Pastor Jack Hibbs of Real Life ministry and Pastor Gary Hamrick from Cornerstone Chapel delivered two prominent speeches at the 2023 Family Research Council Pray Vote Stand Summit. The pastors gave two separate messages, yet they shared one common theme: “It’s not political. It’s biblical.”
Both pastors made it clear that all the issues we are dealing with in our day such as abortion, transgenderism, marriage, economics, homeland security, and everything under the sun, was first established in sacred Scripture. For both men, their pastoral duties involve keeping the church aware of our need to be engaged with what is deemed by society as “political.”
“There is no place to put God aside,” Hibbs said. As someone often referred to as a “Christian nationalist,” he emphasized that Christians should be engaged in politics. After all, as Hibbs made clear, what is political is first biblical. Hamrick touched on this as well, noting that he is not a “political Christian nationalist” as much as he is a “practical Christian biblicist.” Hibbs noted, “Pastors have recoiled, [they] have stepped back. … [But] they need to get up front more than ever before.”
Hamrick referenced C.S. Lewis’ quote, which stated, “When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.” Hamrick argued that many of the ideas the world is promoting are equivalent to running toward a cliff, and there are many pastors who are choosing not to address these matters. He added, “They are saying, ‘Well, we just don’t want to get too political.’ … As if it’s too political for the church to address the social evils of the day.”
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Hibbs added how a lot of blame should be put at the foot of the church. He explained how believers need to be engaging by voting from a biblical worldview. In doing so, he argued, they are working towards getting more pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-nation, and pro-military back into the government. The people in charge may not be explicitly Christian, but by voting from a biblical worldview, as Hibbs put it, we vote for who most closely aligns with biblical values. Hibbs asked, “You want to save America?” To which he answered, since Jesus is the only way and true Messiah, America will only be saved “in God’s house.”
Hamrick outlined several examples of Christians who have served as “the restraining force against evil in [their] day,” such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer against the Nazi regime. He said, “True Christians have never been afraid to address the social evil of their day. … So, why all the fuss of late?” He quoted Martin Luther when he said, “If you preach the gospel in all aspects with the exception of the issues which deal specifically with your time, you are not preaching the gospel at all.”
“We are now in Babylon,” Hamrick said. “Will we be conformed to Babylon, or will we transform Babylon?” Christians are not leaving their “lane” by addressing political matters, he argued. But, as he emphasized, it is those in opposition to the truth that are fighting to hijack the narrative on social and moral issues. Hibbs further discussed how it is worthy to consider that the only gods accepted by pagans are ones that allow people to do whatever they want — the more evil their narrative becomes, the more radical the truth seems. But “our nation must turn back to God,” he said. “[And] the church has to lead the way.” Government was established by God, and Christians need to be beacons in their communities, Hamrick emphasized. “God is looking to us. We want to be found faithful.”
Hibbs went on to mention how the issue at hand is not inherently “another political cycle.” He added, “Church family, this is a religious issue. Will the church awaken?” Both pastors preached that Jesus is the only hope for America, but that hope will not be realized if pastors do not teach the truth and Christians do not live it out so that the world can hear God’s message.
For Hamrick, if you refrain in fear of being “too political,” then “you’re not living up to your calling.” He concluded, “This is the time for every Christ follower to engage the culture and be an instrument of change through the person and power of Jesus Christ.”
