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March 28, 2024, 06:37:30 pm *
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Author Topic: Church supporting trump  (Read 14125 times)
Differentstrokes
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« on: July 24, 2016, 09:21:26 pm »

Hi I don't know where this should go, or if it even should be on here, but I have this sinking feeling the church is pressing members to vote for trump.... I am still friends with quite a few people from GCM on fb, and lately I've seen a lot of trump supporting posts with the same sort of rhetoric about his great immigration plans, great leadership and Christian values.... Even my mom who is still a member of GCM and usually pretty level headed has been spouting some ideas about trump that I know she didn't come to on her own.... Now it's fine if people choose to vote trump, I absolutely defend that liberty BUT what is the churches responsibility in influencing that? It just doesn't sit right with me. In fact it kind of makes me sick
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margaret
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« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2016, 11:04:48 am »

Back when I was on the "inside" with GCx, I was fine with it (the church endorsing a particular candidate). Now, however, I realize that I was okay with it, because I didn't mind them telling me how to think. Now, obviously I do mind it, and that's why I'm out.
It's all mind control.
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Huldah
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« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2016, 11:07:42 am »

Interesting. And dismaying. But maybe not entirely surprising.

Not to offend any Trump supporters here--it really isn't my intention to start a political debate, and I respect anyone's right to disagree with me on this issue--but I'm mystified as to why so many Christians and conservatives have supported Trump, a big-government former Clinton donor who claims he doesn't need God's forgiveness for anything in his life, over candidates who were genuinely Christian and/or conservative. Given GC's history, there's no reason to expect them to be wiser or more discerning than any other group of professing evangelicals.
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Ned_Flanders
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« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2016, 07:49:00 pm »

I thought that Churches (and I've seen this happen on both sides of the political aisle) were not supposed to get so involved in partisan politics and that doing so could cost them their tax-exempt status. 

What I don't like, in either case, is being in a place where I feel like my political views are "not Christian."  I mean encountering the attitude that "how can you call yourself a Christian and support _____________?"  I don't need a Church telling me who to vote for.
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newcreature
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« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2016, 07:39:58 pm »

Partisan politics in GCx goes back 40 years at least. I remember hearing from attendees of the 1976 Republican Convention in Kansas City. I was in the audience in 1978 when Charles Grassley (now a U.S. Senator) was enthusiastically introduced (endorsed) by Jim McCotter at the big weekly meeting of the ISU Bible Study. Grassley was running for re-election to the U.S House of Representatives for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District. In 1980 it was all-hands-on-deck for Reagan when the big summer conference at Rutgers University was scheduled to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in NYC (36 years ago this very week). Four years later (if my timeline is accurate) at the national leaders meeting in DC, the newly-"annointed" apostles, along with their underlings, met with Paul Weyrich to learn his radically conservative political tactics. Weyrich coined the term "moral majority" in the late 70s, and Jerry Falwell ran with it in the 80s: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121801771.html

I know GCx leaders were encouraged to become Moral Majority "card-carrying" members (literally), and afterwards, GCx churches sponsored local church members as candidates in local races across the country. In one political race, the Montgomery County Sentinel and the Washington Post exposed the scheme, and John Hopler, Tom Short, and the Maryland GCI church got a lot of bad press. The "cult" warnings really began to proliferate after that: http://www.gcxweb.org/Articles/WashPost-08-30-1986.aspx and http://www.gcxweb.org/Articles/WashPost-09-07-1986.aspx.

According to McCotter, it wasn't good enough to just pray for our civic leaders. In his convincing way of twisting scripture, he perverted 1 Timothy 2:1-8. He exhorted us to "put feet to our prayers" and get involved politically. Poor God, His hands were tied without GCxers helping Him. It took a few more years before my eyes finally opened up, but I eventually left GCx.

Obviously, Christians have the right to vote for whomever they choose, but as aliens in this world, and as citizens from another world, God calls us to be ambassadors for Him: "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:20.

What if the Ambassador from Canada, or Mexico, or Cuba, or Iran (etc) came to America and started promoting a political party or candidate in this election? That would seem subversive to me. It's one thing for ambassadors to promote good will on behalf of their country, it's quite another thing for ambassadors to interfere in an election or attempt a coup in another country.

As Christ's ambassadors, I believe we have a much higher calling than promoting a mere mortal and his or her worldly agenda: "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." 1 Peter 2:10-12.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2016, 07:47:58 pm by newcreature » Logged
Outtathere
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« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2016, 08:14:42 am »

That's really well put. My old church in Des Moines was (and I believe still is) very, very involved in the kingmaking business. The head pastor used to endorse openly. He has to be more subtle now because he got into a bit of trouble. His second in command still is active in politics. Much of the preaching had political overtones as well. My eyes, like yours, were opened. I still have quite a few friends on Facebook from the church and most of the political posts that I get on my feed still come from them.
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newcreature
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« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2016, 07:39:10 pm »

If you are referring to Tim Rude, the founder and head pastor of Walnut Creek Church, I am well aware of his political activism. I have personally warned people to steer clear of that church. Tim made headline news several years ago while campaigning for Mike Huckabee for President. Huckabee had to fire off a press release distancing himself from Rude's anti-Catholic email. Rude later made a classic GCx "apology." There may be a thread in here about it, or you can google the Des Moines Register or CNN.

Regardless of political or religious differences among believers in Christ, we can still pray for one another and look forward to unhindered fellowship forever in heaven. And in Tim Rude's case, we can pray specifically for his health. He suffered a severe brain aneurysm on July 23 while on family vacation, but the latest word on their website is that he is slowly recovering. https://walnutcreekchurch.org/timrude
« Last Edit: August 19, 2016, 07:41:55 pm by newcreature » Logged
PietWowo
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« Reply #7 on: May 31, 2022, 12:11:02 am »

I like Trump myself... But okay backwards... The choice was Biden or Trump? I think most people now would vote for Trump... Dinesh D'Sousa just made a film called 2,000 mules... I'm kind of interested in watching it...
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