Boy do I have mixed feeling about this article by Chuck Baldwin because it is just chock full of truth spun with some of his usual crap. Please read the full article and not just what I clipped so you can follow what I am about to say about Baldwin’s views.<\/p>\n
First, I do not like his title although there may be some in truth in it. However, my definition of a lazy Christians is not Chuck Baldwin’s definition. To me lazy Christians are those will will not read the word, take the time to fellowship with God, or with other Christians and do little if any work for Christ on earth. Baldwin in his articles seems to think you have to be an American Patriot resisting the New World Order in order to be a fruitful Christian.<\/p>\n
Second, I disagree that Christians cannot know the season of the Lord’s return. In spite of the usual passages that Baldwin uses out of context as if they were for the latter day Church. The Church can know the season of the Lord’s return and can know that the days we live in are prophetic times and very near the time of Christ’s return. It would make no sense for Jesus to tell us to watch if there was nothing to look for. I will not burden anyone here with how we can know these things from the signs in scripture and the signs in world trends. You can read all that in my twenty-five article series on World Current Events and Bible prophecy.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Next, I do agree with Baldwin that some following Bible prophecy have become unbalanced and do have the attitude that it all has to end within a decade. Some spend their days doing nothing but looking for tea leaves to reinforce their speculation. The prophetic scripture is not enough for them so they go to Islam eschatology and read books based on pagan myths or hidden formulas that conform to their 2012 – 2019 deadline for Christ to return. There is a lot of that going on. I call them the post-modern theologians of Christian eschatology because whatever is relevant to their new found theory or Gnostic truth is used regardless of the source.<\/strong><\/p>\n In my opinion, Baldwin in his many articles confuses Christian constitutional patriotism with the Christian commission. Frankly, he seems to believe in American Christian dominionism. He seems to think that those not pursuing the goal to make America ruled by Christians are not pulling their weight. Also, much of what he says about our forefathers is true but not all all of them were the wonderful Christians that Baldwin paints. Just read early American history and you will see many evils. Most did confess Christianity but their actions did not always reflect Christianity. They had diverse differences in what true Christianity was in their faith and practice. Defacto Christianity in America was not really established by some great Christian effort by our forefathers as Baldwin indicates. Christianity became the defacto religion because almost all American early immigrants were already Christians. Most of them left Europe become of the persecution there against Christians.<\/p>\n Baldwin said if pastors and Christians of Colonial America believed and acted as most Christians believe and act today this country would still be a Crown colony. The fact is that most pastors and Christians had no part against the Crown at first. It was only a very small percentage of elitists that broke with the British and led the American rebellion. Since when is rebellion initiated by God anyway? The early settlers were not really living under tyranny, they were some of the freest people on earth at the time. Who knows what America would be like today if there never had been an American revolution? We would probably be another common-wealth country. Did nations like Canada fair that much worse than us? After looking at American wars and our civil strife are we that much better off because of the revolution?<\/p>\n Which brings me to another point. What new world order are Christians supposed to rebel against? Baldwin’s Illuminati conspiracy version, the present version, the half dozen future versions that are on think tank drawing boards, or maybe one that has not even been conceived yet? Why is world government more evil than nation government even before the arrival of the Antichrist? Should not Christians be working from within to be the salt and light to the coming world government? After all, we already know a world government is coming. Bible prophecy tells us so. The world had previous world kingdoms did God tell his people to rebel against them? So who says that a future world government has to be evil and not in God’s will? The next world government is likely to occur some years before Satan is cast out of Heaven and given free reign. I do not like the slave-like mentality that people in America have today either, but it seems to me that our government is really a reflection of the people of this nation. Americans put their task masters into power and if Americans did not want them they would get rid of them. They want them because they promise them handouts. So why do we tolerate evil in America? Because that is what most Americans want. America morally is post Christian. Even many so called Christians are morally post Christian. So knowing that, how does Baldwin or anyone else expect to establish some new Christian dominionism in the United States? Through force? Through civil disobedience? It is not likely that it will be done through ballets because we are certainly outnumbered. The only real way to achieve this goal would be through conversion of Americans to true Christianity but Baldwin is not ever suggesting that. Instead he expects to get Christian blood out of a dead stone.