"In January President Bush sacrificed the meaning of Matthew 5:14 on the altar of national pride, when he said to the National Religious Broadcasters in defense of the Gulf war, "I want to thank you for helping America, as Christ ordained, to be a light unto the world." What that amounts to is an outrageous distortion of Jesus' meaning. That misuse of Scripture is designed for immature babes that are easily swayed by surface words without thought and discernment. The "light of the world" in Matthew 5:14 does not refer to Americans bombing Iraq no matter how justified the war may have been."
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10 comments:
John Piper (http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/how-the-saints-minister-to-the-body)
Yes, I think I remember this one. Piper was very critical of Bush.
Something Piper and I agree on!
The sad thing is that many of us think like Bush.
I thought this was coming from Greg Bahnsen originally. He was adamantly against the Gulf War too.
Piper better watch it: if he starts preaching against mammon he may find he needs to hand back his republican (oops, I mean evangelical) membership card.
He has been preaching that way since he entered ministry. Piper doesn't have a typical republican/evangelical membership card. Only people who follow him at a distance would think that.
He has been equally critical of the current president, I think:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O68MByaMVdM
Piper gave a bold sermon against abortion recently (based upon John the Baptist leaping in the womb). In it, he addresses Obama (I certainly pray that he listened to it!) and says he "wept tears of joy" at his inauguration. He took some flack for that from the Reformed community at large.
Piper came out strongly against the Gulf war when it first happened. About 1/3 of his congregation left and didn't come back. He is definitely not afraid to stand up against the Republican=Christian stance of many (misguided, in my opinion) American Evangelicals.
I applaud his stand!
James
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