Pastors reluctant to discuss politics and current events may want to consider this one thing.
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Over the past ten years, I’ve had the privilege of traveling to places like Cuba, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Dominican Republic. Each time, I fell in love with the people. They are hard-working individuals and many possess a deep faith. They want what’s best for their children. But tragically, they live under oppressive systems that deny them the opportunity to thrive.
Our kids witnessed this, too. Our older two children, Nathan and Valerie, have deployed to Kuwait, Afghanistan, Guam, and Qatar at various times while enlisted in the Air Force. Our youngest son Nick visited Myanmar in southeast Asia with his youth group several years ago. Our family has visited some of the poorest regions in the world.
Even in countries where their leadership hates us, everyone wants what Americans have. It seems they know that Americans—more than citizens of any other country—are willing to share their wealth.
Statistics bear this out. Americans are some of the most charitable individuals in the world, giving more than $471.44 billion in 2020 to US charities alone, to say nothing of organizations worldwide providing relief to children and adults of impoverished countries.
Do you know what the only difference is between the United States and the homelands of the people we assist? Our form of government. That’s it.
The United States of America—under capitalism—has held the reputation of the largest economy in the world since 1871. The United States holds a 23.6% share (nearly a fourth) of the world’s economy with an annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $21.44 trillion. The bottom 173 countries combined comprise less than one-fourth of the total global economy. Read more here.
An individual who makes just $34,000 annual income is in the top 1% of the richest people in the world, and half of the world’s wealthiest individuals live in the United States!
What would happen to American churches, let alone the people around the world who depend on us, if the US economy were to suffer a freefall into socialism—the very system that bankrupted many of the countries that now benefit from our benevolence?
If you don’t believe this can happen here, consider Venezuela as a cautionary tale. Once Latin America’s wealthiest, most stable democracy, this country experienced devastation under Hugo Chavez’s socialist regime. You can read more here.
And Venezuela didn’t fall for its lack of natural resources. Even now, the country is sitting on the largest oil reserves in the world, according to World Atlas, but its government has sabotaged its ability to extract, market, and sell its oil.
Or, in other words, the insurmountable obstacle to prosperity for the people of Venezuela is their own government.
Make no mistake. America is not impervious to this same failure. Tragically, socialism is already here. When that happens, communism is never far behind. Consider this…
Obama’s one-payer healthcare system? Socialism.
Government bailouts of airlines, car manufacturers, and other corporations? Socialism.
The Cares Act instituted under Trump and extended under the Biden Administration? Socialism.
The Biden Administration’s planned takeover of 30% of U.S. land and 30% of oceans by 2030? You guessed it—Socialism.
Why, then, do Americans take for granted that we will always be wealthy and prosperous? There is no precedent for this. In fact, every government throughout human history has fallen.
Ronald Reagan sounded the alarm back in 1967 that America is no exception,
“Freedom is a fragile thing and it's never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.” You can read the entire speech here.
If, for no other reason, churches in America should take a vested interest in our election process and policy decisions by our leaders in order to protect their investments throughout the world and ensure their ability to continue.
So, what can we do? Three suggestions for church leaders on how they can utilize their incredible influence to engage in this fight:
1. Repent corporately.
Acknowledge that God is judging America for our failure to keep His commands. In the Old Testament, when nations repented God diverted his judgment for that generation, such as in the city of Nineveh in Assyria (modern-day Syria) during Jonah’s day. We need to stand up and say, “Not on our watch!”
2. Encourage members to engage in civil service.
Regardless of the plethora of issues plaguing our election system, voting is a privilege denied to many in other countries. Also, not everyone is called to run for office but encourage and support those who are. If you’re looking for a great resource on the topic, I encourage you to check out Running into the Fire: Why More Christians Need to be Involved in Government, by Terri Hasdorff.
3. Speak up.
As leaders, we are going to be held accountable for what we say and do—and what we don’t say or do—in these dark days. Many pastors refrain from talking about cultural hot buttons for fear of losing their tax-exempt status with the IRS. Please check out my article, “Could my church lose its tax-exempt status if I discuss politics from the pulpit?” here. The IRS is remarkably clear about what churches can and cannot do if they want to stay compliant.
The Wrap Up
There’s no question that our dominance on the world stage, which America has enjoyed for over a century—is in dire jeopardy. Could this be why America is not mentioned as a primary player in End Time events? We cannot afford to stand by saliently and watch as Rome burns.
In short, the best thing we can do as believers in Jesus Christ to preserve our investment in underserved communities around the world is to protect our own freedom and prosperity.
Thank you for reading today and remember to always pursue the Truth.