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THE RIGHT-WING ANTICHRIST …Snookering the Evangelical Left Chapter 25, the False Prophet by Doug Krieger
“Yet, what is one to make of a child who believed he was God?” “Yet, as an adult, he offered no sign, no dismissive gesture, no footnote signifying that he no longer clung to such wild convictions, but only the suggestion of how difficult it was for someone to believe himself a deity.” (The unauthorized biography of Soros (George)—Soros, The Life, Times & Trading Secrets of the World’s Greatest Investor). The False Prophet’s clever distractions – let alone those absorbed in their own self-approbation and propriety – will proliferate in the end of days – what appears self-evident, turns out to be bogus. In sum – and I will occasionally repeat this: It’s the economy stupid! Cleverly devised fables are one thing – the new and repackaged rhetoric of the dispassionate evangelical social-activist is another. The former (“cleverly devised fables”) most definitely has everything to do with keeping true Christianity pure; whereas the latter can have a similar murky result, though much more subtle in its indifference to “any other gospel to you than what you have received” - Apostle Paul (Galatians 1:8-9) How can I say such a thing? What’s wrong in railing on the rich who oppress the poor? On the surface – at least for a true Christian, nothing – rail ‘till your hoarse! But a closer look will have you think twice at what appears to be an obvious response on behalf of the afflicted masses at the contrivance of the wealthy – keeping in mind “not many noble are called” (but remember, it didn’t say: “not ANY noble are called”). Of late, the Left has made ever deeper inroads into the psyche of evangelical Christianity, at least among the English-speaking world of evangelicalism– convicted as we are about our untoward wealth juxtaposed to the impoverishment in most of the developing world. The Arab World, and now Uganda, and other flashpoints, are agitating the aggrieved masses who demand a “piece of the action.” Yes, who can and will deliver the masses? Again, the words of Jesus in the Olivet Discourse resound with “false christs” who in the latter days will proliferate – and, of course, they’ll come in all shapes and sizes. Again, hear the description and words of the irreligious one who has a Messianic Complex . . . perhaps his only saving grace since he admits to it: “A passage in his book The Alchemy of Finance, published in 1987, distinguishes Soros [George Soros] from all other financiers, ever. ‘I have always harbored an exaggerated view of my self-importance,’ he wrote. ‘To put it bluntly, I fancied myself as some kind of god or an economic reformer like Keynes, or, even better, like Einstein. My sense of reality was strong enough to make me realize that these expectations were excessive, and I kept them hidden as a guilty secret. This was a source of considerable unhappiness through much of my adult life. As I made my way in the world, reality came close enough to my fantasy to allow me to admit my secret, at least to myself. Needless to say, I feel much happier as a result.’” (Ibid.) Our notion that a “false christ” has to be someone with at least “religious overtones” isn’t always the case. You see, messiahs come in all sizes. Likewise, their utopian message of “liberty, equality, fraternity” can lob off your head as in the French Revolution or extend self-sacrificial love by feeding the poor at the Union Gospel Rescue Mission. Messiah connotes Deliverer, Deliverance. So, to some – especially the Lefties among us – anything that smacks of elitism, particularism or some form of absolutism are anathema (whoops, the practice of “spiritual apartheid”) to “progressives.” Therefore, those among the Left who are ultra-self-absorbed types – but whose funding mechanisms do mean a lot to us – should keep their messianic aspirations coy…just shroud them on the interior and release them only to make yourself more humble; that way, we’ll enjoy the ride and put up with your overweening sense of propriety…at least, it’s more tolerable to our liberal sensitivities. Oh, and by the way, memories conveniently fail – as they are wont to do – for they who incessantly parade the racism of fascism about as fertile ground for Antichrist , carefully craft their sights upon the millions killed by the Hitler-Tojo Axis…while conveniently obfuscating the worker’s paradise of Stalin-Mao – the Left’s maimed and mauled millions don’t fit their present Gospel of the Kingdom of God paradigm! Therefore, lest we forget who’s Right and who’s Left here… THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PAUL HOCKENOS
