I remember well in 1964 when Barry Goldwater was running against somebody. Scott Chesley and Anita Anderson (Howard) had come to my door in Canoga Park, California, and presented the “Romans Road” to me. That was the first time I’d really heard anything from the Bible, and I was 19 then.
After a week’s worth of meetings with Major Ed Bundy of the Church League of America, I ended up being increasingly involved in Faith Baptist Church, a fundamentalist Baptist church in Canoga Park, pastored by Roland Rasmussen.
Roland strongly affirmed from the pulpit that if Goldwater did not win, our country would go down the toilet. In light of his convictions, the church expended a lot of effort to warn the local public about how bad the Democratic agenda was. As the election neared, many people in this church, including myself, went door-to-door several nights a week passing out None Dare Call It Treason by John Stormer. I sent out packets of information to most of my relatives, underscoring to them in personal notes how important it was that LBJ not win.
Goldwater lost . . . . overwhelmingly.
Well, here we are 48 years later, and it’s the samo-samo. Maybe our country is closer to the toilet now than it was in 1964, but it’s still going. Doesn’t history show rather vividly that all nations end up in the commode?
The life of Christ is in us, and His kingdom cannot be shaken. Our liberty in Christ cannot be taken from us, even if we are in solitary confinement. I love what my good friend Don Atkin said recently:
Hello Don,
Do you have any sense of who will win the election? I’m sure you’ve been asked this already. 🙂
Dear __________,
I have no sense of who will win the election. I don’t believe that it matters. We have our marching orders. And there is truly only one nation under God, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, A HOLY NATION, His own special people (1 Peter 2:9).
God will choose, knowing who would best serve His purpose to bring clearer definition to a new creation.
Love, Don
We must ever remember what Father’s purpose in His Son – “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces” (Daniel 2:44-45).
Paul told us in Ephesians 1:22-23 that Father has subjected everything under Christ’s feet, and given Him as Head over all things with reference to the ekklesia, which is His body, the fullness of the One filling all in all. Christ is ruling and directing everything in heaven and earth with reference to and for the sake of His bride. The focus of His passion is not earthly Israel, not America or any other created entity – but the apple of His eye, the ekklesia who continues His life and ministry in this age.
– Jon Zens, November, 2012
Author, speaker, editor of Searching Together, itinerant encourager of relational communities.
Nice! Thanks for posting this, Jon.
Of course, it is important who wins the elections. The leaders are the ones who pass laws. And these laws can affect us negatively or positively. Your post gives the impression: it does not matter who wins. But it really matters. For instance, Obama is muslim and has a communist agenda. Do we want America influenced by communism? No. Got to be careful what you post.
Rafael, the point I was underscoring is the fallacy of thinking that if so-and-so wins, then our country is finished. The pastor I referred to dogmatically stated in 1964 that if Goldwater did not win, our country would go down the toilet. This pastor was sorely mistaken, as have been so many others who cry “dooomsday” if their candidate loses. Goldwater lost, and the USA did not go down the commode in a heartbeat.
The comforting truth is — affirmed many times in the Old & New Testaments — that the Lord sets up rulers, and takes them down, and everything Christ does has His purpose for the ekklesia in view.
ahhhhhhhh, now i understand. sorry for misinterpreting you. Sorry Jon.
Glad some clarification could come forth!
Jon, I like how you summed this up in this phrase.
“The focus of His passion is not earthly Israel, not America or any other created entity – but the apple of His eye, the ekklesia who continues His life and ministry in this age.”
The mark of the ekklesia is that she is not shaken or derailed by any election outcome. Her eyes are faithfully fixed on Christ her Groom and He is her life supply. For one truly living in Christ, external circumstances may impact our external situations, but not our internal union with Christ. And she will find a way to express Him despite the political environment.
Yeah, I think I see that now.
Thanks.
“Roland strongly affirmed from the pulpit that if Goldwater did not win, our country would go down the toilet.”
And it did.