So here we are in 2023 and the sun came up once again: I will tell you that the challenges that lie ahead for our country are many and I’m not sure that the American people are up to the task of cleaning out the bureaucratic swamp that we have been squatting in Washington for decades. We have just gone through one of the most hate-filled years that I can remember in my 77 years on this earth, and it doesn’t appear that we have the leadership to turn it around anytime soon. As our economy sinks slowly into another recession the Washington Swamp on both sides of the aisle continues to prove that they are incapable of being good stewards of our tax dollars. They continue to borrow and spend Trillions on wasteful projects with no end in sight which will eventually have to be paid for by our grandchildren. Today many Americans are working two and three jobs to keep body and soul together while our leaders plan how to raise taxes and squeeze them financially with 86,000 more IRS agents to clean out whatever is left in their wallets and bank accounts.
We are definitely a country under siege: We have allowed the bureaucracies in America to grow and fester in Washington. It appears that we have no real leaders who have an interest in rectifying these problems. We elected a republican controlled house of representatives, yet it took 15 rounds of votes to elect a speaker which tell us something about the trust element in the republican party. Conservatives spend so much time fighting amongst themselves they have forgotten who the real enemy is. Government has become totally dysfunctional, and it doesn’t appear there will be much change in the next two years as conservatives continue the play the blame game of who was responsible for killing the Red Wave. They have even taken to blaming President Trump for just about all of the parties’ ills when in essence it was the old-line RINOs like Mitch McConnel who should carry much of the responsibility for the poor showing in the midterms. It appears that Republicans in general haven’t learned how to walk and chew gum at the same time, but they sure have figured out how to continue to waste our tax money on wars and wasteful nonessential Pork Projects.
Restricting our freedom of speech: We recently learned that our most respected law enforcement organizations have taken sides and interfered with our first amendment right, the freedom of speech. They did this not only in the general media spectrum but also in the content platforms for the large social media companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Google. I doubt that we will find out any time before the next presidential election just how much influence these mega media and social media companies had in our last election. One thing is for sure the laws must be changed so they can never do this again. Those federal law enforcement agencies that participated in these heinous acts of suppressing our freedom of speech need to be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We have been aware that these mega media companies have been restricting the flow of conservative thought on their platforms for many years and even employed many former members of these enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, too many Americans do not want to give up the convenience of having access to these media traitors as our children have all but become addicted to their mega propaganda sites. We have warned about these problems and explained why people should find other means of communication that were not censoring conservatives as were Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Most Americans ignored these problems that have now come back to bite them in the butt with their onerous restrictions of free speech. What is worse is their known coordination with government entities like the FBI, CIA, DHS along with many others have been exposed and we now know they have been involved in censoring us on social media platforms for years.
Some Courage is showing in our Christian Leaders: I had the opportunity to listen to a sermon at my church last week by a guest pastor who opened my eyes and the eyes of many of the members of our congregation. He convinced me that the answer to turning our country around lies within the grasp of our Christian church leaders. This man hit the nail on the head when he told us about a pastor of a very large Christian congregation in California. They were having problems with a local school board pushing the Woke agenda and he called on his congregation to run some of its members for this local school board. He asked that they support their candidacy to get them elected so they could affect the changes necessary in the school curriculum that would delete this WOKE agenda. You can imagine the shock that occurred when their Christian conservative slate won their elections proving that change could be made if they worked together.
The key to ending our country’s decline lies in our Church Leaders: We should all remember that America was founded on deeply shaped Christian moral truths. Winning the school board election was not the end of this pastor’s campaign for change. Soon after winning the school board election, this pastor called on his congregation to go out and raise awareness for 3 conservative republicans who were running in the midterm elections. Sure enough, they pulled together went out raised money and campaigned for these candidates and showed up on election day at the polls and all three of these conservative Christian candidates won their races. We need more Christian leaders like this pastor, to get their congregations involved with politics because as Christians we still have the power to change our country back to what our forefathers created. One nation under God indivisible with Liberty and justice for all. The United States has the largest Christian population in the world with nearly 210 million Christians and, as of 2021, over 140 million people affiliated with Protestant churches with many of these residing in the bible belt from Texas to the Carolinas. This is where the people’s power lies if we could only harness it and get the leaders of these Christian churches to speak up and get a movement started to fix this country. Nowadays it appears that the government is constantly attacking and trying to destroy Christianity because they fear that the Christians and their religious leaders will wake up, rise up and win elections to take the power away from these corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.
