Have We Forgotten The Name of the LORD Our God?

By Angela Wittman


And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
(Deuteronomy 6:5 - KJV)

Dear Friends,

When I heard that Imam Izak-El M. Pasha, the Muslim chaplain of the New York City Police Department, delivered the National Republican Convention invocation I was very dismayed at the lack of righteous indignation, little complaint or outcry from the Christian community. In fact, I have been listening for an outcry against President Bush hosting the annual Iftaar Dinner in the Whitehouse for almost four years now and the silence from the majority of evangelical Christians is deafening.

Praise the LORD! I am hearing condemnation for the Islamic terrorists who tortured, maimed and killed the precious children in Russia. But what I am not hearing is an overwhelming outcry against those who are torturing, maiming and killing unwanted children in the womb (and sometimes, just barely out of the womb.) If we were truly outraged over the carnage committed to precious children here in America, we would not support or look the other way when pro-abortion candidates and officials are shown respect and honor as at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Nor should we ostracize the brave souls who will speak against this hypocrisy because we do not want to face the truth that our nation has become a blood soaked land and we participating in the carnage with our acceptance and approval of pro-choice candidates.

What I am hearing instead is the approval of the diversity of the Republican Party's inclusion of pro-abortion speakers and praise for President Bush's support of these high profile colleagues as Dr. Jerry Falwell recently wrote in his message: "The GOP is Not A Church."

Dr. Falwell wrote:

"On Thursday, I appeared on the Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" broadcast to discuss the Republican Party's upcoming convention.Apparently some media reports have indicated that a few religious conservatives are upset that a preponderance of moderate and liberal members of the party has been assigned the high-profile primetime speaking slots. The fact is I have no problem with this. I think the party has picked the most visible and energetic speakers for this important event. I certainly don't agree with some of the political positions of Rudy Giuliani or George Pataki and a few other high-profile party members, but I join them in their support of President Bush in this critical election. They are important voices of this diverse party... The party represents a wide range of political viewpoints and the leadership understands this; the GOP is not a church...
I've often said that I wouldn't have voted for my own mother if she were an abortion-rights candidate. But in the complex game of politics, we must work with people who have conflicting viewpoints on momentous issues in order to secure the greater good for the nation. While we must never compromise our Bible-based values in our churches, most conservative people of faith realize that we must work with a sense of cooperation in the political realm...

The evangelical community understands that President Bush must attempt to relate to the entire party, including those who are not socialconservatives, in order to continue representing our nation. It'scertainly an often thorny proposition, this game of politics. But I believePresident Bush and the Republican leadership are handling this situation with savvy and certainty."

Dear Friends,

The Church is to be an influence for Christ in all spheres -- including politics. We cannot take our Christianity off as one does a jacket and hide it in a closet when we enter the political arena. This type of behavior is being double minded; we are to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts of such unstableness, (James 1:8; 4:8). We must single-mindedly and whole-heartedly follow our God. We can have no divided loyalties or deny His Name by giving credibility to false gods. Shame on those who advocate that we should compromise our Christian beliefs for the sake of political expediency!

In response to these serious discrepancies being committed by our Christian leaders, I must ask the Church in America:

Have we forgotten the Name of the LORD our God?

"If we have forgotten the name of our God,
Or unto an idol our hands spread abroad,
Shall God not search out and uncover this sin,
Who knows every heart and the secrets within?"

(Psalter 44F, st. 10, The Book of Psalms for Singing, Crown and Covenant Publications)

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Published 2004