Welcome to A Christian Manifesto Today episode #54. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Torch Leadership Foundation.
Pastor and Christian philosopher, Francis A. Schaeffer, warned us and created the war plan that we as Christians need today to deal with a society that is increasingly moving away from God, the Bible, and moral principles. He wrote “A Christian Manifesto” over 33 years ago and its words are just as relevant today as they were back then.
Our Christian Manifesto Today Passage from the Word of God today is Matthew 22:21 which reads: “Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
Our Christian Manifesto Today quote today is from R.C. Sproul Jr. He said: “Christians should be at abortion mills, all of them, every day. And we should not be silent. What we should be doing is proclaiming the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We should be imploring butchers, butchers’ assistants, boyfriends, grandmothers, pregnant moms to turn from their sin, to repent and throw themselves on the mercy of God in Christ. We should be pleading with the blind that they not further sear their consciences, and dance across the precipice of hell. We should be calling men to be men, to protect rather than murder their children. …The Christian Right stands now at a crossroads. Our choices are these: Either we can play the game and enjoy the honor that comes from being players in the political arena, or we can become fools for Christ. Either we will ignore the silent screams of the unborn so that we might be heard, or we will identify with the suffering and speak for those who are silenced. In short, either we will speak for the least of these, or we will continue to sell our souls for a mess of political pottage.”
In this podcast, we are using as our text: “A Christian Manifesto” by Francis A. Schaeffer.
Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer writes in “The Use of Force” (Part 1):
There does come a time when force, even physical force, is appropriate. The Christian is not to take the law into his own hands and become a law unto himself. But when all avenues to flight and protest have closed, force in the defensive posture is appropriate. This was the situation of the American Revolution. The colonists used force in defending themselves. Great Britain, because of its policy toward the colonies, was seen as a foreign power invading America. The colonists defended their homeland. As such, the American Revolution was a conservative counterrevolution. The colonists saw the British as the revolutionaries trying to overthrow the legitimate colonial governments.
A true Christian in Hitler’s Germany and in the occupied countries should have defied the false and counterfeit state and hidden his Jewish neighbors from the German SS Troops. The government had abrogated its authority, and it had no right to make any demands.
This brings us to a current issue that is crucial for the future of the church in the United States—the issue of abortion. What is involved is the whole issue of the value of human life. A recent report indicates that for every three live births, one child is aborted. Christians must come to the children’s defense, and Christians must come to the defense of human life as such.
This defense should be carried out on at least four fronts:
First, we should aggressively support a human life bill or a constitutional amendment protecting unborn children.
Second, we must enter the courts seeking to overturn the Supreme Court’s abortion decision.
Third, legal and political action should be taken against hospitals and abortion clinics that perform abortions.
In order to operate, many hospitals and abortion clinics receive tax money in some form-at least from individual states. Our representatives must be confronted with political force (if they will not do so out of principle) into introducing legislation cutting off such funds. If this fails, then lawsuits should be initiated to stop such funds from flowing to such institutions.
Simultaneously with these steps, some Christians have picketed. I greatly admired Dr. William S. Barker, President of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, when he supported seminary students who had been arrested for picketing an abortion clinic in St. Louis. The Covenant Seminary students said:
“We feel we owe the Covenant community an explanation. First, we consulted a lawyer on what is the most effective way to combat this problem; according to him, it is through being arrested which most effectually draws attention to the situation.
“Second, we wanted to demonstrate to the media and to the courts that abortion is not primarily a Catholic issue.
“Third, we felt the need to demonstrate our commitment in the view of the media and the pro-life organizations. We felt our Christian testimony was at stake here.
“Finally, we wanted to get involved in the court system: our case will receive a trial and could possibly be taken to higher courts. If abortion is to be eradicated, it will have to be through the proper legal means.
“It was not an easy decision to be disobedient to the magistrates, but in light of the facts—the destroying of human life on a grand scale—we felt this was the most effective way to respond. It is an urgent situation which requires response now.”
Dr. Barker acknowledged some differences within the seminary community but explained that he personally supported the students:
“Such non-violent civil disobedience is proper, I believe, when other channels have been exhausted or will not serve to avoid or oppose the evil which one finds he cannot in obedience to God ignore or tolerate. At the same time one who violates man’s law must be prepared to suffer the consequences.
Lord willing, we will continue looking at this topic in our next episode.
Let’s Pray.
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Dear friend, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how:
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Until next time, my friend, continue to stand for the Lord and his Word. God bless you!
A Christian Manifesto Today 