Is a Church’s Tax Exempt status so important that we stop fighting for our constitutional rights? Church leaders have always been aware that if they start talking politics the government will step in and take away their tax-exempt status but is it really all about money? Why is it ok for the government to play a part in destroying our religious values while we sit quietly and do nothing to stop these changes they are trying to make? If you don’t think the Government fears the power that sits in our church community you are mistaken, and you can see this in their efforts to indoctrinate our children into this new woke agenda through our public school system. It is time for our church leaders to take a long hard look at what is happening to our religious freedoms and liberties that our forefathers fought for. They need to wake up to the fact that if they don’t act soon this country will continue to decline morally, ethically, and religiously. To be sure there will be hesitancy for fear of raising the ire of government entities like the IRS but if the movement is big enough it is the government that will be afraid of the Christian communities voting power to remove them from office. Who will be the first to stand up and be counted on to save our country from the tyranny that is running rampant? Who will be the Christian standard bearer to stand up and say, “NO MORE” and begin the changing of the guard by encouraging people with strong Christian values to run for public office?
“We Get the Government We Deserve”
6 replies on “Will Christian Leaders Step Forward to take our Country Back?”
Amen and Amen
Well stated Bob.
“but if the movement is big enough it is the government that will be afraid of the Christian communities voting power to remove them from office.”
Somehow or another that did not work out in the recent Arizona election and I despair that voting is no longer a valid path forward in many states. We are fortunate here in Idaho but I worry about that too. Otherwise the premise of the article is totally correct and we need that Christian leadership now.
I had written this communique in 2004 concerning the church’s role
concerning our nation’s future. It is five pages, but supports your article, and I believe worth the read.
My People Who Are Called By My Name
A communique to the Evangelic Churches By Pete Ketcham
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Introduction
The following communique is based on the moral issues besieging the Christians of this Nation. It is about the question of why God has allowed this moral degeneration to continue, and what can be done to reverse this downward trend.
As the evangelical fundamental Bible believing Christian community ponders the moral degeneration of the USA, they often quote a biblical scripture from 2nd Chronicles 7:14 which says, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Unfortunately, fundamental Christians do not agree on, or understand what all is required on their part to fulfill this promise of God concerning the USA. Most will agree that they do know how to be humble, pray, seek the face of God,… but turn from their wicked ways?… what wicked ways? Most will honestly say they love God, accept His son Jesus Christ as their savior, evangelize their community, attend and support their local fundamental bible church and, of course, live moral lives. So why has God allowed the moral degeneration of the USA to continue to a point where the nation will eventually cease to exist if no changes are made?
To answer this question, we must return to the events and the people involved in the founding of this Christian nation.
The writings and historical documents of most of our Christian founding fathers show that they also loved God, accepted His son Jesus Christ as their savior, evangelized their community, attended and supported their local fundamental bible church, and lived moral lives. So what is the difference between them and the present day fundamental Christian community?
Quite simply, our founding fathers were willing to do certain things to create this God-given nation, that the fundamental Christian community today is not willing to do to save it
A harsh condemning statement? Perhaps, but let us take a closer look at some of these “things” that our founding fathers did and compare what the Christian community is doing today:
First: The founding fathers realized the truth in the bible verse which states: to know the right thing to do, and not to do it is a sin. They knew that they had exhausted all avenues of appeasement, argument, and reason with the British, as is so well illustrated in the famous “Give me Liberty or give me Death” address by Patrick Henry. It was clearly evident to rational thinking men and women that the choice was to accept
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complete subjugation and abuse from the British, or fight. There was simply no “middle ground” if they were to have freedom.
Today it is not-clear to many Christians nor their leadership what to do. Most believe, that if they continue to live what they consider “holy lives’, and pray for the nation, God, who is in control of all things, will take care of the national problems.
Second: The founding fathers were willing to put their material comfort, prestige, wealth, and very lives at risk to accomplish what they truly believed was the will of God concerning their part in creating this nation.
Today, the national Christian community enjoys unprecedented wealth, comfort, entertainment, and recreation. They have been convinced that God wishes for them to stay within the confines of their churches, and put nothing at risk, especially their tax-exempt status. The present day Christian leaders and followers believe that a benevolent government has granted them a tax-exempt status to stay out of the political arena, and conduct their “holy business” within the confines of their church. The reality, of course, is that the tax exempt status has become a leash and cage to control the Godly by the ungodly.
Third: The founding fathers provided far-sighted leadership, boldly took action, prosecuted a long and costly war against overwhelming odds, and won, why? Because they had realized that God would only give them victory, if they exhibited the willingness to take action. This interaction with God is repeatedly illustrated in the old testament with leaders such as Gideon, David, Joshua, and many others.
