|
The
Holiest Number?
by Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb, Executive Director - Lutherans For Life
 What is the holiest number? Some say 7, for it is
the number of God. Some say 777, for it is the holy Trinity as
opposed to the unholy trinity of 666. It appears to me,
however, that the holiest number is 501(c)(3). I came to that
conclusion as I was pondering the possible answers to this question.
“What will it take to get the Church to rise up and boldly take a
stand for God’s truth?”
Will the Church rise up when the government takes
away the right to life of the most vulnerable of our
children?
Evidently not.
Abortion has been legal for 33 years. While some
corners of the Church have voiced opposition from time to
time, this opposition comes nowhere close to a united rising
up of Christendom to stand on God’s Word of Life and
oppose this great evil. Besides, abortion is such a political
issue, and we would not want to violate our 501(c)(3) status by
talking about it in the pulpit.
Will the Church rise up when the government gives
the right to homosexuals to marry and tells the Church they must
bless same sex unions?
Evidently not.
Homosexuality is acceptable to more and more
denominations. Some have already blessed same sex unions and have
opened their pulpits to homosexuals. Besides,
homosexuality is such a political issue. We might be charged with hate
speech and lose our 501(c)(3) status if we address this in the
pulpit.
Will the Church rise up when the government says we
can no longer proclaim the Word of God?
Evidently not.
The Church has been the leader in removing the Word
of God
from herself. A six-day Creation, miracles, the virgin birth of Jesus, the bodily resurrection of Jesus—these and
more have been relegated to a “take it or leave it” status.
Many “Christian” sermons have become “feel good” speeches offering
at best mere morsels of morality. Besides, such preaching
would never run the risk of endangering our 501(c)(3) status.
Will the Church rise up when the government says we
can no longer have 501(c)(3) status?
Oh yes!
Christendom would unite with such a loud voice that
the granite blocks and marble dome of the U.S. Capitol would
shake as if the San Andreas Fault had moved east. Sunday
services would be cancelled so that congregations could travel in
bus loads to Washington D. C. to lobby Congress. With a single
voice the Church would demand its 501(c)(3) status so that it
could continue to defend the truth of . . . Hmmm? What
truths would be left to defend I wonder?
Now I hope you have been reading this with that
proverbial “grain of salt.” I really do not believe that
501(c)(3) is the holiest number, and I am not advocating that churches give
up their 501(c)(3) status. Indeed, tax-exempt status is a
blessing in that it allows more funds to be used for sharing the
Gospel. However, as evidenced by the reaction of some churches on
life-related referendums in various states, the first place many
turn to is IRS regulations rather than the Word of God.
I thank God for LFL’s 501(c)(3) status. But I also
pray to God that we would never allow it to weaken our resolve
to stand on and proclaim God’s truth. We can make a difference.
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that
when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13 NIV).
Posted 10-11-06 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg)
