Before discussing a Christian nation, or even a Christian state, we should be focusing on building a Christian county — perhaps we should actually start at the township level. In any case, if we cannot get the thousands of professing Christians in Lancaster County to desire the honoring of Jesus in the public square, then conferences, books, and podcasts about making America “Christian again” are largely nugatory.
The problem in Lancaster County, as it is in many “conservative” counties, is that the professing Christians want the benefits of Christendom without the substance. The Christian heritage of America in general, and Lancaster County in particular, is the very reason for the great blessing and prosperity the county has enjoyed.
Now, that heritage is being spurned.
And leading the charge are our two Republican county commissioners.
This month, the Lancaster County commissioners, led by Republicans Josh Parsons and Ray D’Agostino, signed a proclamation making manifest their public religion: pluralistic secular humanism.
The proclamation honored Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and made specific mention of Hindu (read: pagan) religious festivals being celebrated in Lancaster County.
I doubt the three commissioners — Parsons, D’Agostino, and John Trescot — personally adhere to Hinduism, but the point is that they have no qualms about the public recognition that the heathen religion and its holy days are good for the county.
Listening to the three commissioners speak about this proclamation revealed that their religious commitment — at least in public — is to pluralistic secular humanism. Namely, they all believe that multiple religions and pagan celebrations actually make our county (and nation) stronger. This is an anti-Christian religious commitment. It cannot coexist with Christianity, which teaches that “all the gods of the nations are idols” (Psalm 96:5).
(As an aside: the great irony of the proclamation was that it recognized Hong Neok Woo, a Chinese-born immigrant who returned to China to destroy the culture’s pagan religion by preaching the gospel. Of course, Woo had another name for the religions Parsons, D’Agostino, and Trescot celebrate: idolatry.)
Because Lancaster County’s churches have failed miserably at teaching the Bible and the demands Jesus makes (see Psalm 2), most Republicans (many of them churchgoers) couldn’t care less about this proclamation. In fact, over 30,000 of them turned out to vote for Parsons and D’Agostino during Tuesday’s primary. I am willing to bet their thinking ran thus: “What difference does it make if the commissioners spit in the face of Christ and honor idolatrous religions, so long as the Democrats don’t get elected?”
Is it any wonder “conservative” Lancaster County is going to pot? (With Republicans like this, who even needs Democrats?)
Identifying the solution to Lancaster County’s degradation and demise into an idolatrous cesspool must take into account the reason that tens of thousands of professing Christians keep voting for public secular humanists.
At the bottom of it all is the failure of Christian churches to make disciples. As the churches go, so goes the county. And while Lancaster County is chock full of churches, they have been largely reduced to impotent, lukewarm gatherings led by weak men. Sure, the “worship team” gives off a veneer of ardor, but the zeal for the Lord of hosts, his law, and his kingdom is absent. As the Lord warned through Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
So, the primary means in preventing more secular humanists from publicly kindling the wrath of the Son (cf. Psalm 2:12) is to work towards the growth of biblical churches in Lancaster County. But just as Parsons and D’Agostino will keep taking your votes if you’ll give them, so too will insipid pastors, unwilling to apply the Bible to all of life, keep taking your tithes, if you’ll give them.
It’s time the followers of Jesus Christ in lukewarm churches heed this message: “go ye out of the midst of her” (Isaiah 52:11).
If a general lack of boldness before 2020 was not enough to get Christians out of these spiritual mausoleums, the lockdowns and mask recommendations from pastors should have been the final straw — and our county would have been far better off if the churches that shut down never opened their doors again. But, alas, they did reopen, and the sheep dutifully piled back inside to watch their shepherds forget the law of God (cf. Hosea 4:6).
The culturally impotent churches in Lancaster County have had their chance, and they have done exceedingly well in providing us with a thoroughly pagan county, complete with Hindu celebrations and sodomy festivals in the streets.
Now it’s time for the biblical churches to be established.
Yes, it might mean we have to go without hip praise bands, well-lit sanctuaries, eloquent pastors, and massive church buildings, but that is a small price to pay for the bold and faithful proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the public square.
After all, it is that gospel — not lily-livered pastors with seminary degrees in cravenness — that is the power of God unto salvation, even the salvation of the rulers of the earth.
