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Greg J Dixon
More About: Religion: BelieversDr. Dobson Will Shut Down His Ministry Rather than Compromise!
By Don Boys, Ph.D.
The deadly, dangerous, and defective juggernaut known as ObamaCare (ObamaScare!) is rushing through the streets of a once-great nation and is about to crush hundreds of Christian ministries. A principled religious leader, Dr. James Dobson, vows that he will never capitulate to the requirement to provide abortion coverage to his employees. His ministry Family Talk is suing the Feds and Dobson said of the command to cover abortions, “We’ll close down before I’ll do it.” In a recent letter, Dobson declared, “the killing of babies is something we absolutely cannot do.” Of course, no real Christian would do that. But professing Christians will do it. Just wait and watch, then weep. Only a few Christians will refuse to obey what is purported to be a lawful order.
Dr. James Dobson of "Family Talk"
The Big Question: How much loyalty do Christians owe to local, state, and federal governments when their laws conflict with biblical teaching? Few people understand that all Christians are to be totally submissive to Christ in all matters (Col. 1:18). Even all governments are subject to Him! (That won’t play well in Washington and all places of power.) Consequently, what kind of loyalty do we owe any human ruler?
Rome had changed rulers frequently and often violently. Caligula had been assassinated; Claudius had been put to death by poison; and Nero was, at that time, reigning as a bloodthirsty tyrant. Jews were known to be as difficult to control as a roomful of angry cats. Jerusalem was always known as a rebellious city (Ez. 4:15, 16) and to compound the problem, Jews, who were to be ruled only by a Jewish king according to Deut. 17:15, now were ruled by a Roman tyrant. All that made them ripe for rebellion.
The early Christians were Jewish converts who had been under Roman rule for hundreds of years, often rebelling without success, resulting in much bloodshed. The Roman system was founded upon paganism so Jews and Christian Jews even wondered if they owed any obedience to pagan rulers, especially since Nero was killing Christians by the thousands. Pagan religion had been woven into the Roman civil government; hence, early Christians refused to serve in any capacity as judges, soldiers, civil workers, etc. It would be insane to serve in a government that is determined to destroy you; moreover, they could not swear supreme allegiance to Caesar.
In spite of the above, there was no question what Christians should do: God commanded them to submit to pagan rulers! In fact, Paul told those early Christians that they must obey those in authority even if the rulers were ungodly and sinful. That command was given so that there might be a calm, correct, civil society–even if it were pagan. However, it was clearly understood that no Christian should obey an immoral order.
But to resume the subject, and conclude the argument: while I have had disagreement with some of Dr. Dobson’s past positions, I respect his courage, commitment, and convictions in this matter. However, he did not go far enough. He should add: “We will not comply with your order and you will have to come close us down!” I hope he doesn’t’ think that is too militant. It takes courage to challenge the government but it takes super courage to tell them, “Come and get me.”
Christian militancy is missing in most churches even those who identify with fundamentalism! Some have stood such as Dr. Greg Dixon and his son Pastor Greg A. Dixon, who were pastors of the 8,000 member Indianapolis Baptist Temple, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. The Dixons refused to withhold FICA taxes from their school and church workers who paid their own taxes. Some misinformed or uninformed people have accused the church leaders of refusing to pay taxes. The problem was not in paying the taxes due, but how the money was collected and paid. The Dixons did not believe the government had the authority to force church leaders to be tax collectors, and their stand is supported by the First Amendment and the New Testament!
The Bush administration disagreed, and after a 93-day siege in 2001, sent 100 heavily armed federal marshals (after all, these were dangerous Christians) to take their property, valued over six million dollars. While the church leaders, along with scores of other leaders from around the nation were praying, the Feds carried them out of their building. The government then sold their Christian school building (that had enrolled 700 students) to a Charter School, and bulldozed the other buildings and the large auditorium down to the dirt – a first in American History. The church leaders told the government, in essence, “Come and get us.” They did, and the church folk lost everything except their faith and character.
The Dixons have been friends of mine since 1960 and I have preached for them many times. After the Federal Government stole their buildings and 22 acres of land, the church moved to a better location near Interstate 65 on the south side of Indianapolis and still has a thriving ministry.
While there is no legitimate comparison of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple to the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, where 55 adults and 28 children were slaughtered by their government, there are some parallels. While the Waco cult was weird, warped, and wacko, there is no law against being such. After all, many names, mostly Democrats, come to mind. Even though the cult was weird, they did not deserve to be burned and shot by their government. For sure, the Feds came after them, but the world watched the unprovoked, unlawful, and unnecessary brutal suppression of a religious cult who refused to bow to the government. Charges of child abuse and illegal gun possession were used by the Feds to justify the brutal killings, but such charges were discovered to be untrue – after 83 innocent, helpless Americans were slaughtered!
Dr. Dobson, Catholic Hospitals, Liberty University, and other universities and religious groups should live up to their convictions or turn off the lights, lock the doors, and everyone go home. Those ministries (and there will be many) that cave under government pressure do not deserve to be mentioned in the same context as the faithful Christians who have died and are dying today for their convictions. Some things (like unborn babies) are worth fighting for, even worth losing everything.
CEOs of the ministries that cave will hold news conferences to explain (rationalize) their surrender to federal pressure: “Well, we fought a good fight, but lost the battle; however, everyone knows where we stand. We will obey the government in order to continue our valuable ministry.” Others will declare: “Well, we tried and made it clear where we stand; however, as we look at the issue again, we believe we can live with the decision. After all, the feds have a point.” Still others will say: “Our board of directors has prayed about this and while it is unpleasant, we have looked at the scriptures again and believe we can live with the order. After all, we are commanded to obey every law of man.” Others will declare: “We fought, even sued the government but we lost so we will obey the law under duress.” Those are many words that justify nothing.
