You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. - 2Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)
Today it was Larry Tomczak's turn to take the dominionist wheel at Charisma News and try to convince and bully their readers into voting for Donald Trump. One of the oft-cited arguments against dominionism is the notion that Christians should stay clear of politics. That is a bit of a red herring argument that is set up like a strawman because it feels easy to knock down. The issue is not that Christians should steer clear of politics but rather that neither side represents the cause of Jesus Christ and one carnal vote is no more righteous than the other. Thus, we should not be caught advocating for our preferred evil, no matter how much we have convinced ourselves that it is somehow "lesser." Charisma however, and Tomczak, are entirely beholden to the Republican Party and their job is to convince their followers that it is their Christian duty to vote for the guy with three marriages, three adulteries, one time with a porn star, six bankruptcies, 34 felonies and a rape conviction, as a Christian imperative. That is a tough sell, so they are constantly rolling out one writer after another to essentially say the same thing and butcher the same bible verses to support their carnality. So, let us reason once more together through Tomczak's latest article linked above, which is trying to sell the uber-dominionist position of mandatory Christian involvement in politics. Thankfully the bible is clearly against him, so the debunking is pretty easy.
'"DISARRAY." One word on the cover of Newsmax magazine describes America today, as an Associated Press poll says: "82% are pessimistic about politics." Christians offer an array of solutions: The pulpit. Voting. Revival. Gospel. Prayer. Church. Awakening. Scripture. Repentance. Second Coming.' - Larry Tomczak
Right Larry. Except the only solution you ever pimp is voting and you tell them who they should vote for. Prayer is always good but the rest of these things are not solutions the apostate church deals in. The bible promises a great end times apostasy, not revival. The problem is false revival is core to NAR dominionist theology. Same for "awakening." The pulpit is listed here to violate the law prohibiting churches from endorsing candidates an represents the worst of dominionism. The pulpit is supposed to be a holy desk for the preaching of His word and the gospel so that men might be saved. Not to sell evil men as righteous who just want to retain or attain power.
'We also hear four different views: God is sovereign. "Stop worrying and simply trust Him. He reigns! He'll bring about the outcome He wills. Vote if you want, but remind yourself, He's sovereign!" Judgment. "These are the end times, and we're under judgment! God's shaking things, so why polish brass on a sinking ship? Get prepared. Turn off the news. Get ready because Jesus is returning soon!" Fears of Christian nationalism. "Watch out for those trying to set up America as a theocracy. They're stirring up hysteria and rage, saying we're being invaded at our border and the economy's collapsing! Their leaders are toxic, making grandiose promises to restore America, but they don't deliver. They're extremists!" Evangelical progressives. The "Shepherds for Sale" book lies and vilifies compassionate Christians. Andy Stanley has homosexuals speak; Tim Keller's church has Trump-hater David French, and Evangelicals for Harris has Billy Graham's granddaughter Jerushah Duford; ministries get bucks from far-Left groups. "'Love your neighbor': That's what open borders, gender care, reproductive freedom and harvesting organs for redemptive purposes are all about."' - Larry Tomczak
It is hard to tell if Larry is mocking God's sovereignty here or not. The bible says that God raises up all leaders. He uses all for His purposes. He will not be surprised on November 6th, I assure you. The second argument is just another red herring. No one is credibly arguing fatalism, oh well, these are the end times so just give up. That is absurd. The third argument defines the NAR. They are trying to establish a theocracy, whether or not they have the honestly to admit it to themselves. When you advocate for public policy to enforce your beliefs, that is the textbook definition of a theocracy. They are trying to stir up hysteria. Larry is chief among the stirrers. In the run up to 2020, all we heard about was this horrific migrant caravan heading to the US border. Story after story, reposted and retweeted by gullible Christians. Stirring up hate against our neighbors. After Trump lost of course, we never heard about this mythical caravan again. This time around we are hearing racist tales of eating pets, so it sure sounds like hysteria to me. Just one word on the last item here. I cannot speak to "progressive" Christian sources but accepting money is a bad thing? Then speak to Franklin Graham who only built the bridge for Donald Trump to the evangelical vote AFTER Trump donated six figures to both of the "charities" he runs. By the way, those charities pay Graham over one million dollars per year in salaries. We no longer know the exact amount because Graham lobbied the IRS to change these charities to a "collective of churches" to avoid having to disclose how much money he grifts from them. Cause you know, Jesus.