Nascent racism as the basis for the rise of Antichrist is flawed in that it is just as viable – validated by immediate history and present socio-political realities – to prescribe “universalism” and the secularization of societies as the fertile soils of Antichrist. The colloquialism of fascism may suggest national aspirations and thence ethnos-fratricide or racial cleansing but its deficiencies to extend beyond its parochial interests diminish its impact – in sum: fascism is a socio-political dinosaur, proven to exhaust itself relatively quickly; nor is it a prescient political alternative producing the environment for Antichrist. One readily can claim that “... nation (ethnos) shall rise against nation (ethnos), and kingdom against kingdom ...” (Luke 21:10) characterizes the lead up to the final week of Daniel’s prophecy – true – but to blithely assume it is the dominating environment producing Antichrist is altogether fallacious and but a foil. To the contrary, the false flag of democratic liberalism as the protectorate of rabid global commercialism (far more sophisticated than Weimar Germany) is the nascent soil from which springs the “prince who is to come.” Encroaching global corporatism is by far the more sinister digs of the Man of Sin – not the particularism of fascism. Certainly, National Socialism and its communist counterpart have witnessed the decline of their ideologies, having given sway to those commercial forces who have more than justified their global reach under the banner of democracy. No, I’m afraid that certain proponents of racism who embrace this pathological paradigm as the priority ingredient giving birth to Antichrist have shifted the blame game too far to the right because of their left-wing bias; instead, they should consider… CORPORATISM & GLOBALISM…THE REAL NEXUS NATO’s latest incursion into Libya and its military flirtation throughout the Arab world – led by the commercial concupiscence of the USA (the Ships of Tarshish, along with the Saudi royals – Sheba and Dedan) – are far and away the prophetic paradigm. Alas! It is Commercial Babylon who dictates the course of Antichrist and to hell with political ideology – unless its “open society” (a.k.a. George Soros) can use “democratic change” to augment his own self-aggrandizements. Even he, of late, is dissatisfied with the “political discourse” and lack of governance witnessed in what he considers the polarization of America’s political ideologies of the Left and Right – of “extreme Democrats and Republicans” who can’t “hold to the center” and get things done!
Likewise – again, perhaps more so – racism does not heighten the interest of Antichrist’s system. To the contrary, racism plays little or no role in the destination of end-time’s prevalence. If anything, the degradation of our own DNA is far more desirable to Antichrist who himself shall turn into the Beast! Witness the predictions in Revelation 9 and the manifestation “in the middle of the week” of the Beast who arises from the Abyss in Revelation 13. Furthermore, the so-called “Civilization War” raging in America has far more to do with the peculiarities, once again, of staid, though unproven, youthful American social traditions vs. the accelerated progressivism wrought via democratic liberalism gone amok. I am bemused by some whose limited insight into these matters appears purposefully focused on trivial potentials – and must believe they have ulterior and selfish motives as they beat the drums on behalf of the impoverished masses, while deriding the rich. One would think that those steeped in university-style research and internet amplifications of the same would focus their attention on the profound and not on the mundane. “Race Wars” are naught but plebian fluff, given the demands of the world’s foremost Commercial Empire. Indeed the ultra-Left would have us embrace the idea that racism is the uber-boogieman and the primary acceleration whereby Antichrist ascends and unveils himself at the “Treaty of Hell and Death.” This grandiose delirium of a distraction leads me to conspire; to wit: If I did believe in conspiracies, I would surely conclude these Lefties are being utilized by “higher ups” to becloud their real agenda to empower their commercial exploits and to use racism as the fall guy inhibiting wealth generation. Nice try, but it won’t work.