<\/p>\n I do agree with Baldwin that many Christians see Bible prophecy and the world through American eyes and wrongly think America will never see judgment before the Rapture. It is obviously to me that we will, in fact the judgment has already started because even so called Christians have rejected God in their actions and choices and that is reflected in the evil people they put into power.<\/strong><\/p>\n God can bless America if we turn back toward him. However, it is not the teaching of Bible prophecy that is preventing that from happening. It is as Baldwin himself said and that actually contradicts his thesis that Christians are using Bible prophecy as an excuse to become lazy. <\/strong><\/p>\n I believe the real reason why so many professing Christians are so apathetic So even Baldwin admits that belief in the soon return of the Lord’s is not the real problem with Christians. The problem is that Christians in the U.S. have just become laodicean and lazy. If we can get pastors to solve the lukewarm issue in the Church, that will be about the best pastors can do to solve the issue of evil in America.<\/strong><\/p>\n Chuck Baldwin — Christians Use Prophecy To Excuse Laziness<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In response to my two previous columns regarding the current development of a devilish New World Order, many professing Christians wrote me with comments to the effect that we should not be concerned about whatever global tyranny may be developing, because “it’s all a part of God’s plan,” or “Jesus is coming soon,” and similar statements. I, too, believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ to earth. But, then again, so did Christians from every generation over the last two millennia. In fact, the Apostle Paul was looking for the return of Christ while he lived (Philippians 3:20). But does anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming excuse personal neglect, indifference, and downright laziness? Of course not.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/a><\/p>\n When confronted with an obvious evil (a burgeoning tyrannical New World Order, not to mention a number of lesser evils), modern Christians will shrug and glibly say, “It’s God’s will; we must not oppose it,” or words to that effect. This attitude says, “I will tolerate or even condone evil in order to hasten Christ’s return.”<\/p>\n In the first place, no one knows when Christ will return, no matter how many books or tapes they have produced to say they do.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n i<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n In the meantime, millions of Christians across America are trying to play God. They talk as if they know when Christ will come. It’s actually worse than that. They have the attitude that they have no personal responsibility to defend freedom and resist despotism. They seem to look at God as some kind of glorified fireman, who is obligated to rush in at the last minute to rescue them from a burning fire–a fire that they helped ignite, or at least, refused to put out themselves when they had the opportunity to do so. It’s the old, “God would not let that happen in America” syndrome.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/a><\/p>\n I believe the real reason why so many professing Christians are so apathetic and indifferent to what is happening has nothing to do with the teachings of Scripture, Bible doctrine, eschatology, or anything of the like. It has everything to do with old-fashioned laziness. Today’s average Christian just flat does not want to be bothered. He has a comfortable house, an easy chair, television, and a set of golf clubs in the closet. He takes two or three weeks’ vacation every year, goes to church on Sunday (a church that does not intrude on his comfort zone, of course), pays taxes, and votes for his favorite “pro-life” Republican candidate every two years, and assumes that he is a “good” Christian and “patriotic” American. He is neither!<\/p>\n A real Christian patriot would never allow his country to be taken over by a gaggle of elitist goons bent on stealing his liberties–including his religious liberties–without doing everything in his power to prevent it. A real Christian patriot is active, alert, engaged, zealous, and committed to preserving liberty.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Tell me again that “there is nothing we can do about it,” or “it’s God’s will,” or “Jesus is coming soon.” Better yet, tell it again to the suffering Christians around the world; tell it again to our Christian forebears; tell it again to your children and grandchildren who are going to inherit a land of tyranny and oppression, all because you were too lazy to resist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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\nThat is not to say that Christians should not oppose evil anywhere but lets really draw the line on opposing what is evil, and not determine what is good and evil based on Baldwin’s vision of some future real or imagined evils of a new world order.<\/p>\n
\nand indifferent to what is happening has nothing to do with the teachings
\nof Scripture, Bible doctrine, eschatology, or anything of the like.
\nIt has everything to do with old-fashioned laziness. Today’s average
\nChristian just flat does not want to be bothered. He has a comfortable
\nhouse, an easy chair, television, and a set of golf clubs in the closet.
\nHe takes two or three weeks’ vacation every year, goes to church on
\nSunday (a church that does not intrude on his comfort zone, of course),
\npays taxes, and votes for his favorite “pro-life” Republican
\ncandidate every two years, and assumes that he is a “good”
\nChristian and “patriotic” American. He is neither!<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n