Presidential candidate Barack Obama hosted a private interview this week with several Christian leaders that some say was intended “to prompt a wide discussion”1 on various topics such as abortion and homosexual rights. Such reaching out by politicians for the purpose of dialogue is notoriously aimed at courting endorsements from high profile personalities. Christian leaders, especially of the genuine verity, should take warning. These same leaders will find that they are expendable, and will be sheded faster than a burning shirt, should they later prove politically inconvenient. And they will be the ones worse for the wear. Just ask Pastor John Hagee of Cornerstone Church, San Antonio Texas. Hagee endorsed Republican candidate John McCain only to be thrown under the bus by McCain when the press took Hagee out of context from sermon he preached back in the nineties on Israel. Hagee, who undoubtedly threw his support behind McCain in an effort to ward off the greater of two evils (and not on McCain’s substance), learned the hard way any compromise with reprobates is too much.In an effort to make their union work out, Hagee had been forced to write a letter of apology to the Catholic Church for his eschatological teaching which identifies it as the imitation, One World church to enjoy temporary reign and then suffer God’s wrath during the tribulation period. The letter was magnanimous enough not to retract the substance of the teaching, but Hagee’s integrity suffered damage by the appearance of a general retraction. They keep coming.
Ask Pastor Bob DeWaay of Twin City Fellowship, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He visited pastor-turned-politician Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven conference last month (at Warren’s all-expenses paid invitation) on the pretense of establishing dialogue. Dewaay has been critical of Warren’s departure from Christina doctrine and adoption of secular principals, and was solicited by Warren in an effort to woo him over. The effort failed, but ever the politician Warren tried to capitalize on the compromise visit by having his camp claim that DeWaay’s attendance at the conference evidenced his endorsement of Warren’s politics.
DeWaay was forced to spend time defending himself against Warren’s powerful PR machine, and reiterating his unchanged position with what meager resources he could avail himself of. While he probably salvaged the charge, always printed on the front page, with those who know him best; the correction, always printed on the back page, could barely be expected to reach the ones who had attended the conference and who noted DeWaay’s presence there. If nothing else, some damage was done if only in expended effort that could have been put to use elsewhere. Yet, the harder they learn, the harder they fall.
The next Christian leader in line to learn the lesson of compromise the hard way was lined up by Barack for his private interview. Franklin Graham revealed that he carries the shoehorn for his own slide by explaining why he attended the event. According to Graham’s spokesman, “He feels that dialogue with someone who may be president is useful whether or not you agree with them on everything or anything.”2 Will they never learn? Couldn’t Graham take a cue form the other leaders who were present and realize that he was at Compromise Hall, and extricate himself with honor?
It was no surprise that T.D. Jakes, quoted above, was in attendance and in affirmation. Jakes has been fawning over Obama from the beginning of his campaign, and is already famous for his compromise of Christian doctrine in favor of splash and cash. Rich Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals (also known as the Green Evangelicals), who also attended, would follow Obama anywhere so long as he continues to support the Green politics of eviscerating the American way of life and reintroducing serfdom so that the earth may be shown its proper reverence, and Gaia worship can be established as the state religion. That political plank works in fine with Obama’s Post Modern Marxism as was expressed by his wife who, while campaigning for his economic policies of, no surprise, universal distribution, said: “The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more.”3 Every one except the ones in charge of the pie, that is. It will be their job to oversee the revolution (change we can believe in) until everyone is freed to become a poor starving, but green, Marxist. Attention Christian leaders: Marxists and apostates are atheists, compromise at you own risk.
Notes:
1. Charles Babington, “Christian Leaders Meet Privately with Obama,” Christian Post, Jun 11, 2008.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080611/32771_
Christian_Leaders_Meet_Privately_with_Obama.htm
2. Babington, “Christian Leaders Meet Privately with Obama.” (emphasis added).
3. Charlotte.com, “Giving Hope a Comeback,” March 8, 2008. http://www.charlotte.com/112/story/572303.html
