By now perhaps you already know that Robert Jeffress has endorsed Rick Perry. Rick Perry is the Governor of Texas and is a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Robert Jeffress is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas. I believe that Dr. Jeffress's endorsement was a mistake.
I like Robert Jeffress and have admired his unflinching courage. He and I agree about many things. Also, I find that there is much to admire and appreciate about the Perry candidacy. I am not finding fault with the man, and I am not finding fault with his particular choice of candidate.
First, I do not believe that this is an election in which pastors should be endorsing a candidate. I am not one of those who would say that pastors should never endorse political candidates. If Adolf Hitler were running against Billy Graham, I hope that I would be one of those with the courage not only to express a personal opinion but also to lead my church to take sides, and decisively so. Sometimes it may be appropriate for a pastor and a church to make a candidate endorsement.
This just isn't that time.
Second, I do not believe that Jeffress's reason is the right reason to use for endorsing a candidate. If Nebuchadnezzar was God's choice to lead Babylon, if Cyrus was God's choice to lead Persia, and if Nero was "God's agent" as the Emperor of Rome (Romans 13), then I don't see how we can declare that God couldn't possibly be supporting Mitt Romney over Rick Perry (or even, just possibly, Barack Hussein Obama over the entire GOP field?). God does what God does for God's own reasons.
I don't see myself voting for Mitt Romney, but neither do I believe that we ought to have any religious test for office, either formal or informal. If I were to impose such a test, I imagine that I would be throwing out some baby with the bathwater. I don't know how much confidence the New Testament leads us to have in the eternal salvation of the average person who is "religious without going to church," and yet that was the way that Ronald Reagan described himself (and was the obvious practice of his life).
Figuring out how to live and to lead as a Christian in these crazy times is often difficult. Dr. Jeffress is a thoughtful man, and I'm sure that he has given careful thought and prayer to his decision. Although I think that he heard wrongly during his prayer time and that he has made the wrong decision, I feel many of the same struggles and do respect him greatly still. Nevertheless, I would encourage my readers to refrain from making political endorsements like this one except in the most extreme circumstances.
7 comments:
My Dear fellow Christains,
I am writing in an effort to inform and to break down a major misconception that many have fallen into. Mainly our beloved Pastor Robert Jeffress. Specifically one does not have to completely understand the Trinity or even try to understand why God and His son Jesus Christ are call "One" inorder to be a Christain. If you believe Jesus Christ is the son of God and He attoned for ths sins of the world and you believe on Him and follow after his teachings, then you are a Christain. Period. Case in point: members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are Christains if they follow after and believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is all there is to it.
May God Bless the Pastor! Sincerely, Scott Richards
Bart,
I am glad to see you come out against this endorsement. The role of politics in the lives of pastors and Churches is one of the biggest dividing points among older and younger Southern Baptists. I hope more folks like yourself will be outspoken against such behavior. Now if we could just get more Southern Baptists to declare that $150 million Church buildings are idolatrous and blasphemous, then we might be getting somewhere.
Mr. Scott,
Sorry, but I couldn't pass up your comment without posting one of my own here. Mormons are in no way true Christians. Never have been. Never will be - unless they repent of their false doctrine and place their faith in Jesus Christ as their righteousness instead of working for their own.
Below are three excellent websites which can show you comprehensively why Mormons are absolutely not true Christians and will not inherit eternal life. I hope you will seriously consider them:
http://carm.org/mormonism
http://www.equip.org/categories/mormonism
http://www.aomin.org/Mormonism.html
Bart,
Just heard about this and then read your post! Well done sir! I agree!
Mr. Scott: It would seem even Robert Jeffress would disagree with you as reported in Yahoo News:
"On Friday, Texas pastor Robert Jeffress, a supporter of Texas Governor Rick Perry, said Republicans should not vote for Romney because he is a Mormon. He described Mormonism as a cult to reporters at the conference after introducing Perry, one of Romney's main rivals for the nomination."
http://news.yahoo.com/candidate-romney-woos-social-conservatives-180638437.html
Mr. Scott, Mormons, according to their Doctrine & Covenants, do not believe in the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Neither do they believe that Jesus is lord (God) which is, according to Romans 10, a necessary prerequisite for salvation.
That said, I could vote for Mitt Romney if his Economic, Political, and Moral ideas are in keeping with my own.
Romans 10:9 says, "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Either salvation is that simple or it isn't. I believe it is. Thus, I believe there may be some Mormons, Catholics, others etc... who are Christian if this is their heart.
C.T.
Is it considered improper for any pastor to endorse any candidate from the pulpit? Just ask for everyone to pray and seek God's will before voting....
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