The thought that American integration will ameliorate due to racism, when her quest for commercial dominance reigns supreme, is ludicrous. The days of a bygone era where Cold War realities like “evil empire” vs. “American exceptionalism” gave us comfort and clarity – are, as they say: Get over it! Today the juggernaut of globalism and corporatism, led by the Merchants of the Earth and headed up by the world’s Commercial Empire and globally enforced by the world’s foremost military, is the only paradigm worth mentioning of any consequence. It’s the economy stupid! And think not otherwise! Religion – though 1.5 million gather in Rome for the Beatification of John Paul II impresses – plays but a bit part; ultimately, the Beast turns on her (inclusive of all religion) as well and devours her. Islam’s absolutisms will succumb to the aggressive onslaught of relativism, accommodation and dialogue demanded by the pinnacle of Enlightenment and the fullness of the Age of Reason. Behold, the tragic climax to religion riding upon the Beast – as soon as the Beast is “done with her” he summarily throws mutual usefulness out the window, where her adulterous perfidies are eaten by wild beasts whose discretionary appetites exclude extremities, as they devour all but those body parts which are laced with toxic perfumes which had disguised her pathetic intentions (e.g., her hands, feet and head – gruesome, but wholly descriptive and worthy of her terrible ending). THE “PRINCE OF TYRE” RULES No, millions of Christians are not being caught up in racism or ethno-centricities. The “mixed Babylonian multitude” described in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 50:37 – “And against all the mixed peoples who are in her midst”) – is not characterized by the madness of racism in the end-times. Babylon’s raison d'être distinguishes herself in Revelation 18. Her final judgment is dripping with her commercial exploitations – and, if blacks, whites, Asians, whoever can be utilized to achieve her wretched enterprise (trafficking in the bodies and souls of men as she is wont to do), fine. Antichrist – so vividly described in Ezekiel’s morphing of the “Prince of Tyre” into the climactic manifestation of this hideous Desolator – is altogether recognizable:
“What he spoke against the inhabitants of Babylon. ‘O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness…the Lord of hosts has sworn by Himself’” (Jeremiah 51:13-14). It has nothing to do with the “raging currents” of racism – but everything to do with international bankers and the machinations of commercial lobbyists who proliferate and spread Babylon’s tentacles throughout the earth! So, just in case you’re unconvinced regarding the superficiality of this racism thesis in the production of Antichrist – let the Almighty altogether disabuse you – when you realize her “usefulness” and the “Destroying Mountain” (the real culprit behind it all) has been extinguished: “’You (Babylon) are My battle-ax and weapons of war: for with you I will break the nation in pieces; with you will destroy kingdoms; with you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; with you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider; with you also I will break in pieces man and woman; with you I will break in pieces old and young; with you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden, with you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen; and with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers. “And I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all the evil they have done in Zion in your sight, says the LORD. Behold, I am against you, ‘O destroying mountain, who destroys all the earth,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will stretch out My hand against you. Roll you down from the rocks, and make you a burnt mountain. They shall not take from you a stone for a corner nor a stone for a foundation, but you shall be desolate forever,’ says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 51:20-26). Americans are being caught up in skin color – to be sure – but its “little green men” running around who enamor them, not blatant racism! How trite to assume otherwise. THE PEASANT’S WAR & LIBERATION THEOLOGY
But the lure of the Left, to more and more disenchanted believer, incites to socio-economic transformation, while deceptively and deliberately demanding terrestrial reformation. The inevitable rant demanding economic equity – especially from those enveloped in the clutches of Liberation Theology whose grist for political incitement by pitting the “poor vs. the rich” – draws the simpleton, but altruistic soul, into the spiritual quicksand of peripheral, political engagement until all spiritual transformation is inconsequential, leaving the soul bereft of one’s heavenly calling and focus. Instead, those stung by Liberation Theology are just as apt to man the bilge pumps of this sinking Titanic as their Dominionists counterparts on the Christian Right. And, think not that history does not repeat itself among those whose self-righteousness has taken them to horrendous earthly conclusions – all the while they rant and rave of their celestial habitation! Connecting the dots between the Peasant’s War in Central Europe with the demise of Liberation Theology, does not take a history rocket scientist; however, the persistence of the Evangelical Left to convince us otherwise of this linkage, in order to maintain their pristine intentions, isn’t calculus. Martin Luther and Thomas Műntzer may have been concurrent in their theological departure from Rome, but their socio-economic visions were altogether disparate. Luther - in this metaphor - would have nothing to do with his former co-worker Műntzer and his religio-socio-economic exploits, though both embraced the "universal priesthood of all believers." But, to say that Műntzer - who was connected in latter years with Honecker's East German socialism - had within his primitive pursuits the modern roots of Liberation Theology, is not a quantum conjecture.
