Gerald Maclennon's Blog - Posts Tagged "joe-biden"
Socialist Commandeering of Mainline Protestant Churches
This was a so-called sermon during worship services, Sunday, October 5, 2020. I say "so-called" because it's more of a political speech than a sermon.
Friends of mine, who have been lifelong members of this church are understandably upset. One of them told me, "Another political message from church this morning. Without actually saying 'vote for Biden', that's pretty much what the message was. I'm becoming a bit disillusioned with the church I've always loved. I'm sad because it's been my church for 50 years and it would be really hard to leave. I love that church and there are many memories there for me. Many important events have taken place there. It's always felt like home to me."
I will now provide a transcription of that service.
SUNDAY MORNING, OCT 4, 2020, ST PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
INTRODUCTION by Rev. Jane Florence, Senior Pastor, St Paul United Methodist Church:
"It is my pleasure today to welcome Dr. Carolyn Winfree to our pulpit. She was formerly the Nebraska Conference United Methodist Church (NC UMC) Director of Peace with Justice Ministries Coordinator for over 3 decades! And even in her retirement has continued to integrate spirituality as the base and the foundation for all social justice work. And so, she remains active with her husband, Ken, living a life grounded in God's love to bring forth a change in the world.
----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Winfree: What do we do today when we have leaders in high offices who demean women, who label immigrants as rapists and murderers? What do we do when we see leaders support white supremacists and encourage violence?
What do we do when the messages from the highest office in the land are dividing us and creating fear?
This is not about pitting one political party against another... this is so far beyond a partisan issue. Our democracy is in peril as the president of the United States refuses to accept a peaceful transition of power should he lose in November.
Part of our Christian journey is to take the values of Jesus into every sphere of our lives. And, that means we take those values into the politics of our government.
Let me share a different narrative than what we hear from the White House (story of the Dr Carolyn's time on the US/Mexico border assisting refugee families from Latin American countries who seek entry into the USA).
The Politics of Jesus compel us to vote for leaders who will open their hearts "to the least of these"* be they immigrants fleeing for their lives or elders worrying about their Social Security checks.
The Politics of Jesus compel us to vote for leaders who support and listen to and see Blacks who are raging against the system that continues to discount their humanity; the Politics of Jesus compel us to be sensitive to that mother of a sick child who can't afford healthcare.
We are now just weeks away from this [presidential] election... it is time to take to heart these words from Matthew 5, verses 13 through 15, "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house."
It is time to be salt, and light. My invitation, my plea to you this day is to pray with all of your hearts, to pray with your head, and your hands, and your feet, not only to commit to vote but to also help others register and vote as well....
Select a candidate on the local level, the state and the national level that you believe exemplifies the Politics of Jesus, and then, ask how you can help....
In the words of Martin Luther King, Junior -- adapted somewhat -- "The ultimate measure of a man, and a woman, is not where he or she stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where that person stands in times of challenge and controversy."
We are living in such times, and silence is complicity. Our vote is an act of discipleship. And this year, it is an act of resistance.
--------------------
*Matthew 25:40. “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”. King James Version (KJV)
--------------------------------------------------
KEY WORDS: (according to me)
- United _____ Church [United = ecumenical, a liberal transition of the church beginning in the 1970s]
- Peace with Justice [a euphemism for Socialism]
- Social Justice [a euphemism for Socialism]
- Silence is Complicity [Black Lives Matter slogan]
- Raging against the System [revolution]
- Act of Resistance [revolution]
Friends of mine, who have been lifelong members of this church are understandably upset. One of them told me, "Another political message from church this morning. Without actually saying 'vote for Biden', that's pretty much what the message was. I'm becoming a bit disillusioned with the church I've always loved. I'm sad because it's been my church for 50 years and it would be really hard to leave. I love that church and there are many memories there for me. Many important events have taken place there. It's always felt like home to me."
I will now provide a transcription of that service.
SUNDAY MORNING, OCT 4, 2020, ST PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
INTRODUCTION by Rev. Jane Florence, Senior Pastor, St Paul United Methodist Church:
"It is my pleasure today to welcome Dr. Carolyn Winfree to our pulpit. She was formerly the Nebraska Conference United Methodist Church (NC UMC) Director of Peace with Justice Ministries Coordinator for over 3 decades! And even in her retirement has continued to integrate spirituality as the base and the foundation for all social justice work. And so, she remains active with her husband, Ken, living a life grounded in God's love to bring forth a change in the world.
----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Winfree: What do we do today when we have leaders in high offices who demean women, who label immigrants as rapists and murderers? What do we do when we see leaders support white supremacists and encourage violence?
What do we do when the messages from the highest office in the land are dividing us and creating fear?
This is not about pitting one political party against another... this is so far beyond a partisan issue. Our democracy is in peril as the president of the United States refuses to accept a peaceful transition of power should he lose in November.
Part of our Christian journey is to take the values of Jesus into every sphere of our lives. And, that means we take those values into the politics of our government.
Let me share a different narrative than what we hear from the White House (story of the Dr Carolyn's time on the US/Mexico border assisting refugee families from Latin American countries who seek entry into the USA).
The Politics of Jesus compel us to vote for leaders who will open their hearts "to the least of these"* be they immigrants fleeing for their lives or elders worrying about their Social Security checks.
The Politics of Jesus compel us to vote for leaders who support and listen to and see Blacks who are raging against the system that continues to discount their humanity; the Politics of Jesus compel us to be sensitive to that mother of a sick child who can't afford healthcare.
We are now just weeks away from this [presidential] election... it is time to take to heart these words from Matthew 5, verses 13 through 15, "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house."
It is time to be salt, and light. My invitation, my plea to you this day is to pray with all of your hearts, to pray with your head, and your hands, and your feet, not only to commit to vote but to also help others register and vote as well....
Select a candidate on the local level, the state and the national level that you believe exemplifies the Politics of Jesus, and then, ask how you can help....
In the words of Martin Luther King, Junior -- adapted somewhat -- "The ultimate measure of a man, and a woman, is not where he or she stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where that person stands in times of challenge and controversy."
We are living in such times, and silence is complicity. Our vote is an act of discipleship. And this year, it is an act of resistance.
--------------------
*Matthew 25:40. “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”. King James Version (KJV)
--------------------------------------------------
KEY WORDS: (according to me)
- United _____ Church [United = ecumenical, a liberal transition of the church beginning in the 1970s]
- Peace with Justice [a euphemism for Socialism]
- Social Justice [a euphemism for Socialism]
- Silence is Complicity [Black Lives Matter slogan]
- Raging against the System [revolution]
- Act of Resistance [revolution]
