Do not conform to the silly politicized preachers...

Suddenly there appear some evangelists who are addressing their political opinions on the pulpit. It is strange to me because they were keeping silence when our society was dominated by domineering military power. At that time they chaired a number of prayer meetings for praising the dictators. Since the civil government established about 12 years ago, they came out and began to speak about politics from a fundamentalist perspective. They are mostly fundamentalists who pay attention to Christian interests. Once they had their hairs cut, requiring government of cancelation of the education law recently enacted. They identify themselves with anti-communists who are well prepared for fighting for religious freedom. But against whom are they are militant? Seen with a global perspective, the old ideology of communist revolution had already passed away. Nevertheless they are eagerly militant for waging an ideological war. They seem to be like the dogs barking at the shadows.

Using the authority of pulpit on the behalf of a political figure is so bad misconduct. According to the historical lessons, religious teachings should never be associated with the politics. It is not because politics is so bad, but because religion should be too radical to be in connection with politics. Politics is a skill for compromising aimed for grasping power regardless what the nature of means may be. If religion begins to serve politics, it means that the radical nature of religion turned out to be guided by political ideas. When a preacher delivers a speech on the pulpit, he or she is serving the Lord, God, not a politician who is a simple sinner. For this reason, it is wrongful to use the pulpit for propaganda of a politician. It is definitely a grime sin.

Going back to the era of the Nazi regime, the German Christians equipped with Luther's teaching on the two kingdoms ordained by God made a great mistake to acknowledge Hitler on the pulpit as a servant of God. We remember that German Christians were too obedient to recognize the vicious face of Hitler. In 1934 at Barmen, a number of theologians and pastors got together and declared the famous Barmen Declaration which addressed about the basic principle of the relation of Christian faith to politics. However, the German churches did not listen to it. Instead they honored Hitler as if he represents the authority of God. They were too much convinced with themselves, for their society was a total Christian. This brought them a huge historical mistake. They assisted Hitler to kill more than 6 million of innocent Jews.

Korean Christians, they are too much proud of themselves. They seem to be empowered through the rapid growth of Christian population in Korean society. Yet, unfortunately they are misleading to political messianism by politicized pastors. It is of great danger when religious community confuses messianic politics with political messianism. Messianic politics is a theological understanding of God's initiation in politics which is not yet revealed. But when Christian churches occupied by a political messianism, then Christians who are supposed to hope for the peaceful politics of Christ become to serve for a secular ideology proposed by a sinful politician who tries to take over the role of Christ. Thus a secular, sinful politician takes over the place where the gospel of Christ is to be proclaimed. This is why corrupt pastors do on the pulpit.

We should pay attention to the fact that Jesus was too radical to speak for a politician. It is of great mistake for spiritual leaders to partake in relative politics. If they want to stand for a politician, then they should give up their spiritual authority as a preacher. Preaching is only for proclaiming for the gospel. Otherwise their spiritual authority endorsed by God might be abused or misused for a certain political interests. Then Christian community might be misled by silly pastors who are blind for politicizing the body of Christ. It is very sad and sorry to admit that such politicized silly pastors are always there in human history. They are those who confuse their calling with the servant of a sinful politician. We should never conform to them in any circumstance. It is a clear sin before God because they lead God's people to an idol worship.