'"As far as I know, it's still America," he said. After a brief history lesson that recalled the founding of Scottsdale in 1888 by a Bible-teaching Christian, Driscoll explained what he meant by "Vote Like Jesus," the title of his new book. "As you're choosing your political leader, make sure you choose your eternal Savior," the pastor said. Then came the defiant part of Driscoll's reply. "If a lot of people are seeing [the sign], that's great. We're gonna keep it up," he said.
"So, to the lovely government bureaucrats that send emails: We love you, we forgive you, we bless you, we thank you, we will not comply, we will multiply."' - Charisma News
Yes Mark, it is America. This country has laws. We are not supposed to break those laws because we think they are wrong. It also violates the key scripture today. We are not being subject to governing authorities when we refuse because we might disagree. We are not supposed to be petulant children. We have a responsibility to the lost and the gospel. Not a ridiculous church sign designed to sell an equally ridiculous book. As for the heretical point he is trying to make here, there is no political leader that is our eternal Savior and it is blasphemous to say so. Jesus Christ will be God on November 6th, regardless of who wins our trivial election. The person who made this request from the city should not be publicly demeaned by the church. Just think about that. It is empty piety to say that you forgive someone after you slander them and mock them in the name of Jesus. What is being portrayed as defiant is simply lawbreaking. That is lawbreaking by the church beloved. Then we wonder why 40 million people have left the church in the last 25 years. This is not courageous. It is not principled. It is vanity and greed run amok, by a disgraced bully cosplaying as a pastor.
"Driscoll then announced that he had asked a sign company to make a similar sign for everyone in the congregation. Earlier in the sermon, Driscoll indicated that the church had received the email on Friday afternoon at 4:59 and 26 seconds"34 seconds before the end of the work week. One hopes, of course, that the email's timing meant that the local government official felt embarrassed to send it. More likely, however, a petty local tyrant derived a cheap thrill from trying to bully Driscoll into removing the sign. When that happens to any of us"that is, when petty tyrants in our own neighborhoods mimic the diabolical authoritarians in federal and state governments"we must do as Driscoll did and refuse to comply." - Charisma News
I am glad that Charisma was honest about the extent of the grift but they left out a key fact. Driscoll is not making these signs for his congregants because he believes in the point. He is selling them to them for $30 on his website. It does not serve the cause of the gospel to deride people in the world as "petty tyrants" because they had the temerity to point out when you are not obeying the law. Or to infer that they were doing their job to gain some kind of "cheap thrill." Of course, Charisma stakes out the absurdly unbiblical position of teaching Christians to disobey the law by erroneously concluding malice on the part of anyone who says something you may not like. It is decidedly unchristian. Mark Driscoll has been disqualified as a pastor for several years now and is only trying to sell books to pad his bank account. Charisma is only highlighting this story because they are obeying their political masters. Discerning Christians should denounce both and avoid at all costs.
Reverend Anthony Wade - September 21, 2024
