Christians, listen to your rabbi!

(I am interested in what you all think? Is this guy right?)

By David Welch
Posted at Worldnetdaily.com: March 17, 20091:00 am Eastern© 2009

While much of the nation, including Christians of myriad backgrounds, wrestles with the sense that "We, the People," have lost control of our government, we should really be looking past that institution for answers as to the "Why?"

There are few better spokesmen for the truth of and need for strong, orthodox Christian influence in our nation than Rabbi Daniel Lapin, founder of Toward Tradition and author of a profound book called "America's Real War," released in 1999. Over the years I have had the privilege of having Rabbi Lapin speak at multiple events to pastors and activists, and he routinely hits a home run by cutting directly to the Judeo-Christian heart of an issue.

"As an Orthodox rabbi," he declares, "I will make a compelling case for America as a Christian nation and the need for our nation to be based on Judeo-Christian ethics in order to survive." He also makes a compelling observation that Jews and Christians who adhere to the historic tenets of our respective faiths have much more in common with each other than we do with liberal members of our own faiths.

We have reached a point through the indoctrination of religious pluralism, shallow, quasi-Gnostic theology and multiculturalism that Christians who actually believe and practice the "faith of our fathers" have yielded to the premise of those who assert, as Lapin articulates, "… a new secular public policy posture has become necessary because of America's increasing diversity."

By so yielding, we have become illustrations of Proverbs 25:26: "Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked."

If we accept the premise that in our constitutional republic the government is a reflection of the people who participate, we should stop complaining about Obama and take a long, hard look in the mirror. More specifically, we should take a long, hard look at our pulpits and at our men.
I once read a statement attributed to a statesman at the turn of the 20th century (which unfortunately I can no longer find my source) that stuck in my mind forever. It goes like this:
"We have a weak nation because we have weak churches; we have weak churches because we have weak homes; we have weak homes because we have weak fathers."

I would add weak pulpits to that list because the point is that weakness flows from the bottom up, and so must national spiritual, moral, cultural and political redemption. While we certainly must fight the radical socialism being force-fed us by President Obama and the Reid/Pelosi squad in Congress, if we do not look at the failure of the church to influence the hearts and minds of people with biblical truths, we will fail – again.

Pastors must first and foremost once again reassume the responsibility of "Growing True Disciples," as George Barna describes in his book by that name. How do we do that? Read the Book – and while Barna's is outstanding, that is not the Book to which I am referring!
Most importantly, we must disciple men to be godly followers of Christ, husbands and fathers and to – and I would shout this in text if I could! – begin taking responsibility for raising, training and discipling our own families. We must stop letting schools, children's church, the youth group and Hollywood do what God has charged fathers the duty and joy of doing.

Grace Community Church in Magnolia, Texas, has as their church slogan, "Discipling dads who disciple their families!" Amen!

There is a major current of powerful training and equipping occurring through many para-church ministries to fill the void left by the church not being the church. However, we cannot and should not ignore God's ordained purpose of the institution of the church of making disciples who then enter every sphere of our world, bringing the only legitimate "hope and change" that exists.
Rabbi Lapin closes with a clarion call to Christians and Jews as the unique carriers of the faiths that unquestionably shaped Western Civilization: "We really have no choice but to pray and encourage a return to an America steeped in Judeo-Christian values. It is either that or taking our chances in a society with no values at all. For all Americans the former carries certain risks, but the latter spells certain doom."

We should stop apologizing for believing that Jesus Christ came to redeem God's creation because of His eternal, immeasurable love for us and for it – and put that transforming love to work in our homes, churches, all the way to Washington
D.C. – and beyond.