It's Time for Pentecostals to Make a Difference in Our Nation

 

It’s Time for Pentecostals to Make a Difference in Our Nation -By Steve Strang

No one needs to tell you America is in a mess. But our problems go beyond the dismal economy or high unemployment—they’re moral.

What once was a strong Christian nation has become more secular and less godly in the past few decades. And this has happened on our watch! No one can point fingers, because we’re all to blame. We’ve let the media and entertainment industries, the educational system, and general culture slide to the point where the President of the United States says he supports the concept of a man “marrying a man” and a woman “marrying a woman.” Who would have thought this would ever happen?

When the Holy Spirit was poured out at the beginning of the 20th century, the burning debate among Christians was over prohibition. Preachers preached against drinking, gambling, and other vices. With the rise of modern technology and the Internet, we don’t even try to stop pornography anymore. All of those vices are now accepted as common practice in our society.

When Hitler rose to power, most Jews couldn’t believe he was as bad as he declared in his book Mein Kampf. After all, this was cultured Germany. Christians didn’t believe it either. As a result, millions of Jews and Christians died. Sadly, although they told themselves in 1932 it “wasn’t that bad,” it was that bad—and worse!

Things are bad in America, and we must wake up. If you don’t believe this, google Wikipedia for the “humanist manifesto” published in 1933, or google the “homosexual manifesto” published in 1987. It's scary how many of the things predicted then have come to pass, such as wanting to criminalize what God’s Word says about human sexuality by calling it “hate speech.” Others believe we have a right to trump God in defining life. Those are just a couple of the many fronts on which modern-day America is trampling upon its godly foundations.

A Heated Battle
Clearly, we are in a culture war—and with the other side, anything goes. Those who hold to biblical values are the only ones keeping sin from totally dominating the culture. Many of these biblical values have been made a part of our legal system since the days of our Founding Fathers. However, as we have seen changing opinions on drinking, gambling, easy-divorce, abortion-on-demand, and now, so-called same-sex “marriage,” the laws are being changed as the culture slides into decadence.

We must act before it’s too late. Those of us who believe that we “do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities [and] powers” (Eph. 6:12) must also war in the spiritual realm on our knees!  

Pentecostal Power
Historically, Pentecostals have been more interested in piety and the anointing of the Holy Spirit than being activists. During World War I, most Pentecostals were pacifists. Most Christians involved in politics were from mainline or evangelical churches, and they often didn’t even want Pentecostal support because of anti-Pentecostal bias of the era. That view has changed tremendously. As the culture has become more hostile and many in the Church have become lukewarm, Christian warriors in the culture war are embracing Pentecostals with open arms. That’s because not only are Pentecostals fervent in our beliefs, in the face of hostility we are willing to stand up for our beliefs—such as the Pentecostal experience—even when it’s unpopular. Being marginalized or out of the mainstream is nothing new to Pentecostals.

Is there compromise in Pentecostal circles? Sadly, too often the answer is yes. But at least moral compromise is still considered backsliding and not the newest liberal trend to embrace. And though imperfect, Pentecostals at least have upheld standards that we have already seen lowered in the wider Christian community. (Thank God, those among Pentecostal tradition who accept homosexuality have created their own groups and not infiltrated existing Pentecostal denominations).

Godly Leaders Needed
The overwhelming majority of Pentecostals still believes in righteousness. But at this crucial juncture for our country in which we need those real believers to stand up, it’s especially important for Pentecostals to do so because we hold fast to the values outlined in the Word of God. We need people who believe the Bible and who know right from wrong to get involved. We need Pentecostals who will run for office or prepare themselves for positions of leadership in business, entertainment, and other arenas of the culture—not just in our own churches. We need those who will re-establish godly standards for our country and our communities.

Christians in past generations battled slavery, prayed for the Iron Curtain to fall, and stood in the gap for Israel to be restored as a nation. They served as powerful examples of how believers can shape the nations. Now, we must do the same for America. We must pray that the spiritual forces at work that destroy our freedoms and the culture will be overcome and that righteousness will prevail. Remember, the Bible says to pray for good government so we can lead quiet and peaceful lives (1 Tim. 2:2). (And by inference, win the world for Jesus).

 

We must put legs to our prayers. James 2:17 says faith without works is dead. Therefore, we must act. In an earlier era, that would have meant joining hands with non-Pentecostal Protestants. Today, we don’t have the luxury of denominational parochialism. This is war, and we must join forces with Bible-believing Catholics, conservative Jews, and even those we consider cults, such as Mormons. These groups all believe in conserving traditional values from the Bible, which means we share a common vision for America’s future.

America’s Healing
We still have time. If we, as God’s people, will humble ourselves and pray and turn from our wicked ways, then God will hear from heaven and heal our land (2 Chr. 7:14). The Church must help those who share our values, whether or not they are believers. That means voting based upon the Word of God, not on party affiliation, or whoever promises the most to voters. We must pray and then vote. Vote your values. Get others to vote their values. Let’s start a movement with the power and passion of the Holy Spirit. It’s time to stand up.

 

Like Esther, perhaps God raised up us Pentecostals for a time such as this.

 

 

Steve Strang is a fourth-generation Pentecostal who has covered the “Spirit-filled community” since he founded Charisma magazine 37 years ago. In 2005, Time magazine listed him as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.