Chris Hume is the host of The Lancaster Patriot Podcast and the author of several books, including Seven Statist Sins. He can be reached at info@thelancasterpatriot.com.
God’s people lack knowledge not because they have not been exposed to it. They lack knowledge because when they were exposed to it they “rejected” it. I wonder what knowledge of the truth we have rejected today that is leading to God’s people being destroyed in so far as their spiritual influence in Lancaster County and elsewhere in the world?
What is the duty of man? “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
The commandments referred to in this passage are God-given, not man-made civil or municipal laws that pertain only to secular citizens and inhabitants. God’s people are strangers and pilgrims on the earth (Hebrews 11:13) and ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) with the duty to call the unregenerate people living in Lancaster County and elsewhere to come out of the secular humanistic community and become fellow citizens with the saints and member of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19) and in so doing be reconciled to God and thereafter to keep His commandments and to serve the Lord. And, remember we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).
If the land is becoming more and more pagan then what can God’s people do that will lead to the healing of our land?
“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
It’s God’s people who need to humble themselves, pray, turn from their wicked ways, and seek God’s face. Only then will God hear our prayers, forgive us of the sins of our wicked ways and heal our land.
What are God’s people doing or not doing today that God considers to be wicked?
Are we attempting to serve two sovereigns or masters by voting for secular humanists to rule over us as statutory citizens? Have we pledged our allegiance and fidelity to a secular master?
Are we called to reform the secular government or offer the people an alternative known as the Kingdom of Heaven?
Aren’t we, as ambassadors for Christ to call the unregenerate people in the community to be reconciled to God and come out of the secular world and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven as God’s people?
Jimmy Christianity itself is so divided in it’s many flavors what is the gestalt? Why have you or your circle been given exclusive access to god’s truth? How rar are you willing to go to manifest your ideas? Did you vote for trump? let me know if you need the definition of gestalt.
Scott, I do not believe I have exclusive access to God’s truth but I do believe that the Bible is the best evidence of God’s word to mankind and to His people and that God’s word is truth.
Do you believe that all experience consists of “gestalten” or of design? If you do then who do you believe is the designer of all situations that we experience?
Are you a part of the human potential movement that is based on Freudian and Gestalt psychology and is aimed at self-realization?
You have equal access to God’s truth so why not share with us the truths that God has revealed to you regarding morality and values rather than questioning “how far I might go to manifest my ideas” of God’s truths concerning morality and values?
Do you believe that truth is relative to the individual and that truth can only be established by each individual natural man’s rational thinking and that this natural man is the only source of morality and values as it pertains to him? To me if “truth” is relative to the individual then the word “truth” has lost all meaning.
In respect to the definition of “gestalt” do you believe that a man’s response to a specific situation is complete in itself and is whole rather than a sum of the responses to specific elements in the situation and that the whole itself cannot be analyzed? Isn’t that what “Gestalt psychology” is all about?
To answer your last question, NO I did not vote for Trump because I already have a King that rules over me and to whom I owe my absolute allegiance and fidelity and because I cannot serve two sovereigns or masters at the same time in the same situation. We all have to choose whom we will serve. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord and Him only.
Thank you for speaking up and speaking out! Too many “lukewarm” souls who will be spat out of the mouth of God. Too many lukewarm “Christians” who profess with their tongues and not their hearts….
The Religion Christianity and its Bible is NOT unique – Ancient Greek texts ,and earlier Sumerians were worshiping a Virgin birth ,and a trinity ,long before man claimed to be inspired by God ..or made it up for there own power over simple sheep herders …
what if you were born in a different country , grew up with a different religion ,you’d then be wanting your county like that ,and you’d be critical of Christians and there stolen beliefs …
long before the Bible, there was another mythical flood ,written way before Noah and the Bible .look up and read ” The Epic of Gilgamesh” very very close to Noah’s story but PROVEN way before the Bible- lots of other proven Plagerism – if God is All power ,omnipotent, etc.. why not show himself and talk instead of earthly men dictating for him ,…why the whole hassle with the cross ,,just forgive us ,. I believe in a higher power of a kind – but not the Bible ,cause I use critical thinking ,and reason…
Why is mixing YOUR belief with politics so important to you ..even some of the founding fathers came here to escape religious persecution and FREEDOM OF
R E L I G I O N is big part ,but you want to push it into politics …SMH