The Magna Carta…..or any of the many Dr Seuss books that I have read (and yes…”any of the many” was on purpose)….Here is what the 1st Amendment REALLY says…. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. Pretty simple to understand, if you ask me…..and it really doesn't scream "separation of church and state".
With that said….why is it that many of those who continue to spout their misquoted version of the 1st Amendment…are far too many times, also counted among those who turn to such “holy people” as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright and now President Obama's "spiritual adviser", Jim Wallis (all of whom claim to be Reverends) to do their bidding. In an effort to shove socialism/communism down the throats of Americans…they use these types of people in an lame attempt to tie the teachings of Jesus into their twisted theology of “social justice”. Social justice as espoused by these and many other “religious” (I so hate using that word when describing these people) leaders….is NOT found in the Bible. Before you say…”well how would you know, you’re just a dumb car salesman”….let me say that statement is not entirely true…because we sell trucks and vans as well….Also while my degree is in Music…my minor was theology. I have been studying and teaching the Bible for a lot of years. While I am not saying that I am THE ultimate authority on the Bible….I can say that I have a pretty good understanding of it…and the version of “social justice” that is being pushed by the above mentioned people along with the current liberal administration…is not biblical.
For example….under the Law of Moses…there was a provision for poor people to have food. If you read through the Book of Ruth, you will see that while it is an awfully nice story…with a lot of meaning….it also specifically addresses the issue of taking care of the poor. The customs that were followed in the Book of Ruth come from the book of Leviticus 19:9-10...that says this….”When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God”. Under the Law of Moses, when the harvesters went through a field, they were to only pass through that field one time. They were also not to harvest (or reap) the very edges of the field. The reason for this was that it allowed the poor to come into the field after the initial harvest…and pick food for themselves and their families. If you read the story of Ruth (in the Book of Ruth), you will see that this is exactly what she did. In fact the foreman even commented to the owner of the field as to her hard work ethic. (Ruth 2:7 NIV) So why am I saying all of this? Because as I have studied the Bible….I find NO provision anywhere for the poor to stay home and have someone bring what is left in the field to them…..nor do I find any place where they went to the owner of the field and took what he had harvested and gave it to the poor. No…the provision was that there was a way for a person to be fed if they were hungry….but it required work on their part. Now before someone says….”yeah but that’s the Old Testament…it doesn’t count”….hold on we’ll get there next.
In the New Testament….(specifically Acts 2:44-45 NIV)…we see that some of the believers in the 1st century Church “were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need”. So is that Marxism? Some of these whiney-baby, bleeding heart, reverend-wanna-be, liberals…would say “Yes”…....To which I would respond…”No…it’s not”. First of all, in the 1st century church...the decision of whether or not to sell their possessions was entirely up to them. There was no government or church mandate that required anyone to sell anything if they didn't want to. We know this is true because later in the Book of Acts, a man came to Peter and said that he and his wife and had sold a piece of land, and that they were giving all the proceeds to the church. We find out that…yes they had sold a piece of land…but they had held back a portion for themselves. Their wrongdoing wasn’t in holding back a portion for themselves….rather it was for saying that they had given it all. Look at Peter’s response in Acts 5:3-4 (NIV)…”Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." So we see that while some of them DID sell their possessions and give it to the church….it was still up to the individual to decide if they were going to do so….and if they did…it was also up to the individual to decide how much of it, they wanted to give. Some of these preachers of “social justice” or “the social gospel” would have you believe that Jesus’ whole ministry centered around a teaching of taking from one person and giving to another. There is nothing further from the truth.
There is only one true Gospel and it’s not the “social gospel” of Jeremiah Wright. It’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ….and although it came at a very high price…..it comes to each and everyone of us for free. The true Gospel (translated from the Greek word euangelion...meaning "Good Message" or "Good News”) it is not a message of "good news" to the poor...but rather a message of "good news" to each and every man, woman and child...rich or poor, that has ever lived. The "good news" message isn't that the government is going to take something from someone else and give it to you....Rather it's the message that God gave His only Son to die…so that we might have salvation. That is the only Gospel that Jesus told His disciples to go out and preach….not one of the government taking from one person and giving it to another in an attempt to make us more equal. That is the gospel of Karl Marx…NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel that I’m talking about is free and it required the Son of God to give everything so that we might receive it
With that said….This Gospel that I have spoken of today…Is NOT That gospel of “social justice” that Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Jeremiah Wright or Jim Wallis adhere to….Let me go one step further and say that as far as I’m concerned….since their gospel is not even found in the Bible…it would seem to indicate that it didn’t come from God….and that would seem to indicate that it probably doesn't take a Bible scholar to decide where it DID come from. Then Again….That’s Just Me
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