On his website, California-based minister Mario Murillo posted on his blog the reasons why pastors' silence on issues of abortion, same-sex marriage, and the Equality Act is more harmful to their people than they assumed.
"Here's the thing-by doing this you are hurting the people, and hurting them badly. You are hurting them in ways you never imagined," he wrote.
Murillo brought up the Hebrews 13:14 as his scripture reference in his admonishment. He said that church people would often put their trust on their leaders, and these leaders, in turn, will give an account to God.
This premise, according to Murillo, should have been a learning opportunity for Christian leaders to train their congregants to give answers or to make a stand on differing issues based on their moral and spiritual convictions.
"Are you preaching comfort to these sheep? Are you training them to give an answer? Are you taking action against persecution in your area by confronting politicians and government about religious freedom?" was his challenge.
Noting the many kind of things that the Left does, Murillo argues that Christians should not be forced to be "silent or suffer because they are not properly trained to push back on leftist bullies."
"Pastors who refuse to clarify their political positions are ignoring hazards their people face every day. Politics hurt. Its costs Christian bakers their business, it costs believers being fired from their jobs, students getting expelled. It's why men in bizarre women's clothes and make up are reading to children in public Libraries," he pointed out.
"Politics is why you and I are accused of hate speech. Politics is why many Christian outlets have stopped performing marriages. Politics is why your tax dollars fund the cost of abortion."
"This is not about legislating morality. It's about stopping the legislation of immorality."
To put weight on his assessment on whether Christians should engage in politics or not, Murillo wrote in caps that it's not about legislating morality, but more on preventing the legislation of immorality. He quoted the account on Acts 4:19-20 where Peter and John gave a brilliant answer to their detractors.
"But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.'"
Murillo used the apostles' example to give emphasis on why Christians, like their first century predecessors, should choose to not submit to laws that are clearly in contradiction to God's Word. He then added that "every loving leader" should emulate Peter's example on verse 23.
"And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them."
Murillo acknowledged that there will be threats and push backs when Christians raise their voices, but the solution is not silence.
"The solution was a prayer for boldness to tell the truth and for miracles to confirm the Gospel," he said then added, "How can you ask God to look at a threat that you refuse to admit is a threat?"
