03/23/04
AN UN-HOLY
POLITICAL ALLIANCE
The foundation of a sound society is sound religion, and sound religion is Protestant. Yet American Protestants have oft in history been drawn away from sound religion by un-holy political alliances. The very American Revolution which birthed the United States was an un-holy political alliance of Romanists, Deists, Protestants, etc.- an alliance which ultimately overthrew established Protestantism in those Colonies and undermined the doctrine of the Establishment Principle as well as other important doctrines of the Biblical faith. (Keep in mind that Roman Catholic France and Spain started financing the Revolution and working with the revolutionaries before the Declaration of Independence was even written, and the Continental Congress consisted of Romanists, Deists, Protestants, etc.) And virtually all of the modern “conservative” American political movements have similarly involved such un-holy political alliances. Almost always one product is a further religious deterioration in Protestantism, all in the name of achieving some political objective.
Many modern examples could be cited how un-holy political alliances are undermining sound religion, but let’s just take one for illustrative purposes:
Ten Commandments
Texas Revival Rally
Dallas, Texas • April 3, 2004
Now on its surface, who could object to a rally in favor of the Ten Commandments? Is it not a noble political objective to get the state to recognize the Ten Commandments? Why, that has been a preeminent goal of the National Reform Association in the United States for many years.* But the more we investigate, the more we discover that should trouble us.
Here is what we learn about its sponsorship:
“The Ten Commandments Texas Revival Rally is a Christian and Jewish community project under the auspices of Alan Keyes' Declaration Foundation and Alliance, and their grassroots activism arm, Renew America, in conjunction with Dr. Rick Scarborough's Vision America and Dianna Molix's Concerned Americans in Action. Sponsors include Focus on the Family, American Family Association, Family Research Council, Traditional Values Coalition, Texas Homeschool Association, the Dallas Metroplex Christian Radio community, and many regional ministries.
RenewAmerica.us--the grassroots
activism headquarters of Alan Keyes--is providing guidance for this
national rally movement. Vision America, a pastoral outreach of Dr. Rick
Scarborough, is providing additional support, with the aid of ministries and
pastors around the country. Concerned Americans in Action is chairing and
coordinating these efforts in Texas, and sponsoring the National Rallies
website.”
So here we learn that this rally
combines Christians and Jews (i.e., Judaists).
What’s more, its main sponsor is RenewAmerica, under the direction of
Alan Keyes.
Here is what the rally will consist
of:
“The program includes speakers Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, Ambassador Alan Keyes, and Dr. Rick Scarborough. There will be
Praise and Worship, a performance by Christian vocalist Natalie Grant, and
more! You'll witness first-hand how America must restore religious liberty
and judicial restraint in America!”
So here we see that the rally will
be a “Praise and Worship” service of the “Christian and Jewish community”. Hey, they worship the same God and in the
same way, right? And they proclaim one
and the same gospel, right?
Now as for as that “Christian”
component, we notice that it will include Alabama
Chief Justice Roy Moore (a purported Protestant), and quite likely many of those
attending this religious rally will also be professing Protestants.
But who is this Alan Keyes, who will be speaking, and whose organization is spearheading this rally? Here are two websites that help us understand Alan Keyes and his organization:
http://www.christcenteredmall.com/news/politics/Republican-Race/keyes-profile.htm - a quote from the website says “A devout Catholic, Keyes decries the separation of church and state, calling it a "misinterpretation of the Constitution."
https://secure.bcentralhost.com/holyfamily.bcentralhost.com/Files/lenten%20conference%20speaker%20bio.pdf - explains Keyes’ active involvement in and support of Roman Catholic Church causes and doctrines, including his participation in certain Catholic Lenten Conferences**
So this worshipful rally will gather together Romanists, Judaists, and Protestants to praise God. What is quite ironic about this un-holy political alliance is that it will in fact undermine the very thing it purports to defend: the Ten Commandments.
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* The National Reform Association also has had Roman Catholics to speak at its conferences. For example, it has had well known “This is God’s Country” Patrick Buchanan as a speaker. The National Reform Association seeks identification of the United States as an explicitly Christian nation, but it does not officially seek Protestant establishment.
** Two of his fellow Catholic Lenten Conference speakers are described this way:
"Fr. Angelus:
Fr.
Angelus graduated from the University of New Hampshire then worked for Digital
Equipment Corporation.
After discerning his vocation, he
entered the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in 1993.
He received his Masters of Divinity
Degree from the St. Joseph Seminary in Dumwoodie, NY. Fr. Angelus
took his vows on August 2, 1998, and
was ordained to the priesthood on May 18, 2002. His first assignment
was at St. Crispin Friary in the South
Bronx, and in July of 2003 he was assigned to St. Fidelis Friary in East
London, England. Fr. Angelus works with
the poor in England and evangelizes through retreats and Youth
2000's. He has a special heart for
promoting Eucharistic adoration, devotion to the Blessed Mother especially
of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the
limitless mercy of Our Lord through Holy Mass and the Divine
Mercy devotion."
Rosalind
Moss:
Born and
raised in a Jewish home, Rosalind in her adult years embraced Jesus as the
Messiah of the Jewish people. Her initial conversion took her from a 15-year
business career as a successful executive with corporations in New York and
California to full-time Evangelical ministry, earning a master's degree in
Ministry from Talbot Theological Seminary. A series of events in the Summer of
1990 set her on a compelling course to find out if the Catholic Church is in
fact the Church Christ established 2,000 years ago. After 18 years of
Evangelical Protestantism, she entered the Catholic Church at Easter 1995. Now a staff apologist at Catholic Answers, a
non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Catholic faith through all
forms of media, Rosalind travels around the world speaking and teaching at
parishes and conferences. Rosalind is
the editor of Home at Last, 11 Who found their
Way to the Catholic Church, which includes her own journey to the
Church. She is also a frequent radio guest on "Catholic
Answers Live," and together with Kristine Franklin, co-hosts EWTN's
"Household of Faith" and "Now That
We're Catholic!"
So is "Devotion to 'Our Lady of Guadalupe', "Eucharistic devotion", and the idolatrous Mass all part of keeping the Ten Commandments, as Alan Keyes would understand it? And is the “Catholic Church…the Church Christ established 2,000 years ago”?