The Mis-Education of the Pulpit

While lying in bed this Sunday morning barely awake after a challenging night with niece and nephew I turned on the television set (something I never do on a Sunday morning) only to find myself sorely dismayed and even heated by the comments being made by a local Friar here in northwest Phoenix over presiding over one of the Catholic Dioceses. He made this statement, " A culture of death has been elected into office and that some Catholics helped to elect it" (Very Rev. Fr. John Lankeit -Rector).

I was furious. So much in fact, that I finished listening to his rhetoric, shut off the set, walked out of my bedroom going into the kitchen where I sat down and began to have this conversation with a family member. Please note: This post is not a attack on the Catholic church nor any of its parishioners  as well as the other congregants of various Christian and non-Christian denominations.

This is about all the clergy who stood in their pulpits as well as the pulpits of their friends, broadcasting live, streaming online or otherwise, over radio, or phone and told us that casting our vote for any one or any policy tat was not conservative by design was sinful, shameful, a mockery of moral values, and as this guy put it, "A culture of death".

I am sick of it. Why? Because no where can you show me Biblically where Jesus, "Lift up politics or politicians and that will draw people to me." He never told politicians to do the jobs of His chosen and called out messengers. He never told the Christian to use political ways and means for ushering in right conduct, right living, neither right standing with God.

Jesus said, And I, If I (meaning Himself) be lifted up from the earth, I (again, meaning Himself) will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32). So where did these misguided, misdirected messages come from? They came from pastors such as Pastor Marvin Winans of Detroit, MI who told congregants "not to vote for Mr. Obama" because of his view on same sex marriage.  And still, Jesus said, "Go ye therefore into all the world and preach the Gospel..." (Mark 16:15). Preach about Him. He never said to politic, neither did He incline His followers to lift humanity from the bounds of sin through legislation and compromise!

What's peculiar I find, is that so many have memorized the scriptures, can absolutely, unequivocally will quote the scriptures, and yet, few actually "act" on the scriptures. In my opinion, most Christians learned to recite St. John 3:16 as children, "For God so loved the world that He gave....". How is it that we get this message so misconstrued as pertaining to us (the Christians) and only us. God gave through love and because of love. Plain and simple. Jeremiah 31:3 states, "...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Yet we still don't seem to get it....if the pulpit is to win the war on same sex marriages, abortion, suicide, or this "culture of death" then it has to be done through the preaching and real demonstration of L-O-V-E! Anything other than this is amiss. Any other is rhetoric.

Last, I find it difficult to support clergy that fails to demonstrate through precept and example the supportive, empowering and developing functions of the church. I have a very difficult time supporting faith leaders who have not taken the steps to lend themselves nor their administrators to engaging in development programs that aide their own congregants. I take issue with those clergy who will not sit at the table with viable Nonprofit Industry leaders and "learn their industry." I take issue with clergy who can and will quote scripture  to remind us all to be faithful stewards and yet, will not work towards getting their organizations Tax-Exempt so they can be positioned to help shoulder the burden of assisting individuals with felony records get their civil rights restored so they can go on to become civically engaged citizens, those clergy who will not revamp their archaic food programs making them into nutritional programs utilizing unemployed chefs to teach health and nutritional food preparation to fight childhood obesity and the chronic illnesses that plague the African American communities, I take issue with the church's silence on AIDS/HIV when the fastest and largest segment of those individuals affected by this disease is African Americans between the ages of 19-29.

I take issue with the church not being the church!