The Ink is Black, The Page is White

Remember that old song by Three Dog Night, “Black and White”? It keeps running through my head the last few days. Basically, it’s a typical ‘70s idealogue about race relations and social justice, still appropriate for today’s activist mindset. And really, wouldn’t it be nice if the world turned to that tune, lyrically speaking? If humans looked past the outward and just loved their fellow man with the kind of love that God commands? But man being the naturally sinful and rebellious and suspicious creature that he is, we should not wonder why things have not progressed racially the way the song says it can/should/is. And things will get worse. But that is not my topic today. That song rattles around on my cranial AM radio station for other reasons.

There are those today, like Tony Campolo, who call themselves “Red Letter Christians”. Joseph Farah covered this very well in an article you will find posted elsewhere on this website. He and other discerning writers have called this movement for what it is: a new ‘front group’ for the liberal democrat crowd who want to include “God talk” in their politics. Liberals such as Jim Wallis, of Sojourners, a social activist group of emergent/liberal denominational theology, along with Tony Campolo, have founded the Red Letter Christians as a response to the ‘religious right’‘s past attempts to bring a conservative, biblical voice to American politics, a slant they do not like one bit. Trying as much as possible to appear as evangelicals, the same old left-wing agenda is being given new life with new faces but is in reality nothing new at all. Louis Sheldon, chairman of Traditional Values Coalition, says this:

“In every election cycle, we see the same tired old left-wing “religious” activists trotted out by the Democrats as proof that the Democrat Party has a spiritual base.

Yet, these “religious” leftists and Democrats routinely support policies that are diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Bible. The Bible condemns the taking of innocent life—yet liberals support abortion on demand. The Bible condemns the behavior of homosexuality—yet liberals support homosexual marriage and adoption. The Bible calls for the punishment of evildoers and justifies war when there are threats to national sovereignty—yet liberals are routinely weak on punishment of criminals and weak on national security.

Adding a garnish of religious talk to campaign speeches for liberals does nothing to change the reality that current liberal thinking is the antithesis of true Christianity.

Americans need to understand that these pseudo-evangelicals are nothing more than shills for the Democrat Party and trying to use whatever credibility they think they have to draw Christians away from the Republican Party and a truly Biblical worldview. “
Rev. Louis Sheldon, ‘Red Letter’ Liberal Christians: A New Front Group For Democrats’
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2867

Now, I am not particularly political, and I cling to Jesus’ words that “our kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36), even though I love my country and hate to see the ‘hell in a handbasket’ syndrome rock our comfy little world. But as a prophecy student first and foremost, and a pilgrim and stranger on this earth, I do not expect to see any improvements in this life; nothing that a new heaven and a new earth can’t cure. But I desire to bring this ‘Red Letter Christian’ notion into the light of truth so all can see what it really is. Rev. Sheldon goes on to say,

“These “Red Letter Christians” are supposedly trying to alert American Evangelicals to the importance of living the words of Jesus as highlighted in red in many Bibles. Their idea of living the words of Jesus, however, is somehow reinterpreted to mean support for every liberal political agenda on the horizon.

These pseudo-evangelicals would have you believe that the Bible only contains the Word of God. True Evangelicals believe that the Bible — each word, each sentence — is the Word of God. This is how you can tell the difference between these pseudo-evangelicals and true Evangelicals.”

But to many who do not look beyond the symbolism, packaged precisely to play on the emotions, it sound greats to be a “Red Letter Christian”. Especially in light of all those liberals who get together each December in “The Jesus Seminar”, and decide if what IS in red was really said by Jesus, and did He really mean any of it anyway? Of course, they are really in their hearts just saying, ‘hath God said?’ and scoffing at any authority God might have on their lives. And so proclaiming oneself to be a Red Letter Christian sounds so noble. But Wallis, Campolo, and McLaren really want to spin things their direction, by turning Jesus’ words into a social activist credo, which is perfectly in line with their Dominion/Kingdom Now theology that says that if we can just make the world over in our image, banish poverty and injustice, then Christ can return to this great utopia we have created for Him. Problem is, what they are preparing is the kingdom of antichrist, which will ‘emerge’; but the Kingdom of Christ will be established, not ‘emerge’. I believe we must look at all of Wallis’, McLaren’s, and Campolo’s doctrine to see if they truly live and believe the biblical Gospel, or do they pick and choose and color their letters to suit their agenda. Do your homework on these teachers and be fruit inspectors for yourselves.

Or how about being a ‘Blue Letter Christian’? Not to be confused with the Blue Letter Bible, which is a great and wonderful tool I recommend to every believer who would like to be a real student of the Word and have a fantastic word-search and word-study tool at their fingertips. (www.blueletterbible.com) No, I mean those who are committed to the First Church of the Internet, whose blog is their god and whose theology comes from someone somewhere in the world with a keyboard and internet connection, often an ax to grind and an attitude to boot, who sit in their pajama-clad ivory towers and look down on Christendom in general. The Blue Letter Church of Hyperlinkology is one scary place and only serves to enable pseudo-Christians to “forsake the assembling of yourselves together” against the clear admonition to meet together with other believers for teaching, fellowship, prayer and breaking of bread.

No, I am not a Red Letter Christian. I am not a Blue Letter Christian. My Bible has black letters on white pages, and it says that Jesus is the only way to God. It says that unless you repent you shall perish. It says that one is saved by grace and not by works; that this Jesus who came the first time as a suffering servant to take on all the wickedness that man would ever commit will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. I believe the entire Bible is inspired from cover to cover, and IS the Word of God, not ‘contains’ the Word of God like today’s hyper-intellectual professorial types to profess to be wise guys in their own eyes .I believe the volume of the book speaks of Christ. I believe that the “New (testament) is in the old contained, and the Old in the New explained.” The whole counsel and nothing but.

Yep, I am a Black-and-White Christian.