The Church's Prophetic Office

When the church speaks, people do not listen.
It used to be different.

Election day sermons thundered from the American pulpit, declaring the duty of the people to their rulers and the duty of the rulers to their people. And each were to submit to God.

And if the leaders were blatantly out of hand, the pulpit would call them on the carpet--just like Jeremiah or John the Baptist. This is sometimes dubbed the churches "prophetic office."

I recently watched about the only show worth watching on "public tv" (channel 12, 5.03.07). The Independence Institute was explaining the new bill that passed in Colorado, gaining more funds from the property tax (mill levy). It was touted as the "Children's Amendment", to help give more money to the schools without a tax increase.

But in Colorado we have been blessed with a little thing called the TABOR Amendment. It limits taxes and demands that any tax increase or tax policy change be brought to the people for a vote. And Colorado's Attorney General's office believes the legislative branch is walking on ice with this bill.

Any prima facia reading of TABOR (as the interview with the Deputy Attorney General pointed out) would come to the same conclusion. DeGrow, the other one interviewed, witnessed a Senator screaming (his words) that this was the "children's amendment" and should be passed.

But the bill itself has no guarantee or explicit language that the monies will go to the schools. And the legislature will not include such. In fact, it frees up money on the state end (1.5 billion in a decade). Money for any use. And, of course, it is a tax-increase without the voter's approval. Two strikes thus far.

And what should a minister say to this?
Governors, Senators and Representative: watch your mouth.

Violations of the Ninth Commandment are no little thing. It is bad enough that most politicians have a reputation of lying; exaggeration of claims and using emotive language ("children's amendment") to hide truth is just as bad as blatant lying.

If church leaders would preach this to their people, maybe, just maybe, they might vote differently next time. But we will never know until the churches themselves are infused with Gospel power and love for God's Law.

SDG