July 6, 2021

From A Christian Father’s Heart || The Crisis Facing our Nation

14  comments

On June 21st, 2016, there was a prestigious meeting held in New York.

Over one thousand pastors and elite evangelical leaders from all over the USA attended this meeting.
They walked through the doors of this place, past the walls lined with Playboy magazine covers, and into the room where one of the most well-known men in America was waiting to do everything in his power to win their trust and support.

This meeting was at the Trump Tower. The well-known man was Donald Trump, the current republican candidate for the USA presidency.

This meeting was attended by the current “who’s who” of modern evangelical circles. The purpose of this meeting was for the pastors to dialogue with Donald Trump and ask him the questions that many evangelicals are asking as they consider whether or not they will give him their support.

Over one thousand questions were submitted from those in attendance.
Of those one thousand, Mr. Trump chose to mention seven questions.
With most of these questions, he successfully skirted the issue and/or completely ignored the question and talked about something else entirely.

During the one and a half hour meeting, he avoided questions, ignored pressing issues, and turned the entire event into a typical Trump rally filled with vulgarity and pride.

I had several friends who were present at this meeting and they could not believe the obscenities that came out of Mr. Trumps’ mouth.

One of my friends who attended the meeting told me this: “Marlin, it was like a green mist fell over the room. The pastors were mesmerized. It was as if Donald Trump had them in a daze. I was sick-we should all have been on our knees crying out to the Lord for repentance and healing for our nation.”

Instead, the group of hundreds of the men and women we look to as spiritual leaders and role models in our nation, applauded and supported the man who has said, “I have never done anything which would merit me asking God for forgiveness.”

This is the man who owns strip clubs and casinos. He was the owner of the first all-male strip club and he is an open supporter of the pornography industry. He can barely say three sentences without profanity coming out of his mouth. His current wife has posed nude in a Eurupoan magazine.

And yet this is the man that our “conservative” majority has chosen as the man for the hour, the republican candidate.

How low can we fall?

You may think, reading this, that the point of my article is to tear down Trump. That is not why I am writing.

 I am writing today to give a WAKE UP CALL to evangelicals. It is time that Christians wake up and understand the seriousness of what our country is facing. It is time that people know the truth. We need to be informed and engaged. It is our duty as followers of Jesus Christ to know what is happening in the world around us.

In the last year our family has been exposed to the inner workings of the campaign of one of the greatest Christian statesmen of all times, US Senator Ted Cruz.

During our time as a part of his campaign, I had calls from the Boston Globe, Rueters News Service, and others. They all asked me the same question: “Why are Christians supporting Donald Trump?” These were non-professing Christians asking me this. They were wanting to know what is going on in evangelical circles. They were confused at why Christians were supporting a man who is opposite of everything Christians say they stand for.

I think after a year, I’ve come to a few conclusions. A recent survey done by David Barton and George Barna sheds light on some of the things I had already been sensing as far as the spiritual climate of our country.

This is what they found, after interviewing thousands of church-attending, evangelical professing Christians.

1.) 50% of professing church-going Christians have never truly been born again. They attend church every Sunday but are spectators only. 

2)  95% of professing Christians have never read the Bible through cover to cover.


3) One out three of professing Christians do not believe the Bible is the Inspired Word of God. 

With statistics like this among the church goers of our day, is it any wonder that we are making decisions like the world? We cannot be set apart if we do not understand Biblical principles. We will not understand Biblical principles unless A) we are saved,  B) we are in the Word, and C) we believe the Word.

One of the saddest things in our culture today is that Christians are making strategic decisions instead of Biblical decisions, and these decisions are affecting the spiritual and political atmosphere of our country.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Proverbs 14:34

So what are we as christians to do? We must return to the Bible as our standard and follow
2 Chronicles 7:14
A. humble ourselves
B. pray
C. seek the the face of Jesus
D. turn from our wicked ways

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, 
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
11 Chronicles 7:14

I know I have been speaking about political issues and the political/spiritual climate of our nation, but I want to leave you with two verses that my wife and I have used as guides for our family over the past twenty-five years. We have used these verses to guide us in every kind of decision, whether it be what music we listen to, what activities we participate in, what church we go to, etc etc.

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Matthew 7:20


“Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
1 Thessalonians 5:22


God’s ways work and His Word is true. Follow His principles and He will guide you in the way you should go.


God has never used the majority to accomplish His purpose. It is always through the minority; a remnant of God’s people. In this dark hour, we as Christians have more opportunity that ever to let our lights shine.

May God bless each of you. May you seek His face and and if you do so, He will grant you the wisdom to make Biblical decisions that will affect generations to come.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

-Marlin Bontrager


Tags

family


You may also like

camp recap+registration open!

camp recap+registration open!

Summer Tour Update!

Summer Tour Update!
Leave a Reply
  1. Thanks, Marlin. I know we've talked about this at length. I'm glad to see you write it down. Pastor Brown spoke of the "very small remnant" last night. I wrote about it yesterday. I truly think we need to live for God and work in the world to show that we are different once we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
    As always, I appreciate your counsel and friendship. Thank you.

    PS: Enjoy Canada and continue your work for the Lord.

  2. Wow! Thank you so much for hitting the nail on the head so well!
    Thank you for the wake up call and encouragement to stand up.
    God bless.

  3. Very good and thank you for sharing. I heard on the news that Ted Cruz would be speaking at the republican convention next and was quite surprised that Senator Cruz would participate with Trump. However, not my circus not my monkey's. I happen to be a lifelong democrat, raised by my democrat parents. I was a stanch Bernie Sanders supportive and was blessed to hear him speak when he visited Seattle and spoke at Husky Stadium. Today, I realize this is, most likely, the first time I won't be voting. I do not feel lead to support/vote for Trump or Clinton. It's a scary thought. I am simply set to survive the next four years after the election. I journal about it, pray about it, read my Bible and yet I feel nothing in regard to choosing a candidate. I feel stuck in the realm of worse and wossser.

    Your writing was wonderful and I hope you will share more in regard to this election. I would be interested in hearing who your family is supporting now that Ted Cruz is no longer running.

    Lastly, please consider, someday, a tour to the beautiful PNW, Seattle in particular or the East Side which has several very large evangelical congregations.

    Blessings

  4. Amen!!! Thank you for preaching the truth! It is so encouraging to be reminded that there are still Christians in America who will stand up for the truth!!!

    God bless!

  5. This is exactly how my husband and I (and our children) feel about everything. Our other family members can't understand why we would "throw away our vote" by writing in a candidate (we stand firm in writing in Ted Cruz's name even tho he is no longer running). I suppose it does look silly to the majority that we would do such a thing. But we want to stay focused on God's Word and our eternity – not this world. And the only way we can have a clear conscience is to vote for someone who at least appears to have Biblical standards and a Mr. Cruz has a consistent record of that. So as long as we are following the Bible to the best of our ability – we do not worry about the outcome. God is looking for the few that will follow His word, even when it seems crazy to the rest of the world. (I think of Noah getting ridiculed for building the ark…) Thank you for sharing as it made us feel we are not completely alone in our thinking!

  6. 562972 515824Hello, you used to write excellent, but the last few posts have been kinda boringK I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on! 919568

  7. 801568 37932 Nice post. I learn something a lot more challenging on different blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content material from other writers and practice a little something from their store. Id prefer to use some with the content on my blog whether you dont mind. Natually Ill give you a link on your web weblog. Thanks for sharing. 374921

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}