Joel Rainey is the Pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in Shepherdsville, West Virginia. He is a known liberal who even has bylines in the Washington Post and Christianity Today. He decided to weigh in on the Christian Nationalism debate, responding to William Wolfe laying out goals of a Christian Nation which included combatting surrogacy and ending gay marriage.
The theological error at the root of this streak of Christian nationalism is that it does not believe in the miraculous power of God which produces in us the works of righteousness.
— Ben Marsh (@PastorBenMarsh) December 3, 2023
It believes law actually works despite every word of the Bible. pic.twitter.com/bWRr9PEdT2
Joel Rainey is apparently concerned about harming sodomite relationships, as though there is a biblical case for anything other than a swift end to them.
Given the choice between: 1. A nation that outlaws something sinful, but millions still do in secret. 2.A nation that leaves something legal that people choose not to do because they love Jesus more....
— Joel Rainey. ن (@joelrainey) December 5, 2023
I'll take #2. Every. Single. Time. If that's "heresy" to some, so be it.
He follows this up presenting a false choice. It’s false because a nation that loves Jesus would naturally conform its laws to the prescription of Scripture, as history has long demonstrated.
The liberal drift in the Southern Baptist Convention is well documented and pastors essentially defending gay marriage is par for the course.
3 Responses
The law does work in that it shows us our condemnation and need for the gospel. If the powers that be are ordained of God, and that for the purpose of punishing evil and rewarding good, then they would NECESSARILY have to outlaw gay “marriage”.
The results are the Lord’s domain. It’s not for us to try to rationalize all the “what if’s” and think through all the possible scenarios and outcomes. We’re not engineering a machine or piece of software. God’s already done the “engineering”. He is the potter. Not us. He is the creator and designer. Not us.
A truly born again Christian will not continue in sin. (1 John 3, etc.) Truly born again Christians will not justify wickedness (Prov 17:15). Truly born again Christians will not endorse, support, or vote for the imposition of sin. Truly born again Christians will neither violate their conscience, nor advocate for brothers and sisters in Christ to be extorted and forced into violating their conscience, defying the Lord and His word, at any time or place by any powers that be government or not.
Mr. Bailey appears to be one of those iniquity-working, fake “shepherds” who is more concerned about the wolves than he is the sheep. The harm being done to Christians apparently hasn’t entered his mind. All he cares about is the wolves. I would ask him one question. If a Christian honors scriptures such as 1 Cor. 5:9-11, Prov. 17:15, 1 Tim. 3:5, and refuses to associate with or have anything to do with the pornos should that Christian be punished or made to suffer, at the hand and by the actions of other professing Christians, simply for not violating his conscience and for honoring God’s word? Does he have any idea what’s going on out in the real world, in the workplaces and marketplaces, schools, and public square? Children being indoctrinated into wickedness. People being extorted into swearing fealty to abominable wickedness if they are to be allowed to live, work and survive?
As I said, the results are the Lord’s domain. He will take care of us. But the question is should such wickedness, such extortion, and such forced violation of conscience be imposed by Christians? God forbid!
Mr. Marsh’s statement is not necessarily wrong. But it begs the question. Would a truly born again Christian, made a new creature by the work of the Holy Spirit, violate his conscience and defy the Lord to cast a vote for any person, party or platform that would impose such immorality? Would a truly born again Christian endorse the imposition of such wickedness? Would a truly born again Christian advocate for the blatant forced violation of conscience? NO he would not, and the Bible is very clear on the fact that any who do continue in such sin (which is itself an abomination – Prov. 17:15) are not truly born again. A truly born again Christian would not cast such a vote – which unfortunately now means we cannot support the platform of either democrats or republicans, both of which now include such impositions.
“20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” – Jesus (Mark 7:20-23)
How could they not remember back just ten years ago, when so-called “gay marriage” wasn’t the law of the land, and nobody was being forced to bow to the flag of porneia just to live and work. Was the country a theocracy at that time? Did we have Christian Nationalism?
Supporting the forced extortion of Christians to violate our conscience and to knowingly defy the Lord and His word is lightyears beyond simple opposition to Christian nationalism. It’s nowhere close, and arguing such false dichotomies pretty much betrays a godless agenda. The chaff is rearing its ugly head.