Continuing to examine Lee’s mid-term Election piece located here,
http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Politics-in-the-Pulpit/The-Church-Should-Not-Weigh-In-On-Ballot-Issues-Brian-Lee-110314.html
“While individual believers live in both kingdoms, the church and her servants, Gospel preachers, are exclusively heralds and ambassadors of the heavenly, redemptive kingdom. Like any good ambassador, they carry only the message of the king who sends them, and this message is very precisely circumscribed by the New Testament: “For I determined to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
The Good News of Jesus Christ is the sole focus of our Gospel ministry, because we have neither the authority nor the expertise to weigh in on civil matters. This is why in the matter of the Houston subpoena of preached sermons, I wrote that as far as preached material goes, pastors should be entirely willing to send their sermons to anyone who will listen.”
1.) Here Lee premises that the only message that the Lord Christ has for this world is “Marvel not when I say unto you, you must be born again,” or, “we beseech ye be ye reconciled to God.” But this is the beginning of our undoubted catholic Christian faith, not all of our undoubted catholic Christian faith. There are other words that ministers are to speak to their congregations from the pulpit.
2.) The idea that Ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can only give thematic messages that are consistent with “I determined to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2), is belied by St. Paul writing to Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” Was Paul being unfaithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ for telling Timothy something besides Christ and Him crucified when he told him to throw back some liquor? In the same way Ministers are commissioned to bring forth the whole counsel of God — a counsel that speaks to every area of life.
3.) Lee reveals some serious confusion in the second paragraph above. Lee keeps suggesting that the Institutional Church and her Ministers are involving themselves in the Church realm when in point of fact it is the civil realm that is involving itself in the Church realm. Lee wants the Church to “shut up” because the Church shouldn’t involve itself in the common realm when the reality is that the Church must speak, precisely because the civil realm is involving itself in the Church. When the Magistrate seeks to redefine the Christian ethic of our people via making murder (abortion) and sodomy (sodomite marriage) normative then it is not the case, even by R2K standards, that the Church and her ministers are involving themselves in the civil realm, but rather the civil realm is involving itself in the Church’s bailiwick.
4.) In Acts 19 we see that the instructions of faithful ministers resulted in economic and social order chaos. Because of the Gospel message silversmiths were economically ruined and there was an occult book burning. These would have both been actions that would have been contrary to the social order and culture in Ephesus. Paul, as a minister of Christ, brings the Gospel, and the result is that those converted overturn the social order via their obedience. So much for Lee’s “circumscribing of the message.” It is not possible to speak to people about the need to turn to Christ without also speaking to them about the need to turn away from the idols that are propping up the common realm. Lee is wrong.
5.) Lee says that Ministers have neither the authority or expertise to weigh in on civil matters? Says who? Lee? Certainly ministers have the expertise to look at the abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell and then say from the pulpit, “Thou Shalt Not Murder.” What amount of expertise does it take to say abortion is murder? Secondly, we might ask on this score why is it that Lee assumes that it is Politicians who have enough expertise to weigh in on civil matters? Politicians are some of the stupidest people you will ever meet on God’s green earth.
6.) Clearly Ministers have the authority to speak a “Thou Shalt Not Murder,” to a social order intent on killing itself.
One wonders though…. where does Lee get the authority to suggest that ministers don’t have authority? Shouldn’t he, by his own principles, just resolve to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified?
