Red Deer
Advocate, May
26th, 2010. Some groups that profess to be followers of Jesus Christ
are ignorant enough of the word the Christian religion is based on that you’ve
got to be a little skeptical concerning their understanding of the gospel that
they are so zealous to preach. The decision the Stampede Committee came to here
was a good one.
Can you imagine the apostle Paul spending a pile
of money on parade paraphernalia and then whining to a Roman governor to let
him join the festivities at the Coliseum? No? Case closed.
We should rejoice that these particular
evangelicals were stopped from mixing their religion with a State fair. And there
is no warrant whatsoever for being anxious that evangelism was prevented
because: (1) it is contrary to the Bible for Christians to force themselves
upon the State to promote their cause; (2) evangelism is not apt to succeed
when attempted through disobedience; (3) Christians who remain this ignorant
about Church/State boundaries are likely to put a false concept of the gospel
out, and, if so, have not been called by God to evangelize in the first place.
We should be glad when the State, whether for the
right reason or not, excludes Christians from participating in venues they have
no business joining. In the words of Jesus, “Render therefore unto Caesar the
things which are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22.21.) These Christians shouldn’t whine
about wanting to be part of a worldly event. They should do their evangelism
(which is probably substandard at best) separately. Christians are called to
witness to the world, not take part in worldly fairs. “Be not conformed to this
world” (Romans 12.2.)
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