Today, the Christians lack the courageous leadership and vision of the founding fathers. The average pastor and national leadership of the fundamental church is looking for harmony, peace, and retirement within his/her church, and believe, that if they are faithfully preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, nothing, absolutely nothing could be lacking in their vision and leadership. Quite frankly, the last thing the local and national leadership is looking for is any action that would create discomfort, conflict, or disruption.
An Unpopular Solution
What actions to save our Nation should the fundamental Christian church take today that would parallel the actions of the founding fathers, and be in the will of God? This question, if it were every to be seriously considered or discussed by the fundamental leadership, would no doubt raise a myriad of opinions, most of which would not agree with the following assessments or recommendations:
It is necessary and time for the Christians to become as extremely vocal, visible and as politically powerful as their “enemies”. They must shed the fear of losing their tax-exempt status, the political consequences, and the vitriolic response of the main-stream news media. This recommendation does not imply that the evangelical churches should stop preaching the salvation of Christ. It means they should take on the additional task of reestablishing the Christian moral standards that were present at
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our nation’s founding. Times have changed radically and their original mission statement must be modified and increased to deal with the present. They must realize that conflict and war always comes at an inconvenient time, but it is here as surely as it was when described by Patrick Henry.
If one is to “go to war”, it is necessary to know who the enemy is, their objectives, their tactics, and motivations.
The liberal culture (communities and organizations) is almost legion in its’ dislike of the Christians of this nation, but I will comment particularly on two that standout from the rest for their extreme hatred of the Christian beliefs. These two are the homosexual (gay) community, and the abortion industry. Their ideology, morals, and lifestyle are completely diametrically opposed to the precepts of the bible, and thus, there is absolutely no middle ground or compromise between those who truly believe the bible to be the moral guidelines of God, and those who believe that a perverse sexual relationship, and the murder of unborn children is the moral equivalent of fundamental Christian beliefs, and should be accorded legal constitutional rights.
Both of these anti-Christian groups are powerful, but the uniting of the homosexual community has enabled it to become a social and political juggernaut that is able to roll over and crush any who stand in the way of their political agenda. Jerry Falwell, Anita Bryant, and many others tried to stand against them back in the 80’s, but were totally defeated. We hear nothing of Anita Bryant, and Jerry Falwell (now dead) is now neutralized. You will never hear, or see, any serious liberal or conservative political candidate running for office dare take them on, for they well know that the homosexuals have mastered the political technique of discrediting, and in some cases, taking their opposition out of power.
Is it is possible for the fundamental Christians to be as visible, vocal, and politically powerful as these two groups? The answer is yes, providing that the Christian denominations unite and collectively bring their assets to bear on their enemies, and rely on God to give the victories.
The fundamental Christian churches today possess tremendous real estate holdings, capital investment accounts, colleges, media assets, and congregations who are modestly to very wealthy. If united, the evangelical fundamental churches could become a political entity that could literally dominate the entire political spectrum. Unfortunately, the evangelical denominations have always kept themselves detached from each other, and intend to remain so. If the original states had adopted the policies of the present day church, there would not be a United States for these denominations to exist within.
Through courage and wisdom, the founding fathers exhibited the ability to unite the colonial states, which became an unbeatable force that eventually overwhelmed the British. Today no such men have surfaced with similar abilities. The leadership of the fundamental churches have no inclination to give up their individual power bases and unite, and they seem to have no vision of the impending consequences of their inaction.
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The logic of their refusal to take united political action to save our nation is similar to them having a severely leaking church roof which is destroying all the church furnishings, yet refusing to repair the roof because God wants them only to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, not fix roofs. It must be obvious to them that God has provided a national roof which protects and provides the freedom for them to even have a church. They see the rain of moral and social destruction which is pouring down upon their church, yet they continue their illogical policy of non-involvement..,.why? There are no doubt many justifications the leadership would provide to this question, but the following reasons are incontrovertible:
Many evangelical church pastors and their national leaders fear that if they call their congregations to political action, many in their congregations would walk out taking their wallets and purses with them. That could happen. They also fear they could lose their income and retirement for promoting political action, which is also a distinct possibility. Their fear of a vitriolic reaction from the local community and press for speaking out against homosexuality and abortion is also well-founded. And of course the fear of losing their tax-exempt status is a factor that weighs heavily in every political and financial decision they make. In essence, Fear is the first and foremost reason for the evangelical pastors and their leadership to take no action, and secondly, they have not personally experienced the consequences of their inaction….yet.
Edmond Burke, the British statesman, said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to stand by and do nothing”, and, literally, that is where the fundamental church leadership is today.