Although the eruption of the Peasant’s War was quickly extinguished by both the nobles under Protestantism and traditional Catholic monarchists, their efforts were romanced and interpreted by irreligious ideologues like Engels and Marx: “The German Peasants' War provided the basis of Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx's concept of historical materialism. Marx and Engels attributed the peasant failure in 1524–1526, described in their monumental work, The Peasant War in Germany, to peasant conservativism; this led them to conclude that the revolution, when it occurred, would be led not by a peasant army but by an urban proletariat. In this interpretation of class warfare, Engels identified the peasants as traitors to the cause of freedom, although at a lesser level of development.” (Wikipedia) In other words, expunging peasant conservative tendencies (i.e., “the new liberation theology”) from the economic charge of their cause, along with (which didn’t really exist at the time) the enlightened leadership of “an urban proletariat” could lead to successful socio-economic change for the betterment of mankind – of course, this atheistic approach to socio-economic reformation led to the death of tens of millions throughout the world and its abandonment amongst its most vociferous proponents – the Sino-Russians. Notwithstanding the failure of ardent religious fanatics (Műntzer, et al) to reform the social order of their day (resulting in 100,000 deaths) – viz., religious reform “should have” implications for humankind wherein the social and economic reform must go hand-in-hand – the desire among true “Christian Socialists” to change the present social order to the betterment of the masses remains the unequivocal pledge of true “Christian reformers” . . . so goes the mantra of Christian Socialism. The Protestant work ethic and the modern-day capitalism it nourishes has been assaulted by certain Catholic and evangelical Liberation Theologians and activists as contrary to the “mind of God.” Ostensibly, the poster board champion of “Class Warfare” (demeaned by some who abhor Fox News and their efforts to link “liberal progressivism” with such carnal nomenclature) wherein the rich of this world are pitted against the poor masses … and all who ally themselves with “indifference” have taken the side of the rich against the poor…is Archbishop Dom Helder Camara of Brazil. Ministries who have adopted the good Archbishop as the “patron saint” of the “poor” vis-à-vis the rich who exploit them, must carefully watch their back sides lest their actions begin to speak louder than their words; viz., they spend the vast majority of their time railing on the persons and works of the ungodly – caring barely a twit for their souls – while finding themselves enveloped in the camp of “social justice” for all and to all a good night, as they, like the Fosdicks and Dulleses upon whose shoulders they stand, become as spiritually bankrupt as the money grubbers they stridently condemn. But the Patron Saint affirms: “I used to think, when I was a child that Christ might have been exaggerating when He warned about the dangers of wealth. Today I know better. I know how ... it is to be rich and still keep the milk of human kindness. Money has a dangerous way of putting scales on one's eyes, a dangerous way of freezing people's hands, eyes, lips and hearts.” (Quote from Archbishop Dom Camara) So what do we do about this inequity? Shall we dispense with the redistribution of wealth and economic egalitarian ideals? God forbid! How can it be wrong to speak out on behalf of justice for the poor and oppressed? Jesus said: “For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always” (John 12:8).
“‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box, and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:3-8). Strange or not so strange how “concern for the poor” oft times comes from those whose thievery of the “money box” haunts their “ministry?” But believing the best of Liberation Theology and its righteous accolades to be just that – even today’s Pope Benedict XVI once said as Cardinal Ratzinger: “... if one accepts the fundamental assumptions which underlie liberation theology, it cannot be denied that the whole edifice has an almost irresistible logic ... Liberation theologians have succeeded in creating a total picture of the Christian reality, and this total view seems to respond fully ... to the ... moral challenges of our time ... One can understand, therefore, that this new interpretation of Christianity should have exercised an increasing fascination over theologians, priests and religious (adherents), particularly against the background of Third World Problems ....” LIBERATION THEOLOGY’S OTHER FACE Yet, sooner perhaps more so than later, from President Obama’s erstwhile black liberation theologian, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to Bishop Jose Miranda of Mexico, there’s a propensity to the extreme and it is not pretty: “Liberation theology has fallen on hard times in recent years. Partly that’s a result of more just governments coming into power in most Latin American countries. It’s also a result of some excesses on the parts of some liberation theologians. (e.g., I heard Miranda declare ‘I am not a communist, but I am a Marxist. And I am a Marxist because I am a Christian!’”(Roger E. Olson Blog) Naturally – emphasis upon “naturally” – the “haves” (be they religious, agnostic or atheist) tend, not only to justify their wealth, but to defend and protect it against all “have nots”…choosing at best benevolence when it suits their fancy or moral convictions which obligate them to charity. Is it any wonder then that those who champion the current American New World Order System are either indifferent to Christian social action or actually aggressively resistant to a Christianity who champions such notions which embrace social justice by exposing and agitating the rich? THREE STRIKES AND YOU’RE OUT!
Furthermore, why was the first among the Gentiles, Cornelius, “a centurion of what was called the Italian regiment . . . who gave alms generously to the people…your alms are remembered in the sight of God…your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God” (no doubt a man of some means with servants and many friends – Acts 10)? Finally, note that the first convert to Christianity in all of Europe was a business woman, Lydia, a “seller of purple” fabric – one of the most upper class, even elite, entrepreneurs of garments (Acts 16:14-15). Again, obviously, a woman of some means. So, there you have it – A wealthy black man, a military leader among the Romans – an Italian no less – and a wealthy business woman from Thyatira – three strikes and you’re out, insofar as wealth having nothing to do with the gospel! Do we sanction a Christianity which aligns itself with the Merchants of the Earth? Never! Do we “revile and persecute” those evangelicals who warn against such complicity with the “wealth of this world?” Or worse, do we by our so-called avowed silence condone the marriage of the Church with politics and celebrate the “cross and crown” as its commercial rampage engulfed the New World? Don’t think so. THOMAS MȔNTZER & RADICAL REFORMATION
Listen, the righteous rhetoric of Liberation Theology can, and is, just as viral a contagion as some of the worst Dominionists’ diatribes of the Christian Right ever thought of being. The colorful and absolutist Müntzer was by no stretch of the imagination a compromiser – and, as many historians conjecture, he most certainly was the founder of the Anabaptist Movement throughout Europe. Rightly so, he was of its militant wing, that is most definite – but, then again, haven’t the “social reformers” been both militant pacifists, as well as sword-wielding confrontational lads – a distinction which Dr. Gavin Finley makes so well when he distinguishes the Pilgrim from the Puritan. I think our review of Müntzer’s exploits and philosophy would be wise in light of those who espouse a more radical attempt in the changing of the social order . . . surely, he didn’t start out as such a radical, but gradually, very gradually, he became what we find below… “Thomas Müntzer (or Müntzer, Münzer) (1489 or 1490–27 May 1525) was an early Reformation-era German pastor who was a rebel leader during the Peasants' War and a leader of a radical Christian movement. The Protestant Reformation's stress on salvation as a personal experience and on the priesthood of all believers resulted in a new confidence that, in a community of the saved, no individual could claim special authority. The more radical reformers wanted to return to a primitive Christianity, in which the believers held all things in common. “Some took this concept of theological equality into the political arena and rebelled against feudal oppression. Under Müntzer, all authorities were to be opposed, since before the Fall, the Bible makes no mention of any priests or kings. Any man or woman could read the Bible without priestly mediation. The Bible was a sufficient basis for law and order. The people would govern themselves under God. Müntzer led an attempt to set up an ideal Christian commonwealth in which there was absolute equality and goods were held in common; however, he did so violently. He was captured at the battle of Frankenhausen (May 15, 1525) fighting, as he and his companions saw it, against political and spiritual oppression, convinced that God would intervene on their side. He was beheaded on May 27, 1525. Müntzer almost certainly believed that the "End" would follow the successful establishment of a Christian commonwealth. Müntzer's ideal was a utopian society and he has been recruited by Marxists as a pioneer of the class struggle, not without some justification.
