By FRC's Dan Hart
With some evangelical leaders actually encouraging believers to disengage from the election, the Conservative Baptist Network's Pastor Prophet Patriot event could not have come at a more crucial time. Held at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia on Tuesday evening, the event featured FRC President Tony Perkins as well as Dr. Brad Jurkovich, Dr. Emir Caner, and former Marine Tim Lee, among others.
As Pastor Jurkovich of First Bossier in Bossier City, Louisiana pointed out on Washington Watch, political disengagement in the church has to be addressed at this critical time: "As we've engaged with pastors and churches, one of their big concerns ... is this disengaging from the culture, this lessening of the urgency of the hour to engage." The event was held to "champion religious liberty, cultural engagement" with the election only a week away.
Jurkovich underscored the need for clarity: "When you see your culture being assaulted by these ideologies that are undermining our nation, bringing division in our nation ... we have the gospel, we have hope. And so why not engage and be a voice of truth and clarity and courage and biblical truth ... Pastors have felt hindered, scared, intimidated ... [they've thought that] maybe it's 'unspiritual' to be engaged in political leadership avenues."
As the culture has moved away from biblical truth, spiritual issues have now become political. "Every issue now in our culture is political," said Jurkovich. "As pastors, you just have to settle that in your heart and say, 'Lord, I'm going to be faithful to preach, teach.' Pastors, look at your people. They're grappling with these issues in their world. Bring the word of God to them, and don't be afraid to address it, whether it's a life issue [or] a marriage issue, whatever it is, they need the truth, and they need to be strong in that."
At the Pastor Prophet Patriot conference, Tony Perkins made it clear that there is no room for political correctness for believers: "We need to be willing to challenge people to follow God and make no apologies for it."
He called for revival and for pastors to stand up for truth without fearing a hostile culture: "As prophets, as pastors, as patriots, it is time that we call upon God to do great things in our midst again. I believe America can see a revival. I believe the church can be aroused once again to its unique role of being the moral conscience of the nation and proclaiming without hesitation 'thus says the word of the Lord,' standing up in the face of the 'cancel culture.' It's time for every pastor to stand in the pulpits of America, and say, 'Go ahead, cancel me out, because I was crucified with Christ and you cannot touch me.' We cannot operate in faith riddled with fear."
Perkins was candid about the fear that has overtaken our country because of the coronavirus and the church's opportunity to exemplify courage: "We cannot miss living because we are afraid of dying. When we have died in Christ, we've been raised to new life, to walk in the power and the might of the Holy Spirit ... This is a moment for the church. This is our moment."
