Noting the country's rapid moral decline, a minister highlighted the significance of people in the pulpit who will speak the truth of God's Word.
"To say that we are at a crossroads is an understatement-we are in the crosshairs," Shane Idleman, founding pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship (WCF) in California, wrote on Charisma Magazine.
Idleman criticized the "lack of fire" in the pulpit and the apathy of congregants which led to the lukewarm spiritual temperature of America. Sharing the statement of the late evangelist Leonard Ravenhill, he argued that Christians can never remain silent.
"We need more prophets in our pulpits and less puppets," Ravenhill declared.
It's Impossible To Be Nonconfrontational As A Christian
Reacting to the statement of Pastor Andy Stanley quoted by CNN, saying that "saving America is not the mission of the church," Idleman emphasized that people who state such are merely justifying their silence on relevant issues.
Stanley is the founding pastor of North Point Ministries in Atlanta.
"Biblically speaking, it's impossible to be nonconfrontational to a culture hell-bent on rejecting God. We can't be 'unhitched' from God's Word," the WCF pastor further stated.
While he believes that saving America is not the church's mission, Idleman pointed out that the country needs godly leaders who will teach based on God's Word, protection of its borders, the church to be a voice to the voiceless and to stop abortion.
"The dilemma Pastor Stanley and others face is that they can't have their cake and eat it too. They can't avoid controversial topics in the hopes of not offending. Watering down difficult topics is exactly why America is drowning in a cesspool of moral relativism," he added.
He noted that secular news outlets never quote bold preachers because they expose and dismantle their agenda but CNN only quoted Stanley because his statement supports its narrative. Hence, he questioned the people who are being sided by these news outlets of whether they are "on the right side."
"My goal isn't to divide the body of Christ but to convict it," Idleman said of his reaction over Stanley's statement, citing Proverbs 27:17.
Moreover, he blasted the ministers for being silent on major issues but are bent on "slamming bold saints" rather than "confronting blatant sinners."
"Weak sermons from woke pastors won't convict the sinners who need redemption," the WCF pastor argued.
Also read: Three Ways to Spot a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing in the Pulpit
Pastors Must Not Be 'Appeasers'
He stressed that ministers are in "deep trouble" if they continue to ignore tackling controversial arguments in the country out of their silence. He added that if they are not preaching the truth so as not to offend those who belong to other political spectrum, they are not pastors but "appeasers."
Though he said that the love for people is more important than the love for country, doing the former equates to doing the latter. Also, he pointed out that instead of being conscious whether they are offending others with their stances, church leaders must consider whether they are offending God.
Echoing A. W. Tozer's statement on the need for a "new type of preacher" who will courageously speak against the evil of the world and will love God and people, Idleman reiterated the necessity for "more prophets and fewer puppets."
The WCF pastor continued by describing how preachers should be.
"Those who have been called to preach will confront compromise, condemn moral digression and powerfully denounce sin in the hope of reconciling man to God. The world despises them because they challenge the sin the world enjoys. Trying to please a Christ-rejecting world is an exercise in futility," he said.
In conclusion, Idleman declared the need for more leaders like the prophet Micaiah, recalling his statement in 1 Kings 22:14.
"As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say," Micaiah stated at the time when God sent lying spirits to the prophets in order to entice the king of Israel into battle.
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