Did God Really Say?

Satanic Christians.

I didn't think those two words could coexist. But apparently for a California megachurch pastor, they do.

It describes Christians who do not ascribe to certain progressive beliefs on gun control and other positions, which include abortion.

Christians that he considers "satanic" are those he thinks are not considering other perspectives. In particular, more progressive ones.

Even more specifically, in the case of abortion, pro-choice.

This is part of a larger issue in America today in religion and faith. And I don't just mean Christianity.

There is a growing battle between political religion and traditional faith.

For most people of faith, the tenets of that faith are paramount over everything.

But there are times when interpretations of religious texts get convoluted with politics.

This is why you have people who argue that the Bible supports Communism or Socialism as much as Capitalism. Same with Muslims.

And those who do NOT ascribe to a particular political viewpoint can be accused of not being good Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, etc.

Let's zero in on the megachurch pastor, Andrew Tate here. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the logic sandwich that he presented here.

To reiterate, he seems to believe that Christians are satanic by not ascribing to or listening to certain perspectives, opinions, or viewpoints on abortion.

I think that many people that critique Christians don't understand what the word actually means. To be a Christian is to be a follower of Christ.

So to be a follower of Christ, you need to understand who He is and what He expects of His followers. And that is ONLY found in the Bible.

To the Christian, Jesus was not just a good teacher. He was and is God Himself in human flesh. Which means He has authority, sovereignty, and is to be worshipped properly.

Jesus is king. And the gospel is the good news of a kingdom that is here and not yet here.

The implications of that are not to be ignored or scoffed at. It requires a worldview that is submissive to Christ, not man.

So if God is clear about the value of humans as being made in the image of God and that human life is precious, then that's it. What God says in His word goes.

Any pastor that tries to put man's law above God's and attribute it to God is guilty of heresy and blasphemy.

The author of the article on Disntr put it this way:

"On Tate's logic, the Christian who says 'do not murder' has made the issue about himself. The Christian who says a child in the womb bears the image of God is self-centered. The Christian who refuses to wrap child sacrifice in a velvet swaddling cloth has taken 'the posture and pace and role of Satan.'

Meanwhile, the woman's 'choice' gets treated like the moral center of gravity. Her circumstances get examined. Her struggle gets honored. Her pain gets named. Her pressure gets weighed. And yes, all those things may be real. A woman can be afraid. She can be abandoned. She can be poor. She can be manipulated. She can be sinned against. She can be desperate. She can need help, protection, provision, counsel, and mercy.

But none of that turns the child into medical waste."

This is what happens when a culture gets so far away from morality and ethics that it ascribes new ones to God and then puts His stamp of approval on it.

In that moment, man has shooed God off his throne, sat in it, and then said "Hey, aren't you glad I'm here now?"

What sounds more satanic to you?

In the Bible, Satan was an angel that wanted God's throne. So he led a rebellion against God, which naturally failed.

His next order of business was to corrupt God's image-bearers, humanity, to not only disobey God but to rebel against Him.

The question that the serpent presented to Adam and Eve in the garden was this: "Did God really say?"

Any pastor that tries to add nuance to God's word to support a political belief is basically asking his congregation the same question.

This creates a power vacuum that is going to be happily filled by someone else. And it's not God.

It's becoming more and more common for those in America who are not Christian to question those who are according to standards that they "think" are Christian or in Scripture but really aren't.

We saw that earlier this year when Don Lemon led a mob into church in Minnesota.

This is why it's important to know what your beliefs are and stick to your guns.

Live Free!