“More recent studies, however, have been more sensitive to the context of Müntzer's life. He stands as a symbol of one of the many theological directions which could have been taken by the Reformation movement in its earliest stages. “He and his followers are usually described as Anabaptists, although there is no evidence that he re-baptized people. Many early Anabaptists were pacifist, although those who took their utopian beliefs to an extreme, and believed that the perfect society could be established if necessary by the sword, promoted violence and some even practiced polygamy believing that in the period before the end, normal moral rules no longer applied. Anabaptists were subsequently regarded with suspicion as a danger to the social order but through the Mennonites they later gained respect especially for their renewed emphasis on pacifism, in contrast to Müntzer, and on voluntary service. “On July 13, 1524, Müntzer apparently delivered his Sermon to the Princes, a sermon allegedly given to Duke John of Saxony and his advisors in Allstedt, though the circumstances surrounding this event are unclear. The sermon focuses on Daniel 2, a chapter in which Daniel, hostage in Babylon, becomes an adviser to the king because of his ability to interpret dreams. In the sermon, Müntzer presents himself as a new Daniel to interpret the dreams of the princes to them. He interpreted Daniel 2:44 as speaking of the kingdom of God that would consume all earthly kingdoms. “Probably as a result of this event, combined with Luther's Letter to the Princes of early July, 1524 which attacked Müntzer and Andreas Karlstadt, Müntzer and others from Allstedt were called to a hearing at Weimar with Duke John of Saxony on July, 31 or August, 1. He decided that the printing press at Allstedt was to be shut down. Müntzer fled Allstedt soon after. “Luther was also not as radical in his beliefs as was Müntzer. In criticizing the Catholic clergy, who did not believe in continued revelation from heaven, he (Müntzer) stated, ‘These villainous and treacherous parsons are of no use to the church in even the slightest manner, for they deny the voice of the bridegroom, which is a truly certain sign that they are a pack of devils. How could they then be God’s servants, bearers of his word, which they shamelessly deny with their whore’s brazenness? For all true parsons must have revelations, so that they are certain of their cause.’” (New World Encyclopedia) So ends the rather illustrious musings of one, Thomas Müntzer – caught up in his own “revelations” of social justice for all – thank God for the Mennonites! SOCIAL UTOPIAN IDEALS SPELL RUINATION
I’ve taken this obnoxious extremity to heighten the awareness of many a sincere but deluded and deceived brother or sister whose fascination with the “bluster of class warfare” is somehow endemic to the true message of Christianity – it isn’t. Christ has come to “set the captives free” – He did not embolden the Jews to cast off their Roman taskmasters – His was a “spiritual liberation” from within – His Promise of the Spirit meant to change the interior circumstance so that “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13). Out of the “innermost being” of the lowliest would “flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38-39). The “hate-speak” of a Müntzer or a Jim Jones does not lead to life, but death – to some physical, to others spiritual. The socio-political oppression of the Romans in Judea was not confronted by Jesus – either with rhetoric or with the sword. Upon His resurrection and ascension there was no talk of Peter running for Mayor of Jerusalem or of the disciples fleeing into the wilderness – to the contrary, they were to remain in a most hostile environment, Jerusalem, until they were “clothed with power from on high.” The injustices of the Roman Empire were everywhere – but the early Church simply preached the gospel, souls were saved (wherever they be found – bond or free – rich or poor – men or women). Demanding justice for the poor, social reform and “class warfare” – you name it – that kind of rhetoric was virtually