Unsolicited advice for Dr. Dobson and other ministries: Don’t close down your ministries; force the feds in jackboots to close you down. They won’t use tanks and guns – probably.
Copyright 2014, Don Boys, Ph.D.
(Dr. Don Boys is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives, author of 15 books, frequent guest on television and radio talk shows, and wrote columns for USA Today for 8 years. His shocking book, ISLAM: America's Trojan Horse!; Christian Resistance: An Idea Whose Time Has Come–Again!; and The God Haters are all available at Amazon.com. These columns go to newspapers, magazines, television, and radio stations and may be used without change from title through the end tag. His web sites are www.cstnews.com and www.Muslimfact.com and www.thegodhaters.com. Contact Don for an interview or talk show.)
If you wish to receive our newsletter: The Trumpet (quarterly) or Trumpet-online (daily) write to me at: drgregdixon@earthlink.net. Our websites are: www.Biblicallawcenter.com, www.unregisteredbaptistfellowship.org, www.thetrailofbloodrevisited.net and www.the-trumpet-online.com.
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5 Comments in Response to Dr. Dobson Will Shut Down His Ministry Rather than Compromise!
From the letter: "The Big Question: How much loyalty do Christians owe to local, state, and federal governments when their laws conflict with biblical teaching?"
Everyone owes allegiance to whatever government he has selected as his government. It may be a difficult thing to NOT select the government that is trying to harm you, so that they can be your government, when they promise you peace if you select them. In other words, when the bully says , obey me or else, are you going to select them as your government?
You have your choice. Who will you select as your government? Ernie says that freedom begins between your ears. Who will you select? Here are a few choices:
Yourself
God
The U.S. government
The government of some other formal country
Hostage takers (in a hostage situation)
Fear
Modern Science (as opposed to pure science)
Truth
Lies
Love
Hate
Some combination of any of the above
Etc.
There are approximately two ways that a government becomes your government. Before you have the ability to reason, your parents or guardians are you government. Or the government they are under is your government.
After you can reason and understand, your government is the government you choose, even if that government is indecision. There are forces that may attempt to sway you to make them your government, but it is the government that you choose that is your government, no matter what the results, no matter how much pain or joy you get because of your decision.
If you do not like the kind of government presented by the United States of America, get together with friends in a temporary government setting for a few days of hashing it over, and then select your new government based on an understanding of what GOVERNMENT really is.
Originally, the United States Government was supposed to be the Government of the the States, and the Government of people who lived in D.C. and the territories. If you didn't live in one of these, it was not your Government.
Has the United States Government truly become your government? Or have they only tricked you and themselves into thinking that they are your government?
From the letter: "Christian militancy is missing in most churches even those who identify with fundamentalism!"
Perhaps the greatest militant of the Old Testament Bible was King David of old Jerusalem. He was, also, the one on whom God conferred a kingdom that would never end. Jesus is from the line of David. It is the act of making Jesus king of all things through which God is fulfilling the promise to keep a descendant of David's on the throne forever.
David was, perhaps, the most militant of all "Christians" (Messiah-ians) of the Old Testament. As for Jesus, check out the Rider on the white horse in Revelations 19... Jesus, an even more militant King than King David.
The reason we don't see a militant Jesus in the short 33 to 35 years that He was on earth (2000 years ago) is that He came at that time for two major reasons. The first was to suffer, die, and rise from the dead, for the sins/mistakes/weaknesses/inequities/iniquities of the people of the whole world for all time. The second reason was to teach the people the true way to accept God as their REAL government. But He will come again, and the next time it will be in militant fashion and form.
From the letter: "While there is no legitimate comparison of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple to the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, where 55 adults and 28 children were slaughtered by their government, there are some parallels. While the Waco cult was weird, warped, and wacko, there is no law against being such."
Actually, there is a law. What the Federal Government bases all of its decision-making regarding the people on is the contract clause in the Constitution - found within Article 1, Section 1, Clause 1. Government has extrapolated and interpreted all the agreements the people have made with Government - even the birth certificate as a UCC-1 form, a property transfer form - to be agreements that makes Government virtual dictators over the people.
These agreements are NOT real agreements. Why not? Because we did not understand what we were doing when we did them. Almost no mother would have signed a birth certificate if she had known that she was transferring ownership of her new-born from herself to the Government. And there has to be full understanding for an agreement to exist.
Yet, the point isn't the fact that there virtually aren't any agreements. The point is that few people point out to Government that there was no understanding, no meeting of the minds, perhaps even fraud on the part of Government, and therefore no agreement. So what choice does Government have other than to follow the agreements as stated? And when they own you through the birth certificate transfer, or own your rights through some other agreement you made with them (Social Security), YOU ARE THEIR PROPERTY. THEY OWN YOU!
Some people like it this way. But if you don't, start to look for the ways to nullify the agreements that were made on your behalf before your age of majority, and nullify them legally.
http://www.abodia.com/ucc/
We legalize sin every day. Is it any wonder, look what we do to animals in the name of food. I am sick to the core. Man either has always been a monster and we are just now noticing or we have run it off the rails like israel of old. Their solution was you cry out to God for deliverance. Ours too. Stop cooperating. Grow a pair. Robert Staeheli
It's like ayn rand said in atlas- let them come with their thugs with guns so all can see their brute force for what it is, do not take part in your own destruction!