Former Fox News reporter and current Newsmax host Todd Starnes, a well-known voice in conservative media, took the occasion of Saturday's attempted assassination of Donald Trump to send this message to Christians across the country:
While my church did, in fact, begin our service with prayer that referenced the trying and tempting times we Christians find ourselves in contemporary American society, I have to say that I find Starnes' proclamation to be biblically unjustifiable and exceedingly poor counsel.
Good for retweets and attention? Sure. Good for the body of Christ? Not so much.
A preacher who faithfully exposits the Word of God and preaches the Apostles' doctrine is the furthest thing from a "limp-wristed wokevangelical," whether he took the time to address current events or not. It's not that it is somehow inappropriate for a minister to preach on spiritual warfare, or to address current social issues. It's that it is not inappropriate if he doesn't, provided he is following the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit.
I was thankful to see that I wasn't the only one who felt that way upon reading Starnes' rather presumptuous remark.
With as well-intentioned as Starnes' remarks may have been, barking at other believers to forsake their assembly is extremely unwise. Biblically, the church exists to bind believers together and point all men to Christ as Lord. If we follow the New Testament model, we meet weekly for the explicitly stated purposes of fellowship, communion, prayer, and hearing the apostle's doctrine (Acts 2:42).
Breaking fellowship with a church is sometimes necessary for matters of heresy, apostasy, moral failure, or doctrinal error. Introducing manmade political criteria to that list is imprudent, and it won't end well.
The focus of a believer's heart when he comes to worship must always be the praise, adoration, and worship of the Father. We are not oblivious or ambivalent about matters that are occurring around us - though we are not of the world, we are in it. And it is true that the tragic scenes that unfolded last Saturday were a startling reminder to all Christians just how fallen and evil the world around us has become.
In such moments we are tempted to fear the future, for ourselves and for our children. And that's precisely why we gather each week - to remember collectively who we serve and how great He is.
Starnes and I would undoubtedly agree that we should thank God for preserving the life of the former president, for sparing us all the consequences of what might have come had he been killed. We should also mourn and pray for the innocent who went to participate in a political rally and lost their lives, or their innocence, or their family member, or their sense of security. We should pray for those who are mourning, as well as those who are confused, and also for those who are angry.
But if anything, rather than obsess over politics in our corporate worship services, we should be asking God to give us the opportunity to demonstrate in these trying times a better way to live than the all-consuming struggle for political power and earthly strength that mankind is so often deceived into believing offers hope.
Starnes is right in saying there is spiritual warfare taking place. Satan is real, and he hates God, he hates humanity, and he is working so hard, even this very hour, to corrupt all of us, tempt us, and lead us towards hatred and violence towards our fellow man.
Christians should lament and regret how many foolishly surrender to such a hopeless and heartless way of life. And we must pray for the Father's wisdom and for His strength to resist it.
That means not taking his bait to preach political passions rather than Christ crucified. Only one of those can save a soul.
Whether your minister mentioned the assassination attempt is far less significant than whether he is exhorting you to choose again this day, in the face of these renewed temptations, to walk boldly and faithfully in the steps of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.