non-existent. Believers were to establish oases of mutual care and love in the midst of a “crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights.” It would be that “light” – that fragrance – that would shine in the darkness; and an aroma that would attract folks from all walks of life into accepting the Kingdom of God wherein social barriers did not exist. The barriers of the Empire, the customs of the heathens and the religious practices of the day had no truck with the “Pillar and Ground of the Truth!” Today’s “preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom” is not some romantic view of economic egalitarian justice. Ranting and raving against the rich, while heightening the hope of the poor that “they’re going to get their just dues some day” (who knows, maybe real soon) embitters most. No, I’m not justifying any of the methodologies of the Merchants of the Earth – but what I am saying is that covetousness comes in many a finely wrapped package delivered by the False Prophet whenever he gets a chance to dissuade you from the “Kingdom of God is within you.” CONCLUSION
What’s happening is a remarkable implosion – church after liberal or progressive church continues to see their membership in free fall. Mega-churchman, Rick Warren, America’s so-called “Pastor” suggests that American evangelicals have abandoned the social imperatives of the “gospel.” This took place when “Bible-believing evangelicals” split off from mainline Protestants who had embraced the Fosdick/Dulles model of social reformation. Instead, says Warren, the “Fightin’ Fundies” became the evangelical dogmatists and simply fulfilled one-half of their “gospel imperative” – i.e., the saving of souls; but forfeited their commitment to social reformation (that they left for the social reformers at the local liberal church). Yes, this is a simplistic overview of what happened – with wide disparities throughout both sides; for example, many a liberal congregation ardently preached the gospel of salvation through Christ and many evangelical fundamentalists reached out to their communities in care and social responsibility. That said, the overwhelming trend was obvious – the Liberal Protestants (i.e., so-called “mainline churches”) and their allies among the other branches of Christendom embraced social reformation with gusto, as well as the ecumenical component as part and parcel of its inclusive message; whereas the “soul-winners” went off into their particularism and would have nothing to do with the lot of these liberals who, in their minds, had diminished the Gospel’s true imperative – and, worse yet, kept adopting the “liberal social agenda” seen in everything from rent controls to abortion on demand. Now, with the rise of the Emergent Church and its sundry operatives (check out “no hell” Rob Bell), the canvas is cluttered with an ever-increasing fervency to “change our world” through “changing the system” – thence the meaningful chant: “We can change!” The death of OBL sparks American exceptionalism – it’s huge. Likewise, ironic, isn’t it, that the announcement of OBL’s assassination marks the commemoration of “Holocaust Day” in Israel? Does OBL’s death depress the “social antagonists of the Religious Left?” Of course it does; anything that smacks of the “city set on a hill” as some kind of “light to the world” disturbs them to the core…especially having President Obama somehow leading the charge. USAma bin Laden is dead – what now will be the language of the social reformer? Hard to say. But one thing’s for sure – this business about racism being fertile soil for the Antichrist is pure rubbish – and insofar as pitting the “poor against the rich” and making a big to do about “class warfare” – well, prattle on they must and will, and, given a little encouragement from the False Prophet, the Left-Wing Antichrist will unmercifully maintain his niche among our brethren on the Left – notwithstanding, the gospel of Jesus Christ being preached to the poor goes something like this: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (II Corinthians 8:9).
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