Here is the text of a letter to the editor printed in the Cleveland Plains Dealer from the Rev. John Lentz, a Presbyterian clergyman in that city:
A member of my church gave to me a copy of the Ohio Restoration Project. This project is led by so-called Christians who have a plan for Ohio. The project will target 2,000 pastors throughout the state to become "patriot pastors." These patriot pastors will be briefed on a specific political agenda and asked to submit names of their parishioners in order to increase a database to 300,000 names. These pastors will be asked to place voter guides in their church pews.
Ken Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state and a governor hopeful, is named throughout the document. Blackwell will be featured on 30-second radio ads promoting this group's agenda and supporting the "Ohio for Jesus" rally set for the spring of 2006. At the end of the document are the words, "America has a mission to share a living savior with a dying world."
This is not America's mission. This is frightening, diabolical stuff for non-Christians and Christians alike. It is blasphemous to claim that any earthly kingdom is God's kingdom. The theological foundations of this movement are vacuous. They are set on the sands of opportunism, self-righteousness and greed.
It is time for the citizens of Ohio to wake up. This group and those like it will stop at nothing in making America a theocracy shaped by one very limited interpretation of scripture.
The media must investigate and show this movement for what it is. Courageous preachers must help their congregations understand what is at stake. Silence is not an option.
Thank you Rev. Lentz for raising a hue and cry against this groups' truly alarming project.
The Dominionist group that tookover the Republican Party in Harris County (Houston) Texas also claimed to be "Restorationists." They claimed to be "Restoring America" and distributed video tapes about "How You Can Impact Civil Government" which was a primer on how to takeover your Republican Party precinct meeting.
7 comments:
That's some of the scariest stuff I've seen in a long time.
Wow. I am not sure what else to say...
I have been reading your blog since your post last December about the change to "Christmas" pageants in public schools (specifically, the removal of nativity scenes) and how this change is really a more accurate reflection of the American culture than one of persecution. You often mention "dominionism" and warn folk of the dangers of "theocracy." I only recently heard the name Rushdoony (on another blog). I just read the article about dominionism, to which you linked. (Thank you, btw. It was very educational.) I teach an adult Sunday school class of about 40 people. A couple weeks ago I taught on this very subject, though I did not know the term for it (dominionism). I, too, am opposed to this marriage of the church and a political movement. My question for you is why do you fight against dominionism politically? What the dominionists are trying to do is somehow force all men everywhere to repent by enacting "God's laws," rather than by preaching the Gospel and allowing God to do what only he can do - change lives. I think this behavior/tactic/teaching/what-have-you is a theological error and therefore should be confronted in a theological arena. It seems that rather than try to change the minds of the dominionists (via preaching, teaching, et cetera) that you are simply trying to beat them at the ballot box. The irony is that the dominionists are trying to accomplish a spiritual goal via secular means...and so are you. Perhaps I am wrong. All that I know of you is this blog and your focus here is on the political ramifications of dominionism. Perhaps you do preach and teach against it in the context of the church. Most of what I read on your blog, though, is political in nature. I think the root of the problem is spiritual and therefore the problem should be handled in the spiritual realm.
jtr,
This blog has been theological from the beginning.
The values set forth on these pages are religious values -- whether the prevailing wisdom wishes to acknowledge them as religious or not.
Bonhoffer was very theological, but he had to fight the Nazi's politcally as well as theologically. When anyone starts trying to impose throught the power of the State their religious agenda, that is a call to get political. Their weapon of choice is the ballot box and that is the only place where they can be stopped.
This blog site is the most political site I have ever read. There is very little, if any thing presented here that could be classified as religious information unless you prefer the religion of the Pharisees.
Dr. Prescott,
If this blog is truly theological as you say and if the values you discuss are indeed religious values (I am not disputing your claim), then the implications are staggering. You oppose the Iraq war on religious grounds. You oppose tax cuts on religious grounds. You support issues concerning social justice on religious grounds. You oppose the government limiting the definition of marriage on religious grounds. You support the separation of church and state on religious grounds. You oppose dominionist teaching based on your theological understanding. Theology, then, informs your political views. This is understandable as political views stem ultimately from our theology, whether Christian, Jew, Wiccan, Muslim, atheist, or otherwise. What I find staggering is the fact that the majority of your posts are critical of dominionism. The dominionists teach that God requires they exercise dominion over the political process. In other words, their political beliefs are directly derived from their religious values. You clearly oppose this and yet you just indicated that you are doing the same thing. Your political beliefs are derived from your religious values. One is left to understand, then, that you are not truly opposed to theocracy, but right-wing theocracy.
jtr,
There's are some fairly simple biblical principles behind my beliefs.
Here's are some links where you can find them described in much greater detail:
Table of Contents
Identifying the Mainstream of Baptist Life
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