The Projected Consequences Of The Present-day Apathy & Fear
In the not-too-distant future, if the current trend continues, the pulpits, assets, and control of the Evangelical Fundamental Christian Churches will be lost. How this could happen is illustrated as follows:
As stated before, the homosexual community is a powerful and united entity which is chalking up one legal victory after the other. They now have legal same-sex marriage, sex-oriented anti-discrimination laws, NAMBA, and in Canada today , the Bible is often considered hate speech in it’s reference to perversion. They have already taken control of the liberal denominations with “gay” pastors, priests and bishops. Their successful policy is to infiltrate a church, become involved in the current activities, and with the tremendous influence of three “heavy hitters”, the news media, the entertainment industry, and the public school system, they are able to change public opinion within and outside the church walls to a favorable view of their lifestyle. In fact, the pervasive culture, as promoted through TV, movies, and internet, has already compromised some fundamental evangelical pastors and laymen through pornography, creating a an open door for the acceptance of homosexuality within the conservative churches.
At their present rate of progress in getting laws passed and influencing politicians, it will soon be illegal for a fundamental church to refuse the pastorate or Sunday school teacher position to a “qualified” homosexual, who will have the legal ability to successfully sue the church for damages, end up as the pastor, and may also own the Church assets. Consequently, the true believers will be forced to coexist with the evil of homosexuality, and
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other unbiblical practices, or leave the church and meet in individual homes, which by the way, is illegal today in some communities due to zoning laws. Likewise, it will be illegal for fundamental Seminaries and bible colleges to refuse a Professorship or teacher position to a “qualified” homosexual due to the forthcoming anti-discrimination laws based on “sexual orientation”.
It is only a matter of time till the homosexual community will start “picking off” the individual evangelical denominations because of their collective inane policy of remaining autonomous from each other.
This example is only one of many consequences that will develop due to the apathy, fear, and the unwillingness of the Fundamentals to unite.
Conclusion
Bible-believing God-fearing Christian men founded this nation with the blessing of God, and the fundamental Christians are the true spiritual progeny of these men, and bear a distinct responsibility to see that this nation continues as a honor to God. Beginning in the 1920s, the Christian community began an abdication of their political and national responsibilities to influence and guide the moral course of this nation. They cloistered themselves within their respective denominations, acquiesced their right of involvement, and are now presently living with the results of their folly.
And so it is today with the leadership of the fundamental churches. They are presently perpetuating and amplifying the mistakes of the past.
It has also become abundantly clear, that a conservative President and Congress have very little impact on the social and moral decline of this Nation, and are in fact, only a “speed-bump” on the way down,
The present day church leaders have the power to stop this slide into complete devastation. They control the pulpits and assets of the churches. It is their responsibility to unite and lead. It is their responsibility to develop tactics to counter the barbaric actions of the ungodly, and develop the political power to remove corrupt judges and politicians. The classic question begs…”If not them, who?, If not now, when?” If only they would be willing to “turn from their wicked ways” God would give them the wisdom, courage, and ability to lead.
It should be remembered that the underpinnings of this God-given nation is the Christian faith. If it is defeated, the nation will crumble. And this defeat will be the reprehensible legacy the current Christian leadership will leave to its’ immediate successors, children, grandchildren, and following generations.
Pete Ketcham
Medford, Oregon
e-mail: ketcham@mtida.net
August 21, 2004
I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to republish this very timely article and thank you for sending it.
It will never happen without recognizing the difference between the America and the United States of America.
That’s right – America and the United States of America are NOT the same thing! Not even close.
In fact, early 1600’s Puritan America whose governments of, by, and for God were established upon the Bible’s immutable/unchanging moral law was sacrificed on the altar of the late 1700s Enlightenment United States of America whose humanistic government of, by, and for the people was established upon capricious man-made traditions (aka the biblically seditious Constitution).
The latter is also known as the Grand Experiment in Self Government. Self-government!?! Gee, what could go wrong? Everything, just open your eyes and look around you. Everything gone wrong in America nationally is the consequence of this monumental case of biblical sedition committed by the 1787 cadre of Enlightenment and Masonic theistic rationalists.
Thus, ours is not to save the United States of America but, Lord willing, to restore America.
For more regarding these two polar opposite forms of government, see Chapter 3 “The Preamble: We the People vs. Yahweh” of free online book “Bible Law vs. the United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective” at https://www.bibleversusconstitution.org/BlvcOnline/biblelaw-constitutionalism-pt3.html
Then find out how much you really know about the Constitution as compared to the Bible. Take our 10-question Constitution Survey in the sidebar and receive a free copy of the 85-page “Primer” of “BL vs. USC.”